The Outlaw's Return by Victoria Bylin

Author:Victoria Bylin
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Love Inspired Historical
Published: 2011-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

J.T. watched Mary pass through the door, silently wishing her luck as she went to check on her sister. He’d seen the girl leave the church, and he’d been struck by the cocky tilt of her chin. Gertie had Mary’s fire but none of her experience. She’d be easy prey for Roy, a thought that filled J.T. with familiar bitterness. He didn’t want Gertie or anyone else to have scars like his own.

It was a long walk to Swan’s Nest, so he decided to fetch his horse from the livery and ride double with Gus. After he spoke with Mary about Roy, he’d get ready for the camping trip. Yesterday he’d finished the roof except for the bell tower, which required a batch of smaller shingles that had to be cut. Josh had been pleased to hear about the trip with Gus and had offered to loan them fishing poles.

Until this morning, J.T. had liked the minister, even respected him. While working on the church, Josh was just…Josh. He laughed when other men laughed, and he sympathized with their troubles. That man had preached today, and he’d thrown down some hard words. Halfway through the sermon, J.T. had been so angry he’d stopped listening. “Come on,” he said to Gus. “Let’s get out of here.”

They were close to the door when Josh blocked their path. “Good to see you, J.T.”

J.T. scowled. “Reverend Blue.”

Josh’s lips tipped up. “I wear a preacher’s collar for church, but that’s the only difference from the rest of the week. I’m still Josh. Do you have a minute?”

“Nope.” He turned to leave, but the minister gripped his arm. No one stopped J.T. from leaving, and he indicated that fact to the good Reverend Blue with a steely look. “What do you want?”

Josh released his arm. “A minute of your time.”

“What for?”

“You started snarling halfway through the sermon. I want to know why.”

J.T. put a hand over his heart. “You gave a fine sermon, reverend. It was downright glorious, chock-full of sweetness and light. I was blessed indeed to hear you talk about turning the other cheek.”

Josh raised one eyebrow. “You’re good at sarcasm.”

J.T. said nothing.

“There’s more to this message,” Josh said in a firm tone. “Next Sunday we’re going to talk about when it’s right to fight. I suspect you know something about that.”

“I do.”

“Good,” he said. “Come back. You can tell me if I’m getting it right.”

The minister was toying with him. Fine. If Josh wanted to argue, J.T. would give him an earful at Swan’s Nest.

As the man stepped aside, J.T. muttered, “See you later,” and headed for the door. Gus, imitating him, repeated his words and they left, walking in silence until they got to the livery. The old man running the place saddled J.T.’s horse, brought it out and accepted a tip. J.T. swung into the saddle and pulled Gus up behind him. He could feel the buckskin prancing as they passed the alley where Gus had been attacked.

The boy tensed. “L-l-ook!”

Turning, J.

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