Judd staggered forward. “What’s going on in that purdy little head of yours Mrs. High-and-Mighty?”
She forced her nerves to calm. She glanced at the half-full bottle of sherry on the table. “You’re right, Judd.”
“What do you mean?” he snarled.
“No one is looking after you.” If she could connect with him, perhaps she could persuade him to leave. “Perhaps, I could get you something better to drink. Brandy, perhaps.” She turned toward the pantry.
“Hold it right there, little missy. You think I’m stupid? You thinking you can just slip away from ol’ Judd?” He grabbed her by the arm. “Or maybe you’re thinking if I get good and liquored up, I’ll pass out.”
“No.” She tried to twist free from his iron grip.
“Well, I ain’t stupid. Fact, I’m getting smarter with each hour. You and your husband think you’re so smart, but you ain’t. McGuire’s a fool to think he could buy my boy from me for fifty dollars.” Shadows slashed across his craggy face giving him a more menacing look.
“Cole paid you money.”
Judd pulled the wad of bills from his pocket and shoved them in her face. “That’s what your man thinks Dusty’s worth. Only I figured out that that kid’s worth a whole lot more.”
“That child is priceless.”
Judd laughed. “I was gonna say he’s worth about one hundred dollars.”
“I don’t have that kind of money.”
He wrenched her arm tighter, jerking her against his fleshy body. “Everybody in this town knows you got more money than you know what to do with.”
“You’re wrong! My first husband took it all.”
“Then you better come up with something ol’ Judd wants or I’m taking my boy back.”
“No!” she shouted. Her mind raced as she inventoried the belongings in her house. “I don’t have any money, but I’ve a few pieces of jewelry hidden in the sugar jar in the pantry.”
“What good is jewels? I can’t eat or drink those.”
“You could sell them.”
He seemed to consider her proposal. His oily gaze slid over her. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You got anything else?”
She clutched the ends of her shawl together. “No.”
He pushed her forward. “Get ’em.”
She stumbled the few steps into pantry. Trembling, she stood on tiptoe and skimmed her hands over the top shelf.
Judd shoved her shoulder. “Hurry up, I ain’t got all day.” He loomed over her, watching, waiting. Then her fingers slid over cold metal. The gun!
Praying for courage, she wrapped her fingers around the cold barrel and in one fluid movement jerked the gun down, swung around and pointed it at Judd. “Get back,” she said.
Judd backed out of the pantry. “You expect me to believe you can shoot a gun? You ain’t got the backbone to draw blood.”
“Don’t count on it.”
Judd laughed and shook his head. “And here I thought we was seeing eye to eye. I thought you was gonna be nice to ol’ Judd.”
“Get out of my house. If you ever come back here again, I’ll kill you.” She followed him into the kitchen.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Well, I sure don’t want to get a gut full of buckshot. I’m leaving. No need to shoot.” He turned.
Her shoulder relaxed only a fraction, but Judd took advantage. As fast as a rattler, he whirled around and snatched the gun from her hands. His eyes glowed with unchecked rage. He pointed the weapon at her. For several seconds they stared at each other—she too frightened to move, he struggling with some inner demon.
“Judd, please, we are not worth your trouble.”
“The hell you ain’t.” He raised the gun higher. Twin barrels were only inches from her head.
Rebecca held up her hands in defense seconds before he turned the gun around and cracked the butt against her head.
Blinding pain knocked her to the floor. Bile rose in her throat as she fought to stay conscious. When she raised her head, she feared it would split in two. Blood trickled down her forehead and she collapsed against the cold pine floor.
Her last thoughts were for her children and Cole before her world went black.
Chapter Eighteen
Rage. Fury. Madness.
There was no word to describe the feelings inside Cole as he looked through the kitchen window and saw Rebecca lying unconscious on the kitchen floor and Judd standing over her. Bright lantern light shone on her bruised forehead and a fine trickle of blood trailing down her cheek. His heart constricted as if a fist squeezed the very life out of it.
A savage urge to wrap his fingers around Judd’s neck and choke the life out of him surged through Cole’s body. But he held back. Judd had a gun pointed at his wife and he didn’t know where the children were.
Cole thanked God he’d been too filled with thoughts of Rebecca to work and had left the mine shortly after the second shift had started.
Rebecca moaned then and stirred. Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position. She touched her finger to her temple and winced.
Cole would have dropped to his knees and said words of thanks, if he’d had the luxury. Instead, he slid his gun from its holster.
Judd sneered. “Maybe that’ll teach you to mess with ol’ Judd.” A note of glee in his voice confirmed he liked preying on the weak and hurting those who couldn’t strike back.
Rebecca’s gaze was sure and direct when she met his. “What do you want?”
Judd scratched the thick stubble on his skin. “Seeing as I ain’t in no rush to leave now, maybe we could get to know each other better.”
If his wife was afraid, Cole couldn’t see any signs of fear. She didn’t flinch or cower. Damn, but he was proud of her.
She brushed a lock of hair off her face. “My husband will be home soon.”
“I hear tell he works late every evening.”
“He’s gonna kill you when he finds out you were here.”
“If he can catch me.”
Cole wrapped his long fingers around the white knob on the back door and turned it to the right. He eased the door open and took three silent steps toward Judd.
The wind rustled outside. Judd must have realized something wasn’t right because he whirled around, shotgun in hand. He growled when he saw Cole. “Come near me and I’ll kill her.” To emphasize his point he jabbed the tip of the gun at Rebecca.
Cole froze. He needed ice water in his veins if he was going to save Rebecca and the children.
Wildness clouded Judd’s eyes. “I’ll do it.”
Cole’s lips curled into a me
nacing grin. “And then you’ll die.”
Rebecca cradled her head. “I told you he was going to come. You will be sorry if you don’t put that gun down and walk out of here.”
Judd shook his head. “He’s never gonna let me walk outta here.” Sweat beaded on his forehead. “He’s the one that’s going to be sorry. I deserve better than what I got.”
Cole advanced a step, a taste for blood in his mouth now. “So did Dusty.”
Judd’s gaze shot back up to Cole. “Get back.”
“Make me.”
Like any bully, Judd wasn’t accustomed to being challenged. Fear flickered for just an instant in his black eyes. He was afraid and they both knew it.
Judd snarled and pulled back the hammer of the gun as Cole fired twice. He hit Judd in the shoulder and sent him slamming against the wall, the tip of his gun jerking up. As Judd fell, his finger squeezed the trigger and he sprayed the ceiling with buckshot before he dropped to the floor, bleeding, unconscious, but alive.
Cole’s shoulder burned. He’d been hit, but didn’t stop to worry over it. Blood oozed over his hands as he snatched the shotgun away from Judd’s limp hands. He rolled the man on his back, making certain he was no longer a threat.
Satisfied, he hurried to Rebecca, dropped to his knees and cradled her in his arms. “Rebecca, are you all right?”
She clung to him. “Yes.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she choked out.
If he lived to be one hundred, he’d never be more thankful than he was at this moment. He hugged her fiercely against his chest. “When I saw him standing over you, I thought I’d go insane.”
Rebecca’s head pounded so. She stared up at Cole. She’d never been gladder to see his grim, tight-lipped face. He was her savior, her protector, and for the first time in such a long time, she wasn’t alone.
She raised her chin. She wanted to cry tears born of joy and relief, but she refused. “He wanted to take Dusty.”
Cole glanced down at Judd, still unconscious. “I never would have let that happen.”
“They were sleeping upstairs. I tried to get the gun, but he took it away from me.”
“Shh. It doesn’t matter now. The only thing I care about is that you and the boys are safe.”