Lady of the Gun by Faye Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

hair and a golden mustache. She let her eyes search his frame from boots to hair, and though his suit was obviously expensive and tailored to perfection, it couldn't hide his too thin physique. She thought about how perfect Brett's body was in comparison, then frowned angrily at her own observation. Why on earth would she compare anyone to the marshal? Just then the man turned in her direction and let his gaze fall directly on her, a smile creasing his face. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. A few puzzled seconds later it hit her: the man was Ramsey Tylo, Hunt Tylo's son.
    Ramsey was only three years her senior, but she barely knew him. He'd traveled in a different circle than she had. Being the son of the richest man in town had gone to his head, and though they'd been neighbors, he'd never noticed the tall, skinny, gawky kid she'd been. She remembered he'd left for college shortly before her family was murdered. So the big-city boy has come home, she mused, wondering why he was grinning at her now.
    Brett heard the stage outside and decided to see who might be arriving. He was still concerned that Bobby Fleet could be in the area. The chance that the gunfighter would enter town on the stage was slim, but Brett couldn't gamble with Cass's life, no matter how sure she was that she could take care of herself. Leaving the office, he went to watch the unloading of mail, luggage, and passengers.
    Cass narrowed her eyes when she saw Brett leave the sheriff’s office to stand and watch the stage unloading. Seeing him again, even at this distance, did strange things to her heart. Grimacing, she was about to turn away when she heard her name being called from the stage.
    "Cass? Cassidy Wayne, is that you? ”
    Cass did a double take, not sure that she ’d heard right. She would have bet good money that Ramsey didn’t even know her name, yet here he was calling to her as though they were old friends. tilting her head slightly in curiosity, she began a slow walk in his direction. “Ramsey?" she said when she was close enough to speak.
    "Yes, Cass, it's me. And look at you, all grown up ,” he said smiling down at her, reaching out to take her hands in his.
    Cass nearly pulled away. She didn’t know this Ramsey. His golden hair and light blue eyes shone as though he’d been touched by the sun, and he was smiling down at her as if he'd been waiting all these years just to see her. “Ramsey?" she repeated a little incredulously.
    "Yes, Cass." He nearly laughed. “I didn't know I’d changed that much,” he commented.
    Cass blinked several times. He did seem to have changed. As a child there'd been a hardness to him that had made him seem a little cold and cruel. She remembered him teasing Rosie, the waitress, when they were kids. His teasing had gone beyond the normal childish taunts, sending her running home in tears. To this day Rosie paled whenever Ramsey's name was mentioned.
    But the Ramsey standing before Cass now, beami ng down at her with an angelic smile, seemed softer, kinder, somehow. Cass looked up into his eyes. Maybe he's just grown up, she thought. Finally returning his smile, she allowed him to hold her hands familiarly. "Hello, Ramsey," she offered. "I hadn't heard you were coming back."
    Brett watched Cass and the stranger standing close, talking. He looked at them curiously. Was this man a special friend of Cass's? He squinted speculatively as he sized up the fancy man in the expensive suit. Tightening his jaw, he waited and watched.
    "Dad knew I was coming for a visit, but I didn't tell him when. I wanted to surprise him," Ramsey explained, letting his eyes roan over the curves that had appeared on Cass's figure in the last few years. The Cass he remembered had been thin and awkward. What a pleasant surprise to see that the weed had blossomed into a rose. "Have you seen my father lately? How does he look?"
    Cass lowered her eyes. "No, I haven't seen him in a while," she explained. "I've