fall on the other side of the door. He breathed a sigh of relief. âYes, I remember,â said Ellen, not giving in all at once.
âWell, Iâve been thinking,â Dave continued. âWeâve got the money, and weâve got the time.... Hell, there ainât nothing keeping us here right now. What cattle is out there is in good grazing for now. What say we just up and take off?â
âYou mean, soon?â Ellen asked, opening the door a crack, enough for Dave to see that she was still wearing her cotton gown. This time he was not at all disgusted at the sight of her breasts. In fact, this time the partial sight of her through the narrowly opened door stirred desire within him.
âSoon?â Dave chuckled, putting aside any ideas he might have just had and reminding himself that there was a good reason for what he was proposing. âHoney, Iâm not talking about soon! Iâm talking about right now ... this minute. Iâve already saddled up two riding horses. Iâll open the corral and turn the rest out to graze when we leave. Denver, here we come!â
âOh, Dave, do you really mean it?â The door squeaked open another foot. âI mean, this isnât just the whiskey talking, is it?â
âOh, yes, Iâm sure the whiskey has a hand in it.â Dave smiled, putting his arms around her and pulling her against him. âBut, little darling, Iâve never been more serious about anything in my life.â
âOh my goodness, Denver!â Ellen squealed with delight, then pushed herself away from her husband. âDonât you dare change your mind! Iâll throw some things in our grip bag and be ready before you know it!â
âYou do that, darling, and hurry yourself up,â Dave said, cutting a quick glance across the room, out the window toward the main trail. He watched Ellen throw back a blanket that covered the dressing trunk where she kept her clothes. As she began pulling out a hat box and a pair of ladyâs high-topped dress shoes, Dave said, âIâll grab a couple of clean shirts and some trousers when youâre done. Meanwhile, hurry up!â He clapped his hands to speed her along. âIâll make sure all the dry food is topped and stored.â Another glance out along the empty trail brought a sense of relief to him. âWho knows?â he said, feeling better by the minute. âWe might be gone for the next month or two.â
Chapter 5
âWell, now, look here,â Cherokee Earl Muir said, crossing his wrists on his saddle horn and looking down at the Waddell spread from the shelter of a pine thicket lining a cliff behind the house. Four of his six men drew their horses up quietly around him. Earl had begun to split his men up, sending Frisco Bonham and Billy Boy Harper on head, riding a different trail in case anybody followed their tracks from Haley Springs.
âDonât forget, Boss,â said Sherman Fentress. âWeâre down to six men now.â
âI ainât worried about it, Sherman,â said Earl. âDave is the only gun on the place.â He dismissed the matter and sat watching Dave Waddell lead two horses hurriedly from the barn to the front of the house until the tin roof blocked him from sight. Earl spit a stream of tobacco and said, âLooks like my new partnerâs in a big hurry to get someplace.â
âYep, it does,â said Dirty Joe. âWhy donât I punch a couple holes in him for you?â He reached down, slipped his rifle from its saddle boot, and started to raise it to his shoulder.
âPut that damned rifle down, Joe,â said Earl. âI donât care where Davey goes.â He chuckled under his breath, turning his gaze back to the house, studying it like a hungry wolf. âI just donât want him taking that pretty little redheaded woman with him. I would call that unobliging of him.â
âSÃ,
Robert Fabbri
J. F. Jenkins
Stewart F. Lane
Jamie Magee
Dara Joy
LK Collins
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Kathleen O'Reilly
Kerrigan Byrne
Barbara Freethy