Give Me A Texas Ranger. Jodi Thomas

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СКАЧАТЬ bit the corner of his mouth, hesitating, then leaned so close his chin brushed her hair. With his breath against her ear, he whispered, “I think one of the men in this room usually rides with the outlaws. Problem is, I don’t know which one.”

      Annalane would have fallen if his lean body hadn’t shifted slightly to hold her up.

      Chapter 2

      Ranger Wynn McCord tried to tell himself he was just helping the lady out—being polite, that was all—but he knew the truth. From the moment he’d seen her in the coach, all prim and proper, he’d thought about what she’d feel like to touch. He didn’t want to just help her; he wanted to hold her close. It had been a long time since he’d felt that way about any woman. He’d probably lost the ability to even talk to a woman like this one, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about what they might do besides talk.

      Now she was pressed against him from knee to chin and he didn’t want to step back. She had that never-been-touched look about her and he wondered if, beneath all those pleats and buttons, a man had ever thrown a rope around her. She said she’d been married for an hour before her husband left. It would take a great deal longer than that to convince her she was desired.

      He’d watched her all day while the others thought he slept. There was a grace about her that fascinated him. She’d talked to the gambler a few times after Frank Sanders told her he’d lived in Washington, D.C., but mostly she read from a little book she kept in her purse. Since she was careful not to turn it where anyone could see the cover, McCord guessed it was one of those adventure/romance dime novels he’d seen around, written for people who wanted to experience the Wild West secondhand.

      “Mr. McCord.” Annalane Barkley’s hand pushed against his chest, making him very much aware of just how close they were. “I’ll have to ask you to…”

      “If you’re going with me, we need a reason to step outside, Mrs. Barkley. Time’s running out,” he whispered without giving an inch. “So, shall we give them that reason, that we might need a little privacy?”

      He moved his hand against the back of her head and pulled her to him. “Make it look like you can’t keep your hands off me.” Grinning, he had no doubt the proper Mrs. Barkley wouldn’t have a clue about what to do. “We need to make it to the barn before the moon’s free of clouds again.”

      She let out a tiny cry of surprise as his mouth lowered to hers. A moment later, her hand stopped trying to shove him away. She was frozen stiff in his arms, but she didn’t break the kiss.

      McCord had meant only to brush her lips. They were in far too much danger to take time for a real kiss, but he couldn’t pull away. Her bottom lip quivered slightly as he parted her lips and deepened the kiss. She tasted far better than he’d let himself imagine in the hours he’d spent daydreaming about her.

      “Hey!” the drunk driver yelled. “What’s going on?”

      McCord broke the kiss with an oath, but his hand still held her head in place. “Shut up, old man. Nothing that’s any business of yours is happening. The lady and I have just found a way to pass the time.”

      He slowly turned toward the three men, staring at each one in turn. Daring them to say more.

      When they were silent, he added, “Come on, Anna, let’s find someplace without an audience.”

      “And where would that be?” The gambler shrugged, seeming to be enjoying the show they’d put on.

      McCord wrapped his arm around the tall woman’s waist and pulled her toward the door. “With this rain, no one is going to storm the place. We’ll be in the barn.” He glared at the men. “And don’t come looking for us unless you’re ready to die.”

      He grabbed his leather coat from the peg by the door and tossed it over Anna’s head, then lifted her in his arms and headed out. She kicked and yelled and screamed, but the rain and the coat muffled all sound.

      When he made it to the dry silence of the barn, he checked to make sure no one lurked in the shadows before pulling the coat off Annalane and laughing. This very proper lady looked madder than hell. Maybe he should have taken a little more time to explain his plan.

      “How dare you!” She poked her finger into his chest as if it were a knife. “Do you know what they all think we are doing right now?”

      “I don’t care, lady. I just wanted out of there, and you said you wanted to come with me.” He frowned at her. “If you want to go back just tell me, because where we’re headed isn’t going to be easy, and I can make better time without you. I left the mailbag inside. They can bargain for their lives with it, but I don’t think any one of them would worry about you.”

      The woman proved she was not a fool. She said simply, “I want to stay with you.”

      He tugged his coat around her shoulders. “We got an hour, maybe more if this rain doesn’t let up. We need to get as far away from here as possible before they notice we’re gone.”

      She nodded.

      “Any way you can shed a few of those skirts? They’re going to get heavy once they get wet.”

      He’d expected her to argue, but she said, “Turn around.”

      The petticoats rustled as they fell to the floor. He fought the urge to glance back.

      “I’ve practical shoes in my carpetbag,” she said, pointing at the stage, halfway between the barn and the station.

      He thought of telling her they didn’t have time, but a minute probably wouldn’t matter. Their chances of making it away were so slight, the odds wouldn’t change much just because she switched shoes. He trudged out to the coach and grabbed her bag along with the extra Winchester the driver must have forgotten. He thought of taking a horse, but the animals were exhausted and someone from the station might notice a horse being unhitched and led away.

      When he got back, she had pulled her wild hair down out of a ridiculous nest of curls and was braiding it in one long, midnight braid. The woman was practical.

      “Ready, Anna?”

      As she shoved her feet into lace-up leather boots, she said, “My name is Annalane.”

      “All right.” He watched her, thinking he liked looking at her more than listening to her. The quick Northern accent grated on him. “If you can’t keep up…”

      “I’ll keep up,” she said. She didn’t seem one inch shorter. The woman reminded him of a willow. He smiled, remembering how he didn’t have to lean down to kiss her; he only had to turn his head to cover her mouth with his.

      McCord tossed her worthless hat in the hay. “I won’t leave you, Anna, don’t worry. But tell me if you need to slow down.”

      “I’ll keep up,” she repeated without commenting on how he’d just thrown away the only hat she’d ever thought looked good on her. She packed up her carpetbag and moved it behind her as if she thought he might toss it as well.

      He smiled. The woman wasn’t far from wrong. He might have tried if he’d had the chance.

      They walked out the back of the little barn and headed into СКАЧАТЬ