Sweet Silken Bondage by Bobbi Smith Page B

heaven..." she breathed.
    "I'll go check on the other passenger," Fred said.
    "There was another passenger?" Clay asked sharply,
glancing up at the driver as he started off.
    "Yes, and he was wounded trying to fight these
murdering thieves off!" Ruth told him.
    At the sound of "he," Clay knew the other passenger
wasn't Reina Alvarez and disappointment washed
through him.
    "Sister," Ruth was saying, "I'll help Fred with Poke.
You rest for a few minutes. You look terribly pale."
    "Thanks, Ruth..."
    "Sir, thank you for your help," Ruth told Clay. "Without your intervention, they might have killed all of us."
    "You're welcome, ma'am."
    Ruth gave him a warm smile and then hurried away
with Melissa to aid Fred. When she'd moved off, Clay
glanced up at the nun for the first time just to see how
bad she really looked. Across the little distance that
separated them, Clay's gunmetal gray eyes met Reina's
dark, velvety brown ones, and he felt a shock wave
reverberate through him clear to the depths of his soul.
This was no old woman! he realized with great amazement. Why, this nun was young and very beautiful! The
discovery left him momentarily speechless. How could he
ever have thought she was old? Clay got slowly to his feet to
face her.
    Reina, too, was jolted by the unexpected charge of
electrifying sensual recognition that exploded between
them as their gazes met and held. Her breath caught in
her throat, and time suddenly seemed suspended as she was nearly overwhelmed by the sheer animal force of
this man's magnetism. The sensation enthralled her
even as it left her puzzled and very discomfited.

    Reina was not completely inexperienced where the
opposite sex was concerned. She was a born coquette
who loved to flirt. Yet, despite all the parties and balls
she'd attended and all the suitors who'd courted her, not
one of them had ever affected her the way this man had
with just a single look.
    Reina wondered what it was about this stranger that
could disturb her so. Certainly, it wasn't just because he
was particularly good-looking. Lord knows, she'd had
dozens of handsomer, and definitely cleaner, men vying
for her affections. This man was no more than a saddle
tramp, a drifter of no obvious means, and yet his very
nearness set her senses to spinning. She was pondering
this perplexing thought as her dark eyes remained
locked with his, and it was only Ruth's vaguely heeded
call that restored her to sanity.
    "Sister Mary Regina! Poke's still alive!"

     

Reality returned with jarring distress, and Reina
found herself blushing a bit as she realized that she'd
been very close to gawking at this man. As she tore her
gaze away from his, she gave herself a fierce mental
shake. She was Sister Maty Regina now, she scolded herself
angrily. Surely, no self-respecting nun ever oogled a man!
Trying to regain her composure, she glanced back toward the stagecoach.
    "Poke's alive?" she repeated.
    "Yes," Fred called out in answer. "He's not conscious,
but his pulse is steady. As soon as we get him bandaged
up here, we'll head for the nearest waystation."
    "Thank goodness," Reina said with heartfelt emotion,
surprising herself to find that she really cared what
happened to the old man.
    Clay had been totally captivated as he stood there
gazing at Reina. Though he could only see her face,
there was no doubt in his mind that she was absolutely
gorgeous. Her complexion was perfect, her mouth soft
and inviting, her eyes wide and dark and so intriguing
that he was sorry when the other woman had called out
to them, interrupting the moment and causing her to
look away from him.
    It was only then, when Clay saw Reina blush, that he
realized he'd embarrassed her by staring so boldly. A
wave of guilt washed over him. Shes a nun, for Gods sake! he berated himself, trying to distract himself from his
thoughts of her beauty. Yet, even as he fought to dismiss
the attraction he felt for her, he couldn't