Teresa Medeiros Read Online Free PDF Page A

buried in a book and was paying no more heed to the rumbling purr of the yellow cat napping on his chest than to theloaded shotgun laid across his lap. The cat had been a gift from Billy Darling, the shotgun a retirement present from the governor of Texas for surviving twenty-five years as a Texas Ranger—a survival ensured by his blatant distaste for danger.
    “Afternoon, Drew,” the man drawled.
    The sheriff leveled a glance over the top of the book. “Afternoon”
    His visitor jerked a thumb toward the door. “Quite a mob you have out there. You expecting a lynching?”
    Drew rolled his eyes. “A cotillion, more likely.”
    The man propped his hip on the edge of the desk and nodded toward the cat. “If Miss Kitty there is accounted for, then what might be the source of that godawful caterwauling?”
    Although Drew appeared to be making a valiant effort, the sound was almost impossible to ignore. It wafted out from the corridor behind him where the back cell was located, not so much off-key as woefully shrill and set at just the right pitch to make even a long-suffering man grit his teeth in pain.
    The wailing rose to a crescendo, making Drew wince. “It’s
her
. The lass has been praying and singing church hymns ever since she woke up from her swoon. She claims to be a music teacher.” When his companions eyebrows shot skyward in disbelief, he leaned forward and confided, “ ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ seems to be a particular favorite of hers.”
    The man’s jaw tightened. Drew knew damn well that every man who’d fought on the losing side in the War of Secession, or lost someone who had, despised that song above all others.
    Drew chuckled. “The lass even had the audacity to askif I had a copy of the Good Book on hand. I offered her this volume, but she declined.”
    The man plucked the book from Drew’s hands and examined the cover, cocking a skeptical eyebrow.
“The Amorous Adventures of Buxom Belle?”
    Drew snatched it back. “Well, it’s a damn good book, if you ask me.”
    His friend’s eyes were strangely thoughtful. “Has she shown any signs of remorse?”
    The sheriff stroked the slinky curve of the cat’s back. Despite his grave tone, his own feline smirk revealed that he was enjoying himself more than was strictly proper. “She claims she’s resigned to suffering the earthly consequences for taking a man’s life, but insists the good Lord in his infinite mercy will surely pardon her for ridding the world of a heartless vermin like Billy Darling.”
    The man’s eyes narrowed. “The good Lord probably would. But I sure as hell won’t.”
    A particularly grating note floated out from the corridor. Throwing a black scowl over his shoulder, Drew caressed the hammer of the shotgun. “One more chorus of ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee’ and I’m going to have to shoot her. Or myself.”
    The man reached across the desk to pluck a ring of iron keys from a hook on the wall. “Why don’t I spare you the trouble?”
    Drew sprang to his feet, earning a sulky look from the displaced cat. He’d seen that wicked sparkle in his friend’s eyes before and knew it boded nothing but trouble. “Now, you wait just a minute there, lad. The woman might be prepared to meet her Maker, but she sure as hell isn’t prepared to meet you.”
    The man neatly sidestepped him, the keys setting up a merry jingle as he headed for the shadowy corridor. “Sheshould have thought of that before she came to Calamity. I intend to find out exactly why such a prissy little peahen would come gunning for the likes of Billy Darling.”
    “If the lass screams,” Drew called after him, “I’m going to come a-running.”
    The man tossed a grin over his shoulder. “And if I scream?”
    Drew settled back into his chair, propping his boots on the desk and raising the book to shield his smile. “You, my friend, are on your own.”
    As the final note of “Onward, Christian Soldiers” faded from her lips, Esmerelda