Read Online Tales of Western Romance by Madeline Baker - Free Book Online

life.
    “ Mornin’,” he drawled.
    “ Morning.”
    “ We need to get goin’,” Gray
said.
    “ Can we get something to eat first? I’m
starving.”
    “ Sure. We’ll go over to the Grand and
then we’ll head out.”
    Bonnie nodded. In spite of what they had
shared the night before, her cheeks grew warm when Gray rolled out
of bed, completely unabashed at being naked in front of her.
    “ You gonna lay about all day?” he
asked, reaching for his trousers.
    “ No.” Gathering her courage, she threw
back the covers, slid her legs over the edge of the bed, and
grabbed her shirt. Her cheeks grew hotter under Gray’s appreciative
gaze.
    She had never been intimate with Wade or
Will, and had only made love to Luke twice, in the dark. Neither
experience had been satisfying. Certainly nothing like last night.
But Wade and Will and Luke had been boys. And Gray was all man.
Just looking at him turned her bones to liquid.
    “ If you keep looking at me like that,
we’ll never get out of here,” he said with a wicked
grin.
    “ Sorry,” she murmured, but she couldn’t
stop looking.
    “ I reckon we can wait awhile,” he said,
and dropped his trousers on the floor.
    * * * * *
    Bonnie blew out a sigh as they left the hotel
dining room. The prices in the past were amazing. Imagine, paying a
dollar for a breakfast of hot cakes, bacon and beans.
    She shook her head as she followed Gray down
the street. Miners and wagons stirred the dust in the road,
prostitutes paraded shamelessly in front of the cribs, boldly
advertising their wares. She overheard some of the men talking
about Madam Dirty Em and Madam Mustachio. When she looked at Gray
for an explanation, he shrugged and said, “Whores.”
    “ Oh.”
    Gray shrugged. “The population here is mostly
men. I heard the miners lined the streets and cheered when the
madams arrived back in ‘76.”
    Wide-eyed, Bonnie trailed after Gray as he
bought supplies and blankets, then headed for the livery barn where
he bought a used saddle and bridle.
    Bonnie smiled at the livery owner as he led
the horses out of the stable, felt a shiver run down her spine when
her gaze met that of a tall, reed-thin man wearing a black frock
coat and a stovepipe hat. The stranger seemed overly interested in
watching Gray saddle their horses. Or maybe the man was just
admiring the stallion, she thought. Either way, he made her
uncomfortable.
    A short time later, the supplies were stowed
in the saddlebags and Gray was lifting her onto the back of the
stallion. The colt frolicked at the mare’s heels as they rode out
of town.
    For her part, Bonnie was glad to see the last
of Deadwood.
    Gray seemed lost in thought as they rode
along. She didn’t know what he was thinking about, but she found
herself thinking about home and wondering how she would ever find
her way back. Not that she was anxious to go back, not when it
meant leaving Gray. She felt comfortable with him, though she
wasn’t sure why. Maybe, because she could be herself with him. She
didn’t have to worry about impressing him, or pretending to be
something she wasn’t.
    “ Where are we going now?” she asked
after a while.
    He shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
    “ What’s the matter?”
    “ There was a man back at the livery. I
can’t be sure, but I think he recognized me.”
    “ The tall, skinny man in the frock
coat?”
    “ That’s him.”
    “ He looked like an
undertaker.”
    “ Close. I think he’s a bounty
hunter.”
    “ Oh. That’s not good, is it?” She tried
to recall what little she knew about bounty hunting, but the only
thing that came to mind was an old Steve McQueen movie where he
went out looking for people who had skipped bail.
    Gray reined his horse to a halt. Reaching
into his back pocket, he pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it
to her.
    Relámpago stopped beside the bay.
    “ What’s this?” Bonnie asked.
    “ A reward poster. It was tacked to the
door of the livery.”
    Bonnie unfolded the paper and