The Gunslinger by Lorraine Heath

Author:Lorraine Heath [Heath, Lorraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-05-08T05:00:00+00:00

CHANCE WINCED AS Lillian dabbed the alcohol on his wound. The bullet had creased his right arm. The advantage to being left-handed was that his opponents had a tendency to aim for his right out of habit.

“You have got to learn to draw faster,” Lillian scolded.

A corner of his mouth curved up. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had shown an ounce of concern over his well-being. “Careful, lady,” he warned. “I might begin to think you care.”

His stomach clenched when he saw the tears well within the depths of her blue eyes. He felt as though someone had emptied a six-gun into his chest.

“Why couldn’t you have ignored him?” she rasped.

“Because he wouldn’t have let up. He was in the saloon the day I got here, trying to gather the courage to challenge me. He was looking to gain a reputation. At least by facing him, I was able to control from which direction the bullet came.” Cradling her cheek, stroking her soft skin, he knew he was inviting danger. Walking away last night had been the hardest thing he’d ever done—and he couldn’t explain why he’d done it. She wasn’t innocent. She’d been an old man’s . . . lover. But never his whore. No matter how many men Lillian Madison took into her bed, she’d never be any man’s whore. She was too fine, too gentle for that. So he admitted to her what he’d never told another soul. “I don’t want the bullet with my name on it to come from behind.”

The tears brimmed over and trailed down her cheeks, rolling along the curve of his thumb. “Is that why you always keep your back against the wall, even here?”

He nodded. “I think about how nice it would be if I didn’t worry about that last bullet, but the thought gnaws at me like a squirrel with a pecan.”

She blinked back the tears and sniffed. “Why do you stick a match into your mouth? You only seem to do it when you sense danger.”

“If I tell you, you gotta promise not to tell a soul.”

She gave a curt nod. “I promise.”

“In the heat of a gunfight, my tongue rolls out of my mouth. I damn near bit it off once. Biting down on a match keeps it in place where it belongs.”

She laughed, a musical melody that he’d remember as long as he drew breath, and touched her fingers to the hair curling around his ears. “You are nothing like I expected.”

“I could say the same about you.” Her laughter dwindled along with her smile. He brought her hand to his lips, holding her gaze. “And that, lady, makes you so damned dangerous.”

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