Tracker’s Sin Read Free Page B

his spyglass back around. Disappointment cut like a knife when al he saw was the salt-and-pepper bun
    pinned atop the old woman’s head. But then she moved on and the younger woman came into view. From the back she looked just like Desi. She had the
    same delicate stature, same hesitant yet chal enging way of standing, as if she needed just the slightest encouragement and she could take on the world.
    More importantly, she had the same blond hair that fel in a riot of curls down her back.
    His fingers tightened on the spyglass. Turn around. Turn around.
    As if she heard him, she did, turning until he had a clear view of her face.
    “Son of a bitch.”
    He’d known Ari was Desi’s twin, but somehow he just hadn’t been prepared for the impact. Ari had the same big blue eyes set in a round
    face above a surprisingly lush, red mouth. She even had the same stubborn chin. If the two were side by side, a body would be hard put to tel the
    difference. He squinted and pul ed his hat brim lower, blocking more of the sun’s rays. With further study, he discerned some differences. Desi was smal
    and dainty, but as she’d said, her sister was even more delicate. Maybe Ari wasn’t as tal or maybe she was a smidgen ful er in the cheeks. Or maybe it
    was just her spirit that had that delicacy. It was hard to tel anything from this distance. But one thing was sure, Ari didn’t have the look of a woman who’d
    been to hel and back. As he watched, she laughed, tossing her head, sending curls bouncing over her shoulders. Tracker slowly lowered the spyglass, the
    image of that smile lingering.
    Shit.
    He took a breath as the ramifications rocked through him. It real y was Ari and she real y was alive. More than that, she seemed happy.
    The latter defied reason.
    There were eleven of them. And with me gone, there was just her.
    Desi’s description of the last time she’d seen her sister whispered through his head the way it often did, bringing the fury that came from
    knowing how easy it would be for just one man to force a woman of Desi’s build down in the dirt. How much pain just one man could inflict on such a
    delicate woman until she gave up al hope and just did what she was told. When he multiplied that misery by eleven, the rage near drove him insane. He
    couldn’t imagine what it’d done to Ari—but not leave a scar at al ? That he couldn’t fathom.
    A bird burst out of the large bush set between the house and the barn. It wasn’t the old man who’d startled it; he was stil in the barn. The
    hairs on the back of Tracker’s neck rose. The town of Esperanza was expanding wildly because of the rumor of gold in the area, and in the way of growing
    towns, the disreputable element was growing the fastest. It wasn’t hard to figure out why someone lurked in the bushes near this particular house. Blond
    women in this part of the country were a rarity. Delicate blond women with the face of an angel were a prize. No tel ing what kind of scum had come
    creeping around. Looked as if Tracker had arrived just in time to be useful.
    He glanced at the house again. The shutters that hung alongside the windows were solid except for the smal gun slits cut into them.
    Obviously, at some point in the past, the residents had had to fight for their survival. But whatever habits they’d once practiced had now fal en to the
    wayside. Now, the front door was propped open to catch the morning breeze. The man of the house had left his gun behind when he went to the barn.
    Clearly, the residents had become complacent, at a time when they should be vigilant.
    Tracker raised the spyglass again. He could just make out the figure of a man hiding behind the smal wash shed. Tracker estimated the
    distance. More than a hundred yards and not a lick of cover between him and the intruder. That eliminated the hope of a silent attack. He reached for his
    rifle. There was more than one way to skin a cat. A quick scan of the surrounding area didn’t reveal