drinks of the appalling spirits the saloon sold, then headed to the hotel.
Casey’s upset could have been avoided entirely, but as usual, he had dismissed Damian as a means of assistance, wanting to handle the matter all on his own—just like he’d done on the train.
On the train, Casey had assumed that Damian hadn’t done any damage shooting out of the window, when he had in fact wounded each one of the train robbers as they rode away. If they didn’t have a doctor as a member of their gang, they’d draw quite a bit of attention if they went to one in a town. If nothing else, they’d be slowed down, giving the law a chance to quickly apprehend them.
At the hotel, he found Casey standing in front of the window in the tiny room they would besharing, no doubt staring down at Old Sam in the street and still brooding over his loss. Damian could say something about overconfidence leading to ruin, but he decided not to. The kid probably felt bad enough as it was.
Casey hadn’t heard him enter. Damian had to clear his throat to draw the boy’s attention so he could tell him, “You can stop moping. I managed to—”
He didn’t get to finish, since the kid swung around and blasted him. “Why did you let me do it?! Why? Old Sam has been with me since I was twelve. I raised him from a colt. He’s like family!”
Damian was struck completely speechless for a moment. That much emotion from a boy who usually kept all emotion firmly under control was a bit overwhelming. Damian’s defenses were quick to rise because of it.
“Now just a damn minute,” he said. “You can hardly blame me—”
“Can’t I?”
“No, you can’t. I wasn’t the one who suggested gambling your horse away, Casey. In fact, if you’ll recall, I wasn’t too pleased about what you started in that saloon and said so at the time.”
Damian tried to keep a curb on his own anger, not easy with so much undeserved heated emotion coming his way. He’d had a feeling that Old Sam meant more to the kid than just a means of transportation. He’d been right, obviously, or Casey wouldn’t still be this upset.
But keeping his own anger under control only seemed to intensify Casey’s, because he ignoredDamian’s reasonable reply and shouted, “It wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t here, and I wouldn’t be here if—”
Damian cut in with the reminder “You didn’t have to take the job.”
“Good, because I quit!”
Damian wasn’t expecting that. He’d figured the kid would have a bit more honor than to renege on a deal because of a setback or two.
He shook his head, saying in disgust, “I’ve seen some temper tantrums in my day, brat, but you’re about to win a prize for the worst.”
“How dare—!”
“Oh, shut up, Casey. If you hadn’t jumped down my throat the minute I walked in, I would have told you that I managed to get your horse back for you.”
Casey’s expression of surprise was almost comical. “You did?”
But then he blanched as it dawned on him what he’d just said. He took a step back, dangerously close to the open window, as if he’d been punched backward. And the wail he made was pathetic.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” he groaned.
“Too late—”
“No, I am really sorry, Damian. If you’ll let me explain…I wasn’t really angry at you, I was furious with myself. I don’t tolerate stupidity much, and what I did in that saloon was really stupid.”
Damian couldn’t have agreed more. “I agree, you never should have made that bet—”
“I don’t mean that,” Casey interrupted. “The bet was a good one.”
Damian frowned. “Then what the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about aiming for the edge of the coin, because it was so small. And when it came down to it, I didn’t want to take the chance of singeing your fingers.”
Damian blinked. “Are you saying you missed the coin on purpose?”
“No.” Casey shook his head. “I just didn’t center my aim on it as I
Casey’s upset could have been avoided entirely, but as usual, he had dismissed Damian as a means of assistance, wanting to handle the matter all on his own—just like he’d done on the train.
On the train, Casey had assumed that Damian hadn’t done any damage shooting out of the window, when he had in fact wounded each one of the train robbers as they rode away. If they didn’t have a doctor as a member of their gang, they’d draw quite a bit of attention if they went to one in a town. If nothing else, they’d be slowed down, giving the law a chance to quickly apprehend them.
At the hotel, he found Casey standing in front of the window in the tiny room they would besharing, no doubt staring down at Old Sam in the street and still brooding over his loss. Damian could say something about overconfidence leading to ruin, but he decided not to. The kid probably felt bad enough as it was.
Casey hadn’t heard him enter. Damian had to clear his throat to draw the boy’s attention so he could tell him, “You can stop moping. I managed to—”
He didn’t get to finish, since the kid swung around and blasted him. “Why did you let me do it?! Why? Old Sam has been with me since I was twelve. I raised him from a colt. He’s like family!”
Damian was struck completely speechless for a moment. That much emotion from a boy who usually kept all emotion firmly under control was a bit overwhelming. Damian’s defenses were quick to rise because of it.
“Now just a damn minute,” he said. “You can hardly blame me—”
“Can’t I?”
“No, you can’t. I wasn’t the one who suggested gambling your horse away, Casey. In fact, if you’ll recall, I wasn’t too pleased about what you started in that saloon and said so at the time.”
Damian tried to keep a curb on his own anger, not easy with so much undeserved heated emotion coming his way. He’d had a feeling that Old Sam meant more to the kid than just a means of transportation. He’d been right, obviously, or Casey wouldn’t still be this upset.
But keeping his own anger under control only seemed to intensify Casey’s, because he ignoredDamian’s reasonable reply and shouted, “It wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t here, and I wouldn’t be here if—”
Damian cut in with the reminder “You didn’t have to take the job.”
“Good, because I quit!”
Damian wasn’t expecting that. He’d figured the kid would have a bit more honor than to renege on a deal because of a setback or two.
He shook his head, saying in disgust, “I’ve seen some temper tantrums in my day, brat, but you’re about to win a prize for the worst.”
“How dare—!”
“Oh, shut up, Casey. If you hadn’t jumped down my throat the minute I walked in, I would have told you that I managed to get your horse back for you.”
Casey’s expression of surprise was almost comical. “You did?”
But then he blanched as it dawned on him what he’d just said. He took a step back, dangerously close to the open window, as if he’d been punched backward. And the wail he made was pathetic.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” he groaned.
“Too late—”
“No, I am really sorry, Damian. If you’ll let me explain…I wasn’t really angry at you, I was furious with myself. I don’t tolerate stupidity much, and what I did in that saloon was really stupid.”
Damian couldn’t have agreed more. “I agree, you never should have made that bet—”
“I don’t mean that,” Casey interrupted. “The bet was a good one.”
Damian frowned. “Then what the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about aiming for the edge of the coin, because it was so small. And when it came down to it, I didn’t want to take the chance of singeing your fingers.”
Damian blinked. “Are you saying you missed the coin on purpose?”
“No.” Casey shook his head. “I just didn’t center my aim on it as I
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