Silver Hearts. Jackie Manning

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СКАЧАТЬ and smoking a cigarette. His broad shoulders contrasted attractively with his slim hips and long tapered legs. She felt a frisson of feminine response, chastising herself immediately. She averted her glance to the calf, wobbling along beside her. She would refuse to rest; she would take his offer of water, but nothing else.

      “Don’t move!”

      Noelle glanced at Luke, who stood about twenty feet from where she walked. He aimed his six-shooter at the calf.

      “Whatever are you...?”

      “Don’t take another step, I said.” Luke stood as still as the mountain range, aiming his gun at the calf ambling at her side.

      “No!,” she cried. “No, don’t—!”

      The shot rang out, echoing along the far hills. She froze, afraid to look. She forced her eyes open and glanced at the calf. Within two feet of the animal lay the largest rattlesnake—a sidewinder—she had ever seen. Shot dead.

      She hugged the calf, then gazed up at Luke as he sauntered toward her. She swallowed the dry dust in her throat. “I—I thought...” She swallowed the words.

      “I know what you thought.” He slid the revolver into his holster. “I think this is the time when you tell me how Uncle Marcel will reward me most generously.” His deep brown eyes glittered with amusement as his fingers slid over his dimpled scar.

      She wiped her face with her apron. Lack of sleep, heat and fatigue made her dizzy. A flush of self-consciousness tore at her senses. She lifted the calf in her arms, refusing to give him up.

      “You win.” Luke spat the words as he strode beside her. “Give me the runt.”

      She glanced at him suspiciously.

      He scowled. “Don’t look at me like that. I won’t hurt the critter.” He shot her an arched look. “Besides, I’ve changed my mind. If the animal makes it to town alive, you can sell it. The extra money will help pay your fare back to New York where you belong.”

      Noelle pulled back. “I’m not a quitter, Mr. Savage.”

      “That’s nice.” He took a long drag on his cigarette, then tossed it to the ground, grinding the butt in the sand with the heel of his boot. “But this land makes quitters out of a lot of strong people. If your uncle isn’t waiting for you in town, you’ll have little choice but to head back where you came from.”

      Noelle shot him a fueled look, but she said nothing. He watched her climb onto the driver’s seat and pick up the reins.

      Within the next few minutes, Luke had unhitched Deuce from the back of the wagon and mounted the horse, placing the calf across his lap. The grating bleat was its only protest.

      Luke watched as Noelle straightened the reins, then settled back against the seat. She turned to give him an appreciative smile. “You’re a decent, kind human being, Mr. Savage.”

      I’m a sucker for a pretty face, he thought irritably. Damn, you’d think he’d know better after what he’d been through with women. “Let’s move out,” he said instead.

      With one hand, Luke balanced the calf across his lap while he pulled out the gloves he kept tucked beneath his saddle. Pulling on the right glove, Luke glanced down to see his trigger finger poking out of a hole in the leather.

      “What the...?”

      The critter lifted its head and bleated. In a heartbeat, the calf grabbed Luke’s trigger finger and sucked. Luke stared, then glared at Noelle. He didn’t need the sticky dampness inside his glove as further evidence to know that he was wearing the calf’s nursing mitt.

      Noelle’s chuckle further irritated him.

      “Don’t tell me.” His words shot back. “I assume you’ll be asking Uncle Marcel to buy me a new pair of gloves.”

      “Mr. Savage,” she said, purring the words. “You’ve been so very kind that my uncle will reward you with a new suit, as well.” She pursed her lips and stroked her chin as she studied his travel-worn outfit. “Maybe a new hat, neck scarf and boots—”

      “No need, Sunshine, but thanks.” Luke shoved his hat down over his face and led Deuce into a slow walk. Does she think she can buy her way to whatever she wants?

      Damn, he really didn’t want to know what she thought. All he knew was that because of Noelle, he’d arrive in Crooked Creek carrying a bony animal in his arms, which stunk worse than he did. He only hoped he could sneak into town without anyone seeing his trigger finger sticking out of the calf’s nursing glove, and his clothes reeking of lilacs.

      Little Miss Sunshine, on the other hand, would arrive fresh as all springtime, her shiny curls bouncing beneath a sprightly new bonnet. She’d probably wear that blue silk gown that he’d noticed after Little Henry and the other two Indians had rummaged through tier trunks.

      Luke’s gaze wandered across the muddy trail that sprawled ahead of them. Proves that women like Noelle Bellencourt could take care of themselves. Besides, it was none of his business what happened to her.

      But Blackjack on the other hand...

      A corner of Luke’s mouth lifted into a smile. If Blackjack was planning to make that ’Frisco stage today, the old man would be waking up just about now, yawning and scratching, never dreaming that by nightfall, he’d be staring out of prison bars.

      And with a little luck, Luke might make it to town in time to surprise Blackjack before he embarked on the stage. Yeah, with just a little luck.

      

      About ten-thirty, Luke guessed, gauging the distance of the sun from the horizon. He’d taken the driver’s seat while Noelle had busied herself, preparing for her arrival to meet her uncle at Crooked Creek.

      The sun-faded wooden buildings spread along both sides of the main street of Crooked Creek like miniature wooden blocks he and his brother had played with as children.

      The curtains behind him swished open and Noelle came to take the reins from him. He glanced at her. Noelle, dressed in the blue silk gown, looked more lovely that he’d imagined. Freshly scrubbed, radiant with excitement, Noelle smiled at him, as though waiting for him to notice.

      Their gloves touched when he handed the reins to her. “Changed your frock, I see,” he said, wishing immediately that he hadn’t mentioned that he’d noticed. He kept his eyes on the trail, feeling more flustered than when he was ten years old and forced to attend his first dancing class in Philadelphia.

      Luke stepped from the wagon onto his horse in one fluid movement. He knew Noelle was watching him. Probably she was irritated that he didn’t tell her how pretty she looked in her blue dress that matched the color of her eyes.

      Seated on his mount, Luke leaned over and picked up the calf from behind the seat. The calf appeared at ease as it laid across Luke’s lap. Within minutes, it curled its head back around to the pommel and went to sleep.

      “Thanks to you, Mr. Savage, we have survived,” Noelle said. He felt her appreciative gaze upon him.

      “Yeah.”

      “My uncle will want to СКАЧАТЬ