Free The Healer's Touch by Lori Copeland Page A

the sun. “Yes, I guess I should. Boots will be over directly. We’ll have to help Lyric move our outlaw to town.”
    He grunted. Lord have mercy. He hoped those two wouldn’t be hanging around all day. He’d not get a lick of work done.
    â€œYou want me to let you know if they postpone the hanging until tomorrow?”
    â€œNo. Not interested.”
    â€œIt would be better than sitting around by yourself all day.”
    â€œWatching a man die isn’t my notion of fun.”
    â€œI didn’t say it was fun, but it might be interesting. Do they die quickly?”
    â€œQuick enough.”
    â€œDo you know any outlaws in this area?”
    â€œI thought you said you had to leave.”
    â€œOh…yes, I do. Want me to take your jacket and drop it off at your house on my way home?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œWell, you’ll let me know if I can be any help. Nothing wrong with someone helping a neighbor.”
    â€œDon’t need a thing, but thanks for asking.” He reached for the horse’s reins and prepared to mount. Her longing gaze didn’t escape him. The girl was in love.
    â€œYou take care,” she said.
    Touching his forefinger to his hat brim, he reined aside. “You do the same, Little Miss.”

5

    T he jailer sprang to his feet when Lyric entered the jail. A frown crossed his pimply features and his Adam’s apple bobbed with anticipation. “You got the corpse?”
    â€œThe oddest thing happened. He roused late last night; seems he wasn’t dead after all.”
    The apple on his neck jumped. “Roused? You mean from the dead?”
    â€œFrom the chair . Rallied ever so slightly. He’ll need more time to pass away.” That wasn’t exactly the truth but the good Lord knew the man needed someone on his side.
    â€œWell, I was about to order a gallows built. Can’t see no use in nursing the fellow back to health if we’re just gonna hang him anyways.” He chuckled. “Just put ’em out of their misery. That’s my theory.”
    â€œYes.” She stepped to the poster wall and one by one slowly examined the likenesses. “It seems peculiar…” She paused and fixed him with a stare. “It’s not necessary to stand across the room from me. I’m not crazy, you know. I mean you no harm.”
    â€œYes’m. Habit, I suppose.” He straightened and sauntered to his desk, but she noticed he never took his eyes off her.
    She turned back to the poster board. “It seems that if the man’s face was on this board, I would recognize him. “
    â€œCould be one of them Quantrill Raiders—they’re a bad lot. Could even be Hoodoo Brown—now that thar’s worth a pretty penny if you was to get him. He’s the baddest cowpoke there is.”
    â€œIt’s my understanding that these outlaws—that the Youngers make their residence nearby. Three, four miles away?”
    â€œYes, suppose they do. They shelter a lot of them crooks and bad guys.”
    â€œIf they’re so close to town why don’t you simply go and arrest them? Some have handsome bounties.”
    Shaking his head, he fixed on her. “Do I look stupid? They might live there but I don’t go looking for trouble. I got a wife and a little girl to feed. In these parts, nobody goes looking for trouble; it finds them easy enough.”
    â€œBut all that reward money—isn’t that an enticement?”
    â€œYou can put a price on your life?” He shook his head again. “No one around here thinks so, ma’am. Now if one was to come and turn hisself in I’d be happy to oblige, but I’m not going to their place askin’ to get my head blowed off.”
    She turned. “But you’d have no problem hanging an outlaw?”
    â€œNo ma’am, but yours will be dead when you bring him to me. Thar’s a difference. I’ve heard that Hoodoo