smiled in surprise, as if he’d expected her to refuse. “Well then, shall we say seven o’clock?”
“Seven o’clock,” Emma replied absently. She glanced across the street in time to see Ralphy disappear through the front door of the hotel.
The doctor spoke, but her eyes remained riveted on the hotel. Reece MacBride was more than likely eating breakfast there right now.
“Just be careful, Emma,” Thaddeus said. “You have no idea what Reece MacBride is capable of.”
Emma trembled, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. If only she could live here and do her work without having to deal with Reece MacBride, if only that work hadn’t put her on a collision course with the man. If she were a dressmaker or a school teacher, she would never have to defy or stand up to Mr. MacBride. She could live peacefully in this town and never even have to see him except in passing on the street.
But if she were honest with herself, that prospect wasn’t as appealing as perhaps it should be. Despite everything she was learning about him from their few encounters, she was drawn to him, to the deep sadness she sensed whenever she was around him, a sadness he carried like an improperly healed wound. It appeared well on the outside, but the infection grew beneath a hard, bitter surface, poisoning the soul.
And she couldn’t help believing that if she could somehow force him to do the right thing, to admit it was wrong to pass sentence on a man without a trial or to rule an entire town through intimidation and violence, she might be able to break through that barrier between his anger and his humanity.
A cold shiver that had nothing to do with the weather coursed through Emma. In a matter of minutes, Reece MacBride would know that she had defied him again.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Don’t you ever knock?" Reece stood before the small mirror on the wall, meticulously trimming his beard and trying without success to ignore the pain in his injured arm.
There was no need to look at the man who had barged so unceremoniously into his office. Sheriff Ryker’s booming voice had reverberated through the rafters the minute he’d opened the front door downstairs.
He waited impatiently for Ryker to speak his mind, but the sound of the other man’s boots scraping on the floor was his only reply.
Reece frowned in annoyance. “Sheriff, I am not in the mood for games this morning, so if there is something on your mind --”
The sheriff dropped something onto the desk beside Reece’s empty breakfast dishes. Reece gazed from the folded newspaper to his sheriff, confusion slowly giving way to realization. Picking up the paper, he noticed that it bore yesterday’s date.
“Well I’ll be damned,” he muttered, smiling in admiration at Miss Parker’s tenacity.
Obviously she hadn’t had time to typeset a new paper last night, so she’d reprinted the same one. Content wasn’t important. She was making a point, and her message was loud and clear. She would not let him intimidate her into quitting.
“What do you intend to do about that?" Ryker asked.
“I guess I underestimated our little newspaper editor. “Reece dropped the paper onto his desk and turned back to the mirror, snipping at a few stray hairs.
She had guts, he had to give her that. There weren’t many men who would stand up to him like that. And she was clever enough to circulate the paper before he could find out and stop her.
“Read what she said about me,” Ryker said. “She practically accused me of cheating that no account bounty hunter.”
The thought had crossed Reece’s mind. A missing three hundred dollar bounty was not nearly as common as he would have Miss Parker believe, and Ryker knew it.
“Did you?" Reece asked, glaring at Ryker. It was hard for a man to look you in the eye and lie, Reece knew, even one accustomed to deceit. It was what made Reece such a successful gambler. He could tell when a man was lying, and he knew Ryker would lie
“Seven o’clock,” Emma replied absently. She glanced across the street in time to see Ralphy disappear through the front door of the hotel.
The doctor spoke, but her eyes remained riveted on the hotel. Reece MacBride was more than likely eating breakfast there right now.
“Just be careful, Emma,” Thaddeus said. “You have no idea what Reece MacBride is capable of.”
Emma trembled, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. If only she could live here and do her work without having to deal with Reece MacBride, if only that work hadn’t put her on a collision course with the man. If she were a dressmaker or a school teacher, she would never have to defy or stand up to Mr. MacBride. She could live peacefully in this town and never even have to see him except in passing on the street.
But if she were honest with herself, that prospect wasn’t as appealing as perhaps it should be. Despite everything she was learning about him from their few encounters, she was drawn to him, to the deep sadness she sensed whenever she was around him, a sadness he carried like an improperly healed wound. It appeared well on the outside, but the infection grew beneath a hard, bitter surface, poisoning the soul.
And she couldn’t help believing that if she could somehow force him to do the right thing, to admit it was wrong to pass sentence on a man without a trial or to rule an entire town through intimidation and violence, she might be able to break through that barrier between his anger and his humanity.
A cold shiver that had nothing to do with the weather coursed through Emma. In a matter of minutes, Reece MacBride would know that she had defied him again.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Don’t you ever knock?" Reece stood before the small mirror on the wall, meticulously trimming his beard and trying without success to ignore the pain in his injured arm.
There was no need to look at the man who had barged so unceremoniously into his office. Sheriff Ryker’s booming voice had reverberated through the rafters the minute he’d opened the front door downstairs.
He waited impatiently for Ryker to speak his mind, but the sound of the other man’s boots scraping on the floor was his only reply.
Reece frowned in annoyance. “Sheriff, I am not in the mood for games this morning, so if there is something on your mind --”
The sheriff dropped something onto the desk beside Reece’s empty breakfast dishes. Reece gazed from the folded newspaper to his sheriff, confusion slowly giving way to realization. Picking up the paper, he noticed that it bore yesterday’s date.
“Well I’ll be damned,” he muttered, smiling in admiration at Miss Parker’s tenacity.
Obviously she hadn’t had time to typeset a new paper last night, so she’d reprinted the same one. Content wasn’t important. She was making a point, and her message was loud and clear. She would not let him intimidate her into quitting.
“What do you intend to do about that?" Ryker asked.
“I guess I underestimated our little newspaper editor. “Reece dropped the paper onto his desk and turned back to the mirror, snipping at a few stray hairs.
She had guts, he had to give her that. There weren’t many men who would stand up to him like that. And she was clever enough to circulate the paper before he could find out and stop her.
“Read what she said about me,” Ryker said. “She practically accused me of cheating that no account bounty hunter.”
The thought had crossed Reece’s mind. A missing three hundred dollar bounty was not nearly as common as he would have Miss Parker believe, and Ryker knew it.
“Did you?" Reece asked, glaring at Ryker. It was hard for a man to look you in the eye and lie, Reece knew, even one accustomed to deceit. It was what made Reece such a successful gambler. He could tell when a man was lying, and he knew Ryker would lie
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