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Wolf’s Survival
Wolf’s Survival copyright c. 2010 T.A. Chase
Part Twenty-One-
Bella’s barking alerted Oliver that a truck was coming up the drive. Jacob had gone out to the herd, though he said he’d be back when the Bureau agent showed. Oliver smiled at the way Jacob had growled at him after he’d told his lover he didn’t need Jacob to hold his hand. He was an adult, used to doing things on his own. Jacob had yanked him into his arms and kissed him, hard and possessively. Oliver’s mind had melted and he’d forgotten what they were arguing about until after Jacob left.
The vehicle stopped and turned off. Oliver pushed open the front door, stepping out on the porch. The dogs had the man surrounded while Bella joined Oliver.
“Leave him be,” Oliver ordered.
The dogs ignored him and he frowned. He started to head out, but Bella sat in front of him, blocking his access to the stairs.
“Bella, what are you doing?”
“What she’s trained to do, protect you.” Jacob stalked around the corner of the house. His low whistle brought the dogs to him. “I’m Jacob Tasker.”
The agent didn’t offer to shake hands with Jacob. “I’m going to pull my ID from my pocket.”
Jacob inclined his head, like a king granting a boon to a subject. Oliver rolled his eyes.
“When you’re done playing king of the manor, could you escort Agent Michaels in? I have coffee ready.”
Oliver whirled around and strolled in the house, trying hard not to stomp and act like a child. Christ, the man’s arrogance was enough to try the patience of a saint, and Oliver never claimed to be one of those.
“I appreciate you letting me come out here, Mr. Tasker. I need to talk to Mr. Wingate about the attack, but I don’t think he’d be welcomed back in Red Cliff.”
Agent Michaels looked older than Jacob, around fifty or so. His short hair streaked with gray, plus the lines around his mouth spoke of long and lonely hours spent searching out killers, robbers, and just plain evil people. The agent managed to keep himself in shape, but there was weariness about him that made Oliver want to hug Michaels and offer him a place to relax for a while.
“I don’t trust those redneck assholes any further than I could throw them,” Jacob snarled.
“Probably a good idea. If I wasn’t used to keeping an eye out for an attack, I’d probably have ended up dead in a ravine somewhere near by.” Agent Michaels turned to greet Oliver. “Mr. Wingate, I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Agent Michaels.” Oliver offered his hand. “Thank you for driving all the way out here.”
“No problem, and please, call me Andrew.”
“And you can call me Oliver.” He grinned at Andrew, ignoring the way Jacob loomed beside them. “Please come in and sit down. Would you like some coffee?”
“I would love some. Thank you.” Andrew sat down, tugging a notebook from his inside pocket.
“Do you take sugar, or milk,” he called over his shoulder as he went into the kitchen.
“Just black.”
Oliver reached up to pull out some coffee mugs. He hid his smile as Jacob crowded him against the counter.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jacob growled, pressing his lips against Oliver’s ear.
“I’m just being nice to Agent Michaels since we’re inconveniencing him by making him come all the way out here.” He leaned back, allowing Jacob to take his weight.
Jacob wrapped Oliver into a strong embrace, nuzzling Oliver’s neck. “It better be just being friendly. I don’t share at all, Ollie. Remember that.”
Turning around, he stared at Jacob with just as fierce a glare as his lover gave him. “I don’t share either. I might not be big or scary like you, but I will fight for what’s mine.”
The stunned look on Jacob’s face confused him. Was Jacob surprised that Oliver would be so possessive or was it the fact that someone would be willing to fight for him that shocked Jacob?
“Okay. Now that we’ve established we’re in a serious monogamous relationship, we shouldn’t leave our guest waiting.”
Jacob grabbed him and kissed him hard, biting his bottom lip and soothing it with his tongue. As much as Oliver wanted to lose himself in Jacob’s arms, the Bureau couldn’t be put off anymore. He pushed away and shook his head at the handsome man.
“Stop that. Take the coffee into the living room.”
He pushed the tray into Jacob’s hands, and shoved him toward the other room. After Jacob left, Oliver gave himself a hard thump. He didn’t want to get interviewed while sitting there with a hard-on.
Wandering in, he found Jacob telling Agent Michaels who he thought was responsible for the attack on Oliver.
