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

"Shush," she said, a little annoyance, mixed with amusement, finding its way into her voice. "I'm making a point."

"Well, you better get to it, then, 'fore I sass you to death, ma'am."

"So why now, all of a sudden? Twice, in the last month, after years of bein' a complete mystery that never tried to shoot nobody."

"Nobody ever made a move, 'fore this."

"I don't see anyone trying to do anything now. You're not reacting, Chris, you're going looking for something, and I want to know why. Now, you're going to tell me, or I'm going to rip it out of you."

He leaned up on his elbow. "I believe you would, too."

"Then get talking, mister." She couldn't quite keep the illusion that she was angry with him, but she was doing her best either way.

He laid back. "What if I just promise not to do it again?"

Marie shook her head. "I don't believe you. Tell me what's got you so riled up."

"I'm not riled up."

Chris couldn't help but smile at the way he'd managed to rile her up. "You know full well what I mean."

"I do," he admitted. "You want to hear the story? It's not short,"

"I didn't expect it was. We've got time."

"You sure? If you're going to be staying in my room an extended period, I've got something else—"

She swatted his leg. "Get to talking."

"I don't know how much is obvious, so I'll start at the beginning."

"Alright."

"I come from a hundred miles or so from here. Dad was a dirt farmer, had a few cows that made what money we had. I's the third son, so they call on a favor. Ma died when I was seven. Consumption, they said. Got me a good apprenticeship when I was ten years old with the carpenter."

"Alright."

"I spent a few years doing that. Learned most of what I ought to know. So my mother was dead, and Dad, he never got remarried. So when he got caught out by sickness, I mean… died in the night. I suppose that's how you want to go, if you gotta. By then I wasn't the youngest, no more. They sent us off. I was only a couple years out of being a man, 'course, so it wasn’t all that bad. A couple unpleasant years."

"Okay. I'm not seeing—"

"I'm coming to that. Be patient, now. I don't like talking about this stuff, so I ain't got a quick way to get 'round to it."

She closed her mouth and waited patiently for him to continue.

"I get out of the home, and there's my older brother, waiting for me. He tells me all sorts of stuff, about how we got to get things settled for the family when they get out of the home."

He leaned his head back. It was tempting to make things sound like he didn't have any fault at all. If he tried to squint real hard at the situation, he could see it that way. But that wasn't quite true, was it?

"I ought to have gotten work back home, with that carpenter. Would have been a good life, and

I wouldn't have had no trouble. Could have supported the boys until they were on their own feet, too. But Jack, he sounded like he knew what he was talking about."

"So what did you do, then?"

He let out a long breath. "We figured quick money was best. Get a good amount of money settled up before the other boys could join us, right? That way, no problems."

The bartender gave Marie a significant look, one that he could see wasn’t entirely lost on her. "Quick money, we figured. Not quick-and-legal money, if you catch my meaning."