Deadly Read online

  “That’s why I plan on taking a bath.”

  “Ohhhh… You’re going to the bathhouse?”

  He smiled and shook his head at her. “Yes, I am. Do you want to go? Though, I’m not certain the sheriff in this town would be as forgiving, if I’m found naked in the middle of Main Street.”

  “It’s a tempting thought,” she said with a smile. “But you’ll be on the lookout for it next time. I think that trick’s retired.”

  “Good, I can enjoy my bath in peace. But first, I’m going to take our horses to the livery stable, find a local doctor, and have him check out my arm. When I get back, we’ll go eat some dinner. Is that okay?”

  There were other places he needed to visit, but she didn’t need to know that. Still, he didn’t want her leaving without him again. She needed to wait in her room.

  She raised her brows. “When did you start having to ask my permission?”

  He frowned. Damn, every step of the way, she was going to make his life a living hell. “I don’t, but I lost the bet, and I’m buying you dinner. You’ll be waiting here for me when I return?” he asked, needing something that would keep her from riding off without him.

  “Worried I’m not going to be here when you get back?” she countered.

  How could he deny that was exactly what concerned him? “Yes.”

  She smiled. “I’ll be here tonight. You promised me you’d take me to where Simon could be hiding out tomorrow. I’m giving you that much time.”

  “Tomorrow,” he promised, knowing Simon was probably long gone from the place he would take her, but still he needed to check.

  “Okay. See you later,” she said with a shrug and shut her door.

  As soon as Zach had piled his saddle and saddlebags in the room, he left. It didn’t take him long to drop the horses off, and then he headed to the doctor.

  The old sawbones examined his shoulder and gave him some salve to put on the wound. The doc told him Meg had done an outstanding job, and he should heal in about three to four weeks. The shoulder had turned black and blue. Even now, Zach could see some tinges of green where the bruising was starting to fade, but not quick enough to suit him. The shoulder was sore and often ached with a dull throb, but he would live.

  The doctor wanted him to take it easy for several weeks, but Zach knew that wouldn’t happen, not with him trying to prove Simon’s innocence and keep Meg from catching the outlaw.

  Last, he went to the sheriff. The two men had once been good friends, but now, when Zach walked in the door, he could see the suspicion in the lawman’s eyes. He didn’t deserve that scrutiny, but yet, he couldn’t blame the man.

  “Zach, how are you?”

  “Healing from a bullet wound. Got it chasing after Simon,” he replied, the memory of lying on that ground as Simon rode away still painful.

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Can you tell me if he’s been seen in this area lately?” The town wasn’t far from where he hoped Simon was hiding. And Lord knew, Simon wasn’t smart enough to stay out of town and hidden from the law.

  “Why should I tell you anything, Zach? I’m not sure which side of the law you’re on,” the sheriff said.

  Ouch. That hurt. But the sheriff wouldn’t be a good lawman if he weren't cautious.

  “I’m on the side of justice, but before I can hang him, I need to be certain he’s guilty. I want to find Simon, bring him to the authorities if need be, but first I want to talk to the widow Lowell. I want to hear from her lips that Simon killed her husband. Can you tell me where to find her?”

  Zach would do whatever he needed to do to keep the promise he’d made. Once he finished his investigation, he would either prove Simon’s guilt or his innocence. Once he fulfilled his commitment, then he would feel free to either release the criminal or hang him.

  “She took her kids and moved off the farm and back to Cryer Creek, where she’s from. Be careful when you talk to her, she’s grieving her husband something terrible, and those boys of hers are not happy someone shot their father.”

  Zach couldn’t blame them. He’d be furious if someone had shot his father. His own father had died plowing the field one afternoon. “No matter what, I want to learn the truth, and then I’ll do whatever the law says.”

  The sheriff nodded. “Glad to hear that. Last time Frank was seen around here was two days ago. But he left town the moment I spotted him.”

