Outlaw Hearts
Page 61
Brad stood there shaking and sweating. He opened his mouth, and Jeff realized the young man couldn’t breathe. The blow to his chest had probably knocked the air out of him.
“Take his gun, Sparky,” Harkner ordered the sheriff, seemingly unaffected as Brad’s face started going white with the struggle for air. A huge split in the skin at the right side of his face bled profusely, and the whole side of his head was already turning purple.
The sheriff ran up and took Brad’s gun from its holster. Still using only one arm, Harkner threw Brad violently off the boardwalk and into the street. “When he can breathe again, somebody help him up and take him over to the jail,” he ordered.
Brad rolled over with an ugly gurgling sound. He held one hand to the ear that had taken the brunt of the rifle shot, blood dripping into the dirt from the gash at the side of his face. Harkner glanced up then, his dark eyes boring into Jeff’s. Jeff stood there frozen in place as the man stalked closer.
“You’ve been watching me. Who the hell are you and what do you want?”
Jeff swallowed. “I…my name is Jeff Trubridge, and I’m…I’m a reporter…from Chicago. I didn’t mean any harm.” He held out his arms, his small pad of paper in one hand and a pencil in the other. “I don’t even own or know how to use a gun.”
Harkner glanced over at Brad, who was now crying as he got to his feet with the sheriff’s help, then crumpled to his knees again. The marshal turned back to Jeff. “I’m not in a very good mood right now, Trubridge, so whatever you want, it will have to wait a couple of days.”
“But—”
“Monday!” Harkner growled. “Tomorrow my wife goes to church, and I need some time with my family.”
“Yes, sir.” Jeff was glad to realize the man actually meant to hear him out. He felt a now-painful need to urinate as he watched the marshal walk away. His wife approached him with a devastated look on her face. Jeff could see the love there and realized her concern was over how Brad’s remark about fathers might have hurt her husband. Jeff started after him, but the young man with the doctor’s bag put out his arm.
“Leave him alone,” he warned. “This isn’t a good time. Surely you can see that.”
Jeff faced the sandy-haired and very handsome young man of medium but sturdy build. The doctor’s blue eyes showed deep concern and something else. Love? For his father-in-law? Jeff found all of it hard to believe—his wife’s loving concern, the doctor’s, the friendly manner in which Sparky and the Mexican spoke with Jake Harkner… “Are you Jake Harkner’s son-in-law?”
“Dr. Brian Stewart, and I have some prisoners to tend to. I want your promise to stay away from my father-in-law the rest of today, though. The man has been on the trail for over three weeks, and I suspect he’s damn tired. Combined with what just happened, that isn’t a good mix for a man like Jake.”
Jeff watched Jake and his wife walk up the street. “Will his wife be okay?”
“What?” Brian looked at him as if he were crazy.
“Well, Jake Harkner is in one hell of a bad mood. Is she safe?”
Brian grinned and shook his head. “Mister, I don’t know everything you’ve heard about the man, but Jake would slit his own throat before he’d raise his hand or even his voice to that woman. She’ll be just fine. Times like this, she’s the only one who can calm him down. That woman has my father-in-law wrapped around her little finger so tight, he couldn’t cut himself away with a bowie knife.”
It struck Jeff again how badly he needed to urinate. “I, uh, I need to find a privy.”
Brian chuckled. “Yeah, Jake does that to a man sometimes.” He nodded toward a building across the street. “There’s a privy over there behind that store.”
Jeff nodded, embarrassed. “Thanks.” He hurried away, stepping around barrels that still lay in the street and thinking how there was nothing old or soft or weak about Marshal Jake Harkner. He was every bit the notorious, hardened ex-outlaw he’d expected. He had to urinate so badly that he unbuttoned his pants as he half ran to the privy, and he’d barely made it inside before his bladder let loose, spilling out pent-up anxiety and fear along with urine.
He wondered if any man had literally wet his pants when faced down by Jake Harkner.
Order Rosanne Bittner’s next book
in the Outlaw Hearts series
Do Not Forsake Me
On sale July 2015
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Paradise Valley
by Rosanne Bittner
USA Today Bestselling Author
***
Maggie Tucker has just gone through hell. Outlaws murdered her husband, looted their camp, and terrorized Maggie before leaving her lost and alone in the wilds of Wyoming. She isn’t about to let another strange man get close enough to harm her.
Sage Lightfoot, owner of Paradise Valley ranch, is hunting for the men who killed his best ranch hand. But what he finds is a beautiful, bedraggled woman digging a grave. And pointing a pistol at his heart.
From that moment on, Sage will do anything to protect the strong-yet-vulnerable Maggie. Together, they’ll embark on a life-changing journey along the dangerous Outlaw Trail, risking their lives…and their love.
***
“One of the most powerful voices in Western romance returns with a gritty, earthy, moving love story that captures the true spirit of the West. Bittner sweeps readers away with a powerful tale.” —RT Book Reviews
For more Rosanne Bittner, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Desperate Hearts
by Rosanne Bittner
USA Today Bestselling Author
***
She’s a woman with a secret
Elizabeth Wainright is on the run. Accused of a murder she didn’t commit, she has no choice but to cut ties with her old life and flee west. The last thing she wants is attention, but when her stagecoach is attacked, she suddenly finds herself under the fierce protection of one of Montana’s famed vigilantes…whether she likes it or not.
He’s a man with a code
Lawman Mitch Brady is sworn to uphold justice in the wild lands of 1860s Montana. He’s never met a man he’s feared, and he’s never met a woman more desperately in need of his help. Something’s shaken the secretive Elizabeth, but as he gets to know the beautiful city belle, he finds the only thing he wants more than her safety…is her trust.
***
“Fans of such authors as Jodi Thomas and Georgina Gentry will enjoy Bittner’s thrilling tale of crime and love in the Old West.” —Booklist Online
For more Rosanne Bittner, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Twice a Texas Bride
Bachelors of Battle Creek Series
by Linda Broday
New York Times Bestselling Author
***
Left with emotional scars from his time in an orphanage, Rand Sinclair has vowed never to marry. But when he discovers Callie Quinn and a small, scared boy hiding on his ranch, he can’t help but open his home to the desperate runaways.
Callie has been betrayed by every man she’s ever known. While she’s grateful for Rand’s incredible kindness, she knows it’s only a matter of time before he shows his true colors. But she needs this safe haven—maybe the outlaw on her trail won’t find them here. Yet as Rand slowly uncovers her secret fears, they each come to realize that the only way to keep her safe is for Rand to risk everything by offering her the protection of his name…and his heart.
***
“Linda Broday’s books always take me back to a West that feels tru
e. Her love stories run deep with emotion.” —Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Promise Me Texas
For more Linda Broday, visit:
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About the Author
Award-winning novelist Rosanne Bittner is highly acclaimed for her thrilling love stories and historical authenticity. Her epic romances span the West—from Canada to Mexico, Missouri to California—and are often based on personal visits to each setting. She lives in Michigan with her husband Larry and near her two sons Brock and Brian, and three grandsons, Brennan, Connor, and Blake. You can learn much more about Rosanne and her books through her website at www.rosannebittner.com and her blog at www.rosannebittner.blogspot.com. Be sure to visit Rosanne on Facebook and Twitter!