“Check out Von Hausling. He’s an idiot and wouldn’t have any problem beating a man smaller than him. Also, he’s a coward. If Oliver had been armed, he never would have attacked him.” Jacob’s teeth were clenched, and his hands fisted on his thighs.
“You said you had pictures of Oliver’s injuries. Do you have a doctor’s report?” Andrew wrote Jacob’s report down.
“Yes. I’ll go get them.”
They watched Jacob leave the room before Andrew turned to Oliver.
“Seems a bit protective of you,” Andrew commented.
Oliver ducked his head and blushed. “Well, he tends to get possessive of things that linger on his property. I think he begins to claim them as his. Comes from not leaving the place very often.”
“You know, I did a background check on Jacob Tasker.”
While Oliver’s curiosity was peaked, he didn’t raise to the bait. Whatever Jacob wanted Oliver to know, Jacob could tell him. He wasn’t going to learn it from a stranger.
Oliver smiled blandly. “You wouldn’t be doing your job if you didn’t check on him.”
“Aren’t you interested in knowing the man who rescued you?”
“Not if he doesn’t want to tell me.”
A noise drew his attention and he saw Jacob standing just inside the entrance from the hallway. The way the man’s head was tilted, Oliver knew he’d heard the exchange between Oliver and Andrew. Jacob walked over and handed Andrew a file.
Passing Oliver, he stopped and cupped the back of Oliver’s head, bringing their mouths together.
“Thank you,” Jacob whispered against his lips.
“You’re welcome.” He knew exactly what Jacob was thanking him for.
Wolf’s Survival
Wolf’s Survival copyright c. 2010 T.A. Chase
Part Two-
Belle bounded through the door, or she tried as best she could with her pregnant belly. Jacob knelt, allowing her to wash his face with her tongue. Rumbling low in his chest, he let her know it was time to leave. She settled back on her haunches, tongue lolling out, and practically grinned at him.
“She seems eager to leave.” The girl commented.
He didn’t remember her name and didn’t really care to know it. “She doesn’t like towns anymore than I do. Thanks for taking care of her.”
Straightening, he gestured for Belle to heel and they left the vet’s office. He never put his dogs on a leash. As well-trained as they were, they knew better than to run away. The Border collie trotted at his left side, bright gaze watching everything around her. That was one of the things he liked about the breed. They were highly intelligent and always paying attention.
Privacy was important to Jacob, so he didn’t have a lot of humans running around his ranch. He used the dogs to help keep his herd of sheep in line. Belle and Ben were the senior dogs in the pack and the ones he had the longest. They kept him from getting lonely as well.
They weaved their way through the people and Jacob didn’t make eye contact with any of them, discouraging them from getting the idea of stopping to talk. When he came to town, it seemed more and more congested. It was becoming easier to spend all of his time in his wolf skin than being human.
After arriving at his truck, he helped Belle into the cab before climbing behind the wheel and driving over to the grocery store. He’d already picked up his order at the feed store. Now it was time for his own needs, though he could hunt in the hills if he wanted to. He ordered Belle to stay, leaving the windows rolled down as he turned the vehicle off and headed into the store. No one would touch his truck, even without Belle being there.
Most of the people living in Red Cliff steered clear of Jacob. He’d proven on more than one occasion that he didn’t welcome any friendly overtures. And on the rare nights when the loneliness got to be too much and he came into town to the bar, he’d proven he could take all comers when some drunk asshole messed with him. He had a low tolerance for bullshit and everyone learned that the hard way.
“Hey Jacob.”
He wiggled a few fingers in Cotton Ballou’s direction. Cotton was the oldest resident of Red Cliff, not counting Jacob, who had been around before the town ever existed. No one knew that though, and he wasn’t about to announce it and take Cotton’s title away from him.
As he pushed his cart through the store, he tossed things into it without really paying attention. His mind wandered back to the one topic everyone was talking about; wolves returning to Idaho. Little did anyone know that they never really left. Well, there was one remaining wolf, but he never showed himself to any human if he could help it.
Having figured out the hard way that humans couldn’t be trusted, he’d retreated further into himself every year until some day, the human part of him would disappear and there would only be the wolf.
High pitched childish laughter cut through his melancholy and he smiled. Rushing footsteps alerted him and he paused at the end of the aisle. A little blond boy barreled around the corner and ran into Jacob’s leg. Jacob leaned down to catch the kid before he fell over. Bright blue eyes met his and widened in surprise.
