Defiant Read Online Free Page B

shape,” she said frankly. “A doctor might have taken it off, but I …” She hesitated. “I got the bullet out and cleaned the wound the best I could. Put some sulfur in it. You might keep it if there’s no infection, but I don’t know …”
    He stared at her, momentarily surprised out of his bitterness. “You took the bullet out?”
    â€œThere’s no doctor within a day’s ride, and the nearest is none too good,” she said. “I couldn’t leave you, and I wasn’t going to send my boy out in this storm.”
    â€œStorm?”
    â€œIt’s been raining two days.”
    â€œTwo days?” Damnation. He’d been unconscious that long? The last miner? He almost panicked, thinking he might have lost his quarry. Then he remembered pushing his rifle to the man’s throat and slowly pulling the trigger.
    He glanced down at his half-covered chest, noticed for the first time it was naked. Taking mental measure of the rest of him, he quickly realized his lower half was naked, too.
    He’d never been a particularly modest man, but now he felt vulnerable. Now he was weak as a two-day-old wolf cub, and he felt a flush rising in his face.
    His left hand went to his neck.
    â€œOn the table, next to the bed,” the woman said quietly.
    He reached for the necklace, his fingers clasping it tightly for a moment before relaxing.
    Then his eyes were back on her face. “Your man?” he asked, wanting to rid himself of those steady green eyes that studied him so carefully. She’d said a husband had died, but surely there must be another one, or a foreman or something.
    She hesitated, and he realized there wasn’t one here, and she wasn’t sure if it was information he should have. He almost laughed. The thought of being a threat to anyone in his present condition was a joke.
    Then he wondered how she’d gotten him here. She was of medium height but slender. Surely there had to be a man about.
    She finally shook her head, apparently agreeing with him that he couldn’t swat a fly if he’d been so inclined. At least she had the mind not to ask him how he was.
    He became aware of a growing thirst. “Water?”
    She nodded and reached down, pouring water from a pitcher into a tin cup. She again regarded him with that searching gaze of hers. It held a question but she evidently answered it herself because she didn’t ask him anything. She merely lifted his head with one arm while bringing the cup to his lips with the other.
    She was very patient, as he sipped slowly. When he finished the cup, she gently lowered his head. Clearly she was experienced at this, and he wondered about the missing husband. I’ve lost a husband and a … good friend .
    So she knew loss, too. But at least she still had a child. His was buried on the side of a mountain. Bitterness and grief swept over him.
    He closed his eyes, shutting her out. He hadn’t thanked her. Not for saving his life. Not for the water. And he wouldn’t. Why hadn’t she just left him alone?
    There was a silence, then that light swishing sound. The scent of flowers retreated, though a whiff remained in the air. He heard a door close.
    Wade opened his eyes. He was alone in a dark room. No light shone through gingham curtains so it must be night. A low rumble sounded outside. She’d, mentioned a storm. She . He didn’t even know her name, nor apparently did she know his. She hadn’t asked, and that was surprising.
    He didn’t understand why a woman alone had taken him in. For all she knew, he could be a murderer.
    He was.
    He hadn’t been worth much before his wife and son were killed. He’d never been able to protect those he cared about. And now? Without his right arm, he was worth less than nothing.
    He could even be a danger to this woman and her son. He’d just killed three white men. There was bound to be a posse.
    Rain pounded