A Taste of Fire by Hannah Howell

Author:Hannah Howell [Howell, Hannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780759258501
Publisher: Paperback
Published: 1997-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

Royal stepped out of the bank and tensed. Anger flowed through him when he saw the cowboy holding Antonie but he fought to stay calm. He did not know exactly what was going on. Since Antonie was not struggling, he calmly stepped up behind her and wondered what made the cowboy look so ill.

“Having trouble, darling?” he murmured.

“Jesus, mister, don’t startle her or nothing,” croaked the cowhand, his horrified gaze falling to Antonie’s gun.

Following that look, Royal almost laughed. “Ah, I see you have everything under control.”

“Sí. These men were just leaving.” She holstered her gun even as the trio bolted down the street.

Draping his arm around her shoulders, Royal drawled, “You realize you denied me the pleasure of acting the protective male.”

She grinned at him. “Had a hankering to punch a nose, eh?”

“Some. Was he much trouble?” He started walking again. “I can see I’d better not leave you alone.”

“Ah, the cowboy thought I was a señorita and that of course meant that I was a puta to be dragged off.”

Hearing the bitter anger in her voice, he briefly tightened his hold on her in a gesture of sympathetic understanding. Her Mexican peasant attire marked her in a lot of eyes. He was surprised that her blond hair and blue eyes had not given the cowboys a moment’s pause, even though that alone did not guarantee her a minimum of respect. Not every Mexican peasant girl was a whore, just as not every Anglo woman was a lady. He had even met some Mexican whores who were far more genteel than some Anglo ladies.

“I thought we’d stop in at the sheriff’s office,” he said, steering both their minds away from the ugly scene.

Antonie grimaced. “Why do we want to do that?”

“Well, maybe he’s got more information out of that fellow.”

“Maybe. He might have remembered something.”

“Er, Antonie?”

“Sí?”

“Do you think you could ease up on threatening a fellow’s, well, manhood?”

“Make you nervous, querido?” she teased.

“Hell, maybe. It just seems so, well, vicious.”

“I have never carried out such a threat.”

“You sure as hell make a man think you will. You had me and the sheriff sweating some last night.”

“That is the trick. Juan told me to always make them believe you. He also taught me that to threaten that which makes a man a man is almost always successful. It is a man’s weakest point, he said. Not only in his body but in his head. But, if it troubles you, querido, I will try to think of something else.”

“No. You do what works, what keeps you safe.”

Royal almost grinned as they walked into the sheriff’s office. The man looked very surprised. When that look changed and became grim, Royal was no longer amused. He suddenly wondered yet again if Antonie was being hunted by the law. They were pretty far out of bandido territory, but wanted posters were spread wider and farther every year.

“Funny you two showing up now,” the sheriff said.

“We came to see if the prisoner did any more talking,” Royal said.

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