hold nothing against your little wife. Thanks for giving us a shot.” The man turned to move away.
“You’re welcome, Phil.” Michael finally thought of the second man’s name.
He rode out knowing Cozette would be safe with his uncles watching over her. He needed to make sure the ranch hands were with him and the only way was to spend the day in the saddle. When he reached the cattle he was glad to see two dozen hands already hard at work.
Michael took the time to talk to each man. He mostly asked questions, unafraid to let them see how little he knew. By the end of the day he knew every man and that they were his men.
When he rode home he was tired but satisfied. Part of him couldn’t believe that Cozette’s uncle would think of killing her, but he might not feel the same about Michael.
He wanted time to look over the accounts one last time. They’d agreed they’d confront Raymond tomorrow. It seemed cruel to kick him off the land the day after they buried his brother.
Michael had told his uncles to guard his wife and that at least one of them should always keep Raymond in sight. He smiled as he walked into the office guessing that Cozette’s uncle probably had had a horrible day with one of them tailing him.
An hour later, he looked up from the books to find rain splattering softly against the huge windows of what he thought of as his study.
“My study?” Michael whispered, knowing that this wasn’t and would never be his study, or his ranch. He’d been playing a game of make-believe.
The woman upstairs would never be his wife. It was all pretend. Somehow he’d gotten caught up in her fantasies. The pretty little liar had taken down the outlaw without one shot. When he left this place he knew his heart would be staying behind.
Thunder rattled the night and lightning flashed. Michael closed the books, no longer able to stay away from Cozette.
He was at a run when he reached the stairs and almost collided with the housekeeper.
“Sorry,” he managed, trying to look respectable and not like the wild kid he was.
She smiled. “The missus said you’d be home late. She asked that I bring supper up to her room tonight.”
He nodded as if he wasn’t surprised. “What about her uncle?” Michael didn’t want to sleep without knowing where Raymond was.
“He left a few hours ago.”
“For good?” Michael hoped.
“No.” The housekeeper frowned. “For a ride, I think. He said he wouldn’t be back for dinner this evening and I heard him say he’d shoot anyone who tried to follow him.”
“My uncles?” Michael asked, worried that one of them might have tried.
“They’re all three in the hallway. Said they wouldn’t leave your dear one until you got home.” The housekeeper smiled. “I had a meal sent up to them and the cook is baking cookies for them now. Dear little men, all three.”
Michael wasn’t sure she didn’t have them mixed up with some other three short fat men. He’d never heard anyone pay them a compliment.
When he reached the top of the stairs, there they were, all on guard. “You watch over my wife today?” he said sharply bringing them all to attention, or as much to attention as they could get.
“We did,” Abe said. “Had to quit watching Raymond, though. None of us can ride well enough to trail him, so we decided to all guard her.”
“Plus, here w-we don’t miss meals. That’s something to c-consider.” Joseph pulled two forks from his pocket and placed them on the hallway table. “I w-wasn’t going to take them, Mickey, I w-was just keeping them in case more food w-wandered by. Food comes along here as regular as a train. I ain’t never s-seen the like of it.”
Michael said good night to them and reminded them that hot cookies were waiting. He realized that for the first time in his life he was proud of them and, more important, they were proud of themselves.
He opened the door to his room and walked across to the bathing room separating him from Cozette.
The door was closed, but not locked. When he pushed it slowly open, he swore his heart stopped. She must have just stepped from the tub, her body still dripping as she reached for the towel.
He saw her completely. Her beautiful face, her long damp hair, her rounded breasts and pleasing bottom. She took his breath away along with the power