  “Thanks. I’ll keep looking for him. If I learn anything about the shooting, I’ll let you know.”

  “Zach, I spoke to the woman. She identified Simon. It was him.”

  Still, Zach had to hear the words from her lips, and then he wanted to confront Simon and hear his reaction. Simon blamed Frank, and the woman blamed Simon. Somehow, he had to learn the truth.

  “I have to keep a promise and investigate, Sheriff. I can’t accept his fate until I know for certain.”

  “Understand.”

  “See you round,” Zach said and walked out of the sheriff’s office.

  This was not good. Simon had made some wrong choices in life, had never been on the right side of the law, but he’d never murdered anyone in cold blood. He’d never shot anyone; he’d never even hurt someone physically. But if he’d killed that farmer, then he would swing from the end of a rope. Still Zach had to speak to the dead man’s wife.

  He hurried down the sidewalk, his next stop Sarah’s Fabric Shop. When they’d ridden into town, the idea had slapped him upside the head as they’d passed the local dress shop. Why didn’t he buy Meg a dress? Something she could wear to dinner tonight. As he neared the building, he glanced in the window and saw Meg talking to a woman.

  Shock rippled through his mid-section like the tat-a-tat-tat-tat of gunshot. Surprised, he watched her through the glass as the woman showed her different designs. They looked at the dresses displayed in the windows then moved over to the rack.

  Peeking like a stalker, he watched as Meg touched the dresses, her fingertips caressing the material the way a man wanted a woman to touch him. She would pick a dress off the rack and hold it up against her, tilt her head to the side and smile. It was like watching her in her own fairy tale. Her face was soft, her green eyes twinkled, and a smile graced her lips. She laughed, the sound rippling along his spine causing his breath to cease.

  The dress, a green silken material, made her emerald eyes shine, and her red hair turned even more auburn. The garment seemed made for her, and even he could see the longing on her face.

  Her expression was close to rapture, and suddenly he understood that owning her own shop would make her very happy. She handed the dress back to the woman, thanked her, and started for the door.

  Zach stepped around the corner of the building, so she wouldn’t see him. He watched as she strolled toward the hotel, her head high, her buttocks twitching with every step, leaving him aching to touch them.

  He’d been on his way to buy her a dress, and now she’d just made his selection even easier. Whatever doubts he’d held disappeared. Somehow he felt like he owed her this gift. She deserved to be treated like a woman, and he was just the man to make her feel special tonight.

  When he walked in the door, he glanced around at the bolts of fabric, the dresses displayed, hats and shoes, and everything a woman desired.

  “May I help you?” the young woman asked.

  “Yes, I need the dress that young woman was holding up sent over to Spencer’s hotel. It’s for her,” he said, smiling and feeling out of place like a stud horse at a tea party. Yet, certain of his purchase.

  “It’s beautiful. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

  “Can you have the dress and all the undergarments sent to the Spencer hotel to room 201 to Meg McKenzie,” he asked.

  “I’ll take it over personally,” she told Zach, smiling as she quickly wrote up his ticket.

  Zach stared at the dress as warmth filled him at the idea of seeing Meg in the flowing green emerald material that matched her eyes, her red hair
streaming down her back. The woman had earned a dress after everything she’d been through, and while he’d never understood before, now he realized that deep inside Meg wanted to be just like any other woman. She wanted to be feminine and pretty and be treated like a lady.

  Life had given her a man’s world with a man’s responsibilities, and she’d handled them well. But secretly she longed to be a woman.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he said and walked out the door.

  Next stop was the bathhouse, so he could get cleaned up in time to take Meg to dinner. He couldn’t wait to see her in that dress, and he couldn’t wait to spend time just the two of them alone.

  *

  Meg heard the knock on the door of her hotel room and thought if that was Zach ready to go to dinner, he could just wait. She’d ordered a bath, but they’d said it would be at least twenty minutes. Maybe it was early. She intended to spend some time soaking in that tub. It wasn’t often she was able to relax and pamper herself, and today she’d planned on doing just that.

