Read The Outlaws: Sam for Free Online

nothing about Taylor,
how can you call him unfeeling?"
    "I spoke with Andy. When he saw Cramer he
rushed out of the house as if the devil was on his heels. He hates
Cramer. Did you ever wonder why?"
    Lacey's jaw firmed. "I know why. He's
jealous."
    "Jealousy has nothing to do with it. Andy
thinks you're going to send him away to school after you and Cramer
marry."
    Lacey flushed. "He must have heard us
talking. Taylor thinks a boarding school will be good for Andy but
I'm not convinced. He's far too young to send away. Andy should
have listened to the rest of the conversation before jumping to
conclusions. Why should you care? Andy is nothing to you."
    "I'd care about any child who hates and fears
the man his mother plans to marry."
    "Andy and I need Taylor. I've done my best
since Uncle Hob died but I'm not knowledgeable enough to run a
ranch. Taylor is, and he has the means to make our lives easier."
She stared him in the eye and said, "Andy needs a father."
    "You've managed to convince yourself, but not
me. There will be no divorce. It's time you learned you can't have
everything your way. Think of your son for a change."
    "Andy is my reason for living!" Lacey all but
screamed. "Father died, you were gone, I had no one but Andy. Uncle
Hob literally saved us both when he asked us to make our home with
him in Texas. He loved this ranch. It was his dream come true. The
least I can do is save his dream."
    "You owe me a helluva lot more than that.
Betrayal isn't a pretty word."
    "Tell me truthfully, Sam. What can you give
me and Andy? Do you have the money to save the ranch? Do you have a
home? Property? What can you promise us?" She shook her head.
"Nothing, I suspect. Something brought you to Texas, dare I ask
what?"
    Sam wasn't in the position to answer most of
those questions. How could he tell Lacey he was an outlaw, though
wrongly accused? He had nothing. No home. No property. Very little
money. But he wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. She
had to pay for betraying him. Besides, preventing the marriage
between Lacey and Taylor would benefit Andy.
    "You're right. I have neither home nor
property," he confirmed, "but I have a wife that has both. Now if
you'll excuse me, I've had a long day."
    He turned his back on Lacey, which was the
wrong thing to do. She flew at him, pounding his back with her
fists and sobbing her frustration.
    "Why are you doing this to me?"
    Sam spun around, grasped her arms, and pulled
her against him. "You know why."
    Her fury was palpable. He imprisoned her
against him and stared into the smoldering depths of her green/gold
eyes. What he saw there set him back on his heels. He recognized
despair, and hopelessness, and something else. Something startling
and confusing. He saw need. Need for him, Sam, not Cramer.
Something snapped inside him, opening a floodgate of emotions.
    A groan rumbled in his chest as he lowered
his head and captured her lips. She went still in his arms, her
body stiffening. Her eyes widened, then closed when he deepened the
kiss, parting her lips with his tongue. Her taste, her scent, the
way she suddenly melted against him, all these and more dragged
forth long forgotten memories, a long forgotten love.
    Lacey couldn't resist the lure of Sam's soft
lips. This was the man she'd once loved beyond all reason. This was
Andy's father. She whimpered a protest when his hands slid up her
back and around to her breasts, cupping their fullness. She sighed
into his mouth when his fingers teased her nipples.
    "Why did you betray me, Lacey?" Sam whispered
against her lips.
    The bubble burst. Lacey attempted to free
herself from the circle of Sam's arms, which suddenly felt hard and
unyielding. "I didn't."
    His arms tightened. "Who is Andy's
father?"
    Lacey gazed up at him, controlling with
difficulty the panic rising inside her. Did he suspect? "You tell
me."
    He shoved her away. "Don't play games with
me. You'd like me to think he's mine, wouldn't you?"
    Lacey wiped her