Free Sorrows and Lace by Bonnie R. Paulson, Brilee Editing Page A

at this point. However, as Kelsey made her way to your place today, one of my men witnessed a rider following her. He had a bedroll and saddlebags but was too covered for a more detailed description.” He gave them a moment to take it in.
    They nodded, as if to say go on.
    “ My concern is high. But something neither of you know, is Kelsey is married… is as in she is still married to this guy and can’t get free of him. He’s been extremely abusive and the only protection up to this point was the fact that she was at her dad’s place on the reservation. You know how those boys are up that way, you don’t mess with theirs.” Ronan pressed his lips together, as if in deep thought when he actually already had every word planned out. “Her husband has been stalking her and I’m afraid he’s found her which wasn’t hard since you, Robbie, brought him this way.”
    Robbie jerked back as if Ronan had punched him in the jaw. “Me? What are you talking about? I don’t even know who her husband is.”
    Time to drop the bomb. “Sonny Caracus.” Just knowing that the slime ball had had his hands on Kelsey in any way – gentle or rough – sent acid roiling through Ronan’s veins.
    Jaws dropped, Slate and Robbie stared in disbelief at Ronan.
    Robbie gave a slight shake to his head. “What? Sonny is married? He never acted that way in games or on the trail.”
    “Knowing those men like you do, do you actually expect them to behave like men or worthless piles of shit?” Ronan stood, slamming his chair into the desk. “Seriously, Robbie, this has me more pissed than I can say.” He jerked his hat from his head and roughly hung it from the hook behind his desk. He rested a hand on his hip, staring at the wall before turning back to the men and speaking with forced calmness. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. I get that. But now that it has, we need to take care of this situation before it gets out of hand.”
    “How much more out of control can it get?” Slate crossed his arms, keeping an eye on Ronan for which Ronan was glad. If Slate suspected Ronan of something, then it would end better for Ronan when he didn’t deliver and Slate felt like an ass for making assumptions.
    “Do you really want to wait and see? I just want to call the local officials and get some men out here and find those damn Caracus brothers. They’re wanted in most of the state, as well as Idaho, Washington and Wyoming. We know they’re nearby. Let’s get them when they’re least expecting us.” He opened his hand toward them as if in supplication. “This way no one gets hurt and we get rid of both our problems.” Hinting at Robbie’s debt to Devlyn Caracus as well as reminding them of the constant fear that the Caracus gang was nearby, waiting for someone to slip up, was the lasso around the calf.
    In unison, Robbie and Slate nodded with slow exaggeration. Robbie spoke. “Okay. What do you want to do?”
    Holding in his successful grin until later, Ronan braced himself with his fists on the desk and leaned in. “A night ride. We can go after sundown, run parallel to the border of Lonely River and Lacey Caverns and then split off to run up the rivers. We can use the caves, if they’re camping up that way, and take them by surprise. It would have to be tonight, though, since they don’t know we’ve seen them in the area.”
    Both brothers nodded.
    Ronan continued. “I’ll contact my lawyers in the morning when they’re in the office to have them draw up papers releasing debt on Lonely Rivers to Slate as well as the rest of what we discussed, Robbie.” He shuffled some papers on the left side of his desk, pretending with all his might that his pride wasn’t being driven through a meat grinder.
    Damn MacAllisters anyway.
    “Head back to your place and warn Amelia to hunker down with Mac, and I’ll meet you there in an hour or so to go over the plan before we leave. I’ll bring along a few men, too.” Ronan looked