Brody by Emma Lang Page B

protest.
    “Sorry, girl.” She patted the horse’s neck in apology.
    The town appeared deserted except for the light spilling out onto the street from a single building. The number of horses out in front and guitar music marked it as a tavern. It was the only two-story building and the second floor was also lit, although not as brightly. She suspected the soiled doves were plying their trade up there while the drinking and carousing happened downstairs.
    Again she was reminded of any small town in Texas, so familiar yet foreign. Brody headed straight for the tavern and she had no choice but to follow him, even though she wanted to go anywhere else.
    As they stopped outside the tavern, each note of music plucked at her nerves. Twang, twang, twang.
    “Stay at my side, no matter what.” Brody spoke under his breath as he dismounted. “Keep your mouth shut unless I ask you a question.”
    Olivia was so nervous she couldn’t be annoyed at him for his bossiness. She just nodded and dismounted beside him.
    He tugged her hat down a smidge, and spread her hair out on her shoulders. A hysterical laugh bubbled up her throat when he spread her shirt open even further. Here she was getting half-naked again in front of him. What was it about Brody Armstrong that made her bare herself?
    “Keep your gun tucked in under your blouse in your waistband. Don’t take it out.”
    “Then why do I have it with me?” She shivered in the cool night air, realizing her feet still hurt from the water in her boots.
    “Because you can’t leave it with your horse.” He stared down her shirt, his breath gusting onto her skin. She could tell he was thinking he shouldn’t have brought her with him. Olivia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Let’s go.”
    Although her feet didn’t drag, she felt as though she was walking through molasses anyway. As they walked through the door, she noted there were a great many spots on it that looked like knife marks. Just what she needed to see.
    There came that crazy laughter trying to escape again. The normal Olivia had been left behind in the warm currents of the Rio Grande. This new woman, who had darkened skin and carried a gun, was someone completely new. She didn’t know if she liked herself remade or not.
    It was apparent Brody didn’t like either version.
    The interior was lit by a dozen lanterns scattered around the room, throwing pools of yellow light around the tables they sat on. There were at least a dozen men and three women, including an enormous man behind the bar and an equally skinny man with a guitar.
    All of them turned to look at the newcomers.
    Olivia opened her mouth to speak.

C HAPTER S EVEN
    B rody knew he should have gagged her and left her outside. The damn woman couldn’t take a simple order and obey it. No, she had to go ahead and do exactly what he told her not to. He suspected she did it deliberately to prove a point. If Olivia didn’t have every last bit of detail about every last thing, she nagged until the other person’s ears bled and they gave in.
    He had refused to do that, choosing to keep his plan to himself. All she had to do was stand at his side and keep quiet. It was obvious that wasn’t going to happen since she opened her mouth as soon as they walked in.
    “Buenas noches, señors y señoritas.” With a sway to her hips that made Brody’s eyes widen, she stepped over to the bar. She looked every bit the seductress. “Whiskey.”
    The buffalo behind the bar spilled at least half a shot of whiskey because he was staring at Olivia. There appeared to be a line of drool coming out of the left side of his mouth too. Brody didn’t blame him one bit. Olivia screamed for attention with every inch. Jesus.
    “You lost, hombre? ” A man in the back of the tavern spoke. He was dressed in black, similar to Brody, but his clothes were rougher looking. The stranger wore a black, flat-brimmed hat, which shaded his face. This was the man in charge, the one Brody