Deadly

by Sylvia McDaniel

  “My dress,” she cried and ran to the garment, touching the fabric lovingly.

  He watched her face and could see the happiness glowing on her cheeks. It made him feel good that he’d made her happy.

  Slowly, she turned to face him, confusion reflected in her gaze. “Zach, I don’t know what to say,” she said, glancing around the room.

  He walked over to her and dropped down on one knee. She gasped, her eyes widening. “Meg, the last few weeks with us together on the trail has made me realize you make me a better man. You help me see my weaknesses. You make me stronger. You support me and prop me up when I need strength. But most of all, you’ve captured my heart. I’ve fallen madly, deeply, in love with you, and I can’t imagine spending another day on earth without you by my side as my wife.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at him. Her green eyes were glistening with what looked like happiness.

  “To show you my love, I wanted to give you your dream. This building is ours, if we want to rent it. You can have your dress shop down below, and upstairs are living quarters for us and the family I hope we someday will have. If you love me, then please be my wife. Spend the rest of your life with me by your side.”

  She pulled him to his feet and fell into his arms. “I love you, Zach. I’ve been miserable these last few weeks without you, not knowing what you’d done. I believed you would make the right choice, but then I heard nothing. I never doubted you were a good man, but I knew you loved your brother.”

  “You believed in me, when I didn’t believe in myself. You knew I would make the right choice.” As much as he loved his brother, the decision she’d forced him to make was the best one for Zach and for Simon.

  “I love you, Zach. I want more than anything to be your wife.”

  His mouth covered hers in a kiss that swept her up off her feet and pressed her body tight against his. Oh God, this was what he’d missed—her love, her strength of character, and her love of family. Zach knew that without Meg’s love, he would never be as strong a man. This woman had made him tough, and he could only hope he would prove as good a husband to her as he knew she would be a wife to him.

  Their lips came apart.

  “The bounty money,” he said.

  She frowned. “We didn’t expect any money.”

  He reached in his pocket and pulled out the cash. “It’s yours. You caught Simon. You deserve the bounty.”

  “It’ll almost pay off the note,” she gasped.

  He smiled. “I know.”

  She rained kisses on his face, and he laughed with pleasure. “One small request.”

  “What, cowboy?”

  “I tied you up last. Can we end it there?”

  She laughed. “As long as you don’t give me a reason to tie you up, then we’re good.”

  “Boy, if there isn’t a threat in there, I’m not sheriff.”

  She whispered in his ear, “Maybe I’ll let you tie me up in the bedroom.”

  “No way, I want your hands free and on me.”

  Their lips met again, and Zach knew he’d made the right decision. He’d chosen love over family.

  The End

  Thank You For Reading!

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Deadly as much as I loved writing this story. Westerns have always been one of my favorite stories and I wanted to portray strong women taking charge of their life. The idea of a woman who enjoyed lipstick back in this time period intrigued me and I wanted to make it challenging for her, so she’s a bounty hunter. Annabelle’s story, Dangerous will soon be available.

  I have one small request. If you’re inclined, please leave a review. Whether or not you loved the book or hated, it-I’d enjoy your feedback.

  Reviews are difficult to obtain and have the power to make or break a book. Here is a link to my author page on Kobo. You can find all my books here.

  If you’d like to learn about my new releases as soon as possible, please sign up for my newsletter at: : http://www.sylviamcdaniel.com/newsletter/

  Reading one of my books is like spending time with me, and I just want to say Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Sincerely,

  Sylvia McDaniel

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  Author Bio

  Sylvia McDaniel

  Sylvia McDaniel is a best-selling, award-winning author of western historical romance and contemporary romance novels. Known for her sweet, funny, family-oriented romances, Sylvia is the author of The Burnett Brides a historical western series, The Cuvier Widows, a Louisiana historical series, Lipstick and Lead, a western historical series and several short contemporary romances.

  Former President of the Dallas Area Romance Authors, a member of the Romance Writers of America®, and a member of Novelists Inc, her novel, A Hero’s Heart was a 1996 Golden Heart Finalist. Several other books have placed or won in the San Antonio Romance Authors Contest, LERA Contest, and she was a Golden Network Finalist.

  Married for nearly twenty years to her best friend, they have one dachshund that reigns Queen Supreme over the house and a good-looking, grown son who thinks there’s no place like home. She loves gardening, hiking, shopping, knitting and football (Cowboys and Bronco’s fan), but not necessarily in that order.

  Sign up for Sylvia’s newsletter at www.SylviaMcDaniel.com

  Visit Sylvia’s website at www.SylviaMcDaniel.com

  Follow Sylvia on twitter at www.twitter.com/SylviaJMcDaniel

  Join Sylvia on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SylviaMcDanielAuthor

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150774.Sylvia_McDaniel

  You can write to Sylvia at P.O. Box 2542, Coppell, TX 75019 or visit her website.

  Dangerous

  EXCERPT:

  Chapter One

  Annabelle McKenzie strode down the wooden sidewalk on her way to the bank. As the family bookkeeper for their bounty hunting business, Lipstick and Lead, it was her responsibility to make certain the bank loan was paid, the farm continued to operate, and supplies were bought, while her sisters had all the fun chasing bad guys and bringing them to justice. Her sisters earned the money, and Annabelle made certain they had a home to return to.

