Marry Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

can bring up from the ground same as every other miner. I bet Abe Dishman would hire you to work on the spur. You could ride the rails between here and Denver for free.”
    “Sounds like you have my life figured out.”
    Will offered up a sheepish grin. “It’s always easier to do with someone else’s.”
    “You still married to Miss Rose?”
    “I am.”
    “Then I think you’re doing all right for yourself.”
    Will had to agree. “Thank you. I reckon I am.” Runt had sidled closer so Will no longer had to look over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see the slight waver in Runt’s stance. “How old are you, Runt?”
    “Twenty-three.”
    “That’s what I thought. You think much about gettin’
    hitched?”
    “Now and again.”
    “There’s some new girls at Miss Adele’s. Could be there’s someone for you.”
    “I’m not sure I want a whore. No offense meant.” “None taken. I made my peace with how Rose made her living before I started courting her. I can’t see that you saying it outright is giving offense. Hell, the hardest thing she ever did was turn the fancy house over to Miss Adele. She cried off and on for five of the worst days of my life. I never saw a woman use as many handkerchiefs as she did, and I had to keep a couple or three spares in my pocket every time we went out. It wasn’t the honeymoon I’d imagined.”
    Will heard Runt chuckle but noted it was a weak effort. “You sure you won’t join me?”
    “I’m sure.”
    Will wondered if Judah had waled Runt on the ass. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to sit down. Will smoothly rose to his feet and brushed off his elbows. “Might as well go down then and meet the doc.”
    “I don’t think so,” said Runt. “Maybe next time. You go on, though. Don’t let me hold you up.”
    Will wondered what he could offer as enticement. Runt’s jaw was set stubbornly, and the look in his eyes didn’t exactly hint at surrender. Even though Runt stood slightly higher on the bank, Will still felt as if he was towering over him. Not that Runt would give ground. Unless his knees were cut out from under him, he’d stay right where he was out of sheer cussedness.
    “You know the sheriff’s going to chew me out if you don’t come with me.”
    “I sympathize but remain unmoved.”
    “The doc will probably complain the whole way back to town.”
    “And yet I am steadfast.”
    Will couldn’t prevent his short shout of laughter at Runt’s dry response. “Dammit, Runt, you ought not to do that. I’m serious.”
    “But I am constant as the northern star.”
    That gave Will pause. “Those are somebody else’s words, aren’t they?”
    Runt nodded. “Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I, by way of William Shakespeare.”
    “I thought so. That man could sure strike a prose.”
    This time it was Runt who gave up a chuckle. “Go on. Make some excuse for me.”
    Will couldn’t see that he was getting anywhere, so he finally gave in. “Everyone knows there’s no excuse for you.” Confident that he’d at least had the last word, he walked away. By his measure, he’d gone about twenty-two yards before a sound at his back brought him up short. He turned, saw Runt stagger, slip on his heels, then try to use his Winchester as a crutch. The rifle went right out from under him, and it was a shock to see him let go of it. He fell hard on his ass, clutching his privates like he’d been mule-kicked. Even more surprising than Runt losing his rifle was the holler that followed. Will didn’t think he’d ever heard Runt cry out like that before, and he’d seen him take some pretty good wallops from his brothers. The Abbot boys hardly ever winced when they were in pain, let alone hollered like their hair was on fire.
    Will Beatty’s loping stride swiftly carried him back up the hill. He hunkered down beside Runt and tried to get a look at what was wrong. Runt was curled tight, his hands still between his legs. “What the