Saving Grace by Unknown (best book reader .TXT) 📕

wound back in towards her waist like the bend in the river, everything about her almost made him forget that he'd just been shot at, by a sheriff no less.

"Look at me when I'm talkin' to you!" the sheriff roared, tearing Austin's gaze away from the lady he'd been staring at. Austin obeyed and looked at the man, but not in the eye, lest that raise his ire. "You shoulda minded your own business. Too bad, there's been a lot of robberies on these roads lately. Glad I came around just in time to help this helpless young lady before it was too late." I quiet grin began to spread across the sheriff's face as he raised his gun one last time and got ready to shoot.

"You'll have to kill us both if you do that." Cole's calm voice drifted from behind the woman's horse causing the sheriff to jump and the horses to stomp slightly at the unexpected sound.

"What'n the hell?" the sheriff swore, spinning around to face the stranger on his other side while still trying to keep an eye on Austin. The light illuminating the sky had all but faded and it was hard to make out Cole's shape in the darkness, but the three could hear where he was speaking from and all turned to look that way.

"Looks like you're not getting your man this time, sheriff," Cole said from wherever he was hiding. "If I were you, I'd ride back into town and leave well enough alone. We'll come and settle this up in the morning."

"Why you," the sheriff began, raising his gun past the woman on the horse and firing off a shot that flew past her head. She ducked, hugging her horse's neck tightly. Almost immediately, another shot rang out on the road, whizzing past the sheriff's black hat and burying itself into an outcrop of rock a dozen feet away.

"That wasn't an accident," Cole said coldly. "Time to go home."

Even though he couldn't quite make out the color of his face, Austin could tell the man was probably red with rage. He also wasn't stupid because after a few moments he spun his horse around, pointed it towards the woman and when he got close, grabbed her arm as if he were going to throw her across his own saddle.

"Let go of me!" the woman shrieked, pulling her arm from the sheriff's grasp and towards her body.

"Miss Grace," the sheriff growled through clenched teeth, "there ain't no way I'm leavin' you out on an empty road with two strangers now, get on!!!" The sheriff made another grab for her, but the woman was too quick and nudged her horse to one side, avoiding his grasp.

"I'd sure as hell rather die by their hand than be touched by yours, Sam. Now let me be!" The last sentence was more roared than spoken, and Austin's eyes went wide, witnessing the woman's spirit. The sheriff looked at Austin, back at Grace, then into the darkness trying to make out where the shots had come from.

"Time to go home, Sam," Cole's even voice droned, cool and devoid of emotion. The sheriff's fury grew, but he was smart enough to know when he didn't stand a chance.

"To hell with you!" Sam Spencer roared, digging his spurs into the sides of his giant, black steed, the horse broke almost immediately into a gallop and kicked up a cloud of dust behind it as the two rode off into the night and towards the town beyond.

As soon as the sheriff was far enough away, Cole stepped out from the shadows, slowly and carefully so as not to spook the woman, or the horse she was riding.

"Sorry for the trouble, miss. My friend over there doesn't know when to mind his own business."

"No...no, trouble," the woman replied, her teeth chattering, her body obviously shaking with fright.

"Miss," Austin spoke, causing the woman to spin around and face him, "easy does it. We mean no harm. Our camp is just down the way there, just by the river. Care for a cup of coffee? Something to steady your nerves? We mean no harm."

Grace looked back and forth between the two men on either side of her. Eventually, her body gave way to her will and she was able to stop shivering and sit straight in her saddle. Once she'd collected herself, she cleared her throat and her usual, calm voice said,

"I've a better idea. My ranch house is just up the road. Why don't we calm our nerves there."

Chapter 4: House Guests

I do admit that it might have been somewhat foolhardy to trust a couple of complete strangers I'd just met on the darkened road over Sam Spencer, sonofabitch that he was. Might have had something to do with the Doc telling me he was dying earlier that day. Might have had something do with the fact that ranch looked like it was no longer going to be mine and that I was more'n likely going to have to turn to a life of prostitution to support myself because I sure as hell wasn't bedding down with Sam.

But there was a kindness to the two of them, a certain rugged kindness that I could tell was real, or thought I could. I couldn't really see them by the time they'd collected their horses and picked up camp and come back towards the road, but something in the way they moved told me that things were going to be okay.

When we got close to Becca's place I thought of returning the horse and asking one of the two men for a ride, but it sure would feel lonely on that ranch with no horse, no way to get into town. Chances were that her Pa'd already noticed the horse was missing and either she or the ranch hand who'd let me have it were getting their ear chewed off. Another few hours till dawn keeping it wouldn't hurt.

By the time