Free Rocky Mountain Rogue (Rocky Mountain Bride Series Book 5) by Lee Savino Page B

I did." He shrugged. "May as well."
    Picking at her broken nail, Susannah wondered if he imagined her differently too. Well it was all done, he probably wanted a woman like him, a real frontier bride made of sterner stuff than a school teacher from Massachusetts.
    "Mr. Oberon, when I get on a train back to Boston, what will you do?"
    "Boone is dead. He didn't die the way I intended, but the result's the same. Next is Doyle." There was no mercy in her Jesse's face. "Doyle is an outlaw of the worst kind. He does his deeds through other men. Boone was one of those men."
    "And you're worthy to judge him?"
    "I'm a man of my word, Susannah. Never doubt that. I may not look the part, but there's more to a man than looks. Doyle looks respectable, but he's evil to the core. He's a man who's made his fortune by lying, cheating and stealing from others."
    "Are you an honest man?"
    "I never said I was." His face bleak. "I'm an honorable one."
    Despite herself, she longed to caress that hard face. She tamped down this response. "You said you wouldn't lie to me."
    "I did. I won't and I haven't. That's no way to start a marriage. Though, I may have, um, bent the truth a little."
    She frowned. "So, your brother and sister-in-law, the mine, the homestead—"
    "That's all true. Doyle's the one who threatens it. I'll do anything to keep my family safe. Anything."
    "Live like an outlaw? Kill dangerous men? Run for your life?"
    He nodded.
    "Die?"
    "If it comes to that. As long as I can take Doyle out before I go."
    She took a deep breath. "I've never met a man like you, Jesse Oberon."
    He stared at her across the fire, and though his body was still, there was nothing still about his gaze. Its burning intensity seemed to draw her closer.
    "The men I've met are all milksops." She waved a hand as if to dismiss them. "They talk of grand things, and make money, but I don't know one of them willing to lay down his life for his cause."
    "Way I'm made, I guess." Jesse stretched out long legs.
    "It doesn't sound like a wife fits into all of this."
    "Bad timing. But it needn't be," he said, and she half expected him to extend an invitation.
    Instead, he rose and packed up the flask, and prepped the campsite for the night. He disappeared into the brush to call Jordan and stake the stallion to a picket.
    When Jesse returned, he lay back on his bedroll, using his saddle as a pillow. His holster, rifle and boots he set beside him. "Coming to bed?"
    "With you?"
    "There's only one blanket and bedroll," he reminded her. "I won't do anything. You're safe with me." He held out his hand, and she took it, and settled beside him, still fully clothed.
    She shivered a little and he put an arm around her, curling her into his side. After a moment, she rested her cheek to his chest gingerly. Closing her eyes, she felt his breath rise and fall. "This isn't how I imagined our marriage," she admitted.
    He laughed, his stomach kicking a little under her ear. "Me neither, little baggage. But I'll get you out of this mess, safe and sound. That's a promise."
    His finger crept down to thread in her hair. It felt nice so she didn't protest. "Do you miss Boston?"
    She thought about it. "Not really," she realized. "I suppose I've been too busy to really think of it. I wanted an adventure. Guess I got it."
    "For what it's worth, I apologize for my part of it. I wish I could've given you what you wanted. A woman like you deserves it."
    Her breath caught and she wanted to ask what he meant by "a woman like her", but he continued. "Now, I can give you a gift," he said, and her heart leaped.
    His hand fell on her shoulder and drew it back. "Look up," he whispered.
    She did and gasped. A large swath of milky white striped the night sky, as delicate as a bridal veil with a thousand million diamond stars twinkling down on them. They seemed so close she could touch them.
    "Have you ever seen them like this?"
    She had to admit she hadn't. Boston was a modern city, full of trains and