Page 62 of Bullets and Dandelions

He shrugged. “Don’t know. Just can.”

“Do it again but louder?” I held out a ten-dollar bill.

He snatched the bill. “Yes, ma’am.” His howl echoed around the arena.

Everyone stared at us.

I gave them a friendly smile. “I’m calling in reinforcements.”

A coyote yipped.

Doss jerked upright. “Who hit me?”

“Get out of here, kid.”

The kid took one look at Doss’s furious face and bolted.

“Who hit me?” Doss demanded in his squeaky voice.

Assuming my best dumb blonde expression, I stared at him blankly. “Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, you dumb bitch. Did you see who hit me?” Doss bellowed.

“Watch your mouth, Sonny,” an old woman with purple hair yelled.

Doss got to his feet and glared at me. “You hit me, didn’t you?”

“And why would I do that?” How had Doss got hired as a deputy?

He pulled his gun. “Get your hands up and take off the gun belt.”

“Which is it? Get my hands up or take off the gun belt?”

“Get your hands up,” Doss shouted.

The click of a dozen guns being cocked sent a chill down my back. Holy hell! A lot of people were packing.

“Put your gun away, Sonny, or I’m gonna shoot your balls off,” the purple hair granny warned.

One look at the expression on the old woman’s face and I believed her. I raised my hands. Crap! Armed with long rifles, Buffalo Bill, Jolene and eight men were heading our way. Things were about to get ugly.

“I’m charging you with threatening a police officer,” Doss said nervously.

Why did testosterone make men so stupid? “If you’re smart, Deputy Doss, you’ll leave while you still can.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

I rolled my eyes. “You do realize you’re outnumbered.”

“I can handle them. Drop your gun belt, I’m confiscating your weapons,” Doss commanded.

“Arizona is an open carry state. I’m permitted to wear my guns any place I want.”

“Not in my town.”

I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess. You’re related to the Sheriff, aren’t you?”

“So?”

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