Give My Love to Rose(1st in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

It was nearing dark when the group of ten men came upon the quiet homestead. Marston drew up on his reins and came to a stop beside Jeremiah and Duke.

"Well that sure looks like home for the night to me," Duke noted.

Marston felt unease settle into his gut. The tiny house was barely standing. There were cracks in the wall to let in the bitter cold. A thin line of smoke rose from the chimney and a skinny horse meandered about the corral.

Déjà vu washed over Marston and he was frozen in place as the rest of the men rode closer.

"Wait!" he called.

"What?" Duke called back with irritation. "I'm cold and...."

Just then the door to the house opened and two small boys ran out, taking turns hitting one another.

"Mama!" One of them hollered. "Jacob hit me!"

"He hit me first!" the other boy exclaimed.

A thin, tired blond stepped out the door wearing a worn brown dress. She leaned her broom against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. "You wait until your pa gets home tomorrow," she warned. The boys instantly stopped poking at one another. "Now get back in this house before you catch your death out in this cold."

The three disappeared back into the ramshackle house without ever seeing the ten men in the distance. "Hot damn, Duke! Did you see that?" Hinkley demanded with a hungry grin.

Duke nodded. "Yep. That poor woman looked awful lonely, boys. Why don't we ride on down there and keep her company while her husband's away?" All of the men chuckled and nodded in agreement.

All of them except Marston.

Marston's thoughts were in Louisiana with a red head with tear-filled blue eyes wearing a thin white nightdress, the shadows of her full body revealed in the lantern light. His mind was on a bright-eyed ten year old boy with nails between his lips to keep him from speaking and awe in his eyes as he stared up at Marston.

"Duke, why don't we just move on?" Marston suddenly spoke up.

Several of the men grumbled while Duke stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Why?" he demanded. "I don't know about you but I'm cold and could use a good night of rest."

"Yeah me too!" someone in the group agreed.

"Rest ain't what you have in mind," Marston practically snarled at Duke and the man raised his brow. Marston sighed. "These people don't have anything to spare, Duke. Look at that place? What do we stand to gain?"

"Since when do we care if they have it to spare, Marston?" Jeremiah inquired.

Duke was staring hard at Marston. "You aren't getting soft are you?"

Marston tensed as Duke dealt him one of the biggest insults a man in their life could be dealt. Marston's hand twitched toward his gun. "No, I ain't soft."

The air around the men crackled as the gang circled around much like a pack of predators. Marston knew they'd side with Duke if it came to it. If Marston challenged Duke's authority, Duke would respond with deadly force and even if Marston managed to kill Duke, he'd quickly be gunned down by the others.

This life, this world was deadly and dangerous and Marston wasn't willing to die to save this woman's well-being. These men wouldn't kill her but they would probably leave her wishing she was dead.