Kate Wingo - Western Fire 01 by Fire on the Prairie Read Free Book Online Page A

bastard had killed more than a dozen men. And nothing said Mooney would draw the line at pulling the trigger on a woman.
    Damn Mercy Hibbert and her holier- than-thou temper anyway.
    When they reached the creek bank, Spence hefted Mercy off of his shoulder and set her down. No sooner did her feet touch the ground than she tried to run past him. Knowing that she’d only meet with trouble if she made good her escape, he grabbed her arm to anchor her in place.
    “Let me go!” Mercy cried out, her blue eyes gleaming with a wild, unnatural light. “He killed Papa!”
    Intuiting that she intended to mete out the same punishment to him that she’d given to Mooney, Spence lashed an arm around Mercy’s waist, trapping both of her arms between their two bodies. Hellcat that she was, she continued to struggle, refusing to acknowledge that he had nearly a foot and a good eighty pound advantage.
    “ Turn me loose! He killed Papa!”
    Spence held steady, trying his best to ignore the steady stream of kicks to his shins. He figured it was best to let her fury run its course. Hopefully, she’d wear herself out in short order.
    Just as he figured, exhaustion soon took its toll, Mercy ’s body going limp in his arms.
    Reluctant to turn her loose, Spence held her longer than need be. While he’d like to lay Mercy Hibbert down on a bed of grass and get better acquainted, Spence knew full well that particular pleasure was not to be his. Just because he rode with some of the meanest outlaws this side of the Mississippi, it didn’t mean that he’d stoop so low as to prey upon a lone woman. No matter how tempting.
    And it was damn tempt ing.
    Although, what harm could come from one little kiss? Hell, she’d probably enjoy it. Hadn’t come across a woman yet who didn’t.
    Acting on what he considered an inspired idea, Spence slipped a hand under Mercy’s chin and slowly angled her head upward. Looking into her eyes, he smiled.
    Like taking candy from a sleeping baby , he mused when she offered no resistance. Tilting his head to one side, Spence angled his mouth over her soft, full lips and—
    All of a sudden, Mercy stiffened in his arms, pushing against his chest with both hands.
    Damn, but she sure knew how to spoil a man’s fun.
    “You were there when they killed Papa, weren’t you?”
    Spence blinked, still chaffing from the derailed kiss. “Honest, honey, I wasn’t there,” he affirmed, hoping Mercy would let it go.
    “You were , too! I saw you laughing when he fell to the ground.”
    The raw pain in her voice tugged at Spence’s heart. Wrapping a hand around each of her upper arms, he gave her a gentle shake. “Mercy, listen to me. I had nothing to do with killing your father.”
    “I don’t believe you! The fact that you ride with Ned Sykes means —”
    “Nothing.”
    The sheen instantly cleared from Mercy Hibbert’s eyes, lucidity returning. “But you are a bushwhacker, are you not?”
    “I’m not in it for the killing or the plunder, if that’s what you mean.”
    “If not that, then what, pray tell?”
    “I’ve got my reasons,” he muttered, releasing his hold on her. Then, knowing what was coming next, he added, “And it doesn’t concern you. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
    Christ, he didn’t need to explain himself to some little Yankee gal. He knew he kept company with the devil. But he had a damn good reason for doing so. The best reason that a man could have. He was in it for vengeance. Pure and simple. Luther Maddox, the Dark Angel, was holed up somewhere in Kansas, and he aimed to hunt him down. Riding with Ned and his gang was simply a means to an end. Nothing more.
    “Listen, all I do is scout for Sykes. I don’t ask about his business and he doesn’t ask about mine. It’s just a job.”
    “And it doesn’t bother you to know that your employer is a cold-blooded killer?” Mercy glared at Spence, leveling her accusation with clenched fists.
    So, the lady wanted a fight, did she? Well