The Outlaw's Secret. Stacy Henrie

a glorious day for a ride, isn’t it?” Essie declared, the gloom of moments ago apparently forgotten. “Beautiful sunshine, beautiful countryside.”

      Tate resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The landscape consisted of nothing but undulating stretches of grass and sagebrush with white, rocky bluffs rising in the near distance. It struck him as rather bleak.

      He scrutinized the terrain again in an attempt to see what Essie found fascinating. He supposed the countryside did hold a certain wild beauty to it. And if it wasn’t for the potential dangers ahead, Tate had to admit he might actually be able to enjoy himself. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d gone for a ride simply for the pleasure of it and not because it was part of a job. Maybe there was something to be said for Essie’s skill to see the bright side of things.

      That had been Tex’s personality. Always looking for the next fun adventure, always trying to make others laugh and enjoy themselves. It wasn’t a bad way to live, but Tate had eventually come to resent his brother’s wide-eyed optimism. Someone had to be responsible, and as the older twin by five minutes, he’d felt compelled to take up that burden after their father left.

      Some responsibility you showed, Tate’s head argued back. Not only does your brother up and leave, but he becomes an outlaw, too.

      Tate frowned. He was doing all he could to right the situation, wasn’t he? Steeling himself against further thoughts of Tex, he focused on taking mental notes of the scenery they rode through.

      According to his watch, they stopped at noon beside a tiny creek to water the horses and fill their canteens. Silas handed around some jerky and some of Essie’s biscuits that Clem had insisted they save for later, despite protests from the others about finishing all of them at breakfast.

      Tate had just taken a bite when the sound of rapid horse hooves reached his ears. “Did you hear that?” he asked, swallowing hard.

      Silas cocked his head. “Someone’s coming.”

      “I believe it’s more than one someone,” Essie said.

      Sure enough, two riders crested a nearby hill, heading straight for them. Tate squinted against the sun to get a better look. “Who is it?” Was it Fletcher and one of the other outlaws? If so, something must have happened.

      “They ain’t with us,” Silas murmured, his grim expression mirroring the wariness twisting Tate’s gut.

      “Then who...?” The question died on his tongue as the sunlight reflected off a shiny silver star on the taller stranger’s jacket. Tate’s uneasiness spiked to alarm. He glanced at Essie and Silas, lunch entirely forgotten. “We’ve got ourselves a problem.”

      * * *

      “What do you mean? Who are they?” When Tate didn’t answer, Essie studied the approaching riders more carefully. They weren’t dressed like fugitives. In fact, they almost looked like... Something glinted in the sun, momentarily blinding her and making her look away. But she’d caught enough of a glimpse to know one of them wore a sheriff’s star.

      Fear rolled through her at the realization. The two lawmen were nearly upon them and here she stood with two wanted outlaws. Would she be considered an accomplice? Should she turn Tate and Silas over to them to save herself?

      “This isn’t going to look good to them,” Tate said, glancing at the horses. “If we try to run or split up, they’ll just chase after us. But if we wait for them to come to us, what reason can we give for being out here, so far from any town or ranch?”

      A flash of memory had Essie peeling off Tate’s jacket from around her shoulders and spreading it on the ground. It was a similar trick to one she’d used with her hero in her book The Lawmen’s Legacy.