Jake's Angel. Nicole Foster

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СКАЧАТЬ in a sheriff’s side whose luck’s run a little muddy. I’ll have a talk with him, but I doubt he’s too dangerous.”

      “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Isabel said more to herself than Cal as she turned and led him up the staircase, to the loft.

      She knocked once at Jake’s door then opened it halfway and looked inside. Slouched in the rocker he’d shoved next to the window, he was looking out at the deepening evening, a slight frown tensing his face. He’d pulled on a man’s robe he’d found draped over the bed, loosely tying it at the waist.

      He turned slightly when he heard Isabel step into the room, and then looked back to the window with a view of the rear garden. “Back again with your weeds so soon?”

      “No,” Isabel said, watching him carefully for his reaction. “You have a visitor. Sheriff Reed wants to meet you.”

      “Yeah, I’ll just bet he does,” Jake drawled.

      He shifted to look at Cal and surprised Isabel by grinning. “I suppose you’ve decided I’m responsible for robbing every mining office between here and the Texas Panhandle.” Rubbing a hand through his hair, he gave a wry shrug. “Can’t say that I blame you.”

      “Then maybe you can tell me why you are here in Whispering Creek, and we can get this settled and leave Mrs. Bradshaw with some peace of mind.”

      “I don’t know if it’ll give her any peace of mind but I’ll tell you why I’m here. Jerico Grey.”

      Isabel caught her breath and the slight sound caused Jake’s gaze to shift sharply to her. She tried to keep her expression blank, to conceal the twist of emotion she felt hearing Jerico’s name over again after not even thinking it for so many years, and this time hearing it from a stranger.

      “What’s your business with Grey?” Cal asked, his expression wooden.

      “The same business I’ve had for over six months, only now I intend to finish it.” Pushing himself up out of the rocker, Jake limped over to the corner where Isabel had propped his saddlebag and fished out a mud-spattered badge. He turned and handed it to Cal.

      Cal rubbed away the dirt and shook his head. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Answering the question on Isabel’s face, he smiled broadly and said, “It looks as if we were paintin’ us a devil’s face on an angel, Belle. Mr. Coulter here is a Texas Ranger.”

      “He’s a…” Isabel stared at Cal a moment, trying to decide if she felt relieved Jake Coulter wasn’t an outlaw or angry for how thoroughly she’d been taken in by his appearance.

      As Cal’s words sank in fully, she whirled on Jake, her eyes blazing. “I suppose you enjoyed playing the wounded gunslinger, letting me believe I’d let an outlaw into my house, around my boys. You have a strange way of amusing yourself, Mr. Coulter.”

      “If I wanted entertainment, I’d have stayed at the Silver Rose, Mrs. Bradshaw. I came here for rest and privacy. I’d just as soon Grey didn’t hear that I’m laid up. None of us want him to come looking for me under your roof. I don’t know how much you know about Jerico Grey, but you can trust me when I say he’s not the kind of man you’d ever turn your back on.”

      All traces of warmth had vanished from his face as if they’d never been there and Isabel felt a shiver up her spine looking at the ice in its place.

      Jake Coulter might be one step on the right side of the law, but Cal was wrong. He was dangerous, maybe even more so than the man he vowed to bring to justice.

      Jake watched her, trying to decipher the odd play of emotions on her face. Anger, worry, he could understand. What confused him was the strong sense that Isabel Bradshaw’s interest in Jerico Grey was more than concern a woman alone would have for herself and her family knowing an outlaw was somewhere in the area.

      She seemed strong-willed enough to face down the devil if necessary to protect her own. Yet one name washed the color from her face and put fear in her eyes. At least he thought it was fear.

      He didn’t realize he’d been staring at her, trying to figure her out, until the sheriff cleared his throat.

      “I’d like to talk to you more about this, when you’re feelin’ up to a walk to my office,” Cal said. “Until then, you’re right, it’s probably best everyone in town thinks you’re another drifter Belle’s taken under her wing for a spell.”

      He said something else but Isabel didn’t hear the rest of the conversation between the two men. Jerico was coming back to Whispering Creek and Jake Coulter wanted him dead. What kind of man had she taken into her home? Yet how could she turn him out when he was wounded?

      “…you tomorrow, Belle.”

      She started, realizing Cal was talking to her. “Yes, yes of course.”

      “I’ll see myself out, let you get back to your business.” Shoving his hat back on, he nodded to Jake and gave Isabel’s arm a reassuring pat before clomping back down the stairs.

      As his footsteps receded Isabel turned to look fully at Jake.

      “I’ll leave. Tonight if possible.” He limped toward the bed and shoved the badge back into his saddlebag. “I’ll see if I can sweet-talk my way into Anita’s room at the Silver Rose.”

      “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t go walking around town in your condition. Lie down before you fall down,” she commanded, coming to him and pushing a hand flat against his chest.

      “I’m going. I had to tell the sheriff the truth. But now that he knows why I’m here, word’s bound to get back to Jerico. I can’t guarantee your safety.”

      “I don’t recall asking you to be my protector. You’re hurt, I can help you. That’s the end of it.”

      “Is it? Well, I don’t recall asking for your help. In fact, I distinctly remember telling you to stay out of my life. Yet, here you are.” He gestured to her hand, still pressed against his bare chest.

      Isabel suddenly became acutely aware of the hard wall of muscle under her palm, and that she stood close enough to him to feel the heat and tension in him.

      “Get back into bed,” she said, jerking her hand away. “I refuse to let you go wandering around Whispering Creek, making yourself an easy target for any drunk with a gun. A dead patient isn’t good for business.”

      Jake said nothing and for a moment, Isabel thought he would ignore her and limp away anyhow. But finally, he sat down heavily on the bed, raking his fingers through his hair. “Just don’t count on me.”

      “For what?”

      “For anything. Anything at all. I’m here to do this job and then I’ll be moving on to the next one. That’s all I can promise.”

      “Do you think I’m so desperate for male companionship I’ll be begging for your attention by week’s end?” Isabel nearly laughed at his arrogance except the shuttered look on his face stopped her. His expression told her he hadn’t made the comment lightly and she wondered what meaning she was supposed to find in it.

      “Let me assure you, the only promise I want from you is that you’ll pay your rent on time. Five dollars СКАЧАТЬ