Angel In The Rain (Western Historical Romance) Read Free Page B

his shirt. The stark, cruel beauty of his face hinted of something almost exotic—high, chiseled cheekbones and rich sun-bronzed skin. His stance and the proud tilt of his head were those of a man who stepped aside for no one. She had seen his kind before. The dark, predatory looks. A loner. Obviously of mixed blood. No doubt, he would be regarded as something of a pariah among Texas Anglos.
    Could he be reasoned with? Or was she dealing with a man who had nothing to lose?
    When he started toward her, she stayed put, though her pounding heart belied her outward calm. He hunkered down before her, so close she again picked up his strangely enticing scent. He offered the canteen.
    Without hesitation, she took it. A musty smell drifted from the open cap, but the wetness coating her lips and sliding down her parched throat was a taste of Heaven itself.
    After a long drink, she sucked in a gasp and lowered the canteen.
    He stared at her with a frown knitting the tanned skin between his inky brows. She licked her lips. An open cut stung when her tongue came into contact.
    When he reached to examine her injury, she jerked her head aside, avoiding his touch.
    For the space of several heartbeats, his hand hovered there, not quite touching her. Then, slowly, he withdrew it.
    “From the way you were fighting me a moment ago, I gather you’re not hurt too badly.”
    Holding his gaze steady, she spat on the sand with all the venom she possessed. There! That should show him exactly what she thought of him and his concern.
    His eyes narrowed, reminding her of the compelling darkness she’d sensed in him from the first. “Don’t drink too much.” Reproach rang through the mildly spoken words. He pushed to his feet and started to walk away again.
    Evangeline rose on wobbly legs and took a step to follow. She was tired of being tossed about like the object in a keep-away game. “What do you intend to do with me?”
    He halted and turned, a small quirk flirting with an outer corner of his sinfully sensual mouth.
    That she would notice such irrelevant details at a time like this completely unnerved her. How could she possibly find anything attractive about the man?
    “Are you very sure you want to know, Angel?”
    Her stomach clenched so hard, the water she’d just swallowed attempted to slide back up her throat. Not good, not good at all. He’d called her “Angel.” Her father had given her that pet name when she was a child. Only those closest to her referred to her so intimately.
    Evangeline’s heart thudded harder. He’d been listening, she remembered. He’d stood in the shadows of the relay, watching her when the old driver had called to her by name.
    He’d also been waiting there for her. What other conclusion could she draw? He knew who she was, even down to her nickname. If she had any gumption at all, she’d walk right up to him and slap his face. But she didn’t dare. He’d probably slap her back. Or worse.
    Her insides turned a quick somersault. “Yes, I want to know. I hate surprises.” And, so far, the day had held nothing but.
    “Your father’s involved in a range war.”
    Several seconds elapsed before his words penetrated. Her jaw dropped, and she realized she was gaping at him like an utter fool.
    “A range war! With whom?” So, this was the trouble she’d read between the lines of her father’s letter.
    “Horace Lundy.”
    “Horace Lundy!” She was beginning to sound like a shrill parrot. She planted her hands on her hips. “My father and Horace Lundy have been neighbors for thirty years. There’s never been any trouble between them.”
    “Until your father put up a fence.”
    This just kept getting more incredible. “Pa doesn’t believe in fences.”
    “Things change,” he said.
    “What things? And what does this have to do with me?”
    “Horace Lundy’s got a bounty on you. By now, every hardcase along the border is out looking.”
    “A bounty! For me! Why? What does he want with