Pleasance

Summer in Lemoyne, Will thought, raising his hand holding Schofield's six-shooter. Wish I were somewhere else. Mountains, maybe. Or any place far away from this damned red soil, and sweat, and horse flies, and all this shit. But it's almost over. One day. One last day and I'll be gone.

It was already September, yet still as hot as hell. Thick drops of sweat marked the brow of the young gunslinger. He held his breath. Pointed gun. Pulled the trigger.

*

Daniel stopped his horse.

"Easy, easy..." he murmured to the mare, which snorted with protest, stamping about. "It's only a gunshot, lady. Nothing you never heard a hundred times before."

He took a deep breath. The shot was loud, so the shooter must be close. On his left was a small puddle. Mattock Pond. This means somebody shot his gun near the Southfield Flats. There was a farm in this place, a small wooden hut surrounded by a modest field of crops. Well, at least if you compare it with large plantations in this corner of the state.

A gunshot wasn't uncommon in Lemoyne, yet it disturbed Daniel. Was he getting close to his goal? It's been the third day since he left Saint Denis. Checked every copse or meadow, sneaked around every encampment he found. And still, he hadn't seen who he was looking for.

Calm down. It can be anybody. A farmer scaring off crows, or a kid practicing his shooting...

"Or those damned Raiders," he muttered aloud. "Or maybe..."

Daniel furrowed his brow. Could it be he already found...?

"Come on, girl." He gently spurred his mare. "We won't be sure if we stick 'round here for the rest of the day."

*

Will raised his head while setting up some bottles on the top of the fence. Someone was coming on a horse from east. A lone rider in his late thirties or early forties. His face was covered by shade cast by the broad brim of his big-city hat. He was tall and wiry. Will thought he must be rather a tough nut to crack, despite this silly headgear and meticulously shaved cheeks.

Oh, what the heck! It's been quite a time since he had some fun...

Will raised his hand to greet the stranger. He responded with the same gesture. Then turned his horse in the young man's direction.

"On your way to Rhodes, huh?" Will asked.

A moment of silence.

"How do you know I'm going to Rhodes?" the stranger finally replied after taking a good glance at Will's face.

He shrugged in response.

"Where else can you go if you ride in this neighborhood? Well, unless you're passing through somewhere further away, Mr. I-Don't-Know-Your-Name."

"Name's Daniel. Daniel Reed."

"And I'm Landon. Listen... I reckon you're not carrying this Cattleman only for looks. How 'bout a quick shooting contest, huh? See those bottles, right there, on the fence?"

The stranger nodded.

"There are eleven of those. Shoot six, and you win. And to make it more interesting, let's wager on ourselves. Five dollars, winner get's ten. What you say?"

"I say fair enough."

Daniel got off his horse. He walked to Will, standing on the meadow near the road, some forty yards from the targets. The heat was torrid, but the wind brought some refreshing chill from the Mattock Pond behind their backs.