In the morning, Ethan told them he was going on alone. “Alone?” Petry said. “Yes, alone.” Petry leaned in so he could speak softly. “Ethan, the men were lookin’ forward to—” “I’ll talk to the men,” Ethan said. He stepped around Petry and approached the others. “I have somethin’ to do in town and I need to do it alone,” he said. “It will take me a few hours. If I let all of you ride into a city the size of this one, it’ll take me days to round you up again. We can’t afford that. We have to meet my brother on time.” “Is stoppin’ here gonna make us late?” one man asked. “No.” “Can’t we just go in for—” “No,” Ethan said. “Nobody rides in but me. That’s it.” He turned and went to saddle his horse. “This ain’t fair,” one of the gang members complained to Petry. “There’s women in Oklahoma City!” “What makes you think any of those women would be interested in you, Bates?” The rest of the men laughed at that. “That ain’t the point!”
