Naughty Marietta. Nan Ryan

Читать онлайн.
Название Naughty Marietta
Автор произведения Nan Ryan
Жанр Приключения: прочее
Серия
Издательство Приключения: прочее
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781474024419



Скачать книгу

      Pete Parker came up to Cole, smiled and asked, “Can I help you find anything, my friend?”

      “I believe that’ll do it,” Cole replied. “If you’ll add all this up I’ll be back to get it in a day or two.”

      “Sure thing,” said Pete, then asked, “You aiming to take yourself a little trip, are you?”

      Cole smiled and gave no reply.

      The sun was already beginning to wester by the time Cole finished shopping and stepped outside. He squinted in the dying sunlight, reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a cigar. He bit off the end, spit it out and placed the cigar in his mouth. He scratched his thumbnail against a Lucifer and lighted the smoke, cupping his hands against the slight mountain wind.

      He was shaking out the lighted match, when he looked up and saw Marietta. That bright coppery hair instantly caught his attention. She was with Maltese and the pair were coming down the sidewalk toward him. Behind them was the man called Lightnin’.

      Cole’s first impulse was to turn and rush away. But that would make him appear to be guilty of something. He stayed where he was. Didn’t budge. Nor did he look at them when they passed. And he hoped that Marietta was clever enough not to look his way.

      She was not.

      Marietta tried very hard but couldn’t keep from glancing at Cole. He never knew it. Neither did Maltese.

      But Lightnin’ did.

      The hired bodyguard caught Marietta subtly stealing a look at the dark stranger.

      He immediately wondered, Was something going on or had something already gone on between this Texan and Marietta? Lightnin’ sensed trouble ahead. His hand automatically touched the pearl butt of the revolver on his hip.

      He would, as soon as he got back to the opera house, threaten the Burnetts with their very lives if they didn’t keep a closer eye on Marietta.

      Nine

      Cole stayed right where he was until the trio had passed him. Then he snapped into action. He went back inside Parker’s Emporium and told Pete Parker he had changed his mind, that he needed the supplies right away.

      “Toss in some beef jerky, a tin of crackers and a couple of cans of beans,” Cole said to Pete. “I’ll take the saddle and bridle with me now and be back for the rest of the things in the next half hour.”

      Pete nodded, then asked, “You want some help carrying that saddle?”

      “I can manage,” Cole said as he hoisted it up onto a shoulder.

      He stepped outside, looked both ways and walked directly down to Pollock’s Livery Stable. At the stables he dropped the saddle and went into the stall where his newly purchased black was penned.

      Cole carefully examined the stallion and the big black neighed a greeting and playfully bit at Cole’s shoulder. Cole stroked the stallion’s sleek neck and murmured soothingly into a pricked ear.

      Turning to the stable boy, he said, “I’ll be taking the black tonight. Have him saddled and ready to go by nine o’clock. I’ll be back to get him.”

      “He’ll be ready, sir,” said the lad with a toothy grin.

      Cole ruffled the boy’s hair, then peeled off a bill and handed it to him. He was heading back to Parker’s Emporium, when he passed Lilly’s Ladies Apparel. Cole stopped abruptly, snapped his fingers and turned back. He had, until this minute, forgotten about the lacy blue satin nightgown he had purchased yesterday afternoon.

      Cole glanced about, then went inside.

      Lilly looked up and smiled warmly at him. “You have come for the beautiful blue nightgown?”

      “I have,” Cole said decisively.

      Lilly hurried into the back room and returned shortly with a neatly wrapped package. Cole left the shop carrying the package under his arm, feeling foolish, wondering what on earth had possessed him to buy the nightgown in the first place. And why he had bothered to go back and pick it up.

