Free Stepbrother Cowboy: A Western Romance by Lee Moore, Angela Kelly Page B

targets. The one holding the weapon and the one screaming on the ground. Either would be an easy shot.
    “Don’t kill him.” Alison said behind me.
    “That’s twice now, that she’s saved you, Tim.”
    “Get this horse off me.” He gasped.
    In the course of trying to pull himself out, his shirt rode up, and his chest was taped heavily. I smiled grimly and thought of how bad that fall had to have hurt with broken ribs. Too bad about the horse though, I hated killing a good animal.
    “I called Jackson. Want me to call the sheriff’s office?”
    “Don’t bother, I’ll call him myself,” Dade said coldly. “Howdy, Ms. Alison. Sorry for meeting you again under these circumstances.”
    She said nothing, but I could hear her dialing.
    “We’re at the Masterson's ranch. Tim Bart just tried to shoot Cameron. Uh huh. Oh no, Tim isn’t going anywhere. He’s got a dead horse pinning him down. No, no, the horse is dead. No Tim shot at Cameron.”
    “This should be fun to explain to Carl,” Dade said dryly. “I said I’d call…”
    “I ought to kill this stupid bastard,” I grumbled.
    “Shhhh, she’s still got 911 on the phone,” he grinned. “Marines?”
    “Army.”
    “Nobody’s perfect. Want to help me drag his ass out from under the horse so he’ll quit crying like a fucking pansy?”
    “No, let’s leave him for the coyotes,” I said, but Tim started screaming at that point.
    “It might hurt, pulling him out.”
    “You’ve got a deal,” I told him grinning and putting the rifle sling around my shoulder again.
    Tim got one good look at my expression and put his hands up, starting to beg. I got my hands under one arm, Dade the other and we started to pull savagely. My arms flexed, and I was pulling with all of my strength when his leg slid free. I had just enough warning not to lose my feet and bang my head on the gun. He screamed for a minute about his ribs, and I knew he was in pain. He had tears running down his cheeks and was lying on his side, his leg straight out, in pain.
    “Think I should still shoot the dumb fuck?” I said.
    “Naw, I won’t let him ride fence with a gun anymore. Not while I’m foreman,” Dade told me.
    “Carl isn’t going to like it.”
    “It isn’t up to Carl, it’s up to you?”
    “It’s like that?” I asked, totally confused.
    “It’s up to you. This kid can either go to jail for probably forever. I don’t know how he got out of trouble the other day, but I saw him try to shoot you. So did Alison. You can put this boy in prison forever, or you can let me run his ass ragged.”
    “Why would you do that?”
    “Reputation mostly. It’s all I have, and I can’t let some kid; even the owners son do the shit he’s doing. I’ll have his ass confined to the house if I have to.”
    I was cooling down, and for once, my mind was spinning and planning. If I let this drop and took Dade at his word, I might buy Bill and Mom some breathing room or goodwill with the Bart's. On the other hand, if the kid tries it again… I decided.
    “He comes at me again, I’ll kill him.”
    “I would have killed him the first time, but it’s up to you. What do you want me to tell Tyler when he gets out here?”
    “That his nephew is walking back to the ranch,” I said with a smile.
    “That’ll piss him off.”
    “Everybody wins. Tim lives, and I get to piss off my two favorite Bart’s.”
    “Yeah, I heard about you popping the old man’s jewels. I told him to stay away.”
    “At least somebody on your side has a cool head.”
    “I do try. I’ll have Tyler stop out after he collects this shithead.”
    “Thanks. I’ll be at Tory’s Cabin.”
    “Me too,” Alison spoke up.
    “Ok, well, nice to meet you, and Alison, always a pleasure to see you. Sorry about all of this.”
    “See you next time.” I told him and ducked under the fence and mounted Lightning.
    As we were riding away, I heard Tim’s blubbery whiney voice. “Are you really going to make me