Heart of an Outlaw *First in the Crane Gang series*

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Two

Silence fell over the base. Major Winfield slowly approached Ferris's horse and took the beast by the bridle, yanking its head down. "What exactly do you mean; you reckon he's dead?"

"Dead. No longer of this world. Worm shit. Does that clear it up?"

Everyone turned a momentarily shocked gaze to Maria who simply shrugged. Major Winfield returned his attention to his three battered men. "How?"

"It was renegade Indians, sir," one replied.

Major Winfield frowned. "Renegade. Indians."

"Yes sir. They was all painted up and hollering and they just attacked us as we were leading the Governor here. The Governor's cart took off back to town but there wasn't nobody driving it because the driver was dead... the cart was shot so full of holes and the Governor was laying across the back—we figure he's dead too."

Major Winfield spun around. "Captain Morgan? Do you mean to tell me that you are so incompetent a leader and your men so incompetent as Rangers that you still have bands of renegade Indians riding around causing trouble?"

Jeb frowned over at Gill but Gill shook his head and mouthed, 'None since I've been here.'

Captain Morgan's fists clenched at Major Winfield's insults but other than that gesture, he seemed remarkably calm about the murder of the Governor just outside his base. "I can assure you that before you came along and began to use threats and bribes to control the men here, we never had a bit of trouble with renegades."

Major Winfield yanked his hat off his head and began to pace, waving his free hand as he mumbled to himself. Finally the man stilled and pointed toward the cage Jeb and crew were housed in. "We'll hang the prisoners, then we'll mount up and find those renegades, take them out and avenge the Governor. If I can't be hailed a hero by the Governor for taking out the Crane gang and the son of Rafe Tomlinson, then I will be hailed a hero by the President for taking down the renegades responsible for murdering our fine Governor."

Captain Morgan frowned as he stepped forward. "And how exactly do you propose we go after the renegades, Major? You have five men fit to fight other than yourself and I have no men left here. I hardly think we are a decent fighting force."

"Your Rangers are cowards and should be hung for desertion," Major Winfield hissed.

"My Rangers had every right to retire their posts. A man can only stand abuse and threats against his family for so long before he decides he's had enough."

Major Winfield growled and began to pace once again. He stormed right up to the bars of the cage and stood toe to toe with Jeb who stared the man down and wished for just one free hand. With one free hand, he'd be able to kill the cocky, sneering son of a bitch.

"You. We've wiped out the rest of your pathetic gang. I could grant you and the woman your freedom if you'll both agree to fight the renegades."

Jeb's jaw popped. Surely this man was a full bubble and a half off of plumb. "What about Gill?"

"Gilliam Tomlinson will die at those gallows. There will be no freedom granted for that negro turncoat."

"Then we'll die beside him," Maria declared and Jebidiah nodded in whole-hearted agreement.

Major Winfield's carefully composed demeanor broke then and the man's face reddened, his mustache blew wildly and his eyes flashed. "Fine! It makes no difference! I want these three criminal hanged immediately!"

"Spare my mother!" Gill roared as he threw himself against the bars, as if desperate to attack the Major. "I understand that Jeb and I have killed Rangers but my mother has done nothing!"

Major Winfield shrugged, his shoulders heaving with his angry breaths. "There are three nooses. No need in wasting one."

Major Winfield snapped his fingers and the five men he had rushed forward, while Ferris slid from his saddle and stumbled toward Captain Morgan's house.

"Where you do you think you're going?" Captain Morgan demanded, his hand hovering over his gun.

Ferris' ashen face was slicked with sweat and blood dripped steadily onto the dirt at his feet. "To have your wife patch me up.... I'm gonna die if I don't get seen to."

"I know a thing or two about wounds—you're probably going to die even if you do get seen to," Maria warned.

The Captain didn't seem happy but he had no choice but to nod as his attention was drawn back to the cage when the door was thrown open. Several guns were aimed at Jebidiah, Gill and Maria as they were yanked from the steel bars and led toward the gallows.

Gill struggled but it was fruitless. Jebidiah didn't struggle. He knew there was no point. Gill seemed to realize that as well as they were placed on the gallows and the warm, rough loops of rope were placed around their necks.

Jebidiah glanced at Gill and frowned when he realized that Captain Morgan was standing behind Gill and whispering something into his ear. Whatever it was had Gill's eyes widening just before he carefully masked the emotion on his face.

When the Major walked toward the lever that would send them to their deaths, Jeb took a moment to thank his creator that he'd at least gotten to live a fairly full life. He'd had a family that he'd loved, that had loved and accepted him. He'd had the love of a good man whom he loved with every piece of his soul.

Yes, Jebidiah Crane had gotten more blessed in his short life than most.

Sunlight splashed across his face, only to be doused when a burlap sack was suddenly tugged over his head. The heat inside the sack was stifling and the air hard to come by.

"Jebidiah Crane, Gilliam Tomlinson and Maria—For your crimes against the state of Texas and law and order, I now sentence you to death." Major Winfield called out. "Enjoy hell."

Jebidiah's heart thundered in his chest. He heard the scraping of wood against wood as the lever was pulled. The trapdoor beneath his feet vanished and he found himself dropping instantly.

The rope tightened with excruciating pain against the skin of his throat but his neck did not break. The knot had not been done properly—that meant he would have to choke to death. Beside him, Jebidiah could hear movement and he had a feel that Gill and Maria were in the same predicament.

"Who tied those knots?" Major Winfield demanded.

"I believe it was the Captain," a male voice replied.

Before Major Winfield could utter another word, a rifle blast ricocheted through the hot mid-morning air.

***

Gill had been working hard to use the knife the Captain had slipped in his palm to cut the ropes at his wrists. If he could free his hands, he could cut the rope free from his neck—he wasn't entirely certain what he'd do next but he'd think of something.

He had known they wouldn't die when the lever dropped—Captain Morgan had let him know the knots were no good.

The rifle shot caught him off guard and Gill cried out with shock when he found himself falling to the ground and landing with a complete lack of grace on the dirt. The knife dug into the skin of his arm and he bit back a yell of pain as blood slicked his hands.

A second rifle shot followed the first and there was another thud to the right of Gill—his mother—her loud cursing indicated that she was still alive.

Despite the cries of alarm all around, Gill heard the third rifle shot and to his left, Jebidiah's body fell and Gill had never been so relieved to hear a grunt in all his life.

But who was shooting them down? Judging by the sound of that rifle it was quite a good distance away. Gill only knew one person good enough with a Sharps rifle to cut down ropes with a bullet from a distance—Pete Bardlow.

$V