Outlaw Hearts(230)

“Dr. Brian Stewart, and I have some prisoners to tend to. I want your promise to stay away from my father-in-law the rest of today, though. The man has been on the trail for over three weeks, and I suspect he’s damn tired. Combined with what just happened, that isn’t a good mix for a man like Jake.”

Jeff watched Jake and his wife walk up the street. “Will his wife be okay?”

“What?” Brian looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Well, Jake Harkner is in one hell of a bad mood. Is she safe?”

Brian grinned and shook his head. “Mister, I don’t know everything you’ve heard about the man, but Jake would slit his own throat before he’d raise his hand or even his voice to that woman. She’ll be just fine. Times like this, she’s the only one who can calm him down. That woman has my father-in-law wrapped around her little finger so tight, he couldn’t cut himself away with a bowie knife.”

It struck Jeff again how badly he needed to urinate. “I, uh, I need to find a privy.”

Brian chuckled. “Yeah, Jake does that to a man sometimes.” He nodded toward a building across the street. “There’s a privy over there behind that store.”

Jeff nodded, embarrassed. “Thanks.” He hurried away, stepping around barrels that still lay in the street and thinking how there was nothing old or soft or weak about Marshal Jake Harkner. He was every bit the notorious, hardened ex-outlaw he’d expected. He had to urinate so badly that he unbuttoned his pants as he half ran to the privy, and he’d barely made it inside before his bladder let loose, spilling out pent-up anxiety and fear along with urine.

He wondered if any man had literally wet his pants when faced down by Jake Harkner.