Page 93 of Soldier Cowboy
“Yeah, she shouldn’t have done that,” Colton said. “You needed to hear her voice if nothing else. I mean, I get it.”
“Do you? Because I’m really sick of women taking, taking, taking from me and never giving anything back. I thought Jennifer wasdifferent. She was nice to me. Kind. The next thing I know she stops taking my calls, stops answering my text messages, and one day…she’s gone.”
“That must have been difficult for you to accept.”
Jennifer blinked. If she closed her eyes, she’d almost believe someone other than Colton stood right in front of her, blocking her from Dan. Talking to him. Distracting him with a great deal of emotional intelligence. Without a gun or show of force. Just…words. She really hadn’t given Colton enough credit. He was completely unlike her father. Colton was his own man. He could have barreled his way in here and strong-armed Dan to the ground, with or without a weapon. Tall but wiry Dan would be no match for Colton’s impressive physique.
“It’s been nice talking to you, but I need you to go now,” Dan said, pointing toward the door. “I don’t want you to see the rest of this. This is just for me and Jennifer.”
Colton went palms up. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Oh, I’m not going to hurt her. I meant it when I said I never would. But I want her to be here when I take myself out of this world. It was going to be in Mexico, at the beach, but this will do fine.”
No, no, no. The irony was Dan knew exactly what this would do to her. He had discovered exactly how to hurt her in the biggest and most life-changing way.
“Sorry, can’t let you do that.” Colton took a step toward him. “That’s not going to happen.”
“You don’t know what it’s like in my head every day.” He pointed to his temple. “I’m tired.”
“Dan, please,” Jennifer begged. “You can’t, you j-just c-can’t.”
“Oh,nowyou care!”
“I always cared.”
As she panicked, Colton grew calmer but with every word, he inched closer to Dan. “I’m tired, too.”
Jennifer was about to tell both of them that the whole world was tired.
Returning soldiers, people struggling with chronic or terminal illness, the ones who couldn’t get past a breakup, and too many others who were simply desperately lonely and unloved. Theirs was a big round sphere filled with hurting and desperate people doing the best they could every day.
But she didn’t get to say a word because Colton suddenly rushed Dan and grabbed him, wrenching the arm that held the gun.
And the loudest sound she’d ever heard came out of the gun going off in the little cabin by the lake.
CHAPTER24
Everything moved in a flash of chaos and confusion after that.
Beau burst through the front door carrying a huge rifle, and behind him were Riggs, Levi, and Jackson. Then they just kept coming, a line of men through the front and back doors. Some she’d never seen before, others she recognized, like Lenny, the old guy she’d met so recently.
In the commotion, Jennifer lost sight of Colton and Dan where they’d gone down to the floor.
“Colton,” she whispered in the voice of a windpipe constricted and small, so similar to the sound she’d made when Sean burst through their cabin door that first morning.
Was that only two weeks ago? Why did it feel like two years ago?
Once again, her heart was frozen, just a thick block of ice in her chest. Terror spliced through her every raw nerve ending, leaving her arms and legs trembling.
While most of the men crowded around Colton and Dan, Lenny knelt beside her.
“Well, this ain’t no way to treat a lady.” He shook his head. “Some men just don’t know any better, Imma guessing.”
Jennifer crawled on her hands and knees toward Colton. It seemed faster that way. Between several long jean-clad legs, she saw Colton on the ground, holding Dan in a kind of chokehold. But neither of them appeared injured.
“Get off me!” Dan shouted, face beet red with exertion.
The gun had been kicked to the other end of the room, and when Jennifer followed Beau’s gaze, she, too, noticed the hole in one end of the ceiling which the bullet had made.
