One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t do it, but Cole wasn’t going to just take a Warren at his word. John was hot-tempered even on the best of days, so he should never have come along to carry out this task. They both took after their pa with brown eyes, but John had Pa’s height, too, being well over six feet, while Cole was considered the runt in the family at only six feet. Cole got his smaller stature from their ma, as well as her brown hair, while the rest of the men in the family had black hair.
    “We should hurry this up,” John added as he glanced down both sides of the street. “I don’t see any Warrens yet, but that could change at any moment. And I can’t promise you I won’t push back hard if they show up and start pushing.”
    Cole nodded, but he was starting to get worried, and not about the Warrens. “They might not’ve been told about the train’s early arrival like we were,” he said, then voiced his sudden unease: “What happens if she don’t agree?”
    “Why wouldn’t she?”
    “Yeah, but what if she don’t?” Cole repeated.
    “Pa said one way or the other, she comes home with us. We’ll do what we have to do.”
    “Pa didn’t figure on every eye in town being on her when he said that. You want to end up in jail?”
    “How ’bout we just talk to her first ’fore you try to jump over all these obstacles we ain’t run into yet?”
    —
    In the middle of the street, Tiffany finally managed to stop sneezing long enough to glare at the two cowboys who’d stirred up the cloud of dust she was choking on. But it wasn’t reallytheir fault, they’d merely ridden past her rather quickly, then come to a tearing halt nearby, which could well have been her fault.
    Anna had already pointed out that they were causing something of a sensation in the town, which was why they’d been hurrying across the street to get out of sight inside the hotel. People had been coming out of stores to look at them, leaning over balconies, pointing fingers. Tiffany was a little surprised to see so many women dressed plainly in homespun clothes and so many men in work clothes wearing guns. High fashion had obviously not traveled this far west, but did Nashart get so few visitors that the sight of two strangers would cause such a stir?
    Tiffany put a handkerchief to her nose and kept it there. One more thing to hate about the West. Dust. It settled on her clothes, discoloring them, and it made her sneeze. It was controllable in the city, but how did they control it here with their dirt streets?
    “I only wanted to change out of these clothes we’ve been wearing for days, but now I need a bath, too,” she complained to Anna.
    “You actually think you’ll find one here?”
    Tiffany turned to stare at the maid aghast, only to find Anna pointing at a sign farther down the street: TIDWELL ’ S BATHHOUSE, HOT WATER AND SOAP.
    “Wonderful,” Tiffany groaned. “Boasting that they have soap, as if no one else in town does. I think we should get back on the train before it leaves.”
    “The bathhouse is next to a tavern, which, by the way, this town appears to have too many of, so it’s probably for men who don’t plan to reside in the hotel.”
    After that dust cloud they had both just endured, Tiffanywasn’t in a mood to hear tepid encouragement. Nothing short of a hot, steaming bath in a private room was going to appease her right now. “They call them saloons here, and if you were trying to relieve me, it didn’t work.”
    “You’ll get a bath at the hotel. I would wager a week’s salary on it.”
    Tiffany finally noticed the slight grin on Anna’s face. The maid was teasing her and trying not to laugh. “You’re just full of surprises today, Anna Weston. You’re lucky I didn’t fire you for arguing with me over my decision. I still might. Now let’s get out of the sun, and the dust.”
    Anna put her head down because she really couldn’t hide that grin anymore. “Yes, Miss Tiffany.”
    Tiffany snorted indelicately and