Devil in Texas (Lady Law & The Gunslinger Series, Book 1) Read Free Page B

tempted to point out that Cass hadn't earned his nickname because his talent was fidelity. However, laryngitis was supposed to be curbing her ability to mouth fight.
    "Fine," she snapped. "I'll ask Mimi to sing my solo."
    Randie blanched. "You can't," she protested, no doubt envisioning the triumph of her ambitious, 18-year-old understudy. "There isn't time. And besides, the show must go on."
    How convenient.
    "D-flat isn't exactly my key," Randie continued loftily, as if altos were a stink one scraped off one's shoe. "But I heard you caterwaul Lucifire enough times in rehearsal to commit the hokum to memory. Of course, by rights, a headliner should have a change of costume—"
    Sadie yanked off her black boa and draped it over Randie's shoulders. "Here," she whispered, pushing the shorter woman toward the curtain. "The show must go on, remember?"
    A smug smile curved Randie's lips. "Very well. I'll sing your stupid cowboy song. But you'll owe me. You'll owe me big."
    Attesting to the soprano's popularity, ear-piercing whoops and whistles accompanied the thunderous applause that greeted her unexpected return to the stage. Randie sauntered across the gleaming oakwood, all the way to front-and-center like a queen ascending her throne. A provocative little smile teased her lips as she turned her head from side to side, acknowledging the toasts of her admirers.
    Taking the opportunity to peer over the soprano's shoulder, Sadie scanned the sun-blackened faces at the bar.
    Uh-oh. Where's Cass?
    Hastily, Sadie checked the gamblers, gathered around the faro, roulette, and craps tables. She couldn't see her ex-lover anywhere. Biting her lip, she dropped the curtain, allowing inky-blue shades to crowd around her.
    Damn. Cass had already headed for her dressing room. That meant she'd have to retreat to her bedroom to retrieve a new costume—or better yet, a gun. Under a flood of stage lights, in skin-tight fishtails, she hadn't been able to disguise the bulge of a pistol on her thigh.
    Sadie barely heard the strings bow the opening chords of Lucifire. Her mind was in a whirl as she weaved through hulking shadows cast by theatrical backdrops, shaped like pirate ships, Poseidon, and whales. It occurred to her she should warn Mace about the Cass problem before she reported to Baron's poker game.
    Her feet faltered.
    Suddenly, she was distracted by a tendril of tobacco smoke. She tensed. She would have recognized that signature blend of cinnamon and cloves anywhere. However, spying Cass amidst the prop clutter in the stage's dimly lit wing was going to be another matter entirely.
    "The years have been good to you, Sadie."
    Her heart skipped as that seductive, Texas baritone caressed her name. He was closer than she'd imagined, invisible except for his cigarette. The tip brightened, kindling orange flames in the sapphire mirrors of his eyes. When he exhaled, silvery, aromatic fingers reached out to her, beckoned her, enticing her as only the promise of secrets and sin can.
    "You sound surprised," she rallied, reining in her galloping emotions. "What were you expecting? Wrinkles and warts?"
    "And a pointy, black hat."
    "Dog."
    A flash of white hinted at his grin—a dimpled, darling grin that still had the power to sneak into her dreams.
    He leaned a shoulder against the frame of a velvet swing. His new pose silhouetted him against the rising moon, peeking through the catwalk's window. Lunar light and star shine shimmered around his sun-streaked hair. Such a halo was incongruous for a man who looked like the devil in his thigh-hugging leather and denim.
    As if on cue, Randie's voice soared like larksong through the house:
    "Lucifire they called him,
    His draw was next to none;
    His smile was like an angel's;
    The devil ruled his gun.
    "The purdy gals in Texas
    Would sigh for him and swoon,
    When Lucifire went sparking—
    Sneaked thru windows to go sparking—
    Broke fair hearts when he went sparking—
    Each night beneath the moon."
    Cass