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Authors: DiAnn Mills
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of the earth. They dont have a lick of sense, which is why Frank and I sometimes helped to keep close watch on them. Theyd get stuck in thorny bushes, fall into places where they had no business going, and stand beside a hungry wolf. Ive seen my grandfather break a sheeps leg so it would stop wandering, but sometimes it went back to its old habits.
Are you talking about your brother? she said, her stomach churning with the implications. Or Charles?
Maybe both. What did Charles look like?
How did she describe the man of her heart? He had hair the color of pecans and eyes as green as a mountain lake. Average build. Seldom raised his voice. She pulled a pocket watch from her britches. It had belonged to Charles, and shed slipped a picture of both of them into it. This was taken right after we were married.
Parker stared at the picture, then shook his head. Never knew a man who looked like that. Doesnt matter. Im riding with you in the morning.
Youll hold me up with those broken ribs.
Lets get one thing straight here, Sage. Im the marshal of this town. My brothers dead, along with another friend, and my nephews are missing. Ive been threatened and beaten. The McCaws arent getting any more of a head start on me than they already have. And we already know theyre watching the town and will know when we leave. The note said for both of us to come. We dont know what they want from us, but Im a praying man, and God has the answers. I believe Hell show us the trail and give us what we need to know.
Sages eyes narrowed. Hed spoken a mouthful, like a speech. What chance did those boys have with a battered marshal who believed God would ride with them?
A fter Sage left, Parker talked to God long and hard about his family and his town. The US Marshal was due in a week with bounty money that Sage would never see unless she brought in Aiden McCaw again. An extra gun would help even the odds, but he and Sage had to ride alone. Theyd be riding into a trap, and he knew it. But what choice did they have with Daviss and Johns lives in the pendulum?
Deep in his belly, he realized Aiden wouldnt think twice aboutkilling either one of those boys. How could Leah survive one more nightmare? The thought sickened him, made him mad enough to kill Aiden McCaw with his bare hands, a feeling that had grown inside him until he burned with hate, like a fire he couldnt douse.
Parker needed to figure out how to outwit a man who boasted of watching his and Sages every move. So far that man had been successful. Did one of McCaws people walk the streets of Rocky Falls? From the sounds and the goings-on in the saloon every night, he could name five men and two of the women working the saloon who were candidates to fit that description.
It was possible Widow Bess might have overheard some talk. She was a decent woman, the only bit of goodness at the saloon and hotel. Every line in her face was pure wisdom. Rumor was if she didnt stop trying to pull the girls out of the evenings profits, she wouldnt have a job.
The truth of a matter had a way of sinking its teeth into a person whether he was ready to handle it or not. One of the McCaws had killed Frank and left a fine woman as a widow. Although there were mountains of frustration and disappointment in many areas of his personal life, Parker had always wanted the best for his brother. Even when it meant giving up Leah.
Parker met Leah when they were fifteen years old in Virginia. Frank, older and oozing charm, won her away from him, and they married just before the two young men enlisted in the Civil War. Both brothers were sure the war would be won in a month and theyd return to their parents modest farm, three younger sisters, and Leah as heroes. Instead it drew out four long years. All during the intense fighting, Parker regretted not standing up to Frank for Leah, but years had passed since hed thought of her like he did when he was a nave boy. He exchanged his tender love for the role of a
Are you talking about your brother? she said, her stomach churning with the implications. Or Charles?
Maybe both. What did Charles look like?
How did she describe the man of her heart? He had hair the color of pecans and eyes as green as a mountain lake. Average build. Seldom raised his voice. She pulled a pocket watch from her britches. It had belonged to Charles, and shed slipped a picture of both of them into it. This was taken right after we were married.
Parker stared at the picture, then shook his head. Never knew a man who looked like that. Doesnt matter. Im riding with you in the morning.
Youll hold me up with those broken ribs.
Lets get one thing straight here, Sage. Im the marshal of this town. My brothers dead, along with another friend, and my nephews are missing. Ive been threatened and beaten. The McCaws arent getting any more of a head start on me than they already have. And we already know theyre watching the town and will know when we leave. The note said for both of us to come. We dont know what they want from us, but Im a praying man, and God has the answers. I believe Hell show us the trail and give us what we need to know.
Sages eyes narrowed. Hed spoken a mouthful, like a speech. What chance did those boys have with a battered marshal who believed God would ride with them?
A fter Sage left, Parker talked to God long and hard about his family and his town. The US Marshal was due in a week with bounty money that Sage would never see unless she brought in Aiden McCaw again. An extra gun would help even the odds, but he and Sage had to ride alone. Theyd be riding into a trap, and he knew it. But what choice did they have with Daviss and Johns lives in the pendulum?
Deep in his belly, he realized Aiden wouldnt think twice aboutkilling either one of those boys. How could Leah survive one more nightmare? The thought sickened him, made him mad enough to kill Aiden McCaw with his bare hands, a feeling that had grown inside him until he burned with hate, like a fire he couldnt douse.
Parker needed to figure out how to outwit a man who boasted of watching his and Sages every move. So far that man had been successful. Did one of McCaws people walk the streets of Rocky Falls? From the sounds and the goings-on in the saloon every night, he could name five men and two of the women working the saloon who were candidates to fit that description.
It was possible Widow Bess might have overheard some talk. She was a decent woman, the only bit of goodness at the saloon and hotel. Every line in her face was pure wisdom. Rumor was if she didnt stop trying to pull the girls out of the evenings profits, she wouldnt have a job.
The truth of a matter had a way of sinking its teeth into a person whether he was ready to handle it or not. One of the McCaws had killed Frank and left a fine woman as a widow. Although there were mountains of frustration and disappointment in many areas of his personal life, Parker had always wanted the best for his brother. Even when it meant giving up Leah.
Parker met Leah when they were fifteen years old in Virginia. Frank, older and oozing charm, won her away from him, and they married just before the two young men enlisted in the Civil War. Both brothers were sure the war would be won in a month and theyd return to their parents modest farm, three younger sisters, and Leah as heroes. Instead it drew out four long years. All during the intense fighting, Parker regretted not standing up to Frank for Leah, but years had passed since hed thought of her like he did when he was a nave boy. He exchanged his tender love for the role of a
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