An Unlikely Lady by Rachelle Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

endure a man’s groping, waiting for him to fall asleep so she could slip out with him none the wiser, had she ever been so swept away that she’d forgotten herself.
    But last night had felt neither like groping nor endurance. With Jesse’s flesh pressed against hers, his breath hot against her breast, his hands tangled possessively in her hair, sensations had kindled inside her that she hadn’t thought herself capable of feeling. If he hadn’t passed out when he had . . . her heart picked upspeed when she realized how close she’d come, how tempted she’d been, to finish what they’d started in his bath.
    Shaking the ludicrous thought from her mind, Honesty let the ruby fall and returned her attention to her small cache of savings and the map spread across her bed. A line of stars marking a dozen years of travel cut a diagonal path through Colorado, into New Mexico, then down through Texas to the Gulf.
    The truth is hidden in the flowing stones.
    Honesty shook her head, as perplexed now by her father’s last words as she’d been the day she’d heard them. The truth about what? And where were the flowing stones? What were the flowing stones? A river? A canyon? A gold mine? Oh, the possibilities were endless.
    Well, the only way to solve the riddle he’d left her was to find the flowing stones. Go back the way we came. She’d narrowed down that part of the riddle at least, and had memorized the name of every place she and Deuce had ever been between Denver and Galveston.
    Twelve dollars wouldn’t get her very far, but at least it would get her somewhere. If necessary, she supposed she could sell the ruby and buy herself a train ticket, or a seat on a southbound stage . . .
    No. She’d not sell the ring unless she hadabsolutely no other choice. It was all she had left of Deuce. That, and a puzzle she had yet to understand.
    So now, the only thing left to do was to find a suitable escort.
    She certainly couldn’t ask Jesse, not after last night. The journey would takes weeks—even months! She didn’t doubt for a second that he would expect her to indulge him whenever the mood struck. And given the way she turned to mush every time he so much as looked at her . . . well, that was just asking for trouble.
    Who else was there, though? Honesty wondered, fighting back discouragement. If she could make the journey on her own, she would. Unfortunately, Deuce’s vagabond lifestyle had taught her early on the perils a woman faced in a world ruled by men. And since his death, she’d learned firsthand that traveling alone was just plain foolish. As much as she wished otherwise, she needed protection. She needed a man. Someone strong enough to keep danger at bay, yet manageable enough to control. Jesse was strong enough, that she didn’t doubt. But manageable? She shook her head. He didn’t strike her as a man anyone easily controlled.
    Or was he?
    If only she knew more about him—where he was from, what he did for a living, what kind of friends he had . . . what did she really know ofJesse Jones, other than that he had the face of an angel, the charm of the devil, and a body as inviting as sin?
    Maybe he was just a rambler, as he claimed; he had that look about him. Yet there was something more, an unleashed power, an untamed aura she couldn’t define . . .
    Oh, her decision would be so much easier if the man wasn’t so much a mystery.
    Or so much a temptation.
    A sudden rumbling in her stomach rescued her thoughts from venturing once again into forbidden territory. Knowing that Rose would be expecting her to help with the midday meal, Honesty folded the map, capped the money jar, and returned both to their hiding spot before venturing out into the hallway. Her steps slowed as she passed by the open doorway to Jesse’s room. The bed was neatly made, the clothes gone, his saddlebags missing.
    With a curious