Page 1 of Hard Bounty

Chapter One

“Leave me alone!” Mary Rose Dunn yelled as she backed up against the tavern’s wall.

The building wasn’t much more than a ramshackle collection of nailed-together boards, and the wall felt as if it might give way just from her leaning on it.

That’s all I need, she thought grimly. To die under a collapsed stagecoach station! Of course, as flimsy as it seemed, it most likely wouldn’t kill her. And there was another bright side—if a hole did suddenly appear in that wall, she’d have an escape route.

That was exactly what she needed right now, too—a way to get out of there!

Three men were closing in on her, blocking the path forward, each one wearing a snarling sneer.

Lust shone in their eyes and Mary had little doubt what they wanted to do to her.

“Help me!” she yelled, hoping the bartender would rush to her aid.

But a quick glance to her right confirmed he was still across the room, behind the bar, just watching the proceedings as if it was perfectly normal.

“Don’t you move an inch, barkeep!” the man in the middle of the ugly trio barked. “We’ve got a wanted dodger on this here girlie and we aim to take her in and collect the reward!”

He said itree-ward.

“Bounty hunters, huh?” the bartender said.

The men didn’t say a thing but just kept leering at their quarry.

Mary looked again to see the bartender simply standing there, seemingly not in a hurry to move.

“Are you just going to stand by and let three men hurt a defenseless woman?” she demanded.

The bartender grunted before saying, “I suspect if you’re wanted then you ain’t exactly defenseless. Besides, I don’t like a criminal element being in my place. I run a clean establishment.” He grunted again, mumbled something Mary couldn’t make out, and then said, “But I don’t want a ruckus in here, neither. The afternoon stage will be here any minute. Y’all take this on outside and get out of here.”

“But—” Mary’s protest was cut off when the man in the middle of the trio—the one who seemed to be the leader—reached out and wrapped his grimy hand around her small wrist and yanked her toward him.

It felt as if her shoulder might pop right out of the socket.

“You’re hurting me!” she cried under the strain.

That didn’t do any good. If anything, the man actually seemed to get rougher in his handling of her.

“Whatever you do with her, don’t do it around here!” the tavern’s owner barked. “I told you the afternoon stage is due anytime. Decent folk will be on it.”

One of the bounty hunters laughed. “Yeah. What we got planned for her, before we take her in, ain’t very decent.”

“That’s for damn sure,” the third one said.

The men started walking, the leader still dragging Mary roughly toward the door. But then, suddenly, they stopped dead in their tracks.

Mary felt the newcomer’s presence even before she laid eyes on him. But she followed the bounty hunters’ line of sight to the doorway where the most handsome, muscular man she’d ever seen stood.

At that moment, despite still being grasped by the burly bounty hunter, she felt completely safe. She had no idea how that could be, either.

There was just something about the stranger in the doorway. Something calming in his mere presence.

“Mister,” the trio’s leader said, “you’re blocking our way. Step aside.”

Mary couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like some of his bravado had faded a bit. His voice had quivered slightly, too.

As they all awaited a response from the stranger, she sized him up.

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