Page 58 of Colorado Bride
“We’ll wait for Ben.”
He opened the door and pushed her inside.
“I only take from Ben.He’s the one who should have shared the ranch with me.I’m his brother, damn it.”
“There is no need to use such language, Mr.Schroder.”
“What’s the matter lady?You toogoodto be hearing such words?”
“No.But cussing is not necessary when there are perfectly good words to use instead.”
Rory tied both horses to the hitching rail in front of the shabby little abode.
Emily pulled the gun from her skirt pocket and pointed it at Rory.
“That’s enough Mr.Schroder.Put up your hands.”
Rory looked up at her and grinned.
“You ain’t gonna shoot me.You’re a city girl.Probably never shot anything but cans in your life.”
He continued going about tying the horses.
“I said put up your hands.”
“Or you’ll do what?”
“Shoot you.”
“Then shoot.Go ahead.Shoot me.”
She couldn’t.She couldn’t shoot a man in cold blood.
Rory took her gun from her.
“I admire your gumption but killing a man, even just shooting a man is hard.You don’t have that hardness, Mrs.Logan.Now get down.”
She dismounted.
“You say you’re Ben’s brother, but I don’t see anything about you that even resembles him.”
“That’s ‘cause I take after our papa and Ben takes after Miz Doris.”
She stared at the man, trying to find something about him that was the same as Ben’s.She couldn’t find a common characteristic.Rory’s eyes were brown, Ben’s were blue.Rory’s hair was dirty but she thought it was blond, Ben’s was sable brown.Rory was six inches shorter than Ben, just barely taller than Emily.
“Please.I’ll talk to Ben for you.Just let me go.”`
He smiled.
“You’re a funny one, lady.But I don’t believe you.Now get inside.”
Emily stared.He had the same dimple in his cheek that Ben did.Their smiles were so similar, if Rory had kept decent care of his teeth, they could have been one and the same.
He gave her a shove in the direction of the hovel.
“Sit down on the cot, Mrs.Logan.I don’t need to be watching you.”
He came over, with a length of rope and tied her hands together behind her back, then tied her ankles, too.
