Coyote Gorgeous Read Online Free PDF Page B

cup.
    " My mother
was a military medic. She died in Kuwait during Desert Storm. I
have fond memories of her. " Madison stopped the flow of words bubbling to the surface.
She didn’t want to wax nostalgic in front of him.
    Kal lifted one brow in
concern. " And your
father? "
    " My father
and my older brother are cops, and hunters. They trained me as a
sharp shooter when I could barely hold a
rifle. " She sipped the
coffee, enjoying the sweet almond taste from the Amaretto. " Later, they dragged me on hunting
expeditions. But I couldn’t aim a gun at an innocent animal. It
made me sick to my stomach. "
    " Yet you plan
to shoot a wild animal tonight. " His green eyes studied her with intensity.
    " There is a
difference. " She couldn’t
believe he didn’t see it. " This beast is a dangerous predator. It kills for the sake of
killing. "
    " Of
course. " His eyes remained
hooded. " Are you close to
your family? "
    " No. " Why did he have to
ask the difficult questions? " When I joined the rangers, they made fun of me. In their
eyes, I don’t have what it takes to be a real cop. Truth is, I
never wanted to be like them. I protect wildlife, I don’t kill for
sport. "
    " Is that why
you carry a gun? "
    Madison shrugged. " Everyone I know carries a gun. All
cops and rangers. Unlike you, they are often overbearing,
impatient, controlling, always stressed
out. "
    " But you are
not like them. "
    " I try not to
be. And with you, it’s easy. "
    He arched one brow. " How so? "
    " You are a
good listener. " She wanted to
say kind, full of attention,
patient, but she had to remain
professional. " For them,
accepting this dinner would constitute a breach of
ethics. "
    He nodded his
appreciation. " It takes
courage to stray from the pack. "
    She felt herself blush at
the compliment. " Thank
you. "
    Kal rose and picked up the
dishes. " Can I offer you
anything else? "
    His sexy voice evoked a
number of things, but Madison quickly pushed the naughty images
from her mind. She stood, drank her last drop of coffee and handed
him the empty cup. " I’m fine.
Thanks for a wonderful dinner. I guess it’s time to set up for my
watch. "
    While Kal went back to the kitchen,
she removed the vase of flowers and couldn’t resist smelling their
heady scent before setting them on a chair. What a lovely touch.
But she would need the table surface for her equipment.
    Kal returned and lifted
the four corners of the tablecloth with the remains of their meal,
gathered it like a bundle, crumbs, silverware and all, and carried
it into the house. What an odd way of
cleaning a table .
    Madison went to retrieve her weapons
from the truck. Despite the full moon, the stars shone brightly.
When she returned to the back deck, carrying a heavy leather bag,
the crickets had replaced the background music.
    She heard Kal fussing in the kitchen
while she set up the M-14 on its stand, on the bare deck table.
Aiming it out toward the desert, she screwed on the silencer. No
reason to wake up the neighbors, or disrupt the wildlife with loud
gunshots in the night. She adjusted the scope then dug into the bag
for an empty clip and a box of cartridges. She inserted cartridges
in the clip.
    Kaletaka brought her a mug
of steaming coffee. " To keep
you awake. There is a full pot inside. "
    " Thanks. This
might be a long night. " She
also needed the caffeine to offset the effects of the alcohol in
her blood. How could so little affect her so much? Maybe it wasn’t
the wine but the company.
    Glancing at the rifle, Kal
frowned. " I’ll leave you to
your work. I’ll keep the house unlocked. "
    " You’re not
staying? " To hide her
disappointment, Madison walked away and, one by one, blew out the
candles lined up on the banister.
    " I’m meeting
my agent in Scottsdale, at the art gallery. The opening is in two
weeks. We have to iron out the last
details. "
    " At this time
of night? " Was this a lie?
Was he going to meet a woman ? Madison
hadn’t asked him about a girlfriend. It