Annie Gets Her Gunmen Read online

  “I came across the stagecoach you were taken from, and they told me which direction the bandits had gone. I followed as fast as I could to come after you.”

  “You’re my hero then. You got here just in time.” Her lips trembled, and she looked on the verge of tears.

  He glanced at her chest. “Not quite.” Garrett focused his attention on her face. “I’m sorry they ruined your dress.”

  Her gaze lowered to her arms briefly before returning to his face. “Please don’t worry about my dress. My circumstances could have been so much worse.” Her eyes dipped down to her chest for a longer look. When she lifted her face again to stare up at him, her vibrant green eyes were filled with tears. “Thank you.” She sniffed, and another tear rolled down her cheek. “He almost—”

  “But he didn’t, did he? You aren’t hurt, right?” He interrupted, not wanting her to relive the atrocities already committed against her.

  She didn’t move for several seconds. Looking to her right at the man who’d almost violated her, the expression on her face darkened. Eyes narrowed, she studied his limp form and then mashed her eyes shut.

  “Ma’am, are you sure you aren’t hurt?” he asked again.

  Another long pause came before she shook her head. “No. But my dress is torn beyond any temporary repair.”

  Relieved that she was talking and coherent instead of hysterical and nonsensical, he pondered what to do to help. “I have a shirt you can borrow. It should shield your torn dress, at least until we get to town.”

  “Thank you. That would be very generous of you.”

  He nodded and turned away quickly to get the spare shirt from his saddle bag.

  When he returned, she had risen to her feet. Arms still strategically crossed over her bare breasts, Garrett swallowed hard and leaned forward only enough so he could reach her without coming across as a threat. He didn’t want to scare her. He draped the shirt over one shoulder and backed up a step. Unable to turn away at first, he kept his distance and watched her.

  It wasn’t lost upon him that she was very beautiful. Even in the disheveled state from her horrific experience, she had a strength and determination about her that was difficult to ignore. His libido came alive as the floral scent of her intruded on his conscience, and he quelled any amorous intent given the situation.

  She was hurt, frightened, and vulnerable. He wasn’t the kind of man who ever took advantage of women, let alone a fragile one directly after a depraved bandit had tried to accost her.

  But she sure was pretty. Her striking green eyes mesmerized him.

  Garrett smiled with as much reassurance as he could and turned away. He occupied his time by checking the status of the four desperadoes. He discovered that three were dead and one was breathing but unconscious. He gathered the other horses, automatically searching for any recognized brands. Likely, they were all stolen, too.

  Ten minutes later, he walked over to where she stood wearing his tan shirt. Even buttoned all the way up, he could see all of her throat and part of the pale skin below her collar bone. The sleeves were a thick roll of fabric against her forearms.

  “My shirt sure looks a lot better on you, ma’am.”

  Her smile warmed his heart and lit a fire further below, as well.

  “I appreciate what you did for me…” she paused and sent her gaze to the dusty red ground. “I don’t even know your name.” She lifted her head and pierced him with a tentative look as if she were embarrassed to have needed rescuing.

  “It’s Garrett Butler. I’m a sheriff in Outpost, Colorado, and honestly delighted to be of service. I was just on my way north to take some time off.”

  “A sheriff? From Colorado? I’m from Colorado. I’m so glad you didn’t stop being a sheriff when you went on holiday.”

  He shrugged. “I’m always a lawman, wherever I go.”

  “I’m very grateful.” She took a step closer and tiled her head back.

  Without the intentional thought of doing so, he drifted closer until only inches separated their bodies.

  He couldn’t look away. The sun was lowering with every minute, and they needed to get back on the trail, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from her. She inched closer. He didn’t stop the inevitable touch of their bodies.

  She leaned forward until her breasts pushed into his chest, the two layers of shirt fabric not able to hide her excitement in the form of her pebbled nipples digging into his body.

  Before he could stop her—and he wouldn’t have anyway—she slipped her hands around his neck.

  “Thank you for what you did. I thought I was going to die today.” She pulled his head down and pressed her soft lips against his mouth.

