Free Gunslinger by Connie Mason Page A

not much left to be done, so the lot of you may as well go into town tonight. It will be your last opportunity to have fun for a long time. And you’ll have all day tomorrow to nurse your hangovers. But I’ll expect every one of you to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come sunup day after tomorrow.”
    “You can depend on us,” red-headed Rusty said as he gave a whoop and a holler and hightailed it to the bunkhouse to get ready for a night of carousing. The others followed, leaving Desperado and Chloe alone.
    “Was that wise?” Desperado asked. “Shouldn’t you have kept a couple of boys behind to guard the herd?”
    “That’s what I’m paying you for,” Chloe said, trying not to sound smug.
    Desperado sent her a disgruntled look. “What if I wanted to go to town and raise hell with the boys? Or seek…uh…female companionship. As you say, it will be a long time before we see a town again.”
    “Men!” Chloe spat disgustedly. “Is gratification all you males think about?”
    Desperado grinned. “Pretty much.”
    That damned dimple was going to be her undoing, Chloe thought as she tried to think of a fitting reply. “Sorry, Mr. Jones, you’re going to have to disappoint the soiled doves in Trouble Creek this time. As long as you’re on my payroll you’ll follow orders. You’re needed tonight to guard the herd. Your gun is important to me. If trouble looks for us tonight, I’m sure you can handle it.”
    “You’re expecting a helluva lot from me, lady,” Desperado grumbled.
    “That’s why I’m paying you double what I’m paying the drovers.”
    Desperado regarded her thoughtfully. “Are you sure you’re not envious of those soiled doves you accused me of wanting to visit in town? Does the thought of me romping in bed with one or more of them turn you green with jealousy?”
    Chloe felt hot color rising from her neck to the roots of her hair. How dare Desperado Jones accuse her of being jealous? He could sport with every whore in Trouble Creek, for all she cared.
    Isn’t that lying just a little?
a tiny voice in her head whispered.
Wasn’t there an ulterior motive behind your decision to keep Desperado on the ranch tonight?
No! she silently admonished herself. She had no reason to be jealous of a sidewinder like Desperado Jones. So what if his kisses drove her to distraction and made her wonder what it would be like to be loved by a man who cared for her feelings? She didn’t actually
know
Desperado would be a caring, unselfish lover, but she had plenty of reason to believe he would be skilled. Unlike crude, brutish Tate Talbot, who took what he wanted no matter who he had to hurt to get it.
    “You’re conceited as well as arrogant, Mr. Jones,” Chloe snapped. “I’ll let the soiled doves fight over you, and may the best woman win. But not tonight. Tonight you’ll be protecting my herd.”
    “Talk about arrogant,” Desperado mumbled to himself as he watched Chloe stride away. He remembered now why he’d steered clear of working for a female. Women were bossy, impossibly demanding, and foolishly irresponsible. Chloe had an abundance of all three of those shortcomings.
    Not to mention the fact that she was the daughter of the woman who had ruined his life. Norie and Chloe had taken his ranch and made a shambles of it after his father’s death. But Desperado knew that even had he stepped forward and identified himself at his father’s funeral, the terms of Ted Ralston’s will wouldn’t have changed. Desperado had heard in town that his father had left all his worldly goods to Norie. Identifying himself would have done nothing but cause a scandal.
    Chloe watched Desperado ride out after supper to relieve Cory and Rowdy so they could go into town. For some inexplicable reason she felt restless tonight. Anticipation, she supposed. That and the fact that she’d let all the cowboys go for the night. She hated to admit it, but Desperado had been right. She shouldn’t have acted without