Louise M. - Cowboy Seeks a Bride

He slowly set down the basket, slowly pulled his gun from his holster and slowly pointed it straight at her. “Don’t move, Marybeth. Don’t move an inch.”

* * *

The rattler was just pulling itself up into a coil not three feet from Marybeth’s hand. Yet the fear written across her pretty face wasn’t from the danger she hadn’t even noticed. She was afraid of him. In spite of his confession, she still didn’t trust him. But this was no time to sort it all out. She had minded his order and sat like a statue on the blanket, her widened eyes squarely focused on his gun.

Dear God, don’t let her move. Let me kill the rattler without hurting her.

Gunfire exploded several yards to his left. Snake parts flew in all directions. Rand’s knees threatened to buckle. He glanced at Laurie, whose rifle bore a telltale curl of smoke around its barrel.

Now he was just downright annoyed. Saving Marybeth’s life would have made him a real hero in her eyes. Yet honesty demanded that he hand the honors to a fourteen-year-old girl.

“Good aim, Laurie.” He needed to downplay the situation, make it sound like an everyday occurrence to calm Marybeth’s fears.

“Looked to me like Marybeth was in your way.” Laurie shrugged as she returned her rifle to the leather holster on her horse’s saddle. “I had a better shot from over here.”

Rand nodded his agreement. “Let’s see now. Shall we move the blanket to a nicer spot closer to the river?” Someplace far away from the dead snake. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m as hungry as a bear coming out of hibernation.”

He grinned at Marybeth about one second before she fell over on the blanket in a heap.

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