good day.” She whirled toward the man behind the counter, but Brendan caught her arm.
“I told you I shot him in self-defense.”
“You shouldn’t have been gambling. It’s a sin, just like swearing. Now Mr. Hennessey is dead, and I’mstranded in the middle of nowhere with no money and no way to get to my fiancé.”
“No money? What do you mean ‘no money’? Surely Egan gave you the money to get here.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she looked as if she wanted to cut out her tongue. “Mr. Egan offered, I refused. I’ve never even met the man, I wasn’t about to accept his money.”
“You’ve never met him?”
“We’ve been corresponding, of course, and my Aunt Maddie had met him.”
Brendan turned toward the man at the counter, dug into his pocket, and tossed the man a coin. “Have someone fetch the lady’s trunks up to her room.” He turned back to Priscilla. “I’ll pay for your stay. Egan will come for you, and everything will be just fine.”
“Not on your life. I wouldn’t accept Stuart’s money; I certainly won’t take yours.”
“This is Hennessey’s money. He would have used it to get you to Egan so in a way it belongs to you.”
She chewed her bottom lip and Brendan thought how soft and pink it looked, how delicate she looked all over.
“If I do take the money, I’ll just use it to hire someone else to take me.”
“The hell you will. You’re staying here. I’ll pay for the room in advance if I have to.”
“I’m not your prisoner, Mr. Trask. Somehow I’ll find a way to get to Stuart—with or without your help.”
Brendan eyed her from top to bottom. She was a fiery little thing when she got riled up—she justmight try it. “You saw those men out there. Where you gonna find somebody you can trust?”
“There’s got to be someone. If Stuart’s as well known as you say, there’s bound to be someone who’ll take me to him. Stuart can pay him when we get there.”
“You’re bluffing. You’d probably faint again if one of those men came near you.”
But what if she wasn’t?
What if she was crazy enough to try it? The likes of Conway Jennings would chew her into little bitty pieces—after he and his cronies pleasured themselves with her soft little body.
Damn her!
“This is blackmail, Miss Wills, and I don’t like it one damned bit.” Grabbing her arm, he tugged her toward the door.
Priscilla let him lead her. “Where are you taking me?”
“I’ve got an appointment with the law, remember? You happen to be a witness. You can tell the deputy what happened—how I shot Hennessey in self-defense—and on the way we can discuss our trip.”
“I didn’t see that much.” Just a blur of images, a flash of crimson, then darkness. Priscilla stopped short. “Does this mean you’re taking me?”
“It’s beginning to look like I’ve got no choice.”
She still didn’t budge. “Why?” she asked warily.
Brendan almost smiled. “Probably because I’m crazy. But you’re right about one thing. Hennessey’s dead and I’m the man who killed him. In a way that makes me responsible for you. Egan might not get your letter for weeks. In the meantime anything could happen.”
And probably would.
“I’m sure Stuart will reimburse you for your trouble.”
“Word reaches him about Hennessey’s death before we get there, he’ll probably shoot me on sight.” Brendan tipped her chin up. “You realize you’ll be traveling with a stranger—a man who just killed another man right in front of you.”
Priscilla searched his face. “I trust you, Mr. Trask.”
“You don’t even know me. Why the hell would you trust me?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Such as?”
Priscilla flushed but didn’t look away. “You’ve got kind eyes.”
“Kind eyes?” he repeated, incredulous. “You trust me because of my eyes?”
“That’s right.”
Brendan shoved his hat back on his head and looked at her with a mixture of amazement and frustration. “Then,
“I told you I shot him in self-defense.”
“You shouldn’t have been gambling. It’s a sin, just like swearing. Now Mr. Hennessey is dead, and I’mstranded in the middle of nowhere with no money and no way to get to my fiancé.”
“No money? What do you mean ‘no money’? Surely Egan gave you the money to get here.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she looked as if she wanted to cut out her tongue. “Mr. Egan offered, I refused. I’ve never even met the man, I wasn’t about to accept his money.”
“You’ve never met him?”
“We’ve been corresponding, of course, and my Aunt Maddie had met him.”
Brendan turned toward the man at the counter, dug into his pocket, and tossed the man a coin. “Have someone fetch the lady’s trunks up to her room.” He turned back to Priscilla. “I’ll pay for your stay. Egan will come for you, and everything will be just fine.”
“Not on your life. I wouldn’t accept Stuart’s money; I certainly won’t take yours.”
“This is Hennessey’s money. He would have used it to get you to Egan so in a way it belongs to you.”
She chewed her bottom lip and Brendan thought how soft and pink it looked, how delicate she looked all over.
“If I do take the money, I’ll just use it to hire someone else to take me.”
“The hell you will. You’re staying here. I’ll pay for the room in advance if I have to.”
“I’m not your prisoner, Mr. Trask. Somehow I’ll find a way to get to Stuart—with or without your help.”
Brendan eyed her from top to bottom. She was a fiery little thing when she got riled up—she justmight try it. “You saw those men out there. Where you gonna find somebody you can trust?”
“There’s got to be someone. If Stuart’s as well known as you say, there’s bound to be someone who’ll take me to him. Stuart can pay him when we get there.”
“You’re bluffing. You’d probably faint again if one of those men came near you.”
But what if she wasn’t?
What if she was crazy enough to try it? The likes of Conway Jennings would chew her into little bitty pieces—after he and his cronies pleasured themselves with her soft little body.
Damn her!
“This is blackmail, Miss Wills, and I don’t like it one damned bit.” Grabbing her arm, he tugged her toward the door.
Priscilla let him lead her. “Where are you taking me?”
“I’ve got an appointment with the law, remember? You happen to be a witness. You can tell the deputy what happened—how I shot Hennessey in self-defense—and on the way we can discuss our trip.”
“I didn’t see that much.” Just a blur of images, a flash of crimson, then darkness. Priscilla stopped short. “Does this mean you’re taking me?”
“It’s beginning to look like I’ve got no choice.”
She still didn’t budge. “Why?” she asked warily.
Brendan almost smiled. “Probably because I’m crazy. But you’re right about one thing. Hennessey’s dead and I’m the man who killed him. In a way that makes me responsible for you. Egan might not get your letter for weeks. In the meantime anything could happen.”
And probably would.
“I’m sure Stuart will reimburse you for your trouble.”
“Word reaches him about Hennessey’s death before we get there, he’ll probably shoot me on sight.” Brendan tipped her chin up. “You realize you’ll be traveling with a stranger—a man who just killed another man right in front of you.”
Priscilla searched his face. “I trust you, Mr. Trask.”
“You don’t even know me. Why the hell would you trust me?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Such as?”
Priscilla flushed but didn’t look away. “You’ve got kind eyes.”
“Kind eyes?” he repeated, incredulous. “You trust me because of my eyes?”
“That’s right.”
Brendan shoved his hat back on his head and looked at her with a mixture of amazement and frustration. “Then,