Read Online In Dark Corners by Gene O'Neill - Free Book Online Page A

Now, what's your problem?"
    She just looked at him quietly for a moment, obviously noticing the cold edge of annoyance in his tone. Then she started to slip off the stool. "Sorry to bother you, cowboy."
    "Hey, hey, okay," Rowdy said, softening his voice, his tone almost apologetic, something about the odd expression in her eyes stimulating his curiosity—kind of a mix of sad resignation and cold defiance. "Sit, please. Now, what's the problem?"
    She stared for a moment or two, then explained in her sexy, husky voice. "I need to get away from here, today."
    "Where do you need to go?"
    "That part doesn't matter, as long as it's off the beaten track," she answered.
    "Sounds like the law is after you," Rowdy offered, half jokingly.
    The icy defiance glittered in her eyes. "Just need a ride, cowboy. Me and my little brother. That's all you need to know."
    There was something vaguely familiar about this woman. She wore no makeup except for a little lipstick, but there was no denying she'd been fine-looking—hell, she was still quite attractive, except for the way she carried herself. It was her shoulders—kinda hunched forward slightly, like she was packing an invisible weight. And though she couldn't have been more than thirty or so, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were etched deeply. But those eyes—kinda violet and snapping full of life… That tickled his memory again. Rowdy was certain he'd met her before. Of course he'd met a lot of women when he was rodeoing, many of them waitresses or cocktail servers. But even with her kind of harried look, she'd never been any rodeo groupie, not with that expression of defiance in those beautiful eyes. No Way.
    Then he had it!
    The Calgary Stampede, back in '84 or maybe '85. The White Horse Saloon. She'd been singing then. Her name was on the tip of his tongue. They'd introduced her as the gal with violet fire in her eyes…But he couldn't quite pull out the name. So, all he said was, "I've seen you before. In Calgary, back in '84 when I was riding the rodeo circuit…"
    "It was '85," she said, smiling broadly for the first time, her eyes sparkling like a pair of amethysts. "Ellie McFarron."
    "Ellie, you were great, a terrific voice," he said sincerely, introducing himself as an afterthought. "Rowdy Williams."
    "Well, the voice was okay back then, but it was the body that you cowboys came to see," she admitted frankly in her hoarse whisper. "Voice is pretty rough now, and the old body isn't what it used to be either." She shrugged, easily dismissing the past. "Anyway, how about that ride."
    "No problem," he agreed simply. "When will you be ready?"
    "I'm done work now," she said, slipping off the stool. "Got to get my check. I'm in room seven in the Halfway Motel across the street. We'll be ready when you're finished eating."

    ***

    Rowdy rapped once and the door to room seven jerked open. Two suitcases stood to the right, and Ellie was holding her brother by the hand, looking a little nervous.
    His appearance surprised Rowdy, because he really wasn't a young boy, though he was smallish—must've been twenty, maybe twenty-one. And the vacant expression and empty smile clearly spelled-out his mental condition.
    "This is Rowdy, Billy-boy. He's a friend," Ellie said gently to her brother, tugging him forward.
    Rowdy reached out and took Billy-boy's limp hand. "Howdy, hoss."
    "Billy-boy doesn't speak, Rowdy," Ellie explained, looking a little more sheepish.
    He raised his hand in the stop gesture. "It's okay, Ellie, I understand." Then he bent over and snatched up both suitcases, aware of the stiffness grabbing at his lower back. "Ready?" he asked, glancing around the empty room. It had been left neat. Couldn't tell it'd been lived in.
    "Yeah, I guess," she said, and her tone was weighted with the sense of resignation he'd first noticed in her eyes.
    "Okay, gal-with-the-violet-fire-in-her-eyes, let's get," Rowdy said, trying to ease the tension in the air, and leading the pair