“Wow.”
“Are you okay?” He supported the boy until he got his feet under him, and then straightened.
“Holy schmoly! You’re huge.”
“Bobby, that’s not nice to say.”
The words spoken in a soft mellow voice trickled down Jacob’s spine like warm water and he looked up into blue eyes that matched the boy’s. Yet there was nothing particularly childish about the man staring at Jacob like a kid in a candy store and Jacob was the biggest lollipop the guy had ever seen.
“It’s okay. He’s right.” Jacob ducked down to meet the kid’s amazed gaze. “I’m big because I eat my vegetables.”
Bobby screwed up his nose in a disgusted expression. “I hate vegetables.”
“Well, if you want to grow up big and strong like me, you need to eat them.”
Tilting his head, Bobby studied Jacob, determining whether the man was conning him or not.
“What kind of vegetables?”
“Green ones.”
“Really?” Bobby still wasn’t sure about the whole thing.
Jacob nodded. “Just like Popeye, green vegetables are great for growing big.”
A muffled snort drew his eyes back to the man standing behind Bobby. Laughter twinkled in the man’s eyes and Jacob couldn’t help but grin at him. Shock raced over the other man’s face, plus a hint of heat.
“Popeye’s not real. He’s a cartoon.” Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Jacob.
“That’s true, but still I eat green vegetables and look at me.”
“Why don’t you go and find your mother, Bobby? Try to talk her into buying some green beans.” The man ran his hand over Bobby’s blond curls.
“Okay.” Bobby raced off, down the wide aisle to where a curvy brunette stood, looking over the fruit.
Jacob straightened, not sure what to say to the man. He never had trouble talking to kids. For some reason, his big size never bothered them and his wolf’s instinct was to protect them. His wolf wanted to do something else to the man standing in front of him.
“Thanks for talking to Bobby. He can be a handful at times.” The man stuck out his hand. “My name is Oliver Wingate.”
He gave the elegantly slender hand a quick shake and mumbled, “Jacob Tasker. Nice meeting you. I have a dog in the truck, so I need to be going.”
Jacob whirled around and rushed toward the check out lane. His pride wouldn’t admit he was running away, but something told him that Oliver was a temptation he needed to get away from before his wolf tried something, like licking every inch of the man. Something else told him the man’s wife wouldn’t like that at all.
Wolf’s Survival
Wolf’s Survival copyright c. 2010 T.A. Chase
Part One-
Ignoring the stares of the townsfolk of Red Cliff, Idaho, Jacob strolled into Marci’s Diner and took a seat in the far booth. Only a half hour into his monthly visit to town and he already wanted to go back to the ranch.
“What’ll you have, Jacob?”
He looked up as a chipped coffee mug appeared in front of him filled with steaming liquid. The owner of the diner, Marci, stood eyeing him, her bouffant hair sporting more gray than red these days.
“Whatever’s the special, I guess.”
He winced along with Marci. His voice sounded like five miles of bad road. It’d been a while since he talked to anyone besides his dogs.
“One special coming up.” Marci winked before she headed back to yell his order at her husband.
Jacob wrapped his hands around the warm cup and inhaled the rich scent of coffee. He’d heard the footsteps make their way through the crowd, and recognized their owner, so he was ready when Von Hausling plopped down in the seat across from him. He barely managed to refrain from snarling at the man.
“Good to see you, Tasker. I wanted to talk to you about some stuff. Was considering a drive up to your place.”
Snorting softly, Jacob rolled his eyes before meeting the man’s gaze. He disliked this generation of Von Hauslings as much as every previous one starting back to when Jacob was a pup.
“What do you want?”
Anything the jackass wanted, Jacob was sure to go against, more on general principal than any true conviction on Jacob’s part.
Von Hausling never seemed to grasp Jacob’s disgust. He was often like an eager puppy trying to get the Alpha dog to notice him.
“There’s a big meeting over at the town hall tonight. Some team from the Department of Fish and Game are here. Seems they want to do some investigating.”
“If they’re interested in poaching, you might want to watch your back.”
The man’s eyes went wide. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Tasker.”
He set his coffee down and leaned forward into Von Hausling’s personal space, letting his upper lip curl. “Sure you do, and if you take another deer off my property again, I’ll make you pay.”
