Ellie's Legacy by Ginger Simpson Read Free Book Online

you were armed or not.
Slow meant dead, and she didn’t mean to let that happen. With her sidearm
tucked in her saddlebag, Ellie centered the pack across the horse’s rump.

    She finished cinching the saddle and let the stirrup fall
back into place, then in a pretend speed draw, she slapped her hip, quickly
raised her arm, and pointed her index finger toward the door.
    “Don’t shoot,” Ty called out. He stood outside the barn with
his hands in the air. “I surrender. This is becoming a habit.”
    Ellie recalled that day in the mercantile and dropped her
arm to her side. She was certain her hot face matched the canned beets in the
house. For once she was speechless.
    “That’s a pretty quick draw you have there,” he teased.
“Good thing your finger wasn’t loaded.”
    She turned her back on him and his annoying chuckle and led
Chessie out of her stall. There was no way to defend her actions; at least
nothing came to mind. Ty would have to show up and catch her at that precise
moment. Her mouth scrunched into a sneer. With the heat of frustration warming
her face, she raised a foot to her stirrup, grabbed the saddle horn and threw
her other leg over Chessie’s back. She urged the horse toward the barn door,
but before she cleared the opening, Ty stepped in her path. “Where
you headin’?”
    Was there no end to the ways he could exasperate her? She
glared down at him. “To get some bullets for my finger. Now if you’ll kindly get out of my way.” Her hackles raised another notch.
    He cocked his head to look up at her. “I was just jokin’.
Criminy, no matter what I say or do, I manage to make you mad. Whatever
happened to your fun-lovin’ side?”
    Damn, those eyes of his. They were bluer than the Tennessee
sky on a spring day. Why, when he was the most annoying, did she notice how
attractive he looked? Her gaze locked just beyond the open buttons at the top
of his shirt–on the hollow of his neck where his heart visibly pulsed. His
heart beat in harmony with hers. Ellie did a quick and subtle head shake to
clear her mind.
    What had happened to her sense of humor? She didn’t have a
good answer at the moment except that lately nothing seemed very funny. What
made her happiest was practicing her shooting, and that was not something she
wanted to discuss.
    “So, are you ever gonna speak to me again?” Ty broke the
awkward silence.
    She tried not to grin but couldn’t help it. The look on his
face was so child-like. She mellowed a bit. “Don’t be silly, of course I’ll
talk to you. I have to, but not right now. I have an errand to run.”
    Ty stood to the side and made a wide-sweeping gesture toward
the door. “Well don’t let me stop you, but…”
    She waited, but he didn’t finish the sentence. “But what?” Her jaw hung slack in anticipation.
    “I do need to ask you somethin’ when you get back.”
    Her curiosity piqued. “Ask me now.”
    “Nah, I’d rather not. It’ll keep.” He walked behind her
horse and slapped his hat against the animal’s rump. “Geeup.”
    Chessie bolted forward. Ellie had the reins, but seized the
saddle horn with both hands to keep from falling. She slowed the mare, turned
and yelled over her shoulder, “I’ll get you for that, Tyler Bishop.”
    His laughter followed her as she rode beneath the golden “F”
suspended over the gate.
    Ellie’s mind lingered on Ty’s mystery question, but no
matter how much she tried, she couldn’t fathom anything that’d cause him to
become so flustered. She had to stop thinking about it or she’d drive herself
insane. Her confusion became excitement when she reached the trail to the old
mine shaft. Whatever Ty had to share would keep.
    She slowed Chessie to a walk and looked up and down the path
to make sure no one was around. So far, her gunfire had gone unnoticed, and she
wanted to keep it that way. She hadn’t run into the Bryant boys, but that
didn’t mean they weren’t up to no good, especially Jeb. Now that