Maggie saw Rick draw his old six-gun and heard the click of the hammer as he knocked it back. Looking along the muzzle, she realized it was aimed as much at her as it was at Doc. Behind it, Rick looked two steps shy of crazy and jumpy as hell. She could see the tension drawn in tight lines around his mouth as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. Dark shadows under his eyes suggested he hadn’t slept in a while.
‘Don’t shoot, Rick,’ she said. ‘If you do, we’ll have the whole town down on us.’
‘She’s right, kid.’ Doc released her arm and fanned his hands out at his sides. ‘Lower the gun and let’s talk about this for a minute.’
Rick straightened his arm and adjusted his aim. ‘There’s nothing to talk about. We’re leaving.’ His gaze flickered to Maggie. ‘Your horse is saddled. Mount up, Maggie.’
This was a side of Rick Talbot that Maggie hadn’t seen and she didn’t like it. She certainly wouldn’t feel safe riding off alone with him in his current state of agitation.
‘Doc’s right, Rick,’ she said. ‘We need to think this through.’
‘I’ve thought it through. I let you down before, Maggie, but not again. I’m getting you out of here. Somewhere safe. Nobody’s ever going to hurt you again while I’m around.’ He gestured with the muzzle of the gun. ‘Come on. Now.’
She didn’t move.
‘Better do something before he shoots one of us,’ Doc whispered.
‘No, Rick. I’m staying here.’
The gun wavered. ‘You were the one who said we had to keep going and stay one step ahead. What’s changed? Him?’
‘You have. You’re pointing a gun at me. You’re frightening me. How does that make you any different to those others?’
She might as well have slapped him in the face. He dropped the gun to his side like a dead weight.
‘I’d never hurt you, Maggie.’ He moved towards her and softened his tone. ‘I just want to do right by you.’
‘Then come back to the kitchen. Doc can put some coffee on and get you something to eat. You look like you haven’t slept or eaten in days.’
Doc had other plans. ‘I’m afraid you folks will have to see to yourselves. I’m getting out of here,’ he said as he marched away. ‘That’s what I’m going to do. Fifteen years … fifteen years … and then this … if I …’
Maggie followed him in to his bedroom where he started tearing open drawers and pulling out clothes, all the while muttering to himself.
‘Doc, wait a minute. You said we needed to talk this through.’
He chuffed. ‘There was a mad man pointing a gun at me. What else was I going to say?’
‘So you’re going to abandon us?’
‘Yep.’
She made a grab for his arm but he sidestepped.
‘Look, Doc, they don’t know we’re here. They don’t know you’re here. The best thing we can do is wait and see what they do. Otherwise we might just draw attention to ourselves for no reason.’
Her words had no effect.
‘I know exactly what they’ll do. The same as every other troublemaker that passes through this hellhole of an excuse for a town. They’ll get into a fight and they’ll come here looking for a doc to patch them up and who are they gonna find? Oh, yeah. The man they promised to kill.’
‘You’re overreacting.’
He pulled saddlebags from under the bed and started shoving clothes inside. ‘You’re entitled to your opinion.’
Looking between the two men, she wondered if she was the crazy one. She could understand Rick’s reaction; he was a coward. But Doc? He was a law-abiding citizen, an educated man, although not forgetting disconcertingly perceptive. Maybe she should feel a sense of panic, but she didn’t.
‘Doc, just hear me out,’ she pleaded. ‘Rick, which way did they ride in?’
‘From the south.’
‘And the cabin is to the north,’ she said.
‘And the sun rises in the east and sets in the west,’ Doc added, sarcastically. ‘We know that. What’s your point?’
‘My point is, they’re heading towards the cabin not away from it.’ It was a struggle to keep her tone civil but starting an argument wouldn’t help. ‘They haven’t been there yet and they don’t know Frank’s already dead. It’s my guess they’ll be in a hurry to get there before he dies. Walt must have told them how sick he was or why bother to show up after all this time?’ Her reasoning was as much for her as Doc. ‘Until they reach the cabin, they won’t know or suspect anything. There’s no reason for them to come looking for us now and absolutely no reason for them to cross paths with you.’
Doc stopped his packing. ‘That’s a lot of guesswork but it sounds feasible, I suppose. Saying I go along with it, how does that help?’
She sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling weary, wondering why both men were looking to her for answers. What could a banker’s daughter who hadn’t seen civilization for seven years know that they didn’t. Yet neither man seemed ready or able to offer up a plan.
‘It gives us time,’ she said.
‘To do what?’ Doc asked testily as he weighed a book in each hand, apparently trying to decide on which to take.
She lashed out, knocking them both to the floor with a decisive thud. ‘To plan our escape without raising suspicion.’
She had his attention now, albeit grudgingly, and she ploughed on letting the idea form as she talked.
‘Rick can go to the saloon and keep an eye on them. He can find out what they’re up to.’
‘What!’ Rick backed away.
‘They don’t know you. You’re just another stranger in town. Go and have a drink. That’s all I’m asking. Be our eyes and ears.’
He didn’t need to say anything. She could see from the wild look of panic in his eyes that his moment of courage had passed. It reminded her of the night he had walked away and left her at the mercy of Walt McLean. That had been bad enough but if he walked away now it was more than her life he would leave hanging in the balance.
She started to speak but Doc cut her off.
‘Look, kid, she’s right. There’s no other way. She can’t do it. A woman like her walking in to a saloon would draw too much attention. I can’t go because they might recognize me and I’m no good to anyone if I’m dead. You’re the only one who can do it.’
It was a good argument but Maggie could see that Rick was still unconvinced. She wanted to tell him to show some backbone, to stop being such a mama’s boy, but somehow she thought better of it and settled on a gentler approach.
‘We’re depending on you, Rick.’ She rested her hand on his arm and gave it a light squeeze. ‘You can do this.’
He wavered for a few more seconds then shoved the six-gun back in to its holster. ‘Do you think they serve coffee in the saloon?’
‘I’m sure they do,’ she said without having the faintest idea.
He seemed to want to say more but instead he turned and walked away. Maggie listened to the sound of his footsteps as he left by the back entrance. She half expected to hear the sound of hoofs as he rode away, never to be seen again, but the quiet remained unbroken.
Doc sat down beside her. ‘I thought he was going to run like a scared rabbit.’
That seemed like the kettle calling the pot black but Maggie let it go. She realized that, for better or worse, they were all in this together. Now wasn’t the time for pettiness.
‘I’m going to get some rest,’ she said, walking away. ‘Call me when Rick gets back.’
Doc touched his fingers to his temple by way of a salute. ‘Yes, ma’am.’