Chapter Nine

Jimmy rode hard. He switched horses even though he did not have a mailbag with him at a station in between Sweetwater and Rolling Meadows. One of Teaspoon’s errands, he had offered as an explanation. He was lucky, no one questioned him and his luck continued to hold as he galloped into Rolling Meadows with more than forty-five minutes to spare. He saw Emma’s Place and no one saw him. Rolling Meadows seemed to be a very desolate town. Only one woman had crossed the street since he had arrived. There were six buildings in the town, none of them teeming with activity. The whole scenario reeked up set up, he thought grimly.

Now what? Tyson Drake or whoever he was was not in Emma’s Place. It was then Jimmy heard a loud crash behind him and a chorus of raucous laughter. Seemed like the only people in town were in the other saloon.

Jimmy watched the building carefully, trying to envision Drake’s scenario of choice. Drake would force him into a gunfight; someone else would have Priscilla. So that meant Priscilla had to be nearby. He realized that this was the best case scenario. Another possibility was that someone would give him another note and that would lead him elsewhere. Priscilla could easily be miles away.

Jimmy sighed, walking to the back of the saloon. He could do nothing if the second scenario occurred. But he could explore the possibility of Priscilla being held nearby. The saloon looked like a good choice.

Gingerly he approached a man heading back into the building, obviously returning from a quick stop at the outhouse.

“Any new girls?” Jimmy asked, hoping he sounded casual. The man gave him a befuddled look.

“I was here last week, and the week before,” Jimmy continued. He shrugged; hoping that he conveyed some sort of message, that they were compatriots, being slighted by a saloon that had so little to offer. He knew this was a risky gambit; he had not even entered this saloon once so for all he knew new girls could come in every week.

The man guffawed at him. “What? Your wild oats can’t be sowed just anywhere?” He pointed at the outhouse. “Blast that Bradley,” he muttered. His eyes brightened at Jimmy. “But maybe you’ll appreciate it. They got themselves a new girl in there. Stupid bitch won’t come out so Bradley locked her in and now anyone who needs the damned outhouse can’t get in either.”

He left Jimmy, still muttering about the lack of facilities. And as soon as he was out of earshot Jimmy hurried to the outhouse. It had to be her. What other reason would there be to put a chain around an outhouse?

He banged on the door.

“You get away; you low down, two bit -”

“Cill?” Jimmy asked hopefully.

Silence.

“Cill, it’s me, Jimmy.”

Jimmy was greeted with silence once again.

“Come on, we can get out of here.”

“How’d you find me?”

Jimmy groaned. Now was not the time for small talk. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

“I’m locked in here.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jimmy yanked on the door. It had no give. He was going to have to shoot the lock that held the chain going round the building. “Get ready to run.”

“Run? Wait a -”

Jimmy shot the lock and all hell broke loose. Men came from the saloon, a few shouting once they realized what he had done. He cursed himself for leaving his horse out of reach. Stealing horses was not part of the plan; not that he had a well thought out plan to begin with.

He unraveled the chain enough to pull the door slightly ajar and Priscilla squeezed through. She looked disheveled but not harmed, he thought with no small amount of relief.

He grabbed her hand. “Run!” he commanded her. And run she did. They both ran and Jimmy soon spotted a horse. He shoved the rider off, ignoring the man’s epithets and swung up, holding a hand out to Priscilla. Once she was behind him, he dug his heels into the animal and galloped away. Jimmy did not even care what direction he was going in. He just needed to get somewhere where there was cover.