Blood & Dust (Lonesome Ridge Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

behind.

 
     
    CHAPTER 4
     
     
     
    “Wait,” Abby called from near the back of the group. “Please.”
    Connor pulled the men to a stop and spun his horse around. “Need a rest?”
    “No, I just…” She let her voice trail off as she steered her horse to a nearby stream. There had been no rain in the last two weeks and the ground was hard and cracked near the water’s edge. Dark stains were visible in the dirt.
    “Wait here,” Connor commanded Jasper and the others. He walked his horse over to where Abby had slid to the ground. She knelt beside the slow-moving creek and Connor crouched beside her.
    “This is where we stopped,” she said in a voice so low no one else could hear. “This is where I knew Wyatt wasn’t going to be okay.” Her fingers reached out, but stopped just before they touched the dried blood.
    Connor put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “Come on,” he coaxed. “We need to reach the farm before sundown.” He didn’t need to explain why. None of them wanted to fight those things in the dark.
    She nodded and rose to her feet. He helped her onto the horse and the group started moving again. Jasper led this time and Connor hung back, keeping a close eye on the young woman beside him. Her skin had started to lose some of its color and the closer they got to the Crawford farm, the harder her face got.
    When the farm came into view, Connor called them to a halt once more and they all dismounted. As they tied their horses to a nearby clump of trees, he pulled Abby aside. “You sure you want to do this?”
    She swallowed. “I…” Abby cleared her throat and tried again. This time, she raised her head and looked Connor directly in the eye. “I have to. This is my home, no one else’s. I have to make sure.”
    He nodded and squeezed her shoulder again. “All right. Stay with me then. Keep your gun up.” He turned to the men. “We do this smart and slow, got it? I don’t want any mistakes. We all stick together. No one gets bit, no one dies. Hear me?”
    They all nodded or grumbled assent and every single one of the triple-checked their weapon of choice. Connor pulled his Peacemakers out. “Jasper, you watch left, Nel and Bates, you watch the horses. No mistakes,” he repeated before walking down the road. Abby was right beside him. She had the shotgun in her right hand and the barrel was balanced on the stump of her left arm. She had cut the bottom of her dress off so that it was well away from the ground. The look on her face was all business.
    “Eyes sharp,” Connor said as they drew close to the farm. His voice was soft and low. He brought his gun up and aimed it toward the barn. “Clear out the barn first, then the house. Shoot anything that moves. And I mean anything.” He shot another look at Abby. She glanced up at him, but her only response was to point her shotgun at the barn.
    The wind was working in their favor and blew their sent away from the door that stood ajar. All the same, they could hear the growls inside as they approached. One of the men, Nathan, stumbled and swore behind Connor.
    “Button it,” the sheriff hissed.
    “Stepped on a rock,” the man grumbled back, but he cowed his head and snapped his lips shut.
    “Stay back,” Connor whispered to Abby as he beckoned Jasper forward. The sheriff and his deputy inched toward the door and Connor nudged it with his pistol.
    The door creaked open. The growls inside disappeared briefly as the creatures all shifted their heads in the direction of the posse. The light from the windows cast shadows that obscured much of the interior, but movement was still visible nearby. Connor pointed his gun and fired. Once, twice. Jasper had thrown the door open wide as soon as Connor started shooting. He brought his own gun up and aimed carefully. The noise and sudden burst of light drew the undead from their corners. They stumbled out into the last bits of burning sun to snarl and snap at the fresh meat. Connor