Read The Loner: Inferno #12 for Free Online Page B

your orders, Sergeant. Dismissed!”
    Horace Dunlap had been helped back to his feet. He still looked a little stunned, but was able to come up to Nicholson. “You need to keep those troopers of yours under control, Lieutenant.”
    Nicholson looked at him coldly. “My apologies for this incident,” the lieutenant said, although he didn’t sound too sincere. “But you have to understand that my men are under a great deal of pressure. The Apaches could be anywhere. We could be fighting for our lives without even a moment’s notice.”
    “The same thing’s true for us,” Dunlap said. “Don’t get me wrong, Lieutenant. I’m glad you fellas are here tonight. Just keep ’em away from our wagons.”
    Nicholson gave him a brusque nod and stepped over a wagon tongue to leave the circle and go back to the cavalry camp. The immigrants began to scatter to their wagons. Some hadn’t finished eating supper yet.
    The Kid picked up his bowl and coffee cup, which he had brushed off the tailgate when he placed Jessica on it. When he turned to take them back to the women who had provided the meal, he found Jessica standing in his path.
    “I’m sorry I hit you,” she said. Her apology sounded about as genuine as the one Nicholson had offered to Dunlap.
    “That’s all right,” The Kid told her with a faint smile. “Chalk it up to the heat of battle. Anyway, I’m not hurt.”
    “You’ll have a bruise there in the morning.”
    “Maybe. Let me guess, Mrs. Ritter ... You were raised with a bunch of brothers.”
    “Seven of them,” she said. “And I was the youngest in the family. I learned early on that I’d have to fight for anything I got.”
    “You learned well,” The Kid said.
    “Yes. Unfortunately, there are times when fighting doesn’t do any good, when all the rage in the world won’t—” She stopped herself and after a moment went on. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”
    “Apology accepted.”
    “Good night.” She started to turn away.
    The Kid touched her lightly on the arm. When she looked back at him, he said, “Maybe next time we’ll be fighting on the same side.”
    “We’ll be in Raincrow Valley in three days. There won’t be a next time.”

Chapter 6
     
    The rest of the night passed quietly. The Apaches didn’t attack, and there was no more trouble between the soldiers and the members of the wagon train. The Kid had spread his bedroll underneath one of the wagons, and slept soundly.
    When he got up in the morning and looked toward the cavalry camp, he saw the troopers were already getting ready to move out.
    One of the women who had provided supper for him the night before came over to him bearing a steaming cup of coffee. The Kid took it with a grateful grin. “Thanks, ma’am.”
    “I’ll bring you some flapjacks and bacon in a minute if that’s all right, Mr. Morgan,” she said.
    “That’s more than all right,” he assured her. “It sounds wonderful.”
    He looked around and didn’t see Jessica Ritter, but even though it occurred to him, he didn’t think he ought to ask after her. Things between them had been rather tense ever since they’d met. Jessica didn’t seem to want any attention from him, yet sometimes went out of her way to talk to him.
    While The Kid sat on a wagon tongue and drank his coffee, Horace Dunlap came over to him and nodded good morning. The wagonmaster’s face was bruised and swollen from the fight with Sgt. Brennan, and he moved like he was sore all over.
    With a sheepish grin, he confirmed it. “Reckon I’m gettin’ a mite too old for bare-knuckles brawlin’. I just hope that durned sergeant has half as many aches and pains as I do this mornin’.”
    “I think there’s a good chance of that,” The Kid said. “It looked to me like you got in some pretty good licks.”
    Dunlap chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” He waved a hand toward the cavalry camp. “I guess you saw them soldier boys gettin’ ready to