Read Online Sagebrush Bride by Tanya Anne Crosby - Free Book Online

amber gold radiating from dark pupils. Against his will, his
breathing became labored as he stared at those gorgeous eyes... those lips,
remembering the way they had tasted.
     
    Elizabeth
found it difficult to breathe, but it had little to do with Cutter’s weight
bearing down upon her, because he’d lifted himself up just enough so that it
was no longer an issue. Though she could still feel every inch of his
body—his broad chest, his solid limbs; one leg resting outside her right
thigh, the other just inside her left... and something in between.
    Her
face colored brightly; because she knew exactly what that something was. She
was a doctor, after all, and had seen those
things on rare occasions. Yet it was the intense look on his face that
stole her breath.
    His
jaw was taut, his pupils dilated, his nostrils flaring.
    “I—said—get—off!”
    He
did, and Elizabeth scooted backward, giving herself a safe distance from the
infuriating man. She sat upright, glaring at him, and spat the offensive grass
out of her mouth. She used her hands to swipe off the pieces that wouldn’t
quite come loose. Her lip throbbed, and what was worse, she thought she tasted
blood!
    Examining
her hand, she inhaled sharply when she spotted a streak of ruby red across her
forefinger. She gave a startled little cry and her gaze flew up to meet
Cutter’s, but she said nothing because she could tell by his expression that
he’d spotted it, too, and his black look told her that she didn’t want to hear
any of what he had to say.
    Standing
over her, thumb hooked into his waistband, he shook his head at her, as though
she were dim witted.
    “What
the hell were you trying to do? Kill us both?”
    “ Me ?” She snorted inelegantly, squinting
her eyes to ward away the pain that shot through her head. Her hand trembled as
it moved to her temple in an effort to still the hazy picture her eyes were
presenting.
    “You!”
she accused. “What were you trying to
do? And where do you think you are taking me?” She glared up at him again,
still slightly disoriented.
    In
the light of day, he seemed different somehow, more Indian maybe. Ominous,
definitely. His clothes were the same ones he’d worn last night, except for the
wide blue and white bandanna that was bound about his forehead. It seemed to
accentuate the length of his hair, the swarthy tone of his skin. Beads of sweat
dotted his brow above it.
    That
was the difference, she thought dimly. That, and the fact that he was
bareheaded besides. It was amazing how that small variation in his apparel
changed his entire presence. His hat, his one token of civilization, had
obviously tumbled from his head during the fall, because it lay upon the ground
not more than three feet from her toes. She eyed it malevolently as she wiggled
her foot, then bent her knees cautiously, repeating the ritual for the other
foot. Satisfied that nothing was broken below the waist, she tested her arms
under his watchful eye, grimacing as a dull pang shot through her shoulder.
    Belatedly
her gaze slid across the grassland, taking in the wide open space, the fact
that there were no buildings, nothing but early morning skies and open land.
The landscape looked a little eerie with the dew still hanging heavily in the
air. “Where the hell are we?”
    “Easy,
bright eyes, I’m only trying to help.”
    Delving
into a pocket, Cutter removed from it a clean bandanna, using it to gently pat
the fleck of blood from her lip. She recoiled at his touch, and he gave her a
frown for the effort. “We’re on our way to St. Louis,” he informed her, giving
her a worried glance. “Don’t you recall anythin’ a’tall?”
    “St.
Louis!”
    Forgetting
her aches, Elizabeth sprang from the ground, resisting the urge to rub her
bruised fanny, because that infuriating little smile tugged at Cutter’s lips,
and she had the notion he’d read her thoughts. Nettled, she dropped her hands
at her sides.
    Her
mind raced, trying to piece