Desperate Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

chafed at the greenhorn
role he had put her in. She gestured at her Winchester in its
scabbard. “I can shoot game as good as any other man,” she said,
pushing out her chin a little. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m
helpless, like some—some girl .”
    Jace lifted his brows,
shifting his hat. “We had an agreement—you were going to do as
you’re told. So now you can get dinner and start the fire. I don’t mind at
all.”
    Caught in the snare of her own boasting, she
bit her tongue. She knew she couldn’t complain about the double
work; if she did, he might refuse to help her with Hardesty, and
like it or not, she needed him.
    “ I saw a rabbit back there
a quarter mile or so." She Juniper and took off across the
field.
    Jace watched the boy trot away, and then
climbed down to unsaddle and water his own horse at the flat,
slow-moving creek that ran through the canyon. Hunger made his
stomach rumble and he searched through his saddle bags for a piece
of dried beef to fill the void until the boy returned with that
rabbit if he returned. Instead he found a leather pouch filled with
silver dollars, the coins that he had made as much a part of his
reputation as the Henry. They were heavy, and certainly not as
convenient as his gold coins. But he liked their weight, and
fancied the way they felt in his hand. He couldn’t eat them,
though, and he found no jerky in the saddle bags.
    Using the saddle as a headrest, he stretched
out on his bedroll and tipped his hat over his eyes. He’d just have
to wait for Kyle to come back.
    He breathed a long sigh. He was finally rid
of his headache, but it felt good to lie down for a while. It had
been one hell of a long day. The ground wasn’t as soft as the hotel
bed had been, but he had spent years on the trail—he was used to
it. It just wasn’t as easy anymore.
    He peered at the lengthening shadows through
the slit under his hat brim. Damn, he was really getting hungry. He
probably should have insisted on going after the rabbit himself. It
might be midnight before the kid came back with something to eat,
if the coyotes didn’t get him first.
    He wondered again how he’d let himself get
talked into helping Kyle. Even now he could hardly believe it. Jace
had made it a point to avoid most people. Every lick of good sense
he owned seemed to have flown away when he met that defiant
red-haired kid.
    But he might change his mind yet. If the boy
took one step out of line or became too much of a pest, Jace would
simply call off their deal.
    He was an odd one, that was a fact, Jace
thought as he crossed his ankles. Kyle was angry and tough, but
other things about him still felt out of step. The kid had a bad
habit of biting his lower lip in tight situations. It didn’t just
give away his uncertainty, it had a sissy look about it. Somebody
ought to teach him to develop a better poker face.
    And that story about the ranch—if it was
true, how did a boy his age expect to run the place by himself?
Even if he had a little money and could afford to hire help, no one
would take orders from a green kid. He’d be lucky if the hands
didn’t steal him blind. That part was none of his business, he
reminded himself. The boy wanted his help and he had the money to
pay. Probably. Well, maybe. But that was all. Jace let his
shoulders relax against the bedroll—he might as well get
comfortable. He knew he was in for long wait and his stomach was
starting to rumble
    He’d give him an hour. If he wasn’t back by
he’d go get his own damned rabbit.
    Just then, the distant crack of a gunshot
brought upright. He listened intently for other shots but there
were none. Instead he heard the sound of hoofbeats just before Kyle
trotted back through the brush, holding a rabbit by its ears.
    “ I’ll be damned—” Jace
muttered to himself.
    Kyle gave him a brief look but said nothing.
Jace leaned against his saddle again, crossed his arms over his
chest, and considered the boy. He wore that