Free Carol Finch by Lady Renegade Page B

could relax and recuperate.
    Swallowing down the meal in haste, Gideon came to his feet. Then he reached over to grab Lori’s arm and hoisted her up. “Let’s go.”
    “She’s not finished eating,” Sarah protested.
    Gideon propelled Lori toward the front door. “That will tide her over for now.”
    “I’ll bring out bread and cheese later,” Glenn volunteered.
    “No, you won’t,” Gideon called over his shoulder. “You keep your distance and tend to the ranch chores while I’m tracking the thieves.”
    “When will you be back?” Glenn asked.
    Gideon smiled astutely. “I’ll be back when I get here, so if you’re planning to grant Lori more privileges, don’t. I don’t want to run you in for obstructing justice, Glenn. Then Sarah won’t have any help around the ranch because you’ll be locked up.”
    “My, you are such a ray of sunshine,” Lori said in a caustic tone—for his ears only. “Is there no end to the special privileges of being one of your family members?”
    Was he that hard on his kin? he wondered. He was accustomed to being in charge. Plus, his profession made him authoritative and decisive. Lori had him questioning himself.
    That hadn’t happened before.
    He stared into her thick-lashed amber eyes and noticed they were twinkling with mischief. He suspected she was messing with his mind, the same way he’d messed with hers while he battled the lusty temptation that clawed at his defenses.
    “I need to find you a muzzle,” he grumbled. “Surely we have one stashed around here somewhere.”
    Lori sighed audibly when Gideon tied on her leash then secured it to the post.
    “I’ll check on you after I scout for tracks and figure out what direction the thieves took.”
    She batted her long lashes at him and drawled, “I’ll miss you while you’re gone, Marshal Fox. Please hurry back.”
    Gideon loomed over her, taking advantage of his towering height. He crowded her against the post, telling himself not to react to the suggestive brush of his body against her luscious contours.
    “Do not take advantage of my family’s kindness and generosity,” he warned. “You can torment me all you want, but don’t use them for your devilish purposes. Do you understand me, Lorelei?”
    “I don’t understand you at all,” she said, squirming against him, making him wonder if she was trying to avoid him or arouse him—and she was definitely doing that, damn it. “Now go away. I’ve enjoyed you as much as I can stand for one day.”
    “That goes triple for me.” He wheeled around to retrieve his horse.

Chapter Five
    “H onestly,” Lori muttered at herself. “What makes you so defiant toward that man?”
    She flopped back on the padding of straw and quilt Glenn and Sarah had graciously provided. She stared up at the barn loft, as if it held all the answers to her problems. Earlier in the day, Gideon had provoked her to attack him, to rebel against his abrupt orders.
    That exercise in frustration had led to heated kisses and caresses that never should have passed between them.
    Lori expelled a frustrated sigh as darkness closed in on the panoramic valley Gideon called home. He’d been gone for hours and she appreciated the reprieve. Thankfully, Glenn and Sarah had come by to check on her. Their companionship made her captivity somewhat bearable. But nothing changed the fact that the past several days had been a frustrating nightmare. Cowering in a cave during the daylight hours to avoid the two-man posse sent to overtake her, and being kept on a leash by Gideon, made her wish for the activity and freedom she’d taken for granted.
    The prospect of spending years in jail—or worse—for being convicted of killing Tony made her shiver with apprehension. She wondered how many innocent people remained behind bars, insisting they spoke the truth, while guilty criminals ran around scot-free.
    Lori rolled to her side, watching the sheep mill around the stall beside her. She wondered if