Murphy's Law (The Bounty Hunter Series - Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

getting a big hoof in her face. The cow, the stench, and the sounds of animals nearby clued her into her whereabouts. The feed trough.
    Had Murphy left her? How?
    Fighting the urge to succumb to a wave of fatigue, she forced herself to stay alert. The cuff still circled her left wrist, but the other cuff, minus the man, hung from her arm.
    She remained still, trying to get her bearings as she used her senses. The cow nudged her, and then stuck its tongue out, licking her from chin to forehead.
    Rearing back, Echo hit metal. The trough stopped her escape. She cursed under her breath.
    It was still dark. Fresh hay, manure, and the pungent odors of cows and horses filled her nostrils. The sounds of the animals munching above and around her nearly overshadowed the slight scuffling in the dirt. Footsteps.
    He was there, shoving the cow away. The animal protested, but finally moved. Helping her to sit upright, Murphy leaned against the metal frame. He didn’t have to say a word. His gray shadowy figure lent her comfort. God, she’d know him anywhere. His heat, his body...
    “Shhh!” he said.
    “How?” she whispered, slightly lifting her hand.
    “Your belt. Or should I say Storm’s buckle. She hides her lock-picking pins there,” he explained. “When I hauled you over my shoulder. That damn turquoise buckle dug into me. Remembered.” Exhaustion filled his words. He grabbed for her hand and worked on her cuff. It took a few tries, but it snapped open and he released her. He shoved the cuffs under the trough behind them.
    “Where?”
    “Scouting.” He dug in his pocket. Shifting, he pressed something cool against her mouth.
    She drank the cactus juice and let him rub the inside of the plant over her parched lips. “Good.”
    He mumbled his agreement.
    “Your leg?”
    “A bitch,” he half whispered, half chuckled, tapping the leather belt, the rest of Storm’s belt, wrapped around his leg now. “Slowing me down.”
    For a long moment, she listened to his even breathing. She shifted closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. Strange, she missed being tethered to him.
    “Ten minutes,” he warned. “Gotta move.”
    Echo slipped her hand in his, lacing fingers. “When this is all over will you tell me what…we once were?”
    He sucked in an unsteady breath. “Maybe.”
    “Definitely.”

 
     
     

Chapter 9
     
     
    Her demand haunted him. She wouldn’t like it, not all the answers to her questions.
    Wouldn’t it be better to find out from him, though? Doubt lingered in his mind.
    “Can you ride?” he asked, shoving aside the consequences to every damn decision he’d made these last years.
    “Bareback? Sure.”
    He smiled at her ready response. She hadn’t ridden since before the accident. It was against doctor’s orders. But still, confidence rang in her answer. “Good.”
    It must have been the combination of the loss of blood and the utter exhaustion that overtook him; he drifted off to sleep.
    His dreams were vivid and disturbing. Echo laughing and then disappearing caused his heart to squeeze in his chest. Timmy’s giggles rang in his ears. Even in sleep, Murphy felt the smile and the rush of love sweeping over him. Next, he swore there were hooves pounding on the ground. Buffalo stomped. Screams, glass shattering, and then utter silence.
    Murphy woke with a start.
    Echo was there, nestled to his side. He breathed a sigh of relief.
    The moment vanished when he recalled where they were and what they were up against.
    “Wake up,” he said, jostling her. He shifted, heaving himself to his feet. His leg was on fire. Murphy gritted his teeth against the pain. “Dawn’s breaking. We fell asleep.”
     
    ***
     
    Echo came awake with a start. Rising, she brushed off the hay and dirt.
    Her body ached all over. Her fuzzy mind wouldn’t focus.
    When she looked at him in the semi-darkness, she felt a surge of unexpected desire. Even with his shaggy hair, stubble on his chin, scruffy