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“Oh.” Her hand clamped to her lips.
Her moist eyes glistened with such agony, such torment, that Bobby’s heart broke all over again.
“You can’t even leave me with that little part of you?” She closed her eyes and two tears trickled down her soft cheeks.
Unable to stop himself, he leaned down and licked away first one, then the other tear. “I won’t soil you further.”
Naomi stopped badgering him then. She didn’t speak for the rest of the trip back to Dugan.
They finally reached the town limits early the next morning. Naomi had insisted they ride straight through, and though Bobby was worried for her health, he relented, needing to finish this task as quickly as possible. They’d stopped only to give Naomi and Thor needed rest. Bobby did not sleep. A sword was lodged in his heart, and though he knew he’d never be free of it, being out of her presence might offer some small relief. So on they’d ridden toward the town of Dugan where Bobby would leave his love and escape before the law could take him in
.
But when they arrived at the small house on the edge of Naomi’s father’s claim, Sheriff Justin Stiles waited outside.
“Sheriff!” Naomi scrambled from Thor, not waiting for Bobby to help her dismount.
Bobby gritted his teeth as she ran into the other man’s arms.
He took a deep breath and turned Thor, ready to gallop the hell out of this town, when the sheriff yelled at him.
“Morgan! Come back!”
Come back to get arrested and have his ass hauled off to that dirty cell again? The man was plumb loco. Bobby scrunched his knees together, ready to urge the stallion into a gallop, when the sheriff’s voice rang out again.
“It’s all right, Morgan. I know you’re innocent. Come back! I have news!”
Bobby cringed, but thought he might bite. What the hell? He could still ride out of there quicker than this greenhorn could ever catch him. He turned and seethed at the sheriff still hugging Naomi. He dismounted and tied Thor next to a horse he assumed belonged to Stiles.
“What is it? I ain’t got all day.”
“I was just coming to see the reverend,” Stiles said. “A wire came in late last night. Woke up ma at the store.” Stiles stopped to catch his breath. “Sorry, I been up all night.”
“That makes two of us,” Bobby said. “Get on with it.”
Naomi still hung onto the sheriff. Bobby glared at her. Her eyes glowed back a fiery purple.
“Came in from the railroad camp east of here. From the cook, Bessie. She’d wired last week to tell the preacher Naomi was safe and was comin’ home.”
“Yep. And here she is. Now I’ll just be goin’.”
“I’m so glad the wire came through, Sheriff,” Naomi said. “I was afraid they’d be worried.”
“Wire or no, they’ve been worried sick,” Stiles said,” as you can imagine. They’ll be right glad to see you.” He drew in another breath. “Anyway, like I said, another wire came in last night, and it got me to thinkin’—”
“Somethin’ ought to,” Bobby said under his breath.
“The wire mentioned you this time, Morgan. Said you were a good man, that you’d taken care of Naomi and were bringin’ her home. So I thought maybe you’d been tellin’ the truth. I hightailed it over to the saloon and dragged Frank outta bed with some whore—”
Naomi gasped and pulled away from the sheriff.
“Beg pardon, Miss Blackburn.” The sheriff blushed a deep red.
Bobby thanked his stars for whores. Anything that got Naomi out of Stiles’s arms.
“It’s all right,” Naomi said. “Please continue.”
“So I dragged Frank outta bed and told him about the wire, and he admitted he’d seen what went on that night. That you hadn’t killed anyone. Just shot some drunk in the foot when he pulled his gun on you. Claimed he didn’t know who shot the dead man, though. I don’t believe him. So I invited him to pack up his booze and his whores and leave this town. It’s about time Dugan became respectable.”
