Read Online Beautiful Bandit (Lone Star Legends) by Loree Lough - Free Book Online Page A

presence. A sense of longing and loneliness instantly settled over her. How could she miss him when he was standing no more than three feet away?
    She shook off the silly, romantic notions. Even under normal circumstances—which, granted, these certainly were not—she and Josh could never be more than passing acquaintances. Maybe he did have a wife and a handful of children waiting for him at the ranch. And he had no idea that he’d elected to help a wanted criminal cross the border into Mexico. A damaged and tainted criminal, no less. Besides, for all she knew, he could be putting on a good act, just as Frank had done when she’d first met him. What if, in time, Josh turned out to be just as vicious and violent? Kate shuddered inwardly. I can’t survive another ordeal like that! Frowning, she stepped outside long enough to set the coffeepot on the porch. A few minutes out there in the driving rain would be adequate to fill it with enough water to rinse out the dust; a few more minutes, and she’d have what she needed to brew a pot of coffee.
    The picture of Josh surrounded by a loving spouse and adoring children stirred envy in her like none she’d ever experienced, and Kate didn’t like the feeling. Not one little bit.
    You’ve been in tight situations before, she admonished herself, searching the small, crowded sideboard for coffee mugs. So, why is this one upending your ability to reason?
    Her rummaging turned up a dented washbasin, three bent spoons, and a crusty, cast-iron skillet. Finally, behind a white-enameled stew pot, she spotted half a dozen blue mugs speckled with white, just like the two in Josh’s saddlebags. She loaded them into the washbasin and headed for the door.
    “Where in tarnation are you goin’, girl?” Shorty asked, standing in her way.
    “To fill this with rainwater so I can rinse the coffee cups.” Closing her eyes, Kate blew a puff of air into one of the mugs, and Shorty stepped back to avoid inhaling the cloud of dust she’d stirred up. “You wouldn’t want to drink coffee out of that, now, would you?” she asked him.
    “I’ve swallowed that and then some on the trail.” Narrowing both eyes, he leaned closer. “I feel it only fair to warn you, I aim to take you with me when I leave here.”
    Take me…? Maybe she had been unconscious long enough for him to remember why she looked familiar. Kate’s heart ached, wondering what Josh would think when the Rangers put her in handcuffs and read off the charges against her.
    But why did she care so much about the opinion of a man who easily could be another Frank Michaels?
    ---
    Josh tensed at Shorty’s comment, but he relaxed when Gus said, “There he goes, dreamin’ again.”
    “Aw, you’re just jealous,” Shorty countered, “on account o’ I have a chance of gettin’ me a purty wife who can cook and clean, but your bachelor days are gone like yesterday’s biscuits.”
    “Now, let’s give credit where credit’s due,” Stretch put in. “Gus’s missus ain’t much for bakin’ pies and such, but let’s not forget that she won the tobacco spittin’ contest at last year’s county fair.”
    Gus rubbed his forehead and groaned. “I don’t know what I ever did in my miserable life to get stuck ridin’ with the pair of you.” Then, he elbowed Josh good-humoredly. “Besides, Shorty there would have to win a fight with you if he hoped to take little Miss Puff-in-the-Cup home with him. Ain’t that right, young feller?”
    Dinah looked as helpless now as he’d felt earlier, when Stretch had asked when her baby would be born. If a fib could erase the fear in her big, green eyes, he’d pay his penance to the Almighty later. “Much as I’d hate to get into an altercation with a Texas Ranger, Gus is right,” Josh said, winking at Dinah. “Little Miss Puff-in-the-Cup is spoken for.”
    Taking a seat at the table, he watched her exhale a relieved breath, then scurry for the door. Now, why did he have the feeling