his seeking tongue with hers. She had just reached up to twine her arms around his neck and draw him closer, when her hand encountered something warm and wet and very definitely alive. With a shriek, she pulled away and jumped to her feet.
CHAPTER SIX
At Megan’s shriek, Alex sprang to his feet, reaching for the heavy Enfield revolver each member of the mounted police carried. Without pausing to think, he grabbed Megan’s arm, dragging her behind him as he turned to face the danger.
He froze at the sight of Damon, tongue lolling in a doggie grin.
“Megan.” Alex endeavored to keep his voice calm. “Don’t you go anywhere without your damn bodyguard?” Some of the anger he felt at being so needlessly alarmed must have seeped into his voice, because the wolf growled.
“Shut up or I will shoot you,” Alex growled back. “Pest.”
Damon cocked his head, then sat back on his haunches, panting.
“I think you’re talking his language now.” Megan laughed when Alex glared at her. “Don’t be such a sore loser. He means well.”
“Why am I always the one he exercises his good intentions upon?”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
Megan placed her hand on his arm, and Alex’s body hardened at the slight touch. Though he wished he could resist her allure, he covered her fingers with his own.
“We should return to the party. I am on duty, even though I haven’t been acting like it.”
Megan withdrew her hand and, returning to the blanket, packed the remains of their meal. She seemed offended, though Alex couldn’t think why. A glance at the wolf showed the animal glowering again. Women and wolves, he never would understand them.
In silence they descended the hill, Damon at their heels. When they reached the outskirts of the town, the wolf trotted off in the direction of The Celebration.
“Now he leaves,” Alex grumbled.
“You should be flattered.” Megan’s gaze followed Damon as the crowd parted to allow him a wide, clear path back to the dance hall. “I don’t think he’d leave unless he thought you could protect me. It seems you’ve made a friend.”
“A wolf for a friend. What next?”
“Why are you so irritable? Don’t you feel well?” Megan turned to him, her face reflecting concern. “Maybe the heat is too much for you in that heavy coat. I think it’s at least a hundred degrees today.”
Could she really be so innocent that she didn’t know what part of him wasn’t “well” after their interrupted interlude? He found such a concept hard to believe after her cold-blooded maneuvers to make money by using her face and body. Staring down into her lovely eyes for a moment, he thought the paint she’d used to enhance her features made her look like a child playing at being a woman. Tearing his gaze from hers with difficulty, he stared down the street toward the party while he got himself under control.
To turn the conversation away from himself he said, “The heat isn’t the problem, Megan. The cold will be. Just wait until you encounter a Yukon winter. You’ll be begging for San Francisco before the first week is over Maybe you should reconsider your decision to remain here.”
“We’re back to that again? You’re becoming extremely dull.”
“Well, we can’t be dull with the great Meggie O’Day, can we?” Taking her arm, he pushed their way through the crowd toward the loud music at the far end of the street where a patch of flat, dry ground served as the dance floor. All of the dancers from The Celebration and the other dance halls in town danced from one man to the next. When the musicians began to play a polka, Alex pulled her into his arms and swung her into the midst of the fray before she could protest.
“Am I still dull?” he shouted.
Megan faltered, and her pointed heel came down hard on his instep. Wincing, Alex continued to move in time to the music. It didn’t take long for the revelation to come to him. Meggie O’Day, dance hall enchantress,
CHAPTER SIX
At Megan’s shriek, Alex sprang to his feet, reaching for the heavy Enfield revolver each member of the mounted police carried. Without pausing to think, he grabbed Megan’s arm, dragging her behind him as he turned to face the danger.
He froze at the sight of Damon, tongue lolling in a doggie grin.
“Megan.” Alex endeavored to keep his voice calm. “Don’t you go anywhere without your damn bodyguard?” Some of the anger he felt at being so needlessly alarmed must have seeped into his voice, because the wolf growled.
“Shut up or I will shoot you,” Alex growled back. “Pest.”
Damon cocked his head, then sat back on his haunches, panting.
“I think you’re talking his language now.” Megan laughed when Alex glared at her. “Don’t be such a sore loser. He means well.”
“Why am I always the one he exercises his good intentions upon?”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
Megan placed her hand on his arm, and Alex’s body hardened at the slight touch. Though he wished he could resist her allure, he covered her fingers with his own.
“We should return to the party. I am on duty, even though I haven’t been acting like it.”
Megan withdrew her hand and, returning to the blanket, packed the remains of their meal. She seemed offended, though Alex couldn’t think why. A glance at the wolf showed the animal glowering again. Women and wolves, he never would understand them.
In silence they descended the hill, Damon at their heels. When they reached the outskirts of the town, the wolf trotted off in the direction of The Celebration.
“Now he leaves,” Alex grumbled.
“You should be flattered.” Megan’s gaze followed Damon as the crowd parted to allow him a wide, clear path back to the dance hall. “I don’t think he’d leave unless he thought you could protect me. It seems you’ve made a friend.”
“A wolf for a friend. What next?”
“Why are you so irritable? Don’t you feel well?” Megan turned to him, her face reflecting concern. “Maybe the heat is too much for you in that heavy coat. I think it’s at least a hundred degrees today.”
Could she really be so innocent that she didn’t know what part of him wasn’t “well” after their interrupted interlude? He found such a concept hard to believe after her cold-blooded maneuvers to make money by using her face and body. Staring down into her lovely eyes for a moment, he thought the paint she’d used to enhance her features made her look like a child playing at being a woman. Tearing his gaze from hers with difficulty, he stared down the street toward the party while he got himself under control.
To turn the conversation away from himself he said, “The heat isn’t the problem, Megan. The cold will be. Just wait until you encounter a Yukon winter. You’ll be begging for San Francisco before the first week is over Maybe you should reconsider your decision to remain here.”
“We’re back to that again? You’re becoming extremely dull.”
“Well, we can’t be dull with the great Meggie O’Day, can we?” Taking her arm, he pushed their way through the crowd toward the loud music at the far end of the street where a patch of flat, dry ground served as the dance floor. All of the dancers from The Celebration and the other dance halls in town danced from one man to the next. When the musicians began to play a polka, Alex pulled her into his arms and swung her into the midst of the fray before she could protest.
“Am I still dull?” he shouted.
Megan faltered, and her pointed heel came down hard on his instep. Wincing, Alex continued to move in time to the music. It didn’t take long for the revelation to come to him. Meggie O’Day, dance hall enchantress,
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