Beautiful Bandit (Lone Star Legends) by Loree Lough Read Free Book Online Page B

the other, then grabbed the broom and began whacking down cobwebs. “Pity it isn’t part of the ‘unwritten rule,’” she muttered to herself, “to clean up for the next man—”
    At the sound of Josh’s boots thudding across the porch, Kate fell silent. She put the broom back where she’d found it and flung open the door. “Good thing you wrapped our spare clothes in that oilcloth of yours,” she said as he dropped another load of firewood near the stove. “I’ve got a good base going and made us a privacy screen, so you can change into some dry things.” She sounded bossy, even to herself. “If you’ve a mind to, that is,” she added in a softer tone.
    “Don’t mind if I do,” he said, “but ladies first.”
    She could tell by his no-nonsense expression that he meant it, so she grabbed one of the two outfits he’d bought her in Uvalde and ducked behind the blanket. She was down to her petticoats when he said, “Let’s pray that the good Lord will see fit to dry our wet clothes by morning.”
    “Morning?” But even as the word slid past her lips, Kate knew what a foolish question it had been. It would be dark soon, and they certainly couldn’t travel in this weather. Of course, they’d have to spend the night here. Alone. Way out in the middle of nowhere.
    “I’ve seen storms like this before,” he went on. “If it lets up by daybreak, I’ll be surprised.”
    During the weeks Kate had been forced to travel with Frank and his gang, she’d had plenty of time to think about the character traits and tendencies of men. Just because her stepfather and Frank Michaels had been brutally abusive was no reason to judge all men as beasts and bullies. Josh Neville didn’t seem any more likely to force himself on her than 99 percent of the men she’d entertained in the saloon. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to keep her distance from him, just in case. And if anyone found out that she’d spent a night alone with a man, it wasn’t likely to damage her already tarnished reputation. She’d been making the best of bad situations for as long as she could remember. She’d gotten herself into this mess, and she’d get herself out, somehow.
    “I noticed some tin cans in the cupboard,” she said, mustering a courage she didn’t feel. “They’re not labeled, but if I can find something to open them with, I might just be able to rustle us up a decent supper.”
    Squatting in front of the stove, he said over his shoulder, “I’ll show you how to use a hunting knife to do the job.”
    ---
    He eased three slender logs onto the glowing coals and closed the stove’s door with a clang. Then, getting to his feet, he said, “It’ll take a while before this beast gets hot enough to cook anything on it. Might be better if we just finish off those muffins I bought in Uvalde.”
    “Coward.”
    “Coward?”
    “Afraid I’ll start a bigger fire on the stove than you made in it?”
    Her playful smirk woke those feelings inside him again, the ones he’d thought he’d never experience again. But before he could tell her that he had complete confidence in her cooking abilities, a gigantic dollop of water leaked through a hole in the roof and landed with a noisy plop on her head.
    “Goodness,” she said as a second drop splashed onto her head, “that might feel refreshing, if my hair wasn’t already soaked to the scalp.” She punctuated the admission with a shiver and a giggle. “So, you’re sure, are you, that this storm will last all night?”
    “Could end sooner, but I don’t think so.”
    Dinah rolled her eyes. “Well, for the love of honey biscuits, even I could have come up with an answer like that!”
    The logs popped and sizzled, making her jump. My, but she looked tiny, standing there near the rough-hewn table. “How tall are you?” he asked, out of curiosity.
    “Don’t rightly know. Last time my mama got her yardstick after me, it wasn’t to take my measure.”
    “Now, why don’t I have