A Promise of Roses by Heidi Betts Read Free Book Online

never thought ... Murdered? That's terrible. I'm so sorry."
    "Would you do me a favor?” Lucas asked.
    Megan studied him warily. “What?"
    "Stop apologizing."
    She didn't respond.
    "Look,” he said, “you don't have anything to be sorry for. You didn't cause their deaths. If you feel the need to say you're sorry, apologize for the fact that I have to drag you along and that you're slowing me down."
    Megan bristled visibly. “If I'm slowing you down, why don't you let me go?"
    "I can't do that."
    "Why not?"
    "Because Brandt would never forgive me."
    "Then why don't you take me back to Leavenworth and let me deal with him?"
    Lucas shook his head. “That would take too long. I can't risk losing Scott's trail."
    "Who is Scott?"
    "Silas Scott is the man who slaughtered my family,” he said with a hard edge to his voice.
    "I think I'm confused,” Megan said.
    Lucas gave a bark of laughter.
    "It's not funny,” she reproached. “If you're so hot on the heels of this Silas Scott person, why did you take the time to work for the railroad?"
    "I lost Scott, so I figured I could make a little money before picking up his trail again."
    "Then why are you in such a rush now?"
    "I picked up his trail again."
    "Here?"
    "Not here, exactly. Back in Cubilo
del
Diablo."
    "He was there? How did you know?"
    "I saw him when I went for supplies with Tommy."
    Understanding lit Megan's dark eyes. “That's why you came back with all the whiskey. You wanted to keep the bandits off their guard."
    Lucas shrugged one shoulder. “They were pretty proud of themselves for pulling off the robbery, anyway. I just helped them relax with some liquor is all. They didn't suspect a thing when I offered to take the first watch. Once they were asleep, it was easy to sneak off with you and the loot."
    "Well, I know you brought me along because you think I'm a criminal and need to be duly punished, but why bother lugging the money around?"
    "A couple reasons,” he answered. “First, so I can turn it in right along with you. Second, so I'd have money to travel on."
    "Isn't that stealing?"
    "Nope. The railroad's reimbursing me for any money I spend on the job."
    "But technically, going after Scott isn't included in working for Union Pacific."
    "Brandt will understand. He wants this guy caught as much as I do. They can take it out of my pay if they want. I don't care."
    "You don't care about much, do you?"
    At Megan's low tone, he raised his head and met her eyes. “Catching Silas Scott is the only thing that matters."
    "And what will you do once you catch him?"
    "I'm going to kill him. Nice and slow, so I can watch him suffer."
    Megan swallowed, her heart breaking for the man in front of her. It was none of her business, but she felt compelled to question him further. To find out just what made Lucas McCain, a man of so many contradictions, tick. He took a job to bring a gang of lawbreakers to justice, and yet he was stalking Silas Scott with the intention of committing murder.
    "Did he make your wife suffer?” Anguish shone in his eyes, and Megan instantly regretted giving in to her penchant for being nosy.
    "Yes."
    "Will you tell me about it?” she asked in a soft, soothing voice. He looked at her a moment, as though deciding if she could be trusted with what was certainly the most painful memory of his lifetime.
    "I used to be a bounty hunter,” he started, his tone distant and devoid of any hint of emotion. “But Annie thought it was too dangerous, and with a new baby, she worried something would happen to me. Said she didn't want to raise Chad alone.
    "We needed the money, though, until the cattle we were raising started to turn a profit. I worked another year, but to ease Annie's fears a bit, I only went after the least dangerous bounties.
    "Finally we had a large enough herd to ship east. Got a good price per head, too. And since it looked like the ranch would make us a comfortable living, Annie begged me again to quit bounty hunting. One last