The Outlaw's of the South

Chapter Four

The gang had only been back on the trail for approximately fifteen minutes before the clouds opened up and dumped torrential rain down on them. The dusters they were wearing provided only limited protection against the stinging rain.
The lightning streaking across the darkened sky and the deafening claps of thunder were not helping sooth the horses' nerves.
"Where the hell is Kharlos and Adan!" Skiler shouts over the noise of the storm. "You'd think they would have found something by now!"
"You're forgetting, Ski, that we are out in no man's land!" Abigor answers loudly. "Probably ain't a farmhouse within miles of us!"
"A cave or an abandoned mine would be just fine at the moment!" Rebel yells, as he tries to shield his face from the stinging rain.
"How are you doin' back there, Jace!" Ski yells over his shoulder.
"Oh, the horses are doing better than me. I can't see shit!" Jace chuckles as he tries to see through his rain covered sun glasses.
"Riders coming!" Rebel yells.
Skiler looks back around to see two riders riding towards them. Even though the skies were extremly dark and provided very little light, Kharlos' hourse, Ghost, was very easily recognized.
"IT'S THEM!" Skiler shouts with excitement.
"Did you think we got lost?" Adan laughs.
"It crossed my mind. Find anything?" Ski asks.
"As a matter of facr, we did. There's an old farmhouse up the road aways." Kharlos answers. "There seems to be someone living there but there is a barn. Maybe they'll let us ride out the storm there."
"It's worth a shot. Let's go." Ski says.

~45 Minutes Later~

"Where the hell is this place? Bumfucked, Egypt?" Ski asks. His ass was beginning to hurt again and was just needing to get out of the saddle.
"Just up the road a bit." Adan answers. "Off the main path."
"That's what you said thirty minutes ago." Ski argues.
"How on earth did you find this place?" Rebel asks, as Kharlos leads them off the main path across a feild.
"Oh, ya need a little faith, my friend." Kharlos chuckles. "I'm a tracker remember?"
"There it is!" Adan yells, as he points to the farm house and the old barn.
"It's not much but at least it's shelter." Ski says, as they ride towards the house. "Y'all stay put just in case these people aren't very neighborly and we have to make a run for it." Ski adds, as he dismounts Ringo.
Skiler walks up on the porch and notices a dim light coming from the window. He knocks on the door and then takes a couple steps back just in case he had to make a quick getaway.
The door slowly opens and skiler finds himself looking down the barrel of a double-barrel shotgun. An older man with a thick mustache glares at him with a raised brow.
"Easy there, ol' timer, we're not here to start any trouble." Ski says, as he holds his hands up in surrender. "We were just wanting to ask to use your barn for shelter until this storm passes."
"Wait a minute..." The old man says, as he lowers his shotgun. "I know you."
"You do?" Ski asks, as he gives Rebel a nervous glace over his shoulder. Rebel slides his hand inside his duster and rests it on his revolver. His movement goes unnoticed by the old cowboy who was busy eyeing Skiler.
"Yes, I do. Skiler Wolf, right?" The old man smiles. "You and your boys have quite the following around these here parts."
"We do?" Ski asks, causing the old cowboy to chuckle.
Seeing that they were not in any danger, the others begin to dismount.
"Yes, you do. You're quite the heroes around here." The cowboy smiles under his large mustache, as he reaches out to shake Skiler's hand. "My name is Sam. I don't mind at all for you boys to bed down in my barn."
"You're very kind, sir." Rebel smiles.
"My wife is fixin' supper and you boys look like you could use some decent food in your bellies." Sam says. "We'd be honored if you'd join us."
"It ain't beans is it?" Ski asks, before being elbowed in the ribs by his lover.
"Hell no. I've eaten enough beans in my lifetime." Sam laughs.
"We don't want to intrude." Rebel says.
"Non-sense, you won't be intruding at all." An older but very pretty lady says, as she walks up beside her husband. "I'm Lilly. We have plenty. Won't you join us?"
"Well, I have to admit, it does smell pretty damn good." Ski smiles.
"Come in, out of the rain." Sam says, as he steps out of the doorway, propping his shotgun up by the door.
"You can hang yout wet dusters over by the fire to dry." Lilly says, as she heads back to the kitchen. "Supper will be done shortly."
The guys made themselves comfortable in the cozy living room, enjoying the warmth of the fire.
"i heard what you boys did in Fouke." Sam says, as he offers them cigars to which they all declined politely. "Wiping out the town's so-called sheriff and his lynch mob was the best thing that ever happened to that town. He enjoyed ruling the town with an iron fist."
"We did what we had to do." Ski says, with a shrug.
"You remind me alot of myself in my younger days." Sam smiles. "Ever heard of the Dalton gang?"
"Of course, who hasn't heard of the Dalton gang?' Ski smiles.
"You rode with the Daltons?" Abigor asks with amusement.
"Yep, for several years up in Oklahoma." Sam nods. "You might say I'm retired now."
"Is he boring you boys with his stories." Lilly giggles from the doorway wiping her hands on her apron.
"No, ma'am. Not at all. We had no idea we were in the presence of a legend." Ski smiles.
"Yeah..." Lilly says with a soft sigh. "But it definitely wasn't easy falling in love with an outlaw."
"Tell me about it." Rebel mumbles with a nod.
"I heard rumors about you two being sweet on each other." Sam says with a smirk. "I don't quite understand it but whatever makes you happy."
"If you guys are ready to eat, supper is done." Lilly smiles, as she heads back to the kitchen.
They walk into the kitchen and Skiler's jaw drops at all the mouth watering food on the table.
Fried chicken, mashes potatoes with gravy, boiled corn, black eyes peas, turnip greens and home-made biscuits.
"You boys have a seat." Sam chuckles at their shocked faces.
"Ma'am, this is delicious." Adan says, as he takes another bite off of a chicken leg.
Sam watches the gang eat as if it had been days since they had had a decent meal. He remembers those days too well. Living off beans and coffee.
"Thank you." Lilly smiles. "Eat all you want, there's plenty to go around."
"God, this is so good." Ski says, as he sops up some gravy with a biscuit.
Rebel nods as he shovels a fork full of black eyed peas into his mouth.
"I can't even remember the last time I had boiled corn." Abigor chuckles, as he finishes his third ear of corn.
"I can't remember having food this good, period." Jace adds.
"Excise me for asking..."Sam says, as he turns his attention to the unknown man. "But who are you?"