The Colonel's Daughter by Merline Lovelace

Author:Merline Lovelace [Lovelace, Merline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Western, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781551668710
Publisher: Mira
Published: 2002-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

13

Suzanne didn’t wait for Jack to call for her.

She didn’t dare.

So far, Parrott hadn’t mentioned Matt or Ying Li. Maybe the outlaw didn’t know about the other two. Maybe he didn’t care. She couldn’t take the chance.

“Stay here,” she hissed. “If you get away and make it to Fort Meade, go straight to the commander and tell him what happened.”

“Jack said to let him handle things,” Matt reminded her in an agonized whisper.

“I’m the one they want. They’ll shoot him to get to me.”

“But…!”

He made a grab for her reins but Suzanne jerked them out of his reach. Digging her heels into the chestnut’s sides, she shouted a warning.

“I’m coming out!”

Bending, she dodged the low-hanging branches and cleared the trees. When she took the gelding down the grassy slope and drew up beside Jack, ice had formed in his eyes. The look he gave Suzanne sliced right through her skin, flaying her to the bone.

She’d hear about this, she guessed. Later. Right now, her main concern was leading Big Nose and his gang away from Matt and Ying Li.

“I heard what you said,” she told the outlaw.

“’Bout holding you for ransom?”

She dipped her head in a regal nod. “You know, of course, that if you persist in this foolish scheme, the colonel will cut you into bite-size pieces and feed you to the crows.”

Big Nose grinned. “He’ll have to catch me first, missy. Every lawman and blue-belly in three territories been searchin’ for George Parrott for a good ten years. No one’s caught up with me yet.”

“You haven’t had Andrew Garrett on your trail.”

“Well, I have ’n I haven’t. He sent a patrol after me once, when we hit a train down south of Fort Laramie. We got away, but me ’n the boys run four good horses into the ground while we was doin’ it.” Still grinning, he gave her a once-over. “You look a sight different from the last time we seed you.”

“Indeed?”

Her frigid accent and tightly pursed lips had considerably more impact on the outlaw than they did on Jack. Hastily, he assured her he meant no disrespect.

“It’s not that you ain’t pretty as any picture. It’s just that hat…” He waved a hand at the floppy gray felt. “And them boots…”

“If you’ve quite finished discussing my raiment, Mr. Parrott, may we please proceed? I should like to get this unpleasant matter done with as quickly as possible and continue my journey.”

“Lordy, how you do talk! All right, we’ll proceed. Alejandro, grab aholt of the lady’s reins. We don’t want her deciding to make a run for it, now, do we?”

Deliberately, Jack kneed the roan and put it between Suzanne and the Mexican.

“She’s not going anywhere I don’t go, Parrott.”

“Now, hold on, Sloan! This here ransom was my idea. Why should I cut you in?”

“Because she’s riding with me. I’ve got first claim on her.” Casually, Jack thumbed back the hammer on the Colt. “And I’ll put a bullet in anyone who thinks different.”

Parrott’s eyes narrowed above his bushy black mustache.

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