by Curt Spencer
Frank Wilcox was in foul mood. He had been furious when his foreman told him the night before that the rustler had struck again. For months, his cattle had been disappearing. It had been only a few head at a time, but the total had become significant, and this was the last straw. His wasn't the biggest ranch in the valley, but the rustler always bypassed the others to target him. That made it personal, and now he was going to do something about it. He and his hands were going to hunt down the rustler and chase him all the way to hell if they had to. And when they caught him, they'd leave him swinging by the neck from the nearest tree!
It was too late to start that night. They wouldn't be able to follow his trail in the dark. "Be ready to leave at first light," he growled.
Becky stretched and swung her legs out of bed as her husband stirred. "I'm going to start breakfast," she said.
Wilcox came awake suddenly and sat up also. Through the window, he saw the first rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. Out by the stable, his men were already saddling up and preparing to go. He had overslept! He hated hitting the trail on an empty stomach and had expected to have a hot breakfast and coffee before leaving. But now, there would be no time. With a roar of anger, he jumped out of bed. "Didn't I tell you to have my breakfast ready before sunup?" he demanded.
Wearing only her chemise, Becky scrambled out of bed and looked with fear and confusion at her husband. "No, you didn't. I didn't know you planned on leaving so early."
He hesitated only a moment as he thought back to the previous evening. Of course he'd told her! Well, if not in so many words, she had to know he wanted his breakfast before going after the rustler. And she'd been right there when he told his hands to be ready at dawn, hadn't she? Or had she? He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. She should have known!
"You didn't know?!" Wilcox spluttered with anger and glared at the young woman. At nineteen, she was barely half his age. Her pretty face and hair the color of straw, along with her pleasing figure had made her an object of intense desire before they were married. But once he'd had her, he'd soon taken her for granted, and after a year of marriage, she was finding herself the target of his displeasure so often that to save trips to the stable, he'd hung an old harness strap from a nail in a corner of the bedroom. Snatching up the leather strap, he doubled it over and advanced toward Becky.
Her eyes opened wide as she stepped back. "Frank, no! Please! I'll get breakfast now. It'll only take a few minutes!"
"I don't have a few minutes, you stupid little fool. I need to leave now! But first I'm going to teach you that when I tell you to do something, I mean what I say!" He grabbed her arm and shoved her roughly back toward the bed. "Bend over!"
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