Walter slipped back behind the wall of the barber shop, the last house on the street and closest to the cemetery. He had insisted on helping, his nod to the attack on Jessica.

"They're puttin' it in the ground now. Won't be long."

"Time for you to skedaddle, Walter, and thanks for the help getting those feed sacks in the coffin last night."

"Morley will be aside himself when he finds out."

"I think he'll just be happy it isn't Jessica."

"I could stay and help you, Miss Whitlock."

"No, you couldn't, Walter. This is my fight, you get back and see to Jess."

Giving her hand a two-handed grip, he scooted back behind the buildings and made for the hotel. Emmeline peered around the corner of the shop and saw Rafe and his men walking slowly behind Morley's wagon as they left the cemetery. She followed Walter's path and made her way to the sheriff's office.

"Sheriff Toby." Emm had to grin at the slapstick reaction to her voice as she slipped in the side door behind him.

"Tarnation, woman! What the devil are you doin' sneakin' up on a man like that?"

"Since you weren't at the funeral, I wanted to warn you that Rafe and his men are walking this way and I'm going to be meeting them. Stay inside and don't get in the way. I know you won't help, so please don't hinder. When this starts, all participants are fair game."

"You're askin' to be shot, lady."

"Maybe . . . but I won't be the only one."

She moved to the window and watched them come down the street. Six of them. As she watched, two broke off and ran to the cover of the shops on opposite sides of the street. Not sure of yourself, eh, Taggart She tried to see where they were hiding, but it wasn't possible from the office.

"You might want to consider a new look at your job if this works out, Sheriff." She opened the door and stepped out onto the front stoop.

One of the men poked Taggart and pointed. They all stopped and spread out across the road. Emm stepped down onto the road and stayed near the side, her eyes raking the storefronts for the hidden men.

"You, bounty hunter. I want to know why you're lookin' for me." Rafe called loud enough for her to hear.

She took short, sure steps toward them, working hard to settle her heart thumping, almost audibly. It was here. The moment she had spent so many years searching for All the different ways she had imagined, replaying in her mind as she focussed on the man that killed her parents.

"You deaf as well as stupid, lady?"

She saw the men move toward their guns, itching to draw and shoot. Taggart must have told them he would say the word when he was ready  Nestor had posed like he was already a victor, one hand resting on his gun, the other smoothing back his long hair.

"I asked you a question. You gonna tell me why?"

Emm stopped and did another survey of the stores. She took a deep breath and said some private words to her parents and herself. She knew she could take the four in front of her, but only if she wasn't ambushed first.

"I was nine years old when you and your cowardly scum murdered my father and raped and killed my mother. I saw you with your slimy grinning face and that bent nose as you kicked over the oil lamp and let it burn my home down. It's taken a long time, Rafe Taggart, but today it will be worth it."

Nestor laughed and looked at Rafe for a signal.

"Take 'er, boys," he yelled, and hands all flashed to guns, then the roar of gunfire filled the street.

Emm fired and rolled to one side. The sting of a bullet tore across her hip, just tearing the material of her pants. She stayed low and came up beside the steps to the general store. Nestor had left the ground as her first shot took him square in the face, and he crashed down in a dusty heap. Rafe had dropped right away to his stomach and the men on either side stood alone, one folding down from a bullet in the gut, the other limping to the shelter of the shops closest to him.

Wood splintered in the porch next to where she crouched, and she swore silently at being cornered. When more shots were fired smashing the glass in the bank window, it puzzled her, but quickly realized she had help, and she jumped up and made a mad dash for the livery. Dust spurted close to her feet as she ran and as she dove through the livery door, she felt the sharp pain in her right shoulder.

"You sure took a big bite, Miss Whitlock."

She flipped up to her knees, gun aimed straight into Sam Drury's face. "You should be inside, Mister Drury. Taggart tried an ambush, I don't know where they all might be. Pretty sure he's down to four, maybe three."
"You're hit."

"Yep, I believe I am." She felt the shoulder and winced. "Went right through, so I can still manage."

"Let me—"

"No. Get inside. If I don't make it you can bury me, but I'm not burying you." She scampered back to the door and scanned the street.

That other shooter had saved her bacon, but who was it?  The sight of the figure darting into a doorway across the street had her pulling back out of sight, and shooing Drury off with a wave of her gun. Scrambling back to the stalls, she opened a rear door and scattered the horses out, Rain among them.

"Don't go far, old girl, I might be needing a quick getaway." Feeling better that the animals were out of any possible gunfire, she climbed uncomfortably to the loft and crawled to the pulley window. A shot whistling through the opening had her rolling back against a hay bale, and she sat up, searching for the shooter.

Two men made a dash for her side of the street from different locations, and she dropped one mid-stride, watching him somersault and crumple to the ground. The other made it out of sight and she changed her location in the loft, expecting them to come inside. Where was Rafe Surely he wouldn't hide and let his men do the job  The sound of breaking glass made her heart sink.

The smoke confirmed her fear. They were going to force her out or roast her, either way her options were not good. Back at the pulley window, she scanned the street again, seeing nothing. The smoke grew thicker and she could feel the rising heat from the burning hay. Not quite what you wanted Emmeline, she thought to herself, but it's what you got. She reloaded her gun and studied the pulley, and saw that it had a grapple hook on the end. Pushing against the pain in her shoulder, she wrestled a bale to the window and slipped the grapple through the binding.

"Okay, Emm, let's hope this works." She crawled onto the bale and used her foot to shove it and her out the window. She dropped like a stone and hit the ground in an instant. The hay bale broke most of the impact, but her shoulder screamed, and her breath had been blown out of her lungs. Right away shots were fired, but not at her it seemed, and she used the moment to crawl away from the burning livery.