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Authors: Diana Palmer
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dwell on what happened tonight," he said. "I
won't let anyone hurt you, Sally."
That felt nice. She
wished she could give him the same guarantee, but it seemed pretty ridiculous
after her poor performance.
He seemed to read the
thought right in her mind, and he burst out laughing. "Listen, lady, when I get
through with
you, you'll be eating bad men raw," he promised. "You're just a
beginner."
"You aren't."
"That's true.
And not only in self-defense," he added dryly. "You'd better go in."
"I suppose so." She picked at
the buttons of the shirt he'd loaned her.
"I'll give it back. Eventually."
"You look nice in it," he had to
admit. "You can keep it. We'll try
some more of my clothes on you and see how they look."
She made a face at him
as she opened the door. "Eb, do I have to go and see the sheriff?"
"You do. I'll
pick you up after school. Don't worry," he said quietly. "He won't eat you. He's a nice man.
But you must see that we can't let Lopez's
people get away with this."
She felt a chill go down her arms as she remembered
who Lopez was. "What will he do if I
testify against his men?"
"You let me
worry about that," Eb told her, and his eyes were like green steel.
"Nobody touches you without going through me."
Her heart jumped right up into her throat
as she stared at him. She was a modern
woman, and she probably shouldn't have enjoyed that passionate remark. But she did.
Eb was a strong, assertive man who would want a woman to match him. Sally hadn't been that woman at seventeen.
But she was now. She could stand up to him and
meet him on his own ground. It gave her a sense of pride.
"Debating if it's
proper for a modern woman to like being protected?" he chided with a wicked grin.
"You said
yourself that none of us are invincible," she pointed out. "I don't
think it's a bad thing to admire a man's strength, especially when it's just saved my neck."
He made her feel
confident, he gave her joy. It had been years since she'd laughed so much, enjoyed
life so much. Odd that a man whose adult years had been imbued with such
violence could be so tender.
"Okay now?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm okay." She
glanced toward the road and shivered a
little. "They won't come looking for me?"
"Not in that
condition they won't," he said matter-of- factly. "And they're very lucky,"
he added, his whole face like drawn cord. "Ten years ago, I wouldn't have
been so gentle.''
Both
eyebrows went up at the imagery.
"You know what
I was," he said quietly. "Until com paratively recent years, I lived a
violent, uncertain life. Part of
the man I was is still in me. I won't ever hurt you," he
70
MERCENARY'S WOMAN
DIANA PALMER
71
added. "But I have to come to
grips with the old life before I can begin a new one. That's going to take
time."
"I think you're saying something."
"Why, yes, I
am," he mused, watching her. "I'm giv ing notice of my intentions.''
"Intentions?"
"Last time I stopped. Next time I won't."
Her mind wasn't
quite grasping what he was telling her. "You mean, with those men...?"
"I mean with
you," he said gently. "I want you very badly, and I'm not walking away this
time."
"You and what army?" she asked, aghast.
"I won't need an
army. But you might." He smiled. "Go on in. I'm having the house watched.
You'll be safe, I promise."
She pulled his shirt closer. "Thanks, Eb," she said.
He shrugged. "I
have to take care of my own. Try to sleep."
She smiled at him. "Okay. You, too."
He watched her go up
onto the porch and into the house, waiting for Dallas, who came out tight-lipped
with barely a word to Sally as he passed her.
He got into the truck with Eb and slammed the door.
"What happened
to Sally?" he asked, putting his cane aside.
"Lopez's men
rushed the truck when she had a flat. I don't know if it was premeditated," he
added coldly. "They could have lain in wait for her and caused the flat The tire was almost
bald, but it could have gone another few hundred miles."
"She looked uneasy."
"They
won't let anyone hurt you, Sally."
That felt nice. She
wished she could give him the same guarantee, but it seemed pretty ridiculous
after her poor performance.
He seemed to read the
thought right in her mind, and he burst out laughing. "Listen, lady, when I get
through with
you, you'll be eating bad men raw," he promised. "You're just a
beginner."
"You aren't."
"That's true.
And not only in self-defense," he added dryly. "You'd better go in."
"I suppose so." She picked at
the buttons of the shirt he'd loaned her.
"I'll give it back. Eventually."
"You look nice in it," he had to
admit. "You can keep it. We'll try
some more of my clothes on you and see how they look."
She made a face at him
as she opened the door. "Eb, do I have to go and see the sheriff?"
"You do. I'll
pick you up after school. Don't worry," he said quietly. "He won't eat you. He's a nice man.
But you must see that we can't let Lopez's
people get away with this."
She felt a chill go down her arms as she remembered
who Lopez was. "What will he do if I
testify against his men?"
"You let me
worry about that," Eb told her, and his eyes were like green steel.
"Nobody touches you without going through me."
Her heart jumped right up into her throat
as she stared at him. She was a modern
woman, and she probably shouldn't have enjoyed that passionate remark. But she did.
Eb was a strong, assertive man who would want a woman to match him. Sally hadn't been that woman at seventeen.
But she was now. She could stand up to him and
meet him on his own ground. It gave her a sense of pride.
"Debating if it's
proper for a modern woman to like being protected?" he chided with a wicked grin.
"You said
yourself that none of us are invincible," she pointed out. "I don't
think it's a bad thing to admire a man's strength, especially when it's just saved my neck."
He made her feel
confident, he gave her joy. It had been years since she'd laughed so much, enjoyed
life so much. Odd that a man whose adult years had been imbued with such
violence could be so tender.
"Okay now?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm okay." She
glanced toward the road and shivered a
little. "They won't come looking for me?"
"Not in that
condition they won't," he said matter-of- factly. "And they're very lucky,"
he added, his whole face like drawn cord. "Ten years ago, I wouldn't have
been so gentle.''
Both
eyebrows went up at the imagery.
"You know what
I was," he said quietly. "Until com paratively recent years, I lived a
violent, uncertain life. Part of
the man I was is still in me. I won't ever hurt you," he
70
MERCENARY'S WOMAN
DIANA PALMER
71
added. "But I have to come to
grips with the old life before I can begin a new one. That's going to take
time."
"I think you're saying something."
"Why, yes, I
am," he mused, watching her. "I'm giv ing notice of my intentions.''
"Intentions?"
"Last time I stopped. Next time I won't."
Her mind wasn't
quite grasping what he was telling her. "You mean, with those men...?"
"I mean with
you," he said gently. "I want you very badly, and I'm not walking away this
time."
"You and what army?" she asked, aghast.
"I won't need an
army. But you might." He smiled. "Go on in. I'm having the house watched.
You'll be safe, I promise."
She pulled his shirt closer. "Thanks, Eb," she said.
He shrugged. "I
have to take care of my own. Try to sleep."
She smiled at him. "Okay. You, too."
He watched her go up
onto the porch and into the house, waiting for Dallas, who came out tight-lipped
with barely a word to Sally as he passed her.
He got into the truck with Eb and slammed the door.
"What happened
to Sally?" he asked, putting his cane aside.
"Lopez's men
rushed the truck when she had a flat. I don't know if it was premeditated," he
added coldly. "They could have lain in wait for her and caused the flat The tire was almost
bald, but it could have gone another few hundred miles."
"She looked uneasy."
"They
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