COLE sat up, senses on high alert. Unconsciously he reached for his Colt Cavalry and cursed when he remembered Monroe had taken it. So he sat, listening, ready to make a bolt for it if needed.
Two horses, approaching a little way off. Cole’s highly developed skills did not desert him at that moment. The sound the horses made were distinctive. Only one bore a rider.
He quickly looked about him. There were numerous rocks, twigs, but nothing big enough to use as a weapon. Then he saw something, a branch lying half-submerged in the gently flowing stream. Stripped of bark, it glowed ivory white under the water. Reaching out, he took it, hefting it in his hands. It would suffice.
Moving quietly, he edged away from the stream. Always looking, always ready, Cole slinked forward, a predator, sil
