Win Me Over by Heather Slade

Author:Heather Slade [Slade, Heather]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cowboys of Crested Butte Book Five
Published: 2018-02-04T16:00:00+00:00

1968

Bill sat at the table and waited for Clancy to continue. Instead of talking, Clancy stood, went to the refrigerator, and took out a beer. “Want one?”

Bill didn’t drink often, but cowboys didn’t pay much attention to him bein’ underage. This was the first time Clancy had offered him one at home, though.

“Sure.” He tried to sound nonchalant, while inside, he wanted to scream at Clancy to tell him what was going on with his mama. Maybe that’s why he offered him a beer, to calm him down some.

“You remember the first time we met Russ, right?”

Bill nodded.

“Neither of us had a good feeling about that man. And we were right.”

“What did he do to her?” Bill felt as though the top of his head was going to blow off. His anger had reached a boiling point. If that man had laid a hand on his mama, he’d kill him.

“It isn’t what you’re thinkin’. What he did brought more trouble on himself than it did on your mama and sister.”

“Just tell me, for Christ’s sake.” Bill stood and paced the kitchen floor.

“The first time I was called down there, was because Russ ended up in jail, and your mama asked me to come and bail him out. She didn’t have the money to do it.”

“What was he in for?”

“He got into it with some fellas he was playing cards with. That’s the root of the problem right there. Russ Snyder is a gambler.”

“You get arrested for that?”

“Nah, but you do get arrested for assault. When he gambles, he drinks. Drinkin’ is what brings on the violence.”

Bill set his beer on the counter. Just the thought of it was turning his stomach. “What did you have to do?”

“I got him out of jail and got him a lawyer. The lawyer got him off for time served and probation. Russ promised your mama he’d quit gamblin’, but it wasn’t six months before a friend of your mama called me again.”

“What happened then?”

“Pretty much the same thing, only this time your mama was too ashamed to call me. When I got there, I talked some sense into her. The next time it happened, she called me herself.”

“How many times?” Bill was trying to remember how many times Clancy had left the ranch with no explanation.

“All together, it happened six times. Not every circumstance was the same. A couple of times, he left for several days, and your mama had no idea how to find him. She was afraid he was gonna turn up dead.”

“Did you have to bail him out each time?” Bill couldn’t believe his mama would rely on Clancy that way. It wasn’t up to him to give her money. Bill had savings. He could’ve helped.

“What happened to what we’ve been sendin’ her? Does he take it from her?” Bill was spitting mad at the thought that his hard-earned money was being gambled away. It was for his mama and sister, not for Mr. Snyder.

“He doesn’t know about that money, somehow she’s managed to hide it from him.

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