“I’ll only be gone for a little while, just until I know this thing is over and there isn’t anyone left trying to find me. Sheriff Stilson did a real good job of covering up for me and if I stay here, I’ll ruin it.”
“Did he tell you to leave?”
“No.”
“And what happens the next time something comes along?” Catherine asked. “I would think you’d do what you need to do, but I would never think you’d just run away.”
“That won’t work on me,” Nick told her. “I know you’re just trying to rile me up.”
“I think it is working.”
“Not a bit.” A few seconds slipped away before Nick added, “Well, maybe a little. Either way, I thought this would be a good night to give you something.”
Taking his arms from around her, Nick reached into his pocket. When he took his hand out and opened it, there were two gold rings sitting on his palm. “I didn’t want us to wear these because I was afraid you’d be marked as a target if someone else came looking for me.”
“And since they came around anyway, you figure we might as well wear them?” Catherine asked.
“No. I want to always know you’re with me…no matter how far away I might go. I’ve hidden from a lot of things, but having you as my wife isn’t gonna be one of them.”
Catherine’s eyes locked upon Nick as he took her hand and carefully slid the ring onto her finger. He then slipped his own ring on and flexed his hand to get the feel of it.
“Don’t go,” Catherine whispered. “You’ve got a good business here and I’m not about to leave my restaurant now that it’s up and running. Most folks would call that a life worth keeping.”
“Most folks don’t have gunmen, vigilantes and a few determined lawmen out to nail their hide to a wall.”
“Then at least give me the chance to try and talk you into staying,” Catherine said as she took Nick by the hand and started pulling him back to the cabin. “After all, this is sort of a second wedding night.”
Although Nick grumbled a bit, he allowed himself to be dragged into the cabin and toward the bed. Once he got there, the furthest thing from his mind was riding away.
About the Author
MARCUS GALLOWAY makes his home in Nebraska, where he is hard at work on his next novel.
NO ANGELS FOR OUTLAWS
DEAD MAN’S PROMISE
BURYING THE PAST
THE MAN FROM BOOT HILL
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE MAN FROM BOOT HILL: NO ANGELS FOR OUTLAWS. Copyright © 2007 by Marcus Pelegrimas. All rights reserved.
