Echoes of the Heart by Carole Webb Page A

warmed just thinking of the new
sensations Cash evoked from her body.   Get it out of your mind.   No gentlemanwould paw her in such a manner .
                A
near presence drew her instantly back to reality.   She stared into heavily lashed dark eyes.
                Cash
spoke in a casual voice.   “Mind if I join
you?”   He wore fresh cloths and smelled
of soap when he sat next to her at the table.   She felt drawn like a magnet to the aura engulfing him.   This is
not going to happen.
                “Yes, I do mind.   Just who do you think you are to disturb me
while eating?”   Embarrassment flared into
anger making her quiver.   “Marshal, I
think you are an animal!”
                He
peered through shuttered eyes, squinted in amusement.   With no more words, she pounded a fist on the
table, jumped to her feet then ran to the store without looking back.   As long as life pumped through her veins, no
meal would ever again be shared with that lascivious man.
                As
if chased by a wild animal, Raeden stormed into the store.   “Aunt Diane, do you mind if I go home?   I would like to exercise Arte then take a
long hot bath.”
                She
stomped through the room her mind churning with hatred, gathering her
belongings.   She could not endure the
aura in the back room for one more second.
                Looking
weary, Mike stepped beside her.   “I will
drive you home.   You’ve worked hard
today.”   He couldn’t help noticing her
disturbing behavior.   “Has something
happened to upset you?”
                “No,
I’m fine, just hungry.   The vermin at the
hotel drove me away.”  
                Mike’s
face creased, the look in his eyes betrayed confusion making her feel she
belonged in an asylum, just what she needed to complete this horrific day.

 
    Twelve

 
 
                Sitting
alone with his thoughts, Cash finished lunch at the hotel, paying also for the
meal Raeden had left.   She sure is a sassy one.
                Surprised
by the way she applied herself at the store, he had presumed she would be
spoiled, thinking of herself too good for hard labor.   He found her rumpled hair and dusty face from
climbing into the attic endearing.   And
damn, he found her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.   Her jade green eyes drew him into their
infinite depths and those sensual lips curving at the corners begged for a
man’s kisses.
    He had never
observed anyone with green eyes before and except for a blind man, no one could
possibly fail to notice their mesmerizing effect.   Her hair—that gorgeous hair.   He wanted to bury his face in it and run his
fingers through long wavy locks smelling of roses.
    When his mind
drifted to her soft opalescent skin and round breasts imploring attention, he
felt himself swell.   Attempting to cast
aside images of her body and the way she had accepted his advances, he questioned
why she had come here.   What about the
marriage?   In truth, he had expected her
to be frigid, reticent but the way she reacted gave him pause to think.   As regards to her innocence, perhaps he had
been mistaken.
                He
lit a cigar then pushed from the table and walked out in the street, glancing
down alleyways confidently strolling in the bank’s direction.   Making the rounds, his gaze settled on a
group of unfamiliar men, not seeming herdsmen, who had ridden into town that
morning.   He peered from corner to corner
when he entered the building to investigate.
                When
extensive herd sales transpired, the bank held greater deposits.   Knowing he could not be too cautious, he made
the decision to discuss the strangers with John.
    He entered the
office to find his deputy cleaning rifles he had taken from the cabinet near
the door.   While wiping gun oil from a
shiny blue metal barrel, he