Page 47 of Defending Casey

Nora was sobbing, rocking as she held her leg close.

“Hale-”

“Case. Please.”

He reached behind her, and she heard his rifle clear the scabbard and her heart stopped.

The sound that she heard next made her feel faint.

A rattle.

It seemed to echo off every surface in the area, but a quick, frantic look told her exactly where the rattlesnake was. Just about a foot away from Nora’s leg. It was a young rattler and small enough that it had taken her a moment to see it among the brush and shadows, but that didn’t make it any less dangerous. Any less deadly. Casey began to pray.

She heard Hale beside her chamber a bullet into the rifle with the lever and settle it against his shoulder.

Focused on their daughter, Casey stopped breathing, willing the world to stop spinning and time to freeze. Anything to protect Nora from harm.

She wanted to scream and yell and tell Hale to hurry up, but she knew better than that. She was a country girl. She knew that calm and methodical was always the best way to handle moments like this.

Quiet. Cautious. Those were the things that mattered when someone’s life was on the-

The shot split the air.

“Go.”

At Hale’s word she took off at a run, barely coming to a stop when she picked Nora off the ground and moved back toward the horses. Hale wrapped his arms around both of them and hugged them tight.

She kissed Nora over and over before leaning into Hale’s embrace.

Life had never been so precious as that moment when they’d come so close to losing it.

It took awhile before any of them felt like moving, but when they did, she looked up at Hale and saw the naked relief in his eyes and felt the love in his arms.

They weren’t ready to make any sweeping decisions about their future, but she knew that this, their family, was on the right track.

* * *

Hale had intendedto go home after the eventful ride to the old mining camp, but instead of going straight there, he found himself on Brian’s doorstep.

He didn’t have to wait long for him to answer the door and to say that his welcome wasn’t warm was a massive understatement.

The look in Brian’s eyes would have frozen hell.

“What do you want?”

Hale shook his head. Wondering why ten years felt like fifty when it came to Brian.

“I’m here about Casey.”

Brian scoffed. “What? She just told you?” He stepped back from the door, leaving it open behind him. “Trouble in Fool’s Gold, cousin?”

He didn’t want to tell Brian that he’d been away for a few days. That wasn’t his business. “She told me, that’s what matters. And the fact that you put your hands on her when she didn’t want you to… that’s why I’m here.”

The smile that touched Brian’s lips was smug, almost secretive in a way. “Just my hands? Well, maybe she is holding something back after all.” He crossed to the kitchenette and opened the fridge. “You want a beer, hero?”

Hale shook his head. “No thanks.”

“Good.” Brian pulled one out and shut the door. “I would have made you get it yourself anyway.”

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