Read The Lawman's Surrender: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 2 for Free Online Page B

stare at her.
    “Something wrong, Marshal?”
    “Not a thing,” he answered with a grin. “I was just thinking how pretty you look today.”
    Her lips curved and a sly gleam came into her eyes. “Why thank you, Marshal. I must admit, you look quite handsome yourself.”
    He touched his hat brim. “Nice of you to say so.” He paused. “Yes, ma’am, I was just sitting here thinking how pretty you look—and how no one would ever figure you for a killer.”
    In the blink of an eye, her sweet smile changed to a furious scowl, and her eyes took on a chill that would have made the most vicious gunfighter fall back. No angel here—except perhaps the angel of vengeance.
    He laughed at her fury. “Yes indeed, unless you get that look on your face, a body would think you couldn’t even crush an ant without crying. Luckily, I know you better.”
    “You barely know me at all, Marshal,” she corrected tightly. “As I recall, we didn’t have enough time to get to know each other. You left Burr that morning without a word to anyone.”
    He tipped back his hat. “I’m a marshal, princess, and I had a prisoner in custody. I couldn’t stick around Wyoming Territory even if I had wanted to.”
    “A convenient excuse, Marshal. You didn’t even have the manners to say good-bye before you took off in the middle of the night.”
      “What’s the matter? Did you miss me?”
    She stiffened in the saddle. “Don’t be ridiculous. Sarah and Jack, however, were disappointed that you hadn’t stopped in to say good-bye.”
    “You didn’t miss me at all? Not even after that sweet kiss we shared?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Oh, you know, all right,” he muttered. “But if you’ve got any ideas about working your wiles on me while you’re in custody, you can just forget them.”
    Her mouth fell open, and her eyes widened. “Marshal Brown, I thought no such thing!”
    “Didn’t you?” He pulled up, stopping both their mounts in the middle of the road, and leaned toward her “You use that beauty of yours to get your way the same way a gunfighter uses his gun. It’s not going to work on me, Susannah Calhoun, because I know how you are. Do we understand each other?”
    She stared at him for a long moment. “You don’t know how I am, Marshal,” she finally said quietly. “All my life people have overreacted to the way I look. Don’t condemn me for using a gift like that to my advantage. Everyone does it. It’s called survival.”
    “There’s more to you than your looks,” he scoffed. “You’re intelligent and resourceful, too, and don’t act like you don’t know it.”
    She looked as surprised as if he had just plucked the sun from the sky and handed it to her. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she finally whispered.
    “Good. Everyone else may underestimate you, but I don’t. Do we understand each other?”
    “Perfectly,” she murmured.
    She looked almost vulnerable, but Susannah Calhoun was a consummate actress. He wouldn’t put it past her to try and lull him into a false sense of security with her lost little girl expression.
    Well, he wasn’t about to fall for that. He kicked the horses back into an easy trot, letting her mount fall into line behind his. Susannah was a stunning woman, there was no denying that, but she had gotten too used to manipulating other people with her looks. She had even tried it with him only moments ago, flattering him like a flirt at a country dance. She knew she was in more trouble than she could handle, but had she asked for his help? No. Had she told him there was a witness who might be able to clear her name? No.
    If she had simply asked for his help, sincerely and without any games, he would have told her that he planned all along to locate Abigail Hawkins and find out the truth. But instead she had alternately insulted him and cajoled him, never once just talking straight with him.
    If he were a different kind of man, he might be bedazzled by