Rode Hard, Put Up Wet: Cowboy Romance (Rebels & Outlaws 2)

"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?"

He rose to his feet, letting Grace off his lap. She took her brother and they

scampered out of the room. Good, Catherine thought. Get out of here. Hide until Glen can get back.

He could be in town by now. It was only a matter of time until he was back. An hour, or maybe less. Just a matter of time, but if she let things get violent… he was minutes, maybe an hour away. Not seconds. Not little enough time that she could outrun Rod until he showed up.

"Come on, don't you remember me? Not even a little?"

"G'away. I'll let you go. Nobody has to know—" she could hear the hysteria starting to overtake her voice, but she couldn't escape it. She was panicking. Too afraid to do anything but beg him to leave.

"You don't remember when your husband let me—"

Catherine could feel hot tears starting to well up in her eyes. They stung, and she wanted to reach for the gun. It would only be two long steps for the big man to be across the room and end that easily. Perhaps, even, permanently. She wouldn't have the chance to do what she was thinking of.

"I was laid up for three days after. The doc had to stitch my face up."

"You do remember!" Rod smiled, showing off a silver tooth that gleamed bright even in the low light of the room. "See, I knew we had something special. A girl like you—you're wasted on a guy like Billy. Tell me—did loverboy shoot him?"

She nodded. Her voice wasn't working. She just wanted to be able to get away. Wanted him to stop being here. Wanted to forget all of this.

"Where's the body?"

"He's not dead. We patched up his leg and they—they went on to—"

"Oh. You know, I thought that might happen. Billy, you know, he's not too reliable. Well… you would know that. You're his wife, after all." The tears were still falling. She could barely see him walking up to her. "Poor thing."

"Glen—when Glen gets here, he's going to—" she broke back into sobs, her back pressed against the wall. If only she were a better shot. More confident. If only she had a knife, or she could just get his attention turned away for a few seconds.

"I don't think he will, Cathy. I don't think he will." Rodney reached down, picked up the weapon off the floor. "You see, I thought this might happen. I said that, didn't I? Well, so, I set up a little surprise party for him. On account of how old friends me and Billy are."

She didn't want to believe him. But she had learned to do the smart thing, not what she wanted to do. And the way he said it, she didn't have it in her to believe him.

"Just—don't hurt the children."

"Of course not." He sounded so sympathetic when he wanted to. She could see the perverse amusement he got out of taunting her like that.

She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

Glen peered through the window, light shining out. He felt the spot on his ribs again. Shot, sure as anything. But it wasn't bad. He would live, if it didn't get any worse. He just had to hope it wouldn't.

Glen let himself relax a moment. It was going to be a close thing. With his leg, he might have been a bit too slow this time. Catherine turned away and took a step. Glen ducked his head out of the way.

It was a cruel thing not to let her know he was there, not to let her know that he was okay. But he needed a few more moments, perhaps an instant. If he could end this without killing Rod—he shouldn't have. He knew that in the moment that he thought it.

The man didn't deserve it. Not after everything he'd done. But that wasn't Glen's decision. It never had been, not in truth. He took a deep breath and checked the ammunition on the Smith and Wesson. Still loaded. Good.

He crossed into the room, glad for having seen the twins leave. They didn't need to see what came next. One thick arm went around the giant's neck, the other pressed the barrel of the pistol into his spine. He straightened up real quick, then.

"You're coming with me, and we're going to go into town."

Rod slipped Glen's grasp, turned. He saw the knife an instant later, but too late to knock it away. So instead he squeezed the trigger. The knife clattered to the ground beside Rod's body.

"Are you alright?"

Catherine slapped him, hard enough to hurt. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

He couldn't help the smile that came across his face. "Yes ma'am."