'Are you certain Marshal Ryan didn't give the order to lock us up? '
she asked once again.
'No, I didn't give that order.' Ryan answered the question from the
doorway. Cole noticed he was staring at the three women with a look of
surprise on his face. He was obviously reacting to the sight the very
same way Cole had.
'Ladies, if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it if you would stay
inside the cell for a few more minutes.' Rebecca took a step forward
and answered for all of them. 'We most certainly do mind. Come along,
ladies. We're leaving this vile place.' Cole had only just noticed
the rifle in Ryan's hands when Rebecca tried to get past him. His arm
shot out to block her.
'I think you'd better wait here a little longer, ' Cole said.
'I cannot believe such rudeness, ' she declared before she backed
away.
Jessica tried to get past him then. He shifted so that he blocked her
with his body.
They stood toe-to-toe. She didn't back away, and so he gave her a look
that suggested she shouldn't tangle with him.
She gave him the identical look. Hell, she was better at it than he
was. She didn't even blink. She could stare a rattlesnake down, he
thought to himself, and, Lord, she smelled good. Like fresh air and
flowers. He quit scowling at her. It wasn't working anyway, and it
was his own fault because he wasn't concentrating. He couldn't seem to
get past the fact that she had such pretty eyes.
'Cole, we've got a little situation developing out front. I could use
your help, ' Ryan said.
The baby was peeking up at him. Cole winked at him, then swung the
door closed in his mother's face. He locked the door and went back to
the front office, her outrage ringing in his ears.
.
he little situation turned out to be a mob. Ryan had left the front
door open and stood on the boardwalk with the rifle at his side. He
was in the process of trying to convince forty to fifty angry men to go
back home.
'I'm ordering you to disperse, ' Ryan shouted. 'Go home and let us do
our jobs.' A man near the middle of the group shouted, 'Give us the