  After their father died, they’d learned his profession out of desperation and become bounty hunters. The job paid better than being a waitress or a seamstress or even a housekeeper. And you only had to answer to the men captured and brought to justice.

  Not the randy hands of the owner of a business or his employees.

  Living on a farm alone, taking care of cattle and chickens and gardening, was enough to make any person question her sanity. In the last year, Annabelle had begun to regret agreeing to take care of their land, while her sisters did the hunting.

  She longed for adventure, excitement, danger. Something more challenging than shoveling manure. Only, her sisters disagreed. Meg and Ruby wanted her to remain on the farm.

  Hogwash! It was someone else’s turn to babysit the chickens, harvest the garden, and chase the stray cows.

  This morning, she’d stopped at the sheriff’s office and picked up the latest wanted posters. Tonight, when she got home, she was going to make her sisters understand she needed to get away from the braying of cattle and the collecting of eggs.

  Slap her silly, but she was done!

  Deep in thought about how she would explain to them she craved adventure and longed for excitement, she rounded the corner to enter the bank and slammed into the hard chest muscles of a large dark-haired man. The scent of soap and campfire smoke spiraled through her straight to her center. This was a manly man and Lord knew, they were scarce in Zenith, Texas. Where had he come from?

  His hat was pulled low over his face, and he grabbed her by the arms, halting her progress. Her head fit just below his chin. She looked up at his strong, rugged jaw, and serious face.

  Long black lashes blinked over emerald eyes as he gripped her arms. “Slow down,” he said in a deep husky draw
l. He kept his head down, barely looking at her. “There’s still plenty of cash left in the bank.”

  What a condescending, egotistical, handsome renegade. Not an “I’m sorry” or “Excuse me”, but rather a crass remark about the money in the bank. “Maybe you should watch where you’re going.”

  She tilted her head and stared into those dark forest eyes. There was something about him that seemed familiar, yet she couldn’t place him. She’d seen his face. She stared up at him. “You’re tall enough you should be able to see a woman coming.”

  He nodded, and she stared at the way his shirt fit his strong shoulders and muscled arms. And his lips were full and tempting, made for kissing.

  “You’re right, ma’am. I should see a small package like you, barreling around a blind corner. Maybe I need to replace my spectacles with a pair that can see through walls,” he said, releasing her arms.

  “Maybe you do,” she said, knowing the oversized giant was smarting off to her. He wasn’t wearing spectacles. Where had she seen him before? “What’s your name?”

  A sly smile turned up the corners of his full, luscious lips. “Why? You plan on having me arrested for running into you?”

  The man had an ornery mouth, and she was just the woman to give it right back.

  “Maybe,” she said. “I know the sheriff well. It would serve you right for being belligerent and disrespectful.”

  He smiled a wickedly sly grin that sent tingles through her. “You have a really nice day.”

  His voice was dripping with sweet sarcasm that made her feel like she’d eaten too many cookies. Tipping his black hat at her, he sauntered out the door.

  Like a kick from a bull, it hit her.

  He was on one of the wanted posters she had out in her saddle bags.

  For a moment, she stood there stunned, wanting to grab him by the arm and haul him down to the sheriff’s office. He was getting away, and yet, part of her wasn’t certain he really was a criminal. What if her imagination was stampeding with ideas, trying to get her out of this one horse town?

  But what if this was her chance. Her opportunity to show her sisters she could do more than just watch the cows munch grass. She had bounty hunter blood flowing in her veins. She could catch criminals just as well as they could.

  Two hundred dollars lay in her satchel that she’d been going to deposit into their account. One more payment toward paying off the bank note. They only needed a little more, and then the old place would be theirs.

  But she didn’t have time to make a deposit. She had a criminal to catch.

  She hurried out the door and watched as the man walked down the street toward the mercantile. She hurried to her horse that she’d left tied up on Main Street. Opening the leather bags, she thumbed through the papers. The third one she came to had a picture of her man. Beau Samuel – Wanted for Bank Robbery. Five Hundred Dollar Reward.

  Oh, my God, she’d just run into him at the bank. He was planning on robbing the Zenith Savings & Loan.

  She checked her purse, finding her six-shooter resting beside her little pot of lipstick. The bounty was more than enough to pay off the bank. Meg could start her dress shop. And Annabelle would have a little adventure in her dull, boring life.

  Excitement tingled down her spine and flooded her nerves like a welcome ray of sunshine. A wide smile spread across her face. This was going to be so much fun. She’d follow Mr. Samuel, and before he left town, he’d be in her custody, and she’d be the heroine who saved the day.

  In one afternoon, she would accomplish what Meg and Ruby had taken all year trying to do.

  He’d disappeared inside the mercantile. She’d be waiting for him when he came out.

  *

  Beau Samuel looked around the mercantile. Quickly he replenished his supplies and headed out the door. The faster he got out of this one horse town and to Fort Worth the better. Hopefully, without any run-ins with the law. That wanted poster was like a rock hanging around his neck. Dangerous and deadly.

