Blood Red Sky.
The continuing story of Vin and Sky
By Stephanie Rademacher
Sky let her fingers comb through her hair as she sat in
the swing on the porch. Vin kept his word about setting her up in style.
There were 50 acres and a beautiful house, horses and cattle and a few hands to
help do the work. Vin hand picked them 'cause of that jealous streak
running through him. It didn't matter much Vin always made sure the hands
weren't far away when he made her practiced shooting. Made sure they saw
how good she was with a gun.
He could tell the men thought twice about messing with her.
She was right. The waiting was the hardest part about
staying at home. During the day she'd keep busy around the ranch; God knows
there was enough to do. Now the sun was down the moon was up and all she
could do was miss him. Just thinking about looking into his blue eyes gave
her that familiar throb between her legs. Her whole body ached with
wanting Vin to hold her through the night. She longed to feel the warmth
of his body, the sound of his voice. Every night she would long for
morning's light to take her mind
off the waiting. Waiting for word, hoping when she got it, it wasn't what
she feared. He said he would come around again soon; soon had now turned
into two long months. They had lost Case's trail during the massacre at
Donnelly's. When the bodies were piled up and the dust cleared it turned
out most of those men had prices on their heads. After claiming the bounty
and dividing it up there was a hefty sum for all of them. It was Chris'
idea to
split it four ways. He said that Sky held up her end she deserved an equal
share. Vin and Sky combined their share and had more than enough to get
the spread with plenty left over. They bought a big spread and Vin stayed and
worked hard for two months before he got that itch. Took off when Chris
wired him that he found Case's trail again. The bounty for Case had risen
to 5,000.00. Case left a trail of blood at every bank he hit and was
heading for the border. Every lawman within a hundred miles was looking
for him along with every man who knew how to hold a gun.
Most that met up with him wound up neighbors with the worms
or buzzard food. Vin said they let the money blind them. Took Case
for granted and paid dearly. That wasn't him. That wasn't Chris.
So there was nothing for Sky to worry about. She worried anyway. She
so wanted Vin to come home. She rubbed her stomach. There was so much
to tell him.
Vin and Chris had been riding hard for two months. Case
wasn't riding the same. When Vin first started following his trail it was
mighty easy. Case got wise, guess too many wanted him now he wasn't so easy
to find. Twice they almost caught up with him, but so did a slew of others
half dead the rest still looking. Anybody who had a gun and a greed was
looking for Case now. It wasn't so much finding him it was finding him
first and living to get the reward. Hell, some of the men looking for Case
had bounties themselves. Funny what money made people do.
Vin and Chris wound up in a border town. No law to
speak of and plenty of women to keep you warm. It had been a long time
since he had been with Sky and it was getting awful hard not to want a soft body
next to his. He was sitting in the saloon with a pretty whore tempting him
on his lap. All the while feeling Chris' stare. It was like having
Sky sitting right across from him. Chris was awful fond of Sky.
"You'd better not catch nothing, or Sky is likely to
give you a cure you might not take to." Chris chided.
"Just remember, she's pretty good with a gun and can shoot for distance
with a rifle."
"If I needed a conscience I'd talk to a preacher."
He patted the whore on her ass. "Honey, if you're looking for money
you'd better go someplace else."
"As good looking as you are sweetie, I'd keep your bed
warm for free." She said as she grabbed his crotch.
"Now how could I turn that offer down." He
looked at Chris. He sighed, "
But I have to. My wife wouldn't take to kindly to me sharing what she put
a claim to. She'd shoot you and me both and dance on our graves. So
git before I change my mind."
Chris smiled. The whore walked away reluctantly.
"Wise choice. I would have loved filling your
shoes though."
"You'd never let a woman come between us."
"She'd kill you. Then I could take your
place."
"How would she ever know?" He leered at
Chris. "As if I didn't know."
"If she asked, I couldn't lie to those eyes."
Vin drank down his whiskey with one swallow, squinted and
wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "We'd better hurry up and
catch Case so I can get home."
Chris finished his drink, and smiled. Just then four
very loud and rowdy men came into the saloon. Chris instantly recognized
Frank Barnes. He used to run with Case Madison years ago. He met up
with them a few years back. He knew then that Case was a menace. The only
thing that stopped Chris from killing Case back then was Frank Barnes.
Frank glanced around the saloon gazed longingly at that whores that were trying
to make their nights wages. Then he spotted Chris. The men that were
with him quickly started to mingle
with the women in the saloon Frank went straight for Chris. Vin casually
took the cover off his gun as Frank drew closer. Frank stopped at the
table and hovered over Chris like a mountain. Chris didn't move, didn't
acknowledge his presence. Finally after a long silence Chris spoke Frank's
name.
