Daring Read Free Page B

long.
    “Your choice of restaurants, since you’re buying,” he told her, “with my money.”
    “You promised you wouldn’t lay claim,” she said, flipping back a blonde curl that had blown in her face. “You didn’t bring him in.”
    “I was in the process. I had him tied up and was on my way to town.”
    “Snooze and lose,” she replied.
    He chuckled. “Still that same flippant, sassy miss looking out for her own interest.”
    “I’m the only one who ever will.”
    With her sisters married, she felt more alone than ever before. Sure, they loved her, but they were living their own lives. Happy newlyweds who gazed at their husbands like he was the only man in the west and they couldn’t wait to close their bedroom doors.
    Determination pulsed through her veins. Once, she’d been a prissy girl who dreamed of a husband and kids. Now, she was a prissy woman who dreamed of bringing men to justice.
    “When did you become a bounty hunter?”
    They walked along the wooden sidewalk, the two of them side by side in the bright sunshine. It was going to be a warm fall day. Summer refused to end, and the heat continued on, even in late October.
    “Right after you left. We were all fired from our jobs. Tired of working hard for minimal wage and being disrespected, it was either get married or starve or do something that would bring us cash and respect. We became bounty hunters,” she said, her head held high. She loved her job. She would take a bullet before she would ever get back down on her hands and knees scrubbing floors for the rich.
    “So, all three of you are bounty hunters?” he asked, his eyes widening.
    They stepped into the restaurant and found a table. Once they were seated, she turned to him. “Meg and I did most of the hunting until Meg married the sheriff. Annabelle stayed home and took care of the farm, until she decided to go hunting alone and met her new husband Beau. Which left only me. I’ve been training Caroline.”
    Unfortunately, from what Ruby could see, the girl needed more lessons. Ruby was certain Deke would tell her what a novice Caroline was.
    He laughed. “That woman is a danger to herself.”
    Ruby shook her head. “I know. She still hasn’t quite gotten the hang of it, but I’m confident she will.”
    “Have you been successful?”
    A smile spread across her face. They’d made more money than she’d dreamed possible. Annabelle had brought in the most when she’d followed the Harris gang. But soon, Ruby would out collect her, and then she would have contributed the most to the family operation.
    “We paid off the farm, and now, we have some operating cash. So yeah, we’ve been very successful.”
    He frowned for a moment. “Then why haven’t you given up this life? I can’t imagine anyone wanting to continue, especially a woman.”
    She could feel herself bristle. “Oh no, I enjoy the chase. The thrill of catching the criminal and then bringing him into the sheriff. I don’t want to quit. I like what I do for a living.”
    People were sitting at the tables around them, deep in conversation, not paying attention to the two of them. But she had already checked out every person in the restaurant. Searching for anyone she thought looked suspicious. She was always on the lookout for her next bounty.
    Shaking his head, he stared at her. “How many men have you brought in?”
    “Counting your man, twenty.”
    Throwing his hands up in the air, he chuckled. “The new hasn’t worn off yet. Just wait until you capture almost a hundred. You get sick of it. Especially when you bring a man in more than once. You start to question our justice system.”
    She stared at him. He seemed different. The Deke she remembered had been more lighthearted, not nearly as serious as he seemed now. An ache built inside her chest as she remembered that afternoon when he’d kissed her. It’d been the best kiss of her life and the worst kiss at the same time.
    “I guess I can understand why