face, Lucky shot to his feet, then winced at the pain. “Why— why, that’s downright sick. What’s wrong with you folks? You can’t just go around using men and women in contests, like studs or brood mares.”
Now Cole did charge forward, his face livid, his fist clenched at Lucky. “You heed your tongue around my wife or I’ll hang you by it.”
Lucky faced him down with a sneer. “Go ahead, sir. Actually, I’d prefer a healthy lynching to dealing with a bunch of psychos like you.”
For a moment there was a tense silence as the two men confronted each other. Then Grandma laughed and clapped her hands. “Got grit, don’t he, son?”
Surprisingly, Cole grinned back. “Yeah, he does. But that doesn’t mean he’s the right man to marry my Molly.”
“My God—when will you people get it through your heads that I don’t want to marry her?” Lucky all but shouted. “I don’t even want to be here.”
Grandma waved him off. “0h, you’re just the bride groom. You don’t count.”
“What?”
Shooting Lucky a rebellious glance, Molly firmly set her jaw. “Shucks, I don’t know what we’re arguing about, anyhow. The deed is done—and old Handsome here has already compromised my virtue.”
Lucky was appalled. “Quit calling me Handsome. And quit lying, too.”
But Cole frowned darkly as he stepped toward his daughter. “Daughter, what do you mean, this man com promised your virtue?”
Molly appeared smug enough to burst. “Well, when we pulled Handsome here from the rubble of the stagecoach, he pinched my butt.”
At this, the boys split their sides laughing, and Lucky’s jaw fell open.
“He did what?” thundered Cole.
“I did no such thing!” Lucky exclaimed. “Lady, I was half-dead, too puny to pinch a petunia.”
Cole glanced in consternation from Lucky to Molly. “What’s going on here? One of you has to be lying.”
“Well, it’s not me,” Molly swore, “cross my heart and hope to die.”
“She’ll be dead by sundown,” drawled Lucky, “‘cause I’m gonna murder her.”
“You shut up,” barked Cole.
Zach jumped up and into the fray. “Pa, can’t you tell baby sister here is fibbing a blue streak, just to get her way and win the land?”
“Yeah!” agreed Matt and Vance.
“You’re just being sore losers,” Molly accused her brothers.
“Stop it, all of you.” Cole stood rubbing his forehead in obvious frustration. “Heck, I don’t know what to be lieve. I’ll have to ask Sanchez whether this insult ever occurred.”
“But he didn’t see it, Daddy,” Molly quickly put in.
“Because it didn’t happen!” yelled Lucky.
Cole held up a hand. “All right, enough, all of you. We’ll discuss this matter again later when everyone cools down. We’re not going to act hastily—”
“Meaning you’re not going to go get the parson?” Molly wailed.
“Not right this minute, daughter. And definitely not until we get some things straight around here.”
By now Lucky’s temper was boiling over. “Look, people, I’ve had enough of this hogwash. I’m not gonna marry the squirrel lady here, do you under stand? So, if someone will please just take me back to Buck Hollow—”
“Buck Hollow?” repeated Cole with a mystified look. “I’ve heard of Broken Buck Mountain , but never a Buck Hollow.”
With an expression of awe, Jessica stepped up to join them. “But Cole, there was a town called Buck Hol low, Colorado , in the world I left behind. It was a tourist town, built in the nineteen-forties, beneath Bro ken Buck Mountain .” She flashed Lucky a smile. “You know, Lucky, maybe Molly’s right that there’s a reason you’ve come here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Lady, I got nothing against you, but every time you and your daughter start up with that destiny hogwash, you sound about ten beans short of a burrito.”
“Hey, don’t talk about my womenfolk that way,” scolded Cole.
“It’s all right, dear,” Jessica reassured him with a
Now Cole did charge forward, his face livid, his fist clenched at Lucky. “You heed your tongue around my wife or I’ll hang you by it.”
Lucky faced him down with a sneer. “Go ahead, sir. Actually, I’d prefer a healthy lynching to dealing with a bunch of psychos like you.”
For a moment there was a tense silence as the two men confronted each other. Then Grandma laughed and clapped her hands. “Got grit, don’t he, son?”
Surprisingly, Cole grinned back. “Yeah, he does. But that doesn’t mean he’s the right man to marry my Molly.”
“My God—when will you people get it through your heads that I don’t want to marry her?” Lucky all but shouted. “I don’t even want to be here.”
Grandma waved him off. “0h, you’re just the bride groom. You don’t count.”
“What?”
Shooting Lucky a rebellious glance, Molly firmly set her jaw. “Shucks, I don’t know what we’re arguing about, anyhow. The deed is done—and old Handsome here has already compromised my virtue.”
Lucky was appalled. “Quit calling me Handsome. And quit lying, too.”
But Cole frowned darkly as he stepped toward his daughter. “Daughter, what do you mean, this man com promised your virtue?”
Molly appeared smug enough to burst. “Well, when we pulled Handsome here from the rubble of the stagecoach, he pinched my butt.”
At this, the boys split their sides laughing, and Lucky’s jaw fell open.
“He did what?” thundered Cole.
“I did no such thing!” Lucky exclaimed. “Lady, I was half-dead, too puny to pinch a petunia.”
Cole glanced in consternation from Lucky to Molly. “What’s going on here? One of you has to be lying.”
“Well, it’s not me,” Molly swore, “cross my heart and hope to die.”
“She’ll be dead by sundown,” drawled Lucky, “‘cause I’m gonna murder her.”
“You shut up,” barked Cole.
Zach jumped up and into the fray. “Pa, can’t you tell baby sister here is fibbing a blue streak, just to get her way and win the land?”
“Yeah!” agreed Matt and Vance.
“You’re just being sore losers,” Molly accused her brothers.
“Stop it, all of you.” Cole stood rubbing his forehead in obvious frustration. “Heck, I don’t know what to be lieve. I’ll have to ask Sanchez whether this insult ever occurred.”
“But he didn’t see it, Daddy,” Molly quickly put in.
“Because it didn’t happen!” yelled Lucky.
Cole held up a hand. “All right, enough, all of you. We’ll discuss this matter again later when everyone cools down. We’re not going to act hastily—”
“Meaning you’re not going to go get the parson?” Molly wailed.
“Not right this minute, daughter. And definitely not until we get some things straight around here.”
By now Lucky’s temper was boiling over. “Look, people, I’ve had enough of this hogwash. I’m not gonna marry the squirrel lady here, do you under stand? So, if someone will please just take me back to Buck Hollow—”
“Buck Hollow?” repeated Cole with a mystified look. “I’ve heard of Broken Buck Mountain , but never a Buck Hollow.”
With an expression of awe, Jessica stepped up to join them. “But Cole, there was a town called Buck Hol low, Colorado , in the world I left behind. It was a tourist town, built in the nineteen-forties, beneath Bro ken Buck Mountain .” She flashed Lucky a smile. “You know, Lucky, maybe Molly’s right that there’s a reason you’ve come here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Lady, I got nothing against you, but every time you and your daughter start up with that destiny hogwash, you sound about ten beans short of a burrito.”
“Hey, don’t talk about my womenfolk that way,” scolded Cole.
“It’s all right, dear,” Jessica reassured him with a
Similar Books
