RenegadeHeart by Madeline Baker

mare’s lead rope to
Candido. “I’ll let you know.” With a smile at Amy’s tear-stained face, Tyree
started back toward the house.
    Rachel was grinning broadly as she followed Tyree. His
concern for Amy’s safety was the first decent human emotion he had shown, and
for some reason she did not care to examine too closely, it pleased her
immensely.
    “What the hell are you grinning at?” Tyree asked sourly. “My
face turning blue?”
    “Better be careful,” Rachel teased, “or you’ll ruin your
tough-guy image.”
    “What?”
    “People might think you’ve got a heart under that thorny
exterior if you start rescuing children in danger.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” Tyree retorted.
    Rachel laughed out loud. “Just kills you to think you were
caught doing a good deed, doesn’t it?” Rachel crowed. “Well, I shall remind you
of it at least once a day.”
    “You do, and I’ll knock your teeth down your lovely throat,”
Tyree threatened, only half kidding.
    “I’m not afraid of you anymore, Logan Tyree,” Rachel
declared boldly.
    She was beautiful when her spirits were up, Tyree mused. Her
cheeks were flushed a becoming shade of pink, and her sky blue eyes twinkled
merrily as she walked beside him, taking long steps to keep up. Oh, she was
having a high ol’ time, needling him about his so-called good deed. There was
no doubt about that.
    “So you’re not afraid of me anymore,” Tyree drawled lazily.
    “That’s right,” Rachel answered saucily. “I used to think
you were all cold steel and ice, but now I know you’re really soft as melted
butter.”
    They were standing on the front porch now. Rachel had her back
against one of the uprights, her head tilted up so she could see Tyree’s face.
A curious light danced in his eyes as he took a step toward her.
    “Come closer,” he said, “and I’ll show you just how soft I
can be.”
    Suddenly Rachel didn’t feel like smiling anymore. The husky
wanting in Tyree’s voice sent a cold shiver down her spine and that, coupled
with the hungry look in his catlike eyes, started her heart pounding like an
Indian war drum.
    “Never mind,” she said briskly. “I believe you.”
    Tyree took another step forward, placing his hands on either
side of Rachel’s head so that she was trapped between his arms. His eyes
lingered on the warm curve of her mouth, then dropped suggestively to her
breasts before he returned his gaze to her face. She looked scared and very
vulnerable.
    “I thought you weren’t afraid of me anymore,” he challenged.
    Rachel swallowed hard, all her bravado gone now that he was
standing so near. The scent of cigar smoke and leather tickled her nostrils,
reminding her of Sunset Canyon. She could not hold his inquiring gaze and she
glanced at the arms that imprisoned her. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing
his forearms, and the sight of his bare flesh started a little thrill of
excitement in her stomach. His black shirt was the perfect foil for his swarthy
skin and ebony hair. His eyes, so intent on her face, burned with a deep amber
fire.
    “I’m not afraid,” Rachel stammered nervously. “It’s just
that I…I have something in the oven, and I think it’s burning.”
    “That right? I don’t smell anything.” He was laughing at her
now, his mouth turned down in that mocking grin she hated, his eyes alight with
mischief.
    “Well, I do!” Rachel shrieked. Ducking under his arms, she
bolted for the front door and the safety of the house.
    Once inside, Rachel glanced over her shoulder, then sighed
with relief. Thank goodness, he hadn’t followed her. Damn the man! Why didn’t
he go away and leave her alone? She hated the way he looked at her whenever
they were alone together, his amber eyes hungry, his mouth curled down in that
mocking way she despised. She knew all too well what he was thinking when he
looked at her like that, knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was
remembering Sunset Canyon.
    The memory of that