Marshal of Hel Dorado (45 page)

 
    
Leaving the mountain wasn’t safe for their
father and none wanted to ask that of him. Quanto’s absence meant Wyatt wasn’t
present either.

 
    
Sam couldn’t say he was sorry about that.
Scarlett’s older brother was something altogether else. To his amazement and
Scarlett’s delight, it was Cody who gave her away. Their wedding day was about
perfect, surrounded by friends and family. Even with the ring on her finger,
Sam saved the best gift for the wedding night when he presented her with his
Marshal’s star. He’d had it drilled and hung on a chain to wear around her
neck.

 
    
He’d had to bribe Rudy to snatch it because
she never let it out of her sight. They left the party in high swing to slip
away upstairs. He grinned as he shut the door to his, now their room, at least
until his Pa was done building a whole new wing of the house for them.

 
    
They finally had a bed.

 
    
K
id
spared a glance for the house. Only the blushing bride mirrored Sam's delirious
expression as they’d made their escape. He was happy for his older brother, genuinely
happy.

 
    
Instruments had been found among the men
and fiddles were playing a merry tune.

 
    
Couples and children danced around the
torches and fires as easily as the hard lemonade.

 
    
Everywhere he looked, new faces mingled
with old, Scarlett’s brothers, the whole crazy pack of then, seemed to settle
in just fine. Jimmy was even giving Mrs. Carson a turn on the makeshift dance
floor.

 
    
With everyone distracted, he slipped away.
He’d repacked his bags right after his father took him to task for having hared
off with his brother’s fiancé, reminding him that once again, he didn’t think
before he acted. Kid swallowed that bitter pill with all the rest.

 
    
His father had added a list of demands to
his expectations. None of which Kid could live up too and he was tired of
trying. He found his gear stowed near the stall with his mare, just where he’d
left it. He saddled her in the dark, murmuring soothing words at her sleepy
complaints.

 
    
The sooner he was on the trail, the better.
He’d heard word of good hunting in the western territories, unexplored land and
wide-open spaces.

 
    
Kid decided he could definitely use some
freedom. He led the mare away from the barn, glad for the party at the house.
No one noticed his absence. He was the kid, the troublemaker, and the one who
was always not where he was supposed to be.

 
    
For the moment, he was satisfied with the
reputation. It meant he could disappear without fuss. A mile from the barn, he
mounted the mare and gave her a gentle kick. The moon was just the barest
sliver to reveal that it had passed the new moon, but it was enough light for
him.

 
    
A flash of yellow flowing movement in the
dark jerked his head up. A sandy colored wolf sat in the middle of his path,
tongue lolling out the side. He recognized those yellow eyes and sighed.

 
    
“What?”

 
    
The wolf panted as though he’d run to catch
up. It struck Kid that Cody didn’t want to be at the Flying K either, he’d
given Scarlett away, but behind his smile there had lurked a deeper, more
brutal sadness.

 
    
Pain pushed at the back of Kid’s eyes and
he relented. “Fine, you can go, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be much
company.”

 
    
The wolf just stared at him.

 
    
“Point taken.” He motioned to the dark
trail ahead. “Let’s go.”

 
    
The pair rode north.

 
    
Neither looked back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
    
Heather Long lives in North Texas with her
family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture
books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts
that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as
important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and
Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next
novel.

To learn more about Heather and her books, please
visit
http://www.heatherlong.net