Montana Standoff. Sharon Dunn

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      The look in her eyes was wild. She was so afraid. He longed to take her in his arms, but after all they had been through ten years ago, would she even accept his comfort? “I’ll hold him off.” He walked over to a box and pulled out a set of keys which he handed to her. “Go to town and get help. I’ll be all right.”

      She shook her head. “We should stay together.”

      “Go, Sarah. I can handle this guy.” He pushed her toward the door. They didn’t have time for a discussion.

      She grabbed the rope, stepped out on the catwalk and moved to the edge of the tower. Her gaze locked on to him, longing filling her eyes. He’d seen that look before. She’d been a strong, resourceful young woman when he’d met her. But there was a vulnerable side to Sarah that stayed hidden from most people.

      He pressed his hands against her face, kissed her forehead. “Go. You’ll be fine.”

      The look of fear and doubt remained as she shook her head.

      “And I’ll be okay, too,” he added.

      She nodded, though the worry lines in her forehead intensified. She slipped off the side of the tower and disappeared from view.

      He raced over to the radio. Where was his replacement? Had the sheriff made it out to the road by the lake and stopped the thug in the car? He had to let the authorities know what was happening. Before he could reach anyone, he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

      The fire tower door had no lock. He could buy Sarah precious minutes by holding this guy off. He’d taken down him and his cohort once before. This time it was only one man.

      The footsteps intensified, grew louder.

      Bryan grabbed a steak knife. There was no closet, no place to hide and try to get the jump on the guy...or was there? He crawled out on the catwalk and pulled himself to the roof just as the door burst open.

      He pressed flat against the roof, angling his head so he could see through the skylight. Maybe the assailant would look around, figure they hadn’t come to the fire tower and leave. That would be the best case scenario. He’d be able to catch up with Sarah and make sure she got safely into town.

      From this angle he could see the top of the man’s head. There was a pistol in his hand. So, he had found the gun.

      The thug surveyed the room. Then he noticed the open door where Sarah had escaped. Bryan cringed. In his haste, he’d forgotten to close it.

      The assailant stomped through the open door that led to the catwalk. He studied the rope where Sarah had descended.

      With his belly pressed against the roof, Bryan swung around, head facing downward on the slanted roof. Sarah should be emerging into an open section of the forest. If the thug looked in that direction, he would see her and know where she’d gone.

      Bryan slid down the roof. The man looked up but had no time to brace himself before Bryan leapt on top of him, knocking him to the ground and breaking a section of the railing around the catwalk. Both men recovered and rose to their feet. Bryan was relieved to notice that the assailant had dropped his gun in the struggle. The narrow catwalk provided little room to maneuver. Bryan struck the man across the face, hoping to throw him off balance.

      The man had a square jaw and eyes like slits. His lip curled back, revealing large teeth. He lunged toward Bryan. If he could get an upper hand, find a way to subdue him and restrain him, the sheriff could question him and find out why they were after Sarah’s brother.

      “Where is the Langston woman?” The man barreled toward him.

      Bryan dodged, but slipped off the edge of the catwalk where the railing had broken free. He fell to the rocky ground below. It took him a moment to recover. When he looked up, he couldn’t see the man.

      On hands and knees he scrambled to the base of the tower. The overhang of the catwalk shielded him from view. He worked his way around the tower back to the stairs.

      Grabbing a thick branch for a weapon, he crept up the stairs. The door was slightly ajar. Peeking around it, he was rewarded with a quick image of the thug staring at the floor. He was looking for the gun. Bryan watched until the man’s back was turned. He pushed the door open and landed a blow across the man’s shoulders.

      The thug groaned in pain, turned and swung for Bryan. Bryan hit him a second time on the arm with the log before the man wrenched it free. The two men wrestled. The assailant was twice his size, but Bryan refused to back down. Slowing this man down was the only chance Sarah would have to escape. They exchanged blows, drawing nearer to the open door.

      Bryan lifted his arm, hand curled into a fist, ready to land a hit. The solid surface beneath his feet evaporated. He tumbled backward down the stairs. Like being smacked over and over, he could feel the hits to his body on the way down. He stopped at the bottom, still conscious, but disoriented. The assailant hadn’t come after him. He heard the sound of things being moved around inside the fire tower. He was still looking for the gun and probably assumed Bryan was unconscious or dead.

      Bryan wasn’t sure if he could move. Had he broken any bones? Every muscle felt like it had been cut or bruised. He sat up. Pain shot through his body. It hurt to breathe. He needed to hide. He couldn’t fight in his current state. But no, he couldn’t back down, either. The assailant wouldn’t give up until he found out where Sarah was. Bryan tried to push himself to his feet.

      The noise inside stopped. The thug came to the top of the stairs. He lifted the gun, taking aim. “Where is she?”

      By force of will, Bryan scrambled to his feet. He stumbled toward the shelter of the trees. He was pretty beat up. He probably couldn’t outrun the thug, but he could hide, maybe draw the man into chasing after him instead of Sarah. He stepped into the trees and onto the trail.

      Sarah appeared. A look of shock flashed across her features when she saw him. He had bruises on his arms. She grabbed him. “I couldn’t leave without you.” She wrapped her arm around his waist. The first shot from the thug’s gun pierced the air. “We’d better hurry.”

      As she held on to him, he could feel his strength returning. Nothing was broken. He may have bruised a rib. He was in shock and badly beat up, but not to the point where he couldn’t move quickly. They ran along the trail. A second shot broke off a tree branch in front of them.

      They came to the clearing where the truck sat. “I can drive,” Bryan said.

      Sarah hesitated, drawing the keys close to her chest.

      “It’s not as bad as it looks,” said Bryan.

      She handed him the keys and sprinted around the truck to the passenger-side door. He climbed into the cab, started the engine and closed the door just as the assailant came into the clearing. Bryan hit the gas doing a tight turn to get out of the parking area. The back tires spat out gravel as a bullet collided with metal.

      Sarah craned her neck. “I think he hit the side of the truck.”

      He’d probably been aiming for the tires. Bryan pressed the accelerator to the floor. He didn’t want to give this guy a second chance. The truck jolted and lumbered down the mountain road.

      Sarah leaned back against the seat, tilting her head. Her curly brown hair had СКАЧАТЬ