Hello and welcome to the first Sneak Peek Sunday of 2014. In honor of that, I’m giving away another $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commentor. Tell me what you think of the story so far.

“I didn’t know what to do, but I thought I was doing the right thing and got the sheriff. I explained what I saw and what I did. Then I went to Mayor Green’s office and told him. He sent someone to Aunt May’s to fetch Elizabeth’s mother. I didn’t want Mrs. Green to come home and find the mess and Elizabeth….”

“After that I went back to her house. The sheriff had already had the undertaker get the bodies. With Elizabeth gone, there wasn’t any reason to stay, so I walked and walked. I walked all night and somehow ended up at home.

“The sheriff came out to my house this morning, brought my horse with him and took my statement again. That’s when I found out there was another version of what happened. The bastard that got away was Richard Jordan. The bastard told Elizabeth’s father that I’d raped and killed her in a fit of drunken rage and then shot his captain when he tried to stop me. Luckily, for me the sheriff didn’t believe him, because I’d gone to him right away and he knew I wasn’t drunk and wasn’t raging against anyone but the bastards that did it.”

Jake slumped into a chair, his legs no longer able to support him after reliving the whole bloody mess again.

Zach took over the tale “That’s where I come in. The colonel was visiting the fort. Longworth was an old friend of his. Colonel Jordan ordered me and my unit to go with him to arrest Jake. He didn’t know that Jake is my brother. Colonel Jordan is determined to see Jake hang to protect his career and his own neck. He wants Jake to be tried for murder in an army court. The long and the short of it is, I cold cocked the colonel, my men looked the other way and I grabbed Jake and ran. Now we’re both here and on the run from the law. If they catch us I’ll be court-martialed for attacking a superior officer and for desertion. Jake will be tried for the murder of the captain.”

“Shit!” Liam turned his back on his brothers and stared into the flames that were now crackling merrily. “Why’d you come here? I have the kids to think of.”

“We’re not trying to involve you and the kids. I knew you were leaving tomorrow. I wanted to see you before we disappear completely,” said Zach.