Sitting close by the trunk of the large cottonwood, Hawk heard Rascal nicker. He had been watching the big buckskin near the edge of the water, the horse’s ears constantly twitching, and knew their company was near. “They’re gettin’ pretty close,” he said, and Winter Flower moved even tighter up to the tree behind his shoulder. He cocked the hammer back on the Winchester lying on the ground right beside his hand. “You know how to shoot a gun?” She answered with a nod of her head. He reached down and eased the .44 out of his holster. “Here, use this only if you have to. That’s just in case I ain’t as smart as I think I am.” He gave her a reassuring smile and said, “All we gotta do now is wait and let ’em come to us.” In a matter of minutes, the two men slow-walked their horses into the little grassy clearing. “When the shootin’ starts, you roll over all the way behind this tree, understand?” She nodded.

“Hello, the camp!” Bud sang out. “Saw your smoke. Mind if we come in?”

“Not if you’re peaceful,” Hawk answered. He didn’t move to get to his feet, sitting where he was as the two men continued walking their horses to the other side of his fire. He figured they were intent upon getting a better angle to shoot at him. He wondered if they considered the fact that it also made them a better target and that his rifle was already aimed at the spot where he guessed they would stop.

“No matter, friend,” Bud replied. “We ain’t lookin’ to stop. We’re searchin’ for a little Injun woman that’s been travelin’ with us, and I’m afraid she’s gone off and got herself lost.”

“Is that a fact?” Hawk asked.

“Yes, sir, it is,” Bud answered. “We’d be awful worried if we thought we’d lost her. Ya see, she’s tetched in the head and we’re tryin’ to get her to her folks on the reservation. I don’t reckon she wandered by here, did she?”

“Not since we’ve been here,” Hawk replied. “We just got here a little while ago, though, just me and my woman. We ain’t seen anybody else.”

“I reckon that’s your woman settin’ there beside you,” Luke said, “all huddled up under that blanket.”

“Yep, that’s her. She’d come out and say howdy, but she’s kinda shy, don’t you know?”

Luke was rapidly losing his patience in the game of verbal sparring. “I’m thinkin’ you might be makin’ a big mistake and that ain’t your woman a-tall.”