“Temptation” – Monday’s Finish the Story – Flash Fiction

Well, it’s time again for Monday’s Finish the Story.  I was nervous when I saw the prompt this week!  Though I have seen a few Westerns and enjoyed them, I don’t know the genre very well, but I had fun with this!  Check out other stories written for this prompt by clicking on the InLinkz frog!

Image copyright Barbara W. Beacham

Temptation

(First sentence + 149 words)

“Diamond Jack had his hideout next to the Rattle Snake River.  That’s where the sheriff got him.  They say his ghost still wanders, following the very river you see out your window.”
“Nicely told,” Beverly said, sipping her wine.
John eased closer.  “Scared?” he asked.
Beverly shrugged.  “I don’t see why the ghost of Diamond Jack would bother with me.”
“Maybe he’ll want this,” Don said, reaching into his pocket and dangling a necklace in front of her.  A single diamond shone in the candlelight.  Beverly reached for it.
Later, the two lay together in the rustic log bed, blankets heaped on their naked forms.  As the fire died in the woodstove and the cold crept in, so did something else.
Beverly stirred in her sleep, and the diamond caught in the hollow of her throat.
An invisible hand closed around it.
In the morning, Beverly woke, smiling, and felt along the chain with her fingers.  The diamond was gone.

You still have time to write a story for “Tuesday Tales,” run by Lisa Pais at The Enchanted Notebook.  My entry is below.  : )