Chase Wheeler's Woman Read Free

the firm set of his mouth. She licked her lips slowly, making sure she had his attention. “Yes, perfectly clear. You think I’m beautiful, and you want to bed me. Did I get that right, Silver Wolf? ”
    His eyes went coal-black and wide with astonishment. He cursed profusely and released his grip on her. “Start walking. It’s a long way back to the ranch.”
    “You’re not leaving me out here!” She clutched the quilt tightly and raced after him.
    “Watch me.” With a movement she could describe only as fluid grace, he mounted his horse, then tippedhis hat to her. “See you back at the ranch.” His bay mare trotted off, pretty as you please.
    Letty Sue slammed her eyes shut. She let out a few vile curses, which though unladylike, sure sounded good to her ears.
    The air became increasingly cooler, causing her to glance up. Clouds crowded the sky, bringing a vast, gloomy gray covering to the once blue heavens. A loud boom made her jump, then the sky twitched with brightness. Within seconds, rain pelted down, soaking her to the bone.
    She covered herself with the quilt and, with head bent, began her long trek home. She’d walked only a short distance when she came upon horse’s hooves. Uncovering her head, she peered up.
    Silver Wolf sat on his horse, his expression grim. He leaned over and put out his hand. “Get on, before lightning strikes us both down.”
    The rain poured down in buckets, a Texas thunderstorm so powerful it could knock branches off the most sturdy of trees. Chase Wheeler grimaced, realizing he’d have to find a place to hole up until the storm eased some. Besides, the bay mare he’d ridden today wasn’t going to last much longer with the added weight of the woman and the chore of stomping through the heavily pitted, muddy road.
    He remembered seeing a supply shack not far from here. He reined his horse in that direction, hoping his recollection would serve him well. He’d been on his way to Joellen’s ranch earlier, stopping by the creekto water his horse. That’s when he’d come upon this bundle of trouble he’d seated in front of him on the saddle.
    Letty Sue.
    Damnation, she was a beauty. ’Course, right about now, she wasn’t at her best, with her long dark hair matted like a drowned cat and her clothes drenched.
    Her fancy dress molded to her petite body, clinging to all her curves. She had many, he noted, then tightened the quilt around her more snugly when he saw her trembling.
    He hadn’t bargained on her when he’d made the agreement with Joellen. Hell, he hadn’t given Joellen’s daughter a single thought. In his mind, the little girl he’d saved all those years ago hadn’t grown up. He’d thought of her only as a child.
    But Chase hadn’t been in her company longer than three minutes before realizing that Letty Sue Withers, with her sky-blue eyes and buxom body, was a barrelful of trouble. Hell, he’d just left one tempting woman behind…a woman who’d caused him nothing but grief and a haystack of hurt. She’d deceived and betrayed him, playing him for the biggest kind of fool.
    Never again.
    And to think he’d have to play nursemaid to this troublesome woman for the next three months. For Joellen, he’d oblige. But for no other reason.
    “Th-this isn’t the w-way b-back to the r-ranch,” Letty Sue said, her teeth chattering.
    “Lightning’s getting too close. It’s dangerous to head back now.”
    “Th-then w-where are we g-going?” She shifted in the saddle to look at him, her almond-shaped eyes blinking away the rain.
    “There’s a supply shack not far from here. We’ll hole up there for a spell.”
    Within minutes Chase reined his horse in. Fortunately for his mare, the shack had an overhang. He tied her up where the majority of rain wouldn’t pelt down on her. He reached for the woman, noting her state of saturation as he pulled her down into his arms. She was quiet, cold to the core and exhausted. Chase carried her into the small shack,