Free Beautiful Bandit (Lone Star Legends) by Loree Lough Page B

as her wedding gown. She didn’t think she’d ever live long enough to figure out why they’d believed a girl with no parents deserved less respect than the girls with whom they’d gone to school and attended church. With every passing year, her dream of marriage and children had seemed less likely to come true, and her belief that she’d die a lonely, solitary death had sharpened.
    And then, along came Frank, with his swashbuckling charm and lavish lifestyle, treating her as though she were a gift from heaven and saying everything she so desperately needed to hear.
    Disgusted, she got to her feet and paced the only grassy spot near the shack. “Fool,” she scolded herself. “Stupid little ninny.”
    She heard footsteps, but not in time to silence herself.
    “What’re you doing out here all alone, talking to yourself?” Josh asked, placing his hands on his hips.
    The sight of his handsome face sent a shiver down her spine. She caught sight of the coffeepot brimming with clear rainwater and said, “Just trying to figure out how I’m going to make coffee without waking our guests.”
    He took a small step closer to her. “I wouldn’t worry about it. They’re the ones who said they have a lot of ground to cover today.”
    This was how it had begun with Frank, and she’d rather die than go through that again! Kate hurried for the porch and retrieved the coffeepot. “Guess I’ll get this on the stove. The water’s ice-cold. It’ll probably take forever to heat up.”
    One blond brow rose in response to her abrupt departure and change of topic. “Well,” he started, “just don’t keep to yourself too much.”
    She might have asked why if he hadn’t quickly added in a low voice, “Wouldn’t want to rouse their suspicion. Again.”
    His remark reminded Kate that her resemblance to a Ranger’s sister had already stirred some misgivings about her. Thanks to Stretch, the matter had been cleared up, at least in the Rangers’ minds.
    While the coffee brewed, she busied herself trying to pull together some semblance of a breakfast. As the men devoured the oatmeal mush and sad flapjacks made from stale flour and sugar Kate had found stored in rusting, dented tins in the cupboard, she thought of the stories she’d read as a little girl about knights in shining armor who rescued damsels in distress. Though Josh rode a dapple gray instead of a great white steed, he’d saved her all the same.
    With trembling hands, Kate poured the coffee. She barely heard the chorus of thank-yous as she distributed the steaming mugs, because her head was too full of memories of all the thoughtful things Josh had done since finding her on that cold, frightening night.
    Josh’s fingers touched hers when he accepted his cup, and the brief caress lit a boyish light in his long-lashed eyes. But she didn’t trust herself to make smart decisions about men. Especially not after Frank. Besides, what if Frank was out there somewhere, skulking in the hills, waiting for the Rangers to leave so he could make good on his promise? “I’ll slit your throat if you leave,” he’d threatened her more than once, “to keep you from testifying against me.” As long as Josh stayed with her, he was in just as much danger as she saw.
    Josh had said he lived in Eagle Pass, but Kate didn’t know where, precisely. He’d mentioned a big family, but she didn’t know if it included a wife and children. He’d talked about his ranch, but it could be the size of the shack or as vast as the horizon, for all she knew. Had he really been on his way home from San Antonio when he’d found her? Or had that been just another chapter of his “follow my lead” story to keep her from knowing the truth?
    If it had been a lie, it meant he had his own secrets, and the thought sent a shiver down her spine. During her hours with him, Josh hadn’t provided many details about himself, partly because she’d been so wrapped up in self-centered thoughts about her own