Logan had patiently listened to Wyler's account. When Wyler had arrived at the part concerning Dan Bolton's death, Jesse's expression had hardened and his eyes seemed to turn from deep blue to a frosty gray.

By the time Wyler finished, Logan's expression had softened. He said, "Well, Joe Bolton will likely arrive in town sometime today if he hasn't already. Are any of Tanner's men still in town?"

"None of the gunmen that I know of." replied Wyler. "Although, come to think of it, I don't know what became of Bucktooth Wilson. He left before the sheriff asked the others to leave. I haven't heard anything concerning his whereabouts yet, and its about nine o'clock." said Wyler.

"I know where he's gonna be, if I see him today." Logan said ominously. "Where he gonna be?" asked Conchita.

"Put it this way. It's a place mentioned in the Bible that's even hotter than Texas." replied Logan. Conchita still looked puzzled so Logan smiled and said, "Connie, its the same place your gonna end up if ya don't mend your wicked ways. Just ask Reverend Phelps."

Conchita's face turned red and after crossing herself, she replied rather heatedly, "I am certain, meester Logan, that joo weell be there to keep me cohmpany!"

Wyler and Logan both laughed. "Tell me Connie," Logan asked chidingly, "Why did you undress me. Can't you allow a fella even a little bit of privacy? Don't you have any shame? I know that I'm irresistible, but ain't that goin' just a bit far? And where the heck's my hat?"

Conchita laughed and said, "Joo chould be happy that I haf my freen wash joor cloths for joo. No way Conchita let joo sleep een her bed weeth those clothes. Jooor chirt haf blood all over eet an joor pants, AYE CARRUMBA! Wheen ees the las time joo wash theem? Las year mebbe!? An joor hat was no good no more so Conchita throw eet away."

Logan just grinned, and got up to finish dressing. He noticed Conchita eying his frame appreciatively and gave her a mischievous wink along with a lewd grin. Conchita laughed again and asked coquettishly, "Why joo never veesit me at the Boar's Head Jesse. I rather haf joo than the other cabrons who veesit me all of the time."

Logan thought a minute and said, "Well Connie, I know ya been a lustin' after me fer a long time but, well, quite frankly, I haven't decided how much money I should charge you yet."

Conchita looked genuinely astonished and said, "ME, pay JOO?! Joo mucho loco Jesse Logan!"

Wyler then asked Logan what he was planning to do next. Jesse said, "Well, looks like whoever shot at me did a good job of messing up my hat. I'll need a new one. Conchita, would you run over to Carson's Outfitters and get me a black Stetson?"

"Yes I bring joo one eef joo haf the mohneys."

"I don't have the money right now, but I'll get it too you as soon as possible Connie, if you'll just get it for me. I'm good for it." Jesse replied.

Wyler asked, "Why the hell do you want a hat with a knot like that on your head?"

"Well," Logan responded, "first of all, the bump is on the top of my head, not the side, so I think it will work out without TOO much pain. Second, I don't want whoever shot me to know just how close he came. Keep them wondering a spell. You yerself said that you didn't want to have to explain how you helped me out."

"I didn't exactly say that Jesse, but I appreciate your concern for me." Wyler said.

"Don't mention it, Bill. Seems I owe you a lot more than that."

"What about me, joo cabron?" Conchita pouted. "Heere I go and feex joo up, clean joor clothes, I poot joor steenking carcass een my own bed. Now joo want me to buy joo a hat? An joo no theenk joo owe Conchita too?!"

Logan got up and hugged her tenderly, and then gave her a brotherly kiss. Gazing softly but seriously into her big dark beautiful eyes, which right now, looked very childlike and innocent, he said, "Connie, I don't forget, and I never will. If you ever need me, or your family ever needs me, I'll be there, and there ain't a man alive who can stop me."

Conchita looked as if she was on the verge of tears so Jesse spun her around and said, "Now get on over and get me my hat woman. Make sure it is a size seven and a half, and that it looks just like my old one!