  One wrong move and he’d find himself in the calaboose.

  Opening the door, he stepped around to the back of the building where he’d tied his horse. The sound of a gun clicking had his breath freezing in his lungs, his fingers twitching near his sidearm.

  “Beau Samuel, you’re wanted for robbery.”

  That same aggravating female he’d met at the bank stood behind him with a gun cocked and loaded. He whirled around, grabbed her hand holding the gun, and wrapped his other arm around her, bringing her into his side. “Now, sugar, you know better than to point a gun at a man.”

  They had a silent tug of war over the gun, and finally, he wrenched the weapon free of her fingers. The sweet scent of roses surrounded the beauty. Her red-gold curls were the type that a man would love to run his hands through, but instead, here he was wrestling her for a gun.

  What kind of woman was she?

  “Damn it,” she said. “I’m going to scream my head off, if you don’t let go of me and give me my weapon back.”

  He shoved the gun into his pocket on the other side of his pants, out of her reach. “I wouldn’t recommend doing that unless you want me to silence you with a kiss.”

  Her blue eyes widened, and she tried to take a step away from him, but he held her firmly in place.

  “Besides, I’m not the Beau Samuel that’s wanted.”

  “Your face is on the wanted poster.”

  “It’s a mistake,” he said, enjoying the feel of her body against his.

  “Yeah, and you’re a rich cattleman who owns half of Texas. Believe me, I’ve heard enough tall tales to know when someone’s talking out the corner of his mouth. You, sir, are a liar and a thief.”

  He laughed, gazing down at her, enjoying her pert little nose turned up in a scornful snit. “You get up this morning and have a dose of vinegar to begin your day?”

  “Actually, I had two. One is Meg and the other is Ruby.”

  “Oh, your vinegar has names,” he said, walking her away from the mercantile toward his horse. If he could get to his horse, he’d leave this sassy miss behind after he emptied the chamber of her six-shooter. There was no need for her to put a bullet in him. This could be handled quickly once he reached Sadie.

  “No, they’re my bounty hunter sisters, and you’re being served up next.”

  He laughed. “Sugar, if they are as easy to disarm as you, then you tell them to come on and we’ll have a party.”

  “Oh, it’s going to be a party all right.” She slapped his hand off her shoulder and wrapped it behind his back, tugging upwards.

  He knew she thought she had him in a hold, and he decided to let her think she could get away with it until they reached his horse. Glancing around, he spotted Sadie.

  “Hey, that hurts,” he said, as the woman tugged on the hold she thought she had him in. It was then that he noticed they were two doors down from the sheriff’s office. Dang, now was not the time or the place to draw attention.

  Oh no, this wasn’t going to happen like she wanted. He had business to attend to that didn’t include a stay in the calaboose.

  Quickly, he twirled her around, releasing his pent-up arm then slammed her against the wall of the bank. Her sapphire eyes widened, and she gazed at him as he leaned into her, not caring that anyone could see them. In fact, he hoped it looked like a lovers’ embrace.

  “You know your smart mouth has tempted me all morning. First in the bank and now out on the street. I’ve taken your gun away. I’m not going to the sheriff’s office with you. Now unless you want me to kiss you senseless here in a back alley off Main Street, then I think we need to have a parting of the ways.”

  She raised her knee and jammed it into his groin, knocking the breath out of him as the world spun crazily, his privates slamming him with pain as his lungs gasped for air.

  “Damn it,” he groaned, slumping over. The woman packed a nasty punch in that knee.

  While he leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, she w
hispered, “Why would I kiss a man like you, wanted by the law?”

  Grabbing his hand, she tried to pull him down the wooden sidewalk. She stopped and considered him. “You’re looking a mite peaked.”

  “Give me a moment, I can’t move. You knocked my man parts into next week.”

  She smiled at him sweetly, and he just shook his head. Where in the world had this woman come from and how did he get rid of her? She was trouble and he didn’t need the aggravation. He should have already been on the road by now.

  “You go get the sheriff. I’ll wait right here.”

  “There you go telling tall tales again.”

  “Does it look like I’m capable of walking right now? Do you think I could get away if I wanted to?” He leaned over and moaned more for effect. The time to leave this town with the hair on was now. He’d be up and on his horse before she could get the sheriff out the door.

  Her sapphire blue eyes drew together in a frown. She was a beautiful woman, but he didn’t have time to play parlor games. There was a gang hot on his trail. But she appeared to be taking the bait. Just a little bit more and he’d have her on the hook.

  “You might have to get me a doctor. I think you broke something.”

  “Oh, good grief. Stay here and I’ll get the sheriff. He can determine if you need a doctor.”

  He watched her hurry down the wooden sidewalk. When she got to the door, she stood there for a moment and called into the office.

  He didn’t waste any time. He rose, took the three steps to his horse, and jumped on—pain radiating through him when his crotch met the saddle. Quickly, he pulled out the woman’s gun, emptied the chamber and threw the weapon in the dirt where it landed with a thunk.

  Good riddance!

  Backing up his horse, he turned and galloped down the street, making a right at the first street he came too. He’d meander his way through town before taking the road that would get him out of this hellhole town.