Leon’s eyes narrowed furiously. “Hell, you came here lookin’ for a fight, didn’t you, you bastard? Well, I’m game. If you want to take a battered face back to your precious bride, you came to the right man.”
Leon began unbuckling his holster belt, and Lucas stood up to do the same. But before he’d finished, Leon’s belt, gun in place, whipped against the side of his head, sending him staggering to the side. His hand came away from his ear smeared with blood. His eyes lit with a smoldering fury. He growled as he charged into Leon’s midsection, sending them both crashing to the saloon floor.
Several hours later found Lucas whistling cheerfully as he led his horse home. His jaw was tender, his knuckles were swollen, and his rib cage hurt like the dickens, but it had been worth it. Now maybe he could get some sleep without thinking about her.
Ten
Lucas was surprised to find breakfast waiting for him. But he wasn’t surprised at Sharisse’s tight-lipped expression. She served him silently and kept her eyes averted even after she sat down beside him. She remained stonily silent all through the meal.
Lucas was half-amused, half-worried. Was it only because of his amorous advances? Or had she heard him slip into her room last night when he got back from town? He could have sworn she’d been asleep then, though. He had only wanted to make sure that she was all right. Well, not only that. He had also wanted to assure himself that she hadn’t panicked and flown. And it wasn’t as if he had seen anything he shouldn’t see. She’d had the sheet pulled right up to her neck. She even slept with her hair in a bun, so his curiosity over how long it was hadn’t been satisfied.
Sharisse took her time with the dishes, hoping Lucas would leave before she finished. What she had to say to him took a strength of nerve she hadn’t quite built up yet. If he had only said something, she would have had an opening. But he had sat there at the table and matched her silence.
Something had to be said, however. She wasn’t going to risk a repetition of last night’s outrageous behavior. That thought gave her the courage she needed.
“We have to talk, Lucas.”
“About last night?”
“Yes.”
She sat down again, but before she could begin, he reached over and took her hand.
“You’ll let me apologize first?” he said.
Sharisse was unnerved by his touch, and by the husky timbre of his voice. She couldn’t meet his eyes, so she stared at the hand gently squeezing hers. She was startled by the swollen, scraped knuckles.
“You’ve been hurt.” Her eyes flew to his face. His left cheek was swollen.
“It’s nothing,” Lucas replied with a measure of embarrassment. “I just got into a little scrap with the Newcomb Ranch foreman.”
“Here? Or at his ranch?”
“In town.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you had left the ranch.” Curiosity prompted her. “Who won?”
“Neither of us won.” Lucas gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m afraid I didn’t give it my best effort.”
“Why not?” She quickly amended, “I mean, if you were forced to fight in the first place, I would think you’d try to win. Or at least avoid getting injured.”
“I wasn’t out to hurt the man, Sharisse. And besides, I’m not injured. It’s nothing. But I appreciate your concern.”
His grin was too cocky all of a sudden. He seemed almost conceited. She looked away, infuriated that he had mistaken her curiosity for more than it was.
“About last night, Lucas…”
“I know,” he said. “You’re angry with me. I don’t blame you.”
“It’s more than that,” she said uneasily, remembering not only his boldness, but what she had felt for him. “What you did was—”
“—unforgivable, I know,” he said.
Sharisse glared at him. “Will you letmesay it? Yes, it was unforgivable,” she continued. “You had no right to press your advances on me so ardently, and no right to get angry when I resisted you. On top of that, you tried to make me feel guilty about it, when I did absolutely nothing to encourage you in the first place.”
“I think you’re forgetting something,” he said quietly.
She eyed him warily. “What?”
