Free An Unlikely Lady by Rachelle Morgan

something inside him with her voice that hadn’t been touched in years. Not since the day he’d discovered his father’s duplicity had he allowed music to bond him with another soul. But for a moment there, he’d felt closer to Honesty than he’d felt toward anyone in a long, long time. Hadn’t he learned his lesson?
    Obviously not, or he wouldn’t have gotten himself involved in another woman’s problems.
    Well, he’d play for Scarlet; he’d given his word. At least he’d have a soft bed to sleep in each night and a hot meal in his stomach each day. And considering his pockets were emptier than a dead man’s eyes, he needed the extra cash to restock on supplies.
    But then he was out of here.
    And in the meantime, he’d keep as far away from Honesty as the situation would allow.
    As if to mock his decision, the door opened and she stepped out onto the porch. She gave no sign of noticing that he stood a few short feet to the left, in the shadow of the overhang. Jesse opened his mouth to make her aware of his presence, then held his tongue. He really had nothing to say to her; she was part of the reason he was in this mess.
    Then she stepped off the porch and made a right turn down the boardwalk, her head bent, her step swift, and the chance was lost anyway.
    Jesse started to go after her, but stopped himself and leaned back against the post with his thumbs plugged into his waistband. Where Honesty went and what she did with her time were her business. Still, she was obviously upset about something, and he had a good idea what it was. He couldn’t forget her expression the instant Scarlet brought up performing for the passengers; her creamy complexion had gone a ghastly gray shade, the luster in her eyes vanished, and her shoulders lost a measure of their proud carriage.
    One of the things that drew him to Honesty was the almost regal aura she had about her, her way of taking command of a situation without saying a word. But at that moment she had seemed to shrink before his very eyes. Whyshe’d be so reluctant to share that beautiful voice with others, Jesse couldn’t figure. Talent like that shouldn’t be kept in a bottle.
    Yet the emotion in her eyes was beyond simple reluctance. It had bordered on panic.
    What was she so afraid of?
    They’d find her for certain.
    The thought pounded through Honesty’s brain in tempo with her footsteps, drowning out the hollow clack of her heels on the boardwalk. She couldn’t remember what excuse she made when she walked out of the Scarlet Rose, but it must have sounded reasonable, because neither Rose nor Jesse made any move to stop her. Nor did they come after her, much to her relief. Rose had wasted no time diving into plans for the inspired event, and Jesse . . . she didn’t know where he’d taken himself off to, nor did she give a tinker’s care. If not for him playing that cussed piano, she’d not be in this predicament. Word would get out, and once it did, the shadows she’d acquired soon after her father’s death would reattach themselves to her backside. And this time, Honesty feared she wouldn’t be able to shake them.
    Oh, why had she agreed to sing for the passengers? Had she lost the last ounce of common sense she’d been born with? She empathized with Rose, but she hadn’t sung in public inmonths—not since that horrible night of her father’s murder.
    Even now, the memory had the power to make her throat tighten and her stomach pitch. They’d only been in Durango a few days when Deuce made himself a regular customer at the Miner’s Delight, a fancy dance hall and gambling parlor all in one stick. As was their ritual, he ingratiated himself with the management and soon convinced them that their profits would increase tenfold if they allowed Honesty to sing. Little did they know that Deuce had been using the same ploy for as long as Honesty