Saloon Girl

Prologue

PROLOGUE


I turned to face Cole. His eyes betrayed his face. He looked so vulnerable, a side I'd never seen of him. I put my hands on his chest and pleaded with him. "Cole, please tell me that's a lie. You would never kill anyone unless you had to!" Cole just looked at me. His silence said it all. I couldn't believe it, he had fooled me into thinking he was just a misunderstood cowboy with a gun.

     He held my hand and made me look at him while he told me the truth. "I did kill people. For no real reason. I killed a lot of people. I didn't do it for fun, Cassie. Every where we went, there were people who wanted to shoot us. There were those that would try to fight us, and wouldn't leave us alone. I widowed a lot of women back then. I'm not like that anymore, Cassidy. Honest, I'm not the same person I used to be... Darlin' listen to me."

     I shook my head and pulled away from him. I couldn't take it. The man I was in love with was not who I thought he was. He was a cold blooded killer. He just admitted it. There was no telling when he would relapse or even kill me. I couldn't stand the thought.

     "You've lied to me ever since I met you." I said almost in a whisper. Cole looked so hurt that my heart broke even more. He tried to come to me, but I just walked to the corner of the cell and held onto the bars. "Everything I thought I knew about you, was just a lie. A cover up."

     I felt the warm moisture roll down my cheeks. James put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I know it's hard learning that your innocent outlaw is not so innocent. I mean, he's earned his label. All the men he's killed and all the innocent men and women he's robbed. Let's not forget that poor girl he-" Cole quickly interrupted before James could finish.

     "Shut up, James! You've done enough to her!" I turned my head to look at Cole and added, "This is what you've done. You lied to me instead of telling the truth! You made me believe you were someone that you are not!" Cole tried to plead with me, but I ignored him.

     James left us there alone. I stayed on my side and Cole stayed on his. Occasionally he'd try to explain, but I just sat there with my arms around my knees. I never even looked at him. I couldn't look at him.

     'His feelings for me were probably just another lie. He probably lied about Catherine too.'  I was so torn, I loved him and hated him at the same time. It were outlaws that had set our farm on fire and killed my parents. He was just like them.

     "Cassie, I love you." Cole said quietly. I never moved. He crawled to me and reached in his pocket. He pulled out something shiny and placed it in my hand.

     "I love you. This was what I went to get you yesterday. I had planned on spendin' the day with you, alone. I was gonna tell you everything before I gave you this." I opened my hand and looked at the small object that was inside. My draw dropped. It was beautiful.

     "Cassidy Smith, I've been in love with you since I first layed eyes on you," he said as he kneeled in front of me, "I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. You're the sweetest, most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

     He grabbed my hands in his and continued,  "Cassidy, will you marry me?"