In the Wicked West by Emma Wildes

Author:Emma Wildes [Wildes, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Torrid Books
Published: 2017-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

* * * *

“This was your cabin, wasn’t it?”

Ross’s nod was quick and abrupt, his profile averted. Squatting by the hearth, he prodded the glowing embers.

Looking at him as he tended the fire, Arianne stirred and tugged the blanket closer around her body. Half-sitting in the bed, she swallowed. “You lived here before you and Will built the ranch.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me this place was yours?”

His dark gaze came up and touched hers. “Did I have to? What’s the difference?”

“The past is the past?” Her tone was even enough, she hoped.

“I think so. Shouldn’t it be?”

“I’m not sure.” But she lied. There was a reason she should know. Not the least of which was the fact that he had answered her question about whether the owner was a friend with a riddle.

Sometimes, he’d said, and sometimes my worst enemy.

He meant himself. A curious statement made by a man she was finding to be more complicated every day.

The man who was her lover. Maybe that was why she needed to understand him. This attraction was so potent, so disturbing. There had to be an explanation for this weakness.

“I want to know you,” she said into the sudden silence.

“Angel, you most certainly do know me.” He turned and winked. “Better than any man you’ve ever met. And you’re sure to know me again before this day is over.”

“Not that way, Ross. And don’t evade the question by trying to embarrass me.” Stubbornly, she persisted, “Why did you choose to live here, so far away from everyone?”

He sighed. “You’re determined to have this conversation, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

Straightening in one lithe movement, he leaned negligently against the mantle, saying, “Are you sure? You’ve heard the rumors; you might not like what I have to say.”

Her breath fluttered in her throat. She stared. “Are you saying they are...true? I thought you said before they weren’t, You were so angry...”

“I said they aren’t all true.”

“But some are?”

“Some are.”

Arianne swallowed. “Oh.”

“Look.” His tone was suddenly savage. “I’ve been in a few fights, Annie. Gunfights. Where men were shot, even killed. By me.” His mouth twisted. “I didn’t seek them out, but they still happened. Out here, if you get a reputation for being fast with a gun, it seems to be a challenge to every man who fancies himself a quick draw.”

She swallowed, clutching the blanket to her chest. “And you have such a reputation?”

“To a certain degree, yes. It wasn’t something I wanted, it just happened. Some years ago I made the mistake of getting into a quarrel with a man named Rance Chase. Ever hear of him?”

“No.”

His laugh was short, mirthless. “Well, in England, no, I suppose not. But out West he was nearly a legend. Mean as hell and fast with a gun. I didn’t really know it, didn’t know him for that matter, but we ended up facing each other. I just played the hand I was dealt.”

“And you killed him.”

“I’m afraid so. I didn’t have a choice. He would have killed me if I hadn’t been quicker.

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