Chapter Twenty

Ezekiel had hardened his heart the moment he'd stepped into the saloon and found Craig. He'd searched every store in town before coming here. He hadn't wanted to believe that Craig would be spending time at the saloon after the talk they'd had at the ranch.

But he was.

He was at a table with a mug of beer and a rather pretty woman.

If Ezekiel's heart hadn't hardened, it would have broken, and he wasn't about to let Craig turn him into a broken-hearted fool.

Craig raised his head, his green eyes wide and his boyish face pale. "It's not what it looks like," he muttered. "Trust me. There is no way that this is what it looks like."

Ezekiel crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at the man he'd spent the last weeks falling in love with—he shook his head. He couldn't think that way. Love was foolish. Love hurt you.

"Can I ask just what the hell it is then?" Ezekiel growled, ignoring the woman who was looking between them with confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Craig asked, becoming defensive and bristly, which was always what Craig did when he was cornered and uncomfortable. "Thought you trusted me?"

Ezekiel raised his brow and said nothing. Craig's shoulders sagged. "We need to talk. Let's go talk."

He pushed himself from his seat and Ezekiel followed him from the saloon. Craig whirled around when they realized the woman had followed them. "We need privacy."

She raised her chin. "We weren't finished with our conversation."

Ezekiel watched Craig as rubbed roughly at his face and pointed down the road. "You go back to the brothel. We'll talk later. I need to speak with Ezekiel and only Ezekiel."

Her eyes narrowed as looked between the men once again. Finally, she nodded, turned on her heel and strode away.

Ezekiel turned toward Craig but didn't meet his gaze. He didn't want to look in those eyes. It would only worse. Letting out a long sigh, Craig motioned for Ezekiel and continued off the boardwalk and down the road.

Ezekiel clenched his fists as they came to a stop behind the livery at the tail end of town. Craig's eyes were closed as he turned around to face Ezekiel. He held up his hands, spread his palms and let out a sigh as he opened his eyes. "Don't overreact."

Ezekiel crossed his arms over his chest and raised his brow as he stared down at the other man. He wanted so badly to pull Craig into his arms and soothe the lines of worry and stress on his face. He didn't do that, however, because he knew something bad was coming—something that would hurt.

"Given your similarities to my brother, Jeb, I'm gonna word this like I would if I was telling him...."

"I'm not your goddamn brother, Craig. I'm your......" Ezekiel's voice trailed off.

What was he to Craig? He had no real idea.

Craig winced and let out yet another long sigh. "That woman in there, she's a worker from the brothel."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Ezekiel growled.

Craig laid a palm on the rough hewn livery boards. He flashed a grin that was clearly meant to soothe Ezekiel's temper. "Because I'm a bad man."

When Ezekiel remained silent and still, Craig let his hand fall. "Her Madame found me on the street today and accused me of.... Well, it would seem that the lady is with child and she has told them her Madame that I put it there."

Ezekiel's heart twisted. There was the pain. The pain he'd known was coming. He hardened his twisted heart a bit more and squared his shoulders. His jaw was tight when he spoke. "Did you?"

Craig frowned. "I.. I honestly don't know."

"You surely know how babes are made, Craig. Did you make one with that woman?"

Craig's shoulders slumped and he fell back against the livery wall. "I don't remember. She.. she says it happened that night I came to town alone, got black out drunk on rotgut and passed out at the hotel."

"The night you took off, ignored the fact that I was responsible for you and had me come looking for you the next morning even though I hadn't had a bit of sleep?"

Craig's expression was sheepish. "Yeah, that one."

"You lied to me then. After what we shared at the line shack, you spent the night with a goddamn whore, told me you hadn't and then spent the rest of the time there locked up with me?"

Craig shook his head. "Hell, I don't remember bedding her. But I don't remember anything and that's the problem."

"Then how do you seem so sure she was at that hotel with you?"

"Because... when I checked out the clerk made it clear he didn't want me checking in with women of her profession ever again. And, today, I took her to the hotel so the clerk could identify her and... he did."

Pain. Deep lacerating pain. Ezekiel swallowed hard. "You knew then that you'd laid with a whore and you didn't tell me... Damn you, Craig. I knew you wouldn't do a damn thing but disappointment me."

Craig's face paled. It was as if he'd just taken a solid kick to the gut. He stepped back and the hurt on his face quickly morphed into anger—just as Ezekiel had known it would. Corner Craig or hurt Craig, it all led to anger.

And anger Ezekiel could deal with. Anger he could walk away from. "Go to hell, Ezekiel. I didn't owe you a damn thing—hell, I don't owe you a damn thing. We never made any goddamn promises to each other. I was just somebody to tend to your cock and that's all you were to me."

Ezekiel couldn't breathe. Shit. He hadn't thought hearing those words would hurt this badly. Was that all it had been to Craig? Truly? Goddamn. It had been so much more to Ezekiel.

It had been everything.

"Well alright then," he managed to growl. He turned and began to stride away, only to be stopped in his tracks when he felt Craig's hand close on his arm.

He didn't dare turn to face Craig as the man's fingers seemed to burn and brand him. "Where are you going?" Craig demanded. "I thought...."

"You thought what?" Ezekiel grumbled. "I'll find someone else to tend to my cock and you've got your whore to tend to yours now. I'd say your family will be happy to have you back and Jeb'll make a good uncle."

Ezekiel felt Craig's hand fall away and he used the opportunity to make a quick escape.

Anger was better than pain. He didn't want to let Craig see the pain.

***

"Here's what's going to happen," Craig stated as he entered Susannah's room a short time later. "I'm leaving tomorrow to go back home and you're coming with me. I'll see that you're taken care of until the babe is born. If, after it's born, I feel like it's mine, I'll do what's right by you and the child."

Susannah looked up from the book in her lap and her expression was guarded. "And if you don't feel as if it's yours? Am I to be at the mercy of your feelings instead of the facts?"

Craig was done.

He turned quickly and grabbed the door handle. "Take it or leave it."

"Okay!" Susannah leapt to her feet and Craig paused without looking back at her. "Okay. I'll leave with you. When?"

Craig's jaw popped. "Dawn. Be ready or I'll leave without you."

With that, he left the room. He stopped at the desk downstairs and approached the Madame. "I'll be taking Susannah with me in the morning."

"My money?" the Madame inquired with a raise of her brow.

Craig's clenched his fists. "How much?"

"The previous gentlemen was going to pay me a hefty sum yearly for keeping her here and pure for only him."

Craig shook his head. His temper spiking suddenly. "Well that's just too goddamn bad, lady. I suppose you're learning the risks of business, aren't you?"

"Are you saying you won't pay me at all?" the Madame demanded, her chins trembling.

Craig snorted. "Pay you for what? It was your whore that got herself pregnant and you that made the deal. I'll take her off your hands but your blown deal ain't my problem."

Craig strode from the brothel, headed down the road and didn't stop until he reached the wagon which was still loaded down and waiting to be taken to the ranch.

Craig hopped into the seat and led the wagon out of town. Once town was just a speck in the distance, Craig's shoulders sagged as every ounce of his fight and temper left him.

Just a few short hours ago he'd been so excited for the future. A future with Ezekiel..... But now? Now Ezekiel was gone. He'd walked away from Craig as if Craig had never meant anything at all—he hadn't even bothered to disagree when Craig had said he'd meant nothing to Ezekiel.

Craig was going to be returning home to his family with a trampled heart and a pregnant whore.

Wouldn't Jeb be proud?

fDZNB