AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Cora went off to look at some material, Jeff leaned over the counter and asked, "So that's what you been up to, you old rascal."
"'Bout time I remarried; don’t you think?"
Jeff laughed then whispered, "It's that serious is it?"
"Yeah, but I ain't ask her yet, so don't say nothing."
Jeff winked, "Not a word. I'm happy for you Charlie."
***
Clay knew Willa and Elan had gone to the creek so after he checked the fence line, he headed that way. He felt protective of her these days. She had become important to him and he needed to know her, and Elan were alright. At least he told himself that. But the pleasure he felt in watching her there, had nothing to do with protection. It had to do with wanting her, and the need to be with her grew each day. He always knew when he found the right woman, he wouldn't hesitate to take her and make her his.
She was bathing Elan when a man came up to her and grabbed her, making her almost drop Elan. She made a slight scream as he tried to take the baby from her arms.
"What do you want?" she screamed.
"Well now, I shore didn't expect to find something like you down here. You're right pretty for a squaw."
Clay ran toward them and shoved a gun in the man's ribs. "Let her go!"
"Say, what the hell!" the man hollered and let Willa and Elan go.
"Touch her again and I'll kill you? Hurt that baby and I'll kill you dead mister. Now do we understand each other?" Clay shouted.
Willa grabbed the blanket she laid Elan on and wrapped it around herself and the baby protectively. Elan clung to her but didn't cry.
"She's just a squaw, what do you care?"
"I care, I ought to kill you, now get out of here and don't let me catch you on this property again." He told him.
"So that's how it is, is it. A squaw man?"
"That's right, a squaw man." Clay's eyes narrowed on the man, and he protected Willa now as she stood right in front of her.
She held on to his back.
But as the man started moving away, he suddenly turned and shot at Clay. Clay shot back and the man fell to the ground dead.
Willa gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry. This means trouble, Clay."
"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm going to bury him where no one will find him."
"Do you know him?" She asked.
"No, probably someone's hired hand around here. But he was half done burying the man when another showed up. Clay saw him before he saw what Clay was doing and he moved his horse in front of the grave and stood in front of his horse.
"Hank, you around here." The man called. Then he saw Clay.
Clay turned to see the man wielding a gun. Clay got his rifle off his horse and fired close to his feet. "You better get out of here mister, before I blow your head off."
"Don't mean no harm, just lookin' for my friend."
"This is my property, what would your friend be doing on it?"
"Well, we was huntin', that's all."
"You had to have crossed fences to get here, didn't that clue you in on the fact that it belonged to someone?"
