“Just lost in thought,” she admitted softly, staring at the full moon above them. “I’m wondering what Elias is doing tonight and how you are going to trap him.”

  “I think, perhaps, you are thinking of something else and trying to bait me into an argument.”

  “Would it do any good to argue with you?”

  “No”

  “See?”

  “But I do believe that you are distracted.”

  “By what? Why do you think that?”

  “Because I am,” he breathed, pulling her to a stop. Emily nearly swallowed her tongue as she looked up at his face in surprise. “I’m distracted in your company. I’ve watched you as you have watched me tonight.” His golden eyes looked almost black in the beams and dark shadows that the moon cast. His rough knuckles barely grazed her cheek, almost reverently. She hadn’t seen this side of him before and it was captivating. She stood there completely still, her body refusing to move in anticipation of what was coming next.

  “I haven’t been able to focus or think of anything other than how pretty you look this evening. That soft skin,” he admitted huskily as her heart pounded in her chest. “Those lips? I bet they are as sweet as they look.”

  Emily caught her breath as his dark head suddenly leaned down and kissed her. He hesitated for just the briefest moment before making contact, his breath tickling her lips just before their lips touched. His mouth brushed hers ever so slowly, as if he were savoring the moment between them. He hesitated briefly, pulling back and looking at her questioningly. He then quickly leaned forward and kissed her again. Cade smiled gently. “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since you cleaned up in the creek.”

  And that ruined the moment.

  “You really can’t resist bringing that up, can you?” she whispered hotly, thankful for the dim moonlight. Perhaps it would hide her embarrassment that she was sure would have her cheeks flaming red. “That was one of my lowest moments ever and you bring it up over and over again.”

  “I will admit that you are pretty when your eyes glare daggers at me,” he said, chuckling. “C’mon, little thief. I think our evening is over.”

  “Little thief? Don’t call me that!” she squawked, racing after him. His long legs were making quick time as they walked towards the hotel. “That sounds horrible! You can’t go around calling me a little thief! It isn’t proper or polite!”

  “What? You don’t like the title?” he teased. “Then don’t steal.”

  “You are awful,” she breathed angrily, her hands clenched in tight, little fists. Cade stopped suddenly, causing Emily to run right into his back. She nearly fell backwards, but his hands quickly caught her. She got her balance and began swatting his hands off of her.

  “I’m fine! Let go!” she said hotly.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Cade crossed his arms across his chest and watched her. His grin made her want to wipe the smugness off his face.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then quit smiling at me!” She saw his shoulders were moving and heard almost a choking sound from him. “Are you laughing at me?”

  “Nope,” he said, chuckling and opened the door. “Ladies first,” he announced gallantly. Emily stuck her nose into the air and walked into the building, stopping immediately at the sight of scantily clad women nearby.

  “You didn’t,” she breathed, shocked. She turned her pale face towards him, aghast. Cade was grinning from ear to ear closely behind her. The noises from the people in the room became almost silent. Even the woman in the corset that had been singing off key was quiet. You could hear the clink of the glasses and change being tossed onto the gaming tables, but that was it. All discussion had stopped.

  “Hey, Bill,” Cade began. “It’s been a bit, but can I get my room tonight?”

  “It’s always ready for you. You know that, Cade.”

  “Great, thanks! Boys? This round is on me,” he said politely and pulled a few dollars from his pocket. A loud cheer and applause went up. “Can I get a bottle, too?” The bartender handed him a small, brown bottle and two glasses.

  “Anything for you, Cade.”

  “Much obliged, Bill.” Nodding, he tipped his hat and thanked the bartender again. He took the long, thin key from the man and began to walk through the room away from where Emily stood. Cade then turned around, grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. Her feet were quickly running to keep up with him. She couldn’t help but stare at the expanse of flesh that was hanging out of the gowns and corsets on the women. Many men stared blatantly at her in return, causing her to flush with embarrassment. She shouldn’t be here! Did he dare bring her to a brothel? Shame on him!

  Just under the stairs at the very back of the building near the storeroom was a door. Cade inserted the key and quickly opened the door. He turned, looked at her and rolled his eyes. Grabbing her, he pushed her into the room.

  “Don’t start being judgmental and ungrateful, too. Think before you open your mouth. They don’t have to house us, and I thought you’d prefer a bed.” Emily’s mouth shot open and his hand quickly covered it. “Voices carry, Emily. So, if you need to disparage them, do it quietly.”

  Staring at him, she watched as he yanked off the cork and took a large sip of whatever was in the dark bottle. Lighting a candle on the side table, she saw that there were two small beds in the room and let out a sigh of relief. There goes one concern she had.

  “How could you bring me to a brothel?” she whispered. “Ladies shouldn’t be seen in one! This is scandalous!”

  “Ladies shouldn’t steal either,” he said, taking another sip and letting out a sigh. Cade sat down on one of the beds and yanked off his boots, letting them fall on the ground. He then padded towards the door in his socks, locking it with the key from the inside and setting a chair just under the handle.