  Garrett only meant to reassure the fragile emotions of Miss Annabel, but the tender kiss between them became much more after only a few seconds. A chaste kiss would have been enough of a reward, but she had more in mind.

  Twisting her head, she parted her mouth and stroked his bottom lip with her delectable tongue. He growled in surprise, wrapped his arms around her back, and returned the passion of the surprise kiss with scorching intent.

  Her lips parted more. When he felt her tongue slide against his lower lip again, he was obliged to twist his mouth across hers for a deeper taste. Miss Annabel tasted very sweet and yet a part of him knew it was wrong to go much further. He didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerable state.

  Garrett pulled back ever so slightly, but she pushed forward and didn’t let him get away. She initiated the level of their kiss, and he intended to see it through to the end.

  Thrusting his tongue into her warm mouth, his brain froze in wonderment, but his cock reared in lusty readiness for this unexpected embrace. He wanted her.

  A slim rational thought surfaced that said this was only gratitude for the timely rescue but was just as quickly squashed by his ardent libido wanting so much more from this fragile beautiful woman.

  The kiss went on and on and on until Garrett had to stop the distraction or call himself a cad. Taking advantage of her was something he’d already told himself he absolutely would not do. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, and she leaned into him until she was swallowed by his frame. His cock took the opportunity to identify that a lush, beautiful woman was squeezed in his arms and stiffened in salute.

  He released her with a long sigh and kissed the top of her head. It was going to be a very long ride back to town, and they needed to get started or else they’d arrive after dark. That would ruin her fragile reputation even more than if a slim ray of light still registered on the horizon. Riding in after dark brought with it all sorts of innuendo about being alone with a woman. It shouldn’t, but often, reason and logic were not in abundance during these types of situations.

  “We need to go.” Garrett moved away from her a little further.

  Her posture went ramrod straight even though he didn’t mean to be so distant. “Yes. You’re right. I’m staying at the hotel in the next town where the stagecoach was scheduled to stop.” She heaved a deep sigh. “If they even held my room after I was kidnapped from the stagecoach. Late arrival even on a stagecoach doesn’t often guarantee a place to sleep.”

  “I won’t let you go without a room tonight. The sheriff in the next town is a friend. Besides, I’m sure the stagecoach line will insist you get a room given your ordeal.”

  She looked dubious but soon nodded. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’ll gather the horses. Can you ride?”

  She shot him a panicked look. “May I please ride with you?” No. Absolutely not. “I’d feel much safer. And, quite frankly, I’m so shaky I don’t think I can stay in a saddle without someone to hold on to.”

  “Of course,” he replied automatically. Like a fool. “You can rest on the way to town.”

  And I will suffer. Pleasantly so.

  Chapter Four

  The ride out of the narrow canyon was certainly more pleasant than the trip into it and not just because she wasn’t belly d
own over the pommel of a bandit’s horse, fearing for her life. Even though Garrett was as much a stranger as the others, Annabel knew this man would keep her safe. He was a sheriff. A man she could trust. Her rescuer. And besides, she tasted that conviction in his kiss.

  Garrett had been the one to back away from her impromptu gratitude. He’d even seemed slightly embarrassed to have so enthusiastically participated, but his cock growing rigid against her stomach during the exchange told her that he found her attractive.

  The sound of his gunfire picking off the degenerate ruffians had taken her by surprise. At first, she thought the idiots were simply firing wasted ammunition into the air, until the man who’d ripped the front panel out of her best dress grunted and fell to one side, bleeding from his chest. He’d been about to strike her for spitting in his face, but the pain she expected from his open hand poised above her never came.

  Without thinking, Annabel had flipped to her stomach and tried to get away, not understanding that a rescue was imminent. Her first thought was that another criminal waited to do his worst.

  Until he said her name. Until he’d cut her bonds. Until he’d given her his shirt to wear for modesty’s sake.

  He was a true hero. Her hero.

