Angel In The Rain (Western Historical Romance) by Devon Matthews Page A

ride away.”
    The very thought of her out there, alone… “I don’t think you understand.”
    “Then why don’t you explain it to me.”
    “You need me now, even more than I need you.”
    Her eyes widened, but then immediately narrowed with suspicion. He waited. Either she would laugh in his face, or begin to nurture the first grains of uncertainty he hoped he’d planted.
    A moment passed. “That’s ridiculous,” she said. He didn’t realize that his hands had come to rest against her knees, or that he still held the edges of the blanket, until she jerked it from his grasp. “I don’t need you. I can take care of myself.”
    “Like yesterday? Like you took care of Jed Wiley?”
    The unpleasant reminder doused some of the heat from her anger.
    “Like it or not,” he continued, “I’m the only thing standing between you and Lundy’s hired guns. Some of those hombres make Jed look like a saint.”
    He meant to frighten her, to scare the unholy hell out of her if possible. Anything to make her think twice before trying to run away again. And he didn’t even have to lie to accomplish it. He’d told her nothing but the truth.
    She stared at him with the firelight behind him dancing in her eyes. He expected more anger. He knew how to deal with that. But he wasn’t prepared to see her defenses slip, revealing the yielding, unsure woman within.
    In that brief unguarded instant, something tender invaded him. The fragile spark of emotion caught him by surprise. For many years, the forces that drove him had all been tied to basic needs. Hunger, thirst, lust, and most importantly the quest for revenge.
    She recovered quickly and firmed her jaw, and then clutched the blanket tighter around her shoulders and shivered.
    It was too late to block the fleeting glimpse into her soul. He’d seen it. He wanted to reach for her. Wanted to wrap his arms around her and warm her with his body, assure her he would keep her safe. The urge was so strong, he curled his hands into fists and stood in one abrupt motion.
    There was no place in his life for this kind of weakness. Not now. Maybe never again.
    “I’m taking a walk,” he said for Wolf’s benefit.
    “Want company?”
    “No.”
    Rane stalked into the darkness, trying hard to ignore Wolf’s knowing chuckle. The sound burned against his ears with prickly heat. He was starting to act like a damned fool.
    The night opened welcoming arms, cloaking him in blessed darkness while he battled the opposing forces inside him.
    Angel was nothing more to him than a pawn in a very dangerous, complicated game. Still, her mere presence distracted him and lured his senses down paths where he had no business treading. Worst of all, she triggered feelings of guilt that had him starting to wonder if he was doing the right thing.
    Part of his problem was that he was beginning to admire her.
    She’d been through hell already. Yet not once had she whined or complained. Under the circumstances, she’d borne the entire ordeal with a fair amount of poise and dignity.
    She wasn’t at all what he had expected.
    He’d heard talk about her. Gossip that painted her as a hard-riding, rough talking hellion with the morals of a cat. He shook his head. After spending the past twenty-four hours with her, he saw that the reputation didn’t fit the woman. Perhaps the rumors were nothing more than vicious lies.
    Then again, why had her father suddenly whisked her out of Texas and sent her to an eastern finishing school at the advanced age of eighteen? Most young women were already married by then. Had it been a drastic effort to try and “clean” her tarnished name?
    Rane stopped walking and expelled a long breath.
    Not that it mattered. He didn’t give a damn if she was a firebrand hiding behind a lady’s guise. She’d just spent the past two years learning to be a lady. Evidently, she’d mastered deportment classes and learned to speak with a civil tongue.
    ****
    Angel snuggled deeper inside the