Rode Hard, Put Up Wet: Cowboy Romance (Rebels & Outlaws 2)

She let out a breath and in the relief that flooded her, realized with a start exactly where she was, exactly what it would look like, and—very possibly—exactly what he meant by that.

Twelve

The way her cheeks lit up like a Halloween pumpkin brought a smile to his face. A bright red blush filled her cheeks as far as he could see.

"No, I don't—I can't—"

He hid the amusement in his face as best he could as he reached to hang the gun belt back on the hook by the door.

"Can't what? You're not backing out, are you, miss Bainbridge?"

If it were possible, the color in her cheeks deepened.

"Um. Uh."

"Cat got your tongue?"

He stepped forward and leaned his shoulder against the door-frame. They were close together. Probably closer than she was comfortable with, but she didn't flinch. Rather, as the color in her cheeks stayed that bright rosy red, he could hear the raggedness of her breath. It wasn't an invitation, but it said everything he needed to know about how she'd feel about him making a move. Her lip quivered softly. In his mind, he'd already done it, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close.

But he didn't. "Come on," he growled, his voice low and teasing. "We've still got work to do."

He reached over and grabbed his other belt from the hook where it hung by the wall and stepped back, strapped it on. There was work to be done, and he was the one who promised to do it. Fun could come later.

He stepped through the door. She didn't move out of the way, so as gentle as he tried to make it,

there was no avoiding the contact. The schoolteacher lost her balance almost immediately, his arms reflexively reaching out and wrapping around her to steady her.

The noises around didn't reach him, not after five years of living upstairs, where the business got done. But then, all of a sudden in the instant that he held her, they did. His hands shot away as if he'd been burned.

"Come on, girl. Get moving, why don't you."

When he grabbed her, the look that had been on her face got far-away, like she was lost in her thoughts. The minute he spoke, her face turned darker, frustrated. But she turned away.

A part of him wanted to try to get any anger smoothed over. Another, bigger part wanted to get her out of his life. The way she'd decided to follow him up spoke to an attitude like she was part of his life. Like he was part of hers.

But that wasn't the case, and it shouldn't be. The way she stared at that pistol told him everything that needed to be known. She was from a world where you didn't need to carry one, probably not ever. Chris hadn't been that lucky, and they weren't going to get over that gap. It was better to scare her off now, rather than having to accept it once he'd let himself be fooled.

She wasn't at the top of the steps when he followed Marie through the door a minute later. He blinked in surprise, but stepped forward. She'd probably gone down ahead, mad at him. He didn't, though, expect to see her walking across the street, in the exact wrong direction of the schoolhouse.

He followed the line she was walking and saw where she was headed, and immediately knew why. Chris swore softly under his breath and started moving to follow her. Nobody needed to ask why the Sheriff had a boy walking in tow.

He was nearly caught up when the schoolteacher called out.

"Jamie?"

The kid's head shot up and turned. The look in his eyes hit Chris hard. He looked scared and confused, and without a single doubt he looked exactly the way that Chris had looked the day his own parents hadn't come home.

"Miss Bainbridge? What's goin' on?"

"Do you know where Sheriff Roberts is taking you?"

His face screwed up a little more. She was pushing him toward panic. She ought to have known better, but she's trying to be gentle. It's understandable, but Chris knows from his own experience, it's not going to help one bit. He needs something to hold onto, something tough, or he's going to have a bad time.

"Mr. Roberts says somethin' happened to—"

Chris spoke up as the kid's voice broke. "You ain't gonna let a girl see you cry, are you?"

The look from Marie stung a little, but the kid's lips pressed together and he straightened himself out. Chris let a smile spread across his face.