Silver Creek - G.L. Snodgrass Page 0,54

for two miles.

“Luke,” she said again as she gently took her hand in his. “It’s over.”

He sighed heavily then took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said as a look of guilt and shame washed over him.

She scoffed as she brushed something out of his bloody knuckles. Her mind refused to believe it might be a bit of tooth. Instead, she looked up into his eyes, silently telling him she loved him.

His shoulders slumped as he slowly relaxed.

“Jake,” he called to his brother who had come out of the jail. “Tie ‘em up to the hitching rail. I don’t want them in Felton’s cell.”

His brother nodded as he rushed back into the jail then returned with a long piece of rope.

Rebecca continued to stare at him, desperate to know if he was all right. His violent reaction had shocked her, she knew that she would never get the images out of her mind. It was so different from the sweet, kind man she thought she knew.

“Let’s get you back to the jail so I can clean you up,” she said as she turned to pull him away. It was only then that she saw the strange looks people were giving Luke. They had witnessed his violence and been shocked. She could see it in their eyes. This man was different than them, those looks said. And not in a good way.

That violence might be unleashed on them. And deep in their hearts, they knew they wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Ignoring them, she tucked her arm into his, silently letting them know that she didn’t see it the same way. Once again, Luke had stood against wrong. And if these people couldn’t see it then they didn’t deserve him.

Chapter Twenty-One

Luke ground his teeth as he watched Rebecca clean the wounds on his knuckles. She had already wiped away the blood from the cut over his eye.

She kept shooting him questioning looks that tore at his insides. He could see it in her eyes. He was a monster. A beast. A man unable to control the animal inside of him.

Jake stepped through the door, tossing the prisoner’s gun belts onto the bunk. “They’re tied up like hogs going to the butcher and McAdams is looking them over.”

“How bad?” Luke asked.

His brother shrugged. “Unfortunately, they’ll live.”

“Jake,” Luke said as his head sank to his chest. “Just tell me how bad.”

“From what I could see, a few missing teeth, a busted thumb, and one of them might be limping for a year or two. You took out his knee pretty bad. Other than that, cuts, bruises, and sore heads. Oh yeah, three broken noses.”

Luke sighed. It could have been so much worse. The thought of Becky seeing him kill a man with his bare hands made his shoulders shudder. The fact that she had witnessed his uncontrolled rage made his stomach clench with shame.

She looked up at him from under her brow and gave him a quick smile. He knew instantly that she was glad they would all live and what is more, he knew she was pleased for his sake. That he wouldn’t be burdened by another death.

“Flex your fingers,” she said as she stood up and studied his hand.

He slowly made a fist then spread his fingers. Things worked, but not as easily as normal, probably more from the swelling than the cuts and scrapes. He hoped he didn’t have to draw his gun anytime soon, things weren’t as fast as they should be.

“I don’t think anything is broken,” she said. “Which is a minor miracle, if you ask me.”

He laughed as a small sense of hope filled him. At least she was talking to him. She hadn’t run away with hate and disgust.

“Do you think they are working with the man Sarah Felton hired?” she asked with a deep frown.

“No,” Luke said as he shook his head. “It weren’t coordinated. No, these were just some Circle B boys who thought they could impress their boss.”

She frowned at him as if she didn’t necessarily agree with him. Sarah Felton’s man scared her, he could see it in her eyes. She was worried, but he had bigger problems to tackle at the moment.

“Thank you,” he told her as he pushed up out of the chair and walked outside. His anger still bubbled just below the surface. How had he let himself fall for such an obvious trap? Jake had all three men sitting under the