  They knocked again, and she hurried across the small room. “Hang on. I’m coming.”

  She threw open the door and gazed with surprise at the woman from the dress shop. “Yes?”

  The woman smiled at her and swept into the room without being invited. “Your gentleman friend purchased the dress and asked me to deliver it to you.”

  “Gentleman friend?” Meg stared at her in surprise. “Zach?”

  “He didn’t give me his name, but he was a very nice looking cowboy,” she said as she laid the box on the bed and then motioned for Meg to open it.

  Meg walked over to the bed, her heart racing inside her chest. She knew instinctively what lay inside that fancy box. Though she knew she should tell the woman to take the dress back, when she lifted the lid, she gasped. That beautiful green satiny cotton dress lay wrapped in tissue.

  “Oh, my God,” she cried, knowing she didn’t want to be beholden to Zach, but she just couldn’t refuse this dress. She’d loved this creation in the shop. It was the one she’d promised herself that someday she would sew a replica. It was the one her heart had fancied until she’d had to either walk out of the shop or purchase the dress.

  “Oh,” was all Meg could say as she pulled it from the box. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “And you’ll look lovely, dear,” the woman said. “He also included new undergarments.”

  Meg looked inside, and her brows rose. “He didn’t pick them out, did he?”

  The woman laughed. “Oh no, he asked me to choose the necessary garments. “

  Meg stared in wonder at the dress, her heart slamming up into her throat as tears pricked her eyes. She’d never owned anything so beautiful. She’d never experienced a dress so stunning. For all his faults, Zach Gillespie could be a generous man. A man she could fall in love with if she wasn’t careful.

  “Well, I better be going, but I wanted to bring it over to you personally, since I knew you’d been looking at this dress before he arrived.”

  “When did he get there?” Meg asked, wondering how he knew.

  “Right after you left,” she replied. “You couldn’t have been gone for more than a couple of minutes before he walked in.”

  For a moment, she wondered if he’d followed her, but knew that couldn’t be true because he would have seen her visiting the sheriff, to learn all she could about Simon.

  Though, the sheriff hadn’t been forthcoming with information. He had, in fact, seemed reluctant to speak to her. She’d left the hotel not long after Zach and gone to the telegraph office to send her sisters a wire to let them know she was okay. Then she’d paid a visit to the sheriff and finally the dress shop. Any time she had the opportunity, she visited the local women’s shop, gathering ideas, looking at what was available and filling her head with plans.

  After that she’d returned back here to the hotel, where she’d laid down for a little nap and then a bath.

  “Well, I better get back to the shop. I knew you’d be thrilled he’d purchased the dress for you. I just had to see your expression.”

  “Thanks,” Meg said and walked the woman to the door. She hated owing Zach. She hated she didn’t trust him about Simon, but she loved this dress, and frankly, it was the exact thing her wounded pride needed right now.

  Suddenly she couldn’t wait to go to dinner with him tonight. The thought of wearing this beautiful gown was more than she could fathom. For the first time in a very long time, Meg felt a rush of excitement. Tonight, she wanted to look gorgeous. Tonight, she wanted to act like a young woman who wasn’t a bounty hunter, but a normal woman being courted.

  *

  Zach stood in front of Meg’s door, nervous as a preacher at a gunfight. He tugged on his bolo tie one more time to make certain it was straight. He hoped the dress fit her and she was happy he’d sent her the garment. Meg was different from most of the women he’d encountered in his life, and sometimes the things he thought would make her happy sent her temper to the moon and back.

  They’d never had a chance to court or spend time getting to know each other. Tonight, he wanted this time for them, to show her there was this growing thing between them he wanted to pursue.

  He licked his lips then knocked on the door. It flew open, and there she stood. His breath left his body in a mighty swish; his groin tightened as this vision in green stood before him. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.

