Love Inspired Historical May 2018 Box Set by Sherri Shackelford

Author:Sherri Shackelford
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488087387
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

Well before the appointed time, Lydia stood next to a docile gray mare, the reins held loosely in her hands. She was glad that she’d made the effort to arrive early. As she’d suspected, a quarter hour before they were meant to meet, Gideon Gault burst out of the Pinkerton offices and ran in the direction of the livery.

She wasn’t sure if he was considered off-duty or if he’d merely hoped to arrive at the livery incognito, but he’d changed his clothes, donning a pair of worn boots, brown wool pants, a brown leather vest and a brown shearling coat.

Perhaps the choice of so much brown was an attempt at camouflage, given the mud in Bachelor Bottoms. If that was the case, it didn’t work. In all that well-worn gear, there was no disguising the man’s musculature. Gideon Gault had long legs and broad shoulders—making Lydia wonder what sorts of activities were entailed with becoming a Pinkerton. A man didn’t get that kind of physique by trailing a bunch of women around Aspen Valley in order to keep the miners at bay.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Gault.”

He’d been so mindful about missing the puddles in his dash across the street that her greeting brought him up short and he skidded to a halt, nearly plowing into her headfirst.

Automatically, he reached to lift his hat, but the action merely emphasized the montage of emotions that raced across his features: surprise, dismay, then utter resignation.

“Miss Tomlinson.”

“I see you were hoping that I would forget our errand.”

“No, ma’am, I—”

Even he must have realized the halfhearted objection because his lips twitched at the corners. “I had expected you to take a little longer.”

At least he had the grace to admit that much.

“And why would you think that?”

“Experience.”

“Oh. So, you’re one of the men at Bachelor Bottoms who’s been forced to live apart from a loved one?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I grew up with sisters. Five of them.”

Her brows rose. “It’s a wonder you survived, Mr. Gault.”

He didn’t miss her sarcasm. If anything, it made his smile even wider. “I’ve got battle scars, Miss Tomlinson. But, yes, I survived.”

The livery door opened and Willoughby Smalls walked out, leading a strawberry roan gelding.

“Thanks, Willoughby.”

Smalls grinned, his gaze bouncing from Gideon to Lydia. An accident at the mine had crushed the gentle giant’s throat years ago, robbing him of his ability to speak. But he still managed to communicate his thoughts by waving a finger between the two of them.

“Yes, we’ll be riding out together.”

“Despite the fact that Mr. Gault worked so hard to leave me behind,” Lydia muttered under her breath.

Smalls made a chortling noise, then moved to Lydia’s side. Bending, he offered his laced hands to help boost her into the saddle.

“Thank you, Mr. Smalls. You are too, too kind.”

She shot a glance in Gideon’s direction in time to see his ears redden ever so slightly.

As soon as her boot rested on Smalls’s palms, he hoisted her up as if she weighed no more than a feather.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.