you are definitely not going to hurt her anymore.”
“Nell.” Ivy spoke softly, “I’m not going anywhere. Don’t shoot him, think of the mess.”
“Good point.” Nell hesitated. “He can go back outside and then I’ll shoot him.”
Ivy laughed, and heard Chuck breathe a sigh of relief. “You’re right, we won’t kill you. The hassle just isn’t worth it. But you will leave, and you will stay gone, or I’ll get in touch with the sheriff and tell him just what you’ve been up to. You know how the sheriff feels about horse thieves, don’t you Chuck?”
“Excuse me,” Dean said, and Ivy looked over her shoulder to see him raising his hand like a school boy. “There’s still the little matter of my horse. And the part where he tried to kill me.”
Chuck clenched his fists. “You shot at me first! If you wasn’t such a bad shot I’d be standing here a dead man.”
Nell giggled.
“You stole my horse, of course I shot at you.”
“All right.” Ivy raised her voice. “Chuck, you will leave Dean’s horse at the livery stable in town, and then you’ll head out for parts unknown, never to return, got it? I hear any word otherwise, and I’ll go to the sheriff.”
“And you’d best steer clear of me,” Dean said, “I’ll be holding a grudge.”
“You can’t tell me what to do! This is my house, I built it with my own two hands and I will not be spoken to this way in my own house! By my own wife!”
“Yes,” Ivy said, “You will. This is no longer your house, and I am no longer your wife.” Saying it out loud made it real for Ivy, and she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest. She drew in a deep breath. She was free. “Now let the gun belt drop, get back out into the snow, and head on out of here.”
“Ivy.” Chuck softened his tone. “Ivy, we had a lot of good times, we could have them again, it could be like it was.”
“Chuck.” Ivy took a few steps towards him, shrugging Dean’s hand off her shoulder and tugging the blanket away from him. She gazed into Chuck’s eyes and watched him stand up straighter. “We had no good times. Now go.”
“Fine.” Chuck narrowed his eyes. “But first, let me get this straight. You and her…?” He jerked a thumb at Nell and raised his eyebrows.
“Yes,” Ivy said.
Nell smiled beatifically. “All the time, actually.”
Chuck stared at her, distracted. “Yeah… And Rook?” He dragged his eyes away from Nell’s naked body. “Rook too?”
“Yep.” Ivy leaned close to him and lowered her voice. “And I liked it. Not only that, but I might even do it again.”
“Good news for me.” Dean slung an arm around Ivy’s shoulders.
“Nice of you to drop in,” Nell said sweetly, adjusting her grip on the Sharps. “Such a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr Taggart, you’re just like Ivy described. Such a shame you’ve got to be going so soon.” She advanced on Chuck and he fumbled with the buckle on his belt, dropping it to the floor with a clatter, as Ivy had instructed.
“This is my house,” he said, his voice losing conviction. “Built with my own hands.”
“And don’t think we’re not grateful,” Nell said fairly. “It’s a lovely house, and Ivy and I plan to enjoy it for many years to come.”
“Without you,” Ivy added pointedly.
“Fine,” Chuck said, sounding as though it really wasn’t at all. “I’ll go, but you’ll miss me one of these days.” He stepped back, towards the door. “Someday you’ll be sorry you sent me away.” His foot slipped on the snow that had blown in along with him, and his legs flew out from under him, his arms pin-wheeling until his head cracked into the heavy wood of the door and he lay still.
Nell poked him in ribs with the barrel of the Sharps. “Knocked himself plumb out.” She huffed. “Now what are we supposed to do with him? Nurse the fool back to heath?”
“No way!” Dean spoke quickly. “I’ve been nursed by you two, and I sure don’t
“Nell.” Ivy spoke softly, “I’m not going anywhere. Don’t shoot him, think of the mess.”
“Good point.” Nell hesitated. “He can go back outside and then I’ll shoot him.”
Ivy laughed, and heard Chuck breathe a sigh of relief. “You’re right, we won’t kill you. The hassle just isn’t worth it. But you will leave, and you will stay gone, or I’ll get in touch with the sheriff and tell him just what you’ve been up to. You know how the sheriff feels about horse thieves, don’t you Chuck?”
“Excuse me,” Dean said, and Ivy looked over her shoulder to see him raising his hand like a school boy. “There’s still the little matter of my horse. And the part where he tried to kill me.”
Chuck clenched his fists. “You shot at me first! If you wasn’t such a bad shot I’d be standing here a dead man.”
Nell giggled.
“You stole my horse, of course I shot at you.”
“All right.” Ivy raised her voice. “Chuck, you will leave Dean’s horse at the livery stable in town, and then you’ll head out for parts unknown, never to return, got it? I hear any word otherwise, and I’ll go to the sheriff.”
“And you’d best steer clear of me,” Dean said, “I’ll be holding a grudge.”
“You can’t tell me what to do! This is my house, I built it with my own two hands and I will not be spoken to this way in my own house! By my own wife!”
“Yes,” Ivy said, “You will. This is no longer your house, and I am no longer your wife.” Saying it out loud made it real for Ivy, and she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest. She drew in a deep breath. She was free. “Now let the gun belt drop, get back out into the snow, and head on out of here.”
“Ivy.” Chuck softened his tone. “Ivy, we had a lot of good times, we could have them again, it could be like it was.”
“Chuck.” Ivy took a few steps towards him, shrugging Dean’s hand off her shoulder and tugging the blanket away from him. She gazed into Chuck’s eyes and watched him stand up straighter. “We had no good times. Now go.”
“Fine.” Chuck narrowed his eyes. “But first, let me get this straight. You and her…?” He jerked a thumb at Nell and raised his eyebrows.
“Yes,” Ivy said.
Nell smiled beatifically. “All the time, actually.”
Chuck stared at her, distracted. “Yeah… And Rook?” He dragged his eyes away from Nell’s naked body. “Rook too?”
“Yep.” Ivy leaned close to him and lowered her voice. “And I liked it. Not only that, but I might even do it again.”
“Good news for me.” Dean slung an arm around Ivy’s shoulders.
“Nice of you to drop in,” Nell said sweetly, adjusting her grip on the Sharps. “Such a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr Taggart, you’re just like Ivy described. Such a shame you’ve got to be going so soon.” She advanced on Chuck and he fumbled with the buckle on his belt, dropping it to the floor with a clatter, as Ivy had instructed.
“This is my house,” he said, his voice losing conviction. “Built with my own hands.”
“And don’t think we’re not grateful,” Nell said fairly. “It’s a lovely house, and Ivy and I plan to enjoy it for many years to come.”
“Without you,” Ivy added pointedly.
“Fine,” Chuck said, sounding as though it really wasn’t at all. “I’ll go, but you’ll miss me one of these days.” He stepped back, towards the door. “Someday you’ll be sorry you sent me away.” His foot slipped on the snow that had blown in along with him, and his legs flew out from under him, his arms pin-wheeling until his head cracked into the heavy wood of the door and he lay still.
Nell poked him in ribs with the barrel of the Sharps. “Knocked himself plumb out.” She huffed. “Now what are we supposed to do with him? Nurse the fool back to heath?”
“No way!” Dean spoke quickly. “I’ve been nursed by you two, and I sure don’t
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