Dream Shadow by Mary Wine Read Free Book Online

The wood was smooth and well oiled. Next to that was an old coat rack. A uniform of some sort hung from it. At first glance it looked like Air Force dress blues. It wasn’t. Two rows of brass buttons ran down the front of it. It was a Union Civil War uniform. The pants were neatly hung behind the jacket. A length of crimson caught her eye.
    A large gun rack was centered on the wall behind her. The guns that were resting in it were long rifles and looked to date from the Civil War period too. There were three rifles and two smaller hand pistols. They all gleamed from recent polish.
    The last item that rested on the gun rack was a sword. It too was polished to a high luster. It rested carefully on the rack without its scabbard. Grace reached out softly to touch the butt of one of the pistols.
    “That’s a black-powder gun. I use it for a little hobby of mine.”
    Grace stiffened. Brice Campbell moved like a panther, silent and steady.
    “I think you’re the only person I’d be willing to make an exception to the rule of snooping through my house for.” He shot her a victorious grin. “It’s nice to know you want to know more about me, Grace.”
    “That isn’t—” She stopped, realizing she was responding emotionally to him.
    “Yes, it is what you’re doing,” he countered. “Dinner conversation isn’t your style.”
    He was right. A curl of excitement hit her belly because it felt almost intimate to be read so well. Everyone thought they understood her but it was rarely true.
    “But that leaves me wondering if I should just pull your hair next to see if you’ll chase me.”
    “I will not.” She snapped but felt the sting of a blush spreading across her face.
    “Too bad. I had a great ending planned for when I let you catch me at the bedroom down the hallway.”
    “I could catch you if I wanted to.” The words were past her lips before she realized she was playing right into his plan.
    “Oh, you want to, Grace. You just don’t know how to recognize the signs. You might be a psychic but you are also a very attractive woman.”
    His eyes slowly moved down her length. There was a blatant honesty about the way he looked her over. He always brought his eyes back to hers when he did it. A small shiver raced down her spine in response. Brice Campbell wasn’t interested in just looking. There was a promise burning in his eyes that made her shift back a step.
    “Is it people that make you nervous? Or me?”
    His question was simple yet confusing. There were always questions asked about her, but it had been a really long time since someone actually looked her in the eye and asked her.
    “It’s… People are distracting. Emotions disturb my focus.”
    Brice crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes tried to sink into hers. Grace shifted as the attention made her warm. Her skin actually began to grow hot as he watched her. Her clothing felt too tight.
    “Why are you so worried about being distracted? Dinner isn’t a life or death situation. My cooking’s not that bad.”
    A tiny smile lifted her lips. Brice’s mouth answered the expression with a grin.
    “You should do that a little more often.”
    “I don’t issue invitations I’m not interested in honoring.” Grace let her smile sit on her lips as she stepped toward the doorway. His gaze watched her intently before he took one long step that blocked the exit.
    “Not every man thinks a smile means a woman wants to jump into bed with him.”
    “You’re hoping it does.” The words came out of her mouth on impulse. Grace slammed her teeth together but too late. Tossing a challenge out was really stupid. His lips curled back into a wide grin that showed his teeth. He stepped closer, making his body seem far larger than it was. She felt small next to him and his strength seemed to grow as her body shifted away from him again. It wasn’t something she could control. Her breath came in small pants as she caught his scent.
    “Maybe I am hoping that