Page 65 of The Outlaw and the Heir

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad if ya weren't tryin’ to flirt with 'em," I grumbled, tempted to pull my arm away but knowing it would just hurt her feelings. For as tough as she was, she had always been strangely sensitive when it came to me. Then again, I suppose with our father being an icy block of emotion and our brother being...well. I suppose I was the closest she had to a family member she could rely on.

She opened her mouth and then huffed. “I wasn'tflirting."

"Well, I don't know what you call it because I ain't heard you giggle like that since you were being courted."

"I wasnot."

"Yeah, ya were."

She gave a little huff, squeezing my arm just shy of painful. "Maybe I'm just...feelin' a little lonely. I've been raising the kids, minding my business, and all on my own whilesomeonegets to go out and socialize, drink with the men, haggle, and all the things that are for men. I'm bored and lonely, and he's good company?—"

"Yeah?" I asked, suddenly unsure of myself. It wasn't like Elizabeth to admit feeling less than stellar. She had always been good at slapping on a happy face and dealing with whatever came her way with a smile and a good joke.

"Well, it doesn't hurt that he is pretty handsome," she said and laughed.

"Ugh," I groaned, again trying to ignore the ugly churning in my gut. "You do remember why he's here, right? Like when you're thinkin' he's so charmin' or handsome, you remember why he's here, yeah?"

She rolled her eyes. “How could I forget? But if you ask me, I think he's been here long enough and done enough to prove there's a little more to it than that. And maybe I know what it's like."

"What what's like?"

"Living a life locked to one thing that everyone else holds you to. Once you're known as something, everyone expects you to be it. Once that happens, you either are that something or you find a way to break out of it. Doesn't matter if you're the only daughter on the best ranch in the middle of nowhere with a proper education and training or a former outlaw stuck on the ranch doing labor to work out your sentence. That's...what you are to other people."

All the old arguments and retorts about Samuel's current circumstances died in my throat as I began to walk with Elizabeth. It was more like I was following her lead as she walked, a thoughtful expression on her face as she watched the men work. If anyone knew it was her under that hat, which they would since it was a young, pretty woman, no one gave it away in their looks or extended stares. Whether that was because they remembered their manners or because I was there was anyone's guess. I wasn't going to argue with the results.

"I, uh...didn't realize ya felt like that," I admitted, frowning as I considered the life my sister led. She'd always seemed happy with her circumstances, which were better than many people's, especially this far west. We'd always been taught to appreciate what we had, keep a tight grip on it so we don't lose it, but never be afraid to reach out and take more if it wouldn't cost us what we had. Our brother had never learned that lesson; his ambition had always exceeded mine, and now I wondered if perhaps my sister had a touch of the same bug but was better at hiding it.

"I don't...not always," she said with a shrug. "And maybe it would be different if I got out of the house more often and saw people besides the staff and my family. I don't have any friends around here unless you count Hipolita."

"Ido," I grumbled.

She laughed softly. “Well, of course you do, and so do I. But it would be nice to have more friends than the lovely woman who was a mother to us. I'm left to raise children, read books, andmaybeget to use my brain in business matters so long as the rest of my family isn't around. My dear husband might be out having most of the fun, but at least he lets me have a say."

"Probably because he's been smitten since the day he met you and would move mountains to make you happy."

"And he's not a stupid man. He knows my woman's heart doesn't stop me from making good decisions in business."

I glanced sidelong at her. “Woman's heart?"

She winked. “C'mon, I know what all you men say about women. How fragile and gentle we are, how we need to be shielded from the world, and so on."

At that, I couldn't help but laugh. “You're a good woman, Lizzy, but I wouldn't call ya fragile...maybe gentle, when the kids are around."

Which earned me an elbow in the side, making me wince. "Play nice."

"Always," I said with a shake of my head.

"Liar," she muttered, glancing around. "Samuel told me you aren't always threatening his life as much."

Wariness prickled my scalp. “What else did he tell you?"

"He talks a lot, but you really need to pay attention to what's actually being said...and what isn't," she said after a moment and then shrugged. "He's fun, funny, has plenty of stories, and treats me like a person."

"Youarea person," I said with a frown.

"Look, to you, I'm your sister. To these men, I'm the ranch owner's daughter and a lady. To my children, I'm their mother. Samuel's one of two people who see me beyond the role and expectations they have in their head. He doesn't treat me like I'm fragile, he doesn't treat me roughly, he listens when I talk, andactuallytalks with me. It might be filled with half-truths and what I'm sure he thinks are slick moves to avoid talking about himself too much, but he does that with everyone. So it means I'm not special."

"I don't agree."

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