Sleepless

Previously:

It was dark when they arrived at the Triple Bar-X, “Dismount here. Horses go quietly into the corral and find any sentient horses and make them ready to come quickly when called. PepperCooper, go with the horses and open the gates.”

The critters quietly signalled receipt of their orders and equally-quietly moved into position.

“Chris and Sam—cover the back of the bunkhouse and the rest of us will cover the front. When I wave we all run inside and wake our victims,” Susie relished this operation—a lot (so many cowboys).

Very carefully they got into position—but they no more got there when the door of the bunkhouse swung open…

Season VI, Chapter 6 Renegade Marshal, Episode 13:

We all have nights like that—when we’re completely exhausted and as we try to sleep the brain refuses to stop rehashing the day over and over and over—such was the case for Boomer Jack this night and after a couple of hours he realized sleep was not in the offing.

He dressed and quietly padded down the steps to the main floor where Erik, deeply into recording Derby’s tales, didn’t notice him, nor did Daisy, still sleeping beside the stove—or so he thought.

Hoping a brown ale would relax him enough to sleep, Boomer walked towards the the saloon, and was startled to hear, “You know, Apha-Boomer, that an ale might relax you—but it will also cause sleepus-interruptus—forcing you to ‘go outside,’ if you catch my drift.”

“ACK! DAISY! Dont do that!” Boomer about jumped out of his laced moccasins, “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“Sorry,” Daisy barked out loud.

It was then Boomer looked up and saw two cowboys outside the saloon and reaching for their guns as they turned towards the plate-glass window—they hadn’t noticed his approach, too focused on what they were about to do—Boomer broke into a trot.

Through the window he could see a poker game in progress…

Through the window he could see a poker game in progress, and almost too late he noticed Deputy Hickok seated with his back to the window…

At roughly the same time outside the “rustler’s” bunkhouse, Chief Deputy US Marshal Blackmon noticed the door opening and shouted, “NOW!”

One of the rustlers came out and seeing the marshals shouted, “Posse!”

One of the rustlers came out and seeing the marshals shouted, “Posse!”

To be Continued…