Give My Heart to Kaitlyn (2nd in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Duke stretched out on his bedroll beneath the Texas stars. He folded his hands behind his head, stuck his feet closer to the small campfire and sighed. Life was good.

He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard hoof beats approaching. He rolled out of the glow of the fire, got to his knees and pulled his gun as he watched two men ride in.

Hobs and Kilgore. He frowned. They were missing their third wheel. Shaw wasn't with them and usually the three men were attached at the gun belt.

"Duke! Duke, we know you're there somewhere. Don't shoot us, we just wanna talk!" Hob's exclaimed in his high-pitched voice that had always reminded Duke of an overactive pup.

"I ain't much of a talker," Duke growled from the darkness and both men turned their heads in his direction, though he knew they wouldn't be able to see him.

"Well you're gonna talk to us about this," Kilgore's raspy voice assured him.

Duke kept his gun drawn as he stood straight and walked into the glow of firelight. "Well get to talkin' then."

Hobs and Kilgore jumped from their horses, holding their reins in white knuckled grips while their eyes darted about nervously. "Before we talk we want you to know that we didn't have nothing to do with what happened," Hob's declared, his words pouring out so quickly they were almost simply one long word.

Duke didn't like the sound of that. He holstered his gun and crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened that you all didn't have anything to do with?"

"Well, see...." Hob's glanced over at Kilgore.

"Shaw was drinking pretty heavy yesterday morning and if he hadn't been then he probably would have kept his mouth shut..."

"...when Frank Sharp came in asking questions," Hob's finished.

"Vincent Sharp's brother Frank?" Duke asked with a chuckle. "Did he say how his bastard of a brother was doing? Did the man die yet?"

Kilgore shook his head. "No, but for Marston's sake..."

"... we hope he dies soon."

Duke felt his blood freeze at those words but he kept any sign of that from showing on his face. He feigned boredom as he shrugged. "I'd say Marston would be damned happy if Vincent died soon and joined him in hell. He's probably got a nice little ass kicking waiting for him down there."

Kilgore and Hob's shared a quick look. "So Marston is dead then?" Kilgore asked.

"Of course he is. A man don't come back from a hanging and a stampede," Duke assured them. "He's been gone a long time."

Hob's nodded with relief. "Good! I guess you can..."

"...forget we showed up now," Kilgore finished.

Duke shook his head and pulled his gun when the two men attempted to turn away. "Why don't you tell me whatever it is that you came to tell me."

"It's.. it's not important," Hob's stammered.

Duke's voice was cold. "Amuse me."

Hob's swallowed hard and wrung his hands. "Frank came into The Double Decker yesterday morning and he told Otis he was looking for Marston Jacobs. Shaw'd been drinking too much...."

"...Frank said that someone had been there when they'd buried Marston and that the man who they buried had had blue eyes instead of gold ones."

Duke knew the men would see the shock on his face. Damn! He hadn't given a single thought to eye color when he'd found Marston's replacement. What kind of man opened a dead man's eyes just to see what color they were?