NotoriousWoman Read Online Free Page B

smile.
    Kate huffed.
    It was easy to get her riled, Jake realized. Tarnation if it
didn’t get him all hot and bothered. With a volatile temper, he must proceed
with care.
    She walked down the boardwalk at a fast pace. Her ass was
everything he’d dreamed it would be, two harvest moons fitted tightly into her
denim. Those hips swayed enticingly from side to side.
    “See you soon,” Jolie said, following his gaze. “We’re only
five miles from town on the stagecoach road.”
    “I’ll find you,” Jake said. Had Jolie noticed how he watched
her sister? Seen the interest flaring in his eyes?
    She kept a poker face and waved a delicate hand as she
strutted after Kate. Maybe Jolie would help him simmer Kate down a bit.
    Kate looked over her shoulder, glared at him with a word to
her sister to hurry along. Jake could’ve sworn there were flames shooting out
of her ears. Her foul mood would give any man cause to think twice about
bedding her but her ass-hugging britches reminded him what he was here for.
    Now he could see why the bets had gone up to two-thousand
bucks. The men back at the Box T must be laughing their asses off about now,
believing he was in for a rough ride with Kate Crowley.
    The two women climbed into the sorriest buckboard Jake had
seen in a long while. The box would fall apart at the first rut in the road.
Kate released the brake and gave the reins a shake. They creaked down the dusty
road, one wheel wobbling.
    Damn! What had he gotten himself into? Jake shook his
head. He wasn’t worried about the work. He could run a ranch. He could most
likely turn a profit for them if Kate gave him a little extra lead on the
reins, but he wasn’t sure she would.
    In fact, he could say with nearly a certainty that he’d be
checking things off a list she made for him each day. She’d probably remind him
often to keep his mouth shut and his limbs working. He wouldn’t tolerate any
bossiness from a woman.
    Again the picture of a whip-wielding nude temptress came to
mind. He dragged in a deep breath. The way to tame Kate was not going to be by
enticing her into bed. It was by gaining her trust.
    Those women needed a man, no matter what Kate said.
And he would fill that role…hopefully in more ways than one.

Chapter Three
     
    “Are you sure you want to work for the Crowley women?” A
tall man wearing a six-shooter and a frown came out of the mercantile and stood
next to Jake. He was also wearing a badge. “Kate Crowley is skilled with a
bullwhip and doesn’t think twice about using it.”
    “Jake Madden.” He extended a hand.
    “Jed Poole.” The sheriff shook with a firm grip.
    “What’s put a burr under her collar? I’ve never seen a woman
so mean-tempered.”
    “Kate’s taken on a big responsibility since her pa passed
on.”
    “What are two women doing trying to run a ranch?” Jake
asked.
    The sheriff shrugged. “I guess they’re too stubborn to call
it quits.”
    “Sounds like they need me.”
    “They need someone, Jake. That they do.” He stared off into
the distance. The buckboard had disappeared. “Can I give you some advice,
Madden?”
    “Sure.”
    “I reckon most women are as capable as any man. Kate has to
figure that out for herself. She needs a friend to help her out, convince her
she’s strong enough to take care of things and to be there to support her.”
    Jake wasn’t sure what the hell he was talking about. He
didn’t come all this way to be a nursemaid. “I’ll do what I can for them,” Jake
promised.
    Sheriff Poole slapped him on the back. “They’re good girls
but their life hasn’t been easy. Their ma left them early in life—ran off with
a fast-talking banker from back East. Their old man tried to raise them right
but he died from two bullets in the back.”
    “You don’t say.” That explained a lot. The woman was scared
not only for her ranch, but for her life.
    “We caught the renegades who did it but Kate has always been
of the opinion her neighbor Silas