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“Think You Can Handle All Three of Us?” the Three Sisters Asked the Cowboy in His Barn — What Happened Before Dawn Changed the Whole County

Chapter 9

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Clara met his gaze without flinching. "No. Our real name is Sterling. Our father was Thomas Sterling."Ethan stared at her. Thomas Sterling had been one of the most respected homesteaders in the territory—a vocal opponent of Copper Ridge who had mysteriously died in a barn fire less than a month ago."Harrow killed our father," Ruth said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low whisper. "He burned our house, seized our cattle, and tried to drive us out of the territory. So we went into his office at Copper Ridge while his men were out on patrol, blew his safe, and took the only thing that can send him to the gallows."Ethan looked down at the black ledgers inside the satchel.The weight of what stood before him was terrifying. This wasn't a mere property dispute or a range argument; this was a war for the survival of the entire territory."Where are you taking them?" Ethan asked."To the Federal Circuit Court in Prescott," Clara said. "Judge Miller is arriving on the afternoon stage tomorrow. If we can hand these ledgers to him in person, Harrow’s empire is finished."Ethan looked out the open barn door toward the south. The rain was beginning to clear, revealing cold blue sky beyond the breaking clouds."Prescott is forty miles through country controlled by Copper Ridge," Ethan said grimly. "Rourke knows where you are now. By noon, Harrow will have twenty men riding these hills. You won't make ten miles on foot."Ruth raised her iron pry bar slightly, a fierce, desperate light in her eyes. "Then we'll die fighting."Ethan looked at Ruth, then at young Mae, and finally at Clara. He took a long sip of his black coffee, set the tin cup down on the wooden workbench, and walked toward the horse stalls."Nobody's dying today," Ethan said, pulling his leather riding saddle down from its wooden peg. "Get your gear. We ride in ten minutes."

By mid-morning, the storm had passed completely, leaving the Arizona sky a sharp, brilliant blue. The desert sun began to bake the damp earth, drawing thick mist from the scrub oak and red rock canyons.Ethan led the group south along a narrow, winding trail known only to local hunters and cattle rustlers.He rode his heavy bay quarter horse at the lead, his repeating rifle resting in the scabbard beside his right knee. Clara rode Ethan’s gentle gray mare, holding the reins with practiced ease, while Ruth and Mae shared a sturdy pack mule that Ethan had outfitted with a double saddle. Mae kept the black leather satchel strapped securely across her chest, covered by a heavy wool poncho.They moved in steady silence, avoiding the main stage roads and flat valley floors where Copper Ridge patrols could easily spot them from the surrounding heights.Ethan kept his eyes scanning the horizon. To the east rose the jagged red rock towers of the Mogollon Rim; to the west lay the rolling, brush-covered expanse of the Copper Ridge range. Every couple of miles, he would pull his horse to a stop, listen intently to the wind, and check the surrounding ridges for dust plumes.Around two o'clock in the afternoon, as they reached the entrance of Diablo Canyon—a narrow, treacherous gorge cut through towering red sandstone cliffs—Ruth pulled her mule up alongside Ethan’s horse.She looked at the steep, claustrophobic stone walls rising hundreds of feet into the air above them."You like taking guests through places where people get ambushed?" Ruth asked, her tone dry, though her eyes were sharp and watchful.
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“Think You Can Handle All Three of Us?” the Three Sisters Asked the Cowboy in His Barn — What Happened Before Dawn Changed the Whole County

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