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“IT WAS YOU!” DALLAS King said as he looked at Colton, who proudly watched as Ella walked out the door. “It’s all your fault! You and she probably cooked up this whole scheme to steal my money!”
Colton laughed without humor. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Colton responded as he looked into his eyes. “She would have married you if you hadn’t been such an arrogant ass.” He took a step closer. “But if I had known that you had laid a hand on her, I would have killed you myself.” He turned and walked toward the door.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
Colton stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face him, his hands itching to draw the guns at his sides and kill him in cold blood. But he wasn’t going to risk everything—including a chance with Ella—for Dallas King. “Yes, I am, but that has nothing to do with it.”
Dallas laughed when he saw the look in Colton’s eyes. “I think it has everything to do with it. Are you sure you didn’t give her this money?” He took a step closer, holding the wad of money that Ella had left behind. He shoved it into Colton’s pocket. “Here! It’s probably yours! I’d bet you gave it to her to pay me off! What happened? You couldn’t find a wife of your own so you bought my future wife?”
Without thinking about it, Colton grabbed his shirt collar, pulled him close, and let his fist fly into his face, breaking his nose. “How dare you speak about a lady like that?” Colton screamed as he hit him again.
Dallas’s friends started to intervene, but Dallas held them back. “No! This is between Colton Hill and me! No one interferes!” He turned around and punched Colton in the jaw.
Colton staggered a bit, but reared back and punched him in the face over and again and in the stomach, sending him flying to the floor. Colton started to walk away, but Dallas grabbed a nearby chair and hit Colton across the back with it. While Colton was dazed, Dallas grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the bar.
“I’m going to kill you myself!”
Holden, who was standing behind the bar, set a bottle of whiskey on the bar within Colton’s reach. Colton grabbed it and smashed it against Dallas’s head. “Thanks, Holden,” Colton acknowledged as he got up. “I owe you one.”
“You both owe me for that good bottle of booze!” Pete McGregor yelled across the room. Then he looked at the sheriff, who was watching everything. “Aren’t you going to do something about this? They’re ruining my saloon!”
“Sshhh,” Sheriff Clark said as he held up a hand to silence him, enjoying the fight a little too much.
Colton grabbed Dallas off the floor and punched him in the face again. Dallas dove into his stomach, sending Colton flying onto the table, and it crashed to the ground. Colton got up and dove for Dallas, sending them flying through the doors and into the dirt street as everyone followed. Colton picked him up and punched him in the face again, but was starting to wear down. He punched him again for good measure, and marched him across the street to the sheriff’s office.
Inside, he opened the door of the other cell, threw Dallas in, and slammed the door. “You’re under arrest!” Colton declared, staggering back a bit as blood and bruises covered his face.
“What for?”
“For abusing a lady, for one thing!” Colton took a step closer. “And for another thing, being ugly!” He stepped even closer. “And another thing: you owe Ella Raines an apology! I’m not letting you out until you give it to her!”
“Like hell I’m going to apologize to that witch!” Dallas yelled as he grabbed the cell bars.
Sheriff Clark walked in, smiling as he perched on the edge of his desk, enjoying seeing Dallas behind bars.
“Are you going to stand there and leave me in here?” Dallas demanded, shaking the unmovable steel bars.
Daxton suppressed a smile and shrugged. “You heard the man. I’m not letting you out until you’re willing to apologize to the lady.”
“Like hell I will!” Dallas yelled.
“Well, it looks like we’re both in here because of the same woman,” Gunner chortled.
“Shut up!” Dallas screamed and turned back to Colton. “You’ll never get away with this! I’ll have your badge!”
Colton shrugged. “Nah, you wouldn’t make a good deputy. You can’t take orders. And as for this money....” Colton pulled the money from his shirt pocket. “I’m giving it back to Ella. After all, she deserves it for having to put up with you!”
“I was the best thing that ever happened to her, and she knows it!” Dallas shouted from his cell.
Colon laughed. “You mean, she was the best thing that ever happened to you, and you blew it. She is sweet, sensitive, and has a big, loving heart... things that you would know nothing about. When you’re ready to apologize, let me know and I’ll let you out.” Colton dangled the keys in front of him then handed them to Sheriff Clark.
“Hey! Let me out, too!” Gunner yelled as he reached through the bar for the keys, but Colton and the sheriff ignored him.
“Are you going to let him talk to me that way?” he asked the sheriff.
The sheriff slid the keys into his pocket. “You heard the man. When you’re ready to apologize and after you sober up, I’ll let you out.”
Dallas shook the bars. “How dare you? You can’t do this to me. I’m Dallas King!”
Gunner laughed so hard that Colton thought he was going to have a heart attack.
The sheriff laughed, too. “Well, a lot of good that’s going to do you now.” He turned and walked toward Colton and clasped his shoulder. “Ready?”
“Sure!” Colton exclaimed. “Hey. Wait a minute! Do you think we need to send for a plate?” He nodded toward Dallas.
The sheriff shook his head. “Naw!” Then he looked over at Dallas. “You aren’t hungry, are you?”
“You’re both going to pay for this!” Dallas screamed.
“Doesn’t sound like an apology to me,” Daxton said matter-of-factly. “Does it to you, Colton?”
Colton shook his head. “No. It sure doesn’t. Are you hungry?”
Dallas was screaming, but Daxton and Colton ignored him.
“Yeah. As a matter-of-fact, I am,” Daxton teased.
The sheriff lit an oil lamp on the desk and they walked out, leaving Dallas behind.