The man Sam had called Broom held up his hands. “I’m havin’ no part of this, boss. You want Judge Henry throwed out of here, you do it yerself.”
“Damn you, Broom,” Sam snapped. “You can get off the Lazy S as well.”
The tall cowboy’s weathered tan flushed beet-red. “You can’t do that, Mr. Steele. I worked for your father since you were both mites. Who else is gonna hire me with my gimpy leg?”
“You heard me,” the rancher replied. “You haven’t been worth your keep in years. Get the hell off this spread.”
“Not without my pay,” Broom said. “I’m owed—”
“You’re owed shit. You don’t follow my orders, you’re fired!” Sam advanced on Tamsin with a clenched fist. “I warned you to git off the Lazy S, woman.”
She took a step backward. “I’m going.”
Broom took a swing at Sam, and the rancher hit him hard in the face. The cowboy got in a weak punch to Sam’s chest, but the younger man’s return blow caught him full on the nose. Blood spurted as Broom went down on one knee. Sam followed up with a vicious kick to the midsection.
Broom groaned and sank to the ground. “You bastard,” he managed. “I’ll get you for this.”
Sam kicked him once more before glancing at the second cowhand and the man with the hammer. Swiftly, they moved toward Henry.
Swearing, the judge retreated to his buggy. “You’ll regret this, Sam,” he warned. “I’ll be back, and we’ll settle this for once and all.”
Tamsin touched Henry’s arm. “I’m on foot,” she said. “Could you at least give me a ride back to town?”
He scowled at her. “Get back the same way you got here.” The judge slapped his lines over the horse’s rump and drove away without looking back.
Sam gave Tamsin a shove. “Get moving,” he warned.
She winced as she heard Dancer’s angry whinny from the barn. “I’m going,” she repeated. But I’ll be back, too, she vowed silently. You can count on it.
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Colleen French is a multiple award-winning and bestselling novelist, daughter of bestselling novelist Judith E. French. Colleen French has written more than 125 novels under several pen names. Colleen's print books have sold more than 1 million copies and been translated into Bulgarian, French, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish. Colleen's Native American novels are inspired by her English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and Lenni-Lenape ancestry and the Del-Mar Peninsula near the Chesapeake Bay, where her family has made its home for more than 300 years. Colleen French was awarded The Diamond Award for Literary Excellence from the State of Delaware. Her books appeal to readers of C. J. Petit, Shirleen Davies, Karen Kay, Madeline Baker, Elle Marlow, Ellen O'Connell, Caroline Fyffe, and Hannah Howell. She can be contacted at [email protected].
BY COLLEEN FRENCH
CAPTIVE
FIRE DANCER'S CAPTIVE
FORBIDDEN CARESS
IN LOVE WITH THE KING'S SPY
MY SAVAGE LORD
PASSION'S SAVAGE MOON
SAVAGE SURRENDER
SWEET DECEPTION
THE HIGHWAYMAN AND THE LADY
Temptation’s Tender Kiss Page 34