The Lawman Claims His Bride (Love Inspired Historical) Read Online Free PDF Page B

morning. Calmly. Methodically.
    One question at a time.
    The door swung open. Jack, Mattie’s notorious bodyguard, stood just inside the gaudy foyer. He stared at Logan with an unreadable expression on his round, scruffy face. With more brawn than brains, Black Jack O’Malley was as much Mattie’s lapdog as her protector. Nevertheless, the man had always shown Logan respect.
    Logan would return the favor now. “Jack,” he said in a courteous tone. “Is Mattie here?”
    Jack nodded. “She’s been expecting you.”
    “Of course.” Logan didn’t bother hiding the frustration in his tone. The woman could have given him vital information when he was here before, but she had chosen to send him away with a head full of confusion and worry.
    Games inside games.
    When it came to Mattie Silks, some things never changed.
    As though sensing his annoyance, Jack stepped aside and motioned Logan forward.
    “I’ll let Mattie know you’ve arrived.” The big man circled around him. “Wait here.”
    Logan remained in the foyer a total of five seconds before he’d had enough of cooling his heels. He strode past the entryway and looked around the main parlor.
    Nothing had changed in his five-year absence. And yet everything about the decor seemed more...sinful. Alone, each piece of furniture might be able to pass for tasteful, but together the red velvet divans, ornate paintings and gold filigree defined decadence.
    Megan did not belong in this house. For any reason. Logan would have to make sure she understood why she could never come here again.
    A movement in the back of the room cut off his thoughts. Mattie Silks had arrived in all her overstated grandeur. Arms outstretched, a flirtatious smile pasted on her lips, she glided to a spot in the center of the room then relaxed into a scandalous pose. Typical Mattie Silks behavior. Control the situation simply to prove she could, even if that meant hurting people in the process.
    Logan knew his role in this particular drama. He was supposed to take a moment and admire the woman.
    He wasn’t that much of a hypocrite.
    Biting back a wave of impatience, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and did his best not to glare.
    Satisfied she had his attention, Mattie spun in a slow circle then continued toward him. With her blond, corkscrew curls bouncing wildly and her dress two sizes too small, she looked like a caricature of herself.
    Adding to the absurd picture, she slowed every fourth or fifth step and struck a more ridiculous pose than the last.
    Subtlety was not the woman’s strong suit.
    Controlling the situation, now that was where she excelled.
    She eventually came to a halt directly in front of him. Slipper to boot, she stood close enough for him to get a whiff of her cheap perfume. Normally, he’d step back and reclaim his space.
    Not today. Today Logan had his own point to make.
    “Mattie.” He studied her dress with a critical eye. The frothy concoction of lace and blue silk was cut dangerously low in front and even lower in the back. “You’re as obvious as ever.”
    “And you’re still the rude boy of years past.”
    “Be careful,” he warned. “I’m also the U.S. Marshal of this territory now.”
    “Ah, well, I won’t hold that against you. You see... Marshal .” She looked pointedly at the tin star on his chest as she gave him a condescending pat on the arm. “I find myself in an accommodating mood at the moment.”
    Logan firmed his jaw. Mattie Silks was never in an accommodating mood. Unless it suited her.
    He opened his mouth to argue the point, but shut it just as quickly. Patience was his greatest weapon. He would let Mattie play her game, knowing there was too much at stake to lose her cooperation.
    That didn’t mean he had to give the woman all the control.
    Slanting a hard glance in her direction, he pushed past her and strode deeper into the room.
    She was forced to follow him or stand staring at empty air.
    It was a small victory, to