The man drawled. Pretty little thing. Honeycoled hair. Word in town as she's been staying here since you found her on the trail. The Decker gang.
It had to be. Yates kept his expression neutral, even as rage built inside him. "The lady you're referring to was a victim of a stage a coach robbery. She lost everything." "Not everything," another rider interjected with a lear.
"She still got herself, don't she?" Yates's hand inched toward his own revolver. "I suggest you boys move on. There's nothing for you here." The leader, Decker himself, Yates presumed, chuckled without humor.
See, that's where you're wrong. That woman saw our faces, can identify us. That makes her a problem. She's under my protection, Yates stated, his voice hard. And the protection of everyone on this ranch.
You want her, you'll have to go through all of us. The tension in the yard was palpable, every man poised for violence. Decker's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. The determined faces of the lazy K hands, the strategic positions they'd taken up, the rifles gleaming in the fading light. Might not be worth the trouble, one of his men muttered.
Sheriff's got patrols out looking for us already. Decker scowlled, but seemed to recognize the poor odds. This ain't over, King Cade. Nobody crosses the Decker gang. Seems to me you crossed the line when you started robbing stage coaches and threatening women, Yates replied coldly.
Now get off my land before I decide the bounty on your heads is worth the bullets. For a tense moment it seemed Decker might challenge him, but then the outlaw spat in the dust and wheeled his horse around. Let's go, boys. We'll settle this another time. Yates and his men remained vigilant until the riders disappeared into the gathering darkness.
Only then did he allow himself to exhale. Jake, send two men to town right away. Alert Sheriff Taylor that the Decker gang was here. The rest of you stay alert tonight they might circle back. The men dispersed to their assigned tasks while Yates hurried back to the house.
Worry for Bethany overriding everything else. He found her in the parlor with Martha. Both women tense but composed. "They're gone," he announced as he entered. "For now."
"Who were they?" Martha demanded. The Decker gang, the same men who robbed the stage a coach. He looked at Bethany, whose face had gone pale. "They know you're here.