There was no hope for them. It was better if she accepted that.
Spurlock stopped to camp for the night just as the sun was setting. He got a fire going and gnawed on some hard biscuits and jerky, which he didn’t seem inclined to share. Adam did his best to ignore him. The night was actually pleasant, if he didn’t think too hard about the fact that he’d broken the heart of the woman he loved and was sitting there ignoring small talk from the man who’d forced him to do it. He tilted his head back and watched the stars.
After several minutes of silence, Spurlock shook his head and let out a bark of a laugh. Adam glanced over at him, and Spurlock just shook his head.
“If I’d known you were going to be this miserable, I’d have brought your little plaything along, just for some entertainment,” Spurlock said. “Though there really isn’t anything little about her, is there?”
Adam’s stomach dropped. “Excuse me?”
Spurlock waved him off. “Don’t worry. I don’t mean that kind of entertainment. I prefer my women a little less…mountainous. But I did enjoy watching you break her heart. Even though she tried to hide it. Honestly, though, I didn’t think you had it in you. I’ve been following you for what…the better part of a year now? You’re a surprisingly well-liked man for all that you’re a gunslinging gambler.”
“Better be careful with all those compliments, Spurlock. I might start to think you like me a little.”
Spurlock snorted. “You’re a pain in my ass, Brady. I’ll be glad to be rid of you. I’ve got bigger game to catch. You’ve been nothing but a waste of my time and energy.”
“Gee, Spurlock, I’m flattered. That a man of your caliber has deigned to hunt down a small-time man like me. I think I’m honored.”
“You should be,” he sneered.
“Hey, the last thing I want to be is a burden. I’d be happy to remove myself from your presence. Just toss me the keys to these shackles here and I’ll be on my way. You won’t ever hear a peep out of me again.”
“Cute, Brady. Real cute.”
Adam shrugged. “Just trying to be helpful.”
Spurlock shook his head. “Don’t you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?”
Adam frowned and thought it over. “Not really, no. I mostly find myself delightful.”
“I should just shoot you now and put myself out of my misery.”
Adam gave him a slow smile. “Careful there, Marshal. That doesn’t sound like a very law-abiding thing to do.”
Spurlock got up and stalked toward him, pulling his gun from the holster. Then he squatted down beside him and jammed the gun up under Adam’s chin. “Whoever said I was law-abiding?”
Adam shrugged, using the movement to align himself just a little bit better. “Not me.”
He jerked his head back, out of the way, and slammed his hands upward, knocking them into Spurlock’s elbow and sending the gun he’d held flying. Spurlock cursed, but Adam was already swinging his leg around. It caught Spurlock perfectly in the back of the knees, swiping his legs out from under him.
Adam jumped up and gritted his teeth, letting his leg fly again. He hated to kick a man while he was down, but in this case, he’d make an exception. His boot caught Spurlock right in the head. The blow didn’t knock him out, but it stunned him just long enough that Adam was able to grab the gun that Spurlock had dropped. He had it aimed on the lawman before the man could draw another breath.
Adam just stood, gun trained on his new prisoner, and waited for their change in position to catch up with the man. It took longer than he expected. Either Spurlock wasn’t as brilliant as he liked to think of himself, or Adam had kicked him a little harder than he’d thought.
Eventually, though, he noticed that Adam was standing over him with a gun, and he was lying on the ground, helpless. He scrambled into a sitting position but kept his hands held up as he eyed Adam warily.
“This is why you should handcuff a man’s hands behind his back, not in front.”
Spurlock glared up at him, though he reeked of fear. It never failed to surprise Adam just how much of a coward most bullies were.
“What are you going to do, Brady? Shoot me and leave me in some ditch somewhere?”
“Naw,” he said with a shrug. “That’s something you would do. I’ve got a bit more class.”
Spurlock snorted. “Then what are you planning on doing?”
“You know, I’m not sure. I figured I’d let them help me with that,” he said, jerking his head toward the small grove of trees they’d stopped beside.
“What? Who’sthem?”
