To Love a Scoundrel Read Online Free PDF

Mississippi Connorses—at your service ma'am. Most folks call me, Brent."
    "Yes, I'm sure they do... among other things." She gave him a sassy curtsy, adding, "Thank you for your discretion, Mr. Connors, and good day."
    "No need to say good-bye just yet. I'll be surprised if I don't find we're staying at the same hotel. Yes, sir, mighty surprised indeed."
    Jewel tilted her chin and drew her brows together. "You're not staying at the Golden Dove."
    "Of course I am. Where else?"
    "Where else indeed."
    Brent bowed and offered his elbow "Allow me to escort you and your father to your lodgings. It seems Topeka has had one of those torrential spring downpours, and the streets are extremely muddy. Perhaps I can be of some assistance in getting your luggage to your rooms."
    And because she couldn't think of a good reason to say no, Jewel lamely accepted, "I'm sure Father will be beholden to you."
    * * *
    Later, in their hotel suite, Jewel sank into the cushions of the settee and removed her dreary little bonnet. "What else could I do?" she called out to Mac. "Besides," she added thoughtfully, "I think it would be better for us to stay close to this Connors fellow. If he's as crooked as I think he is, it would be in our best interest to keep track of his every move."
    "I don't know, Jewel." Mac shook his head as he lugged the heavy bags across the large living room and into her bedroom. When he emerged, she was loosening the knot of hair at the back of her neck. "He seems dangerous to me."
    "Dangerous?'' Mulling over everything she knew about the gambler, Jewel sighed and rubbed her scalp with her fingertips as the last of her locks fell free. Just who was this Brent Connors? He was insufferable and opinionated, impertinent and much too handsome for his own good, and yet he kept her on her toes and made her think fast and hard to stay one step ahead of him. He tickled her funny bone and made her feel something she couldn't, or wouldn't, identify. No one, especially no man, had done that for as long as she could remember. Maybe never.
    Jewel rested her neck against the back of the sofa, relishing the comfort, and thought back to earlier conversations, to the man himself. He was, if nothing else, a worthy adversary. Was he also a hazard, a threat to her assignment, perhaps her life? Probably not.
    Jewel smiled, then yawned. "I think Connors is nosy rather than dangerous. He strikes me as just another gambler—although one to be reckoned with. I'm sure he's here for the championship game like everyone else. Fifty thousand dollars is a powerful reason to make a trip to Topeka."
    "I don't know. I still don't feel right about him. We should at least keep him under surveillance."
    "Oh, I intend to do better than that." Jewel sat up, refreshed by the thought of the hunt—of the quarry. "I'm sure you'll find him milling around downstairs tonight, sizing up the competition. When you do, I want you to challenge him to a friendly little warm-up game of poker. The minute he takes the bait, I'll head for his room. Before you can drop your aces and say 'read 'em and weep,' I'll know more about that man than his own mother does."
    "I don't know if that's such a good idea." Mac shook his head and pressed his lips into a thin line. He weighed his objections carefully, knowing if they sounded the least bit protective, she'd come at him with her speech that began with 'I've managed to live for twenty-five years without a father. What makes you think I need one now?'''
    Mac opted for reason. "If Connors is what you say he is, I don't see why we should jeopardize our strategy over him. Why don't we just watch him from afar?"
    "I believe this is where Allan would say, 'Better safe than sorry.'" Her mind already made up, Jewel pulled herself off the comfortable sofa and started for her room. "I don't see how we can take the chance of jeopardizing our plans by not checking him out. I'll be ready to go in fifteen minutes."
    Mac shrugged, sighing as he said,