A Worthy Pursuit Read Online Free Page A

though. He could practically feel her gaze wandering over him, assessing the threat.
    Then she was touching him. Her cool hand skimmed over his face until her fingertips rested against the pulse point at his neck. His blood surged at the contact.
    “He has a vigorous pulse. I suppose we should be thankful for that.”
    Too vigorous for an unconscious man. She didn’t say the words, but Stone heard the suspicion in her tone. The woman was no fool. He willed his breathing to slow, hoping to compensate for his unplanned reaction to her touch.
    “I don’t see any blood. You didn’t shoot him, did you?”
    “No, miss. Just knocked him a good one. He’ll rouse afore long. What do you want me to do with him?”
    An excellent question, Stone thought. Time to see just how far the teacher was willing to go to keep her ill-gotten gains.
    “You’ll have to help me get him into the house. I can’t tend to him properly out here in the yard.”
    “Get him into the . . .” Dobson sputtered. “Have you lost your mind, woman? You can’t take him into your house. That ain’t what I was askin’. I was askin’ if you wanted me to cart him into Madisonville to the sheriff or take him out back and work out a more permanent solution. Sure as manure stinks, he’s Dorchester’s man.”
    “Probably. But we don’t know that for certain. Perhaps he’s simply a cowhand with a penchant for bird watching.”
    Bird watching? Stone nearly jumped to his feet to defend his manhood against the foul slur. Only sissified dandies wasted time on—
    Her palm pressed against his chest as if signaling him to stay down. Had she read his mind?
    “Bird watching?” Dobson’s incredulous voice soothed Stone’s pride. “What a load of bunkum. Look at him. He ain’t no bird-watcher. He’s a mercenary.”
    Retriever , Stone silently corrected. Not mercenary. His brain was for hire, not his gun.
    “Even so,” the teacher said, “I can’t condone violence against him. The Bible instructs us to love both our neighbor and our enemy, so no matter which category this man falls into, it is our place to offer assistance. Now, help me carry him into the house.” Her hand finally slid from his chest, but Stone was too stunned to move a muscle.
    She planned to take him into her house? Suspecting he wasthe enemy? He didn’t know whether to applaud her faith or berate her stupidity.
    “At least let me fetch the sheriff,” Dobson begged.
    “And what, precisely, do you expect the sheriff to do? This man hasn’t committed any crime. In fact, having the sheriff here would put you in danger. You did assault the man. He could call you up on charges.”
    That shut the fellow up. Well, not completely. He muttered under his breath for nearly a full minute as he unstrapped the litter. When the poles finally fell free from Goliath, Stone’s head slammed into the ground with a hard thump. He couldn’t quite contain his moan. Only then did the muttering stop.
    “Sorry about that.” The low, feminine tone resonated near his ear at the same time cool fingers cupped the back of his head. “Now might be a good time to revive, at least temporarily,” she whispered. “I’m afraid that with as large as you are, if Mr. Dobson and I try to carry you into the house, you’re bound to earn several more bruises.”
    Not an enticing prospect. And since the one he cared most about fooling wasn’t fooled at all, there wasn’t much point in continuing the charade. Letting another moan slide from between his lips, Stone lifted his head and made as if to sit up.
    Pain speared his skull, eliciting a genuine groan. Careful not to jerk his head around too much, he tugged at his bonds, allowing his struggles to increase as if just then becoming aware of his situation.
    A rifle barrel dug into his shoulder. “Settle down, stranger.”
    Stone glared up at Dobson. “If I were you,” he bit out in a low, threatening tone, “I’d watch where I was pokin’ that