  “You hypocrite,” she squeaked and quickly made her voice lower, whispering at his quick glance. “You hypocrite! It’s not okay for me to steal? But it’s okay for them to gamble, drink and… and… you know!”

  “Work for a living?”

  “Work? That’s not work!”

  “They are working to earn money to put clothes on their backs and food in their mouths.”

  “Those women don’t have clothing on their backs!”

  “Those women work for their food and struggle to get by,” he said, frustrated. She could tell he was annoyed to even be having the conversation with her. He kept shushing her in an effort to get her to lower her voice. “They are giving us a safe place to sleep for the night and you should be grateful.”

  “What makes you think that I didn’t struggle? That I didn’t have a hard time getting by? I am grateful to have a bed to sleep in tonight! However, my ungrateful brother and I,” she paused for a moment, almost at a loss for words she was so flabbergasted. “We slept on the ground or scrounged around for what we needed. Whoring was never an –”

  Emily’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at how fast Cade moved. He crossed the tiny room instantly, putting his hand over her mouth in an effort to silence her.

  “Emily Jessup, so help me woman, don’t you say another word!” he scolded quietly. “You should never use words like that or language like that. I will let my hand up if you will stay quiet. We are safe here and unknown. Safe. Let’s keep it that way by not pissing off the locals. Do you understand me?” She nodded, surprised and feeling slightly intimidated by his large stature. When he removed his hand, she opened her mouth to speak and stopped. His hands rested on her shoulders as he took a deep breath.

  “Listen to me carefully,” Cade began. “Let me first begin by apologizing if I have offended you. I tried to apologize earlier, and I don’t think you believed that I meant it. I am truly sorry. I am sorry that my job involves having to capture you and your brother. You said that someday I’d do something that was wrong but felt right. Congratulations, little thief. I’ve done it.” He ran a trembling hand through his dark hair and looked away from her.

  “Arresting you felt like I did something right. I did my job. But the more I look at you and talk to you? Mercy, even kissing you? The more I am certain that it was wrong.” Emily stared at him in surprise at the confession.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’d like to drink myself to sleep tonight while I try to figure out how to get us out of this mess. Lie down, little thief, and get some rest,” Cade said gently and kissed her on the cheek. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the alcohol mixed in with his scent. The roughness of his cheek made her knees weak. Before she realized it, as his cheek lay against hers, her hand had crept up and cupped his face.

  He pulled his head back and stared at her. She could see the conflict in his eyes. Ever so slowly, he leaned down and kissed her again. This time, she anticipated it and welcomed his touch. Her hand curled in his hair, while her other lay against his shirtfront. She could feel his heart pounding through the material and it made her feel powerful. She heard him give a slight groan of regret as he pulled back, ending the kiss.

  “Apology accepted,” she whispered softly, watching his closed eyes open and a smile alight his face. His eyes crinkled at the corners and that dimple appeared on his cheek. He brought her fingertips to his lips and kissed them.

  “Get to bed, little thief, and stay there,” he growled tenderly.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “If you hear any noises at the door, wake me. Don’t open it.”

  “I thought you said we were safe?”

  “We are, but you can never be too careful, and I won’t put you in jeopardy.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cade nodded and looked away. Emily lay down on the small cot on the far side of the room, watching him. He picked up the bottle and downed the remainder. Lying down in his own bed, he blew out the candle. She lay there in the silence, listening to him breath and the faint noises from the other room. “Goodnight, Cade.”

  “Goodnight, Emily, sleep well.”

  Six

  Emily cracked open her eyes the next morning and stared at the unfamiliar room trying, to place where she was. Instantly, the last day’s events came crashing back and she was so confused. Cade’s icy cold demeanor turned instantly sensual at the drop of a hat. The man was fire and ice. The bad thing was that Emily preferred the fiery side of him. The side that seemed to be intent on kissing her, talking with her and treating her like a woman. The icy side irritated the heck out of her. That aspect of his personality, the frozen aloof bounty hunter, made him seem almost clinical as he distanced himself mentally from his prey.

  Beams of light poured through the cracks in the wall between the planks of wood, making the dust motes dance. She understood now why Cade kept hushing her and asking her to keep her voice down. Anyone could be listening, and the walls were thin. She sat still, searching for any sounds from just outside of their room. Hearing none, she sat up gingerly and glanced at where Cade lay.

  “Good morning,” he said simply. He was lying back on the cot and had his arms tucked behind his head. “Did you sleep well?” The man had no right to look so good when he awoke first thing in the morning. She was certain that her hair resembled a bird’s nest as she pushed the mass away from her face.

  “Yes, thank you. It was much better than the ground,” she conceded with a smile as she began to twist the curls into some sort of orderly braid. At least if it was secured back, then perhaps it might look a bit manageable and not so haggard.

  “Sometimes,” Cade admitted. “When it’s really loud, it’s hard to sleep.” He sat forward on the edge of the cot, watching her. She noticed that he had untucked his shirt sometime during the night to rest but was grateful he’d remained covered. She wasn’t quite sure how she’d have reacted if he’d been missing an article of clothing. She blushed heatedly at her runaway thoughts, grateful for the dim light. Please don’t notice how embarrassed I am right now, she prayed.

