Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk (Dark Cloth) by Lenore Wolfe Read Free Book Online

she was ready—and she revealed nothing in the steady gaze she returned.
    Tucker half smiled. “I don’t cotton much to tales.” He moved to the door. “If you think of anything else?” he eyed the three of them.
    Mandy answered first, “Of course, Sheriff. You’ll be the first to know.”
    The sheriff picked up his Stetson, his eyes on her; studying her for another long, uncomfortable moment. Then, doffing his hat, he walked out the door, slamming it behind him and sending the doorbell jangling.
    The three of them let out a collective breath.
    “The man’s too sharp.” Cord sank onto the same cane-back chair the sheriff had occupied moments before. “I’d say he missed his calling. He should have been a lawyer.”
    Meg sat down beside Mandy, studying her face for a moment. “What are you up to?”
    Mandy closed her eyes. When she opened them, she stood on a prairie.
    A small child stood screaming and a young boy stood to help her, but, in the next instant, a bullet struck her down. The boy’s knees buckled and he sank to the ground in a heap. Open-mouthed, he stared at the man who held the gun. “Papa,” he mouthed. Paralyzed, he watched him rack another bullet into the chamber. His father lifted the rifle and took aim. He followed the direction his father pointed it in.
    No!
    Mandy fought for her equilibrium, slamming her way back into reality. She sucked in huge breaths of air, fighting to calm her racing heart.
    “What, Mandy?” Meg demanded.
    Tears slid unheeded down Mandy’s face. “It is enough, yet there will be more. The price has already been too high.”
    “It was self-defense, Mandy,” Meg reminded her.
    Cord leaned forward, frowning hard at Mandy. “One of these days,” he bit out, “the two of you are going to let me in on your little secret.”
    Meg gave him a completely innocent look, her brows raised in mock question. “What secret, Cord? I was simply saying that the sheriff would realize Hawk shot McKinney in self-defense. Do you believe differently?”
    Mandy bit back a watery smile. Several times, Cord had been there when she’d had a vision. Several more times, he’d witnessed unusual occurrences. Each time, Meg had acted as though she hadn’t seen a thing, even when he’d demanded she admit that she had. Cord would have Meg’s hide when he finally learned the truth. And somehow Mandy knew . . . he would learn the truth.
    Cord growled under his breath. “True.” The look he pinned on Meg promised retribution. “But he’d been hunting McKinney for months. You know Tucker wouldn’t have cottoned to that. He’d have run him out of town.”
    Meg glared at Cord, sitting forward in her chair. “He would have thought Hawk had done us all a favor,” she said—as if they were not sitting there leading a double conversation.
    Cord’s eyes narrowed on Meg, reminding Mandy of an angry mountain lion. “Not Tucker! He’s too much by-the-book for that.”
    Mandy watched Meg, waiting for her answer. As always, she watched these conversations between Meg and Cord with curiosity. She wondered how they could be so unaware of the chemistry they had between them. But whenever, she broached the subject with Meg—well, let’s just say Meg denied it with the same passion she was firing at Cord right now.
    “He started it, did it for his own revenge, Cord,” Meg retorted. “But he did end up saving us! He didn’t have a choice in the end. It was self-defense!”
    Mandy shook her head.
    Cord’s jaw throbbed, a sure indication of his anger. He leaned closer, putting them nearly nose-to-nose in the small office space. “Yeah,” he stated evenly, “I, too, think Hawk could use a break. I kinda like the man!”
    Meg’s chin raised a notch. Her crystal-blue eyes lit with fire. “Yeah—well, I think he could wind up being trouble . But I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?” At that she seemed to catch herself. She looked at Mandy and flushed.
    Mandy nearly smiled. Did