  Her auburn hair hung loosely down her back, with soft curls around her face. And that dress clung to her curves even more than the pants, to which he’d grown accustomed to. But this dress showcased her neckline, leaving him aching to place his lips along her chest. The material plunged to reveal the curves of her breasts at the fitted bodice then swelled at her hips. And the color…that dark green matched her eyes and made them shine like emeralds in the night sky.

  She reached over and touched her finger to his chin, closing his open mouth. “Cowboy, you’re going to catch flies if you leave your mouth open.”

  “Meg,” he gasped. “I knew the dress would look great on you, but I don’t think I can take you out of the room wearing something that makes you so pretty.”

  The woman bounty hunter had morphed into a lady—a proper lady he would be honored to have grace his arm tonight.

  She laughed and twirled for him. “It’s gorgeous, Zach. Thank you, but why?”

  He shrugged. “I thought it was time someone did something nice for you, Meg. You take care of your sisters, and well, I wanted to do something special just for you.”

  Meg reached out and grabbed his hands. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This dress is so pretty. I was going to decline it, and then when I took it out of the box, well…I just couldn’t. I had to have the dress.”

  His heart swelled with pride as she thanked him again. No other woman had ever made him feel so special, so loving, so right. This small gift had made her day and left him ready to protect her until he took his last breath. “I’m glad. You deserve it,” he said. “Are you ready to go to dinner?”

  “Yes, I’m starving. It seems like forever since we’ve had something decent to eat.”

  “What? You didn’t enjoy my hardtack biscuits?”

  She took his arm and pulled the door shut behind her. “Let’s just say they’ll do in a pinch. A desperate pinch.”

  They walked down the stairs and out onto the street. He frowned at every man who looked in her direction and sent them a glare that would have sent most men running.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, oblivious to the attention she was receiving from the too young and too stupid males on the street. She was hanging on his arm, and they were gazing at her like she was hot apple pie for the taking. That slice of pie could get you killed.

  “Zach,” she said loudly, trying to garner his attention.

  “Yes?” he replied, coming back from staring at the young bucks. Maybe buying her a dress wasn’t such a smart move; for suddenly, she was a hot commodity in this sm
all town where women were scarce.

  “Where are you? I asked you a question.”

  “I’m sorry. We’re going to the restaurant right down the block there. See it?” he asked and telegraphed yet another “touch her, and you’ll die” look to some young fool.

  “Yes,” she said, squeezing his arm tightly. “Smile, it's supposed to be fun tonight.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just I’m not accustomed to men ogling you.” What could he say? He’d silently warned those young bucks they were courting death.

  “They’re looking at my pretty dress, not at me.”

  “I don’t think men give a damn about a dress. It’s what the dress is covering that has their interest.”

  She turned and looked at him, her face blushing. It was the first time he’d ever seen her cheeks redden, except in anger.

  “Why, Meg, you’re blushing.”

  “Oh, stop it, I am not.”

  “Well, it certainly looks like you are.”

  “It’s just my lipstick.”

  “We’re here,” he said, steering her toward the door. He opened the portal, and they stepped inside the restaurant. The smell of roast beef and potatoes smacked them in the nose, and he felt his stomach growl.

  After they had been seated and their order placed, they stared at one another. For the first time, silence came between them, and then she smiled that bewitching way that always sent tremors from his groin to his heart.

  “What did the doctor say about your shoulder?” she asked.

  “He told me the next time some woman shoots me I should make sure she goes to jail,” he said, teasing.

  “What about the next time some cowboy gets in front of my gun? Did he tell you what I was supposed to do then?”

  “We didn’t talk about that.” And he wouldn’t. No one needed to know he’d ridden in front of her gun to stop her from shooting Simon. No matter what, he didn’t want the man dead.

  “Shame. He probably would have told you it’s not safe to ride in front of a bullet,” she replied.

  He smiled. If only she knew the truth, she’d be madder than a room full of hornets.

  “So what did he say?”