Chapter 54

Billy smiled. “He’s in no real danger. Sheriff Tyson may be on Shelton’s payroll, but he and Crazy Kit go way back. They knew each other before Shelton even settled here. So the bounty stands, and once or twice some stupid cowpoke tries to collect on it, only to find a bullet in his side for his troubles. Jesse is a quick draw.” Wiping down the bar, Billy added, “And he favors you, I can tell. He’ll be back.”

Ethan frowned at the empty glass in his hand and wondered when.

* * * *

Billy suggested a room at the Holcombe Hotel, and with his evening’s earnings, Ethan took his advice. The hotel was nothing more than a rundown boarding house, but a few coins bought him a private room and a large tin tub, and the promise of hot water for a bath every other night.

Despite the late hour, he took his limping horse to the hotel’s stables and paid the boy there a hefty sum to rub down his mare and put daily poultices on the sprained leg.