The Ranger Takes a Bride Read Online Free Page A

with her courage. "Señors?"
    All three men turned to stare at her. The man closest pinched his mouth into a smile that made her hands clammy. Like Señor Rodriquez, who Papa had warned her to stay away from. Best to ask her question and get away from them.
    She pointed toward the building they'd just exited. "Es mercantile? Sí?"
    The first man's smile widened, raising bumps on Alejandra's arms. He took a step closer, and she shuffled back. Her short legs didn't take her very far though, and he grabbed her arm. His hand clamped around her wrist, and Alejandra squealed. How dare this man touch her? She jerked back, but his hold was like a vice.
    The others were around her now. Touching her arms. Her back. Her face. Alejandra twisted and fought against their hold, but they pressed in. Smothering. She bit and kicked at them, her boot making contact with flesh once.
    American words spewed from the mouth of the man in front of her, and he pressed his face just inches from hers. Hot breath laced with the stench of tequila, suffocated, bringing up bile into her throat. This vile Americano would pay for his actions.
    Gathering as much moisture as she could summon, she spit hard into his face. The man blinked, then his features glowed an ugly shade of red. In the next second, the air filled with shouts, and a hard object slammed into her left cheek. Pain radiated through Alejandra's head, and lightning bolts flashed across her vision. Another fist crashed into her eye.
    A mighty explosion split the air, and the noises stopped abruptly. The hands dropped away from her body, and relief washed through her. But without the support of them, Alejandra's legs lost their strength. Her vision went fuzzy, and her knees hit the ground as her skirts collapsed around her.
    Alejandra fought hard to stay awake. To make the world stop spinning around her. She held very still for a moment, her gaze focused on the ground while she willed her head to settle. A man's voice pierced the air above her, but she couldn't see what was happening. It took every ounce of concentration to focus her vision. Finally, the ground stopped spinning. Her head still ached, and her cheek burned, but she slowly raised her gaze to where the men stood above her.
    But no one was there. She eased her head in both directions. Even through fuzzy vision, it was plain she was alone. Those three awful men were gone. What stopped them?
    And then she saw him. Her eyes focused on a single cowboy, standing several paces away. He stood tall, with brown hair cut short and a leather vest over a clean blue shirt. But it was the look in his eyes that stopped her short. They sparkled, reflecting a genuine emotion. It almost looked like…kindness?
    But she gave herself a mental shake. She would be loco to trust him after what those other desperados did. Biting her lip against the spinning, she slowly rose to her feet and faced the man.
    "Hello." His voice was rich and held a tone that seemed to match the compassion in his gaze.
    What should she say? Should she turn and run? The throbbing and spinning in her head wouldn't let her move fast. No doubt he would catch her if he really wanted to. And what about food and a horse for Mama Sarita?
    The man took a step forward and spoke a short sentence in American. Try as she might, none of the words were familiar. Should she ask him to speak slower? Or dare she ask where the mercantile was? That hadn't worked so well with those other men.
    He let loose another string of words she couldn't decipher. Alejandra shook her head, frustration building in her chest. Something about this man made her feel safe, but that wouldn't help if she couldn't understand a thing he said.
    She thought back to some of the words Mama Sarita had taught her. Aha. Carefully shaping her mouth, she said, "No speak…American."
    A light came over his face. As if she'd just told him food was meant to be eaten. He thought for a moment, then said, "¿Te