Finally it happened. Senator Matthew O’Reilly’s father had past away leaving a huge inheritance that could benefit his campaign. Unfortunately there was one slight problem. He had a younger brother who was a private in the army, and his father had left the whole ten thousand to him. Figures. Since their father was a Colonel in the army and loved the strict life it offered, it didn’t surprise the Senator that his brother got it all. Of course, the fact that his brother had upstanding morals that he lacked, couldn’t be a justifiable reason for excluding him from the will. His father had just used that as an excuse. It wasn’t fair, and Senator O’Reilly was going to do something about it!

   His father had set up a bank account God knows where, and O’Reilly was determined to find it. Now, the Senator knew his father well, and vice versa. The old man would make it hard for his eldest to claim it. O’Reilly knew that once he located the money he would need to show evidence to prove he was the rightful owner. Knowing his father’s prized possession made that very simple. Their mother’s picture was sacred to their father. After she died, he never was the same. No doubt, the only photograph of her would be the evidence needed. Unfortunately, the Senator had encountered a second problem. His father had ordered the ‘gift’ to his youngest son to be put in with some army documents headed to Fort Kearney, which is where the Senator’s brother, Spencer, is stationed. Earlier this morning, two express riders had picked up the army mail and headed off. Immediately, O’Reilly sent his hooligans after them. The clerk had said the riders had only left an hour before O’Reilly inquired about the package. If his men rode hard, they might be able to retrieve his brother’s package.

   The Senator was right. His hired thugs were not only able to catch up with the riders, but get ahead of them. The riders were riding at an easy, relaxed pace. The outlaws weren’t. They had also taken a shorter but riskier trail to get head of the express riders. Quickly, they set their trap, and waited for the express team to wander into it. An hour later the bandits got their wish, but things didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped. In fact, once bullets started flying, all chaos broke out. Many of the group members were shot down like cans on a fence. Everything seemed to spin out of control. Confusion and mayhem dominated the scene. Then suddenly the remaining men saw their opportunity to get the package and took it.

Aftermath of the Battle

   Astonishing. That was the only word for the event that occurred earlier. Here they were out in the middle of nowhere possibly lost. Very, very lost. They had stumbled into a trap, and barely managed to escape with their lives. Lou was trying hard to replay the recent event while she laid beside her hero. If it hadn’t been for Jimmy’s unmatchable ability with a gun, Louise knew she would have died. Everything had happened so fast, it almost seemed like a bad dream. Jimmy had sensed something. She hadn’t. In fact, she had been enjoying their ride. The weather was remarkably pleasant, and she and Jimmy had been reminiscing about past adventures. Who would have suspected that they were about to encounter another one? Not her.

   They were laughing at some of the crazy stunts they had pulled when suddenly Jimmy’s demeanor changed. It grew tense and focused. His sudden mood change had given Lou a very uneasy feeling. How Jimmy sensed the danger that lingered in the dark coverage the landscape offered was unexplainable. A man had a gun aimed at Lou’s sweet head, and he would have killed her without hesitation. Before he could Jimmy shot him dead, which encouraged the outlaw’s friends to join in on the action.

    The bandits outnumbered them by several guns. Everything got extremely confusing once all the shooting commenced. She remembered one particular shot that rang out. Then falling. Lightning and she were falling towards the earth. Then nothing. Louise couldn’t remember what had happened after she fell. Her eyes had closed and allowed her to sink into the darkness that beckoned her. When she woke, Jimmy was laying near her. Night had settled in, and the fire flickered in rebellion to the darkness. Her head was pounding.

   “Oh my God,” Lou gasped as she noted that only one horse was tied to an old tree. It was Jimmy’s. “Lightning?” Tears began to swell in her eyes as she thought about him. Her mind let unwelcome images of Lightning laying in the dirt, dead. No matter how hard she tried, Lou couldn’t force the pictures away. The sudden arm that embraced Lou frightened her.

   “It’s all right,” Jimmy calmly soothed. He could see the traces of tears that marked her face. Her sobbing informed him she was awake. Judging by her reaction to his touch, Jimmy realized that she must have thought he was sleeping. His eyes may have been closed, but he was definitely not resting. Jimmy couldn’t afford to slip into a peaceful slumber. He had to ensure Lou’s safety.

   “Lightning?” Lou cried. She had to know what exactly had happened to her steed.

   “We lost him,” Jimmy answered. Lou seemed to cry harder at the news, and Jimmy suddenly realized what Lou thought he meant. “He’s not dead,” Jimmy added quickly.

   “What?” She heard the shot and remembered falling. “He was shot...”

   “No sweetheart,” Jimmy said reassuringly. “Your canteen was shot, and that gave him scare. He ended up falling over on you.” That had given Jimmy a scare.

   “Then where is he?” Lou was confused. If Lightning was all right, why wasn’t he here?

   “He took off,” Jimmy drew her closer, sensing that this adventure had really shaken her up. “The gang followed him.” At least what was left of the gang did. Two or three men at the most. “If he hadn’t took off, I don’t know what would have happened.”

   “He wasn’t hurt at all?” She turned to face her best friend. Starting to get her emotions under control.

   “Not that I could see,” Jimmy answered sincerely. “Not by a bullet at least. Seeing how your canteen was tied high on your saddle, the bullet probably went right through and got embedded in the saddle.” His words soothed and brought her comfort. Lightning was a hero in Jimmy’s opinion. After Lou’s horse reared up and fell back on her, Jimmy tried foolishly to get to her. A bullet ended up grazing his right arm, and if Lightning hadn’t galloped away creating a distraction for their enemies, both of them would have surely died. Obviously the robbers wanted what was in Lou’s pouch.

   “Jimmy,” Lou exclaimed once she noticed his wound. “You’ve been shot!”

   “It’s just a nick, I’ll be fine.” His health wasn’t important to him right now. “How are you feeling?”

   “My head hurts, and my body’s a little sore. Otherwise I’m fine.” Lou noticed immediately that Jimmy had his doubts about her condition, but it was the truth. What ever was in that pouch they were carrying those men wanted real bad. Most likely some sort of army document having to do with gold or guns. That’s what the thieves were usually after. Too bad they went after the wrong pouch. The pouch on Lightning was her own. “Do you think they’ll be back?”

   “Once they realize they didn’t get what they were looking for? Yep,” Jimmy said matter-of-factly. The outlaws seemed very determined during their first attempt. Mostly likely, they would try again. Jimmy knew getting to Ft. Kearney wasn’t going to be an easy task. They were bound to have a hell of a fight on their hands.

On to Chapter 2!