  “I can imagine.”

  Both sat there silently in the dim light. Neither one spoke and neither was sure what to say. Emily had so many questions to ask, about the kiss, about her brother and about her future – but couldn’t voice any. She watched as Cade would hesitate or open his mouth to speak and then close it again.

  “Go ahead,” she urged finally. The tension was eating at her, making her stomach cramp painfully. “Talk to me. It’s been an interesting few days.”

  “It’s nothing,” he replied quietly. “We probably need to get going.”

  “To find my brother?”

  “Yes,” he admitted, and a bit of her soul felt like it died with that simple word. Would he really be so nice, so sweet to her and then still use her for bait? That made her feel almost ill. Poor Elias would have no idea. And when he did figure it out, it would be too late.

  Emily silently followed Cade through the doorway and out of the building. It didn’t seem that talking to him made any difference in his decisions or the path he was choosing to take. He was a bounty hunter through and through. He had a job to do and would do it at any cost. She felt so defeated, so used, so betrayed. In her mind, they’d had a breakthrough. He’d seemed so lively, so tender and passionate. She could have easily pictured him smiling, talking or laughing with her and now that was gone. Instead, she felt ashamed she’d kissed him in return and her brother would pay the price. Waves of guilt washed over her at the thought of Elias being captured.

  “Do you need help climbing up?” Cade offered quietly, breaking through her thoughts.

  “Not really.”

  “You’re mad.”

  “I’m disappointed and upset,” she countered, swatting away his hands as he tried to put them around her waist. Her breath hitched at the feel of his hands on her waist, but she wouldn’t allow herself to be coerced into his scheme. Stomping her foot down on the ground, annoyed, she pushed away his hands again as he tried to help her onto the horse yet again. His eyebrows shot upwards as he looked at her in surprise.

  “I’ve not lied to you.”

  “No, you haven’t. But I feel betrayed nonetheless.”

  “I know you do.”

  Emily stared at his face, wishing for the tenderness she’d seen from him before. It was gone and in its place was the dreaded coldness that would spell her brother’s downfall. This ice-cold man would have no qualms about bringing her brother in to reap his reward.

  “Then why do it? Doesn’t it ever bother you?” She wanted to ask him how he could sleep at night knowing that even though he brought a man to justice, it could be destroying a family at the same time. Is this why he distanced himself? If so, why had he let her in?

  “Because I have to,” he replied calmly and looked away from her.

  “Well, I guess that means I will have to do what I feel I need to as well,” she muttered angrily, putting her foot in the stirrup. She didn’t bat an eye as the horse became skittish and danced around in place. It was Cade that grabbed the reins and brought the mare to a standstill as she took her seat.

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Absolutely, it is. Tie me up, bounty hunter! Because I am not going to make this easy on you. I already have and now live with the guilt.” Emily stared at him with barely veiled hostility. “If I am your prisoner, treat me like one!” she demanded angrily. “Don’t be nice to me and then… then…” she bit out and hesitated, feeling overwhelmed. Her eyes burned with unshed tears of frustration and rage.

  “I’m not tying you up again, Emily. The rope marks are still healing.”

  “So?”

  “Emily, trust me. Please.”

  “Show me that I can,” she countered painfully, swallowing hard and looking away from his face. She wanted so much to believe that she could trust him to do the right thing. But every word he said, every single move they made got her one step closer to her bout with the law much less her brother. Cade never lied. He said he was using her for bait and taking her in for the bounty. Of that, she had no doubts. It was the way his actions and his words didn’t match up that gave her an inkling of hope, one that she quickly squashed. Hope was dangerous and would only lead to disappointment when the inevitable betrayal came.

  Cade didn’t say another word. Instead, he climbed on the horse behind her and gathered up the reins. She wanted to curl her arms around his waist and breathe in his scent as she held on to him, but that would be like cuddling with a dangerous animal. This man had the ability to hurt her in a way she’d never imagined. She could have sworn she heard him sigh after a time but was lost in thought and studying the horizon around them.

  If she knew Elias, he’d be watching and following them if he was on the trail. If not, he’d be riding hell-bent for the courthouse and would confront them there. His temperament and hotheaded attitude would cause them both to be captured. She just knew it. They rode along silently. As the city came into view, Emily felt her nausea growing as her stomach rumbled painfully.

  “May we stop for a few minutes? I think I’m going to be ill.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “No, not in the slightest! But it’s not like you care,” she admitted and slid down off the horse quickly, gulping in deep breaths of air. She closed her eyes and prayed that the nausea subsided soon. She’d always had a tender stomach and being stressed wasn’t helping things in the slightest. Emily paced, arching her neck up towards the warm sun and put her hands on her hips as she waited for the latest bout of nausea to subside.

  “Should we stop for the night? I’d prefer to keep going.” Cade’s rich voice interrupted her thoughts and, for a moment, she might have thought he was concerned about her. Glancing at him, she saw the lack of compassion in his gaze and sighed. A fluke or a trick of the mind.