The Woman at the Gate
The storm arrived just after midnight.
Elias Morgan knew storms.
He had spent most of his forty-seven years beneath the enormous sky of the Wyoming Territory, where weather could turn from a mild afternoon into a killing machine before a man had time to saddle his horse.
But this storm was different.
The wind came first.
Then the rain.
Then the horses began kicking against the walls of the stable.
Elias was halfway through pulling on his boots when he heard something else.
Three knocks.
Not on the stable.
On his front door.
He froze.
Nobody came to Morgan Ranch at midnight.
Not in weather like this.
He reached for the rifle beside his bed.
Another three knocks.
Elias crossed the dark room and opened the door only a few inches.
Lightning illuminated the figure standing outside.
A woman.
She was soaked from head to toe.
Her dark hair clung to her face.
She wore a torn gray riding coat and held one arm against her ribs.
Elias opened the door wider.
"Who are you?"
The woman looked behind her.
"They're coming."
"Who?"
She looked at him.
Her eyes were terrified.
"Men from Blackwater."
Elias's expression changed.
Blackwater Ranch belonged to Victor Hale.
A wealthy cattleman who owned half the valley.
And everyone knew the men who worked for him.
The woman staggered.
Elias caught her before she fell.
She whispered something.
"What?"
"My name is Anna Bell."
Then she collapsed in his arms.
Elias carried her inside.
He found a bullet wound beneath her shoulder.
Someone had shot her.
He cleaned the wound, wrapped it, and covered her with blankets.
An hour later, she opened her eyes.
"You shouldn't have helped me."
Elias sat beside the fireplace.
"Probably not."
"They'll kill you."
"I've heard worse."
She stared at him.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
Anna swallowed.
"I witnessed a murder."
Elias's face hardened.
"Whose?"
She looked toward the window.
"Marshal Thomas Reed."
Elias stood.
Reed had been the only lawman in the county who had ever stood against Victor Hale.
If Anna was telling the truth, then the valley had just lost its last protection.
"Who killed him?"
Anna whispered:
"Victor Hale."
Outside, thunder rolled across the plains.
Elias looked toward the darkness.
Then he heard horses.
Several horses.
Coming fast.
Anna grabbed his sleeve.
"They found me."
Elias picked up his rifle.
"How many?"
She listened.
"Six."
Elias walked toward the door.
Anna stared at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure they don't come inside."
He stepped onto the porch.
Six riders emerged from the rain.