“Not atpresent. I am...That is, I....” She exhaled. “I have anidea.”
He waited, but she didn’texpand. Turning to regard her, he lifted a brow. “What meaningshould I take from that?”
“Whatevermeaning you want.”
His eyebrow rose higher.“Are you really not going to tell me?”
“It’s noteven really an idea. More like a notion.”
“Anotion?”
“Of thefaintest kind.”
“And so, onthis fine morning, when the air is crisp and the mud is thick, weare going to the printers to explore ‘a notion’.”
A smile touched her lips.“Yes.”
He whistled. “You’reright, darlin’, why would I be wanting an expansion on that? Itsatisfies all curiosity and puts at ease a troubled mind. You haveallayed my doubts and addressed my concerns, and any furtherdissection is stupidly excessive.”
“You haveconcerns?”
“I’mspeechifying, darlin’. Don’t interrupt.”
Her lips twitched. “Myapologies. I won’t interrupt again.”
“See that youdon’t. A man is libel to—”
“Wade!”
The roar stopped him inhis tracks. Hope bumped into him, a question on herface.
A man stood in the middleof the street, his coat hooked behind the guns strapped to hiships. A rough beard covered his jaw and his hat sat low, shieldinghis eyes. A grin pulled at his mouth as he sauntered toward them,his hands resting on the pistol handles. “Wade, I’ve been lookingfor you.”
Stepping in front ofHope, Jake fixed a genial smile on his face even as he took note ofthe distance between them, the confidence with which the manhandled his weapons, and the likelihood of the man getting the dropon him. “Well now, friend, you have the better of me. You know me,but I don’t know you. Care to introduce yourself?”
“I don’tbelieve it much matters who I am, it more matters who I represent.Hear tell you’ve been poking around where you don’t belong, lookingfor information on those who wish to stay hidden.” The man’s handstightened on the guns. “You could say I’m here to discourageyou.”
ChapterEighteen
INTENSLEY AWARE OF HOPE behind him, Jake sauntered intothe street, proffering a lazy grin even as his heart pounded in hisears. The gunslinger watched his progress with a smirk, neverlooking beyond him. Good. The more the man looked at him, the lesshe were likely to notice Hope.
He weren’t noticingHope.
With that thought,emotion fled. Clinically, Jake assessed the gunslinger. Though hewore a cocky grin, the man’s hands rested on his belt, his fingerstwitching over the grip of his guns. Sweat beaded at his brow andin his moustache and his gaze shifted, flicking ever so slightlyfrom Jake’s eyes to the guns strapped to his hips. He weren’t asold as he first appeared, barely out of his youth for all thefulsome moustache he sported and the fancy clothes hewore.
Some part of Jake wereaware of the townsfolk observing, though most of him were aware ofHope. He wanted this over with, and her out of danger.
“Can onlythink you’re here representing Josiah Callihan,” Jake said, loopinghis thumbs through his belt. “Which to my way of thinking confirmshe still numbers amongst the living. So which are you, one of hisgang or some offsider looking for an in?”
As if unable to helphimself, the action drew the gunslinger’s gaze. His smirk slipped,fear taking its place before he recovered the smirk once more.“Don’t much matter what I am. What matters is you’ve been askingquestions best left unanswered.”
This needed to be overand done, and quick. There would be something, a tick or a tell,and then Jake would know what course to take to grate on the man.It were just a matter of time afore he found whatever it was thatwould rub the man wrong. “Turn on your heel and leave. You won’t bemaking a reputation today, and I warrant Callihan wouldn’t muchcare besides. A reputation is more than challenging those who areyour superior. I would advise turning on your heel afore you getshoved in that direction.”
“Who are youto be saying anything, old man?”
And there it was. Thetell. The fulsome moustache. The too-fancy clothes that didn’tquite fit. The man knew he weren’t long out of boyhood and itgrated him something fierce. “One with more experience and a bettereye. You sure you can draw before me, son?”
“Don’t callme son. And I ain’t concerned with that.”
