Free A Promise of Roses by Heidi Betts

“I didn't want to give you a chance to escape."
    "What makes you think I would ran away?"
    Lucas dropped into one of the armchairs. “It's been my experience that criminals will do almost anything to keep from going to prison."
    "I'm not a criminal."
    He chuckled. “Funny. Most of them say that, too."
    "So what does that mean? You don't believe criminals when they say they're innocent, because they all claim to be. But you don't believe innocent people, either, when they say they've been wrongly accused."
    "That's what judges are for."
    "I'm guilty until proven innocent, huh?"
    "Yep. Don't forget, I saw you with those outlaws."
    "I saw you with them,” Megan said.
    "I told you, I was masquerading to capture the real culprits,” he said.
    Suddenly Megan became aware that they could go around in circles with this argument until Armageddon. Lucas believed she had been the mastermind behind the payroll robberies, and his opinion wasn't likely to change. She would have to try another tactic.
    "All right,” she said, shrugging. “You were masquerading, and you caught me red-handed.” Lucas met her gaze. At least she had his full attention. “You've got me, Lucas McCain. I'm guilty.” Megan thought she saw a spark of surprise in the blue depths of his eyes, but his face remained impassive.
    "I admit it,” she said. “I planned the whole thing. And I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you.” Megan couldn't believe her own ears. But Lucas's cocky I'm-right-and-you're-a-criminal attitude had finally gotten the best of her. Maybe if she confessed, made up a story so ridiculous that no one could fall for it, he would finally come to his senses.
    "Do you want to know how I did it? It was brilliant, if I do say so myself.” She didn't wait for a reply. “I met Evan one night on my way home from work. His horse had thrown a shoe. It was late, so I invited him to stay the night. We had a quiet dinner and made small talk until neither one of us could deny our urges any longer. We didn't even make it upstairs; we made love right there on the steps. Hot, sweaty, passionate love that left us both gasping for air."
    Megan lifted her gaze and looked at Lucas. His eyes gave nothing away, but the muscle in his jaw jumped.
    "I didn't go to the Express the next day, and Evan didn't take his horse to town. We stayed in bed for hours, pleasuring each other. A pounding at the door woke us late that afternoon; Dougie and Tom had spotted Evan's horse in the corral and wanted to know what was going on. That's when he told me they made a living by robbing stages.
    "The timing couldn't have been better. I wanted to get back at the railroad for trying to put me out of business, and these boys could help me. It's just like you said—even if the Adams Express did go under, I'd have the payroll money to keep me comfortable for the rest of my days.
    "I explained my plan to Evan, and he convinced the boys to make me a full partner. I wasn't going to split the booty with them evenly, of course; that would have been downright stupid on my part. After all, without me telling them when the payrolls would be on the stage, they wouldn't have been able to steal a dime. I convinced them to keep all the money stashed away until we could sit down and divvy it up. Then we would go our separate ways.
    "I sure do miss them,” she said, trying to sound forlorn. “Why, do you know that I was the first woman Dougie and Tommy had ever been with? That's something you don't forget. And Frank, well, he was wild. Even more passionate than Evan."
    "You let them pass you around, huh?” Lucas asked, his voice full of derision.
    "Of course not. I told you, I was in charge. I picked who I wanted to be with and when."
    "Where did you stash the payrolls?"
    She shrugged a shoulder and plucked at a loose thread in the bedspread. “You don't really think I'm going to tell, do you?"
    He pushed to his feet and started unbuckling his gun belt. “You seemed