Catch Me by Lorelie Brown Page A

he’d find any excuse to touch her. But Collier’s fingers went absolutely nowhere but the wound.
    Maggie was relieved. Truly she was. The melodrama of the situation would be greatly complicated by attraction on either side. Righteous anger flooded back into her, spurred on by a full belly and the stinging pain of her leg easing way under the cool balm he’d applied. He was no better than he ought to be, which meant he could be bought. “I could pay you.”
    “I thought you needed all that gold to pay for your father’s treatment.” He screwed the lid back on the little crockware pot and wiped his hands on the wool encasing his solid-looking thighs. “There. Should be well enough until the morning.”
    “I couldn’t exactly walk in there and say, ‘I need precisely this amount and no more,’ now could I?” She pulled her skirts back down, wishing she could leave them up and fan air over the wound. But that would be beyond indecent. Though being a hoyden seemed inevitable, considering she’d been raised mostly by her father and brother, her mother’s ghost still haunted her. Usually as a reminder of proper behavior.
    “I won’t be bribed.” He went back to setting up the bedrolls.
    “What could my bounty possibly be? Fifty dollars? A hundred? I’ll double it.”
    He shot a wry look over his shoulder. “You don’t have a bounty.”
    She sat bolt upright. “I don’t? Then why are you doing this?”
    “Masterson’s offered me something more than cash payment.” He grabbed her bedroll from the stack of their belongings.
    “What’s he offer—Hey now, I want my bunk on the other side of the fire.” He’d laid her blankets out alongside his.
    “I don’t believe I gave you a choice.”
    She harrumphed. “I can see that.” She pressed her legs together and laced her fingers over her knees. Her heart thumped hard at the thought of sleeping so near any man, especially this one. “I’m not comfortable sleeping next to you.”
    “I believe we’ve established I’m not particularly concerned with your comfort.”
    She rotated her wrists. The ties were starting to rub her raw. “That’s perfectly clear.”
    “All right, up you go.” He loomed over her. The light was fading from the day, leaving him a ghostly gray outline.
    She scrambled to her feet quickly, and shook fallen leaves off her skirt. “I’m going to have to change.”
    He grabbed her saddle and laid it at the top of her blankets. “Now?”
    “Does it matter? I’ll sleep better in my other clothes.”
    “If I allow this, do you think you might manage to shut up for a spell?” He heaved a great, gusting sigh, as if Maggie’s mission in life was to annoy him. Perhaps it was. She rather liked the idea.
    “Of course. Though I don’t know that I can promise exactly how long.”
    “Fine,” he grumped.
    Getting her trousers and shirt from the saddlebag with her hands tied together was awkward, but she managed. She’d be damned if she would ask him to handle her clean pantaloons. Once she scooped the bundle up in her arms, she turned back to him. “You simply must untie my hands. There’s no way around this one.”
    “I know.” He slid the big knife out of its sheath. She was coming to loathe that thing. “But I’ll be within arm’s reach. Don’t get any ideas, or I’ll be forced to make the trip back to Arizona with your carcass.”
    She shuddered. There was no doubt he’d do it. Despite her earlier impression of his gentlemanly manner, he seemed that cold. “I have to take care of certain business, as well. Will you at least turn your back?”
    He nodded and led her into the woods a few feet. “But I better hear clothing rustling, or I’ll be getting an eyeful right quick.” The blunt edge of the knife was cool against her skin as he snicked the tip through the twine right at the knot before turning around to face their small camp.
    Maggie moved as fast as possible, which meant naturally she got caught up in her