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So. Apples for dinner it was.
His optimism over his dinner choice faded even further after he’d slid out of his saddle and taken the first bite. The overly tart juice flooded Gray’s mouth and puckered his cheeks.
“Ugh,” he said, tossing the apple over his shoulder.
Birdie, on the other hand, had no such complaints and was happily munching on her third apple. Gray debated the wisdom of pulling her away from her treats so he could go into town and find his own supper, when the sound of raised voices floated over the breeze.
He nudged Birdie closer to the commotion, taking care to keep hidden behind the trees. In a small clearing next to a grave, a stern-looking woman stood, hands on her hips, facing off against a group of men. They weren’t physically harming her, but it was obvious she was not happy at their presence.
Something about the way she stood her ground, her whole demeanor poised and ready for a fight, sparked an admiration in Gray. He wouldn’t call her beautiful. In fact, he’d never quite understood how men found women at their most attractive when they were angry. The women he’d known had been much prettier when they were smiling and batting their eyes at him. Not so much when their faces were blotched from anger and their claws were out.
This woman was definitely in a high dander. She reminded him of a hissing cat being forced into a bath. All prickly fur and bared fangs. Her hair was a nondescript light brown pulled back in a messy bun at the nape of her neck, despite a large portion of the apparently untamable curls escaping the knot. The rest of her, though, looked highly starched, impossibly clean, and neat as a pin. And radiating fury. Attractive, at that particular moment, she was not. However…she did look every ounce the queen ready to defend her territory. Quite mesmerizing.
He had no doubt she’d do just fine on her own, and he had no intention of wading into a mess that wasn’t his. Heck, he hadn’t even made it to town yet. Not that she needed his help in any case. She looked ready, and more than capable, to start knocking a few heads together. An admirable trait in a woman, he’d always found. But not one he wanted aimed at him. Now seemed like a great time to head the other direction into town and find a place to lodge for a few days.
He turned to grab Birdie. Only…she was no longer there. He spun in a circle, searching for her. She wasn’t far away, but…
“Damn it all to hell,” he muttered.
The miserable beast had abandoned her apple feast and was trotting straight for the arguing group. Damn useless animal.
But there was no help for it. He’d have to go bring himself to the attention of the squabbling folks by the grave unless he wanted to abandon his horse. Which was sorely tempting, but everything he owned in the world was in her saddlebags.
He sighed and made his way down the hill.
His mama used to tell him that burdens were a blessing. Well, if that were true, he really wished God would bless him a little less.
Chapter Two
Mercy Douglas calculated her odds of escaping a hanging if she did the world a favor and rid it of Josiah Banff.
Since the sheriff stood right behind him, watching their disagreement unfold, probably slim to none.Blast.
Josiah, the biggest landowner in the area who’d been an aggravating thorn in her side since the day he’d seen her—and her land—nodded his head at the grave beneath the nearby tree. “It’s just not right, Miss Douglas. A beautiful woman like you, all alone in the world.”
Mercy raised an eyebrow. No one had ever referred to her as beautiful before. Sturdy, maybe. She’d heardrobusta few times. And Frank Revis, the town drunk, had once told her she had a strong countenance and ample backside, which seemed to be a compliment to him. Her lack of beauty usually didn’t bother her much. A quick mind and strong body were much more useful to her than a pretty face.
So, she had no doubt any man laying on the flattery that thick was doing nothing but blowing smoke up her ass and telling her it was rainbows.
She gave him a tight smile. “You shouldn’t concern yourself, Mr. Banff, with my circumstances. I’m perfectly happy as I am.”
One of his men snickered, and Josiah looked skeptical. “There’s no need to spin tales for me, Miss Douglas. You must be absolutely bereft.”
She gritted her teeth, hating to admit he was right. She’d give anything if her father were alive again. She’d be willing to bet that the unfortunate accident that had killed him hadn’t been an accident at all. But she had no proof of anything. No proof Josiah had murdered her father, though she knew deep in her bones he had. And she was done playing nice. Even if that meant provoking the loathsome man. Anything was better than this nauseating dance she’d been doing with him since the day she and her father had arrived in Desolation and taken over a distant relative’s abandoned homestead.
Mercy took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. Grief clenched her heart as she stared down at her father’s grave. She’d never been one to wish her circumstances were other than what they were. There was no point in doing that. But right at that moment she wished more than anything that her father was still there to stand with her against Josiah. Because no one else would.
“You’re right, Josiah. I am absolutely bereft.”
He perked up at that, his already slightly bug-like eyes widening hopefully, but his optimism was short-lived.
“You’ve been sniffing around my land since the day my father inherited it, and I’m heartily sick of it.”
Josiah’s mouth dropped, but she was just getting started.
“You seem utterly hell-bent on buying, stealing, or marrying my land right out from under me.Whyyou are so keen to get your hands on it, I have no idea. Don’t care much, either. The fact that I have repeatedly and vehemently answerednoto every proposal of every kind that you’ve delivered doesn’t seem to mean anything to you. You want this land and you’re determined to get it, no matter my opinion on the subject.”
“Now see here, Miss Douglas—” he started, anger burning away the pleasant facade he usually donned when speaking to her and making what might have been a semi-handsome face plain unpleasant.
