Falcon didn’t move. He didn’t want a board to creak or a shadow to shift. John was shielded by the door, but as soon as Kingston quit looking at his brother and took one more step into the room, he’d see Falcon. If only Hawkins would come a few steps closer first, so they could grab him an instant after they grabbed Kingston.

Win peeked at Falcon’s gun. She got a look on her face he couldn’t understand. All he knew was she looked mad as a rabid skunk. With Kingston’s back to her, she raised the knife and sank it hard into the middle of his back.

Kingston roared and spun around.

She let go of her knife and plowed a fist straight into his nose, shouting, “That’s for Kevin!”

Hawkins came at a run. He carried Rachel in his arms but shoved her aside just inside the door so she plowed into Falcon.

Falcon steadied her, and her eyes popped open with a quick smile that turned mean.

Hawkins rushed forward.

Blood flowed down Kingston’s back. Rachel hit the floor but not from collapsing. She did it deliberately, then kicked hard and high from flat on her back and managed to land a boot straight into Hawkins’s backside.

Hawkins hollered with pain.

Kingston turned at the noise his brother made and saw Falcon. He jumped away, ever the coward, to grab Win. Falcon leapt on him, carrying him over backward. They dragged Win off her feet again.

Hawkins turned and ran for his horse. He was on it and galloping around the back of the cabin.

Falcon swung one wild punch after another to stop Kingston, who was clawing at Win to get her in front of him, to protect him from Falcon’s assault. They rolled, and Falcon was on the bottom. Win went tumbling backward. A fist plowed into Falcon’s face.

He barely noticed John rush outside, then another set of galloping hooves went after Hawkins.

John, alone now against Hawkins.

They came here thinking five against one. All of them against Hawkins. Now it was one-on-one, John against the worst of the lot. The man who’d been killing since childhood.

Then a whirlwind hit Falcon. He thought for a second it was Win, turned into someone nearly as tough as Cheyenne. Then he saw it was Cheyenne. His wife had bought into the fight.

A slashing thud ended the fight. Kingston toppled off Falcon. The big galoot landed on poor Win again. Cheyenne shouted something out the door, but Falcon’s ears were ringing from so many hard punches to the face that he wasn’t sure what she yelled.

Falcon opened his rapidly swelling eye to see his little firebrand wife come to save the day. She twirled her gun with casual skill and tucked it in her holster, her eyes cold on the man lying facedown whose head she’d just bashed.