Chapter 14

It was the middle of the afternoon and yet the saloon was surprisingly half-full. There were occasional grunts of disgust or glee from a group of elderly men who played a game of checkers on one corner. A forlorn cowboy was slumped on the piano, occasionally producing a haunting melody, much to the disgust of the drunken ranch hands who wanted a raunchier tune. Three women -- new in town by the sheen of their clothes and the lost look in their eyes -- were glancing around nervously.

At a year old, Ladyluck Saloon may have been the newest in town but it definitely wasn't the least popular. The ample charms of owner Amanda O'Connell have made the saloon a favorite among the Sweetwater menfolk. Not even the fact that the marshall's office was only two buildings down could deter cowboys from having their fill of whiskey, a good game of cards or a look at the beautiful Amanda. 

The marshall himself was following the black-haired beauty in a form-fitting dress with his eyes. The look was protective, not lustful, though. Like a brother looking out for his sister, Kid watched as Amanda served drinks to several appreciative male customers. Kid rolled his eyes and shook his head when Amanda O'Connell winked flirtatiously at a gawking young man. 

"You've ruined that kid for other women," he teased, as Amanda slid behind the bar to refresh his sarsaparilla.

"Good. Then, maybe he won't go to that cathouse down the road," Amanda countered heatedly.

Kid fought to hide the slight smile on his face. "Lost another one of your girls?"

Amanda sighed heavily and nodded. "It pays more," she admitted. "But damn, I told them that's not the kind of life they would want. I know!"

Kid shrugged lightly. "You can't tell people what to do," he remarked. 

Amanda's expression didn't change as she leaned closer to whisper, "You're right," she said engagingly. "So, you can't order me to go back to the ranch with you. I'm staying in my saloon."

Kid grimaced, realizing he walked blindly into that argument. He had been trying to convince Amanda to leave the saloon and stay at the ranch where he and Buck could keep an eye on her since the brutal killing of the horse. 

Amanda O'Connell came into the lives of Teaspoon Hunter and the riders masquerading as Teaspoon's long-lost daughter. She had every intention of stealing Teaspoon's fortune but in the end, the only thing she kept for herself was their hearts. The riders opened their arms to her and she became family. 

A year ago, when everybody thought Teaspoon was not going to survive a bullet graze on the temple, Amanda sold the saloon in Abilene she and Teaspoon owned and moved to Sweetwater. Even when Teaspoon got better, Amanda stayed and later bought the rundown saloon. With the family's help, she turned the once dank and miserable excuse for a saloon into a bright and airy place even women felt comfortable sitting in. The only truly offensive thing in the saloon was a menacing looking preserved buffalo head -- a gift from the mischievous Cody -- perched on a high beam in the center of the room. Amanda had said no one would try looking that far up anyway.

"I appreciate your concern, really I do," Amanda squeezed Kid's hand. "But I'm perfectly safe here. The Raiders have been known to attack houses on the outskirts of town. I live in the middle of the town, surrounded by people."

Just then Buck walked in and spotted Kid and Amanda. He took off his hat, slapping it against his thigh to remove the dust before setting it on top of the bar. He ignored the seat next to the Kid, leaning against the bar instead.

He had just returned from Rock Creek where he spoke with Rachel's husband, Marshall Mike Staulder, in an effort to uncover clues to the Black Raiders whereabouts. 

"Sarsaparilla," he said in response to Amanda's question of what he was having. He and Kid exchanged grins when they heard Amanda mutter something about them being old enough to drink stronger stuff. 

Buck's expression changed as soon as Amanda left. "Have you persuaded her?" he asked.

Kid shook his head. "She said the gang doesn't attack the town, but houses on the outskirts. She's got a point," Kid conceded. 

Buck shook his head at Amanda's stubbornness. "Well, maybe we could make her change her mind."

"What do you mean?" Kid asked worriedly. "Did you find anything? How are Rachel and Mike?"

"Rachel is a bit shaken. Mike is furious over what happened. He said to give him a shout if we needed help with the bastards," Buck said in reply to the last question.

Kid nodded, urging Buck to continue. 

"I went to the house which was burned and found a couple of old horse tracks. Mike he said he found two others the day after the attack. That makes only four horses. I circled around trying to see if maybe others stayed behind. But there was nothing. You understand what this means, right?" 

"The Raiders are having problems convincing people to murder and pillage with them," Kid remarked. "But how where they able to attack the house if they were so few? 

Buck sighed deeply, knowing what he was about to say would upset Kid. "I think the house was chosen because of two things. One, it was far from town. Two, only a very old man and his grandson lived there. They were utterly defenseless."

Kid dropped his head into his hands. He could feel the blood pound angrily in his head. Two more innocent people's blood on his hands. Two more innocent people died because he did not do his job right the first time. 

"When will it stop, Buck?" he asked dejectedly. Then his head jerked up as realization hit him. "A small group is even deadlier than a big one. They could come here without being noticed at all."

Buck nodded his assent, his thoughts on the horse attack at the ranch. Rapidly, he filtered the names and faces of people at the ranch in his mind. Just as quickly he discarded people as possible suspects. 

Kid looked away and stared blindly at the blurry mirror behind the bar. "I went down the ravine where he died," he confessed. "I wanted to be sure it's him we're dealing with."

"What did you find?" Buck asked.

"A horse's skeleton," he answered. "Whatever else was there had been covered by the weeds."

"No human remains." It was a statement, not a question.

Kid shook his head. He didn't tell Buck how much he wanted to find a skeleton there, to believe his father wasn't the one making his life hell. He had a feeling Buck already knew. 

The saloon doors suddenly swung open and a man stepped in. Kid recognized his foreman. His smile of greeting faded when he saw the troubled look on Paul's face. 

"What is it?" Kid sprung from his seat, nearly upsetting the chair. "What happened?"

"One of our men was killed."

"In an accident?" Kid demanded over Amanda's murmur of distress.

"No, John was stabbed. Louisa was hurt, too," Paul added.

"Louisa?" Buck fought to control the jolt of panic that went straight to his heart. 

"I'll explain everything on our way home."

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