Wanted Read Online Free PDF Page B

whether it was as spirited as its owner, then chided himself for that moment of fancy. He would be rid of her tomorrow, and in any event, she hated him. He had no doubt that she would continue to hate him.
    Morgan had little experience with women other than the soiled doves he and his fellow Rangers patronized. He was always on the move, never in any place long enough to develop any ties. He had none of the social graces decent women required. He had been raised in a rugged, dirty cow town by a succession of Rangers, and he’d received little formal education.
    His practical education, though, was unparalleled. He could shoot the eye of a rabbit from two hundred yards, follow any trail of man or beast, live off the land for months at a time, and fight as dirty as any low-down horse thief. His sense of honor revolved totally around his fellow Rangers and duty. He was a Ranger through and through, never wanted to be anything else, couldn’t even comprehend an alternative. He’d served as deputy, then sheriff, in lawless Texas towns during the years the Rangers had been disbanded after the war, but he’d just been waiting. He knew the Rangers would be reactivated. There had never been a force as close-knit, as effective, as the Rangers.
    And arresting Braden was like any other job, except he had a personal interest. Seeing his face on a poster had been, by God, an insult to all he was. He had little sympathy for the man responsible for it.
    And he damned well didn’t like the way his attention kept going back to the little spitfire who was sure to make the next twenty-four hours hell.
    As if his prisoner read his mind, Braden balked at moving again. “Where’s my sister?”
    â€œIn back,” Morgan said. He led the way to the tree several yards behind the cabin. The two prisoners saw each other at the same moment, and Morgan noticed her gaze resting briefly on the handcuffs before she glared at him.
    Braden walked over to his sister, stooped down, and awkwardly pulled the gag from her mouth. “Are you all right?”
    Morgan leaned back against a tree lazily and watched every movement, every exchange of silent messages between the sister and brother. He felt a stab of longing then, a regret that he’d never shared that kind of caring or communication with another human being.
    Braden tried to untie his sister, but obviously he was having trouble maneuvering with the handcuffs. Morgan heard a muffled curse and saw the woman’s face tense with pain.
    â€œMove away,” Morgan said to Braden. Again Braden hesitated.
    â€œDammit, I’m not going to keep repeating myself.” Irritation and impatience laced Morgan’s words.
    Braden stood, took a few steps away.
    â€œFarther,” Morgan ordered. “Unless you want her to stay there all night.”
    Braden backed up about ten feet, and Morgan took his place beside Lorilee Braden. Using a knife from his belt, he quickly cut the strips of cloth binding her. Unfamiliar guilt rushed through him as he saw blood around her wrists. He hadn’t tied her that tightly, but apparently the cloth had cut into her skin as she struggled to free herself.
    He put out his hand to help her up, but she refused it and tried to gain footing by herself. But her muscles had apparently stiffened, and she started to fall.
    Instinctively reaching out to help her, Morgan dropped the knife, and he saw her go for it. His foot slammed down on it, and her hand went for the gun in Braden’s gunbelt.
    â€œDammit,” Morgan swore as he spun her around, his hand going around her neck to subdue her. From the corner of his eye he saw Braden move toward him. “Don’t,” Morgan said. “I might just make a mistake and hurt her.”
    All rage and determination, she was quivering against him, defying him with every ounce of her being.
    Braden had stopped in midstride, anger darkening his eyes. “You do real well against