The Reluctant Hero by Lorraine Heath Read Free Book Online Page A

on Andrea rather than the conversation going on around him.
    â€œThat’s not long considering the reputation he’s acquired,” she said. “Do you know where he lived before—”
    â€œIt’s not important,” Matt snapped. He glared at John. “Think you could content yourself with telling her your history instead of mine?”
    â€œI was telling her my history. She asked how long I’d known you. Although I’ll admit that my history isn’t nearly as interesting.” He leaned toward Andrea. “Quite honestly, I don’t know his history. People come to Gallant to start over. Most leave their past at the edge of town.”
    â€œDid you?” she asked quietly.
    John shifted his gaze over to Matt, who took satisfaction in the look of discomfort on the man’s face. “Not so interesting when the questions are about your past, is it?”
    John cleared his throat. “No, reckon it’s not.” He clapped his hands together. “So, are you going to give Andrea a tour of a day in the life of a lawman?”
    Matt set his empty plate into the wicker basket, leaned back in his chair, and folded his hands behind his head. “This is it. What I do all day.”
    â€œI didn’t fall for it before,” she said. “I’m not going to fall for it now.”
    And dang it, if she didn’t look somewhat hurt.
    â€œDadgum it,” he growled. He stood, his chair making an awful scraping sound as it scooted back.
    She jerked, her eyes growing wide.
    â€œLet’s go,” he said, heading for the door.
    â€œWhere are we going?” she asked.
    â€œTo do my job.” He snatched his hat off the peg on the wall and looked back in time to see John grinning with satisfaction. The man probably thought he’d accomplished something. Lord only knew what.
    â€œReckon you’ll clean up the mess you made while you were here,” Matt said to John.
    â€œAs much as I’m able. I’m assuming you won’t be available for our weekly chess game this evening.”
    â€œWe’ll be back before sundown.”
    â€œStill, I’ll assume you’ll be otherwise occupied, answering Andrea’s questions.”
    â€œI’m not answering anything. I only promised she could follow in my footsteps, so following is all she’s going to do.” He glared at her, and she backed up a step before squaring her shoulders and taking a defiant step forward. “And you’re not going to ask anyone any questions about me.” He arched a brow. “Ain’t that right?”
    â€œI’ll only observe, Sheriff. You won’t even know I’m there.”
    Was she joshing? The only way he wouldn’t know she was there was if he was dead and long buried.

Five

    Without hurry, he strode down the street as though he owned the very dust that his boot heels kicked up.
    â€”From Tex Knight and the Devil’s Rope
by Andrea Jackson

    Andrea couldn’t believe that he was actually allowing her to accompany him. Considering the various ways he’d attempted to discourage her this morning, she wasn’t quite sure if she should trust him now.
    She wanted to ask where they were going and what they were going to do when they got there, but based on his unwillingness to share even the most mundane of facts with her, she decided peppering him with questions would only increase the tension radiating from him and possibly result in their returning to his office before she’d had an opportunity to observe anything of interest.
    So she walked beside him . . . and periodically came to a stop so he could catch up. How could a man with such long legs walk so dang slow? It was obvious that he was a stranger to impatience, and she supposed that was a good thing in a lawman.
    â€œIn here,” he said when they reached the general store.
    â€œWhat are we going to do here?” she asked.
    His mustache