Page 64 of The Outlaw and the Heir

"And who was I going to tell? Daddy? Or maybe my brothers, one who hates the idea of anyone doing anything he doesn't like, and the other so protective of me he fought a grown ranch hand once because the man accidentally bumped me to the ground," Elizabeth asked wryly, and I felt my face warm.

"The important question is whether or not he won that fight because everything else sounds exactly like him," Samuel said with a laugh.

"The man was about the size Ambrose is now, and Ambrose was seven," Elizabeth said with a snort. "It was an attempt at a fight he was never going to win. Fought like a wild cat until Daddy showed up and made him quit. It was the only time I ever saw Ambrose refuse to apologize or back down when it came to Daddy."

"Fascinating," Samuel said, looking at me thoughtfully as Elizabeth beamed.

"It sure was something," she said, probably thinking she was agreeing with him. What Elizabeth didn't know, however, was that when Samuel found something interesting or fascinating, it usually meant he’d had a theory confirmed, or a new piece to the puzzle had been added, and he was trying to see where it fit. Even if Samuel wasn't constantlytryingto get a read on people, his mind always seemed primed to pick apart what made a person tick, sometimes without so much as a bit of effort.

"You," I told him, waving the tip of my finger near his thoughtful expression. "Stop whatever it is you're doin'. I'm not in the mood."

"Funny," Elizabeth said, looking me over. "You don't look like you're in a bad mood. Actually, you look like you're in one of your rare, good moods."

"See, now, ifIhad pointed that out, his good mood would have disappeared," Samuel said, not looking bothered in the slightest but, in fact, slightly smug.

"I'm in a normal mood," I protested, trying not to look my sister too closely in the eye. Father had always said that looking into the heart of others came easier to women, which was true when it came to Elizabeth. My sister had always been good at glancing at a person and reading what was in their hearts, which had come in handy for her husband regarding trade negotiations. I also suspected she was the only one who could peer behind our father's stony mask, though she’dneversaid anything to prove that. "Please don't give him more ammunition to mess with me."

"Only you would think that acknowledging you're in a good mood is messing with you," Elizabeth said, patting my arm fondly. "I've noticed it happening more and more lately. Whatever it is, I'm glad. I've always said you needed to be a little happier occasionally."

I could feel warmth blossom in my cheeks, and I fought to keep my expression neutral and realized I was scowling even more. "I need you to stop spendin' time around troublemakers."

Samuel's eyes twinkled in amusement. “Now, now, you're giving me far too much credit. I think she's more than capable of causing trouble on her own without my help."

"I am a lady," Elizabeth said in a high, almost wounded voice, but anyone with eyes could see the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought against a grin. "I would never cause trouble."

Which, if those bible-thumping believers could be trusted, was a statement that should have had her struck down whereshe stood. Of the three of us, Elizabeth had easily been the most troublesome. Some of our tutors were surprised. Even our governess had been wary. I suppose they expected the two boys to be the ones giving them the most trouble and not the blue-eyed, blonde, sweet girl who wore the prettiest dresses...until she got them torn and muddied whenever she slipped from under a watchful eye and went on her little adventures.

Our father finally banned her from wearing dresses except on special occasions until she started to come of age. Becoming a woman had toned her wildness down, and she was less prone to disappear, only to reappear torn, dirty, and sometimes bloodied from whatever she was doing. Instead, she slowly became the woman I'd known for years, well-maintained, well-dressed, seemingly demure and intelligent, but never pushy, bossy, or demanding...in public, anyway. I could only imagine what she was like with her husband, and now Samuel was encouraging her.

"Yeah, well, that might be," I said, hoping my sarcasm and doubt were coming through strong enough for them to pick up. "But considerin' the trouble you are and the trouble you used to be, maybe you shouldn't spend too much time with each other. Especially whenyou'resupposed to be workin' right now, and no, workin' your mouth don't count."

"I'd say you're being rude, but considering what I've heard said around here when they think 'delicate' ears aren't listening, that's pretty tame," Elizabeth said with a shake of her head.

"Don't let him fool you," Samuel said, and I didn't trust the smile on his face for one minute. "He likes when I work my mouth."

I knew my face was burning again, but if I didn't acknowledge it, maybe I could get away with no one saying anything about it. “Not at the moment."

"That's alright," he said, completely unfazed by the threat that laced my voice, which was normal for him. "I'm sure I'll find a way to change that at a later time. I am incredibly charming, after all."

"You do have your charms," Elizabeth said, covering her mouth and giggling. Which only served to make my irritation stronger because my sister didn't normally giggle around men who weren't her husband. An ugly churning started in my stomach as I stared at her, wondering why she decided she needed to sound like a silly girl with Samuel.

"More so for others," he said, still watching me, either ignoring my sister's odd behavior or oblivious to it as he focused on trying to get a reaction out of me.

I jammed my finger in a direction. “You have work to be donesomewhere else. So get to it."

"Bossy," he said, though I saw his brow crease, a sign he was bothered by something, but quickly pushed it away like it had never existed. "It seems it's time to abandon you. Perhaps your brother will be a decent replacement as a guide."

"Fun is rarely allowed in his presence," she said with a smaller version of the last giggle, annoying me further. By the Lord, she had a husband! Samuel wasn't doing a thing to dissuade her from acting strangely around him, and the sooner he went away, the sooner I could stop being annoyed with both of them.

"He's starting to get that twitch in his neck that tells me I should probably shut up and go find something to do away from him," Samuel said with a laugh, giving a small wave before turning to walk off. And as irritated as I was with him, Istillfound myself watching him leave...well, mostly the curve of his butt in his pants.

Damn that man. Sometimes, I wondered if there was something to all the things believers liked to spout. It was easy tobelieve he’d discovered the secret to magic and had me wrapped up in some spell. All the man had to do wasexistaround me, and I'd find myself distracted. It was a damn good thing he wanted to keep things as under the hat as possible, otherwise, he could have abused the hell out of my poor self-control.

Not that my self-control had ever been a problem before, which made it all the more frustrating that he had such control over me. Even the previous partners I'd spent time with never held so much power over me. Even Curt, who I’d spent days on end with, hadn't been able to convince me to leave town and head somewhere we could be together. I had known then that I would not be able to live my romantic life the way I wanted to, but that wouldn't stop me from going back to the ranch where I belonged.

Samuel had a greater hold on my senses than anyone I’d known. No one else had ever come close. People liked to say that sex could ensnare even the wisest of men, but I’d always shrugged it off. After all, I had walked away from the allure of sex more than once due to the risks. Yet the risk had seemed worth it that day at the river, and since then, I had become increasingly dismissive of it, including all but having my way with the man with my eyes.

"Must you always be a spoilsport?" Elizabeth asked, startling me from my thoughts as she shoved her arm through mine and gripped it tightly. "I was enjoying my little walk."

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