In the safety of his room, Ethan smoothed out the creases in the poster and set it on the dresser. Those eyes stared at him from across the room as he undressed and crawled into bed. When he blew out the candle on the bedside table, the last thing he saw was Jesse’s half-smile before falling asleep.
* * * *
A few nights later, the Rustlers gathered around a blazing fire just south of Defiance, far enough away from Shelton’s spread that they weren’t too worried about any of his herd straying into their midst. Diego dealt another round of blackjack, eyes twinkling with starlight as he watched Joey Jr. frown over his hand. Crazy Kit played a sorrowful tune on a rusty harmonica, staring into the crackling fire with a lost look in his eyes as the haunting melody drifted away into the night.
Beside him Jesse folded his hand of cards, tossed them into Diego’s pile, and stretched as he stood. With a nod down at Kit, he said, “I’m going into town.”