Blood Wedding

UNINVITED GUESTS

Fargo loosed off three quick shots, hoping that the Murrays were stupid enough to be riding in front of the gang. Jed and the others opened up about that time, and the gang members started firing off their pistols and rifles. Bright muzzle flashes lit up the dark and showed the faces of the men in reddish light.

Someone fired in the direction of the muzzle flash from Fargo’s Colt, but Fargo had already flattened himself on the floor of the loft. As he reloaded, he looked over the edge at the fighting that was going on below and saw the vague outlines of black figures striking out with hoes and pitchforks and a scythe or two. He heard the grunting of their efforts and the yells of men being jabbed by a pitchfork or sliced by a scythe. Men were being pulled off their horses now, and it was becoming impossible for Fargo to distinguish between friend and foe. He decided it was time for him to leave the loft, and when a horseman passed beneath him, he dropped over the edge and landed behind the rider.

The horse reared up, and Fargo put his arms around the rider, finding to his surprise that he wasn’t behind a horseman at all but a woman. . . .