Free Rachel Donnelly by Lady Broke Page B

yourself.”
    His cool acceptance took her aback. She watched him walk away with a mixture of anger and uncertainty churning in her breast. For a moment she just stood there staring at his retreating back. Then she collected herself. Why did he always make her feel so childish — so foolish? It was silly to let him affect her in this way. She was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions. She didn’t need his protection.
    She marched back to the table to stand behind Leigh with a protective hand on the back of his chair. Every so often her gaze strayed to the bar. Nat never looked up — never looked her way once. It was as though he’d already forgotten the confrontation, or no longer cared.
    More cards were dealt.
    “I’m out,” Owen, one of the Sutton Ranch hands, announced.
    “Fold.” Mr. Brooker threw in his cards.
    Leigh sat as somber as a judge. “Hit me again.”
    The dealer smoothed his bushy red mustache with slow deliberation, then tossed a card at him.
    Leigh added it to his hand. A slow triumphant smile curled his lips. “I believe my three aces beat your two jacks.” He reached for the pot with both hands. “Another game, gentlemen?”
    Harry pushed away from the beam. “I’ll take that.”
    “Now hold on.” Leigh lifted his hands just high enough to gesture above the money. “There’s a lot more than two hundred dollars here.”
    Harry’s mouth flattened. His eyes narrowed. He flexed his right hand before drawing it slowly toward the butt of his revolver.
    “Give it to him,” Christie gritted against Leigh’s ear.
    Leigh shot her a pained look.
    “All of it, now!”
    He sighed, then very slowly, lifted his hands from the money.
    When Harry was gone, he turned to Christie with a broad cocky grin. “See, nothing to worry about. You best toddle on home now. Morning comes awful early and the mercantile is busy as all get out with the barn raising.”
    It was all she could do not to reach over and strangle him where he sat. Instead, she sent him a look of pure disgust before turning on her heel and marching for the door. She should have taken Nat’s advice and left Leigh to fend for himself. The ungrateful lout! It was a waste of time worrying about him. He was like a cat; no matter how bad the situation, he always seemed to land on his feet.
    Ridiculous!
    Perhaps that was why Uncle Will never got worked up over Leigh’s wild existence — he’d witnessed Leigh emerge unscathed too many times.
    Christie halted just as she reached the middle of the dark, dusty street. Uncle Will. She’d almost forgotten him. But what could she do? Perhaps Leigh was right. Perhaps he’d stayed the night at the Sutton Ranch. At any rate, she couldn’t go looking for him in the dead of night on her own.
    She had little choice but to go home and pray for his safe return. She certainly wasn’t going back to the saloon to waste her time pleading with Leigh to help her.
    She was through with him — at least for tonight. He’d promised to escort her to the barn dance, and she wasn’t about to let him weasel out of it.
    • • •
    As it turned out, Christie’s instincts were correct. Uncle Will had been in trouble, delayed by a broken axle on his supply wagon. But, thankfully, by the time she returned to the mercantile, he’d arrived home safe and sound — no thanks to Leigh — useless reprobate.
    At least he didn’t attempt to wriggle out of escorting her to the dance on Saturday. In fact, he seemed to anticipate the festivities as eagerly as she did.
    It wasn’t until they set out for the gathering that she discovered why.
    “Shake a leg, darlin’,” Leigh urged, nearly pulling her across the street toward the livery. “When a gentleman promises the first dance to a lady, he doesn’t want to be late.”
    “I thought you and Flossie had a tiff.” Christie sent him a sidelong glance. “I thought she wasn’t speaking to you.”
    Leigh’s grip tightened on her arm. “How do you know