who sat a horse so impressively. He seemed detached, even more distant than before. And why shouldn’t he be? He wasn’t embroiled in the upheaval of her life.
She was just another prospective client to him.
Her thoughts trailed off when she spotted the glow of lights in the distance. Almost home… Soon she would find out if Adam had survived his gunshot wound.
With tension coiled inside her, she promptly picked up the pace. She had her horse in a full gallop by the time she reached the dirt path that led to the ranch house.
Lone Wolf was right on her heels. When she skidded her horse to a halt and bounded from the saddle, his lean fingers closed around her forearm to waylay her. She looked up at his inscrutable expression and wished she possessed the same iron-willed self-discipline. She felt as if she were on the verge of scattering in every direction at once, while he was a bulwark of physical and emotional strength.
“Take a breath, Julia,” he ordered firmly. “A deep one.”
She did as she was told.
“Again,” he demanded.
Julia sucked in a huge gulp of night air and tried to get herself under control.
“You won’t accomplish a damn thing by walking in there and falling apart. Whatever happens, I’ll be here to take care of things. Save the tears and tantrums for later. Do you understand? Don’t give your brother or your employees something else to worry about right now.”
She peered into his angular face, into those intense hazel eyes that bored straight into her. “Does that mean that you will take this assignment?” she asked hopefully.
When he nodded, Julia embarrassed herself by flinging her arms around his neck and practically squeezing the stuffing out of him. She buried her head against the solid wall of his chest and savored the sense of security that overcame her. Although she was aware that he didn’t reciprocate—except to drape his brawny arm awkwardly around her shoulder—she absorbed his strength. She clung to him for comfort and support for several moments, wondering why she had developed an instant attachment to a total stranger.
Maybe it was because she had poured her heart out to him and he had listened, then agreed to help. Maybe it was because she was desperate to anchor herself to something strong and solid.
Vince Lone Wolf was definitely that. Rumor had it that he was hell on outlaws, ruthless when necessary and unyielding as granite. Legend also had it that no one that he was sent to apprehend ever walked away to brag about escaping from him. He was the justice system’s last resort, and he accepted the difficult challenges no one else wanted.
This was definitely the man Julia needed on her side.
Summoning her composure as best she could, Julia stepped back, then wheeled toward the front porch. When she opened the door and was met with silence, another wave of apprehension swooped down on her. She took comfort in Lone Wolf’s presence as he hovered over her, close as her own shadow.
She headed up the steps to Adam’s room, wondering what her acquaintances in Dodge City’s elite social circle would think of her association with Lone Wolf. No doubt, they wouldn’t approve. But Julia had been raised not to be judgmental and presumptuous. Furthermore, her brother’s life and the future of Preston Ranch were at stake. She would be damned if she was influenced by the dictates of society. She and Adam had a hired gun on their side in this feud and she didn’t give a flying fig what anyone thought of that.
Lone Wolf might be hard-edged, gruff and emotionally detached, but if he could help her put her life back together and end this dangerous fight with Sol Griffin then she would be forever in his debt. Plus, she wouldn’t think twice about paying whatever price Lone Wolf demanded for his expert assistance.
Her thoughts trailed off and her footsteps stalled as she stared at the closed bedroom door. With Lone Wolf’s words of advice whispering through her mind, Julia inhaled a steadying breath, then grabbed the doorknob.
She prepared herself for the worst…and prayed for the best as she entered the room.
Chapter Three
T he moment Lone Wolf stepped into the room behind Julia his attention settled on the deathly pale patient whose chest was wrapped in bandages. When Julia rushed to her brother’s side to clutch his hand, Lone Wolf noted her visible relief.
After studying Adam’s pale face and sandy-blond hair for a long moment, Lone Wolf recalled their one and only meeting. Near as he recollected it was about a year ago, when he was in a saloon on South Side in Dodge. He hadn’t gotten the name of the man who had casually leaned toward him at the bar to confide that one of the ruffians playing poker had a pistol resting against his thigh beneath the table.
It was trained on Lone Wolf’s back.
Lone Wolf had murmured, “I owe you one,” before he strolled up behind the hombre he had been sent to arrest for robbing a dry goods store in Abilene. If memory served, Adam Preston had tripped up the criminal when he tried to bolt and run, saving Lone Wolf the trouble of tracking him down.
“How bad off is he?” Julia asked as she half turned to stare inquisitively at the stout, gray-haired physician who had scooped up his medical bag.
The doctor smiled gently. “Lucky to be alive, but I think he’ll make it. He’s going to require lots of bed rest.”
Lone Wolf watched Julia’s shoulders slump in relief, saw the wash of tears that filled her luminous green eyes. But when she looked in his direction she regathered her composure, just as he’d ordered her to do.
Because of Adam’s injured condition, a mountain-load of responsibility fell on Julia’s shoulders, along with a heaping mound of traumatic emotion. But she seemed to be made of sturdy stuff. The determined set of her jaw indicated that she intended to meet the challenge of managing the ranch until her brother’s condition improved.
Damn, she was something—as much as he wished he hadn’t noticed. It had taken every ounce of self-control he could muster not to respond when Julia had flung herself into his arms on the front porch a few minutes earlier. The feel of her luscious body pressed against his caused fierce need to spear through him.
When another ripple of desire tried to overtake him, Lone Wolf reminded himself that Julia Preston was a client—too damn attractive and intriguing for his peace of mind but a business client nonetheless. He didn’t want or need the slightest personal involvement with her. He was a man who needed no one. With that in mind he concentrated on the problems at hand.
“I managed to dislodge the bullet,” Doc Connor reported as he came to stand at the foot of the bed. “Adam should come around in a few minutes. But don’t tire him out.” He handed Julia a bottle of laudanum. “Give him another dose to help him sleep and keep him sedated for several days.”
Five minutes after Julia had introduced Lone Wolf to the men who had congregated in the room, the physician bid them good-night and promised to return the following day. Frank Slater, the foreman, and two of the cowboys eyed Lone Wolf cautiously before they also took their leave.
A moment later Adam’s eyes fluttered open.
Julia pressed a kiss to his peaked forehead. “Hey, big brother.” She smiled affectionately. “I’m glad to hear that you’re going to be all right.
