The Iron Horseman by Kelli Ann Morgan Read Free Book Online

that?” Cadence eyed the weapon
with apprehension—not that she really thought he would try to harm her in any
way. Unwittingly she reached down to her boot and felt for the dagger she kept
there.
    “There
are a couple pieces of gravel embedded in your cheek—“
    “And
you’re going to cut them out? I don’t think so.” She started to stand, but he
pressed down on her shoulder, keeping her in the increasingly cold water.
    “I’m
not going to cut them out,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’m just going
to coax them out with the flat side of the blade.”
    As
if that sounded any better. She watched him as he poured some of the clear
liquid over his knife, unable to take her eyes off his face. He was gentler
than she’d expected him to be.
    Levi
avoided her gaze as he quietly worked on his task.
    “Shouldn’t
a doctor be doing this?”
    “Shhh,”
he chided.
    Cadence
closed her eyes to the pain that emanated from her face. She was sure she
looked a sight.
    “There.
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
    Gooseflesh
cascaded down her body. The chill from the water and the light breeze added to
her discomfort.
    “Now,
let me see that leg.” Levi held out his hand like he expected her to swing her
legs out of the trough on display for the whole town.
    “Levi?”
one of his brothers called from a distance, but she wasn’t sure which one. “She
all right?”
    “She’ll
be fine,” he yelled back over his shoulder. “She’s quite capable,” he said more
to himself than to his brother.
    Cadence
wanted to smack the irritatingly smug twitch that touched the corners of his
beautiful mouth. Not that she’d noticed.
    She was capable. However, every smart woman liked to be taken care of once
in a while. If she had to be stuck in a small town like Flat Plains for the
night, at least it was in the company of a very…capable man.
    “Well?”
Levi asked.
    “Well,
what?” she asked back.
    “Your
leg.”
    Heat
flooded Cadence’s otherwise cool cheeks.
    Of
course.
    She
hesitated a moment longer, then decided she’d save her strength for another
battle. She turned so she could lean against the backside of the trough and
lifted the injured leg from the water—sopping skirt and all.
    Levi’s
fingers touched her bare skin as he pulled back the folds of her dress to the
area just above her knee where the burning sign had left its mark. Cadence was
grateful it hadn’t been the other leg, where she’d strapped her favorite blade.
Luckily, the water hadn’t been deep enough to get to her revolver, but she
worried about the pistol secured at her thigh. She didn’t know how she would
explain her weapons if he were to find them.
    “Just
stay put, would you?” Levi said as he stood.
    “But…”
she tried to protest.
    He
reached down and lifted her chin with his finger. It took her a moment before
she could meet his eyes.
    “Trust
me,” was all he said before he turned and walked back toward the bank.
    What
was wrong with her? She was Cadence Walker, a Pinkerton for heaven’s sake. Her
emotions were all too real for the charade she played. Her nerves were normally
as thick as steel, but for some reason, she felt like the helpless female where
Levi Redbourne was concerned. That just wasn’t acceptable. It was time to get
herself together.
    Cadence
stood up in the trough and shook the excess water from her hands. Luckily the
watering trench was stationed near a hitching post and fence. She steadied
herself against the wood for support and climbed out of the oversized tub. Her
feet hit the ground with a thud. The bottoms of her skirt squished into the
dust, immediately sullying the hem. She raised her hands into the air. Her
dress clung to the curve of her body as it hung heavy with the excess weight of
the water.
    “Ooooo,”
she grunted. The wet dress skimmed her blistered skin and Cadence gritted her
teeth against the sudden pain.
    The
Day’s End was just a couple of doors down. Luckily, she had a change