you?”
“I fell,” Dawn said before Cole could form a reply.
“Of course you did,” Lucinda said, sending Coleanother lethal glance. “Come with me, child. We’ll find you something pretty to wear.”
“She’s to have a complete outfit from the skin out,” Cole said. “Nothing fancy. And a spare of everything. And boots and shoes. Better throw in a warm wrap, too. Winter’s coming on. Add anything else you think she’ll need. Oh, if you have any of those split riding skirts, she’d probably appreciate one of those.”
Lucinda nodded, her face still grim. She blamed Cole for Dawn’s bruises and was hanging on to her temper by a slim thread. This was the kind of abuse she abhorred. If she could, she’d take a horsewhip to every man who beat his woman.
“I’ll return in a couple of hours. Is that enough time?”
Lucinda nodded jerkily and directed Dawn toward the women’s section of the store.
Two hours later Cole returned to the store. Lucinda Cartwright met him at the door, her face mottled with rage. “You animal! You pig! How dare you beat that poor child? Did you think I wouldn’t see her back? She’s a mass of bruises. I have a good notion to take a horsewhip to you.”
“Hold on a darn minute, lady. I didn’t touch Dawn. I’ve never beaten a woman in my life. Her husband did that to her.”
“Then it’s her husband I’d like to horsewhip. I hope she’s not going back to him.”
“Her husband is dead.”
Lucinda gave him a speculative glance. “Did you kill him?”
“I did.”
“Good riddance. Dawn will be out in a minute. She’s so thin I had to take in nearly everything she selected. Once she puts a little meat on her bones she can let out the seams.”
Suddenly Cole’s gaze shifted past the rotund Lucinda to where Dawn had just emerged from behind a curtain. His breath caught in his throat. He’d suspected that Dawn was lovely but he hadn’t realized just how lovely. Her slimness was eased by the fullness of her breasts. She wore a split riding skirt of butter-soft doeskin that hugged her hips and flared around her ankles. Her blouse was made of practical cotton in a blue color that matched her eyes. Cole could tell by the way the material hugged the curves of her breasts that she wore no corset. Senseless objects, actually, but many women set store by them. On Dawn, a corset would have been as useless as tits on a boar.
Dawn’s hair had been combed back from her face and tied in place with a blue ribbon. Her golden skin and exotically tilted blue eyes utterly captivated Cole. He couldn’t help staring. He knew then that he wanted her.
“She looks lovely, doesn’t she?” Lucinda said admiringly. “I’ve wrapped her other purchases and tied them with string so they can be attached to your saddle.”
After Cole settled the bill, Dawn bade the kindly Lucinda good-bye and followed Cole from the store. She was troubled by the way Cole had stared at her. Had her new finery changed her so much? She was astute enough to realize that Cole wanted her. His hunger was clearly visible in the volatile depths of his green eyes.
Chapter Four
Conversation was sparse during the ride back to the cabin. Cole was having difficulty adjusting to feelings he didn’t understand and liked even less. Pity and compassion he could deal with. But another emotion that had nothing to do with pity was plaguing him and it made him uncomfortable.
Dawn’s thoughts paralleled Cole’s. In the general store Cole had looked upon her with desire. She’d seen desire in the gazes of Billy’s cohorts and had learned to fear it. Yet she didn’t fear Cole. He’d been nothing but kind and thoughtful to her, considering how she’d lied to him about the train robbery money. Dawn knew she was no beauty. She was skinny, her skin was golden instead of milk white, her mouth was too wide, and her eyestilted at the outer corners. She looked foreign and exotic, certainly not beautiful.
Dawn glanced
“I fell,” Dawn said before Cole could form a reply.
“Of course you did,” Lucinda said, sending Coleanother lethal glance. “Come with me, child. We’ll find you something pretty to wear.”
“She’s to have a complete outfit from the skin out,” Cole said. “Nothing fancy. And a spare of everything. And boots and shoes. Better throw in a warm wrap, too. Winter’s coming on. Add anything else you think she’ll need. Oh, if you have any of those split riding skirts, she’d probably appreciate one of those.”
Lucinda nodded, her face still grim. She blamed Cole for Dawn’s bruises and was hanging on to her temper by a slim thread. This was the kind of abuse she abhorred. If she could, she’d take a horsewhip to every man who beat his woman.
“I’ll return in a couple of hours. Is that enough time?”
Lucinda nodded jerkily and directed Dawn toward the women’s section of the store.
Two hours later Cole returned to the store. Lucinda Cartwright met him at the door, her face mottled with rage. “You animal! You pig! How dare you beat that poor child? Did you think I wouldn’t see her back? She’s a mass of bruises. I have a good notion to take a horsewhip to you.”
“Hold on a darn minute, lady. I didn’t touch Dawn. I’ve never beaten a woman in my life. Her husband did that to her.”
“Then it’s her husband I’d like to horsewhip. I hope she’s not going back to him.”
“Her husband is dead.”
Lucinda gave him a speculative glance. “Did you kill him?”
“I did.”
“Good riddance. Dawn will be out in a minute. She’s so thin I had to take in nearly everything she selected. Once she puts a little meat on her bones she can let out the seams.”
Suddenly Cole’s gaze shifted past the rotund Lucinda to where Dawn had just emerged from behind a curtain. His breath caught in his throat. He’d suspected that Dawn was lovely but he hadn’t realized just how lovely. Her slimness was eased by the fullness of her breasts. She wore a split riding skirt of butter-soft doeskin that hugged her hips and flared around her ankles. Her blouse was made of practical cotton in a blue color that matched her eyes. Cole could tell by the way the material hugged the curves of her breasts that she wore no corset. Senseless objects, actually, but many women set store by them. On Dawn, a corset would have been as useless as tits on a boar.
Dawn’s hair had been combed back from her face and tied in place with a blue ribbon. Her golden skin and exotically tilted blue eyes utterly captivated Cole. He couldn’t help staring. He knew then that he wanted her.
“She looks lovely, doesn’t she?” Lucinda said admiringly. “I’ve wrapped her other purchases and tied them with string so they can be attached to your saddle.”
After Cole settled the bill, Dawn bade the kindly Lucinda good-bye and followed Cole from the store. She was troubled by the way Cole had stared at her. Had her new finery changed her so much? She was astute enough to realize that Cole wanted her. His hunger was clearly visible in the volatile depths of his green eyes.
Chapter Four
Conversation was sparse during the ride back to the cabin. Cole was having difficulty adjusting to feelings he didn’t understand and liked even less. Pity and compassion he could deal with. But another emotion that had nothing to do with pity was plaguing him and it made him uncomfortable.
Dawn’s thoughts paralleled Cole’s. In the general store Cole had looked upon her with desire. She’d seen desire in the gazes of Billy’s cohorts and had learned to fear it. Yet she didn’t fear Cole. He’d been nothing but kind and thoughtful to her, considering how she’d lied to him about the train robbery money. Dawn knew she was no beauty. She was skinny, her skin was golden instead of milk white, her mouth was too wide, and her eyestilted at the outer corners. She looked foreign and exotic, certainly not beautiful.
Dawn glanced
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