Von Hausling paled and shot to his feet. “Fuck you.”
They both knew Jacob’s threat wasn’t an idle one. He could make the other man pay without anyone ever finding out. Accidents happened all the time up in the hills around Red Cliff.
“You scaring people again, Jacob?”
Mari set down Jacob’s food after dodging Von Hausling’s hasty retreat.
“Only the ones who deserve it. He trespassed on my land and took a doe. Left behind a little one.”
She shook her head, knowing the orphaned fawn’s chances were slim. She’d be right if Jacob hadn’t found the baby and dropped it off at an animal refuge in the next county.
“What’s this meeting idiot boy wanted me to attend?”
Marci had all the gossip. She wrinkled her nose and sighed. “The government’s squawking about transplanting a couple breeding pairs of wolves in the hills by your place.”
After taking a sip of his drink, he shook his head. “Is it that time of year again?”
The diner owner laughed. “Does seem like they’re on a regular cycle, doesn’t it?”
She wandered off to wait on another customer, leaving Jacob to eat his meal in peace.
Bringing wolves back to the hills? Just so humans could kill and wipe them out again. Jacob had been around for the first slaughter. He didn’t want to be around for the next one.
He finished his lunch without another interruption, paid Marci and headed out. As he wandered back to the vet’s office, his acute hearing picked up snatches of conversation.
“Damn government. Coming in to tell us how to live our lives.”
“Wolves are terrible creatures. They’ll kill our cattle.”
Were they more upset about the government trying to tell them what to do then they were about the wolves? It was hard to tell. Jacob kept his head down. None of it concerned him. Whether wolves came back to the country or not, Jacob would be there, surviving on his own like always.
Checking his watch, he figured Doc. Smith would be finished giving Belle her check-up. He strolled down the sidewalk, not acknowledging the people who dodged out of his way. At his size, Jacob was used to intimidating humans, and it worked out well since he didn’t want to talk to any of them anyway.
Being the last of his kind made it easy for Jacob to become a recluse. He saw no need in becoming friendly with creatures that would turn on him in a heartbeat if they ever found out what he was. He’d seen too much of that when he was young, and he didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again.
He pushed open the door and drudged up a half-smile for the perky receptionist behind the desk at Doc’s office. She gave a frightened squeak, but pulled herself together by the time he drew closer to her.
“Is Belle ready to go?”
“Yes, Mr. Tasker. Doc Smith gave her a clean bill of health and said the puppies look good. You can expect them to arrive in the next month or so.”
She rang the buzzer and Jacob nodded, waiting impatiently for whoever had Belle in the back to bring her out.
“I’m glad to hear that.” He handed her the check for the appointment.
“You have Doc’s number, right? That way if Belle has any problems, you can call and Doc will be right out to your place in a hurry.” Her smile held a little bit of fear and a hint of attraction.
“Yeah, I got it. I’m not worried though. Belle’s an old hand at puppies. She’ll be fine.”
He was the one who would be a nervous wreck until the last one was born and breathing. He hated like hell to lose one of the little ones before they even had a chance to breathe. It broke his heart sometimes, even though he understood it was nature’s way.
Slight Delay
I do plan on posting the next installment of Bastet, but there’s a small delay. It should be up this afternoon. 🙂New Cover
I’m posting it here, because I’m not totally certain on the comments part of my blog/website yet…lol. So I want to make sure you can all tell me either how much you like this cover or how much you hate it. 🙂
Freaks in Love will be out on March 7th at Amber Allure. And here’s the blurb for it.
Blurb:
James lives in Triad City, working for the West Side Crime Association and hiding a secret that could get him killed. When his boss and the other associations’ leaders are assassinated, James has no choice but to return to the one place he never wanted to go back to, Freak Town. Yet saving the life of the one friend he has in Triad City might be worth risking it all.
Magpie can’t believe he’s been shot and his boss assassinated. Waking up shortly afterward, he discovers he’s in Freak Town where all the mutants live. Nuclear radiation from the war has changed some people into creatures. Wigging out because his friend, James, is one of the Freaks seems sensible to Magpie. Falling in love doesn’t.
