“My father taught me how to shoot. I’m proficient at the shotgun, but I prefer my revolver. A derringer is only accurate at close range, but it’s small enough to hide in my corset.”
Paden cleared his throat as he fought back the urge to ask to see where the derringer was stashed. Rosalie may be his wife, but in name only. He would have to do a lot more convincing before this marriage would become real.
“What about the acrobatics?” he teased.
“I must confess that I have never jumped on top of a moving carriage before. That was a new experience. I didn’t think about it, I just reacted.”
He hesitated, attempting to formulate his next words carefully. “When did you start just ‘reacting’?” She frowned, so he rushed to add, “I just mean that you always used to analyze both sides of an argument before making a decision. You never used to do anything without planning it first.”
“I’ve been trying to tell you that I have changed—”
Paden interrupted her. “You misunderstood me. I am not criticizing. I’m just trying to make sense of the new you.”
Looking down at their entwined hands, Rosalie started slowly, “After I first left, I wandered from town to town looking for any information about Bill Garrett and his gang. I had learned that they had disbanded after killing my father, but most of them still resided in the Colorado Territory.” She licked her bottom lip as she paused her story. “When I arrived in Hope Springs, I saw Mitch Weston coming out of a saloon.”
“Mitch Weston? He was crazy.”
Her eyes twinkled with merriment as she revealed, “I pulled out my revolver and walked right up to him. I pointed my gun at him and told him that he was under arrest for the murder of Sheriff Addis. Then I asked him nicely to proceed to the sheriff’s office.”
Paden lifted his brow. “That worked?”
“No,” she replied with a shake of her head. “Mitch just laughed and told me to go home.”
“What did you do?”
“I kept my gun pointed at him and watched as he walked off into the night,” she confessed. “I knew I wasn’t going to shoot him in the back, and I couldn’t overpower him. That’s when I realized I had to come up with a different plan to capture him.”
Paden moved closer to Rosalie and draped his left arm on the back of the settee. “Which was?”
“I had to outsmart him, which turned out to be very easy. He would show up to play cards in the saloon around five in the evening and would be roaring drunk by ten. One night, I waited outside as the saloon closed and offered to walk him back to his room at the boarding house.” Rosalie giggled. “Instead, I walked him right into a jail cell.”
“That was ingenious,” he remarked.
“Most of the time, I would befriend the mother or girlfriend of a suspect and lay in wait for them to make a mistake. It was long, grueling work, but it usually paid off.” Rosalie leaned back against the settee. “There were times that I could plan out the proper course of action, but then there were times that I just had to react. I discovered that I was quite good on my feet.”
“How many people did you round up?”
“About thirty,” she answered. “My main focus has always been on Bill Garrett and his gang, but along the way, I arrested other criminals that crossed my path.”
Taking his left hand, Paden started trailing his finger along the curvature of her neck. “I was proud of you today. Your actions saved our lives.”
“I doubt that. You held your own as well.”
His finger moved up to run along her cheek. “For what it’s worth, I know your father would have been proud of your heroic actions.”
“You think so?” she asked in a timid voice.
Bringing his face closer to hers, he replied, “I know so.”
Rosalie’s eyes roamed his face until they landed on his mouth. Needing no further invitation, he pressed an ardent kiss on her lips. He leaned back, hoping he hadn’t misread the situation, and was pleased her eyes were still closed.
“Rosie,” he whispered just before he claimed her lips again.
This time, Paden kissed her softly and tenderly before he deepened the kiss. He attempted to remain in control of his emotions, but with every touch, every kiss, he became more undone. Rosalie had always had a hold over him, and he had never minded… not one bit.
Rosalie pulled him closer, and he came all too willingly. His lips left hers and started trailing kisses down her neck. Paden heard her say his name in a breathless tone, and he knew it was time to stop. Not that he wanted to. But it was the right thing to do. Blast it!
Leaning back, Paden took a moment to admire how Rosie’s black lashes fanned out on her silken cheeks. She opened her eyes slowly, the look of desire turning into confusion.
“We should head for bed. It will be a long day for us,” he said, attempting to keep his voice steady.
Rosalie’s eyes fixed on the bed. “What are the sleeping arrangements?”
Feeling a need to tease her, he began, “We could share a bed…” He paused when her eyes grew wide, and he suppressed the urge to laugh. “Or I can sleep on the small, hard, dirty settee.” He shuddered for dramatic effect.
“Why don’t you take the bed? I can sleep on the settee,” she offered.
Paden leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I am teasing you, darling. I already planned to sleep on a pad near the window.” He rose from his seat and adjusted his vest. “I will wait outside the door until you have readied
