Daring by Sylvia McDaniel Read Free Book Online

quick and easy.”
    “Huh, those are the ones I want as well.”
    “Imagine that,” she said in a drawl. She took a deep breath, realizing being this close to the man had her body tingling with nerves. Why, with Deke, did her body light up like a prairie fire? The heat rapid and fast acting.
    “Who are the new criminals?” he asked, looking again at the posters.
    “John Leverton, Billy Clanton, and James Rivera…the man who killed Papa…” Her voice trailed off.
    “What?” Deke asked, looking back at the posters.
    “I thought you turned him in,” she said, rounding on Deke, her fists clenched and her heart pounding inside her chest like a hammer on an anvil.
    Deke’s green eyes flashed with hatred. “I did. I took him to jail, turned him in, and collected the bounty. Remember, I brought half the money I collected to you and your sisters.”
    “But he’s out. He’s running free, while my father is six feet under,” she said, raising her voice at Deke. All the anger and frustration from her father’s death spilled into her blood, slamming her like a herd of cattle gone wild.
    “He must have escaped or someone rescued him.”
    She tore the poster off the wall.
    “What the hell are you doing?” he asked.
    The sheriff stepped out. “What’s all the commotion out here?”
    She raised the notice in her clenched fists, fighting back the angry tears that threatened to spill. No crying woman ever received respect. She could not let her emotions get the best of her. “How did he get loose? He killed my father. He should be hanging.”
    Raising his hand, the sheriff ran his fingers through his hair. “Some of his friends rescued him. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it. Sheriff Jim Handley was killed in the escape.”
    The agony of losing of her father knifed her, sending pain radiating through her. Her lungs refused to expand, and she feared she was going to faint. Rivera had killed again. Another family was enduring loss because of this man.
    That was it. Now, she knew exactly who her next bounty was. Now, she had a purpose. “No, I hadn’t heard. I’m sorry to hear about the sheriff. Any news on Rivera’s location now?”
    “No, but he’s got family in Hide Town, near Fort Griffin. But I’d be very careful. That town is known for harboring outlaws and their families. The law is not reliable if you get my drift.”
    A crooked town and sheriff she could deal with. She couldn’t abide the idea of her father’s killer running free. Rivera must be caught. She walked down the steps of the office. “Thanks, Sheriff.”
    Deke grabbed the bridle of her horse. “Just where are you going?”
    “I’m going after Rivera. This time he’s not going to get out so easily. This time he’s dead. I’ll kill him myself.”
    “You’re not going alone.”
    “You’re not going with me.”
    “Why?” he asked, staring at her. “I know what he looks like. All you’ve got is a poster. I know his habits, what he likes. I’ve chased and caught him before.”
    He gazed at her. Those eyes had drawn her to him the first day they met, that day he’d brought her gravely wounded father home.
    “I work alone.”
    “And you’re going to die alone. Don’t do this, Ruby,” he said softly. “I know you’re still angry with me over the past, but we could do this much quicker together. You need to think about Annabelle. She’s going to need you at home.”
    Ruby thought about it for a moment. She really didn’t want to hunt by herself. And more important than anything was catching the man who’d killed her father. Deke knew things about Rivera that she didn’t. He was right. Together, they could find Rivera much faster, so she’d be home by the time Annabelle’s baby was due.
    The only real problem she could see about riding with Deke was being with him. She enjoyed looking at him, she even kind of wanted to kiss those full lips that beckoned to her, but she’d never forgiven him for the past, and now her