Velvet Thunder by Teresa Howard Page B

to become a woman crossed her mind. And Lucky Diamond, the handsome devil, could be the man to make her a woman. Silence reined in the kitchen. In Stevie’s mind, two words rang out. His woman.
    â€œSenora Manchez said you wished to speak with me,” he prodded, uncomfortable at the look she was giving him.
    She spoke in a rush, trying to hide her intense feelings. “Yes. I wanted to apologize for running out on you last night. I know I said I would meet you in the parlor, but I was worried about my pa. Eager to get back to Sully’s, I forgot. It really wasn’t intentional. I mean I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings or anything.”
    Heath raised his hands. “Whoa.” He chuckled indulgently, deciding she was a poor liar, but cute when she was flustered. “Apology accepted.”
    Silence reigned again. Still uncomfortable, Stevie grasped the first thought that came to mind. “I was amazed at how well you handled yourself yesterday when you sidestepped my knife.” Her cheeks flamed. “And I’m truly glad you did.”
    He looked skeptical.
    â€œHonest, Mr. Diamond. I didn’t really want to hurt you. I just lose my temper sometimes. And I do things that I regret later.” She shrugged, uncertain why she was being so candid with him.
    Heath quelled the urge to grin at her formal tone. After rolling around on the ground with him last night, the least she could do was call him by his first name. “Please call me Lucky.”
    â€œIf you’ll call me Stevie,” she felt obligated to say.
    â€œI’d prefer Steph.” He smiled broadly. “I can’t imagine calling such a pretty lady by a boy’s name.”
    Pilar watched as Stevie and Lucky engaged in small talk. To say that Lucky turned on the charm would be incorrect. He didn’t have to turn it on; he was charm incarnate. Yet, she noticed, he held a part of himself aloof.
    Even at half power he was overwhelming, if Stevie’s unease was any indication. Pilar sympathized with the girl; to withstand a man like Lucky would be slightly more difficult than keeping the tide from coming in.
    â€œI overheard Preacher Black mention that you bested two of the judge’s men. And that you killed Barnes Elder,” Stevie blurted out, gaining Pilar’s attention.
    He shrugged dismissively. “I wouldn’t make too much of idle gossip.”
    She smiled genuinely for the first time since he’d entered the room. “I bet Judge Jack’s mad as hell. What I don’t understand is how you got away with it.” She wrinkled her brow, truly perplexed. “If anybody else had done it, he’d have been given a necktie party by now.”
    Heath laughed. “Maybe Judge Jack realizes that I pose no threat to him. After all, I’m known for minding my own business. I’ve learned that a person lives longer that way.”
    Stevie stiffened. “You’re welcome to your own opinion.” Her tone said the opposite. “But Judge Jack and his gunslingers shot my pa, they likely killed my brother, and have driven us off our ranch. He’s nothing but a penny-ante crook, and I intend to stop him.” She paused, fortifying herself for what came next. “Pilar thinks that I could maybe use some help.”
    Heath bit back a chuckle at the hesitancy in Stevie’s voice. It was abundantly clear that she was unused to asking anybody for anything. His admiration for her grew several degrees. He had never known a lady like her.
    Most of the women he knew had no aversion whatsoever to wheedling what they wanted out of a man. It was what women did, and they did it well. He didn’t think less of them for it. In a pragmatic way, he considered them quite clever. They were the weaker sex—physically—so they used their God-given assets to their best advantage, naturally. And that meant unleashing their sex appeal, manipulating the stronger sex into