Mail Order Bride - Westward Secrets: A Clean Cowboy Romance Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 13) by Linda Bridey Read Free Book Online

when it’s born?  Name it Crapping Bear?”
    Reckless laughed.  “Wait until I tell Brook that.  It will make her laugh.  Crapping Bear.  No, we will not name it that.”
    “So if your Uncle Marcus delivers this baby, are you going to assist in the birth?  You know that’s one of the things he’s big on,” Rick said.
    “If Brook wishes it, I will do so.  It is up to her,” Reckless said.
    “Will that be strange for you?  I know that’s not normally how the Lakota do things, or Indians in general, for that matter.  Hell, it’s not how it’s done almost anywhere, I don’t think,” Rick said.
    “Would you do it?” Reckless asked.
    Rick tipped his hat back up and looked Reckless in the eyes.  “You better believe I would.  The chance to help bring your own child into the world?  No one would keep me away, I know that much.”
    Reckless nodded.  “I know that my uncle says that it is helpful, but he cannot convince everyone of this.”
    “I wasn’t asking about everyone else, Reckless.  I asked about you.”  Rick looked around Reckless and said, “Damn it.  I’ll be back.”
    Reckless wondered what the problem was.  It must be something bad to make Rick irritated.  Usually Rick was calm and didn’t show anger in the usual ways.  It was rare to hear him shout or see him glare at a person.  His gaze was steady, but rarely anger-filled.  He turned in his chair to watch the deputy cross the room.
    Rick walked calmly up to the table that needed attention.  “Excuse me, but I think you should put the money back on the table that you just tried to steal from your buddy.”
    The sandy-haired man looked up at Rick and sneered.  “What’s it to you?”
    “Well, I’m not only a bouncer, I’m a deputy.  I’m giving you the chance to do the right thing so that I don’t have to arrest you for stealing,” Rick said.
    “I didn’t take any money,” the guy said.
    Rick sighed.  “Ok.  I guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”  He put two fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle.
    Reckless heard it and his eyes grew big.  This was something that only happened when Rick was not in a good mood.  He looked at Rick’s coat that hung over his chair and saw it begin to move.  A furry little face poked out of an inside pocket of the duster.  The ferret clambered out of the pocket and dropped to the floor.  It ran across the floor, dodging swiftly around feet, both those moving and those still, until it reached its master.
    The troublemaker had been waiting for something to happen after Rick whistled, but nothing did.  He laughed and said, “It doesn’t look like your Indian friend over there is coming to help you.”
    Rick made an annoyed face at the guy as he felt Curtis climb up his back.  “I wouldn’t whistle for Reckless, you idiot.”
    The guy saw Curtis’ head pop up from behind Rick’s shoulder and he said, “What the hell’s that thing?”
    Rick reached back, picked up Curtis, and cradled him in one arm.  “This, jackass, is Curtis.  Curtis, this is Jackass.  Now that you two have been formally introduced, we can get on with our business.  I’m going to ask you one last time to give your buddy back his money.”
    “What if I don’t?”
    “Oh, so you admit that you have the money.  Now we’re getting somewhere.  Well, if you don’t give the money back, I’m going to send Curtis in after it.  You will not enjoy that,” Rick said.  “Have you ever had an angry ferret loose in your pants?  It’s not pleasant, from what I hear.”
    Curtis bounced from Rick’s forearm back up onto his shoulder and then across to his other shoulder. 
    The man Rick had labeled “Jackass” cringed a little when Curtis made a chattering noise.  “You can’t do that.  I’ll shoot it.”
    Rick laughed.  “Have you ever tried to shoot a ferret on the move?  It takes an expert shot to hit one.  One last time; put the money on the