Free Dead Trouble by Jake Douglas

live by your Ranger’s oath no matter what. That way you’ll keep your pride. I’ve tried to do that and I’m damn sure Durango did, too. Until …’
    She was flushed deep red now and there was a glint of moisture in her eyes.
    ‘I know , damn you I know all that! It was one of the things I admired about Durango – and you! But – I was at my wit’s end, Deke! I felt as if I was falling apart!Durango was working desperate hours, killing himself and getting nowhere and we were losing our marriage …’
    ‘Yeah, well, I guess it wouldn’t be hard to start looking around for an easy way out when things were that bad.’
    ‘You – you understand that?’ She sounded surprised.
    ‘Guess so, Karen, I can’t judge you. I just wish Durango hadn’t taken that step across the line—’
    ‘Oh, Deke, it’s not a big step! Just a few small … arrangements now and again. Just about everyone up here does it. Durango says they have to or they won’t survive. The outlaws will simply wipe them out.’
    He knew that wasn’t true: if everyone was involved doing deals with the outlaws, there wouldn’t be any need to wipe anyone out.
    ‘D’you know where he’s gone now?’
    ‘He and Hal are meeting some men. It’s to do with allowing them to drive some steers across our land. Down in the west pasture there’s a lot of flatrock and trees beyond the rocks.’
    ‘Hard to track,’ opined Deke, half-aloud.
    ‘It’s close to a secret canyon or valley across the river where the outlaws hold their cattle until they can get rid of them. Deke, Durango’s not involved in the actual rustling.’
    ‘If he lets stolen stock cross his land and does nothing about it, he’s a rustler, Karen.’
    Her eyes pinched down.
    ‘Damn you, Deke! Don’t you turn on him! Please don’t! I – don’t think he could take that …’
    She stood directly in his path as he started for thedoor. He could smell her bath soap on her and he stepped back.
    ‘I’ve told you how things are, Deke,’ she said steadily. ‘I don’t care if you believe me or not – but – please be careful. Durango’s been under a lot of strain lately. Give him a break! Please ! He’s had it hard up here and – it can be a dangerous land, this Red River.’
    He said nothing, took her shoulders lightly between his hands and stood her to one side. Then he hurried out into the night.
    Shortly after, she heard him riding his grey out of the ranch yard. She bit her lip, hands clasped, crying silently.
    She had known that Cutler would find out soon enough that Durango was dealing with the outlaws. All she had tried to do was to ease him into acceptance of the idea.
    But now she was afraid she had made a mistake. Deke Cutler was still a Ranger, whether he wore a badge or not. He was a hard, decent man and she knew he had been hurt by the knowledge that Durango Spain, a man he had looked up to for many years, had feet of clay.
    What she was afraid of now was, just what Deke was going to do about it.

CHAPTER 7
OUTLAW TERRITORY
    Cutler knew he would never find any hidden canyons in the dark – maybe not even in full daylight, come to that – but he had a general direction and worked from the west pasture.
    He crossed the river and found the large area of flatrock with the clump of dark trees looming against the stars beyond. The rifle came noiselessly out of the scabbard and he worked the lever swiftly, yet quietly, sliding a cartridge into the breech. He lowered the hammer which had cocked with the lever action, shucked another .44/40 cartridge from his bullet belt and pushed it through the loading gate in the brass side-plate of the rifle. That gave him a full magazine, plus an extra one already in the breech. The old Ranger caution was still working – one extra shot could make the difference between living and dying.
    Riding out, he had been thinking about Karen: he hadn’t allowed himself to think about her much since her marriage to Durango Spain. Maybe some