Gunslinger by Connie Mason Read Free Book Online Page A

long. You gotta get those cows to the railhead before you can pay your taxes. I’m betting you don’t make it.”
    Chloe saw red. She raised her gun, so angry she would have plugged him through the heart if Desperado hadn’t stopped her.
    “He’s not worth it, Chloe. Put the gun down. If there’s any killing to be done, I’ll do it.” He turned to Tate and his pals. “Go on. Get out of here before I let the lady have her way.”
    Tate mounted with difficulty, somewhat handicapped without the use of his right hand. “I’m going.” He cast Desperado a meaningful look. “I’ll talk to you, later.”
    Chloe was too relieved to pay much heed to Tate’s words. She kept her gun trained on him until he and his men rode out of sight. Then she let her arm fall and collapsed against a tree. Desperado was out of the saddle immediately.
    “Are you all right? Did they…they didn’t hurt you, did they?”
    “The worst that bastard did was kiss me,” she said, scrubbing her lips with the back of her hand. “How did you know where to find me?”
    “I was in the vicinity and heard the gunshot.” He stared at her, his thoughts running amok. A gut feeling told him there was more than met the eye between Chloe and Tate Talbot. Tate’s words hinted at shared intimacy, and that puzzled him. Especially in light of Chloe’s palpable hatred for the young fool.
    “Thank God,” Chloe said on a sigh.
    “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to ride out alone. Next time, take one of the hands. Or tell me and I’ll accompany you. That’s what you’re paying me for. Can you ride?”
    “I’m perfectly fine.” She stepped away from the tree and staggered forward two steps before Desperado swept her up into his arms.
    “You’re not as tough as you look, are you?” he rasped into her ear. “You can dress and act like a man but underneath you’re all woman, soft and sweet smelling. Just like a kitten. Shall I make you purr for me, honey?”
    Chloe stiffened in his arms. “Don’t call me honey. I’m Miss Sommers to you. And you can put me down now. I’m perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet.”
    Desperado wanted to kick himself for speaking aloud his thoughts. Chloe made him do and say things he wouldn’t have done or said under any other circumstances. He had a reputation to uphold, and displaying softness toward a woman wasn’t the kind of image a gunslinger needed. With a gruffness more in keeping with his image, he tossed Chloe into her saddle and swiftly mounted his own horse.
    “Are you ready, boss?” he mocked.
    “Whenever you are, Mr. Jones,” she said haughtily.
    He let her lead the way, deliberately remaining behind in order to watch for intruders, or so he told himself. But if he wanted to be perfectly honest, he ate her dust so he could watch her taut little rump bouncing in the saddle.
    Everyone was sleeping that night when Desperado rose stealthily from his bunk and slipped outside with his boots in one hand and gunbelt in the other. He had gone to bed fully dressed, and by the time he cut his horse out from the remuda and rode bareback into the night, his gunbelt was firmly in place and his boots were on his feet where they belonged. He wasn’t certain where Tate would be waiting, but he figured it wouldn’t be too far from the house. And the only place nearby where horsemen could hide was in a shallow ravine a short distance behind the house.
    He rode to the edge of the ravine and drew rein. His hunch paid off when he saw a lone horseman making his way up from the ravine. Brilliant moonlight made it easy to identify Tate Talbot. He was alone.
    “About time you showed up,” Tate complained.
    “I wasn’t sure where to find you.”
    “Yeah, well, I couldn’t come right out and name the place with Chloe Sommers listening, now could I?”
    “I’m here now, what is it?”
    “Pa wanted me to tell you we’re gonna make our move tonight.”
    “I thought you made it earlier when