Rose had seemed a little preoccupied for the last two weeks when she came home from work. Sometimes she would stare off into space and be startled when her husband Mark called her name. If she had her back to Mark and he spoke she would jump and look embarrassed. Almost as if she'd been doing something wrong. Mark began to wonder if she was doing something wrong.

Mark Sawyer worked construction and one day when a supplier didn't arrive with the needed materials he and the others of his crew were sent home early. Think I'll stop by and see if Rose wants to go to lunch, Mark thought as he drove to Silk's Rides.

On his way to meet Rose he thought, maybe I just need to pay a little more attention to Rose. Maybe I should be more romantic; take her out for dinner and dancing more often. Hell it's not like we're old yet. I'm 27 and Rose is a year younger. Rose still has the long auburn hair and slim build she did when we met four years ago. And man those green eyes, Mark thought with a little smile. They still can burn a hole into my heart. The last time we got dressed up she wore those high heels that made her just the right height for me to kiss her without bending over.

Mark shook his head said softly aloud, "We've only been married two years and I'm acting like an old married man. I need to do something because we're headed for trouble." Think I'll stop and get some roses for my Rose, Mark thought. That'd be a good start.

Rose worked for Silk's Rides, a used car dealership. Sam Silk owned the dealership; he was the lead salesman and chief negotiator. Rose was the office and finance manager. The rest of the crew consisted of a two part time salesmen and Jasper the mechanic. One of the salesmen was a college kid going to school on a scholarship. Jacob was the other and at 65 was working to supplement his Social Security checks. Jasper, at 62, was also planning on retiring soon.

Mark was trying to get Rose to find another job. That could be the reason things are so tense, he thought. Mark didn't like Sam Silk at all. He felt the man was a sleaze ball and didn't want Rose around the guy.

He thought back to the last time he and Rose had socialized with Sam about two months earlier. It had been at a party celebrating the best month of sales in the company's history. Mark didn't like the attention Sam paid to Rose but kept his thoughts to himself.

"Yes sir. All my customers rave about the smooth ride they got from Sam Silk," the loud mouthed owner bragged. "So do all the ladies that get to spend time with me. They all say smooth ride Silk." As he finished he laughed, hugged Rose to him and leered at her trying to look down the front of her dress.

Okay that's enough, Mark thought. He took three steps, put his hand on Rose's arm and pulled her gently away from Sam. "Maybe so Sam but this is one lady that doesn't need your smooth ride," Mark said with a false smile. He didn't care if he caused trouble for Rose at work and he wasn't going to let that fool paw his wife.

Mark's thoughts returned to the here and now as he parked his truck in front of the dealership's office. He picked up the half dozen roses he'd bought on the way over to surprise Rose. Even if she can't go to lunch with me she'll know I was thinking about her, he said to himself.

The dealership's office was low and one story, more like a portable building than a true office. The main area was open and had four cubicles with shoulder high dividers along one side. Two offices with full walls were along the opposite wall.

There was no one in sight and hearing voices coming from one of the offices Mark stepped to the door. He saw Sam with his hand on the back of Rose's head holding her to him as he kissed her. She pulled her head back and said, "Stop it Sam. We can't do this, it isn't right."

Rose didn't know why but she looked around Sam toward the door and saw Mark standing there. Her eyes opened wide in shock. Before she could say anything Mark closed the distance between them. Sam saw her surprise and started to turn toward the door.

At 6'3 Sam towered over Mark's 5'10. Not only was Sam taller he was much bigger with a thick solid body that weighed 250 pounds. Mark tipped the scales at 180. He didn't hesitate because of Sam's size and quickly closed the distance between himself and the couple.

Mark wore steel toed boots while working construction and put them to good use. As Sam turned Mark kicked him on the side of his knee. The big man went to the floor grasping his injured leg and moaning. When Sam looked up Mark hit him with a short right hand.

"Not with my wife," he said leaning down. "If you touch her again I'll use my Buck knife to make a eunuch out of you."

"Ma ... Ma ... Mark," Rose said. She had a tendency to stutter when she was excited, angry, or stressed. "What ... Don't ... It isn't," she stammered.

"I'll see you in jail for this," Sam said still moaning in pain.

Mark pulled his folding Buck from the sheath on his belt and slowly opened it. "Maybe so Smooth Ride, but it'll be too late for you big man," he said with an evil grin. "I'll get out eventually and when I do I'll be back to keep my promise. You've taken the only thing I care about. Jail doesn't scare me a bit."

"P ... P ... Please don't Mark," Rose said.

"So he means that much to you does he Rose?" Mark asked with barely controlled anger.

"N ... N ... No he doesn't M ... Mark," Rose stuttered. Taking a deep breath she said, "I don't want you to go to jail."

"Go to your Mom's tonight Rose. Don't come home," Mark ordered. "I don't want to see or talk to you right now."

"But M ... M ... Mark, I..." Rose began.

"Don't come home," Mark repeated with a look that could kill. He bent down and leaned close to Sam. "This is your lucky day smooth ride. I decided you aren't worth going to jail for. At least not yet." Mark turned and left the office.

Rose heaved a big sigh of relief that Mark hadn't seriously hurt Sam. She was shaking and by the time she gathered herself to follow Mark, he was already gone. She knew better than to go home right away from the look in Mark's eyes. That look was so far beyond anger that Mark wouldn't listen to reason.

Rose had only seen that look once before. She and Mark had been married about six months and were in a dance hall. They were celebrating some dumb anniversary like the first time they kissed or something. It was just an excuse to laugh, dance and enjoy each other's company away from their little apartment.

Some urban cowboy grabbed Rose as she walked by his table. He pulled her to him and forced a kiss on her as he rubbed his hand over her rear. It took two bouncers and one of Mark's friends to pull him off the cowboy even though the man was almost as big as Sam. Mark was in a blind rage and had been doing his best to beat the man to death; he had the same look in his eyes then. If Mark has a fault it's his temper, Rose thought. It takes a lot to make him really angry but once he is you can't reason with him.

Rose waited for almost four hours before she went home. She wasn't going to let Mark sit and stew over night about what he'd seen. Rose quietly entered the house that she and Mark rented fully expecting to see him sitting in the kitchen or outside on the big deck. Maybe by now he's calmed down enough to listen to me, she thought. Mark wasn't in the kitchen nor was he out on the deck

Rose checked the rest of the house with the same results. He just wasn't there. Then she realized that Mark's truck hadn't been in the driveway. She had a bad feeling and went to Mark's side of the closet. His clothes were gone with just a few empty hangers lying on the floor.

Mark's side of the bathroom vanity was also empty. Checking the garage she saw that his big tool box was also missing. "But Mark, I didn't do anything," she softly whispered.

It was noon on a Saturday and Mark hated the weekends. During the week he could keep his mind occupied with work; he didn't have to think about anything else. But on the weekends he would miss Rose and their life together. I got two more days to wonder what went wrong, he thought. Why did Rose start up with that ass Sam Silk. The guy's a sleaze ball. He finished his beer and motioned for another one.

Several times he'd thought about calling Rose but each time he saw her and Sam kissing and heard Rose's words. "We can't do this Sam."

Hell if I get wasted I won't have far to crawl, he thought for the hundredth time. Mark was renting an 8 by 38 house trailer that sat about 20 yards from the back entrance to the bar.

Four hundred miles from home and for almost four weeks now Mark was working for a local home builder. He put in his hours and came back to the Crossroads Saloon. Mark would drink until he couldn't see straight and then walk out to the trailer and collapse but he always made it to work the next day. Even hung over Mark was a better finish carpenter than anyone else on the crew.