Tracker’s Sin by Sarah McCarty Read Free Book Online

evenly tucked inside the waistband. Her shoes were freshly
    polished. It was almost as if, through impeccable grooming, she’d tried to erase the craziness of earlier. Hel , she’d even managed to tame the intriguing
    wildness of her hair, corral ing it into a neat braid, coiled up in a tight bun anchored at the base of her neck.
    A few rebel ious tendrils tickled her nape, bringing his eye to the long, elegant line of her throat and the daintiness of her ears. He didn’t
    normal y notice a woman’s ears, but Ari’s were cute, with lobes that just begged to be nibbled. His gaze natural y traveled down the side of her neck,
    fol owing a tempting path to the pulse beating in the hol ow of her throat. He wanted to sprinkle kisses along that path, touch that too-fast pulse with his
    tongue, take her in his arms and promise her again that everything would be al right. Son of a bitch, what was it about the woman that made him think in
    terms of suicidal acts? He wasn’t some sort of knight in shining armor. He was a fucking outlaw turned lawman. No better than he had to be in any
    situation. He had nothing to give a woman like her.
    Tracker straightened. Ari’s glance cut to the rifle, to his face, then his hands. He knew how they looked to her. Sun darkened and scarred,
    they were as ugly as his visage. About the time the urge to tuck them out of sight got overwhelming, she looked away. Even her embarrassed blush was
    pretty.
    “My parents told me…”
    The flush on her cheeks became fiery. He waited for her to continue. She cleared her throat and smoothed her palms down her skirt. He
    wondered if they were sweating. She tried again.
    “My parents said I had an…episode with you.”
    Her uneasiness was rubbing off on him. He took a step back toward the bed, giving her some room to breathe. “That’s one way to put it.”
    She kept giving the pistol wary glances. “Did I hurt you?”
    He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re wiggly but not lethal.”
    She went stil , blinked. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind, see her searching for a memory. Saw the moment she gave
    up searching. “Oh, good.”
    He could let it go or bring it out in the open. He opted for the latter. “You don’t remember what happened?”
    She shook her head. Her gaze left his and her lip slid between her teeth. She looked very young right then. Too young and too innocent to
    have been through what he knew she had. “No.”
    “Did Vincente and Josefina fil you in?”
    Her hands, which had been smoothing her skirt, now clutched it. “No. They used to try, but I’d go craz…” She shook her head, took a
    breath and started over. “I’m sorry. I thought I was getting better.”
    “This has been going on awhile?”
    “Yes.”
    “How often?”
    This time when she looked at him, it was with resentment. With a snap, she shook out her skirt. As if snapping material snapped her
    spine into place, she stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye. This was the Ari who haunted his dreams.
    “I owe you an apology, Mr. Ochoa, not an explanation.”
    “Sorry. I kind of take it personal like when a pretty woman tries to shoot me.”
    The color left her face and she swayed. He grabbed her arm. Christ, she didn’t have enough bulk to keep his fingers from meeting.
    “I tried to shoot you?” she whispered.
    “Whispering doesn’t change the fact.”
    Her fingers touched his. “I won’t faint.”
    “I’m not convinced.”
    “It’s just a shock.” She licked her lips. “Hearing what I do when I get like that.”
    He studied the paleness of her cheeks, the shadows darkening her blue eyes. He considered saying something outrageous just to get
    the blush back.
    “You real y don’t remember what you do, do you?”
    “No.”
    He released her arm. “That has got to be as scary as he—heck.”
    Her right hand moved to cover the spot he’d touched. To remove or to hold on to the sensation? Tracker shook his head, disgusted