HELL HATH NO FURY (A Jess Williams western novel) (18 page)

             
Hardtack stuck his cup out between the bars of the jail cell. Jess refilled his cup. “Yeah, this stuff is a whole lot better than that other crap,” replied Hardtack. “Mr. Williams are you leaving town today because I’m ready to get the hell out of here for sure.”

             
“I’m leaving in about ten minutes. Hardtack, I want to ask you something. How much money would you have made in your next fight if you had won it?” Jess asked.

             
“First, there ain’t no if about it. I would have knocked my opponent out cold and I would have made fifty dollars doing it,” Hardtack said proudly.

             
Jess gave him a funny look. “That just doesn’t make much sense to me. You go into the ring and get your brains bashed around for a mere fifty dollars?”

             
“Why the hell not, you shot me twice for free!” exclaimed Hardtack, laughing. “How much sense do you think that makes?”

             
“You might have a point there, but you did force me to do it and I did warn you.”

             
“I guess you did, but I don’t remember all that much.”

             
“Maybe because your brain had been rattled around a little too much.”

             
“There’s that too.”

             
Jess dug into one of his front pockets and pulled out a huge wad of bills and counted out one hundred dollars and handed it to him.

             
“What is this for?” asked Hardtack. “You don’t owe me any money.”

             
“I know, but I am partially responsible for you not being able to fight for a while so I figure it’ll cover your expenses until you’re able to fight again, although I would advise against it,” replied Jess.

             
“That’s mighty nice of you Mr. Williams. I really appreciate this,” replied Hardtack, a wide smile on his face.

             
“Just don’t go over to the saloon once the sheriff lets you out of there and start drinking that rotgut whiskey again,” replied Jess.

             
“I won’t, I promise. I’m going to leave town and head back to Durango and mend my wounds and get ready for my next fight.”

             
Jess turned around to see Sheriff Fowler and his two deputies with their hands out waiting for Jess to put some money in them. Jess simply shook their hands and walked out to where Annie was waiting for him, already sitting in the saddle. Sheriff Fowler and his two deputies walked out with him and were now standing on the boardwalk staring at Jess as he climbed up into the saddle; his right hand on the butt of his pistol.

             
“What are you three looking at me like that for?” asked Jess.

             
“Well, if you’re handing out money freely, you could hand us some,” replied Sheriff Fowler.

             
“I paid for your jail to be fixed up and paid for your new desk and a new coffee pot and coffee and on top of that, I gave you the hundred dollars in bounty on Clausen. What more do you want?” asked Jess. The three of them stuck their hands out again and smiled at Jess.

             
“I already shook hands with you three,” said Jess as he turned his horse around and started toward the east end of town.

             
Sheriff Fowler hollered over to him. “A man shouldn’t be walking around out there with that much money on him anyway.”

             
Jess hollered back over his shoulder. “Yeah, like someone’s going to take it from me.” Jess could hear Sheriff Fowler and his two deputies laughing.

             
Annie looked at Jess. “What were they talking about you handing out money?”

             
“I gave Hardtack one hundred dollars,” replied Jess, regretting telling her before the words even left his mouth.

             
“What! That man tried to beat you senseless and you gave him money? Are you crazy?”

             
“He won’t be able to fight his next match and I thought I’d make up for it since I did shoot him twice,” retorted Jess.

             
“That was his doing and you shouldn’t have to pay for it,” exclaimed Annie.

             
“Well I did and it’s over with so just leave it alone.”

             
“Mr. Jameson over at the bank would have advised against it,” said Annie.

             
“Maybe, but he didn’t have a say in the matter and neither do you,” replied Jess.

             
“We’re partners. So I should have a say in it.”

             
Jess didn’t respond because he knew it was pointless. He simply dug into his saddlebag and took out some cotton and stuffed some into each ear and Annie glared at him.

             
“You take that stuff out of your ears!” demanded Annie.

             
“Sorry, but I can’t hear you,” replied Jess.

             
“You can hear me. I know you can because you just answered me. Now take that stuff out of your ears!”

             
Jess didn’t respond. He simply kept riding.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

              Jess and Annie rode toward Devil Ridge all day before they made camp by a small river next to a clump of trees. They were both tired from the long ride, so Annie simply opened up a few cans of beans and cut up some salt pork and jerky and added it to the beans for extra flavor. After they ate, Jess gave Annie some more shooting lessons and he did his usual practice routine.

             
“I can see why you’re so good with that pistol of yours. You practice pretty relentlessly with it. I never saw a man who could draw so fast and still hit exactly what he was aiming at,” said Annie.

             
“Yeah, the design of the gun does help, but your right about the practice. I stay at it pretty regularly and hopefully it will help me stay alive long enough to spend all the money I seem to keep stashing up,” replied Jess.

             
Annie smiled at that comment, wondering if they had started building her house back in Black Creek yet. “And I’m rich too, right along with you.”

             
“That you are, Annie. I think Sara is right. Not counting the wives of some of the richest ranchers around Black Creek, you’ll be the richest woman in town.”

             
“One day I’m penniless, and the next day I’m a rich woman and all because I accidentally ran into you.”

