Read Online Relic by Renee Collins - Free Book Online

always said everyone deserved a second chance.
    “So you’re a cowboy, huh?” I asked, shooting him a sidelong glance.
    He perked up a little. “Yes, ma’am. One of Señor Castilla’s finest. And a skilled fighter of rock devils, if I do say so myself.”
    I’d heard stories of cowboys but had never met one before. Ranchers hired them to move their cattle and horses and whatever other livestock they had to different grazing locations. But given that a pair of rock devils could wipe out half a herd of cattle in one night, and one organized pack of ghost coyotes could take out a whole one, the cowboys also had to be skilled warriors. I’d heard they carried infinitely growing behemoth rope, and that they had rare goblin bones, which could cause the user to blend into whatever landscape he was in, essentially giving him invisibility. Or giving invisibility to his herds. Very useful. And very expensive.
    But the trademark weapon of the cowboy was the dragon-claw rifle. For most people, fire relics brought an agitating effect, which made them less than ideal in an intense situation, so ranchers hired men with not only physical strength but cool heads. The cowboys displayed their dragon-claw rifles as a proud badge of this composure.
    It went without saying that for a man to be given the use of those relics, not to mention a rancher’s entire livestock, he’d proved he had to be more than trustworthy. If Landon really was a cowboy, then I could count myself lucky indeed to have such an escort.
    Though I wasn’t about to tell him that.
    When we reached The Desert Rose, Landon stood beside the closed doors, leaning against the wall. He studied me with a smile, and I couldn’t help noticing how blue his eyes were even in the dim moonlight. My face heated a little under his gaze. Trying to look confident, I smoothed my damp hair out of my eyes.
    “Well, thank you. I think I’m safe now.”
    For the second time that night, Tom broke up the moment. He pushed out the swinging double doors of the saloon.
    “You again?” he said, eyeing Landon, his tone ripe with disapproval. His gaze then fixed on my wet clothes, and his dark brow furrowed. “What happened here? Are you all right, Maggie?”
    As gruff as he could act sometimes, Tom had been like a protective big brother to me from the beginning. My first day at The Desert Rose, I caught him watching me real strange, like he knew something. I couldn’t figure out what to make of it, but he’d treated me kindly every day after. I figured he just needed to get used to me.
    “I’m fine,” I said. “This gentleman was just leaving.”
    Tom frowned. “Where’s Adelaide?”
    The image of Adelaide, locked in an embrace with the darker cowboy, shot into my mind, and I was certain my face fell to match. Dropping my gaze from Tom’s, I fingered the damp hem of my blouse. “She’s coming. When…when I fell into the river, she ran for help. This cowboy here came to our aid, and…Adelaide is still talking with his friend. Letting him know I’m all right.”
    Tom’s face betrayed nothing as to whether or not he believed my story. He gave Landon one final, piercing look, then turned back to his post.
    I blew out a little sigh of relief.
    “Nicely handled,” Landon said, grinning. He had been watching me the entire time. He tipped his hat, not taking his eyes off me. “Good night, ma’am. It’s been a pleasure.”
    I looked away, smoothing down my skirt again to show that I wasn’t as ruffled by his words as I felt. “Yes, well… Good-bye.”
    When I glanced back, he was laughing quietly to himself.
    I put my hands on my hips. “Did I say something that amused you?”
    In response, he took a step closer, smiling. I knew I should smack him for being fresh, but instead my stomach fluttered like a caged bird. I couldn’t look away from his gaze.
    A distant scream shattered the moment like a hammer to glass. It was the sound of pure terror.
    We both spun in the