Gunslinger Read Free Page A

what he’d like to do to the long-legged, gun-toting little hellion who’d had the audacity to think she could slap Desperado Jones and get away with it. His stern frown was softened by the dimple in his cheek as he stifled a grin. The female wildcat didn’t know with whom she was dealing, but he sure as hell would like the opportunity to show her.
    Desperado picked up his bottle and glass and moved to an empty table facing the door. Jones was a realist. He knew that someday a man would come along with a gun faster than his and blow him away. But until that day arrived he was taking no chances. His mind alert for unexpected danger, Desperado allowed his thoughts to drift back to the past again.
    The day the Indian hunting party had found young Logan Ralston would have probably been his last on this earth had they not stumbled upon him when they did. When one fierce brave raised his gun to end his life, Logan had closed his eyes and awaited death. The medicine bag given to him by his Indian grandfather had saved his life. One of the braves had spotted it and stopped the other from shooting. After crudely setting his broken leg, they had carried him to their village.
    “Desperado Jones?”
    Desperado cursed beneath his breath when he heard his name spoken, expecting another challenge. His gun appeared in his hand with lightning speed. He might have let his mind wander but his senses were well honed after years of living dangerously, of walking a thin line between life and death. The man who had addressed him didn’t look dangerous, but experience had taught him that appearances could be deceiving.
    “Whoa, put the gun down, Mr. Jones,” the man said. He held his coat open. “As you can see, I’m unarmed.”
    Desperado’s dark, penetrating gaze studied the man standing before him. He looked like a prosperous businessman in his dark suit, vest and pristine white shirt. There wasn’t a speck of dust on either his brand-new Stetson or shiny boots. The man was neither young nor old, but somewhere in between. Desperado was slightly repelled by his nearly colorless blue eyes and guileless smile. Instinctively he knew that this man would make a formidable enemy.
    “What can I do for you, mister?” Desperado asked as he shoved his six-shooter back into his holster.
    “The question is, what I can do for you? My name is Calvin Talbot.”
    When Desperado merely stared at him, Talbot cleared his throat and said, “The man who challenged you to a shoot-out is my son.”
    Desperado calmly took a slim cigar from his duster pocket, lit it and blew a puff of smoke into Talbot’s face. “You don’t say.” The way he said it, raspy and mean, usually scared all but the most determined challengers away. Which was exactly Desperado’s intention. He’d avoided more than his share of gunfights that way.
    “You got me all wrong, Jones,” Talbot said, surprising Desperado. “The young whippersnapper deserved his comeuppance. He was getting too cocky for his own good. He’ll heal and maybe learn something from the experience.” He held out his hand. “No hard feelings?”
    Desperado stared at the soft white hand, flicked the ash from his cigar on Talbot’s shiny boots and said, “State your business, Talbot. I’m thinking of moving on. Trouble Creek has nothing to offer me.”
    Talbot stared at his own outstretched hand and hastily withdrew it. Desperado had no idea why he’d developed such an intense dislike for Talbot without even knowing the man, but something about Talbot rubbed him the wrong way. He thought about Chloe Sommers and what she’d said about the unscrupulous land speculator and liked him even less.
    “Perhaps Trouble Creek has nothing to offer you, Jones, but I do,” Talbot said. “May I sit down? I think you’ll be interested in what I have to say.”
    Desperado took his time mulling over Talbot’s words before dragging out a chair with his foot and shoving it in Talbot’s direction. “Make it fast,