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Authors: Madeline Baker
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found herself
staring at a rough sketch of Gray’s face. It wasn’t particularly
good, but there was no mistaking who it was. “Wanted for murder.
Jackson Gray Hawk. Five hundred dollar reward,” she murmured. “Dead
or alive.”
He nodded, his expression bleak, as she
returned the poster. And then he clucked to the bay.
Relámpago followed Gray without any
urging on Bonnie’s part. Lost in thought, she paid little attention
to where they were going. The words ‘dead or alive’ kept repeating
themselves in her mind. But it was the look in the cold brown eyes
of the man in the frock coat that worried her most.
They rode all that day. Bonnie didn’t
complain. The more miles they put between themselves and the bounty
hunter, the better.
It was full dark when Gray decided to make
camp. “No fire tonight,” he said, unsaddling their horses.
She nodded.
They ate jerky and cold beans for dinner and
washed it down with water.
Later, lying on her back beside Gray, Bonnie
gazed up at the sky. Millions of stars glittered overhead. She
could see the silhouettes of the horses grazing in the distance.
She sighed when Gray drew her closer.
“ We have to get away from here,” she
said. “Far away.” She traced his cheek with her fingertips. “We
have to figure out a way to get Relámpago to take us back to my
time,” she said, nodding. “You’ll be safe there.”
“ There’s just one thing – I’ve never
heard of anyone telling that stallion what to do or where to
go.”
“ Well, there’s a first time for
everything,” Bonnie said.
“ What do you see me doing in your
time?” he asked curiously.
“ I don’t know. I haven’t thought about
it. What kind of work do you do here?”
“ Work.” He chuckled. “Honey, no one’s
gonna hire a half-breed for any kind of decent job. Oh, I could
empty spittoons in one of the saloons, or sweep the livery and muck
the stalls.”
“ That’s terrible. So, how did you earn
a living?” She asked the question, not certain she wanted to hear
his answer.
“ Playing poker.”
“ Oh, so you’re a gambler. They have
gamblers in my time.” Lots of them, she thought. They played in
Vegas and Tahoe, there were tournaments on one of the cable
channels. Of course, she didn’t know if the kind of poker they
played in her time was the same as what they played in the Old
West, but how different could it be? “So, what do you
say?”
Gray shrugged. “We can try tomorrow, if it’ll
make you happy,” he said, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“But for now, I’ve got other things on my mind.”
“ Oh, you do, do you?”
“ You got any objections?”
His hand slid up and down her back, sending
shivers of anticipation along her spine. “What do you think?” It
was crazy, she thought, crazy that she had fallen for Gray so hard,
so fast. They had nothing in common, and yet she felt as if she had
come home, as if she had been looking for him all her life without
knowing it.
Gray gazed deep into her eyes, warming her
through and through. “I’m glad you got lost,” he said, brushing a
kiss across her jaw. “Glad that Relámpago found you and
brought you here.”
“ Me, too,” she murmured as Gray drew
her closer. “Me, too.”
He undressed her slowly, each kiss and caress
evoked sensations she had never known before. She lost herself in
the touch of his lips, the stroke of his hands, the husky timbre of
his voice as he whispered love words in her ear.
Never had she felt so loved, so cherished.
She watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he quickly shed his own
clothes, then lowered his body over hers. She gazed up at him,
thinking she had never seen anything more beautiful than Gray
silhouetted against a blanket of stars.
She whispered his name as his body melded
with hers. Whatever the future held, she knew she would forever
remember this man, and this moment.
* * * * *
Bonnie woke with a start, wondering what had
roused her from sleep, and found
staring at a rough sketch of Gray’s face. It wasn’t particularly
good, but there was no mistaking who it was. “Wanted for murder.
Jackson Gray Hawk. Five hundred dollar reward,” she murmured. “Dead
or alive.”
He nodded, his expression bleak, as she
returned the poster. And then he clucked to the bay.
Relámpago followed Gray without any
urging on Bonnie’s part. Lost in thought, she paid little attention
to where they were going. The words ‘dead or alive’ kept repeating
themselves in her mind. But it was the look in the cold brown eyes
of the man in the frock coat that worried her most.
They rode all that day. Bonnie didn’t
complain. The more miles they put between themselves and the bounty
hunter, the better.
It was full dark when Gray decided to make
camp. “No fire tonight,” he said, unsaddling their horses.
She nodded.
They ate jerky and cold beans for dinner and
washed it down with water.
Later, lying on her back beside Gray, Bonnie
gazed up at the sky. Millions of stars glittered overhead. She
could see the silhouettes of the horses grazing in the distance.
She sighed when Gray drew her closer.
“ We have to get away from here,” she
said. “Far away.” She traced his cheek with her fingertips. “We
have to figure out a way to get Relámpago to take us back to my
time,” she said, nodding. “You’ll be safe there.”
“ There’s just one thing – I’ve never
heard of anyone telling that stallion what to do or where to
go.”
“ Well, there’s a first time for
everything,” Bonnie said.
“ What do you see me doing in your
time?” he asked curiously.
“ I don’t know. I haven’t thought about
it. What kind of work do you do here?”
“ Work.” He chuckled. “Honey, no one’s
gonna hire a half-breed for any kind of decent job. Oh, I could
empty spittoons in one of the saloons, or sweep the livery and muck
the stalls.”
“ That’s terrible. So, how did you earn
a living?” She asked the question, not certain she wanted to hear
his answer.
“ Playing poker.”
“ Oh, so you’re a gambler. They have
gamblers in my time.” Lots of them, she thought. They played in
Vegas and Tahoe, there were tournaments on one of the cable
channels. Of course, she didn’t know if the kind of poker they
played in her time was the same as what they played in the Old
West, but how different could it be? “So, what do you
say?”
Gray shrugged. “We can try tomorrow, if it’ll
make you happy,” he said, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“But for now, I’ve got other things on my mind.”
“ Oh, you do, do you?”
“ You got any objections?”
His hand slid up and down her back, sending
shivers of anticipation along her spine. “What do you think?” It
was crazy, she thought, crazy that she had fallen for Gray so hard,
so fast. They had nothing in common, and yet she felt as if she had
come home, as if she had been looking for him all her life without
knowing it.
Gray gazed deep into her eyes, warming her
through and through. “I’m glad you got lost,” he said, brushing a
kiss across her jaw. “Glad that Relámpago found you and
brought you here.”
“ Me, too,” she murmured as Gray drew
her closer. “Me, too.”
He undressed her slowly, each kiss and caress
evoked sensations she had never known before. She lost herself in
the touch of his lips, the stroke of his hands, the husky timbre of
his voice as he whispered love words in her ear.
Never had she felt so loved, so cherished.
She watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he quickly shed his own
clothes, then lowered his body over hers. She gazed up at him,
thinking she had never seen anything more beautiful than Gray
silhouetted against a blanket of stars.
She whispered his name as his body melded
with hers. Whatever the future held, she knew she would forever
remember this man, and this moment.
* * * * *
Bonnie woke with a start, wondering what had
roused her from sleep, and found
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