Free Monument Rock (Ss) (1998) by Louis L'amour

Priest in this?"
    "Webb's given him land and a job. He's the worst of them, I think."
    "How was Webb before he came?"
    "Angry, and ordering us off, but he wasn't so strong for killing."
    "Maybe," I said, "if Priest were out of it, we could talk."
    Then we heard the rattle of hooves on the bridge and the sound of riders and I looke d around over my shoulder and saw the Gleasons come into the yard.
    There was the weakness from my wound, but no time for weakness now. There they were , the three of them, and they were looking around at what they had ridden into. An d then I took my gamble as a man sometimes must. I'm not a talking man when the chip s are down and the love of battle is strong within me, but there was more at stak e now than me or my desires, for there was a handful of kindly folks and their farm s and wishes.
    There comes a time to every man when he must drop the old ways and look ahead, s o here was I, a man who had ridden and roistered and rustled a few head, who had sho t up the wrong side of town on a Saturday night. I'd killed a few hardcases and live d the life of a wild land growing, and now suddenly I could see a chance for my ow n life: a wife, my own home, my own green and growing land, my own children about th e door-maybe all of it lay out there beyond that hot, sunbaking yard where m y enemies stood. Twenty-odd men with reasons for killing me, and not one for helpin g me stay alive.
    "Maggie," I said, "I'm a changed man. I'm going out there and talk. Pray if you can , for you're certain to have more of a voice with the Lord than I, for it's got t o be blarney rather than bullets if we come out alive from this."
    So I walked out there and faced the Gleasons, three hard, tough, honest men. Thre e men who had ridden here to kill me.
    "Pat,"
    I said, "we rode a roundup together. Mickey, you pulled me out from under a stee r one time, down Sonora way, an' you, Dave, I've bought you drinks and you've bough t them for me. That's why I ran after I'd shot Korry. He had it comin', an' deep i n the heart of you, you all know it.
    "Korry got what he asked for, and had it not been me, it would have been another , but I ran, for I'd no desire to kill any of you."
    "Or to be killed, maybe."
    Then I shrugged. "That's a gamble always, but the Chambers boys went down and a foo l knows no lack of confidence. Surely, I'm a fool, and a great one."
    "Why the palaver?" Pat demanded. "What trick is this?"
    "No trick," I said. "Only I've no wish to kill any one of you, nor to kill anyon e anymore but one man.
    "These"-I gestured at the gathered riders-"are fine upstanding men who've come t o rob a girl of her home! To take the roof from a girl who's but recently lost he r father!
    "They want to run out a lot of fine, homemaking men who are irrigating land and buildin g the country. And they've brought a killer to do their dirty work, a buzzard name d Sad Priest!
    "I don't want to fight you. I've this fight to think of now. Never yet have I sho t an honest man, and I've no wish to begin.
    "Only one thing I want now," and when I spoke my eyes went to Sad Priest across th e yard. "I want to kill the man who'd run a girl with no family from her house!"
    Oh, I didn't wait for him! Nobody waits for Sad Priest! So when I spoke, I reached , but he drew so fast his gun was up and shooting before I'd more than cleared leather.
    But I'd known he'd shoot too fast and he did. His bullet tugged at my shirt and I t riggered my six-gun, two quick, hammering shots, and then ran!
    Right for him, his gun spitting lead and the blood of my bullets showing on his nec k and shirtfront, but my running made him miss and only one of the bullets hit me , taking me through the thigh, and I went down and felt another bullet whip past m y skull, and then I fired up at him and the bullet split his brisket and his knee s let go and he started down just as I rolled on my side and fired into him again a t eight feet of distance.
    He hit ground then and lay