      Cole returned to Parker’s, gathered his supplies and headed back to the hotel. As twilight blanketed Central City, Cole began preparing for the difficult journey ahead. After a long relaxing bath, he had dinner in his room, then dressed in riding clothes—dark trousers, gray chambray shirt, gray and black bandanna. And finally he put on the soft moccasins that would afford him not only comfort but the quiet step of an Indian as well.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4RviRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgACAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAbgEbAAUAAAABAAAAdgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAbAAAAfgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAmYKY AAIAAAA0AAAArYdpAAQAAAABAAAA5AAAARAAAABgAAAAAQAAAGAAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9w IENTIFdpbmRvd3MAMjAxNDoxMTowNyAxNTo0NDoxOQBUaGlzIGltYWdlIGlzIHRoZSBwcm9wZXJ0 eSBvZiBIYXJsZXF1aW4gRW50ZXJwcmlzZXMAAAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAAAfSg AwAEAAAAAQAAAtcAAAAAAAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABXgEbAAUAAAABAAABZgEo AAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQAAAABAAABbgICAAQAAAABAAAabAAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/ 4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAv/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJ CAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwPFRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQODg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEIAKAAbgMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAf/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAD AAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwz AQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMicYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXC o3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3 EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcGBTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNz NPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kSTVKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG 1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AL9jByXT4xwFpVXCzAfVUJ0LTPjEqpRU1mdU2xm+ sXA2hwkFgPvG3872K/0zEbTa3GtAfW1jmh2nubbkXUYuTu+i79WtptZ/U9NPBq2SReawrTXltJ0h 0Hy1lbPU673AhomRAM+KDfSynK6W302y4XutBY07ibXVRbLf0vp7dlfqfzatlxf08VACz06Kdzg3 c8l9VWS/J9QNddu/S/v+myqtAdQuJvhIcjEY5z/TmbgdrWNElxP5jdv03K5l9NyQ0WPruZUANxcx zQCfby5v7yhksoDs26aHuHTabRS0e9rnDF9S8tNLaWvf6tn6Zl3q/pkes499/wBmf7G24ONYyxrA 57DTTXk+w+1zfWorupftQB6KJ6tQdMcKw9u9rHGG2nQE6/Rd/ZcoOpurLSHudrqD4eShZbnW2nIF e03QdkSGj/B1t/k0s21sWxneiyvPuFTGV2MptxgGiKzXbViZzKhH6PdaXbtqWnZJJFX1cTJdt2dn a6/99UWnJP0XgEcyYIla/V8WurErc0CjKbWK7DHPo/pL/wCa/SU3ZX2zHs93vtpo/na/8LL0cKvq mPiPAsB6g9uOD+ka2pr3Y9+K6yz6W5z6XPxP8Ds+0/4dBXFps4odmueK9XOcQ1rG6kk6Na1o/eVx uHnhhdfj3UtHLrGOYNTtEueB+ci1XU2dJxrGsrsNgvFjHMabbA04zP0TzTZ/M/aLH/z9D/8ARep+ Yc32UtsDKmAU9JpuqLqq3ObYGY9bffZW93tY76CIQSezlXMyKHDfOuoMyl6tgGh9rufkr+U91nSq 8h9QFgvFljwGgGu85FDBsbDm7LsSr830v0/6NUpq2zA+COi4G3//0N6jMtc4ObTvIMxx/wBL3ImA 21zWUPkPpqZWx0/m0G99Htj8z7R/4CxUcTJ3iGGCBq3ur1RpvcK7nOaxwg7dJB/lfSUg1ZZR0OiL ODbaftzaiMjGstdWN/taMhzr5sZ6f6f0LnWPp91H/C70HpmQz0m1PYS+uo4vqB8D0y19NHq1enZ6 j8dlj667N9W9n87v9NGFz6PUY6sQA6ptZJDnAkeg4t/MY1g9Z77P3Fm3F2JbLXMjY17bASa3MceW O/OY78xNkKNhMaII+x08zErb6pLPbkYzcSQYLQz0g1/0P+6zP0X/AIIg0mtmRva2XNobjQXDhtJw 9+7Z+4fU2bUbp+VZk45qc1+UXAenG0GY3v32WGtjPZs9n/UMVHIrtfYTQHNeyC8Q0umdu2HfR/l/ +i0j3QK2LZawsa1vMAD7k93rZDXVgex28Bu76IsyW9Rf7th3/wA36H+D9nvQcfJaGll3tLTq4mdS fzp/eci22sNb9pe32n316uGn0mD99v5qWi6u7HIxnZFFlGQdbcqzLDmkAj1Wurso+j+kZq13qf8A BqxWaK8m3ItZtbZk/bWhzyAy9pLqrN2x+2tzHuxciz0P5h/qf4FZosJaS/JudWB7t9Pu9wPu/f8A bYN3/garVW0sDR9rua8g+70dxIkM97P5LkNFUKdet1N