Dean wrap up together in a blanket or something, if you don’t want to be completely starkers. I’m guessing seeing the two of you in such a compromising position might just put him off his game.”
“He doesn’t have a game,” Ivy said. “What about you?”
Nell executed a pirouette. “I think I might be a bit of a distraction standing here naked as a jaybird, just hope he closes the door after him, ’cause it’s still cold out there.”
Dean wrapped a blanket around Ivy’s shoulders and stood behind her, one arm around her waist. “Sure wish I had my gun,” he said again.
“Ready?” Nell said, ignoring him.
Ivy tugged the blanket a little lower. No use hiding all her assets. “As we’ll ever be I suppose.”
Dean tightened his grip on her and pointed at Nell and the Sharps. “You sure she can use that thing?”
Nell stuck her tongue out at him and kicked the bar out of the door. It flew open with a crash and Chuck Taggart stood framed in the doorway.
His time away had not been kind to him. He looked a mess, from the tangle of greying hair that brushed over his collar to his missing teeth and bloodshot eyes that widened in shock at the sight of Ivy and Dean, his wife and the man he’d sworn to kill, looking every bit as though they’d just done exactly what Chuck suspected they had.
It took him less time than Ivy had expected to take it in and reach for his gun. She wasn’t sure whether he wanted to shoot her or Dean, but he didn’t get the chance to do either.
“Careful,” Nell said, the butt of the Sharps nestled against her bare shoulder as she eased up until the business end was a scant foot from the middle of Chuck’s chest. “You start shooting, and I start shooting. And yes,” she said, answering Dean’s question without taking her eyes off Chuck, “I do know how to use this thing.”
Chuck followed the barrel of the rifle back to Nell, his mouth dropping open as he lifted his hands clear of his holster. “Who… What…?”
Dean chuckled and Chuck’s attention snapped back. “Ivy, what is the meaning of this?”
“The meaning of what, Chuck? You forfeited the right to have any say over anything I do the minute you decided to abandon me on a mountain.” Ivy took a step forward. “I thought you were dead, Chuck, and I moved on.” She smiled at Nell, who winked. Chuck’s gaze darted between them, slack-jawed and stunned. “And then Dean appeared on our doorstep telling me that you were alive and well and nothing but a low down dirty horse thief who’d chased him up the mountain to kill him.” Ivy reached back and trailed her hand down Dean’s arm, twining her fingers with his. “I was mighty grateful for the information.”
“So you just jumped right into bed with him?” Chuck sputtered. He started to go for Dean, only to back off again when Nell gestured with the Sharps.
“Well, we had to hurry, didn’t we?” Ivy said reasonably. “I knew you’d be along soon.”
“You bring anyone with you?” Dean asked, his voice low.
“Of course!” Chuck avoided their eyes. “The place is surrounded.” He looked over at Nell, his eyes on her breasts instead of the gun. “You’d best lower your weapon, missy.”
“You’re lying,” Ivy said, familiar with his tells. “There’s no one. You didn’t want your men to know about this place, you didn’t want them to know about me.”
“That’s right,” Dean said, “even outlaws wouldn’t like the idea of a man who abandons his wife all alone on the mountain.”
Nell took a step forward. “She wasn’t alone.”
“That’s true.” Ivy smiled fondly at Nell. “Nell and I made a life for ourselves here, and we’d just as soon that you stayed missing.”
“Are you going to kill me, Ivy?” Chuck sneered at her from behind his scraggly beard. “I don’t believe you have it in you to kill.”
“I do.” Nell pressed the barrel of the gun into his chest. “You are not taking her away from me, and
“He doesn’t have a game,” Ivy said. “What about you?”
Nell executed a pirouette. “I think I might be a bit of a distraction standing here naked as a jaybird, just hope he closes the door after him, ’cause it’s still cold out there.”
Dean wrapped a blanket around Ivy’s shoulders and stood behind her, one arm around her waist. “Sure wish I had my gun,” he said again.
“Ready?” Nell said, ignoring him.
Ivy tugged the blanket a little lower. No use hiding all her assets. “As we’ll ever be I suppose.”
Dean tightened his grip on her and pointed at Nell and the Sharps. “You sure she can use that thing?”
Nell stuck her tongue out at him and kicked the bar out of the door. It flew open with a crash and Chuck Taggart stood framed in the doorway.
His time away had not been kind to him. He looked a mess, from the tangle of greying hair that brushed over his collar to his missing teeth and bloodshot eyes that widened in shock at the sight of Ivy and Dean, his wife and the man he’d sworn to kill, looking every bit as though they’d just done exactly what Chuck suspected they had.
It took him less time than Ivy had expected to take it in and reach for his gun. She wasn’t sure whether he wanted to shoot her or Dean, but he didn’t get the chance to do either.
“Careful,” Nell said, the butt of the Sharps nestled against her bare shoulder as she eased up until the business end was a scant foot from the middle of Chuck’s chest. “You start shooting, and I start shooting. And yes,” she said, answering Dean’s question without taking her eyes off Chuck, “I do know how to use this thing.”
Chuck followed the barrel of the rifle back to Nell, his mouth dropping open as he lifted his hands clear of his holster. “Who… What…?”
Dean chuckled and Chuck’s attention snapped back. “Ivy, what is the meaning of this?”
“The meaning of what, Chuck? You forfeited the right to have any say over anything I do the minute you decided to abandon me on a mountain.” Ivy took a step forward. “I thought you were dead, Chuck, and I moved on.” She smiled at Nell, who winked. Chuck’s gaze darted between them, slack-jawed and stunned. “And then Dean appeared on our doorstep telling me that you were alive and well and nothing but a low down dirty horse thief who’d chased him up the mountain to kill him.” Ivy reached back and trailed her hand down Dean’s arm, twining her fingers with his. “I was mighty grateful for the information.”
“So you just jumped right into bed with him?” Chuck sputtered. He started to go for Dean, only to back off again when Nell gestured with the Sharps.
“Well, we had to hurry, didn’t we?” Ivy said reasonably. “I knew you’d be along soon.”
“You bring anyone with you?” Dean asked, his voice low.
“Of course!” Chuck avoided their eyes. “The place is surrounded.” He looked over at Nell, his eyes on her breasts instead of the gun. “You’d best lower your weapon, missy.”
“You’re lying,” Ivy said, familiar with his tells. “There’s no one. You didn’t want your men to know about this place, you didn’t want them to know about me.”
“That’s right,” Dean said, “even outlaws wouldn’t like the idea of a man who abandons his wife all alone on the mountain.”
Nell took a step forward. “She wasn’t alone.”
“That’s true.” Ivy smiled fondly at Nell. “Nell and I made a life for ourselves here, and we’d just as soon that you stayed missing.”
“Are you going to kill me, Ivy?” Chuck sneered at her from behind his scraggly beard. “I don’t believe you have it in you to kill.”
“I do.” Nell pressed the barrel of the gun into his chest. “You are not taking her away from me, and
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