Read Sundown for Free Online Page B

safe.  Sometimes, when the moment was right she thought she could hear his voice, or even smell a faint scent of his favored cheroot as she did now.  Smiling, she closed her eyes.  She knew he was there, looking down and listening too.
    “What in the hell do you me an …” She suddenly heard Luke’s voice, bordering on chaos.  “The Sheriff’s daughter?”
    “Hoss, are you deaf or something?”
    “Ah shit e .”
    “Yeah.”  Jake smirked .  “I’d say you’ve just about got us buried up to our necks in it .”
    “Wyeth Gentry?” 
    “The one and only.”
    “The n ew schoolmarm?”  Luke piped his voice incredulous.
    “Hence, the re ason she was a passenger on the stage.”
    “This changes everything.”
    “Forget her.”  Jake’s voice weathered impatience.
    “You’re talking about the woman I plan on marrying .”
    Jenny smiled at the sound of Luke’s passionate insistence and Jake with his annoyed laughter.  Deep and throaty, Jake had an honest to goodness jauntiness about him, not brusque and demanding like his brother Luke. 
    “Nothing like saying ‘I do’ while swinging with a rope tied around your neck.”
    “You’re a horse’s ass.”  Luke returned.  For a moment, there was silence.  Releasing a heavy sigh his voice turned humorless. 
    “I need to see her.”
    “I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult, since you blindfolded her.  She’d never know it was you, right?”
    There was another moment of silence.
    Luke guffawed.  “Please tell me this is all you did with the Sheriff’s daughter? ”
    “N one of your damn business.”
    “Well, that’s just grand.”  Jake muttered.  “Not only are we wanted for stagecoach robbery and horse rustling, but now no thanks to you we’re considered defilers of women.”
    Jenny had heard enough. 
    Thank God, Samuel was sound asleep.  Standing to her feet, she ambled tow ard the porch and stood at the bottom of the steps.  She had never asked for this, being an accomplice to a band of criminals.  Even so, she was just as guilty as they were.  She was the widow of an outlaw, and that made her an accessory whether she liked it or not.  Releasing a heavy sigh, she trudged up the steps and faced the boys with a grim determination.
    “There’ s a way you can see her.”  Jenny murmure d, turning a timid gaze on Luk e.  “But it’s going to cost you.”
    “What do you ha ve in mind?”
    Placing her hand behind her , she massaged away the knot plaguing her lower back .  Shifting her stance, J enny rolled her eyes at Luke.  “Sunday service.”
    Luke groaned.  “Ah, Hell no.”
    Jake stood up, thoughtful.  Wandering toward the steps, he took a seat.  Nodding his head, he agreed with Jenny and turned toward Luke.
    “For the sake of propriety, a good sheriff always attends churc h, and so would his daughter.”
    “Not on your life.”   Luke muttered.
    “Well mastermind , what do you propose to do?”  Jake’s voice sapped heavy with sarcasm.  “I know … why don’t you just sneak into he r bedroom, heist your schoolmarm , an d piss her father off to boot.”
    Luke issued a tempted smile. 
    “You can’t be serious!”  Jenny bolstered, appalled by such reckless thought.  “The last thing we need is a vengeful posse riding door-to-door, looki ng for the Sheriff’s daughter.”
    “Bette r than putting up with that Judas and his God awful moral preaching.”  Luke grated.  Throwing a whittling stick to the ground, he stood to his feet, and shuffled toward the front door.   He turned with one last look and pointed toward the town of Sundown. “Of all people, that snake oil preacher should know better than to lecture me about sins of the flesh.”
    Jenny looked down, stared at rotting floorboards, and frowned.  For months, Luke and Jude had been going at it like sworn enemies.  Before then, they rode notorious, holding up stagecoach lines as far away as the Missouri border.  Jude, being the oldest