Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold Read Online Free Page A

things worse.
    “Ed, I’m sorry as hell, and I sure sympathize with what you must be feeling, but I can’t marry her now.”
    Edward’s color had almost returned to normal. Now it rose again. “It’s bad enough she’s so stupid she was in his house in this condition, but if she says he didn’t hurt her yet, he didn’t. God knows she’s got her faults, but lying isn’t one of them. You heard what she said.”
    “I heard, and if you need to believe her, I understand. But I don’t.”
    As Detrick reached a pudgy hand toward her, Anne cringed away, but he didn’t touch her, just plucked at her hair, then held up a stalk of hay, twirling it between his fingers so the seed tassle at the end danced.
    “I slept in the barn,” Anne said furiously. “Cord didn’t even know I was here until just before you found me.”
    She couldn’t even hear her own last words over the coarse laughter of the man holding her. Samuels, she thought. Lem Samuels. His dirty looking friends, who had their guns on Cord, were the Meeks brothers and Red O’Brien. All four worked for the Double M Ranch east of town, an outfit known to hire hands willing to intimidate small land owners over grazing and water rights.
    Now Charlie Meeks spoke up. “I think you’re trying to marry the wrong couple, Wells. Bennett here will make things right. Won’t you?”
    “Absolutely not,” said Edward. “There are no circumstances under which I’d allow….”
    Meeks pulled Edward away from the others. At first as Meeks talked, Anne could see her father shaking his head steadily, but then she saw a slow nod, then several more.
    When the men returned there was an ugly smile on Meeks’ face. “I rode out here for a wedding, and I’m going to see a wedding. Now, tough man, you’re going to make it right, aren’t you?”
    “There’s nothing to make right,” Cord said flatly.
    “Oh, yes, there is, and you’re going to do it,” Meeks said.
    “Like hell.”
    Moments later Cord sagged almost unconscious. He had not said another word, but the defiance in his eyes made it clear Meeks wasn’t going to get what he wanted.
    With the first blow, Anne tried to cry out, but Samuels shifted his hold on her to just his left hand across her mouth, pulling her head viciously back against his shoulder, and forcing her spine into a painful arc. She clawed at his hand and arm but only tore her fingernails on his heavy jacket and leather glove. Kicks from Anne’s stocking-clad feet only gave Samuels cause to mock her.
    “You might as well quit tiring yourself out. You ain’t hurting nothing but your feet.”
    He then pulled his right glove off with his teeth. Muttering vile obscenities, he began to paw, pinch, and twist at every bit of her he could reach.
    Trying to see what Charlie Meeks was doing to Cord, squirming to avoid the disgusting pawing of her own person, Anne still saw stealthy movement across the yard. The brown, fox-faced dog that had escorted her to the barn last night was stalking hesitantly toward Cord and the men who held him.
    The movement also caught Charlie Meeks’ eye, and with a wider grin, he drew his pistol, boasting, “Watch this, boys.”
    Cord’s violent lunge caught them all by surprise, and spoiled Meeks’ aim. The sound of the shot and the dog’s scream came together, but the dog streaked under the porch ahead of Charlie’s second shot.
    Jimmy Meeks gave his brother a knowing look and drawled, “The tough man didn’t like that one bit, Charlie. Maybe digging that mutt out would get us some cooperation here.”
    Charlie shook his head thoughtfully, then turned to Thomas White, a saloon keeper from town, and said, “See those horses in the corral? Catch one up and bring it over here.”
    Anne had been trying to convince herself that neither her father nor Reverend Pratt knew what Samuels was doing to her. Now, as everyone waited while White got a halter from the barn and caught one of the all too friendly horses, she saw