  Snuggled against his steely frame, Annabel snaked an arm around his waist as they rode away from the secluded canyon. The blazing sun eventually tempered its heat the closer nightfall came and headed for the shelter of the mountains. She took a deep breath of satisfaction and relief. Along with the air came Garrett’s masculine scent. He smelled of leather, gun powder, and the unique musky fragrance so inherently common to men.

  Garrett held her securely in his arms and glanced over his shoulder occasionally to check on the only living member of the gang who’d taken her. Her previous captor was now belly down on the first of four additional horses trailing behind them.

  After half an hour of riding, they came across the place in the road where she’d been taken. The stagecoach was already gone.

  He didn’t slow the horses but remarked, “Guess they got the team of horses rounded up. I told them to take off down the road to the next town.”

  “Did you? Why?”

  “They told me about you being taken. I offered to go after you and didn’t plan to head for town myself until I’d found you. There was no sense in them waiting around, too.”

  “I guess not.” She tightened her grip around his waist.

  “Once we get to town and get your things, you’ll feel better.”

  “I’m certain you’re right.”

  She wondered what else might happen once they got to town. Annabel wasn’t sure she wanted to relinquish Garrett’s strong, safe arms for the night. It would be completely inappropriate to ask him to stay over in her hotel room, but the thought of spending the night safely in his arms gathered importance with each mile they covered on the road towards her next destination.

  In two days, Annabel would arrive at the town of Pine Haven ready to plead her case before the judges and coordinators of the annual Wyoming Territory Sharpshooter’s Club contest to let her participate. Tonight, though, she desperately needed comfort and a feeling of protection from this man. And the fact that Garrett was very attractive didn’t hurt at all either.

  Dane’s beautiful face entered her mind briefly, but she separated it from her current thoughts. Tonight’s desire for companionship was about feeling safe and expressing gratitude to the man responsible for her even being alive.

  Her emotions still very fragile, Annabel kept flashing back to the sound of her dress ripping from her body. Hands bound in agony behind her back and helpless to stop her kidnapper from doing whatever he wanted, she shuddered inside each time that particular memory surfaced. She pushed the thought of what didn’t happen out of her mind, even as she squeezed Garrett’s waist tighter.

  They rode in relative silence almost all the way to the next town of Westerville. Garrett told her he knew the sheriff here. His name was Mathew, and he met them about a mile out of town.

  “Sheriff Butler,” he called in greeting. “The stagecoach driver reported being held up. I was just on my way to lend you some assistance.”

  Garrett handed him the reins to three of the four horses. The fourth, directly behind his mount, had the strong box strapped to the saddle. Mathew took possession of the extra horses and the unconscious bandit.

  With a weary sigh, Garrett pointed over his shoulder. “I left the other three to rot in a small canyon about ten miles back and to the west.”

  Mathew nodded. “I know where it is. Thanks for helping out.”

  “I’m going to see that the young lady gets a room over at the hotel and give the strong box back to the stagecoach driver, then I’ll come to the jail and tell you in more detail what happened.”

  Mathew shrugged. “You can just stop by tomorrow before you leave. No rush.” He eyed Annabel once or twice throughout the short conversation but never asked any details about her. She was grateful not to have to explain why she wore a man’s shirt or what nearly happened back in the canyon.

  Garrett clicked his tongue, and the horse started moving. “We’re almost there. You all right?”

  While Annabel looked forward to a quiet room and the possibility of a bath to scrub away the day’s horrible events, a part of her hated to say good bye to Garrett. When would she see him again? How could she properly thank him for saving not only her life but from being violated by those men? How could she ever sleep tonight all alone without his strong arms to protect her? How could she get him to cooperate and stay with her for the night?

  “I’ll make sure you get a room before I leave.”

  She lifted her head and stared into his blue eyes. “Don’t leave me. Please. Will you stay with me tonight?”

  His lips quirked into an odd shape before straightening out. “The only way I could stay in your room is to register as your husband, and the stagecoach folks know that isn’t true. We wouldn’t get away with it.”

