A Promise of Thunder Read Online Free PDF Page B

him, as if mesmerized by the sight of blood, Grady lost his temper.
    “Dammit, lady, I’m apt to bleed to death before you make up your mind to help me. You are going to help me, aren’t you?”
    Lost in the vivid blue of his eyes, Storm nodded and began tearing strips from her petticoat.“Who did this to you? How many are there out there waiting their turn to prove themselves a faster draw?”
    Stifling a groan, Grady said, “That damn ‘Sooner’ showed up. I figured I’d scared him off, but he was smarter than I gave him credit for. The minute I turned my back on him he fired.”
    “You’re not as smart as you thought if you didn’t disarm him first,” Storm said with a hint of censure.
    Grady didn’t answer. It took all his concentration to keep from crying out as Storm stripped off his shirt and pressed folded strips of torn petticoat against his wound to staunch the bleeding.
    For some unexplained reason she found the sight of his bare chest strangely unsettling, and her hands shook clumsily as they touched his taut flesh.
    “Don’t you know how to be gentle?” Grady chided when she pressed harder than he thought necessary.
    “Only when it pleases me,” Storm said sweetly. “I have no reason to treat you gently, or even to help you at all. Not after what you did to Buddy. He—” She paused to steady her voice. “He was my best friend.”
    “I thought you said he was your husband.”
    Storm flushed. “Yes, of course he was my husband. But he was also my friend.”
    Grady grew quiet as Storm worked over him, affording her a few moments of private recollection.It was true, Buddy had been her friend long before he had become her husband. She had loved him like a brother, and when it came time to marry, she could think of no one she’d prefer for a husband. But even though she had shared his bed for over a month, she still couldn’t think of him as anything but her dearest friend. She accepted his timid lovemaking, enjoyed it up to a point, but never could discover what all the fuss was about. Making love was nothing special, certainly not the earthshaking experience she had been led to believe. It was a duty she had performed more for Buddy’s sake than her own.
    Yet their marriage would have been a happy one, blessed with children, laughter, and a warm regard for one another. What more could a woman ask for? She missed Buddy fiercely, for he had been her companion and friend most of her life.
    Storm eased Grady into a sitting position and wound the last strip of material around his chest to hold the compress in place. Only a small amount of blood stained the bandage, and Storm hoped the worst of the bleeding had been staunched. Fortunately for the half-breed, the bullet hadn’t hit anything vital, and he should recover with no ill effects.
    “Can you sit a horse?” Storm asked as she helped him to his feet. “Or should I take you back to town in the wagon?”
    “I’m not going back to town tonight.”
    “Are you crazy? What if infection sets in? Areyou prepared to handle a fever?”
    “Did anyone ever tell you that you live up to your name?” His face wore the faintest of smiles.
    “All the time, but that doesn’t change things. You should be seen by a doctor and report the ‘Sooner’ to the authorities.”
    “Tomorrow is soon enough. If I were you, I’d see to erecting a tent. I’m sure there are claim jumpers about, and if there is no dwelling on your claim you’re liable to find it taken from you.”
    “What about you? Will you be all right tonight?”
    “Do you care?”
    His question startled her. By rights she should feel no compassion for the half-breed gunslinger. All her conscience required was that she discharge her Christian duty, which she had already done, and leave him to his own devices. Intuition told her he was a hard, bitter man who had built a protective shell around his heart. Something had made him the kind of man he was today. Did being a half-breed have