Lou couldn't help feeling a little guilty about sneaking out of the boarding house without saying goodbye to Treva. She had taken an instant liking to the woman and in different circumstances would have liked getting to know her better. Besides it wasn't like she was slipping out without paying her bill, it was paid up until morning. She slid her saddlebags over her shoulder, picked up a valise and slipped out into the hallway, descended the stairs and exited the boarding house.
Lou cautiously made her way back to Trevayne's livery, sticking close to the buildings and shadows so as not to be seen by anyone traveling down the streets. When she reached the livery a few moments later, Lou removed the two by four from the latch and slipped inside, closing the door behind her. She let her eyes adjust to the dark interior of the livery, before starting across the front area toward the corridor that led between the stalls. She didn't bother to light a lantern to see, for fear of someone on the street seeing it and drawing them to the livery to investigate. As she neared his stall, Lightning let out a soft whinny welcoming her. Lou stopped before his stall and put out a hand to stroke his soft muzzle.
"Looks like you and I are bunking together for the night, fellow." Lou whispered as she unlocked the stall door and stepped inside. She had barely dropped her valise, bedroll and saddlebags onto the stall's floor and had one arm draped over the stall door, locking it, when the doors to the livery burst open.
Lou jerked her arm back into the stall and crouched down onto the hay-strewn floor. Her right hand hovered near the butt of her gun as she listened intently for footsteps or voices entering the livery. Lou didn't have long to wait before she heard the distinct clomp of boots on the wooden floor as someone entered the livery. A few moments later Lou heard what sounded like a match being struck against wood and then the clanking of glass against metal as a lantern was lit. Then Lou heard another set of boots join the first inside the livery.
Although Lou now knew that at least two people had entered the livery, she still didn't know who they were or whether they would prove to be friendly or dangerous. One thing she knew for certain was that neither person was Trevayne. Lou was sure that if it had been Trevayne who had opened the doors, he would not only announce his presence, but demand whoever was inside to identify themselves or risk dire consequences.
As Lou huddled in the dark stall next to Lightning, an array of noises reached her ears: boots tapping, floorboards creaking, hooves clumping, leather crinkling and stirrups jangling. At the end of each series of noises, Lou heard a loud thud that she interpreted as saddles hitting the floor of the livery. A wave of relief flooded over Lou as she realized that the intruders were only interested in bedding their horses down for the night and not looking to start any trouble.
That knowledge didn't stop her from tensing up a moment later as someone started down the row of stalls. Quietly Lou lowered herself from a crouching position into a sitting one and drew her knees up to her chest. She held her breath as the footsteps neared the stall she was in, and then stopped suddenly as Lightning let out a welcoming whinny. Lou froze at the sound, knowing that the person on the other side of the stall door had to be one of her fellow riders!
Send Wendy FEEDBACK
Return to The Wild West Book Store