Together, the two men must find a way to survive the revolution being planned by the Freaks. Getting out of Triad City is the only way, but will Magpie stand beside James to save himself? Or will he lose his heart to a Freak, proving that the heart loves where it wants instead of where it’s wise?
So what do you think? I love it. 🙂
Have a great day, everyone.
Welcome to my new home on the web
Welcome to my new home on the web. At the moment, it’s a work in progress. I’m still polishing it and making it pretty, but you’re more than welcome to look around.Sorry
I had today off and then our internet went out. So I wasn’t able to post the newest installment of UtP. I promise there will be one tomorrow. 🙂Allergies available now (adult excerpt)
Hey everyone, Allergies is live and available on Amber Allure’s site. 🙂 Stop by and check it out. I did expand it a little. lol.
Here’s the blurb and a little excerpt:
What’s a shapeshifter to do when the man he desperately wants is allergic to him?
Raymond Marvels never imagines his call to the IT department at his graphics design job would result in his meeting Lou Canis, the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen. There’s one small problem, though—Ray is allergic to Lou. Yet his allergy is only one of the weird things going on between them.
Lou, a werewolf, isn’t sure how to fix the situation, because it seems his would-be lover’s allergy is to Lou’s human form and not his canine one. Lou decides to tell Ray his deep dark secret, which has unexpected results when Ray embraces both sides of Lou. Yet after a witch doctor gives Ray some medicine to solve his problem, Ray and Lou discover they must also face a dangerous conspiracy evolving around them…
Excerpt:
“Oh, God.”
Ray’s head dropped back, and Lou was forced to grab Ray’s ass to keep the man from tipping over. He traded off, paying equal attention to both hard nubs and feeling his cock throb in time to the noises Ray was making.
Their erections rubbed against each other and Lou became annoyed with the feel of fabric instead of skin. With a flex of muscles, he turned them and laid Ray on the table, his hips resting right at the edge. In almost the same motion, Lou unbuckled, unbuttoned and unzipped Ray’s pants. He hooked his fingers in the waistband and pulled them down, along with Ray’s underwear.
Ray’s cock sprang free, and Lou’s mouth watered. He wanted a taste of that thick piece of meat. He leaned forward, leaving a wet trail with his tongue from behind Ray’s balls to the tip of his prick.
“Shit,” Ray shouted and lifted his hips off the table.
“No.”
Lou pinned Ray to the table and swallowed him down to the root. Licking, nibbling and sucking. Lou did all those things to drive his lover crazy. He freed one of his hands to slide between Ray’s legs and fondle the man’s balls. He tugged and squeezed, taking Ray to the exploding point before backing off. He wanted to hear Ray beg.
Head thrashing from side to side, Ray fisted his hands into Lou’s shirt and cried out, “Please. Now, Lou. Please fuck me.”
Lou took one of Ray’s hands and wrapped it around the man’s cock. “Stroke yourself. I’m going to get you ready.”
Kneeling, Lou spread Ray’s legs farther apart and brought the man’s ass closer to him. He teased Ray’s hole with his finger and tongue. Piercing Ray’s tight opening with both at the same time, he felt Ray almost levitate off the table. Lou didn’t take his time. He got Ray stretched good and fast. There was no way he’d be able to last much longer and he wanted to come in Ray’s ass.
Standing, he opened his jeans and pulled out his dick. He spit in his palm and slicked his cock before positioning the flared head at Ray’s hole.
“I’ll do it better next time, love. I can’t last much longer now.”
Ray curled up and gave him a quick kiss on the chin. “Just fuck me, Lou. I don’t care about next time.”
He snarled and slammed into Ray. Ray’s scream rang out and the scent of Ray’s pleasure filled the air. Lou glanced down and saw pearly strings of cum squirt out of Ray’s cock, covering the man’s stomach, chest and hand. The rhythmic spasms of Ray’s inner channel took Lou right over with Ray and he howled, spilling his seed into Ray’s body. He thrust a few more times, letting the last bits of cum empty into his lover.
Falling forward, he braced his hands on either side of Ray’s head and stared down at the smaller man. Ray’s passion-stunned gaze met his and widened. Fear and some other strange emotion danced in Ray’s eyes.
“What are you?”
