Free The Loner: Inferno #12 by J.A. Johnstone

search the area on the other side of the pass. According to the prearranged plan, Dunlap had stopped the wagons before they entered the pass, and the vehicles wouldn’t proceed until he got the all clear from Harwood, Farnum, and The Kid.
    As he rode along the bank of a small creek, The Kid scared up a small herd of deer, but that was the only life he saw other than a few birds in the scrub pines. He rendezvoused with Harwood and Farnum at the mouth of the pass and reported the lack of any threat that he found.
    “Same here,” Farnum said.
    Harwood nodded. “The valley appears to be empty. I’ll let Horace know. If you two want to stay over here and look around a little more, that’s fine.”
    Harwood headed back through the pass. The Kid and Farnum stayed together as they rode deeper into the valley.
    “I’m surprised nobody has settled this place before now,” The Kid commented.
    “Well, it’s a long way from anywhere,” Farnum said, “and you got to travel through some pretty rugged country to get to it. You saw that for yourself the past few days. There’s no railroad in here and ain’t likely to ever be one. The soil’s good enough for farmin’, and there’s enough graze for a small herd of cattle, but nobody’s gonna get rich by settlin’ here. But if you’re lookin’ for a nice place to live, where a fella who’s willin’ to work hard can get by, Raincrow Valley fits the bill.” The scout gave The Kid a shrewd look. “How about you, Morgan? You lookin’ to settle down?”
    The Kid shook his head. “Not hardly.”
    A bark of laughter came from Farnum. “Reckon I knew that. You ain’t the type to ever let grass grow under your feet, are you?”
    “I might have been ... at one time.”
    “I won’t even ask you what happened to change things. Ain’t none of my business. I’m glad you came with us this far, even though it turned out we didn’t need your gun after all.”
    They heard men calling to their teams and looked back to see the wagons emerging from the pass and starting the descent into the valley. The trail was an easy one. It was almost like the valley had been put here specifically for those immigrants.
    Dunlap and Harwood led the wagons to a broad, level field next to one of the streams. The settlers would need a place to camp for a while, until they’d had a chance to explore the valley and decide where they wanted to build their cabins and ranch houses.
    Later on, the camp might even serve as the site of a small community that was likely to grow up to serve the needs of the settlers. When word got around, it was possible more immigrants might arrive in Raincrow Valley.
    For now, though, the most important thing was getting situated for the night. Dunlap had the drivers pull the wagons into the usual circle, for defensive purposes and also to shelter the livestock. As the shadows of dusk began to gather, cooking fires sprang up. The trees that grew along the creek provided fuel.
    The Kid unsaddled his dun and picketed the horse with the other saddle mounts. He had been pushing the horse pretty hard the past few days, he thought. Although he had no intention of settling here, it might be a good idea to stay for a few days and allow the dun to rest.
    That would also give him a chance to make sure the immigrants were settling in all right.
    Dunlap caught The Kid’s eye and waved him over. “We’re still gonna post guards tonight. I figure those Apaches are back across the border by now. They stopped long enough to attack that freight wagon, but with the cavalry patrollin’, they’re gonna want to get back to their stronghold in Mexico.”
    “You’re probably right,” The Kid said. “I agree that it’s a good idea to stay alert, though.”
    “You’re gonna be here with us?”
    The Kid nodded. “For a day or two. I don’t know for sure yet when I’m riding out.”
    Dunlap clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.