They settled in to wait, and it wasn’t long before company arrived.
The men from Willow Crick sat their horses about a dozen yards from the wagons.
“All we want is the woman and the kid. Turn ‘em over, and we’ll let you go on your way.” They exchanged glances, grinning at each other, and it was obvious they expected an easy time of it.
Instead of answering, the quiet of twilight was broken by the sound of five rifles being c****d.
“Now hold on there a minute. Mr. Weatherford said you’d be reasonable, you’d cooperate.”
“I reckon you shouldn’t have believed him,” Steve said.
“Thomas,” George whispered. “Can you hit that varmint?”
“Yep.” He chose one of the larger glass marbles, placed it in the pocket of his slingshot, and pulled back on the rubber strips. Then he drew in a breath, he