Poetry Train # 91
This is a new story I’ve been working on a little at a time. It’s titled Nowhere Diner. 🙂
The cool night air bit through my jacket, drawing goose bumps to the surface of my skin and causing shivers to dance down my spine. The icy breeze fit my emotions perfectly. Glancing around, I memorized the sight of the local diner where I’d spent so many nights, hanging with friends and jonesing on the crushes no one knew about. The different stores where I had worked for minimum wage and learned to be a responsible adult-my father’s words, not mine.
“Tim.”
Turning back, I met the broken gaze of my first love, Aaron. His dark eyes filled with tears and my resolve started to crumble. I couldn’t let him change my mind. There was a time when I would have given him anything he wanted, but no more.
“I can’t stay, Aaron.” I stepped back, gripping the handle of my duffle bag until my knuckles turned white.
“You could, but you just don’t want to.”
Aaron reached out and the halogen light at the bus stop glinted off the ring encircling his finger. I took another step away. No touching had been my rule since the day that piece of metal was placed on his hand. He knew how I felt about the whole thing, but still he tried to tempt me into losing what self-respect I had.
“There was a time when I planned on living in this town for the rest of my life.” I shrugged, looking down the road at the bus heading toward us. “But things change and you know why I can’t stay here anymore.”
Aaron’s flinch told me he understood my reason for leaving. “Things could be like they were before.”
Desperation colored his words and I shook my head, putting more distance between us. I had to remain strong. It wasn’t time for tears and I’d learned the hard way that crying wasn’t considered manly, so I blinked them back. I would wait until I was alone in a motel room far away from this town before I broke down.
“They can never be like they were, Aaron. You know that. She wasn’t married to you before and you loved me. Now she’s your wife and I refuse to be your dirty little secret. I can’t do it anymore. I need to be able to tell you I love you, but that ring silences me better than any gag could.”
“Tim, I had to marry her. My dad would have disowned me if I didn’t marry and she was willing.” Aaron clenched his hands into fists and shoved them in his pocket. It was a posture I’d seen him take so many times when he knew the choice he’d made was wrong.
“You married someone you didn’t want or love to make your father happy.”
My bitter laughter spilled from my lips into the night. If my heart had been whole, it would have broken all over again, but I didn’t have to worry about that. The moment Aaron had said ‘I do’, my life in my hometown was over. I couldn’t stay and not go to him at some point.
I had loved him all my life and for several years, it had been just us. Now there was a third person in our relationship and she didn’t know about me. I never wanted her to find out either. Hurting her never occurred to me. It wasn’t her fault Aaron was a coward and lied to everyone about his feelings for her. It wasn’t my fault either, but guilt weighed down my shoulders.
He started to say something and I held up my hand to stop him. I didn’t want to hear anything else from him. No matter what he said, my mind was made up. I was leaving because there wasn’t anything left for me in this town and the possibilities that arose down the road would keep me from dwelling on the past or so I hoped.
The bus stopped behind me, the air brakes hissing like a hundred snakes and when the driver reached for my bag, I gave it to him. I kept my backpack with me for it held all of my personal possessions and I wasn’t going to let it out of my sight.
“Good-bye.”
Copyright c. 2009 T.A. Chase
Bitter Creek’s Redemption
Bitter Creek’s Redemption copyright c. 2009 T.A. ChasePart Eight-
“Brother?” Travis asked.
“Yes, this is my brother, U.S. Marshall Josiah Burlington.” Eagle shook Josiah’s hand. “I wasn’t sure if you would come or not.”
Josiah laughed. “When my half-brother writes me and asks for my help, I have to come. You’ve never asked before, Eagle.”
“Never really needed your area of expertise before, Josiah.” Eagle gestured to Travis. “Josiah, this is Travis Ramsey. His brother’s death is what prompted me to write you.”
“Mr. Ramsey.” Josiah’s voice was cool.
“Marshall Burlington.” Travis turned to look at Eagle. “Your father was Nathaniel Burlington?”
“Yes.”
“It was a great loss when he was killed.”
Eagle inclined his head slightly to acknowledge Travis’s comment, but didn’t say anything. His father had been a legendary lawman, yet the only side of him Eagle remembered was the loving father who didn’t see his wife and son as Indians, but as people. It was an unusual attitude in a world divided by so many issues.
“Have you been through the house?” Josiah kept his eyes on Travis, though his question was directed toward Eagle.
