The Lone Rancher by Carol Finch Page A

brand?”
    â€œDon’t be an ass, Cahill,” she snapped back, her green eyes throwing hot sparks. “And don’t pretend to be the injured party here. A half-dozen of my pedigree heifers are missing. I have no doubt you stole them from this pasture to breed to those mongrel longhorns you call a prize herd!”
    Quin snorted in disgust. “I wouldn’t want your white-faced cattle rubbing hides with my hardy breed.”
    Her chin lifted and she glowered at him. “Herefords are prized for their adaptability to rugged terrain and harsh climates. At least my cattle have genetics and they are known for their good dispositions,” she flashed. “Unlike you and your wild-eyed herds that stampede with little provocation.”
    Quin thrust out his arm to call her attention to the fresh brand on his cattle. “Explain that, Boston. Is this your idea of turning a profit? Stealing the neighbors’ cattle and selling them as your own? Was that your father’s policy, too?”
    She reined her dapple-gray thoroughbred up beside him, her breasts heaving with each angry breath. Ordinarily, Quin would have been distracted by her arresting feminine assets, but not today. He was too angry. As angry as he’d been since his brothers and sister betrayed his parents’ dreams and left him to do all the work. Now he was being betrayed by the attraction he felt for a woman who didn’t even belong in his world. A woman who had struck off to be something besides who shewas. Just like Bowie, Chance and Leanna. Damn it, Boston was just like them! Maybe that’s what aggravated him so much.
    â€œWhat the blazes?”
    Adrianna’s surprised tone of voice jerked him from his frustrated musings. He studied her closely, then reminded himself that she was an accomplished actress who had made him believe their feud had ended and they were on amicable terms. Ha! She had buried her hatchet, all right. In his back!
    â€œAmazing that you can feign surprise when you’ve been caught red-handed,” he said scathingly. “I can smell burned hide on my cattle.”
    She jerked up her head in defiance. “I am not responsible for this.”
    â€œYou mean you weren’t on hand when the deed was done?” He smirked. “Don’t toss out misleading comments to make yourself look innocent, Boston. One of my men saw torchlights here last night.” He waited for her to follow him a short distance, then he pointed to the ashes of a small campfire. “And here is where you and your thieving cowboys heated your iron in an attempt to cover up the 4C brand.”
    â€œYou did this to make me look guilty, didn’t you?” she accused harshly. “You are trying to ruin my good name and reputation, in hopes of sending me back to Boston. Well, it won’t work, Cahill. I did not order my men to rustle your cattle and I certainly didn’t do it myself. You pulled this prank to cover your own thievery when you stole my Herefords!”
    He stared at her as if she were insane. Or he was. He wasn’t sure which because the woman made himcrazy. Whatever the case, this feisty, intelligent female had him listing like a ship on a storm-tossed sea. He hated her. He liked her. He desired her. He wanted to be nowhere near her… Because, even as furious as he was with her, he couldn’t trust himself not to grab hold of her and kiss the living daylights out of her for making him lose control of his self-restraint.
    â€œWhere are you going?” he called when she whipped Buckshot around and headed east.
    â€œTo find my Herefords,” she threw over her shoulder. “If they are on your property, I’m going to shoot you a couple of times for lying to me, even if I did promise Butler that I wouldn’t kill you. But you make me so mad I don’t care!”
    When she leaned out to open the gate, Quin circled his stolen cattle, herding them through the