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

Her lips pressed together.

"I just–you have to promise not to get mad, okay? I didn't believe a word of it, but I wanted to see what you had to say."

Chris smiled curiously. "You're making me nervous, here. What is it? You hear I worship the devil or something?"

"Who was that man who came to see you?"

His smile dropped. He shouldn't have expected that it would stay quiet. It was a crowded bar, and he hadn't exactly had the presence of mind to keep the conversation light. Anyone who looked over would probably have seen that Chris was about ready to bust his brother's jaw.

"What's the talk?"

"Well, they say–they say you did something bad, and he's a law-man come to get you."

Chris closed his eyes and let out a little chuckle. "Not quite right."

Marie looked at him with an expression that he didn't like one bit. "Then what? What happened?"

"You ever hear me ask you about your past?"

"No," she said, reluctant.

"You ever hear me ask about anyone's?"

"Not really, but I suppose you could have done it when I wasn't around."

"Well, I don't. Because I don't talk about my past, so I don't expect other people to do it neither. That's fair, don't you think?"

"I don't understand what the secret is."

"No secret," Chris said. He kept his face cool. "Everyone's got a story, and every story's got the bad parts. I don't like talkin' about it, and so I don't. If something's important, I'll tell you. Until then, don't push me. Please."

She squirmed the whole time he was talking, until he said 'please,' and then she squirmed twice as much. "I didn't mean to offend you," she offered, looking down at the floor.

"Hey. Look at me." He waited for her gaze to rise a little way. "You didn't offend me, Marie. I just don't want to talk about it."

Her expression twisted up. "But why?"

"Just things I don't like to think about any more. Things that happened, that aren't good memories for me."

She bit her lip, and Chris could tell she had something to say. Part of him wanted to tell her to say it; part of him wanted him not to say it at all.

"You mean like how you got to know so much about orphans?"

He blinked to keep the expression from showing on his face, but Chris was pretty sure he managed to keep his emotion from showing.

"Yeah, like that."

She seemed to realize what she'd said after the words were out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to– I ought to just go."

"Don't worry about me, Miss Bainbridge. I'll get over it."

"But I shouldn't have been poking around where it's none of my business."

"I forgive you."

She didn't seem to have much of a reaction to that at all, like he hadn't said it.