Savage Land

Coley was close to tears.  “Don’t you want to tell me how much you love and adore me and how you can hardly wait to marry me?”  Coley’s voice was mocking.  “I was so looking forward to that part.”  Even though her own heart was breaking, she could still derive pleasure watching the angry scowl on Jason’s face.  How upsetting for him and his plans for the Slash S ranch that Coley wasn’t falling into his arms as he had though she would!

“Did they say that I killed my brother?”  Coley blanched at Jason’s words, but didn’t answer.  Suddenly her face was caught in his hands and twisted fiercely up toward him.  “Yes, they did,” she whispered.  Tears blurred her vision.  “It doesn’t matter.”  Jase laughed cynically.  “It does matter.  If anyone saw us together they’d probably forbid me to set foot on this land again.”  Coley was crying openly now.  “This land!  That’s all you care about.”  Bitterness entered her voice.  “You’d kill for this land!”  Silence fell as the full horror and unspeakable cruelty of her words dawned on her.  “I didn’t mean it, Jase—“ He turned and walked away into the darkness.  And Coley realized that nothing she could do or say would bring him back to her now…