The Ballad of Zachery Carson Ch. 01

"But it's the Christian thing to do."

"Kidnapping you wasn't a Christian thing to do to you. What they had planned for you wasn't Christian either." Zach turned and gave her a hard look. "I'd bet they were going to have a little fun before you got back to your father, if you ever did, and you were going to be their entertainment.

So in my mind they don't deserve burying." As Zach turned back to his horse, he added in a low voice, "Sides, varmints got a right to eat too."

He led the horse over to Kathleen and said, "Let's hit the trail."

"I can't ride astride; it's not lady like."

"We don't have a side saddle for Milady," Zach replied with a grin. "Either you climb up and throw a leg over or you walk." He mounted, cleared his foot from one stirrup and reached his hand down to help Kathleen get up.

She scowled at him and then put her foot in the stirrup, grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up behind Zach.

"Hang on tight," Zach suggested. "We're going to put some miles between us and these wagons and we don't have time to take it easy doing it." Kathleen tentatively put her arms around Zach's waist. She almost lost her seat when Zach spurred his horse and she hung on tighter.

To Be Continued