Daisies In The Wind by Jill Gregory Read Free Book Online Page A

rage. She wanted to
hit him so badly, her fingers smarted at her sides. “Bear was
good-natured
, do you hear me, Sheriff Bodine, as
good-natured as any man you’ll ever meet —unless he was crossed.
Unless someone did something really bad to him or to me—” Her voice
broke, only for a moment, then gained steam again. “You didn’t know
him, so don’t you dare speak to me about him. He may not have been
honest, and he may have been stubborn and full of himself and a few
other things, but he was
kind
, and good-natured, and
gentle deep down, and as true a friend as any man could want to
find, and I won’t stand here and listen to you speak ill of
him!”
    Wolf didn’t know what to make of her. She was
obviously loyal to her father, and passionate in his defense, and
it occurred to him suddenly that she must have loved Bear a great
deal. Bodine found it difficult to believe that anyone could love
the huge, barrel-chested, irascible outlaw known for his cunning
and greed, but looking at Rawlings’s daughter, it was impossible to
believe anything else. Those violet eyes shone with it, and beneath
the love and obvious devotion he saw something else: loss. It
seared through her as hot and painful as a branding iron. The girl
was glaring at him, fearless as could be, and quivering with an
unspoken agony. Bear had been dead a little more than four months
now—shot down by a posse outside Laramie after a bank robbery. For
decent, law-abiding citizens of the West it was hardly a loss—it
was cause for celebration. For this strange, proud, unpleasant
girl, Wolf realized grimly, it was hell.
    Rebeccah Rawlings was grieving for her
father.
    “Fair enough,” he said at last in response to
her tirade. “Guess I should know better than to speak ill of the
dead.”
    She nodded, her mouth trembling a little.
    If she ever discovers the full extent of
what Bear did in Powder Creek and how he was hated here,
Wolf
reflected,
she’ll be devastated
. He had a feeling it was
only a matter of time before she did find out. But somehow he
didn’t think she should have to make that unpleasant discovery
tonight. She looked tired enough, weary enough—he almost hated
leaving her here at this cabin alone—the place was scarcely
habitable.
    But she’s not your concern
, he told
himself.
Why are you worrying about her?
    “I’m leaving,” he said abruptly, deciding
that the brief contact he’d had with Rebeccah Rawlings was somehow
scrambling his brains. “One last time—you’re sure you want to stay
out here all alone?”
    “Sheriff, I can’t
wait
to he here
all alone.”
    Wolf’s eyes narrowed at her withering tone.
She sounded so tough. It would serve her right if she got spooked
out here tonight, with only the coyotes, wolves, and snakes for
company. It sure was none of his concern.
    He mounted Dusty, turned the horse toward his
own property, which adjoined this one, and gave Rebeccah Rawlings
one last glance. Silhouetted against the cabin that way, with the
darkness settling down about her like a thick cloak over the land,
she looked touchingly alone and vulnerable—yet somehow staunch,
with her head held high and her lovely face set with cold
determination.
    “Stay out of trouble, Miss Rawlings,” he
warned by way of farewell. “I’ll be watching.”
    “Get me my money!” she shouted after him as
he spurred the gelding into a gallop. She watched, biting her lip,
until he had disappeared over a rise.
    Miss Rawlings, may I have the infinite
pleasure of kissing you?
    Her own wishful dreams clamored in her head,
mocking her, as the man who had played such a central role in every
one of them rode away without a backward glance.
    With a pang that seemed to puncture her
heart, she turned slowly back to study the dilapidated cabin. Her
shoulders drooped. Her temples throbbed. Her new home was nothing
but a dreary eyesore.
    And Wolf Bodine hadn’t even been gentleman
enough to carry her bags inside for her.
    Well, she