Chapter Fourteen #2
Later that day, when their bellies were filled and the stage came with an announcement to board for Cartwright, California, Micah took Ellie’s hand once again as he handed their luggage to the shotgun rider.
His own pistol sat securely in his holster lest someone had been tipped off and meant to thwart their journey, and his knife was sheathed in his boot.
They climbed into the stage and were alone save for one weathered looking cowboy who looked altogether too tall and broad for the stage.
Neither Micah nor his brothers were small, but this man was more in line with Jim Thorn in his size.
“Afternoon, sir,” Micah said as they got settled across from one another.
“I’m Micah Sutton, and this is my wife Ellie. ”
Something flashed in the man’s eyes, but he covered it quickly. “Pleased to meet you both, I’m Wyatt.” His gaze didn’t linger on Ellie, instead he smoothed his thick gray mustache and pulled a stack of papers from his satchel.
Satisfied the man might know her name from her grandfather’s life in town in Cartwright and Ellie’s disappearance after his death, Micah relaxed.
He hadn’t realized how much his body tensed at the clear recognition, but for now they were safe.
Still, Micah kept a close eye on Wyatt as they rode the four or so hours north with Los Angeles behind them.
At some point, Ellie fell asleep on his shoulder, and he tucked her head in the crook of his neck while studying the terrain around them.
California was different from Texas. That much was certain.
As they rode further and further away from Los Angeles, the terrain became more hilly and even mountains rose up in the distance.
Groves of green trees were followed by even larger mountains, but the stage continued down the dirt road at a quick clip.
They had to be getting close to Cartwright, if the sun was any indication, and Micah lifted his left wrist to look at his watch when the stage slowed quickly - too quickly for his comfort.
Shouting up front preceded the sound of a gunshot as Ellie jolted awake.
Wyatt had already grabbed his pistol and was out the door, the papers he’d been studying tossed across the bench he’d been sitting on and the floor at his feet.
“Ellie, get down onto the floor and don’t get up for any reason.
” His heart thudded, but he had to keep his wits about him.
“Wyatt’s armed, so’s the shotgun rider and driver, but I’m going to see if they need help.
” Was it as simple as a stage robbery, or did they know Ellie and Micah were coming into town?
Wyatt had jumped out so quickly. Had he been involved?
He didn’t know, but he planned to find out. Ellie opened her mouth to argue, but Micah silenced her by pressing his lips to hers in a kiss far too short if it was to be their last. “Please,” he whispered as tears filled her eyes. “Get down and stay down. For me.”
She nodded, not speaking while her eyes told him everything she was feeling.
A tear rolled over onto her cheek as Micah wrenched open the door and hopped onto the ground.
Closing it firmly behind him, Micah pulled his pistol in time to hear another shot fired, and he pressed himself against the coach to get a better handle on what was happening.
The driver sat beside the coach, a little blood blooming onto his shirt, but the wound didn’t look too deep. Stepping forward cautiously, Micah could hardly believe his eyes at the sight.
Wyatt had pulled his bandana over his face, and Micah’s eyes narrowed until he realized the seasoned cowboy had already put a bullet in the leg of the lone gunman. Wyatt and the shotgun rider had already tied the gunman’s hands behind his back while he lay bleeding from his leg on the ground.
“You can talk to the lawmen when you get to Cartwright,” Wyatt growled as he yanked the man up to a kneeling position and ignored his screams. Was he a lawman?
“Thankfully, you won’t have far to ride.
” Wyatt looked up, spotting Micah by the coach.
“Sutton, come help me get this gentleman tied over one of the horses. Don’t reckon his leg’s gonna hold out long enough to make him walk. ”
Micah quickly moved into action as the shotgun rider went to check on the stage driver.
He’d been hit, but thankfully it was nothing more than a graze, and they were only a few minutes from town.
If Callie had been there, she’d have insisted on cleaning the wound before they continued moving, but all Micah wanted to do was get out of the ravine they currently sat in and to less vulnerable ground.
Hills rose up on either side, beautiful, but giving bad actors a perfect vantage point to ambush them if they were so inclined.
Micah didn’t like that idea, so he was motivated to move as quickly as he could to help Wyatt secure the man.
He wanted to take justice into his own hands and demand to know if someone had sent him, but something held him back.
Once they got the shooter strapped in, Wyatt nodded his thanks to Micah. “Go check on your wife. I doubt she’s been involved in many shootouts.” Again, the recognition gleamed, but Micah had to trust the man who’d apprehended their attacker didn’t mean them harm.
“She’s been through a lot worse than that, but if I have anything to say about it, she never will again.”
Respect and something else showed on the small bit of the man’s face Micah could see, and he nodded.
“Then I’d suggest you two not stay in Cartwright any longer than you have to.
Let me gather my things, and I'll walk the rest of the distance to make sure this one doesn’t get any bright ideas.
” He’d already disarmed the shooter, but Micah appreciated the extra measure of security.
By the time the two of them reached the stage door, Ellie had moved to a sitting position on the floor.
Her head whipped up, eyes wide with fear as her whole body shook.
In her hand was one of the papers Wyatt had dropped.
The man behind him let out a puff of breath, and Micah’s hand went back to his pistol. “What’s that, Ellie?”
“It’s a file,” she ground out. “With my name and the details of my trust all over it.”
Micah whipped around, unholstering his pistol as Wyatt’s hands went up in surrender. “Guess it’s time I fully introduce myself before your husband puts a bullet in me. My name is Wyatt Edwards, Mrs. Sutton, and I’m the judge assigned to your case.”