As she was going out the door he grinned real big then playfully slapped her on her generous, but shapely behind and said, "I'll chop the price of the Stetson off of what I'll charge you for my services when I come visit you, IF, you're a good girl and be nice to old Jesse."

"OHHHHH!!" she almost screamed. Then after a string of Mexican cuss words that could have blistered the paint off of the barn door, she said, "Joo no geentleman, Jesse Logan. Joo a bad man and one dirty diablo! One meenute joo talk nice to Conchita theen joo eensult her. Mebbe some day I KEEL joo!" But as she walked away, she was smiling.

After she'd left, Logan told Wyler, Seems to me that the MT gunmen knew that someone was going to take a shot at me. That would explain why Wilson moved away from my right side. At first, I had thought that they simply didn't think that I would get involved. Otherwise, Wilson would have stayed where he was in order to keep me between himself and Chico."

"That makes sense Jesse, but how could they know that you would move over to that side of the bar, by the window?" Wyler asked.

"Well, they couldn't KNOW that I would. But, that window gives a pretty good overall view of the room. You can see all of the bar from there and most of the room. The MT hands knew I was at the table, so only two of them sat down. Naturally, they would have figured that I might just get a little itchy with two gunmen in front of me, and two behind, if they suspected that I might want to take a hand in their little play. Now when Chico got behind me, he didn't go all the way back to the bar, just about half way. Wilson, went all the way to the bar, and all the way over to the end. That would be a good place to signal through that window, to let whoever was out there know, just when the ball was about to open, and just when to squeeze off his shot. That move, also made it sure that I would move to the bar so as to keep Wilson from staying behind me. Now, when I moved up to the bar, all Bucktooth had to do was give some sort of signal and then step aside. Whoever was standing outside the window, could see me clearly and had only to wait for the gunfire to begin at the poker table. That would've been his best chance to get me without being seen or heard."

"Logan scratched at the painful bump on his head and then said, "Of course, that brings up another problem. If the MT gunmen were in on my shooting, then they are probably suspicious as to who got me out of the saloon. Are you sure that none of them saw you and Roberto haulin' me into that back room?"

"I'm almost positive." Wyler insisted. "In fact, I couldn't see any of the MT hands when we were moving you. A crowd had already gathered around them, and the goings on at the poker table."

Logan thought a minute then said, "Even so, Bill, either Portalis or Wilson or both must have looked back long enough to see me go down. They would want to be sure that they didn't have to deal with me next. I expect that this was to be Wilson's job, and he must have signaled that all was well, after seeing me go down."

Jesse suddenly slapped down on the bed and said, "Hell, I'll bet that's why he wasn't with them when Sheriff Orr went over to ask them to leave town. They must have chewed him out, then sent him to tell whoever shot at me, that he didn't finish the job. They are bound to know that I'm still alive, and that I'm wounded and lying low right now."

Glancing once again at his injury in the mirror, Jesse said, "It don't matter, at least for now Bill. I doubt anyone knows it was you that helped, nor, is anyone likely to grill you about it. They wouldn't want anyone to know that they were involved in a back-shooting. I doubt that any of them would be involved unless they were under orders from someone else. Most of that bunch probably believe that they could beat me by themself. I'm almost certain who gave them their orders, but I'm going to have to get some proof. In a few minutes, they'll all know that I'm still alive and kicking."

"For now, Bill," Logan said seriously, "just watch what you say. Tanner isn't going to want anyone thinking he had anything to do with someone getting shot from behind. That would be bad for his reputation around here. At least, he wouldn't right now. So I'm certain that, whatever he suspects about you possibly helping me, he'll keep to himself, and so will his men."

At that moment, Conchita returned with a brand new hat which as it turned out, fit Logan almost perfectly. He thanked her and told her goodby. Both men walked out the door at that point. "You watch out too, Logan." Wyler cautioned as they parted.

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