"What are you doing here Chris? Case is mine."
"I didn't see your brand on him."
"The only man in the territory that can get him without dying is me.
I saved your ass a few years back."
"Sure you saved my ass and not his?"
"He's fast, Chris and good. That's why the long line of bodies.
You're just setting yourself up as another corpse."
"Let me worry about that."
"I'm telling you to back off. I'm only warning you cause I like you.
If you get in the way you'll wind up like Case just as dead. It don't
matter whether it's his bullet or mine." With this Frank walked away
and ordered a drink.
Chris looked at Vin. "Well we have to worry about
more than Case. Money makes fools of us all." Chris and Vin
left the saloon.
With the first light of dawn, Vin and Chris were heading out
of town. They were too close to hesitate now. Chris was growing weary
of the chase and Vin was growing weary of sleeping alone. He got awful use
to having Sky around and as they rode he wished she was riding with him.
The sun rose higher and the day got hotter. Vin glanced behind him and saw
the dust of other riders dogging their trail. More bounty hunters, more
men to be
watchful of. Was getting so that no one knew who to pin the body count on. The
men hunting Case or Case himself. Vin didn't think that Case had killed so
many it was more likely they were killing each other trying to get rid of the
competition.
Chris and Vin picked up the pace. They hoped that they
could catch up with Case in the next town. Judging from the size of dust
trail behind them, they weren't the only ones thinking that. As they rode
into the little town, they both felt uneasy with the silence. It may have
been the heat of the day, but it felt more like they had hit pay dirt.
They rode cautiously into the seemingly deserted town. Vin studied the
buildings looking for the littlest sign of movement. He kept one hand on
the reins the other on his gun. There was just something about the town
that made him nervous. Felt like an ambush. Sky was always saying if
it looks like shit; a smell like shit then that's what it is. This looked
and smelled very bad.
The started riding towards the town's saloon dismounted and
tied up before they entered. There weren't many people inside; most had
their heads down and their hats covering their faces. Chris and Vin walked
up to the bar and ordered drinks and each scanned the small crowd looking for
Case. The barkeep asked them what they were doing in town and Chris
replied, "looking for a friend."
"Your friend must live here then cause ain't nobody been
through here 'scept a drifter that showed yesterday. Boy that man is mean.
Has the whole town feared. He rode in and somebody bumped him and he shot
em dead right there."
"Where'd he go?"
"He's upstairs, with Molly. She don't much care
about who long as they pay."
Chris and Vin finished their drinks and headed upstairs.
Slowly the rest of the men sitting around started to leave. There weren't
too many rooms upstairs and it wasn't hard figuring which one Case was behind;
sounded like he was beating the girl he was with. "Hope the money was
good." Vin thought. Chris knocked making sure not to stand in
front of the door.
"Go away."
Then a bullet sailed through the door. Vin kicked the door in and the
bullets started flying. Molly crouched behind a dresser while Case tried
to make his way to the window, but a bullet stopped him dead in his tracks. Chris
carefully checked the body. Case Madison was very dead. The bullet
went right through his heart. When Vin entered the room a naked and very
scared Molly ran out.
Vin got the body ready for moving using a blanket from the
bed to wrap him up in. Chris tried to pay the barkeep for the blanket and
the drinks but he wouldn't except anything. Case had shot his best friend.
Vin carried the body down the stairs and loaded it on what the barkeep said was
Case's horse. The sky was getting dark sure sign of a storm coming.
Vin hurried to get everything ready he wanted to get a good start before it
came. He didn't
want to spend anymore time than he had to with Case Madison he wreaked.
Chris and Vin saddled up and rode out of town heading north
to Cherico to collect the bounty. After that it would be a short ride home
to Sky. Damn he sure did miss that girl. As they rode out of town
the winds began to pick up. Two hours later the rain began. They
continued to ride until the storm stopped them in their tracks. They found
a grove of trees which provided enough protection from the storm for now.
Not enough to get a fire going so
they ate their food cold. They didn't talk much. Not much to say,
yet they both felt uneasy with the body so close. Even with the rain the
body wreaked.
With morning came sunshine and the smell of coffee.
After the two had a quick breakfast they took off toward Cherico. It was a
good two-day ride and it was going to be the longest two days with that body
along. Nothing much happened until they got right outside of Cherico.
That's where Frank Barnes and his men caught up to them. Frank wanted that
bounty. Felt it was rightfully his. He warned Chris to back off now
he had to teach him a
lesson. Nobody crossed Frank and lived.
