The Renegades: Cole by Genell Dellin Page B

you. You’re plenty capable of doing
that
for yourself.”
    “Well, thank you very much!”
    “Now, don’t get all flustered. We just misjudgedtheir intentions taking them for toll-takers, that’s all.”
    She put her hands on her hips.
    “Well, even so, weren’t you planning to do anything to save my cattle?”
    He grinned that grin again.
    “I’m guardin’
your
body. Not your cows’.” He smooched to Border and started them south again. “And I must admit that I’d sure rather watch yours than theirs.”
    “Don’t you try to change the subject,” she said, and dragged her gaze from his sensual mouth to look him in the eye. “I wanted you to tell Virgil that they should get out of the way of my herd that minute or you would shoot them all.”
    He threw back his head and laughed, really laughed.
    “You’re not paying me enough for that kind of action, Miss Aurora,” he said. “And, even if you were, I’m not quite
that
fast.”
    “I think you are,” she said. “I think you were just waiting to see what I would do about the toll.”
    That made him laugh even more.
    “My curiosity don’t rum
quite
that strong,” he said. “Although I’ll tell you straight that you do rouse it some.”
    She felt a blush warm her cheeks.
    “Well, you rouse mine a
lot
,” she blurted, before she thought. “I mean you
did
… back there in the road … wondering if you had any idea what we should do.”
    “I’ve been in worse jams.”
    He made a gesture of disgust and turned suddenly somber. “I deserve to be horsewhipped, letting them get the drop on me like that. I’m gonna have to do more scouting ahead, and behind us, too. Can’t take a chance on another ambush.”
    A new, fretful fear chilled her. It was too frightening not to have him riding beside her; she didn’t even want to think of it. What would’ve happened to her if he hadn’t been there to come to her rescue?
    “No,” she said tightly, “stay with me. You can’t be everywhere and see everything.”
    He appeared not to even hear.
    “My gut should’ve told me,” he said, more to himself than to her. “I must be losin’ my handle all of a sudden.”
    He spoke in a calm, careless tone, but it held an edge of hardness that told her he didn’t intend to let such a thing happen again. Oh, Lord, he’d be going out scouting around all the time and leaving her alone.
    “You’re only human,” she said, more sharply than she’d intended. “You couldn’t have known they were waiting for us. You can’t see everything for miles around.”
    Her voice came out sounding like a stranger’s, even shaking a little bit. He finally looked at her, gave her a long, searching look.
    She wanted to cry, suddenly, with relief at their narrow escape and frustration that he waseven
thinking
of not being constantly at her side every minute from now on.
    “Aw, come on, now,” he drawled, “we’re taking all this way too serious. I don’t see a scratch on us, do you?”
    She forced a smile onto her stiff lips.
    “You’re just like all the rest of the men—can’t stand to see a woman cry,” she said.
    He raised his brows.
    “All the rest of the men? …” he said, in a teasing singsong meant to distract her.
    She ignored that.
    “Well, you needn’t worry,” she said, and was thankful that she sounded much more like herself. “I’m not going to put you through any tears. I’m not going to worry about what’s down the road, I’m just going to be happy right now because you got us out of a really dangerous situation.”
    “Me, too,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong about this second-guessing of my tactics. I
am
plenty glad not to be swinging from a tree right now.”
    She smiled back at him and relaxed inside for the first time since she’d seen Virgil on his mule.
    “Well, you’re the one who saved us,” she said, “even if you did take your time about doing it. All
I
could think to do was try to
talk
the good people of Rocky Springs