Wanted

Chapter 60

Carter laughed. "Ah no, thank you Mr Patterson. You're alright. If I had wanted to work with horses I could have stayed at home on the farm," he shouted after the man.

"Fuck this, I'm not waiting around here any longer in this ungodly cold," Lee said, spat on the ground and then left.

On hearing McCarthy and the sheriff were on their way, John was considering his options. Maybe it would be best to play along for a bit and come out for Carter and Lee. Let them think he'd go with them. He imagined he should be able to run away from them easily enough. Of course, they were faster than him too, but he doubted that either of them was sufficiently motivated to make a real effort in running after him if he got away. He would hide somewhere until the coast was clear and then head for the train station.

He was just about to move some of the furniture to the side and climb out from his fort, when he saw Lee reappear in the door armed with a thick stick, so that John swiftly retreated behind his barricade again.

It would have been too late though anyhow, as next he heard McCarthy roar outside, like he never had heard McCarthy roar before. "Put that darn stick down, boy, if you know what is good for you!"

John's heart sank.

"Where is he?" McCarthy barked, and got a low "in there," as a reply from a rather contrite sounding Lee. Another time John would have enjoyed this, but for obvious reasons, not this time.

"John, where are you?" McCarthy barked again, this time the voice was much closer. McCarthy had reached the entrance of the shack, as a result of which, John crawled deeper inside his den.

"Get out of there this instance, John," McCarthy hollered into the room angrily and then, when there was no movement from behind the barricade, he added, "I am warning you boy, if I have to go in there and get you, I am going to bring you straight across the road to the sheriff, you hear me boy?".

"Jesus, McCarthy, what the fuck," Carter said sounding annoyed and a good bit sharper than he normally would have dared to, quickly adding a quiet, "Mister McCarthy," while also lowering his head remorsefully when McCarthy's angry eyes found his. As if how he addressed his master was the actual issue and not the swear word and tone of his voice he had just used or even the fact that he so openly had criticised him in the first place.

He was saved though by John cautiously starting to appear from behind the pile of furniture which distracted McCarthy enough to let it go.

"Get a move on, boy. I don't have all day," McCarthy told him with a somewhat more reasonable but still impatient tone of voice and then looked back at Carter and Lee with a self-satisfied nod and smirk as soon as John had fully climbed out from behind his fortress. To his surprise however Carter and Lee looked back at him in anger.

"What?" McCarthy asked irritated, but then dismissively put his hand up, letting them know he didn't want to hear it after all.

Lee however spoke up, nevertheless. "There was no need for that, Mr McCarthy" he argued, no longer sounding contrite at all.

"What do you mean? No need for that? You were going after him with a darn stick," McCarthy gave back angrily.

"Yeah, well, he deserves a bit of a clopper, alright, I wasn't exactly going to beat him to death though," Lee argued.

Annoyed McCarthy turned his attention back into the room, where John warily stood not quite sure if he was brave enough to get any closer.

"Pick up that darn furniture and put this place back in order before you come out," McCarthy barked into the room at John and then walked away to his horse without giving Lee a response to what he had said.