Maverick / The Playboy's Passionate Pursuit. Emilie Rose

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СКАЧАТЬ He’d figured Brianna Stewart wouldn’t have it any other way.

      Five

      Bri sighed with contentment as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. The chili was delicious. And spicy. She had hungrily finished off two bowlfuls, along with several slices of Hawk’s homemade corn bread.

      “That was a wonderful meal,” she said to her host. “Thank you.”

      “You’re welcome.” Apparently pleased with her response, Hawk pushed back his chair and stood. “Are you ready for coffee and dessert now?” He glanced from Bri to Tanner.

      “Coffee,” Bri answered without hesitation. “But I couldn’t eat another bite.”

      “Just coffee for me, too,” Tanner said.

      When they had finished their coffee, Bri stood up and began clearing the table.

      “You don’t have to help,” Hawk said.

      “I know. But I want to do it.” She shooed him away with a hand. “You two go relax or something.”

      “You win. I don’t often get out of kitchen duty.” Hawk led the way outside to let Tanner choose the horses for the hunt.

      At the door, Tanner paused to tell Bri how to find the room where he had stashed her gear. No sooner had he shut the door behind him when Hawk lit into him.

      “Are you out of your mind?” he demanded, striding for the stables.

      Tanner sighed. “Don’t start, McKenna. I had my fill arguing with Brianna back in Durango. I’m not in the mood to argue with you.”

      Hawk snorted. “In the mood or not, you’re getting an argument. Dammit, Wolfe—”

      That’s as far as he got before Tanner cut him off. “Yeah, dammit. Hell, double dammit. What else was I supposed to do?”

      Reaching the stable, Hawk yanked the door open and flicked on the lights to illuminate the dim interior. “How about making it clear you wouldn’t bring her. End of argument. Period.”

      “I tried that.” Tanner gave his best friend a fierce scowl. “Didn’t work. She told me if I refused, I should forget it, she’d find herself another hunter.” He exhaled in a bid to ease the tension riding him.

      “And you didn’t want to give up a big payoff?”

      “Are you nuts?” Now Tanner was getting angry. “Hawk, you know me better than that. And you know as well as I do there are bounty hunters out there that will agree to any conditions, even to allowing a woman to hunt with them, if the price is right.”

      Now Hawk sighed. “I know. But I don’t like this at all. Brianna is a beautiful woman. A nice woman.” He strode inside. “I’d hate like hell to see her hurt.”

      “Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. I feel the same way.” His mouth curved into a wry smile. “That’s why I’m not taking her along.”

      Hawk narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Aah, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

      “You got it, ole buddy.” He grinned. “I’m leaving her here, in your capable hands.”

      “But what the hell’s the difference if you leave her in Durango or here with me?”

      “Hawk, you’re not thinking,” Tanner chided him. “If I’d have left her in Durango, she’d have either contacted another hunter or set out on her own.” He shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about that. Out here, with you, she’s stuck. All she can do is ask you to drive her back to Durango.”

      “Where she will promptly look up and hire another hunter,” Hawk pointed out.

      “I know, but by then I’ll be way ahead of the pack, so to speak.”

      Hawk shook his head as if in frustration. “And when you bring him in and hand him over to the law, you know damn well she will likely hand you a check for the original ten grand posted.”

      “I know.” Tanner nodded. “And I don’t care. Hawk, it’s no longer the money. It’s Brianna and her safety.” He paused before continuing. “I’m attracted to her. Very attracted. It was there from the minute I opened my door and saw her standing there.”

      A small smile tugged at Hawk’s lips. “That’s understandable. Brianna’s gorgeous and sexy as hell.”

      “Tell me about it.” Tanner shook his head. “She had no sooner walked into my place and I wanted to swing her up into my arms and…well, never mind. I’m sure you can figure it out for yourself.”

      “Sure.” Hawk nodded. “I’ve been there.”

      “I have, too, but not like this,” Tanner admitted. “This is stronger than—” He broke off. “The point is, I couldn’t leave her in Durango and I can’t take her with me. This Minnich creep is a killer. He’s killed at least one woman, and the law suspects there’s more. If anything happened to her, if he got a chance to harm her in any way, I swear I’d go berserk.” He shuddered at the very idea of Brianna injured. “Hawk, I can’t take her with me. I can’t take that chance.”

      Hawk nodded. “There’s the hunter I know and love like a brother. You had me a tad worried that you had slipped a cog.”

      Tanner laughed. “Not to worry. Now let’s look at horses.”

      Hawk paused at the second stall inside the stable. “We’re going to have to play it cool, you know?”

      “Yeah.” Tanner nodded. “We can’t take a chance of her getting suspicious. Leave the lights on in here when we leave. I’ll bring her out to show her the horses we’ve chosen.”

      “Show her the mare.” Hawk indicated the chocolate-brown horse in the third stall. “She would be the logical choice for a woman.”

      In no time, Brianna had the kitchen spotless and went in search of her room, musing on the idea that Boyo obviously liked her, for he padded after her.

      Finding the room easily, Bri stepped inside, and immediately wondered if Hawk had frequent visits from lady friends. The bedroom had definite feminine touches, including a vanity table and bench, the surface littered with an array of skin-care products, makeup and a silver-backed comb-and-brush set.

      Along the back wall was a queen-size bed, set between two windows through which the last rays of sunlight shone. Crossing the room, Bri drew back a sheer curtain panel to stare out at the vista. A huge meadow spread out from the side of the house and along the foothills of the mountain. She was puzzled for a moment by a large, flat, whitish circle on the ground a good distance from the house.

      Then realization dawned. The white circle was a helicopter pad, right there on the edge of the meadow.

      How convenient, she thought, smiling as she turned away from the window. A chopper would come in very handy when snow blocked the roadways in the dead of winter.

      She had to smile. Boyo had made himself comfortable and lay stretched out on the foot of the bed СКАЧАТЬ