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out of the woods to her left, rifle at the ready and it was pointing straight at her head. Her mouth went cotton dry and she knew the smile she gave the man was as shaky as her hands. This had to be Sanchez.
    “Why, good afternoon, sir.” She leaned forward enough to give him an eyeful of her cleavage. “I hope you don’t mind us stopping by unannounced.”
    “Who the hell are you?” His voice was oily and rusty at the same time, a combination that made her skin crawl.
    “My name is Belinda and this here is my manager, Ferdinand.” She smiled widely. “I’m meeting such nice folks on my journey, making some money so we can continue on our way.”
    The man’s grip loosened slightly. “Making money?”
    “Why, sugar, you know what I mean.” She winked at him, grateful he couldn’t see how much she trembled.
    “How much?”
    “Dollar for half an hour. Two for a whole hour.” She hoped that was a reasonable amount because she had no idea how much to charge.
    “And him?”
    “Oh, he likes to watch, but for you, he can wait outside with the horses.” She noted the sheer size of the man, his dark black eyes and bronze skin. “I surely do like a big man.”
    Brody made some kind of noise beside her but she didn’t react, hoping the man didn’t hear it.
    “Ride on to the house. I meet you there.” He disappeared back into the woods, leaving Olivia and Brody alone.
    She let the air out of her lungs slowly, although she really wanted to let a gust loose. The man was likely watching them and they had to keep up the pretense of being a whore and her manager.
    “He seemed like a good customer. Let’s get on then before he changes his mind. We need to eat tonight.” She spurred her mare forward, aware that every move she made was monitored.
    “Don’t overdo it, Belinda.” Brody’s whisper was more like a hiss, almost too low for her to hear.
    “Be quiet, Ferdinand.”
    They walked the horses at a leisurely pace, while her heart thundered instead of the horse’s hooves. She was about to cross a line. There would be no turning back now. She didn’t know whether to be terrified or excited.
    The house turned out to be even less than the shack they’d left behind hours before. It was smaller, dirtier and leaned to the right. More than likely it was an old line shack a rancher had built twenty years ago and then left to the elements. This man had made it his own. Olivia hoped she didn’t have to smell the inside.
    The trees had grown around the house, sheltering it like a mother’s arms would hold an ugly child. The foliage kept it hidden from those that might seek it. Brody had the right of it—sneaking up would not have worked.
    Olivia swallowed the dry spit in her mouth at the size of Sanchez as compared to the house. The trees had dwarfed him and now he did the same to the shack. He held a rifle on his shoulder, but his finger was still on the trigger. The man was much bigger than she’d thought he was. She resisted the urge to glance over at the ranger. Instead, she pasted on a smile.
    “You have a nice house, sugar.” She was proud of just how calm her voice sounded.
    “Climb on down and I’ll show it to you up close and personal.”
    Olivia took her time dismounting. “You didn’t tell me your name.”
    “I didn’t plan on it.” He kept his gaze on Brody, who had stopped ten feet away. “What’s your manager doing?”
    “Oh, he is giving us privacy.” When her feet hit the ground, her mare shied away a little, probably sensing Olivia’s discomfort. “He’ll go back in the woods if you want.”
    “I want him close so I can keep my eye on him.” Sanchez’s dark gaze was sharp and suspicious.
    “Ferdinand, please come closer so our host doesn’t think you’re up to no good.” She held onto the horse’s reins as she waited for Brody to move closer. The pistol pressed against the outside of her thigh, a comfortable weight. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it again today but was