The Rancher's Runaway Bride by Adrienne Blake

Author:Adrienne Blake [Blake, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stormy Night Publications
Published: 2018-01-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One: Finn

How did she get here? With a jolt of realization MacKenzie found herself standing on the exact spot where she had first met Jed. Nothing had changed. Nothing around her, anyway. All around her the Five Points street gangs were hard at it; selling, stealing, hustling, conning. Business as usual. And noise. So much noise. Was it always this crazy? She was amazed at how quickly she’d grown accustomed to the quiet of Sandy Point. Even the bustle of Bourbon Street had been nothing compared to this. And so many people.

MacKenzie recognized a few of the market stall vendors from her pickpocket days. As always they were hard at it, doing their usual balancing act of selling to the honest, and warding off the thieves. A few feet away from where she stood was old Albert. He was a stout man, with a good heart, and once in a while he’d been kind to her and slipped her a hot meat pie for free at the end of the day. She smiled at him.

Not a flicker of recognition crossed his face.

“Can I help you, miss?”

Had she really changed that much? Perhaps he would remember her voice.

“No, thank you, I was just looking.”

Old Albert looked away to keep a watchful eye on a young urchin hovering just a few feet away from his stall. Albert knew what he was about just as much as MacKenzie did. If Albert took his eye off his wares for just one second…

No. The city hadn’t changed, but it seemed she had. She began strolling slowly along her old patch. What was she going to do now? She could hardly go back to the way things were before. But what was her place in the world now? Did she even fit in anymore?

She reached the intersection of streets where Five Points got its name, and took a moment to rest against a low wall. It was getting late, and the later it got, the more dangerous this place became.

On the other side of the street a couple of street walkers were idly chatting. MacKenzie knew their profession at once from their tattered but provocative garb. One was skinny and the other a little fat, but there was way too much cleavage between them both.

She glanced down at her own bodice, which right now was discreetly covered. Was that all she was good for now? Had Jed gone to all this trouble just so she could sell herself as a high-class tart?

MacKenzie’s pride ignited, and she subconsciously shook her head. Hell would have to freeze over first. Things were not yet as bad as all that. But she would have to think of something, and soon. The food wasn’t going to just jump on her table. She’d have to think of a way to get it there.

After a while, one of the two street hustlers looked over, and then they both leered directly at her. MacKenzie must have dallied just a little too long. This was not a smart move.

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