             
“Well, let’s hope you don’t get yourself killed before it’s all over. If you do, I’ll inherit all your share of the money from the gold,” replied Jess, with what you could only call an evil grin.

             
“What do you mean?” demanded Annie.

             
“I had Mr. Jameson at the bank put my name down as the person who would get your money if something was to happen to you. You know, like if you get into a gunfight with this Cliff Hunt and forget to remove your hammer strap again.”

             
“I won’t forget now since you gave me all those lessons, but I still can’t believe you did that without talking to me first,” exclaimed Annie.

             
“You should have read the papers over before you signed them,” replied Jess, almost laughing now.

             
“You think this is funny, don’t you?”

             
“Kinda is.”

             
Annie started to say something, but before she got it out, she started laughing right along with Jess. “I guess I can agree with that since you pretty much did just give me the gold. I mean, you thought to look up there and all I did was help you to pack it up. You could have paid someone ten dollars to do that and I ended up with over nineteen thousand dollars. I don’t have any family except my mother and as soon as my house is finished, I’m going to send for her and see if she will come to Black Creek and live with me. I already asked Mr. Jameson to send her five hundred dollars for traveling expenses and all.”

             
“You sent your mother five hundred dollars without consulting me?” asked Jess.

             
“It’s not your business so why would I ask you?” retorted Annie.

             
“See, now how does it feel?”

             
“Whatever do you mean…?” Annie never finished what she was going to say because she caught on to what Jess was doing to her. “That was just mean of you, you devil you.”

             
They both had another laugh and turned in for the night. In the morning, after some breakfast, Jess figured he should talk with Annie about her decision to face Cliff Hunt off in a gunfight herself. Annie finished up with cleaning everything and packing the saddlebags.

             
“Are you ready to ride?” Annie asked.

             
“In a minute, but first I need to ask you a question,” replied Jess.

             
“Go ahead and ask.”

             
“Are you absolutely certain that you still want to face off with Cliff Hunt when we get to Devil Ridge?”

             
“I’m pretty certain, but I guess I won’t be sure until I get ready to actually do it,” replied Annie. “Besides, you’ll be there to save my behind if I back down or he beats me on the draw, won’t you?”

             
“Absolutely, but you make sure that when we get to Devil Ridge, you act like my shadow because there are some pretty nasty men who hang out there and they don’t have any law in town. The place is nothing but whores, gunslingers and drifters and lots of cheap rotgut whiskey, which doesn’t make a good place for a proper woman to be.”

             
“Why Jess, I’ll take that as a compliment,” replied Annie, blushing somewhat.

             
“You’re welcome, but I want you to give me your word that you’ll listen to me this time and I want you to promise me right now.”

             
“Alright, I promise to listen to whatever you tell me to do,” replied Annie.

             
“Okay then, let’s ride and make camp outside of Devil Ridge and ride in after dark.”

             
“Why don’t we get rooms in town?”

             
“Because you’d have to stay in my room because if you didn’t, someone would be breaking down your door and I shouldn’t have to say anymore,” replied Jess.

             
“The town is that bad, really?”

             
“Worse than you can imagine.”

             
They camped about a day’s ride from Devil Ridge by a small creek. Jess went to catching some fish and cleaned them and Annie cooked them up along with some pan bread and beans. After they ate, Jess gave her another shooting lesson. She was getting much better, especially with Jess showing her how to deliberately draw and shoot straight at her target. After that, Jess practiced some, but only with his pistol. He didn’t want to use the rifle, shotguns or his buffalo rifle, since they made a lot more noise and he didn’t want to attract any of the gunslingers or drifters that might be making their way into or out of Devil Ridge. When he was finished, he sat down on a log by the fire where Annie had a pot of coffee ready and she poured him a cup.

             
“Annie, I think we better take turns watching tonight since this is such a dangerous area. You never know who might see the light from our fire or maybe heard our gunshots earlier. I’ll take the first watch while you get some sleep and I’ll wake you in a few hours,” said Jess.

             
“Okay, I’ll get my bedroll and turn in,” replied Annie. Annie got her bedroll out and turned in and Jess went about placing his set of cans with rocks in them around their camp. Jess let Annie sleep for about three hours and then he woke her up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes and yawned.

             
“Oh my, I was fast asleep,” said Annie.

             
“It’s your turn at watch and you keep an eye out for any signs of anyone trying to get into our camp area,” said Jess, as he got his bedroll and lay down, his pistol on his chest as usual.

             
“Okay, I’ll be listening for anything,” replied Annie. “You go ahead and get some sleep.”

             
Annie poured herself a cup of cool coffee and it was pretty strong since it had been sitting next to the fire for hours. She made a face, but she still drank it anyway to keep herself awake. She had a second cup and then she had to pee. She looked around and walked over to a large bush where Jess had placed a can that went to another can in another bush with the string hanging about six inches above the ground. She removed her gun belt and carefully sat it on the ground and pulled her pants down and squatted to pee. When she finished, she wiped herself with a rag she had gotten from her saddlebag and pulled her pants back up. She bent over to pick up her pistol and holster and as she did, she heard the can drop. When she stood up, a large hand covered her mouth and another hand wrapped around her waist. She struggled to get free, but the man had too strong of a hold on her.