As the Cowboy Commands [Ecstasy in the Old West 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) (27 page)

In a tone of deathly authority, Jared said, “Put the gun down, Gregg.”

Helen let out a frightened squeal as she spun to face Jared. He had come in through the bedroom, as he had earlier. Now Helen was happy with her lover’s unconventional method of entering a home.

“I’ll kill him!” Gregg said, holding Marcus tightly by the hair as he ground the muzzles of the derringer even more forcefully into his temple. “Put your gun down or he’s dead. I’ll kill this freak, and it’ll be your fault if—”

Jared added a couple more ounces of pressure to the trigger of his Colt, and the awesome weapon roared its fury. Helen heard the body crumble lifelessly to the floor. Marcus started screaming. Helen rushed to him, taking him into her arms. She tried very hard to not look at the corpse on the floor at her feet.

“Jared’s here,” Helen said, ushering Marcus away from the corpse and toward the kitchen chairs. “Jared’s here now, so everything is going to be fine. We’re safe. Jared’s here.”

* * * *

A curious thing happened at the bank following the shooting of Gregg Neilson. The First Bank & Trust burned to the ground. A rumor went around that a tall man, dressed all in black, had been seen in the bank after it had closed. The people weren’t really interested in finding out his identity, and soon there were so many rumors going around that the arsonists could fit any and all descriptions. All of the money had been placed inside the fireproof iron safe, so the patrons of the bank didn’t lose so much as a single dime. But the land deeds held by the bank, and all the records of loans given and other financial transactions, had not been put in the safe, which was extremely unusual. Every record of bank transactions simply vanished into smoke.

Jerome Neilson, unable to prove who owed him money, insisted that heads roll. And since he had just palmed five thousand dollars to the territorial governor, he was quite certain he’d soon have the First Bank & Trust back in highly profitable operation.

The territorial governor convened a special panel to investigate the mysterious bank fire, as well as the bank operations. The more the investigators checked into Jerome Neilson, the more corrupt his entire operation appeared.

Jerome Neilson, financially and emotionally shattered, rode out of town one night and was never seen again.

The investigation into the First Bank & Trust took three months, and during that time Helen discovered that she was pregnant with Jared’s child. She hesitated telling him, knowing that he was a wanderer and not a man likely to be happy with all the responsibilities that went along with fatherhood and husbandry. Helen was quite wrong. Jared insisted that they get married immediately. He was offered the job of sheriff, but he turned the offer down because Helen said she couldn’t sleep a wink if she knew her husband wore a badge in a town like Whitetail Creek. However, Michael Duerson needed a chief of security for his various enterprises, and Jared accepted the position.

The child, christened Marcella Parker, had green eyes like her mother, and a dimple in her cheek like her father.

THE END

Robin Gideon has been the featured author on the nationally syndicated TV show
CBS Sunday Morning
, was named third Best All-time for sexy romances by Amazon.com’s Listmania, and is the author of numerous novels and novellas. She lives in what has been described as Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. She loves hearing from her readers and can be reached at
[email protected]
.

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