Chris heard them coming long before he saw them. They
were riding hard to catch them and using up their animals to do it. Chris
and Vin picked up speed. They were only a few miles out of Cherico.
They really didn't want to fight here. Too open to easy to get killed.
The chase was on. Chris and Vin had the advantage. They had the lead
and their animals were still pretty fresh. Once they started pushing, the
distance between Frank and his men and Chris and Vin lengthened
Chris and Vin made it into town and sheriff's office long
before Frank and his men. They were sitting in the saloon waiting for the
wire that would bring their bounty. The bounty for Case had been increased
due his recent activity. He killed four lawmen and now his bounty was
$7000.00. Chris knew he hadn't seen the last of Frank Barnes and he knew
that this dispute wouldn't end until one of them was dead.
Vin was sitting at a table surrounded by two whores who were
listening to him tell the story of Case's capture. Chris was finishing his
drink at the bar when Frank walked in. People in the saloon could tell
trouble was coming just by the way he came in. On his heels were his three
men. Each man had his guns showing ready for a fight. The women
quickly left Vin sitting at the table in search of safety.
"I told you to back off Chris."
"I checked the body, Frank. I didn't see your
brand."
Vin sat at the table with his hand on his gun. Chris
leaned on the bar never taking his eyes off Frank.
"This ain't no place for a fight. Take it outside,
boys." The barkeep stuttered.
One of the men who was sitting in the bar before Frank came in, quickly left to
get the sheriff. He came in with his gun in his hand and explained that
Chris and Vin's bounty would come through shortly, after that he wanted them out
of town. The town had had enough excitement for a long time and didn't
need their kind. Frank left the saloon but warned Chris that it wasn't
over and he'd better watch his back.
Frank left town soon after his confrontation with Chris and
the Sheriff. Later that afternoon after getting their bounty Chris and Vin
set off for Vin's Spread. Both men were looking for an ambush but during
the two day ride didn't see a sign of the men. Vin felt very uneasy when
he reached his property. One of the fences was in need of repair and the
damage looked
recent. He made a mental note to tell one of the hands to ride out and fix
it. The closer he got to the ranch the more uneasy he felt. It was a
little after noon and he didn't see anybody working. That wasn't like Sky.
She was a slave driver. She expected a full days work for a full days pay.
It might be they were having lunch, but it just didn't feel right.
They duo slow rode closer to the ranch. Then the door
opened and standing on the porch was Frank Barnes.
"Nice place you got here Vin. Your wife's a good
cook. Very friendly. Don't worry, I wouldn't let my men touch her.
We're not the scum Case was."
Vin dismounted. "I want to see my wife. NOW."
"No need to bring her into this. I can't believe
you'd sink so low."
"I just want what's mine. You know the longer we
stay out here the longer my men are alone with your wife."
Just then Vin heard Sky scream. Then a shot and
another. Frank turned with the noise and Chris wounded him with a shot to
the gun hand. Vin raced passed Frank to see if Sky was hurt. When he
arrived in the sitting room he saw one of Frank's men with his hands up and
Josh, one of the hands, holding a gun on him. Two more of Frank's men lay
on the floor bleeding and very dead. Vin searched the room but didn't see
any sign of Sky. Jack another
man of Vin's was lying on the couch unconscious and Rusty was picking up the
guns of the fallen men. Josh saw the look on Vin's face and told him Sky
was in the kitchen getting a bucket. She just cleaned these floors and
she's madder than a rattler about the blood on her floor. Too bad for
these guys, they never seen her shoot. Didn't know she kept a gun under
her skirts. Vin tilted his hat and laughed. He looked at the man and
told him to git unless
he wanted to end up like his friend. Told Rusty to ride into town and get
the sheriff. The last gunman wasted no time in leaving and shortly
afterward there was another shot from outside. Chris walked in and told
Vin he had to shoot Frank dead. He just wouldn't give up. Then Sky
walked into the room and for the first time in months Vin saw her. The
look of surprise just filled his face. She looked at him and smiled.
"Don't just stand there, get this garbage out of my house."
She sat the bucket of water down and got down on her knees to start cleaning the
floor. Josh started pulling the men by their feet out to the front of the
house. Vin just stood there in shock. Finally, he walked to where
Sky knelt and lifted her up.
"I'll do that. You sit."
"Vin." She said as she kissed him softly on the cheek.
"I'm not sickly, I'm just having our baby. Now if you want to help
get this trash out of my house so I can clean."
Chris laughed. Frank came to, and Vin thought.
"Still stubborn as a mule and twice as mean."