fair fight. But fair is fair and you are right, I did get the drop on you by surprise. Tell you what, why don't you stand up and you can show us how bad you are."

The man didn't like the way Sam was grinning but he had opened his mouth and there was no backing down. He stood slowly and watched as Sam holstered his pistol again and removed his hand from the handle. And then there was a blur and the pistol was back in Sam's hand, pointed right at the cowboy's stomach with the hammer cocked.

Sam laughed as he spoke and again holstered his pistol. "Uh oh, you weren't ready again, were you? Well, if you're still hell bent on dying right now, cowboy, this timeshe knew, he said he might see her there. They said goodbye awkwardly and then before she knew it, she impulsively leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Now she smiled inwardly at herself, embarrassed at her forwardness. "Well, after all," she thought, "he is almost family, isn't he?"

She was jerked from her musings. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong! She heard loud thumpings that sounded as if they were coming from the top of the stage and then a man's panicked voice that sounded like the driver's, start to holler. The voice was cut off in the middle of a yell and then the stage was swaying wildly, nearly toppling over as it skidded to a halt. She heard a scuffling sound from the driver's portion of