'This should only take a couple of minutes, ' he explained.
She glanced from one marshal to the other. Neither one of them was
smiling. Marshal Ryan looked earnest, but Marshal Clayborne looked
bored leaning against the railing. Lord, Tilly had been right. Both
men oozed masculinity.
'It's routine, ' Cole remarked.
She nodded. 'Yes, I understand.' He smiled. 'It would probably be
easier if you came out on the porch.' She took a quick breath and told
herself to stop trembling as she walked over to one of the wicker
chairs and sat down. She folded her hands in her lap and pressed her
knees and ankles together so they wouldn't shake. Then she waited for
one or both of the marshals to begin.
'I guess we should introduce ourselves, ' Ryan began. He dragged a
chair across the porch to face her.
'That isn't necessary. I know who you are. You're Marshal Daniel
Ryan, and he's Marshal Cole Clayborne. We met at the jail, remember?
' Ryan straddled his chair, and Cole stood a few feet behind.
She stared up at him. 'You don't look like a lawman, ' she blurted
out.
Her eyes turned back to Ryan. 'And neither do you.'
'What do we look like? ' Cole asked.
'Outlaws.'
'We look like outlaws? ' Cole asked, laughing.
Their smiles helped, and she began to relax. She wanted Cole to sit
down. The man towered over her, and a day's growth of whiskers made
him seem menacing. Daniel looked just as ragged. She had to remind
herself that both of them were marshals and it was, therefore, their
duty to protect innocent citizens. She just needed to let them know
she belonged in that group.
'I haven't done anything wrong.' Daniel nodded. 'We know you
haven't.
Lawmen make people jumpy. I'm not sure why.'
'I know why, ' she replied. 'You have the power to lock me in jail, '
