Now playing: Night Riders
New to theses parts? To start the story from the beginning, click
Episode Four concluded with:
Tantrall stared silently at the homesteaders.
When he spoke, his voice was steady and without emotion. The rancher wasn’t
making a threat, he was stating a fact. “The next man who spreads lies about me
will answer to me.”
Elijah Tantrall turned and left. His ramrod and
the sheriff followed behind him. A few minutes later, the homesteaders left the
church. They had nothing more to say.
Episode Five
***
Max
Thompson was grateful for the full moon, one of the few breaks he had received
lately. The sheriff continued to ride the range in the vicinity of Tantrall’s
Circle T Ranch and the homesteaders in the dark hours. Thompson believed the
daylight attack on Jared Ashley and his family had been a surprise move, something
out of the ordinary. For their next strike the night riders would likely strike,
once again, at night. The sheriff knew he had to stop these raids if he wanted
to prevent a land war. There had almost been an outbreak of violence that afternoon
in the church,--of all places!
The
lawman didn’t have a dog in this fight and he could see both sides. The
homesteaders were just doing what the government encouraged them to do, moving
West and working the land. But men like Elijah Tantrall were a special breed.
They had been here first and had built ranches that had almost become empires.
Thompson
stopped his horse near a section of hills and looked upwards. What he saw
reminded him of the beautiful paintings he had viewed on his last trip to Dallas.
Against the backdrop of the full moon, a young woman was riding a horse toward
the top of one of the hills. The horse moved swiftly and gracefully and the
woman’s hair swayed upward in the breeze, then playfully bounced against her
shoulders.
“That
could only be Lila Tantrall,” Thompson whispered to himself. “What’s she doin’
out at this hour of the night?”
The
lawman realized it was his job to get the answer to that question. He spurred
his horse and moved toward the hill.
***
Tracking
at night can be difficult, even with a full moon, but Lila did not realize she
was being followed. The young woman’s focus was speed. Max Thompson figured
Lila needed to get something done and then return to the Circle T before her
father realized she had left the ranch.
As
Thompson rode a safe distance from his prey, he remained unable to even
speculate on the lady’s motives for being out so late. Lila had always been
mischievous, but still a sweet kid…
Max
Thompson gave a whimsical laugh. A lot of time had passed since he really knew
Lila Tantrall. Why, she had been little more than a child when her father sent
her off to that school in the East. Elijah had hated to do it. He missed his daughter very
much. But Elijah’s wife had died when the girl was eleven and the rancher had
no idea how to raise a daughter.
Thompson
halted his horse. Up ahead he could hear feet hitting the ground as Lila
dismounted from her palomino. They were on a slope, but not a steep one. The
hill was large and trees were plentiful. The sheriff tied up his black gelding
and proceeded up the hill on foot. He reached a clearing and spotted a cave
with a large entrance. A flickering light shone from within the strange meeting
place, but the fire was not too bright. Someone had probably lit one torch and
kept it a good distance from the cave’s opening. Lila and whoever was with her
didn’t want light or smoke to signal their whereabouts.
Max
slowly approached the cave entrance. He could hear Lila’s voice. She sounded
upset, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. He moved closer to the
entrance.
Cold
iron pressed against the back of his neck, followed by a low whisper, “Say
anything and you’re dead.” A gag was tied around Thompson’s mouth. Another
whisper followed. “Move. No tricks, or you die.”
Max
couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to die, no matter what.
Tomorrow: Episode Six of Night Riders
