AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"May we come in out of the sun? It's been a long ride and we're all mighty parched."
Devney looked at us with clear, cool eyes. Assessing. She nodded and went back inside, assuming we'd follow.
The interior of the house was just as well maintained as the exterior. It was immaculately clean, the furniture old but well-maintained, the air cool and calm. The stench of the dead man didn't reach the interior, thankfully. I could hear her in the back of the house where I assumed the kitchen was located. A few minutes later, she brought a tray holding some glasses and a pitcher of water. She no longer carried the rifle. We stood in the entryway, hats in hands.
"Please, sit," she said, moving to place the tray on a low table near the fireplace. I couldn't help but notice the sway of her hips and how they flared from her trim waist. When she bent forward to place the tray down, her ass was displayed to me in an innocent, yet unbelievably carnal way. This was how she'd position herself for me to spank her, to fuck her. Even seeing her covered completely in a modest dress, I could envision it. And that made me hard. Rock hard.
We sat once she did and she passed us each a glass of water. When she handed me mine, our fingers brushed. Her skin was warm, soft and her eyes lifted to glance at me in shock. Surprise. The color there wasn't just brown, but a whiskey color, with flecks of black and gold mixed within. Her lashes were longer than at first glance, darker too. Darker than the hair pulled back in the bun. Would it be equally dark on her pussy?
"I need you to explain the dead man, Devney," Doc said, his voice in a lower pitch that meant he was done with idle chit chat. "The sheriff's here to help."
"Ma'am, did you do the shooting?" McKenzie asked.
Devney sat at the edge of her seat, her posture straight – although not the straight posture of a woman whose ass was corked - her hands folded in her lap. She was so calm, so placid. So mild. "I did. Once Jenkins was dead and buried, the ranch hands decided that Sarah and I could provide them with...services. As we did not want to provide or participate in these services, I shot Hank."
"I assume Hank's the man lying out there. The other men weren't successful in their attempts for these...services?"
It had been what we'd imagined. Without Old Man Jenkins alive and the ranch being miles from town, if the hands wanted to rape Devney and Sarah, there would have been no one to stop them. I clenched my fists tightly at the idea of those bastards touching them.
"No, they did not," she replied primly. "The others left a few days ago. There was another man, Mr. Wainright from Billings, I believe, who came on his own last night. I only shot him in the arm, so I doubt he's dead. He rode off."
Good. That threat was gone, at least for now. There'd surely be another just like him soon enough.
"They could have just waited for you to run out of bullets," McKenzie countered.
Devney tilted her head and looked the sheriff square in the eye. "You've never been here before Sheriff, otherwise you'd know that Mr. Jenkins was not a man to trifle with. He kept a very large cache of weapons and ammunition here in the house. The hands knew it and the others--besides Hank--were smart enough to realize they were safer to go to Rose's in town with their baser needs than focus on Sarah and me to provide them. As for Mr. Wainright, well...."
Rose's was the brothel in town.
Doc glanced around the quiet space. "Do you have children?"
She shook her head.
No children? What the hell was wrong with Jenkins? With Devney in my bed, I'd fuck her five ways to Sunday. Unless Jenkins' cock didn't work or he took her ass instead, she should have a passel of young ones.
"Then it's true, isn't it, Devney. About your husband?" Doc focused his gaze on the woman, their eyes meeting, holding. It was a standoff without weapons.
I had no idea what Doc was talking about, but it seemed important. I glanced at McKenzie and he gave a slight shrug.
"Devney," Doc said, his voice an octave lower.
She lowered her gaze. "Yes, it's true."
Whatever the hell it was must have been pretty important, but why hadn't Doc shared what he'd surmised with us?
"Where is Sarah?"
"She should be upstairs, although I'm sure she's listening instead," she replied. Turning her head, she called out, "You can join us now, Sarah, if you wish."
Soft footsteps approached. Around the doorway came Sarah Jenkins. Tessa had mentioned the other night at dinner that Sarah had red hair when she'd been in the schoolroom with her. This tiny thing that stood near us had hair the color of fire and was so small she wouldn't have reached my shoulders standing in her bare feet. She looked to be around fifteen, although I knew her to be close to twenty. We stood at her appearance.
"Hello," she said. She was tentative, definitely nervous, but I could see fire in her eyes. Devney may have shot Hank, but I had no doubt this little woman was a spitfire and not one to be underestimated.
"We're taking you both back to town," McKenzie told them. He wasn't asking.
"That's very kind of you, but we're fine here," Sarah replied.
Doc gestured for her to sit. Once she did, we took our seats as well.
