My Desperado Read Online Free Page B

her former hold on his pant leg, "who knows what the townspeople will think? I need to talk to Grey—tell him the truth."
    "The truth?" he scoffed, not looking down at her. "Like you told me?"
    "I did tell you the truth," she said, her voice squeaking again as it always did in a lie.
    He lowered his face now. She could feel his hot gaze on her.
    "Sure you did, lady," he said, and clicked to his stallion again.
    Fresh panic showed in Katherine's face, but Travis Ryland knew far better than to care. Caring for another human being was the single most efficient way to get oneself killed. He pressed his horse into a canter.
    "Mr. Ryland," she gasped, running along again. "Just listen!"
    They were picking up speed.
    "Let go!"
    "Mr. Ryland!"
    "Let go!"
    Her legs were giving out. Still holding on, she yelled out to him, desperation forcing the words out on a windy gust. "I'll tell them you killed him."
    The horse skidded to a halt, nearly plowing over Katherine's legs, but suddenly Travis reached down, grasped her by her nightshift, and snatched her effortlessly across the pommel of his saddle.
    "All right, lady," he gritted. "You want to go. We'll go."
    The saddle horn burned like fire as it dug into Katherine's abdomen, but it was the humiliation of her present position, with her bottom wriggling practically in his face, that made her gasp. "Wait. I can't go like this. Not in my nightshirt. It's indecent."
    The big horse shifted into a trot, a pace which Katherine was certain would cause her death.
    "Let me get this straight. You say you sleep with men for a living. Only this time you were a bit too enthusiastic and your customer wound up dead. So you dragged him out in the street by his heels, and now you're worried that going around in your nightshirt is indecent?" He shook his head, steadying her with a large hand on her bottom as he shifted the buckskin into a lope. "Lady, you're about one bean short of a full pot. You know that?"
    He heard her grunt of pain as Soldier jolted ahead and with a mental sigh eased her over the horn until she was pressed against his abdomen for safekeeping. The nightgown had crept upward a bit, he noticed, revealing slim, pale legs that kicked rhythmically.
    "Let me down," she demanded.
    Travis had to admit that she sounded as if she was nearly ready to die from sheer embarrassment, and he knew without looking at her that she was blushing from head to toe.
    "You said you wanted to come, lady."
    They jolted into a rut in the road, jamming her sharply against the most private part of Ryland, which Katherine absolutely refused to contemplate. "I can't go like this. I can't!" she insisted. "Take me back. It'll only take me a minute to dress. We can talk about this like adults."
    Her bottom was round and soft beneath Travis's hand, reminding him just how adult she was, despite her childish antics. "Lady," he said in a tone harder than he'd planned. "If we go back, I got me a whole helluva list of things I'll do with you before we talk."
    Katherine could only be grateful he couldn't see the hot blush that infused her face. They hit another hole, but she swallowed her grunt of pain and hoped she'd faint before she had to face him again.

    It seemed like hours before they finally stopped. Katherine's feet were numb when they hit the ground, and she tumbled backward, her bottom striking the earth with a thud.
    "It looks like we're here," Travis said, throwing his leg over the cantle to dismount with more dignity than she.
    Katherine wanted to glare at him, but first she had to make certain her nightshift covered all the essentials.
    "Are you sure?" She scrambled to her feet, staring at the house. It was huge and somehow seemed foreboding, with the windows looking like large eyes watching them with malevolent curiosity. "Are you sure?" she asked again, but in a whisper now.
    "I'm sure, lady," replied Travis, reading her fear with ease, for he himself felt the same apprehension as a nagging pain ground at his