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all you," Shane said, scooting coins out onto the middle of the table. "And I'll raise you." He dropped several more coins in the middle of the table.
"Damn," Josh said, cocking an eyebrow quizzically as he looked over at Shane. He followed Shane's lead, matching the amount of money he had placed in the middle of the table. Then he watched, breathless, as Shane revealed his hand to everyone as he lay them down on the table, face up.
"Show 'em, Josh," Shane said, tipping his chair back, rocking slowly back and forth on the hind legs.
Josh paled as he studied Shane's cards, then slapped three kings on the table. "Seems you got lucky," he said thickly. He cringed as Shane dragged in the winnings.
"Your turn to deal, Josh," Shane said, slipping his cards over to his brother. "Better luck next time."
Shane slowly stacked the coins before him, purposely rattling them to draw Josh's full attention, to torment him.
Then the card game continued. Shane won hand after hand. He could see a cold, silent rage and humiliation in his brother's eyes, the smug smile replaced by a dark frown.
Suddenly Josh threw the cards on the table and burst up from his chair. Shoving the spectators aside, he stormed toward the door. Shane grabbed
the cards and slipped them into his pocket and followed Josh from the saloon. He grabbed Josh by an arm and swung him around to face him.
"Let go of me," Josh said, jerking his arm free. "Haven't you humiliated me enough? Just go on to your farm, Shane. You've won it fair and square."
"Josh, come home with me," Shane said. "For me the poker game wasn't so much to win the farm and take it away from you, but to prove to you that I could. Come home, Josh. Though I won at cards today, I do not want to deprive you of anything. I know how it feels to be deprived, to lose everything. It happened to me at age four."
Shane placed a hand to Josh's shoulder. "Let us live as brothers," he said softly. "We will share everything equally." He smiled slowly. "Except for Melanie, of course. She is mine, Josh. She is going to be the mother of my children.''
Josh's mouth was agape, finding Shane's generous offer hard to comprehend. Josh knew that if he had been the victor he would have laughed in Shane's face and ordered him to leave!
But now?
Now what should he do?
With every fiber of his being, Josh wanted to return to the farm, to be a part of the everyday excitement of watching it grow. It had been his life for as long as he could remember. These past weeks it had been hard to live away from it.
Yet, he still could not envision himself sharing everything equally with Shane. He could not accept the fact that Melanie would more than likely marry Shane. If she did, she would move into the
Brennan mansion. That would mean that if Josh returned, he could only observe her from afar. He would have to watch her going into Shane's room each night. Realizing what would be going on behind the locked doors would be more than he could bear! He did love Melanie. With all of his heart.
Josh broke away from Shane. "Go to hell, Shane," he growled. "And take Melanie with you! I don't need either of you. Do you hear?"
Disbelieving, Shane watched Josh shove his way angrily through the crowded sidewalk. He wanted to go after him and try one last time to convince his brother that they could be friends. Their father would want it that way. So would their mother. It was not right for brothers to be enemies!
Especially not twin brothers.
Then Shane looked at his horse, loaded down with traps hidden beneath a blanket. The true reason he had not wanted Melanie to accompany him into town was because he had planned to go to Trapper Dan's immediately after the card game. Had he won or lost, he had planned to go to the trapper's cabin and finally get his revenge.
He had waited long enough!
The man would be forced to remember that day long ago when so many innocent people were slain for the meager belongings the men had taken from their boat and bodies. Shane was going to tear the trapper's cabin apart to search for the ring that had been stolen from his mother's finger.
He did not expect to find it.
But nevertheless, he would never rest if he didn't at least search for it.
Turning to look at Josh one last time, Shane was torn. But words and time seemed wasted on his brother. It would be up to Josh to make the next move. He knew that he would be welcome at the ranch, that he would still have possession of what was rightfully his.
In two wide strides Shane went to his horse. He untied the reins from the hitching rail and mounted. Wheeling his stallion around, he urged it into a lope along the crowded thoroughfare. When the edge of town was reached, he sank his heels into the horse's flanks and broke into a gallop along a narrow, dusty road toward the dark shadows of the forest.
His only concern was the Indian woman. How could he prevent her from being harmed?
Discouraged, feeling as though he himself had participated in the poker game and lost, Terrance stepped from the saloon and watched Shane ride away. His eyes squinted narrowly as he studied the blanket at the rear of Shane's stallion. It was hiding something bulky beneath it.
