The Bride and The Gun

By John J. Law

When the marshal and his posse are pinned down by a ruthless gang of cutthroats, only thoughts of his new mail-order bride gives Marshal Ken Bridges hope that they will survive the day. This little glimmer of hope allows him to face down insurmountable odds to ensure he and his posse members make it home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Mar 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224505944

Book preview

Chapter One

Looking For a Good Man

Our Indian tracker was right on the money. Pohicunus had a pretty reliable reputation, and a reasonable price to boot. For some dollars and whiskey or a beer, he would track just about anyone. It was for this reason that he eagerly volunteered for my job. It was a simple matter of tracking down the Bones Gang, a particularly notorious band of outlaws that had been plaguing the area where I was marshal. The gang had gained a pretty notorious reputation for being deadly and elusive. They dabbled in just about every kind of trouble and chaos you could imagine, bank robbery, terrorizing small towns, train robbery, and just about any kind of general chaos and disorderly business. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part? They always had a habit of getting away and covering their tracks.

Well, that all changed with Pohicunus. Old Pohicunus was the best tracker you could ever find, with the strangest given name. Don't even ask me what his name means, it does mean something in his native tongue. Whatever it means, it must have something to do with efficiency because he's the best tracker I've ever worked with. When I organized a posse to catch the Bones Gang, I made sure to include him in it and I wasn't disappointed. Pohicunus just worked his magic and he managed to even follow the trail that the elusive Bones Gang left. We managed to follow them to their hideout that was just outside of town. It was in an old, abandoned shack.

They were still busy counting their money when we jumped them. Well, it would have turned out a lot better if young Josh Brennan hadn't gotten so jumpy. Josh was the youngest member of our little posse and we were all still hunched behind some cover, right in front of the shack when he made his move. He just jumped out of them rocks and started firing. I guess you could chalk that up to too many beers that he downed the night before. I had my doubts when I let him join the posse. I thought that Josh was too young and impulsive, but I let him join anyway. Well, he paid for my misjudgment with his life.

I gave all of my men implicit orders not to fire unless I gave the order. Everyone nodded silently in acknowledgment, including Josh. Well, we were all hiding in wait when the leader of the gang, old Jacob Bones showed up right behind one of the shack's windows. Josh caught a glimpse of Jacob Bones, and that was when all hell broke loose.

It's Jacob Bones! He's right behind that window! I've got an open shot!

I knew what Josh wanted to do. I knew it the moment I saw that glint in his eye. It was nothing good, and I didn't want the kid to go off trying anything stupid. "Don't do it,