Tales of Western Romance by Madeline Baker Read Free Book Online Page B

me?”
    He shrugged. “The legends say that Relámpago can travel through time. I never believed it until
now. I don’t understand why he would have brought you here. He’s
only supposed to show up when people are in danger.” He grinned
wryly. “I’m pretty sure you’re in more danger here, with me, than
you were back wherever you came from.”
    She thought so, too, but at the moment, she
didn’t care. She liked it right where she was. His gaze lingered on
hers, making her stomach go all fluttery. He had beautiful dark
eyes. He was, in fact, just plain beautiful, and she was having
thoughts she shouldn’t have about a man she didn’t know.
    Clearing her throat, she said, “I must be
getting heavy.”
    “ A little bit of a thing like you?” he
said, obviously amused. “I could carry you all day long and never
break a sweat.”
    It surprised her how much she liked that
idea.
    * * * * *
    Bonnie glanced at Gray. They were riding side
by side across a flat land dotted with scrub oak and occasional
stands of timber. There were mountains in the distance.
    Earlier, she had asked Gray where they were
going and he had said they were going to the nearest town for
supplies, a bath, and a hot meal.
    She didn’t know which was more tempting, hot
water or hot food. She had quickly grown tired of jerky and water
from his canteen, which was all he had to eat and drink.
    Late in the afternoon, they came to a river
flanked by tall trees. Gray reined his horse to a halt.
Dismounting, he lifted her from the stallion’s back.
    Bonnie groaned. She wasn’t used to horseback
riding, especially bareback. Riding without a saddle wasn’t as easy
as it looked in the movies. She had to concentrate on keeping her
balance.
    “ We’ll rest here awhile,” Gray
said.
    With a nod, she dropped gratefully onto a
patch of grass while he unsaddled the bay mare and then let the
horses drink.
    Bonnie watched Gray, noting that he moved
with a kind of masculine grace. He had big hands. Long arms and
legs, muscles that bunched and flowed with every movement. Sitting
there, she was overcome with an urge to touch him, to run her hands
over his smooth, coppery skin, to twine her fingers in his hair, to
inhale his scent. Her wayward thoughts gave her pause. She had
never, ever wanted to ravish a man before, but there was something
about Gray that attracted her like no other man she had ever known.
Every time he looked at her, every nerve and cell in her body
leaped to attention, hoping, waiting, for his touch.
    She frowned as she recalled what he had said
earlier, about Relámpago carrying people away from danger.
Only she hadn’t been in any danger back home. She was in danger
here, though, she thought wryly. In danger of doing something
remarkably foolish with a remarkably handsome man. Who just
happened to be wanted for murder.
    With a start, she realized he was watching
her.
    He hunkered down on his heels beside her.
“Something wrong?”
    “ Gee, what could possibly be wrong?
Let’s see. I’m a hundred and thirty-two years in the past. With a
complete stranger. And I have no idea how to get back home. Other
than that, everything’s just peachy!”
    A slow grin spread over his face. “Did you
know your nose sort of twitches when you get mad?”
    “ Too bad I’m not Jeanie. I could just
twitch my nose and zap myself back home.”
    “ You know someone who can do
that?”
    Bonnie stated at him, then burst out
laughing. “Not really. It’s an old TV sitcom…”
    She huffed a sigh. “Never mind.”
    He looked at her, one brow arched. “I guess
things are probably different where you come from.”
    “ You have no idea.”
    He stretched out beside her, his arms folded
behind his head. “The future,” he murmured. “I wonder if Relámpago would take me there.”
    “ You want to go to the
future?”
    “ Nobody’s looking for me
there.”
    “ Ah.” She stretched out on her side,
her cheek cradled on her arm, facing him. “I’m not