Whirlwind Groom by Debra Cowan Page B

had unwittingly mentioned William during her fever, driven to know if there was more. “Did I say anything else?”
    â€œSomething about blood.”
    Her gaze shot to his. The casual ease with which he’d said the words didn’t match the intensity in his eyes.
    â€œI reckon I’ve been wondering about that, too,” he said quietly.
    Her pulse hitched as her mind hurtled back to the bloody scene where she’d found William and her parents. She should make up something to appease the sheriff, but shecouldn’t lie. Not after what he’d done for her. Her voice was uneven as she gave him the only truth she could. “As I said, I can’t bring myself to talk about it.”
    He studied her, his blue gaze probing and steady, then before she could blink, he leaned down. His whisker-sanded cheek brushed hers and his warm breath tickled her ear. Sharp sensation shot straight to her core. “Maybe someday you’ll trust me enough to tell me.”
    â€œMaybe,” she murmured, her hands closing tight on the tablecloth in her lap.
    Oh, he needed to move away right now because she desperately wanted him to kiss her. He was so close, teasing her senses with an enticing mix of male and leather and the outdoors. All she had to do was turn her head, raise it just a fraction.
    It was a struggle to bring her mind back to what he’d said. Trust him? She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Why did he have to make it about trust? Guilt nipped at her. She owed him for saving her life, but she didn’t owe him every part of herself.
    Davis Lee straightened slowly, his breath drifting against her temple, one finger stroking her hair there. The wicked glint in his eyes told her he was well aware of how he unsettled her. He tossed his saddlebags over his right shoulder. “I’ll go now. You best rest or Catherine will know.”
    She forced a smile, determined not to let him see that her spine had gone boneless. “I think she really would.”
    â€œI’ll check on you tomorrow.”
    She knew he would. Just as he would check on her every day she was here. For the first time, that warning scared the devil out of her. It had nothing to do with Davis Lee the sheriff finding out her connection to McDougal. And everything to do with Davis Lee the man sending that delicious shiver through her body.

Chapter Six
    J ust before six on Tuesday evening, as he did every Tuesday evening, Davis Lee left the jail, this time in Jake’s capable hands. Before going to Cora’s, he went two doors down to the telegraph office and had Tony Santos send another wire to the sheriff in Galveston. Davis Lee realized it might be too soon after the hurricane for the telegraph wires to be working, but it wouldn’t hurt to try and reach Sheriff Locke again.
    Lamps from the Pearl behind him and lanterns hanging outside the saloon across the street lit Davis Lee’s way as he started for Cora’s. Being this close to the edge of town, he had only Ef’s smithy to pass before angling down the west side of the big man’s barn toward Cora’s. The new hotel, which sat behind the livery across the street, was nearly finished. He wondered when the owner would arrive.
    The puppy he carried burrowed his nose into the crook of Davis Lee’s arm. Cora’s house sat at the bottom of a gentle slope behind the shed-size building that had formerly served as the stagecoach stop. Built of unfinished wood, the house was small and homey. Lamps burning in Cora’s two front windows put off a warm glow in the cool, still night.
    Davis Lee’s long stride took him from the ground to theporch without touching the two steps. He hoped his friend liked her surprise.
    He rapped twice on the door and opened it. “Cora, I brought you something—”
    He broke off at the sight of Josie standing on the other side of the table, staring at him. She held a stack of plates, her mouth open in