Free The Outlaw's Return by Victoria Bylin Page A

been a good start.
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    Mary watched as J.T. pivoted the buckskin, tipped his hat and took off at a gallop with Fancy Girl barking for the fun of it. When he turned the corner, she let out the breath she’d been holding. The kiss had been a vow of sorts, an apology for the past and a promise to mind his manners, but it stirred memories of other kisses, the ones she’d given to him freely. This time J.T. had done the giving, and she didn’t know what to think.
    She stared down the empty street, wondering where he’d go and realizing he hadn’t told her why he’d been near Swan’s Nest. She wanted to know, but she wouldn’t go looking for him now. She hated the thought of him in Denver, but even worse had been the guilt she’d felt when he’d walked away thinking she hadn’t forgiven him. Whether she trusted him or not, she couldn’t hold a grudge. His offer to help her brother had stunned her. She had no doubt he’d be good for Gus. In spite of the threat to her reputation, Mary couldn’t deny her brother’s need for a man in his life.
    She needed to think about what she’d tell her friends, so she headed back to the swing and sat. Adie would respect her reluctance to talk, but Caroline would ask a hundred questions. People who saw her with J.T. would speculate, and the gossip would begin even if Mary said or did nothing. She massaged her temples. Please, Lord. I need help.
    â€œMary?”
    She looked up and saw Adie coming up the steps with two plates of food, one for Mary and the other presumably for J.T. Caroline stood behind her, looking both curious and kind. Mary managed a wry smile. “You found me.”
    â€œIs everything all right?” Caroline sat next to her on the swing.
    â€œI think so.”
    Adie handed her a plate, set the other on the table and sat on the chair by the steps. “Where’s Mr. Quinn?”
    â€œHe’s gone.”
    â€œFor good?” Caroline asked.
    â€œNo, he’s staying in Denver.” Mary trusted her friends, but secrets had a way of leaking into everyday conversation. She wouldn’t dodge their questions, but neither would she tell the whole story. Uncovering the plate of chicken, she feigned a wry smile. “My past just caught up with me, I’m afraid.”
    Caroline, an uncontrollable matchmaker, had a sparkle in her eyes. “Bessie said he’s good-looking.”
    â€œOh, he is,” Mary said casually. “A woman knows J.T.’s in a room, but he’s not likely to stay there.” She wanted to bite into the chicken to feign normalcy, but her stomach knotted. She set the plate on the table, looked at Adie and then Caroline. “I’ve never told anyone about J.T.”
    Caroline touched her arm. “Did you love him?”
    Yes! With everything in me. I was carrying his child. I wanted to marry him. How foolish she’d been. How naive about men. Lowering her gaze, she whispered, “I thought I did.”
    Caroline gripped her hand. The brunette had lost a husband after the War Between the States. He’d been aman of color, and she’d kept the marriage a secret from everyone except Bessie. She’d understand if Mary blurted the truth about J.T., but Mary couldn’t take the risk.
    Adie offered a hankie. Mary took it and wiped her eyes. “I expected too much from him.”
    â€œNo, you didn’t,” Adie said gently. “You wanted what most women want. A husband. A family of her own.”
    Mary thought of the baby she’d lost and the hole it had left in her life. Adie didn’t know about the miscarriage, but she would have understood the pain of an empty womb. She and Josh had Stephen, their adopted son, but they’d been married a year and Adie hadn’t conceived. Mary wished she could share her story. Instead she focused on the obvious. “J.T. hurt me terribly, but I should have known better than to fall