Read Scout's Honor for Free Online Page B

smelled bad. “Is that anywhere near Denver?”
    “It’s about as far away from Denver as this
place is, only on the other end of the cosmopolitan spectrum. I
don’t think you’ve ever been there.” He smiled again, a wry grin
that told her he knew she wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like
Hot Sulphur Springs.
    She was glad to see his mood lighten. Maybe
it would help him listen to reason. “Keep the land you’ve got,
Mitch, and make do with a thousand
acres instead of two
thousand
. Don’t risk ending
up with no home at all.”
    Her voice held a pleading quality that made
her wince. Why should she care? He was just another drifter in her
world. A poor guy who couldn’t afford the pace, a naïve soul who
had been conned by a person he thought he could trust. It happened
all the time in her world. Money could break a blood tie or a love
tie. Sad but true. She didn’t like it any better than he did, but
he’d have to learn the hard way by losing something important.
Whether it was a home or a husband didn’t matter. They both
hurt.
    She turned her head to stare out over the
dark water, mulling over the rare possibility of doing a good deed
and weighing her chances against Dumonde. In truth, she couldn’t
have asked for a better setup; she had nothing to lose. And
besides, who was she to make Mitch’s decisions for him? He was a
big boy.
    She cocked her head to catch him out of the
corner of her eye. Well, he wasn’t that big. His shoulders were
broad, but the body was lanky. No extra pounds there. The oversized
suit made him look smaller than he probably was, and she knew he
was just a shade taller than St. John
.
    “When is the game?” she asked.
    He smiled. “How about getting together
tomorrow night
?”
    Their eyes locked across the table
,
and a
deep,
controlled breath escaped her. She was playing with fire no matter
which way she took his words.
    “Give me two days,” she said, “then contact
me here at Runner’s Cay. I’ll need time to put together a scam.”
Her voice was cool and businesslike, belying the heat he so easily
and disturbingly generated with those eyes. No one would believe
she was attracted to this boy scout with the broken nose. If he was
her type, no wonder she’d been leading a solitary life. Boy scouts
were a rare commodity in the fast track.
    “I
don’t expect you to cheat,” he said quietly.
    Then he truly was out of his league.
    “Listen, darlin’, I’m not going in there to
play a sucker’s game and lose. You can be Mr. Congeniality all you
want, but I have a reputation to protect.” She was glad the sultry
mood was broken. It put her back in charge. But she resented his
innocent statement for putting her in a bad light
. “You do want your ranch back in one
piece, don’t you?” she asked, forcing her point home, trying to get
through to him that
her way was the only way.
    “Yes, I do, Anna,” he said, “and I would do
anything to get it back, but I don’t expect you to put yourself in
a tight spot just to help me.” He leaned forward and picked up her
hand, holding it lightly in his own. His touch had the nicest
effect on her, warm and exciting. He must like it, too, she
thought. This was about the third time he’d casually reached over
and played with her fingers. And for the third time she didn’t pull
away.
    “All I’m asking for is a straight game,” he
said.
    He was worried about her good name? She
couldn’t believe it. At least he didn’t seem to have any scruples
about the actual cheating part. The code of the West probably
okayed cheating a cheat.
    “Dumonde never plays a straight game,” she
insisted again. “What do you do if I lose?”
    “I start over,” he said, shrugging. “I did
it once. I can do it again. There’s plenty of property for sale in
the valley if you’ve got the price.”
    “But you don’t have the price,” she reminded
him.
    “No. But I’ve got a job and I don’t want you
to cheat.”
    “Does this job