couldn’t bite a woman, but the wolf wanted to.
Mike took half a step toward his mother. “We love you, Mom. Please, don’t be like this.”
“Like what?”
Mike’s arms waved helplessly. “So mean. So uncaring.”
“Someone has to care about me. I’m the best person for the job. It’s not like anyone else will do it.”
Snake was surprised Mel didn’t spit. She looked like she wanted to. “What do you call what we’ve done for you for the past six years?”
“Giving me what I deserve. You’re a fool, you and your brothers. You know what the Bible says about fools and their gold?”
“Now, Carrie,” Bart said again, weakly.
Mel’s hand slid down to her pistol butt to stroke it. “We worried about you. We imagined you were being raped and beaten by thieves. Almost every year, we worried we wouldn’t be able to scrape the money together. We were terrified we’d get another finger in the mail,” Mel said calmly, conversationally. “We stretched food as far as it could go, put patches over worn out patches instead of spending money on new clothes, all so we could put every penny aside for your ransom. And for what?”
“For me!” Carrie yelled back.
“Yeah, for you. Because we thought you were worth it.”
Her daughter’s scorn made Carrie hiss like an angry cat. “I am worth it. I was the most popular girl in Kansas, but I wasted my youth and my beauty on that damn ranch. Why shouldn’t I have what I need to live the life I deserve?”
Mike wasn’t quite as harsh as Mel, but he was firm. “You don’t have the right to bankrupt the ranch to have what you want.”
“If losing a few lousy strips of gold makes your precious ranch fail, I call it a good job.”
Mel snapped straight. “The Flying D will never fail. We’ve worked damned hard to keep it running, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to keep it that way.”
“Oh, sure, that disgusting piece of land is worth more than anything else in the world to a Dirk. You think your father loved me? A single blade of grass was more valuable to Matthew Dirk than the woman he married, as long as it grew on the Flying D. God, how I hated that ranch.”
“What about us?” Mike pleaded. “We’re your children. Do you hate us?”
She shrugged. “I don’t hate you. It’s not your fault your father was a bastard, and every time I look at you I see him.”
“Then you don’t have to look at us anymore.” Mel lifted her chin, but Snake could see her heart breaking, icy shards cascading through her eyes. He felt his wolf rake his heart with his claws when he saw how his mate suffered. “And you’ll never see another penny from the Flying D. Let’s go, Mike.”
“Wait,” said Stone. “Aren’t we going to kill them?” His gaze wavered when he looked at the woman. “At least him?”
Mel shook her head. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re already dead.”
Snake extended Mel’s rifle to her. He’d rather have picked her up and carried her away from the pain he saw behind her stony façade. “Let’s go home,” he said gently, putting all the love he felt into his voice.
Her mother sneered. “Is that your husband?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”
Snake stood unmoving under her derisive scrutiny. “A naked savage? Really, Melissa Ann, couldn’t you do better than that?”
“Only my family is allowed to call me Melissa Ann.” Her voice could have been an ax, slamming through wood. “And no, I couldn’t do better. There is no one better than Snake. Good-bye, Mrs. Jackson.”
Snake’s heart grew three sizes as Mel walked past him. His mate thought no one was better than he was! His delight in her words tangled with his knowledge of her pain. As he hurried to catch up with her to defend her from any possible danger outside the barn, he heard Mike say stiffly, “Mom, Mel’s right about the money. We can’t send you any more. Mr. Jackson, where’s the money you took this morning?”
Snake
Mike took half a step toward his mother. “We love you, Mom. Please, don’t be like this.”
“Like what?”
Mike’s arms waved helplessly. “So mean. So uncaring.”
“Someone has to care about me. I’m the best person for the job. It’s not like anyone else will do it.”
Snake was surprised Mel didn’t spit. She looked like she wanted to. “What do you call what we’ve done for you for the past six years?”
“Giving me what I deserve. You’re a fool, you and your brothers. You know what the Bible says about fools and their gold?”
“Now, Carrie,” Bart said again, weakly.
Mel’s hand slid down to her pistol butt to stroke it. “We worried about you. We imagined you were being raped and beaten by thieves. Almost every year, we worried we wouldn’t be able to scrape the money together. We were terrified we’d get another finger in the mail,” Mel said calmly, conversationally. “We stretched food as far as it could go, put patches over worn out patches instead of spending money on new clothes, all so we could put every penny aside for your ransom. And for what?”
“For me!” Carrie yelled back.
“Yeah, for you. Because we thought you were worth it.”
Her daughter’s scorn made Carrie hiss like an angry cat. “I am worth it. I was the most popular girl in Kansas, but I wasted my youth and my beauty on that damn ranch. Why shouldn’t I have what I need to live the life I deserve?”
Mike wasn’t quite as harsh as Mel, but he was firm. “You don’t have the right to bankrupt the ranch to have what you want.”
“If losing a few lousy strips of gold makes your precious ranch fail, I call it a good job.”
Mel snapped straight. “The Flying D will never fail. We’ve worked damned hard to keep it running, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to keep it that way.”
“Oh, sure, that disgusting piece of land is worth more than anything else in the world to a Dirk. You think your father loved me? A single blade of grass was more valuable to Matthew Dirk than the woman he married, as long as it grew on the Flying D. God, how I hated that ranch.”
“What about us?” Mike pleaded. “We’re your children. Do you hate us?”
She shrugged. “I don’t hate you. It’s not your fault your father was a bastard, and every time I look at you I see him.”
“Then you don’t have to look at us anymore.” Mel lifted her chin, but Snake could see her heart breaking, icy shards cascading through her eyes. He felt his wolf rake his heart with his claws when he saw how his mate suffered. “And you’ll never see another penny from the Flying D. Let’s go, Mike.”
“Wait,” said Stone. “Aren’t we going to kill them?” His gaze wavered when he looked at the woman. “At least him?”
Mel shook her head. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re already dead.”
Snake extended Mel’s rifle to her. He’d rather have picked her up and carried her away from the pain he saw behind her stony façade. “Let’s go home,” he said gently, putting all the love he felt into his voice.
Her mother sneered. “Is that your husband?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”
Snake stood unmoving under her derisive scrutiny. “A naked savage? Really, Melissa Ann, couldn’t you do better than that?”
“Only my family is allowed to call me Melissa Ann.” Her voice could have been an ax, slamming through wood. “And no, I couldn’t do better. There is no one better than Snake. Good-bye, Mrs. Jackson.”
Snake’s heart grew three sizes as Mel walked past him. His mate thought no one was better than he was! His delight in her words tangled with his knowledge of her pain. As he hurried to catch up with her to defend her from any possible danger outside the barn, he heard Mike say stiffly, “Mom, Mel’s right about the money. We can’t send you any more. Mr. Jackson, where’s the money you took this morning?”
Snake
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