His Most Wanted Read Online Free

leaving the gun in his loose grip. “I kept the ammunition.”
    She tilted up her chin haughtily, leaving her mouth at the perfect angle for a kiss. Suddenly, urgently, he wanted nothing more. He dropped his hand holding the gun to his side and brought his other hand to her back, keeping her close, and then moved forward.
    She flattened her hands against his chest and averted her face. “Our business together has ended, sir, and Mayor Thorntree is expecting you.”
    â€œI told you I don’t know the…” A flash of the evening’s events ran through his mind. Two men standing over the thief in the darkened street. One of the men was the mayor. Christ. The man would want to have him arrested for the shooting. “Look, I don’t want any trouble. You can keep the gun. Tell the mayor I won’t be shooting anyone else. I’ve bought a ranch just west of town. I won’t even come to Fort McNamara often.”
    She spun away from him, heading to the vanity where she touched his satchel. “I’d rethink those plans if I were you. Fort McNamara isn’t the place for anyone looking to start a ranch or…to hang up their gun.”
    Her gaze ran over him, and his blood heated. Perhaps she wanted him to stay after all. “So far it seems exactly like my kind of town.” He flashed another smile at her.
    Her expression darkened. “Yes. I suppose it does. Well, if you leave your gun at your ranch, you’re welcome to come back. Next time, it seems you’ll have your pick of any of the ladies for your token.” She shrugged and made for the door.
    If his uncle’s passing had taught him anything, it was to never have any regrets or to leave anything unspoken or undone. He would enjoy every minute and possibility of his life. And right now, he would make certain Cora Reilly wasn’t going to be another of those missed opportunities. Next time, he wouldn’t visit the saloon before the Willows. “If I come back… when I come back…I’ll offer my first token for you.”
    Now it was Cora’s turn to flash a saucy grin over her shoulder at him, then she closed the door.
    Not exactly reassuring…but not a no either.
    â€œYou know, it’s really not fair, Cora.” Millicent twirled a piece of her fiery-red hair around her finger as she lounged against the closed piano. “You’re the one always telling us we each have a specific responsibility.”
    â€œYes. Millie’s right. You make her keep playing music and order me to keep greeting the gents.” Bernadette sat in the chair beside the piano and rubbed her eyes. A familiar sight as she often wore heavy face powder on her nose. “But what about you? You’re supposed to stay in the parlor to collect the money.”
    Cora lifted a palm-sized slice of steak to Andrea’s face. Pausing, she murmured, “This will hurt a bit, but keep it there…for the swelling.”
    Andrea, her youngest employee, nodded and clamped down on her bottom lip.
    Nausea pooled in Cora’s gut, but she refused to let the others see her self-disgust. This feeling of guilt, no matter how much she deserved it, was a weakness, and she’d never let her ladies think she wasn’t strong enough to support them.
    Gingerly, she covered Andrea’s bruised eye with the meat and held it there until the girl took over. Then she rose, wiping her hands on a towel and turned to address her accusers. “After all these years, how many times have I put anyone else in charge of collecting money from the men?”
    The two women exchanged glances and shrugs.
    â€œRight. I didn’t think you would be able to remember.” Cora held up two fingers. “Twice. Once when I was in bed, sick with a fever, and then last night. The only reason I put y’all in charge was so I could keep an eye on Wainwright.”
    Bernadette planted her hands on her waist and shot Cora