her hand on his chest.
Leanne shivered when she felt his warm, taut skin. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined a man could feel so good. Tentatively, she moved her hands over his skin. When he trembled beneath her shy touch, she grew bolder.
A small part of her mind was shocked when she realized she wanted to touch all of him. She ached to discover if. the rest of his lean, muscular body felt as good as his chest.
Just as Hunter reached to unbutton her pants, a deep voice whispered, “Posse.”
The man who had been so tender, so exciting, suddenly tensed in Leanne’s arms. “How many, Charlie?”
“Near a dozen. Could be more.”
“Those townspeople?”
“Some of them. Some of them aren’t.”
“It’s the ones that aren’t that bother me. Hell. It’s just as I feared—word of the robbery is racing us to the border. Rouse everyone. We’re getting out of here.”
Still reeling from the strong desires he had roused in her, Leanne suddenly found herself cast aside. She had no time to recover before she was ordered out of bed and curtly told to get her boots on. Numbly, she straightened her clothing and did as she was told, only half watching the frantic activity going on around her.
There was no time for the shame nibbling at her to really take hold. She had barely stood up when Hunter was back at her side. He grabbed her hand and dragged her to his horse at a near run.
“Maybe you oughta gag her.”
“She won’t say anything, Luke.”
“I won’t?” Leanne suddenly came out of her stupor enough to realize that a chance for rescue could be at hand.
“No, you won’t. I figure you’re a smart girl.”
“Such effusive flattery.”
He ignored that interruption. “You’ll figure that, if you alert the posse, they’ll come in shooting. They’ll shoot at all of us—you included, because the world and its mother thinks you’re one of us. If you survive the shoot-out, they might feel inclined to listen to your tale and they might even believe it. But you’ve got enough wit to know the odds of your surviving such a fight are very small.”
She met his cool gaze for a full minute while she hurriedly thought over what he had said. To her dismay, there was a lot of truth in his words. Until she could convince someone in authority, she would be viewed as an outlaw along with the rest of the group. She could not count on anyone in the posse having qualms about shooting a woman. Softly, she cursed.
Hunter, pleased that she had the wit to heed his warning, grasped her by the waist and tossed her into the saddle. He mounted behind her. Without a word to the others, he spurred his horse forward.
The fact that the posse was riding when dawn was still a good hour away meant they were hot on the trail and hoped to catch the outlaws by surprise. He intended the surprise to be that the quarry had successfully fled the net. He also intended to be as far away as possible before the posse could pick up the scent again, so he kept his mount at a quick but steady pace. The other men followed close behind.
Chapter Four
B ITING BACK ALL THE CURSES SHE FELT INCLINED to spit out, Leanne cautiously sat down on the ground. They had lost the posse. In a way she was relieved. Unfortunately, that long hard ride had left her aching. She did not believe there was a part of her that did not twitch with pain.
After a few moments of watching the men lounge around, she eased herself along the ground until her back rested against a rock. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. Since the men clearly intended to rest, she would too.
As she began to slip off to sleep, she thought of Hunter—more exactly of what they had been doing before the posse interrupted them. She knew that succumbing to his lovemaking had been a serious error. It was wrong, terribly wrong. What puzzled her was that it felt so good. She did not understand how something she knew was wrong could feel so right.
Hunter stared down at the sleeping
Leanne shivered when she felt his warm, taut skin. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined a man could feel so good. Tentatively, she moved her hands over his skin. When he trembled beneath her shy touch, she grew bolder.
A small part of her mind was shocked when she realized she wanted to touch all of him. She ached to discover if. the rest of his lean, muscular body felt as good as his chest.
Just as Hunter reached to unbutton her pants, a deep voice whispered, “Posse.”
The man who had been so tender, so exciting, suddenly tensed in Leanne’s arms. “How many, Charlie?”
“Near a dozen. Could be more.”
“Those townspeople?”
“Some of them. Some of them aren’t.”
“It’s the ones that aren’t that bother me. Hell. It’s just as I feared—word of the robbery is racing us to the border. Rouse everyone. We’re getting out of here.”
Still reeling from the strong desires he had roused in her, Leanne suddenly found herself cast aside. She had no time to recover before she was ordered out of bed and curtly told to get her boots on. Numbly, she straightened her clothing and did as she was told, only half watching the frantic activity going on around her.
There was no time for the shame nibbling at her to really take hold. She had barely stood up when Hunter was back at her side. He grabbed her hand and dragged her to his horse at a near run.
“Maybe you oughta gag her.”
“She won’t say anything, Luke.”
“I won’t?” Leanne suddenly came out of her stupor enough to realize that a chance for rescue could be at hand.
“No, you won’t. I figure you’re a smart girl.”
“Such effusive flattery.”
He ignored that interruption. “You’ll figure that, if you alert the posse, they’ll come in shooting. They’ll shoot at all of us—you included, because the world and its mother thinks you’re one of us. If you survive the shoot-out, they might feel inclined to listen to your tale and they might even believe it. But you’ve got enough wit to know the odds of your surviving such a fight are very small.”
She met his cool gaze for a full minute while she hurriedly thought over what he had said. To her dismay, there was a lot of truth in his words. Until she could convince someone in authority, she would be viewed as an outlaw along with the rest of the group. She could not count on anyone in the posse having qualms about shooting a woman. Softly, she cursed.
Hunter, pleased that she had the wit to heed his warning, grasped her by the waist and tossed her into the saddle. He mounted behind her. Without a word to the others, he spurred his horse forward.
The fact that the posse was riding when dawn was still a good hour away meant they were hot on the trail and hoped to catch the outlaws by surprise. He intended the surprise to be that the quarry had successfully fled the net. He also intended to be as far away as possible before the posse could pick up the scent again, so he kept his mount at a quick but steady pace. The other men followed close behind.
Chapter Four
B ITING BACK ALL THE CURSES SHE FELT INCLINED to spit out, Leanne cautiously sat down on the ground. They had lost the posse. In a way she was relieved. Unfortunately, that long hard ride had left her aching. She did not believe there was a part of her that did not twitch with pain.
After a few moments of watching the men lounge around, she eased herself along the ground until her back rested against a rock. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. Since the men clearly intended to rest, she would too.
As she began to slip off to sleep, she thought of Hunter—more exactly of what they had been doing before the posse interrupted them. She knew that succumbing to his lovemaking had been a serious error. It was wrong, terribly wrong. What puzzled her was that it felt so good. She did not understand how something she knew was wrong could feel so right.
Hunter stared down at the sleeping
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