Sagebrush Bride Read Free Page A

but she did owe him her gratitude, no matter
how reluctant it came. “I suppose I should thank you,” she said.
    Cutter grinned. “Anytime, Doc.”
    Elizabeth smiled through clenched teeth, nodding.
His assurance sounded so self-satisfied. And the way he spoke the word
Doc—as though he doubted her claim to the title—struck a chord of
dissent. As did everything else about him.
    Jo jerked Elizabeth by the hand suddenly, leading
her into the back room. Without being asked, Cutter followed, his footsteps
amazingly lithe behind them.
    Like a thief on the prowl, Elizabeth thought
grudgingly. She supposed it was his Indian heritage that gave him such stealth.
She peered anxiously over her shoulder. He really didn’t look much like an
Indian, except for his dark coloring. But neither did Jo, for that matter, yet
she knew they were. Jo had told her so.
    “Now,” Jo asked, once she’d closed the door to her
office, “what in thunder do you need a man for, Liz?”
    Elizabeth’s gaze never left the other occupant of
the sparsely furnished room. He sauntered over and sprawled backward into a
large leather chair, dwarfing it beneath him. Hooking the curved toe of his
boot about the leg of a nearby stool, he drew it closer, propping his scuffed
leather boots upon it. The longer she watched him, the more his arrogant
presence provoked her.
    With a slow gesture, Cutter adjusted his hat so
that it shaded his eyes—more out of habit than necessity, because the
light in the room was too dim to be glaring. “Don’t mind me,” he said
presently. Lifting a dark brow and one corner of his mouth, he returned
Elizabeth’s regard, his infuriating smile locked insolently in place.
    Caught in the act of staring, Elizabeth felt her
breath snag. What was it about him that she found so discomfiting? Musing over
that, she fanned herself, not realizing what that gesture revealed. Her eyes
narrowed as she faced Jo. “He’s not really your brother?” she asked
skeptically.
    Jo nodded. Pursing her lips to keep from grinning,
she said, “My baby brother, actually.”
    “Why haven’t I met him before now?” Elizabeth
persisted.
    Jo’s eyes twinkled with mirth, and Elizabeth could
suddenly see a clear and maddening resemblance between the two.
    “Why do you think you should have? I didn’t happen
into Sioux Falls until about two years ago. Cutter was only here long enough to
help me open the Oasis. Since then... well... there’s been a war goin’ on, you
know.’’ Jo tilted a sly look toward her brother, conceding with a sigh, “Though
he has managed to steal in a time or two... to check up on me. Isn’t that so,
brother dear?”
    Cutter lifted his hat brim just enough so that Elizabeth
glimpsed the lack of compunction in his jet black gaze. He obviously didn’t
give a fig that anyone knew of his solicitousness, and didn’t bother even to
deny as much to his sister—who seemed to take offense over it, if
Elizabeth read her tone right.
    “Now, mind you, he won’t admit it,” Jo continued,
frowning benevolently. “Claims he’s only checking on the Oasis. You see, it’s
his place, really, not mine, but he swears he hasn’t the patience to run it and
kindly leaves that burden to me.” She gave her brother a conspiratorial wink.
“Fact is, he’s just too generous, even if he is overprotective.” She sighed
with resignation. “I keep tellin’ him I can take care of myself just fine
without him, but he doesn’t seem to want to believe it’s so.”
    Cutter said nothing to his sister’s allegations,
but his smile turned crooked. Wry amusement played upon his sensuous lips, and
somehow that arrogant grin made Elizabeth feel as awkward as a kettle-bellied
mule, especially since it was still directed at her. More than anything, she
wanted to strike it from his face. Though she was supposed to be grateful, she
reminded herself. And yet despite his cocksure expression, she found she
couldn’t quite tear her gaze