“No. Barking Dog and I gathered the horses and drove them to a canyon that night after I buried Ralph. We didn’t enter the house, but I don’t think there was anyone around. At least, no one has come to hassle me over taking the horses.”
“And we both know they would if they knew you had them.”
Travis pushed past Josiah to enter the house. Eagle started to follow him, but his brother grabbed his arm and stopped him. They waited until Travis disappeared inside before Josiah spoke again.
“What are you doing with him, Eagle?” Josiah nodded in the direction Travis took.
“Why? What do you know about him that has you so worked up?” Eagle pulled free and turned to face Josiah fully, his arms crossed over his chest. His older half-brother was a big man, but Eagle never allowed himself to be intimidated by Josiah.
“He’s a hired killer.”
Eagle couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing and Josiah frowned.
“Did you believe I didn’t know that? It’s so obvious even a blind dog would know what he is.” He shook his head. “Even a killer has the right to know what happened to his brother and it’s not like he’s going to harm me. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“He’s killed people, Eagle. How do you know he won’t blame you for not saving his brother?” Josiah’s stubbornness made him a great lawman, but could be annoying when he dug in his heels to try and protect those he cared for.
“You’ve killed people. Does that make you a terrible person or an ice-cold killer? How do you know, that in his judgment, those people didn’t deserve to die? You live in a very good and evil world, Josiah. The world I live in isn’t quite so perfect.” Eagle strolled toward the door. “Besides, he could have killed me at any time since he arrived in Bitter Creek. I don’t think he held out any hope that his brother was still alive.”
“Damn it, Eagle, you can’t trust him. Men who kill for money will turn on their friends if the money’s right.”
“Who said I killed for money?”
Eagle looked up to see Travis standing in the middle of the room, coolly assessing them with his narrowed eyes. Shaking his head, Eagle didn’t reply, figuring Travis knew it wasn’t him. Josiah, who once he got an idea in his head, was like a wild horse with the bit in its teeth.
“I did and you can deny it all you want, Ramsey. I’ve heard all the stories about you.” Josiah stood right behind Eagle and Eagle was sure his brother gave off the impression that he was protecting him.
Travis snarled and slid his hand toward the butt of his pistol. “I don’t hire my gun out to anyone.”
Tension built steam until it weighed on all of their shoulders. Eagle strolled around the two rooms, not really caring what was happening between Josiah and Travis.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Travis moved after him first.
“I wanted to see if they left anything behind. We have to find out where Ralph was shot. It might give us some idea who went after him.”
“But..” Josiah stayed near the door.
“I don’t have time to watch a pissing contest between the two of you. The longer I’m away, the more Irv is going to think I told you something I shouldn’t have, even though I don’t know anything.” He grinned at the two men.
“I’ve been all over the cabin. There’s nothing here besides dust and mice. If they did beat and shoot him here, they cleaned up after themselves.” Josiah waved a hand, encompassing the entire room.
“They had time to come back and clean up. No one came looking for Ralph when he disappeared. I heard they trailed his horse from the ranch to the edge of town, but once there, the hoof prints mixed with all the other mounts in the area and they lost them.” Eagle grimaced. “They weren’t the best trackers.”
“Would you have done a better job?” Travis wandered around the room, touching and moving things.
Eagle chuckled. “Of course. Barking Dog’s father would have blistered my hide if I couldn’t find one horse’s track in a mess of others, plus my father wasn’t too bad a tracker himself.”
“How are we going to find where they ambushed Ralph?” Travis sounded puzzled.
“We aren’t. It don’t matter where they got him anyway. He’s dead and they’ll reveal themselves soon enough. You are more than welcome to ride his land though. You might find something, but I don’t have time to do it.”
All three men swung toward the front of the cabin when Eagle’s mare snorted a warning. Three separate hoof beats sounded on the hard dirt leading to the porch.
“Hello, the house.” A deep gruff voice called out, giving Eagle the identity of one of the riders.
Josiah unpinned his badge and slid it in his front pocket. “Might as well go out and greet the man.”
“It’s Buffert. He’ll have Tuff Burns and Welton Jones with him. They’re dead cold shots and meaner than a snake, so watch them. Buffert’s not much of shot with his pistol, but I’ve seen him hit a rabbit in full flight with his rifle. Keep that in mind,” Eagle whispered before leading the way out of the cabin.
