Free The Gunsmith 385 by J. R. Roberts Page B

was music to his ears. Soon, the pressure inside him reached its peak and Clint impaled her one last time.
    He straightened up and let out a slow breath as he emptied into her. When he loosened his grip on her, she moved forward until he slipped out of her so she could turn around to face him.

TWENTY-FOUR
    They got dressed and she showed him what stalls to put their horses in. She helped him by unsaddling and brushing down Travis’s horse, and they put feed out for both of them.
    â€œHow do I look?” she asked.
    â€œGreat.”
    â€œOut of breath.”
    â€œMaybe,” he said, “but that would make two of us.”
    â€œThink Travis will know what we been up to?”
    â€œMaybe not,” he said, “and speaking of Travis . . . why me, and not him? He’s younger, better looking—”
    â€œI went for experience,” she said. “I don’t think I made the wrong decision, do you?”
    â€œDefinitely not.”
    She smiled. They left the barn together and walked back to the house.
    As they entered the kitchen, Travis said, “I was just about to bring him back out there.”
    â€œHe’s done already?” she asked.
    â€œWolfed it down,” Travis said.
    â€œOkay, then, better take him back out there and tie him up good.”
    â€œI’ll stay out there, too,” Travis said. “I’m ready to bed down, and we want to get an early start.”
    â€œWhataya gonna do with me?” Davis demanded.
    â€œWe don’t know yet,” Clint said. “Just be grateful we fed you.”
    â€œWell, I didn’t do noth—”
    â€œShut up!” Travis said, swatting the back of Davis’s head.
    â€œI’ll be right out,” Clint said. “One last cup of coffee.”
    â€œSure.” Travis turned to the outlaw, pulled him up from his seat by the back of his shirt. “Come on, you.”
    He pushed him out the door ahead of him.
    Laura covered her mouth and looked at Clint.
    â€œWhat?” he asked.
    â€œYou think he knows? And he thinks he’s leavin’ us alone so we can . . . you know.”
    â€œWell, we already . . . you know . . . I do need to get an early start tomorrow. And I’m tired, for some reason.”
    â€œMaybe,” she said with a mischievous smile, “I should have picked the younger man.”
    â€œJust give me another cup of coffee, woman,” Clint growled at her.
    Â * * * 
    Clint walked back to the barn after his last cup of coffee and found that Travis had set himself up across the building from Davis, who was tied up and snoring.
    â€œI see you got him bedded down all right,” Clint said.
    â€œYeah, although I don’t know how he can sleep so soundly all trussed up like that.”
    â€œIt’s the sleep of the guilty,” Clint said.
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œA guilty man sleeps soundly because he knows he’s guilty,” Clint said. “An innocent man lies awake, worried that he’s going to be blamed for something he didn’t do.”
    Travis frowned and said, “I guess that makes sense.”
    â€œThat’s the way it was explained to me anyway.”
    â€œEnjoy your last cup of coffee?” Travis asked, changing the subject.
    â€œI did, thanks.”
    â€œYou sure you want to sleep out here with us peasants?” Travis asked.
    Clint grabbed his bedroll and walked to one of the empty stalls.
    â€œWhy don’t you just go on and sleep in the house?” Clint asked.
    â€œHey, the lady never looked at me twice,” the younger man said.
    Clint dropped his bedroll down on the floor of the stall. A few feet away was the bale of hay he and Laura had used. He was surprised it didn’t bear the outlines of their bodies.
    â€œSo what do we want to do tomorrow?” Travis asked, sounding as if he was stretching at the same time.
    â€œLaura says she’ll