Renegades and Stubborn Pride (sequal to Renegades and Pretty Women)

Chapter Seventen

                Jonah’s hands tightened a little on Copper’s reins. “Well I’m gonna leave you to get your furs traded while I go see about a few things.”

                “What things?” Joe asked suspiciously. Jonah sighed and ran his hand over his scruffy face.

                “I need to find the sheriff and have a talk with him.”

                “You think he might know where that no good bitch of a cow is at?”

                Jonah shrugged. “I don’t know what exactly I’m hoping he can tell me. I reckon I’m just feeling a bit desperate and hoping he can tell me something.”

                “I can go with ya if’n ya just wait a while.”

                “I’d rather just go do it now and then have some time to spend with you and Clayton.” Jonah didn’t add that if things went the way he was hoping they would with the sheriff, that he’d be saying goodbye to his family soon to hunt Scarlett down. He figured all that would do was cause a fight and Jonah didn’t want to fight with Joe until there was a real reason to fight. No point stirring up the hornet’s nest until he was getting ready to ride away from it.

                “Alright then, but since we’re in Barbadine, you’ll owe me a drink to make up fer leavin’ me to barter these furs on my own.”           

                Jonah laughed. “It’s a deal, honey. But you know as well as I do that if I did come to the trader with you, you’d just tell me to shut up and stand aside while you dealt with him yourself.”

                “You know me so well.” Joe replied with a smile. Jonah winked at her and then turned Copper around and headed back toward main street.

                He made his way to the outskirts of town and the jailhouse that still looked the same as it had when he’d brought Scarlett to it years ago. Many things about the town had changed and grown over time but not this place.

                “Well I’ll be damned! Jonah Winchester, where you been staying hid at?” The sheriff asked as he pushed himself off the porch banister and tossed his cigarette down onto the dusty street. The man still looked the same as he had before. Thick black mustache, small eyes and a hard jaw.

                “Here and there.” Jonah replied, wiping sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve.

                “How have you been doin, Jonah?” the sheriff asked.

                “Good the last few weeks.” Jonah replied. “Except for finding out the hard way that Scarlett was no longer in prison where she was supposed to be spending the rest of her life rotting.”  

                Sheriff Phillips eyes widened and then he let out a sigh and shook his head with disgust. “I heard she got let out.”