Free Catch Me a Cowboy by Katie Lane

around here, anyway?” Jesse cut in.
    “Never you mind,” she huffed. “And I’m not doing any blood oath, either. I give you my word I won’t be back, and I won’t. In fact, I’m selling this place just as soon as I can.”
    “Selling it?” Jesse yelled as he jumped to his feet. His loud voice set the baby to crying again. Brody walked back into the room holding out the scissors, but Shirlene had already screwed up the blood oath, and Jesse slappedthem out of Brody’s hand as he screamed. “You can’t sell it! You can’t! Where would we live?”
    Before Shirlene could even digest that piece of shocking information, Jesse raced out the door like the hounds of hell were after him. And if Shirlene ever got loose, they would be. But for now, she was stuck with two screaming kids, for as soon as Jesse disappeared, Brody started crying in his deep wail.
    Flopping her head back to the floor, Shirlene rested there for a minute with her ears ringing while she tried to figure out what to do. Since she couldn’t do anything trussed up like Thanksgiving dinner, she figured that was the place to start. Lifting her head, she tried to speak over the cacophony, and at the same time keep her voice soothing.
    “Brody. It’s okay, honey. If you can just come over here and untie Shirlene, everything will be all right.”
    Brody stared back at her and let out another bellow, which set his sister into a higher-pitched mode. Shirlene might’ve joined in if she hadn’t spied her purse lying on the floor.
    “Candy, Brody,” she yelled. “Do you like candy?”
    Brody’s crying fizzled, although the baby kept screaming. Still, it was enough to give Shirlene hope.
    “If you help me get untied, Brody, I’ll give you a candy bar.”
    The little boy stared at her for only a few seconds before he scooted across the dirty carpeting and leaned over her back. But the knots proved too much for his little fingers—that and the fact that he refused to let go of the Barbie. Shirlene had almost called it quits when she noticed the pair of scissors on the floor.
    “Brody, honey, see those scissors? Get the scissors, Brody.”
    The kid took directions well. But once he had the scissors in his little pudgy hand, Shirlene had second thoughts.
    “Do you know how to cut, honey?” she asked as she stared at the ends that no longer looked so blunt. “Maybe it would be better if you just ran and found a grown up. Kids your age probably shouldn’t be using scissors—”
    Before she could even finish the sentence, he reached out and lifted the strand of hair that had fallen over her face. And with one efficient snip, he cut it off.
    Too stunned to speak, Shirlene could only stare at the lock of hair the child held up triumphantly. But when he reached for another strand, Shirlene screamed louder than the baby. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop the little haircutting tyrant from wielding the scissors like Edward Scissorhands. Two more chunks fell to the floor before Sherman came charging through the door, scaring the kid so much that he dropped the scissors and began to wail again. Not more than a second later, both Brody’s and the baby’s wails suddenly cut off.
    Shirlene dropped her head down to the carpet that was now strewn with her silky hair. How did her life get to be such a mess? A year ago, she had been the wife of the wealthiest man in town without a worry in the world. Now, here she was in a rundown trailer with more problems than she could deal with. She had no money. No credit cards. No house. And now no hair. She might’ve cried right then and there if a pair of scuffed cowboy boots hadn’t appeared in her line of vision.
    Except these boots didn’t belong to a little delinquent.
    These belonged to a big one.

Chapter Seven
     
    “W HY , M S . D ALTON , if I had known you was into bondage, I would’ve pulled out my handcuffs last night,” Billy drawled as he stared down at the woman, who was tied as snug as a rodeo steer