man as dangerous-looking as he would consort with savages, but the thought horrified her.
"Miss?"
Mariah blinked, unable to summon the courage to respond. She imagined her face looked as chalky as her stomach felt.
"Are you all right?" he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Perhaps you should sit—"
Retreating from his hand as he reached toward her, she answered, "No, I'm fine. I'm waiting for my—" It was then she noticed the blood streaking his shirt sleeve.
"Merciful heavens, your arm..."
Creed followed her glance, then shrugged. "It's just a graze."
Why she even cared, Mariah couldn't imagine. After all, the man had just snuffed out another man's life as if it were nothing. She turned away taking Maeve's arm. "I appreciate your concern," she said firmly, "but if you'll excuse us now—"
"Miss Parsons—wait."
Setting her teeth on edge, she whirled back to face him. "Mister-?"
"Devereaux. Creed Devereaux."
"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Devereaux, that's the third time you've called me by my name. We haven't been introduced, have we? And since you have a most memorable way of introducing yourself, I'm certain I would have remembered."
Something akin to a smile played across his lips and he fitted his hat back on his head slowly. "Seth sent me to bring you home."
Chapter 2
Mariah felt the blood drain from her face. "I—I beg your pardon?"
"Your fiancé? Seth Travers?" Devereaux repeated slowly, as if she were dimwitted. "He sent me to escort you back to Virginia City on the stage."
He might as well have told her he was from the moon. "Seth... sent you?" She glanced imploringly at Maeve, but the woman looked equally confused. "Why, that's impossible," Mariah argued. "Seth would never... I mean, you're a..."
All traces of humor disappeared from his eyes. "Bounty hunter?" he supplied tightly. "That's true. I'm also a friend of Seth's."
Mariah swallowed hard and stiffened her spine. "There must be some mistake."
His jaw grew tight. "I'm afraid not. Seth was taken ill suddenly and couldn't come himself. That's why he sent me to fetch you."
"Seth—ill?" she echoed in a small voice. Dear Lord... not Seth... not now...
Creed shifted uncomfortably. "He came down with camp fever the day before he was supposed to come here. Quite a few of the miners in Virginia City are down with it."
Numbness crept into her voice. "Camp fever. Is it... serious?"
He glanced at the ground, unable to meet her eyes.
"Serious enough to keep him from coming here for you. He would have tried, too, if I hadn't threatened to tie him to the bed."
It was worse than he was telling her. She knew that from his evasive glance. She blinked at the tears that burned the backs of her eyes. Seth. Oh, Seth.
"I... I don't even know you," she managed at last. "How do I even know you're telling me the truth?"
Devereaux pulled what looked suspiciously like her last letter to Seth from his pocket along with a small heart-shaped pin she'd given him four years ago when he'd left for the West.
"He gave me these so you wouldn't doubt my word."
Mariah took both in her trembling hands, unable to deny they were hers. Her gaze returned to the bounty hunter. What could Seth have been thinking, sending a vicious killer like Creed Devereaux to protect her? It must have been the fever. He couldn't have been in his right mind.
"I... I suppose you're who you say you are." She blinked rapidly, determined not to cry. "He... Seth could have just sent word to me. You needn't have gone to all the trouble of riding up here to fetch me, Mr. Devereaux. After all, there is a stage that runs between here and Virginia City, isn't there? I would be perfectly safe—"
"No," Devereaux interrupted. "No, you wouldn't."
"He's right," put in Jamie O'Hurlehy who had walked up beside his wife. "Not a soul's safe on the road 'tween here and Virginia City, Miss. It's bein' used as a kind of toll road for a gang of highwaymen callin' themselves 'The Innocents.'
"Miss?"
Mariah blinked, unable to summon the courage to respond. She imagined her face looked as chalky as her stomach felt.
"Are you all right?" he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Perhaps you should sit—"
Retreating from his hand as he reached toward her, she answered, "No, I'm fine. I'm waiting for my—" It was then she noticed the blood streaking his shirt sleeve.
"Merciful heavens, your arm..."
Creed followed her glance, then shrugged. "It's just a graze."
Why she even cared, Mariah couldn't imagine. After all, the man had just snuffed out another man's life as if it were nothing. She turned away taking Maeve's arm. "I appreciate your concern," she said firmly, "but if you'll excuse us now—"
"Miss Parsons—wait."
Setting her teeth on edge, she whirled back to face him. "Mister-?"
"Devereaux. Creed Devereaux."
"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Devereaux, that's the third time you've called me by my name. We haven't been introduced, have we? And since you have a most memorable way of introducing yourself, I'm certain I would have remembered."
Something akin to a smile played across his lips and he fitted his hat back on his head slowly. "Seth sent me to bring you home."
Chapter 2
Mariah felt the blood drain from her face. "I—I beg your pardon?"
"Your fiancé? Seth Travers?" Devereaux repeated slowly, as if she were dimwitted. "He sent me to escort you back to Virginia City on the stage."
He might as well have told her he was from the moon. "Seth... sent you?" She glanced imploringly at Maeve, but the woman looked equally confused. "Why, that's impossible," Mariah argued. "Seth would never... I mean, you're a..."
All traces of humor disappeared from his eyes. "Bounty hunter?" he supplied tightly. "That's true. I'm also a friend of Seth's."
Mariah swallowed hard and stiffened her spine. "There must be some mistake."
His jaw grew tight. "I'm afraid not. Seth was taken ill suddenly and couldn't come himself. That's why he sent me to fetch you."
"Seth—ill?" she echoed in a small voice. Dear Lord... not Seth... not now...
Creed shifted uncomfortably. "He came down with camp fever the day before he was supposed to come here. Quite a few of the miners in Virginia City are down with it."
Numbness crept into her voice. "Camp fever. Is it... serious?"
He glanced at the ground, unable to meet her eyes.
"Serious enough to keep him from coming here for you. He would have tried, too, if I hadn't threatened to tie him to the bed."
It was worse than he was telling her. She knew that from his evasive glance. She blinked at the tears that burned the backs of her eyes. Seth. Oh, Seth.
"I... I don't even know you," she managed at last. "How do I even know you're telling me the truth?"
Devereaux pulled what looked suspiciously like her last letter to Seth from his pocket along with a small heart-shaped pin she'd given him four years ago when he'd left for the West.
"He gave me these so you wouldn't doubt my word."
Mariah took both in her trembling hands, unable to deny they were hers. Her gaze returned to the bounty hunter. What could Seth have been thinking, sending a vicious killer like Creed Devereaux to protect her? It must have been the fever. He couldn't have been in his right mind.
"I... I suppose you're who you say you are." She blinked rapidly, determined not to cry. "He... Seth could have just sent word to me. You needn't have gone to all the trouble of riding up here to fetch me, Mr. Devereaux. After all, there is a stage that runs between here and Virginia City, isn't there? I would be perfectly safe—"
"No," Devereaux interrupted. "No, you wouldn't."
"He's right," put in Jamie O'Hurlehy who had walked up beside his wife. "Not a soul's safe on the road 'tween here and Virginia City, Miss. It's bein' used as a kind of toll road for a gang of highwaymen callin' themselves 'The Innocents.'
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