Her Reaper's Arms, Charlotte Boyett-Compo [world best books to read .TXT] 📗

saloonkeeper whose mouth was gaping open. He looked back

at the sheriff. “Aye,” he replied. “I’ve taken Lea as my compánach, my companion.” He

put a firm hand on the sheriff’s shoulder. “Orson is now my seat of operation and as

such will be entitled to my full attention if trouble occurs.”

“Oh milord!” the sheriff said, his shoulders going back. “We are honored!”

“And you will look after my lady as though she were your own?” Bevyn inquired,

locking gazes with the man.

“Aye, milord. Aye!” Sheriff Gilchrist vowed. “I will guard her with my very life!”

“Good man,” Bevyn said, slapping the sheriff on the back. “Now if you’ll send

someone to fetch my steed, I’ll be after ridding the world of this rogue of yours.”

“Aye, milord!” the sheriff agreed, bowing respectfully. “I will see to it myself!”

Bevyn turned away, catching Mable’s gawking stare. He frowned. “You know Lea

won’t be working here anymore, don’t you?” he asked.

Mable nodded, unable to speak.

“Where does she stay?” he asked.

“Out back,” Mable answered. “She has a room by the privy.”

Bevyn’s frown deepened. There was no hotel in town and he doubted there was an

empty house but he asked anyway.

“No, milord,” Mable said. “No empty places that I know of.”

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Her Reaper’s Arms

“Then she’ll stay in the room you gave me until I can have a house built for her,” he

said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills, peeling several off as he

walked to the bar. “This should cover it.” Bevyn laid the money on the bar. “I am

entrusting my lady to your care while I am gone. See she has whatever she needs and

that no harm comes to her.” His amber eyes bore into her. “Is that clear?”

“Aye, milord,” Mable said, realizing he’d laid down more money than she would

see in six months’ time.

“And make gods-be-damned sure every man who lives in this town or visits it

knows she’s under my protection,” he said sternly. “Any swinging dick who dares

insult her or—the gods forbid—lays a hand to her will have me to reckon with. Is that

clear as well?”

“Perfectly, milord,” Mable agreed.

Bevyn turned away from the bar, assured Lea would be well taken care of. He went

back upstairs to get his weapons and saddlebags. He found Lea making the bed when

he walked in.

“You are to stay here, sweeting,” he said, and smiled at her when she looked up

from tucking the coverlet under the pillows. “This will be your room until I can get a

house built for you.”

Lea slowly straightened up. “A house?” she echoed.

“Aye,” he said as he plucked his gun belt from the chair and swung it around his

lean hips. “You didn’t think we’d live here, did you?”

“You were serious about staying here?” she said.

His left eyebrow crooked upward. “Wench, I never say anything I’m not serious

about.” He thought about that for a moment. “Well, almost never.”

She came around the foot of the bed as he bent over to tie his holster in place. “And

you were serious about keeping me as your woman?”

He nodded. “Aye, I was damned serious.” He straightened to find her holding his

hat out to him. He took the cowboy hat in his left hand then stepped closer to her,

putting the palm of his right hand against her cheek. “You are under my protection,

wench.” His thumb stroked over her bottom lip. “You belong to me.”

Lea was looking into his amber eyes and what she saw there made her womb

tighten. It was an honor he had extended to her that only a very few women on Terra

would ever know.

“You honor me, milord,” she said, her heart soaring.

He slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her face up to him, lowering his lips to

hers in a soft, gentle kiss that made her toes curl in her worn-down boots.

“The honor is mine, milady,” he whispered against her mouth.

Lea slid her arms around his waist, stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his,

kissing him firmly. When she pulled back, she could tell she had shocked him for his

eyes had widened. “You will be very careful, won’t you, Milord Bevyn?” she asked.

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Charlotte Boyett-Compo

“Aye,” he said.

“And you will hurry home to your woman?”

“I will,” he vowed.

She removed her arms from him and stepped back. “All right then,” she said with a

smile. “Be careful out there, okay?”

Bevyn backed away from her, unable to speak past the lump that had suddenly

formed in his throat. He was unaware that he was rotating his hat around and around

in his hands until she stepped forward and stilled the movement.

“It goes on your head, milord,” she said with a grin.

“Aye,” he said, grasping the black felt at the crown and settling it on his head,

tugging the brim down as was his custom.

She reached for his saddlebags hanging over the footboard of the bed and held

them out to him. “You have everything?” she asked.

“Aye, milady,” he said softly.

Lea stepped back. “May the Wind be always at your back, milord.”

Bevyn’s throat clogged with emotion and he turned abruptly away before he

unmanned himself before her. His eyes were stinging as he thundered down the stairs,

needing to put distance between him and the beautiful woman to whom he knew he’d

already lost his heart.

The sheriff was waiting in front of the saloon when the Reaper came out. “Don’t

worry about nothing, milord,” he told Bevyn. “I’ll take good care of your lady.”

Bevyn inclined his head as he took the reins and vaulted into the saddle. “I’ve a

favor to ask of you, Sheriff,” he said.

“Anything, milord. Just name it.”

“Find me some land within the scope of the town’s limits onto which I can build

our home,” he said. “An acre will do.”

“I will see to it, milord,” the sheriff agreed.

“And assemble some men to construct the place for us. Ask my lady to tell them

what she desires our home to be. No expense is to be spared in the building of it.

Understood?”

“Aye, milord!”

“You watch over her for me, Sheriff,” the Reaper instructed. He dug his heels into

Préachán’s flanks and the black stallion took off like a bat out