Luke's Runaway Bride. Kate Bridges

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СКАЧАТЬ the bullet had struck an inch lower, McLintock would have dropped dead…

      A flash of sunlight blasted off the bank window into Daniel’s eyes. Squinting, he turned the corner.

      Blazes. The gun had gone off by accident. Was that why McLintock was doing this? To get even for the bullet graze? So what! McLintock had tried to grab the derringer out of his hand. So Daniel had let him have it! He wished now he’d pulled the trigger deliberately, and hadn’t weakened at the last minute.

      And yeah, he’d called the sheriff. McLintock needed to be thrown in jail. Anything to stop him from spreading a false rumor about the boy. Daniel’s shoulders stiffened. His fury yesterday was nothing compared to how he felt today.

      He reached the office door and thrust a gold key into the lock.

      “Mornin’, Mr. Kincaid, sir,” the night guard rumbled. A former boxer from New York City, Harley Cobbs scoured the street, on the lookout for anything unusual. Daniel had hired him three years ago, the minute he’d laid eyes on Harley’s face, which was as broad and gnarled as the trunk of a weathered pine. Daniel bet if you sliced his skin, you’d see the rings.

      “No trouble last night, sir. The office was quiet.”

      Daniel turned the knob and kicked the door. He already knew that. The trouble had already fled town, most likely by the quickest method available—the train. Reaching Cheyenne by horseback would take two to three days. “Tell the two other men I don’t need ’em anymore.”

      “You sure?”

      “Yeah.” No sense paying for extra security when it wasn’t necessary. Yesterday, he’d hired additional men to protect the office. He hadn’t thought of protecting Jenny, and knowing he’d been outwitted made him seethe. McLintock would pay.

      Stalking into his private office, Daniel scanned his morning appointments. It was up to him to make the next move. What else could McLintock do but sit and wait for a response?

      In the meantime, Daniel had to deal with Jenny’s father, Nyland Eriksen. Luckily the old geezer was out of town.

      What would Nyland say if he knew about the kid? Nyland wouldn’t give his daughter so freely. Daniel’s hands trembled as he butted out his cigar. It’d taken him ten years to get here, on the verge of the best deal this side of the Rockies, a deal with the Union Pacific. A deal with Nyland Eriksen.

      Daniel deserved it. He’d scouted and surveyed land for fifteen years, using his wits and know-how to predict where the next tracks would be laid. Over yonder in that flood-prone valley, or dynamiting through the hills? As soon as Daniel was married to Jenny, Nyland promised him a permanent deal. A ten-year contract as the official scout for the railroad. Damned if Luke McLintock was going to blow this deal.

      Did he think he could compete with Daniel? Did he think they were in the same league? Why, McLintock would always be nothing but a workin’ class boy. Scrapin’ the manure off other people’s boots. Servin’ them penny beer, for cripes sake, when Daniel was making deals of twenty thousand dollars a crack.

      And beautiful Jenny being terrorized by the bastard…why, she was nothing more than a little kitten who needed protecting. Like all women did. Her and her silly notions of opening a store. Daniel planned on keeping her so busy with a brood of her own, she wouldn’t have time to do much else. Thankfully, she could hold her own in business conversations with the mayor and the governor and anyone else Daniel entertained, and he was sure proud to show her off on his arm. Her lush body and quick mind were a delightful bonus, although being Nyland’s daughter would have been enough.

      “Morning, Daniel,” cooed a feminine voice behind him.

      He spun on his chair and peered up at Sally Bloomfield, one of his clerks. “Mornin’.”

      She rubbed her ruby lips together and played with a strand of her brown curls. Well now, didn’t she look tempting? Her curves strained the fabric of her lace blouse, teasing him with a hint of rosy tips. Why was she wearing that blouse? She knew how much he liked it. He had an urge to lay her over the desk and take her, like he had on many occasions. But he was engaged now, and had every intention of living up to his new standards. Four weeks, and he hadn’t strayed. He deserved a medal.

      His stare was bold. “I told you before, address me as Mr. Kincaid.”

      Sally’s smile faded into a pucker.

      He glanced through the office window. “Go get your papers in order. I’ve got a client to tend to.” Stiffly, he edged his tall, muscular frame around her and kept walking.

      His business with the miner didn’t take long. The young man was leaving when the doorbell jingled. Daniel glanced up to see who it was.

      Queasiness rolled down his spine. “Did you make it in all the way from the Springs this morning, Mrs. Walters?”

      The gray-haired woman straightened her bonnet. “Yep, took me nearly two hours.”

      “So the train derailment’s been fixed?”

      “Yep.”

      Oh, hellfire. That meant Nyland would be back in town, looking for his daughter. That changed everything. Daniel excused himself. “Harley, step into my office.”

      They crossed through the sunshine beating through the bars of the front windows. Daniel shoved his finger beneath his sweaty collar. His cravat was tighter than a noose. He closed the office door. “I want you to take a trip.”

      “Where to?” The ex-boxer curled his hand over the walnut grip of his gun.

      “We’re going to Cheyenne. Get two tickets for this evening’s train.” Daniel sputtered with indignation as he explained the situation, sticking to his story about the robbery, and adding a kidnapping-for-ransom charge. “It’s a messy situation. Let’s keep it quiet, so Nyland Eriksen doesn’t find out.”

      Something in Harley seemed to come alive. His tired eyes blazed with eagerness. “Are we bringin’ McLintock back?”

      “No, just the two women.”

      “What should I do to him?”

      “Stay behind a few days.” Daniel crossed his arms, leaned against his desk and crossed one booted foot in front of the other. “Get him alone,” he said calmly. “Then I want you to break some bones. Make him feel it.”

      Once again in the saddle behind Luke, Jenny tried to pull away. He’d removed his coat, and only the thin cloth of his shirt separated them. Why did he have to be the type of man a woman couldn’t ignore?

      He yanked her closer. “You’ll fall off again. Hold tight.”

      “I don’t want to.” But she let her arms stay where he placed them, around his muscled waist. She was still shaken from her fall, and the ground below seemed awfully far down.

      Her palms were slipping with sweat. A line of perspiration ran down his spine. His back muscles, under the soft cloth where she held him, grew damp, and she swallowed. Her breathing lost its rhythm every time she touched him. What was wrong with her? She wriggled away.

      Why had she let him kiss her throat? Why hadn’t she pulled away sooner? It was fear that made her heart СКАЧАТЬ