“Then that’s what we’ll do. Your head in the sand, mine on your chest. I say I’ll get a better deal out of it,” Cole quipped, sliding out of Ned’s arms to mount up.
On horseback, he looked even taller than usual, and Ned had to suppress the longing to rub his face against his fingers in awe. Time for kisses would come once they were far away with their loot, so Ned led the way. The doctor’s house was his waymark, but the girl’s directions from there were clear, and Ned hoped most men living on Solomon’s Ranch would have joined the hunt for the Gotham Boys by now anyway.
There was more grass around there, and as they reached a hill overlooking the ranch, Ned spotted a water pump working tirelessly against the backdrop of the dark blue sky. The sun would soon rise and the scent of desert sage, now so faint, would bake in the sun and sweeten the air. By the time someone discovered the robbery, they’d be long gone, riding for the next train station. And then, out of here.
West.
The ranch was small, with the main house being half the size of the one owned by Uncle Liam, some cabins for the hands, and farm buildings scattered around an empty yard, but all Ned cared about was the large barn built at an oddly long distance from the main house. The sprawling structure must have taken up more resources than any other building on the property, including Mr. Solomon’s own home.
His heart beat fast as he and Cole trotted past the homestead, but it was the soft growl coming from the shadows that had hair bristling on his forearms. A dog rose from a bundle of fabric on the porch.
Cole reached for his gun, but Ned stopped him with a gesture. “It’s all right, boy,” he cooed to the animal and reached for the jerky Saul had given him a while back. He wouldn’t have eaten it anyway.
The mutt had dark, matted fur, but its eyes were attentive, and its ears perked up as it cautiously made its way toward them. Judging by the size of its paws, it was still a puppy. A large one, but a pup nevertheless.
“I hate dogs. You never know what they’re gonna do,” Cole whispered but stayed put, watching Ned toss the dried meat, as if it were some kind of magic trick.
Ned snorted, finding Cole’s reaction endearing. His man was fearless and wild, so to see that there was something he wasn’t so confident about made Ned want to hug him tight and kiss his head as if he were a baby.
“He’s just worried. If he were trained to attack strangers, he’d be barking like mad by now, treats or not. Better learn to like dogs, because I want one someday.”
“Really?” Cole’s mouth twisted as he watched the pup munch on the piece of meat. The breeze swept back his hair, and he shook his head. “I suppose it can’t be helped, since I can’t give you a real baby. We’ll just need to find out how to keep him in a crib.”
Ned had to bite down on his hand to keep from laughing out loud, because while he suspected all the men were out in Three Stones or chasing the Gotham Boys, the women and children living on the ranch could have still heard them. It took him several seconds, but he got over the vision of Cole nursing a puppy and shook his head.
“Let’s go. Our opponent has been appeased.” Ned smiled at the dog once more and threw it more jerky.
“It’ll follow us now. What if it wants to ride the train with us too?” Cole whispered, dismounting his horse as they neared the large barn. The clouds had dispersed overnight, and in the glow of the stars, they saw how new the building was. There were no cracked planks in sight neither, as if its owner wasn’t Mr. Solomon but someone way wealthier.
“Then we’ll take ‘im with us. Focus, Cole.” Ned pulled the black bandana over his nose and smiled as the intense scent of ylang-ylang filled his nostrils. This was it. They’d be walking away rich, free, and Ned would sleep peacefully knowing he’d put an end to Butcher Tom’s bloody enterprise.
Cole tapped the brim of his hat with one of his revolvers and smiled, his dark eyes burning like coals taken from the fire. Their glow would keep Ned warm all the way to California. Ned reloaded his shotgun and pushed on the barn door. He went rigid when the opening revealed light. While faint, it was definitely there, and Ned stepped in first, ready to stand between Cole and whomever they might encounter.
But it was a what rather than who.
Blood rushed to Ned’s legs as he stood face to face with a skull. But it wasn’t the sign of a cannibal’s presence, nor an ancient burial ground. What Ned saw on a large wooden table was neither human nor any animal’s he’d ever seen. Long as Ned was tall, with eyes the size of dinner plates, the skull had spikes rather than teeth and stared straight at him from millions of years past.