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Page 254

| "Sounds fine to me," Ashton said, wheeling his horse to a shuddering halt beside Crispin. They both held their rifles steady, aiming into the center of the oncoming horsemen. |

| As Stanford came close enough to Ashton and Crispin to almost smell their horses' breaths, he raised a fist into the air, giving the signal for his men to stop. |

| He then inched his horse slowly forward, smiling crookedly from Ashton to Crispin. "Seems you two are a mite lost, wouldn't you say?" he said. "I lay claim to this parcel of land now. It don't need the likes of you two contaminating it." |

| He peered intently at the aimed rifles. "And I don't think it's wise to keep pointin' those firearms at my men," he warned. "It might cause one of them to get trigger-happy." |

| "I welcome anyone who might want to try drawing his firearm against me," Ashton said. His finger was planted solidly on the trigger of his rifle. "It'd be my pleasure to teach him a few tricks of my own when it comes to firearms." |

| Stanford shifted in his saddle as Ashton slowly moved the barrel of his rifle so that it was now directed squarely at him. He gave his men a look across his shoulder. "Don't do nothin' foolish," he said, his voice drawn. "We can handle this thing peacefully. Don't do nothin' till I tell you to. Do you hear?" |

| Ashton's violet eyes danced as he smiled smugly at Stanford. "Now that's more like it," he said, still not lowering his rifle. "I like a man who cooperates." |

| "Aim that rifle somewhere else," Stanford grum- |

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