Belle Gone Bad Read Online Free Page B

chain, and finally settled on the gold ring.
    â€œDo you like Lulu’s clothes?” He stroked Lulu’s ring back and forth, gently but firmly.
    Belle felt mesmerized by the sight, as if every stroke of his fingertip plied her own sensitive nub. She licked her lower lip, feeling hot, wet, and needy in the very place of his relentless touch.
    â€œClothes, hah!” Big Jim chortled. “I get nothing all day long from patrons but how I’ve got to add turquoise and pearls and whatnot to all the g’hals. They’re jealous of Lulu’s finery.”
    â€œYou have to admit it’s a clever way to repair that hatchet cut across Lulu’s middle, don’t you?” Mama Lou asked.
    â€œEven if you don’t agree,” Big Jim said, “it’s bringing in more customers than I can shake a stick at.”
    â€œI agree.” Belle moved away from Mercy. “It’s quite clever. But not for me.”
    â€œYou want me to create a male shape for you?” Mercy asked, chuckling. “I can do a lot that you might like with wood.”
    Mama Lou laughed. “Mercy, you’re a bad boy. I’m not sure if I should send you off with Belle.”
    â€œNot to worry,” Mercy said. “You know I’m sick and weak.”
    â€œBelle’ll keep him in line.” Big Jim pointed a finger at Mercy.
    â€œWhat I’m hoping to do,” Belle said, tongue in cheek, “is inspire him with nature’s beauty. By the time we return, he’ll surely take up wild flower or landscape painting.”
    Big Jim laughed so hard that tears ran down his face. Mama Lou gasped and chortled and flapped her apron at the idea.
    Mercy chuckled. “Maybe Belle can help me. I see a painting of a beautiful lady, naked as the day she was born, stretched out in a field of wild flowers as if awaiting her lover.”
    Belle simply shook her head. If this was an example, their four days together were going to seem like a year.

Chapter 5
    M ercy had almost forgotten how good it felt to laugh. It’d been a long time since anything had amused him. If nothing else, Belle might keep up his humor.
    â€œMercy’s got a gift,” Big Jim said. “No point in him wasting it on stuff we can see out the front door or in a mercantile store.”
    â€œNot another word about art.” Mama Lou gestured toward the batwing doors. “They need to get going. I’ll put some food together for your saddlebags.”
    â€œThanks,” Belle said.
    Mercy rolled up his sketch and put his charcoal sticks back in the box. No point in taking it all with him. But he never traveled without paper and pencil in case he had an idea.
    â€œI’ll go on down to Adler Emporium and pick up supplies,” Belle said.
    â€œLet’s go together,” Mercy agreed. “I need to get a few things, too.”
    Belle gave a quick nod and pushed out the doors.
    Mercy turned to his friends. “I can tell you’re worried about her.”
    â€œFirst it was Hackett, then Tex.” Big Jim shook his head. “I’m afraid trouble is gonna find her sooner or later.”
    â€œShe’s smart and strong,” Mama Lou said. “Diana’s the one who needs our concern right now. And you, too, Mercy.”
    â€œI’ll be okay.” He shook Big Jim’s hand. “And I’ll do my best to bring both ladies safely home.”
    He grabbed his broad-brimmed hat off the table and stepped outside with Mama Lou. Business was picking up in town. It’d build till nightfall brought in the revelers. He set his hat on his head, smiled at Belle and Mama Lou, and then extended an elbow to each side so he could escort them both down the boardwalk.
    Mama Lou quickly tucked her hand in the crook of his arm while Belle took off ahead of them. She was impatient and independent. She was also intriguing and delectable. If he hadn’t been so sick and down on his luck, he