  “But you could just say you’re my guard.” Annabel hated to sound like she was begging, but the powerful attraction she felt for this man right now overrode any common sense. His honorable intentions only made him more desirable.

  “Annabel, as much as I’d love to spend the evening with you, it wouldn’t be proper. I understand that you’re still upset about what happened, but the best I could do is guard the outside of your door.”

  “I accept your offer.”

  His eyes widened as if surprised by her forthright attitude regarding her desire to spend time with him, even if it was through a door. It wasn’t fair to ask him to sit in an uncomfortable chair all night propped against the wall in the hallway, but perhaps sometime after midnight, she’d be able to coax him into her soft, comfy bed.

  Plan well in hand, Annabel smiled at her own seductive scheming to get another man into her hotel room. Garrett was so much different than Dane, both in coloring and in demeanor. Garrett was taller, thicker and both his skin and disposition was darker than the whipcord lean Dane with his blond hair and happy-go-lucky attitude.

  The stagecoach driver came out of the town’s public stable as they rode towards the hotel. Annabel thought he looked relieved to see her, although he hadn’t put up much of a fight when they’d taken her in the first place. Perhaps he felt guilty about her kidnapping.

  “Glad to see you, Sheriff.” He glanced at Annabel briefly. He couldn’t miss the fact that she was secured to Garrett’s side like a tick on a fat puppy.

  “Were you able to recover the strong box?”

  Garrett pointed to the horse he led behind him. “Yep. Got it right there. The lock’s been shot off, but I was able to recover all the money. And more importantly, I was able to rescue Miss Annabel just in time.”

  The stagecoach driver looked away as if suddenly embarrassed by her abduction and what might have transpired if Garrett hadn’t gotten there just in time.

  “Good. I’m glad she fared well.”

&
nbsp; “Fared well?” Annabel didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud until the rheumy eyes of the stagecoach driver fixed on her. “They kidnapped me and nearly violated me, and all you have to say is you’re glad I fared well?”

  He looked away again. “I’m sorry you were taken, but I couldn’t stop it.”

  “You didn’t even try.”

  His head whipped around, and he pierced her with a petulant stare. “They out gunned me four to one.”

  Annabel wasn’t inclined to let him off the hook. “So what? You had a gun, too.”

  His gaze went to the horizon. “True, ‘cept mine wasn’t loaded. You may find this hard to believe, but I’ve never been robbed before. And I know it ain’t any consolation, given today’s circumstances, but I won’t ever make that mistake again.”

  Garrett squeezed her in his arms as if to temper any further combative conversation from her. “We’re headed to the hotel.” He tossed the reins from the second horse to the stagecoach driver who caught them one-handed. “Here’s your strong box. The horse is likely stolen. Stable it here, and I’ll tell the town’s sheriff to come for it later.”

  The stagecoach driver nodded and turned away without another word to either of them. Annabel tried to take his obvious embarrassment as an unspoken apology, but she stewed over the fact that her life had almost taken a very horrible turn for the worse. The tragedy was unwittingly aided by an unprepared, and eventually unrepentant, stagecoach driver.

  As if he read her thoughts, Garrett murmured, “Don’t get worked up over his failure. It won’t change anything.”

  “I know you’re right. If I’d been in charge, I’d have ensured the gun was loaded.”

  “Miss Annabel!” The shriek of her name came from the other woman who’d shared the stagecoach with her, Mrs. Dempsey. “I never thought I’d see you alive again.”

  Dressed in the severe black dress and holding her baby tight against her chest, Mrs. Dempsey hurried over to the horse, and the previous conversation was put on hold or perhaps best left forgotten. Her narrow hawk-like gaze zeroed in on the man’s shirt Annabel wore, and a frown shaped her mouth. “Oh no, Miss Annabel, please tell me you weren’t ravished by those bandits.” Her eyes had a particularly vibrant glow filled with obvious fear. Annabel, certain Mrs. Dempsey would probably fall into a dead faint if she ever found out how close Annabel came to being ravished by bandits before being rescued, decided to ease her fellow traveler’s fears.