Free Summer Breeze by Catherine Anderson Page B

wasn't easy for him to recall his father's death, let alone talk about it. "In truth, Beckett, Conor O'Shannessy, and a handful of others, including the town marshal, Estyn Beiler, were a
    bunch of swindlers, and my father was one of their victims. He just paid far more dearly than the rest. "
    Her eyes went wide, but she said nothing to indicate what she might be thinking.
    "Four and a half years ago, " Joseph went on, "all us boys returned to No Name to clear our father's name. But maybe you never heard about that. "
    She closed her eyes for a moment, and Joseph thought some of the tension eased from her shoulders. "I did hear about it. Darby isn't much for talking, that's true, but he told me about that.
    It was scandalous what Estyn Beiler and the others did to your father and family. "
    In Joseph's opinion, scandalous didn't describe it by half, but he was so relieved she'd heard the whole story that he didn't object.
    She arched a delicate eyebrow. "Your brother, Ace Keegan—he's a gunslinger of some reputation, isn't he?"
    "He gave all that up years ago. "
    She sent him a dubious look.
    "Ace and Caitlin have a son now, " he said, hoping to distract her from that train of thought.

    "Little Ace. He's fourteen months old and cute as a button. "
    "And you?"
    Joseph paused with a spoonful of stew at his lips. "Me, what?"
    "You have the look of a gunslinger, too. "
    "I do?"
    "Are you?"
    He took the bite of stew. "This is downright deli-
    cious, Miss Hollister. Darby's a lucky man if he gets to eat cooking like this every day. "
    "You didn't answer my question. "
    He spooned in some more stew, chewed, and swallowed. "What question was that?"
    "Are you fast with a gun?"
    "Fair to middling. Ace is the one that's fast. "
    Joseph couldn't see her feet, but he had a notion that she was tapping her toe. "Have you killed anyone, Mr. Paxton?"
    Joseph decided then and there that honesty wasn't always the best policy. In self-defense, he had, in fact, taken human life. That wasn't something he wanted to talk about, especially not with a wary woman who might jump to wrong conclusions. "Do I look like a killer?"
    "Yes. "
    Well, hell. He'd finally met someone as plainspo-ken as he was. Time to turn the tables. "It seems to me it's my turn to ask a few questions. "
    She looked genuinely surprised. "I am not the interloper in this situation, Mr. Paxton. You've broken into my home, and you refuse to leave. I'll ask the questions until I'm satisfied that you are who you say you are. "
    "Ah, but I wouldn't be here if Darby hadn't insisted on it. " He took another bite of stew and studied her as he chewed. "Even doped up on laudanum, he was so worried about your safety that he was fit to be tied. Can you explain why?"
    Her eyes went dark with shadows.
    "That strikes me as being a little peculiar, " Joseph pressed on. "Why would Darby instantly conclude that the attack on him today was somehow connected to the attack on you and your family five years ago?"
    She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know. " Her lashes lifted. "I truly don't know. "
    Her face had gone as pale as milk, and Joseph didn't miss the fear that had returned to her eyes.
    "There has to be a reason, " he insisted. "He was scared to death for you and absolutely emphatic that your life might be in danger. " He studied her closely. "What do you remember about that day?"
    "Nothing. " She swayed slightly on her feet and splayed a dainty hand over her midriff. "Darby was upset because he was shot near the creek. " The pitch of her voice went so low he almost didn't catch her next words. "That's why he made a connection, I'm sure, because that's where it happened before. "
    Watching her, Joseph tensed on the chair. "Don't faint on me. If you fall, I'm not in there to catch you. "
    She passed a trembling hand over her eyes. "I'm fine. "
    Joseph knew better. She looked scared half to death, and his instincts told him that she was holding something back. Yet when he searched