Chapter 44
Rafe couldn’t believe his eyes or his luck.
Then again, he’d always been lucky.
Not the way most folks talked about luck. Most folks, they said someone was lucky, they meant everything worked out for them.
With Rafe, sometimes that was true. Other times, like when the Toole deal went bad at the abandoned cabin, that was about as far from the truth as you could imagine.
But the thing was, luck was a powerful force in his life. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always there, as if he wasn’t even in charge of his life.
Oftentimes, it seemed to Rafe that he just sort of went from place to place and either got lucky or unlucky.
Either way, good or bad, it was luck. And often, whichever way it broke, Rafe got it in spades.
But this… this was about the best luck he’d ever had.
Because him and Toby hadn’t been holed up for even an hour on that hillside when the woman and the two young guys came riding in on the wagon.
The one kid had gone off to care for the mules.
The other one stuck with the woman. It looked like they were arguing for a bit there.
Then he went off to help his brother, and she went into a tent and came back out with an armful of what looked like clothes, which she carried this way.
She was only a hundred feet below them, standing at the creek’s edge next to a clump of willows, and she was taking her shoes off.
“She’s gonna get nekkid,” Toby whispered excitedly.
Rafe started to rise. “Saves us the trouble.”
Toby grabbed his arm and hissed, “Sit back down, stupid. Don’t spoil the show.”
“I didn’t come here to watch, dummy. I came here to finish the other night’s business. I’m gonna have that woman. She’s even prettier than they said.”
“That’s why I want to see her.”
“From up here? You’re gonna have to use your imagination. I’m gonna go down there and do a lot more than see her. You come down, too, and I’ll let you have a turn when I’m done. Then we can head back to Georgia.”
“Let me go first.”
“No. It was my idea. Besides, you gotta stand watch. Those boys come a running, you gotta shoot them.”
“I don’t want to shoot no kids.”
“Well, put your gun on them, anyway. That’ll scare them into behaving. I doubt they’ll try anything anyway. They’re just kids is all. At least the one. And the other one ain’t much older. Besides, they’re busy with the mules.”
Toby grinned, his eyes gleaming. “All right. I’ll stay here and keep watch. But hurry up with her. I want my turn.”
Rafe nodded, getting to his feet again. As he started tiptoeing down the hillside, he couldn’t believe his luck.
Because that good-looking woman was shucking her dress right now.
In one minute, he’d have her on the ground.
This was his lucky day!