Colt by Georgina Gentry

Author:Georgina Gentry [Gentry, Georgina]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2011-12-21T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Colt galloped back to the fort. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected to do when he got there. Maybe he was only curious to see the man Hannah had married, or maybe he wanted to stop Luther from taking her, which, of course, was not his business. He only knew he wanted to be there for Hannah when she faced her husband again.

He rode up to the major’s office, dismounted, and handed the horse’s reins to a private. “I don’t think I’ll be here long,” he said as he paused at the major’s door.

There was a fancy buggy tied up at the hitching rail. Strange, he’d thought the man would be some poor farmer. He squared his shoulders and walked in.

The major looked relieved. “Oh, there you are, Lieutenant. This is Luther Brownley.”

The lanky man stood up. He was well dressed, but looked like a farmer, red neck and tanned face. His beard was straggly and gray-streaked. He offered his hand, nodded, and said, “Howdy do?” and Colt could see his teeth were stained with chewing tobacco.

Colt shook his callused hand. “Good to meet you.” But he wasn’t glad to meet him at all. This well-dressed cracker was coming to take Hannah away.

The major motioned Colt to a chair. “I was just telling Mr. Brownley that you were the man who rescued his wife.”

“Well, thank you kindly,” Brownley said with no show of emotion. “She’s been gone most four years now.”

“Drink, gentlemen?” The major got out the bottle and tumblers.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Brownley grinned and took a glass, settled down in his chair.

Colt took a glass, but didn’t taste it. What was wrong with this man? If Hannah had been Colt’s long-lost wife, he would have wanted to see her immediately.

They drank, but the atmosphere seemed strained.

“So you’ve come to take Hannah home?” Colt asked finally, trying to understand this man.

“Not prezactly,” the other man said and drank his whiskey. “I was real surprised when the message came; I gave her up for dead a few months after she was carried off.”

“The major said it was hard to track you down, Mr. Brownley, being as how you had moved to another county,” Colt said.

Brownley grinned with his uneven, brown teeth. “Got a new, big farm now and a fancy house.”

Colt fiddled with his whiskey tumbler in the strained atmosphere. Finally he couldn’t stand the man’s lack of interest anymore. “Aren’t you wantin’ to know how she’s doin’ and what happened and see her?”

The other man frowned and reached in his jacket for a twist of chewing tobacco. “I reckon she’s all right, alive, at least, and I can guess what them savages did to her.” He frowned and Colt didn’t know what to say.

The major twisted in his chair. “Lieutenant, would you take Mr. Brownley down to her cabin so they can talk?”

Colt frowned. “Does she know he’s here?”

The major shook his head and didn’t meet Colt’s gaze. “I thought it might be a shock since they haven’t seen each other in so long.

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