trying to pull her hands from his body.
"Kiss the woman, Ranger!" a
voice commanded.
"Blair, let's go," Sloan said,
softly.
"She's a mighty affectionate
one. If you don't want her, I'll
take her. She needs a real cock to
…"
A gun was leveled at the man's chest
before the last word left his lips.
"Don't you talk about my wife in
that manner, mister. I don't want
to see you laying an eye on her again, hear me?" Sloan's voice took on a deadly timbre
and the room grew silent.
"Was just making conversation,
lawman," the man stated, hands raised to his ears in surrender.
"You need to keep better control of
her if you don't want anyone looking. Nobody forced her in here," the bartender stated. He gestured to the glasses, "I
watered her down after her first round."
"Thank you," Sloan said
gratefully, "She won't be coming back to a bar anytime soon. That I can promise. Blair, it is time to leave."
"Kiss me, Sloan."
"You are going to get strapped for
this, my girl," he whispered in her ear, feeling her stiffen in his
arms. "This will be the last
time you even think of looking at a bottle."
"But, Sloan …." Blair began to sway.
"Pardon me, gentlemen," Sloan
said, catching her as she began to fall and lifting her across his left
shoulder. He stomped outside and
headed for the stables.
"Put me down!' Blair began to yell, pummeling
his back with her fists.
He smacked her harshly on the rump. "You will quiet down this
minute. I am madder than an old wet
hen right now, young lady. I just
don't know what was spinnin' inside that head of yours when you decided not to
mind me."
"I love you!" Blair sang loudly
as he trampled towards the stables.
"You won't love me for long,"
Sloan said, and he dumped her into the large horse trough filled with water.
"Argh!" Blair screeched as she
emerged from under the water. Sloan
dunked her a second time, and she came up sputtering. "You lowdown sonofabitch!"
"If you want an audience for your
thrashing, just keep up your screaming, girl. Now haul your little back end out of
there and march yourself into the stable. It's time to sober up."
Blair uttered several choice words as she
struggled to pull herself out of the trough and flipped straight onto the
dirt. Sloan crossed his arms to
watch her rise to her feet and wring water from the layers of material
belonging to her dress and petticoats.
"Stop stalling and get inside."
Blair made a fist with both hands and
held them down at her sides, kicking small rocks as she stomped away from
Sloan, the trough, and the small gathering of onlookers. She spun around and pointed her finger
at him.
"How dare you speak to me as though
you owned me! I am not your
..."
"Keep your voice down, young
lady. You put yourself into a heap
of danger in there. Not just with
the drinking, but by telling people your business. The wrong sort could be listening and
think you would be a tasty morsel."
"I am quite able to make decisions
for myself. Everyone there was very
kind."
"I told you that gals are a rare
commodity in these parts, and there are some men who will just take what they
want, without asking. You can
barely stand up straight, and yet you think you can make proper decisions for
yourself. Damn it, Blair, use the
brains the good Lord put in your head!"
"You cussed! I knew you weren't all that
perfect."
"Yeah, I cussed. Rile me up enough and the words slip
out. I also will warn you, girl,
pushing to get the final say is not wise right now. See that milking stool? You will sit on that stool with your
little freckled nose right in the corner until I cool down and you sober up a
bit. There is no use in punishing
you until I know you can feel it."
Blair kicked the wall. "I am not going to sit in the
corner like a naughty child. I am a
grown woman and … put me down!"
Sloan scooped Blair's wet body in one arm
and picked up the stool with the other,
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