Dangerous Men (Flynn Family Saga Book 2) by Erica Graham Read Free Book Online Page B

“Haven’t
heard it before.”
    After the speech, there was music
and dancing.
    Maggie stood and watched the
couples dance.  The band began to play a waltz.  Flynn walked over to Sally
Prentice and held out his hand.  Smiling, Sally took his hand, and he led her
into the circle.
    Maggie turned and ran to the picket
line.  She buried her face in Patches’ warm flank and cried.  She heard
footsteps and turned.
    Sam stood behind her.  “I’m sorry,
Magpie.”  He let her cry a little while, and then he took out his
handkerchief.  Maggie dried her eyes and handed it back.  Sam sighed.  “Maggie,
I remember what it feels like to love someone who doesn’t love you back.”
    “You?”
    Sam laughed.  “I know you think I’m
handsome, Magpie, but most women don’t.”  He sobered.  “Don’t you dare tell
her, but I’ve been in love with Kate Hamilton since the day I first saw her.”
    “And she doesn’t love you back?”
    Sam sighed.  “I don’t know,
Maggie.  For all I know, her husband is still alive, and I won’t court another
man’s wife.”
    Maggie turned to him.  “Sometimes,
I think he cares about me, and then he goes away.”  She shut her eyes.  “He
always goes away.”
    “Yes, Maggie.  He does.”
    She opened her eyes and stared at
Sam.
    Sam turned and looked toward the
center of the circle.  He sighed.  “It’s nothing personal, Maggie.  A couple of
times, I thought he’d met the right girl, but he always left them.  It’s as if
he’s afraid of getting too close to any woman.”
    Maggie nodded.  “Major, do you know
who Jennie is?”
    Sam shook his head.  “But he used
to call out her name in Camp Sumter.  Why?”
    Maggie turned away.  “I think he’s
still in love with her.”
    Sam was silent a long time.  “You
may be right, Maggie.  Now.  Dry your eyes.”  He handed her his handkerchief.
    Maggie wiped her eyes.
    Sam put his arm around her
shoulders.  “Come on.  I’ll dance with you.”
    Maggie smiled and let him lead her
back to the dancing.  They danced a reel.  Maggie had no idea what she was
doing, but her partners saw to it that she ended up in the right place at the
right time.  By the time the dance ended, Maggie was laughing.
    Sam wiped his red face and tried to
catch his breath.  “I hope the next dance is slower.”
    The next dance was a waltz, and
Flynn danced with Sally again.
    Maggie’s heart felt as if someone
had hit it with a hammer.  She turned and ran back to the picket line.  Her
hands shook as she took the brush from her saddlebags and started to groom
Patches.
    “Maggie?”
    She turned.
    Flynn stood behind her.  He looked
unsure of himself.
    She put her hands on her hips.  “You’ve
got to stop—”
    “Sneaking up on people.”  He
grinned briefly.  “Why aren’t you dancing?”
    Maggie opened her mouth and shut it
without speaking.  The fiddler started to play another waltz, and Maggie looked
away to hide the tears that blurred her vision.
    “Mary Margaret O’Brien, may I have
the honor of this dance?”  Flynn's voice was husky with emotion.
    She turned.  Flynn held out his
arm.  There was no hint of mockery in his eyes.  Unable to speak, Maggie laid
her hand on his arm.
    Flynn led her away from the horses
to a place where the ground was firm and level.  He put his arm around her
waist, and she put her hand on his shoulder.
    And Maggie stepped on his foot. 
Her face felt hot with embarrassment.
    Flynn merely grinned at her.  “So
there’s something you can’t do.”
    “I can’t make coffee,” she said
breathlessly.  “Or cook.”  She found it hard to think with his arm around her
waist.
    His grin broadened.  “ One two three.  One two three.”
    Maggie kept stumbling and stepping
on his feet.  Then, she remembered the day her grandfather taught her how to
ride.  Relax into the rhythm of the horse .  Maggie shut her eyes and
suddenly, it was easy.
    The music ended.  They stood
staring