Sophie by Margaret Tanner

Author:Margaret Tanner
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2018-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

The weeks passed, the passion between them intensified. Gabe spent a lot of time with her, and Sophie’s feelings for him grew.

Carl was a regular visitor. His attitude toward her did not soften. He was cold and distant, and she avoided him as much as possible. Gabe still had an occasional nightmare, although they were lessening in frequency and intensity. Each day he spent time throwing his knives at a mounted circular target in a back room. He was quick, and deadly accurate.

No-one ever entered the private quarters now as she had volunteered to do the cleaning to fill in time when Gabe was not around. She had fallen in love with him, but lived in fear that he would banish her once their flaming passion burnt itself out.

Gabe and Carl were preparing for a trip to Londrigan to collect supplies. If Carl had not been accompanying Gabe, she would have gone with him. She detested the man and the feeling was obviously mutual. In fact, what he felt for her was sheer hatred.

A grinning Gabe strode into the sitting room. She put her sewing aside and jumped up from the chair to greet him. Their mouths met in a hungry, passionate kiss.

“Enough for now.” He put her to one side. “Are you sure you won’t come with us?”

She shook her head.

“All right, if you’re sure, I’ll just go over to the Mercantile.”

A few minutes after he strode off, she heard a commotion, the sound of breaking glass and shouting from the bar. She dashed into the bar. George had left his son Billy to mind the place while he went to the bank.

“You stupid boy,” a tall cowboy growled, grabbing the boy by one ear and dragging him along. “A half-wit like you should be mucking out the stables, not working in a hotel.”

“Let Billy go. How dare you speak to ….” Like a giant fist, shock punched the air from her lungs.

She knew the man. He had been a regular at Delores’ saloon until he was banned for roughing up one of the women.

He glanced up. “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Russell.” He glared at her. “It’s your fault I got kicked out of the Bucking Stallion.”

“You were a trouble maker.”

“He was murdered. Did you know that?”

“What! Who are you talking about?”

“Your husband, Max Russell.”

Sophie gasped in shock, her hands flew to her mouth.

George rushed in and dragged the cowboy out of the hotel by the scruff of his neck.

Gabe stood in the doorway, his face so white she thought he was ill. Momentarily he looked frozen to the spot, then he leapt across the room, grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her out of the bar and into his quarters.

“What’s wrong?” she asked frantically. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Not a ghost, the devil incarnate – Max Russell’s wife.”

“You killed my wife,” he snarled. “You and that despicable husband of yours. I stopped to help you and what thanks did I get?”

“But, Gabe I….”

“Shut up.

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