clothes, no arguing.”
“And just where would I be traveling to in these clothes?” She arched a brow with a hint of a challenge, a touch of defiance that made his blood run hot again. She might look meek and polite, but there was something indomitable about Callie, something incredibly amazing. She lifted her chin, mischievously. “You wouldn’t be planning on tossing me out of town, would you? I mean, I am a woman of questionable reputation. Mrs. Bauer pulled her daughter away from me.”
“You’re joking about that.” He couldn’t believe it. Somehow he was grinning too. “Tossing you out hadn’t crossed my mind, but now that you mention it, maybe it would be a good idea. You are causing a lot of trouble in town.”
“Yes, so I see, and this is with all my clothes on.” She gestured toward the street where a passing driver paid more attention to her than the road in front of him, barely missing a collision with a teamster’s loaded wagon. The teamster bellowed out a string of curses as he sped away.
Mason laughed. It felt good to have laughter rolling up from his belly, filling him. Or maybe it was Callie that was doing this to him, chasing away the emptiness. It was hard to think that was even possible.
“Yes, it’s for the public’s safety,” he joked. “It’s all for the greater good. Besides, you’re going to need something to wear for the train ride home.”
He forced himself to release her hand, vowing never to touch the woman again. It was the only smart thing to do.
“What do you mean? It’s going to take me a while before I can earn enough money for a ticket.” She shook her head, scattering blond curls. “I’m not about to write my oldest sister and ask her for train fare. My pride would never recover. So I need to find a job and earn my way.”
“Not necessary.” He reached around her to open the dress shop door. A dainty bell overhead jingled merrily. “I’m putting you on the two o’clock westbound train. You’re going home.”
“Today?” She bit her bottom lip, torn. “No, I can’t let you do that for me.”
“Yes, you can. It’s the right thing.” He moved in, gesturing through the open doorway and inside the shop where pretty dresses and gowns hung on their displays and a curious shop owner watched from behind her round spectacles. Mason’s voice dipped low, full of caring. Genuine caring. “You’ll be better off, Callie, especially after what happened.”
“The abduction.” A chill shivered through her, remembering. Her skull and body still hurt from the ordeal, but it could have been much worse.
“Yes. If you go home, no one will ever have to know what happened to you, if you keep it between you and your family.” The granite planes of his face softened. He seemed genuinely concerned and so full of caring it made her heart forget to beat.
“Your reputation will be pristine again.” His gaze locked onto hers. “No one else will treat you like Mrs. Bauer did, not ever. Isn’t that what matters?”
Her throat closed up, her windpipe clamped shut and she couldn’t speak. She nodded, agreeing when she couldn’t think straight. Her brain had stopped functioning, maybe because her heart was stuffed so full of feeling that it overflowed, drowning out all the other systems in her body. Mason’s caring touched her. Deeply.
Did she care about him too? The sun seemed to highlight him, glowing all around him. That’s how much she thought of him too, as if he were the brightest light, and when her heart began beating again he was the reason.
Chapter Five
In the jail, Mason shifted on his feet, keeping a sharp eye on the men spread across four different cells while Deeks and Matt slid trays of food in to the prisoners.
“You’re a dead man, Marshal.” One of the gang members spit at him from behind the steel bars, the wad of saliva and who knows what else missed and landed on the stone floor. Dirty and unshaven, Otis the Kid grimaced, showing
“And just where would I be traveling to in these clothes?” She arched a brow with a hint of a challenge, a touch of defiance that made his blood run hot again. She might look meek and polite, but there was something indomitable about Callie, something incredibly amazing. She lifted her chin, mischievously. “You wouldn’t be planning on tossing me out of town, would you? I mean, I am a woman of questionable reputation. Mrs. Bauer pulled her daughter away from me.”
“You’re joking about that.” He couldn’t believe it. Somehow he was grinning too. “Tossing you out hadn’t crossed my mind, but now that you mention it, maybe it would be a good idea. You are causing a lot of trouble in town.”
“Yes, so I see, and this is with all my clothes on.” She gestured toward the street where a passing driver paid more attention to her than the road in front of him, barely missing a collision with a teamster’s loaded wagon. The teamster bellowed out a string of curses as he sped away.
Mason laughed. It felt good to have laughter rolling up from his belly, filling him. Or maybe it was Callie that was doing this to him, chasing away the emptiness. It was hard to think that was even possible.
“Yes, it’s for the public’s safety,” he joked. “It’s all for the greater good. Besides, you’re going to need something to wear for the train ride home.”
He forced himself to release her hand, vowing never to touch the woman again. It was the only smart thing to do.
“What do you mean? It’s going to take me a while before I can earn enough money for a ticket.” She shook her head, scattering blond curls. “I’m not about to write my oldest sister and ask her for train fare. My pride would never recover. So I need to find a job and earn my way.”
“Not necessary.” He reached around her to open the dress shop door. A dainty bell overhead jingled merrily. “I’m putting you on the two o’clock westbound train. You’re going home.”
“Today?” She bit her bottom lip, torn. “No, I can’t let you do that for me.”
“Yes, you can. It’s the right thing.” He moved in, gesturing through the open doorway and inside the shop where pretty dresses and gowns hung on their displays and a curious shop owner watched from behind her round spectacles. Mason’s voice dipped low, full of caring. Genuine caring. “You’ll be better off, Callie, especially after what happened.”
“The abduction.” A chill shivered through her, remembering. Her skull and body still hurt from the ordeal, but it could have been much worse.
“Yes. If you go home, no one will ever have to know what happened to you, if you keep it between you and your family.” The granite planes of his face softened. He seemed genuinely concerned and so full of caring it made her heart forget to beat.
“Your reputation will be pristine again.” His gaze locked onto hers. “No one else will treat you like Mrs. Bauer did, not ever. Isn’t that what matters?”
Her throat closed up, her windpipe clamped shut and she couldn’t speak. She nodded, agreeing when she couldn’t think straight. Her brain had stopped functioning, maybe because her heart was stuffed so full of feeling that it overflowed, drowning out all the other systems in her body. Mason’s caring touched her. Deeply.
Did she care about him too? The sun seemed to highlight him, glowing all around him. That’s how much she thought of him too, as if he were the brightest light, and when her heart began beating again he was the reason.
Chapter Five
In the jail, Mason shifted on his feet, keeping a sharp eye on the men spread across four different cells while Deeks and Matt slid trays of food in to the prisoners.
“You’re a dead man, Marshal.” One of the gang members spit at him from behind the steel bars, the wad of saliva and who knows what else missed and landed on the stone floor. Dirty and unshaven, Otis the Kid grimaced, showing
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