began.
His hand clamped over her mouth. “Shush!” he warned her. He waited, tense as living steel. In all of her life she didn’t think that she had felt anything as acutely as she felt the wired strength of his body at that moment. He waited a heartbeat, waited for the banging to come on the door again. “Now!” he whispered very softly, and right on cue the door burst open.
Chapter 3
T wo men stood there, framed by the moonlight.
McKenzie leapt up in a fury in the shadowed room, throwing the covers over her, wrenching a bath sheet from the foot of the bed to wrap around his waist.
“What are you doing?” McKenzie demanded incredulously.
She recognized the men standing there. They weren’t the ones who had come to Eastwood’s for her—they were Eastwood’s servants. One was Rory, a husky farmer from Minnesota, and the other was Geoffrey, a one-eyed, slimmer man who was as swift with a knife as lightning. They both looked after things at Eastwood’s. If McKenzie hadn’t been so quick to take care of himself tonight, they would probably have entered into the fight.
They had been sent to retrieve her! she thought, her heart pounding.
“What the bloody hell do you want?” McKenzie demanded, his voice ringing with fury.
Rory cleared his throat. “Sorry, McKenzie. But Eastwood needs the girl. Seems that someone willing to pay big is looking for her.”
“She’s three hundred dollars to me. In gold,” McKenzie said flatly.
“But she has to come back—”
“She isn’t coming back tonight, and if anyone tries to take her, I’ll kill him! Is that understood?”
His words were met with silence. He continued. “She’ll come back in the morning,” McKenzie said flatly. He lowered his voice. Tara could still hear him, but his words were very soft. “I mean, really, boys, I’m just getting to the good part and the two of you bust in here? Get the hell out! It’ll be another gold piece to the both of you, and Eastwood will have her back for the other two in the morning. He can make his money, you can make yours, and I can have the whole damned night that fool Eastwood owes for being stupid enough to borrow money from that gambling Frenchie.”
There was some whispering that Tara couldn’t hear. She realized that the two men were trying to look over McKenzie’s shoulder, assuring themselves that she was in his bed, right where she was supposed to be.
“What’s she like?” Geoffrey asked McKenzie suddenly. “I always itched to get my hands on her … she claimed she didn’t do business with any menfolk, hired help or not. God, I would have spent every cent I ever had—”
He broke off because McKenzie was pushing him out the door. “She’s just a little taste of heaven!” McKenzie assured him. “Remember, there’s money in it for you both. Just so long as I’m not interrupted again tonight, eh?”
“Right, McKenzie. You won’t be interrupted again,” Rory promised him. “Excuse us. We’re really sorry.”
“Just go!”
They did. McKenzie closed the door behind them and leaned against it. Tara could feel his ebony gaze on her.As if he could really see her in the darkness. He laughed suddenly, a bit wickedly. “You’re blushing!”
“You can’t possibly see that!” Tara cried. What else had he seen? “And you didn’t have to say that!”
“Say what?”
“That I was a taste of heaven!”
“I should have said that you were as exciting as a cold piece of driftwood?” he inquired politely. “They would have really wondered why I wanted you for the rest of the night!”
“No!” She wanted to throw something at him, anything! “You shouldn’t have said anything at all!”
“No matter what I said, he’d be licking his chops,” McKenzie said flatly.
She was still upset. She’d never felt so horribly cheap in all her life.
Cheap, no. She was supposedly worth three hundred dollars, she reminded herself miserably.
“You didn’t have to say anything!”
His hand clamped over her mouth. “Shush!” he warned her. He waited, tense as living steel. In all of her life she didn’t think that she had felt anything as acutely as she felt the wired strength of his body at that moment. He waited a heartbeat, waited for the banging to come on the door again. “Now!” he whispered very softly, and right on cue the door burst open.
Chapter 3
T wo men stood there, framed by the moonlight.
McKenzie leapt up in a fury in the shadowed room, throwing the covers over her, wrenching a bath sheet from the foot of the bed to wrap around his waist.
“What are you doing?” McKenzie demanded incredulously.
She recognized the men standing there. They weren’t the ones who had come to Eastwood’s for her—they were Eastwood’s servants. One was Rory, a husky farmer from Minnesota, and the other was Geoffrey, a one-eyed, slimmer man who was as swift with a knife as lightning. They both looked after things at Eastwood’s. If McKenzie hadn’t been so quick to take care of himself tonight, they would probably have entered into the fight.
They had been sent to retrieve her! she thought, her heart pounding.
“What the bloody hell do you want?” McKenzie demanded, his voice ringing with fury.
Rory cleared his throat. “Sorry, McKenzie. But Eastwood needs the girl. Seems that someone willing to pay big is looking for her.”
“She’s three hundred dollars to me. In gold,” McKenzie said flatly.
“But she has to come back—”
“She isn’t coming back tonight, and if anyone tries to take her, I’ll kill him! Is that understood?”
His words were met with silence. He continued. “She’ll come back in the morning,” McKenzie said flatly. He lowered his voice. Tara could still hear him, but his words were very soft. “I mean, really, boys, I’m just getting to the good part and the two of you bust in here? Get the hell out! It’ll be another gold piece to the both of you, and Eastwood will have her back for the other two in the morning. He can make his money, you can make yours, and I can have the whole damned night that fool Eastwood owes for being stupid enough to borrow money from that gambling Frenchie.”
There was some whispering that Tara couldn’t hear. She realized that the two men were trying to look over McKenzie’s shoulder, assuring themselves that she was in his bed, right where she was supposed to be.
“What’s she like?” Geoffrey asked McKenzie suddenly. “I always itched to get my hands on her … she claimed she didn’t do business with any menfolk, hired help or not. God, I would have spent every cent I ever had—”
He broke off because McKenzie was pushing him out the door. “She’s just a little taste of heaven!” McKenzie assured him. “Remember, there’s money in it for you both. Just so long as I’m not interrupted again tonight, eh?”
“Right, McKenzie. You won’t be interrupted again,” Rory promised him. “Excuse us. We’re really sorry.”
“Just go!”
They did. McKenzie closed the door behind them and leaned against it. Tara could feel his ebony gaze on her.As if he could really see her in the darkness. He laughed suddenly, a bit wickedly. “You’re blushing!”
“You can’t possibly see that!” Tara cried. What else had he seen? “And you didn’t have to say that!”
“Say what?”
“That I was a taste of heaven!”
“I should have said that you were as exciting as a cold piece of driftwood?” he inquired politely. “They would have really wondered why I wanted you for the rest of the night!”
“No!” She wanted to throw something at him, anything! “You shouldn’t have said anything at all!”
“No matter what I said, he’d be licking his chops,” McKenzie said flatly.
She was still upset. She’d never felt so horribly cheap in all her life.
Cheap, no. She was supposedly worth three hundred dollars, she reminded herself miserably.
“You didn’t have to say anything!”
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