a
gentle brush and began stroking it over the mare’s neck and down her flanks.
Corona leaned into the brush, nickering as he found sensitive spots and
lathered attention to them. “There was a whole gang, the others left her when
they were spotted. Kid is leading the posse chasing them down.”
“Hmmm.”
“What?” If there was one sound that gave
Sam pause it was the long exhale of breath that indicated his father was mulling
a problem over.
“Sounds to me like she is a victim. What
lady do you know robs a bank willy-nilly? And if she was with a group, maybe
she was their prisoner. You might have done her a favor by scooping her out of
their hands.”
Sam fixed a stare over Corona’s back and
looked at the wood. There were two new boards where old ones had been damaged
over the years. They were fresher, greener and not yet painted. Likely a job
that was waiting for the summer heat to lull in the few weeks before autumn rain
would come daily.
“Pa, she was working with them. I saw her
hand off one of the last bags to the others, she ushered him out and told him
to come back for her. That doesn’t sound like she was under much coercion to
me.”
“Mayhap. You have to remember, ladies are a
gentle species. As a rule, they work hard to care for the men folk in their
lives. If she’s mixed up with the wrong element, then it's our duty to see to
it she has better options.” Jebediah Kane was no fool, but he did have his
blind spots.
Sam patted Corona’s neck, finishing off her
grooming and dropping the brush into a bucket. He stepped out of the stall and
accepted three squares of hay his father was already passing to him. He dropped
them into the feed bucket and checked the water one of the hands had carried in
when he led Corona inside.
Thankfully, Micah had taken their father’s
words to heart and gotten back to work.
“Pa.” Sam was tired, his muscles tight from
the long ride and the torment of holding her against him left him aching
elsewhere.
“What? Why would you bring her out here if
you didn’t expect me to get involved?” It was a fair question. The Kane name
curried a lot of favor and the Kane influence stretched further than that. His
father was well respected both in Dorado and throughout the state. If he wanted
to make something happen, he would whether Sam liked it or not.
“Because Ryker and his boys are already
whipping the town into a frenzy. They’ll be coming for her to string her up.
She was safer here at the ranch than she would be in town.”
Jed’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching
tight until a muscle began to tick in his cheek.
Rousing his father’s temper wasn’t the best
plan, but Sam needed him to see sense.
“Not to mention if her gang does turn around
to come for her, I wanted her out of sight.
There’s only me, Cob and Kid at the office.
It’s safer for the town and for Scarlett if she isn’t where people are
expecting to find her.”
His father nodded once. “I’ll call the boys
back from town and double up the sentry rides for a few nights. Ryker’s an
idiot, but I’ll shoot him if he shows up on my land intending harm to our
guest.”
“Pa—”
“See to your saddle and yourself. Then come
up to the house for lunch.” His father was already striding up the long aisle
in the barn, leaving Sam gaping after him. Corona nickered at him from the
stall and he sighed.
“Yeah, I knew better.” But reached for the
saddle and bridle regardless. He would trust his father and Lena to at least
keep Scarlett at the house until he finished.
It was nearing the noon hour by the time
Sam made his way back from the pond. He’d found clean clothes, a towel and a
bar of soap waiting for him next to the stall. Subtle was not
gentle brush and began stroking it over the mare’s neck and down her flanks.
Corona leaned into the brush, nickering as he found sensitive spots and
lathered attention to them. “There was a whole gang, the others left her when
they were spotted. Kid is leading the posse chasing them down.”
“Hmmm.”
“What?” If there was one sound that gave
Sam pause it was the long exhale of breath that indicated his father was mulling
a problem over.
“Sounds to me like she is a victim. What
lady do you know robs a bank willy-nilly? And if she was with a group, maybe
she was their prisoner. You might have done her a favor by scooping her out of
their hands.”
Sam fixed a stare over Corona’s back and
looked at the wood. There were two new boards where old ones had been damaged
over the years. They were fresher, greener and not yet painted. Likely a job
that was waiting for the summer heat to lull in the few weeks before autumn rain
would come daily.
“Pa, she was working with them. I saw her
hand off one of the last bags to the others, she ushered him out and told him
to come back for her. That doesn’t sound like she was under much coercion to
me.”
“Mayhap. You have to remember, ladies are a
gentle species. As a rule, they work hard to care for the men folk in their
lives. If she’s mixed up with the wrong element, then it's our duty to see to
it she has better options.” Jebediah Kane was no fool, but he did have his
blind spots.
Sam patted Corona’s neck, finishing off her
grooming and dropping the brush into a bucket. He stepped out of the stall and
accepted three squares of hay his father was already passing to him. He dropped
them into the feed bucket and checked the water one of the hands had carried in
when he led Corona inside.
Thankfully, Micah had taken their father’s
words to heart and gotten back to work.
“Pa.” Sam was tired, his muscles tight from
the long ride and the torment of holding her against him left him aching
elsewhere.
“What? Why would you bring her out here if
you didn’t expect me to get involved?” It was a fair question. The Kane name
curried a lot of favor and the Kane influence stretched further than that. His
father was well respected both in Dorado and throughout the state. If he wanted
to make something happen, he would whether Sam liked it or not.
“Because Ryker and his boys are already
whipping the town into a frenzy. They’ll be coming for her to string her up.
She was safer here at the ranch than she would be in town.”
Jed’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching
tight until a muscle began to tick in his cheek.
Rousing his father’s temper wasn’t the best
plan, but Sam needed him to see sense.
“Not to mention if her gang does turn around
to come for her, I wanted her out of sight.
There’s only me, Cob and Kid at the office.
It’s safer for the town and for Scarlett if she isn’t where people are
expecting to find her.”
His father nodded once. “I’ll call the boys
back from town and double up the sentry rides for a few nights. Ryker’s an
idiot, but I’ll shoot him if he shows up on my land intending harm to our
guest.”
“Pa—”
“See to your saddle and yourself. Then come
up to the house for lunch.” His father was already striding up the long aisle
in the barn, leaving Sam gaping after him. Corona nickered at him from the
stall and he sighed.
“Yeah, I knew better.” But reached for the
saddle and bridle regardless. He would trust his father and Lena to at least
keep Scarlett at the house until he finished.
It was nearing the noon hour by the time
Sam made his way back from the pond. He’d found clean clothes, a towel and a
bar of soap waiting for him next to the stall. Subtle was not
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