Matthew and his men rode at breakneck speed. The Rawlins brothers had at least an hour's head start on them and there wasn’t a moment to waste. By the time he reached the Fairhaven city limits, he’d gone from being panicked to being angry as hell. He was going to kill Ned and Henry Rawlins.

He and his deputies scoured the city; every hotel, every saloon, every bordello—anywhere three pieces of Rawlins trash might hide. They had no luck, and as each precious minute ticked away, Matthew became more and more agitated. By now they could have met up with Lorraine and ridden off in any direction with Lacey.

He reined in his horse in front of the Broadway Grocer and took a deep, steadying breath. He and his men were never going to get anywhere as long as they were racing blindly down the streets like a pack of raving bloodhounds. "We need to split up," he said to his deputies.

"You mean inta fours?" Gene asked.

"No, inta sixes," Larry retorted. He swatted Gene with his hat. "Shut up and listen to the man."

"We each take one of the main streets," Matthew instructed. "If you see anything, fire your gun in the air and the rest of us will come runnin’.”

"Did ya get that, Bill?" Larry asked. "He said inta the air. Not inta the horse of the man beside ya."

"Aw, hell, Larry, I apologized for that weeks ago."

Matthew shook his head as his three deputies rode off in separate directions. It was going to take an act of God for any of them to find a thing.

He turned left at the next street and rode a straight line down Broadway. He kept his pace unhurried and his manner uncaring, but secretly assessed every person he passed. His gut told him they were still here, somewhere in town. But they had to be on the move or he and his men would have found them in one of the countless places they'd already ransacked.

He came to the end of the street and craned his neck to check down the long alleyway. It led to an empty dead end. He swore under his breath and stopped his horse to collect his thoughts.

"She's gotta be all right," he whispered to himself. "God, help me find her."

Why hadn't he just done as she’d said and brought her to Fairhaven days ago? They would have found the money and now she'd be safe at the Martins'. No. She'd be gone, disappeared out of his life as quickly as she'd arrived. Lacey had made it clear that she was only staying long enough to find the money.

A sudden shout echoed toward him, the unmistakable cry of a man in pain. And nobody could inflict injury on a man with more precision than Lacey Guarder.

Matthew dug his heels into his horse's flanks and went charging up the street. He came to an alley on his left, and the sight that greeted him made him see red. Lacey and a young girl were cornered by the Rawlins brothers.

He leapt down from his horse and strode toward them. "You bastard sons-a-bitches," he muttered to himself.

Lacey seemed to be holding her own, which didn’t surprise him. Ned Rawlins was hanging back, looking wary, and Henry Rawlins was grabbing his groin, looking nauseated.

Matthew didn't bother to unholster his gun as he approached. No, he had a much more satisfying idea in mind.

Lacey spotted him. "Matthew!" she cried.

She looked surprised and, Matthew hoped, happy to see him. She seemed unhurt—thank God—but that welcomed fact wouldn’t save the Rawlins brothers.

Henry was the bigger of the two men, so Matthew headed straight for him. Ned tried to step into his path, but Matthew took care of the smaller man with a single punch to the stomach. Drawing on every ounce of emotion he’d felt since waking to find Lacey gone, he swung out and connected his fist with Henry's bearded jaw. Henry Rawlins fought back wildly, swinging blindly at Matthew with both fists, but Matthew was too quick and too enraged for Henry to lay a hand on him.

Once the outlaw was lying on the ground, bloody and groaning, Matthew began to run out of murderous steam. "If you touched her," he said, breathing hard, "I swear to God I'll finish the job."

"Matthew, look out!"

Matthew turned, this time reaching for his gun, and something hit him hard on the back of the head. Pain shot through his skull and dropped him to his knees.

Through a blurry haze, he saw Henry Rawlins recover and climb to his feet. The man pulled his gun.

“Hey, Godzilla!” he heard Lacey shout.

Henry paused and turned on her.

No! Matthew thought. Panicked, he tried to get to his feet but the world tipped sideways.

Lacey lunged at the man, pointing a small black can at Henry’s face. She sprayed something into his eyes, and the big man screamed in agony and doubled over.

Ned took hold of his brother, and the two men ran off down the alley.

Matthew tried to stand. Lacey rushed to his side. "Matthew?! Oh my God, are you all right?!”

Matthew struggled to stand, but the gentle pressure of Lacey's hand on his shoulder was all it took to keep him on the ground. He tried to shake the cobwebs from his head. “Are you…are you okay?”

“Yes, but we need to get you to a doctor.”

There was a girl standing next to Lacey—how had he not noticed her before? “There's a doctor just up the street," the girl said.

Their voices sounded like echoes in a hollow tube.

Lacy tucked her arm under his back. “Help me get him to his feet.”

She and her friend helped him to stand. Matthew's head throbbed and his knees wobbled as they walked him to the mouth of the alley. He stared at Lacey’s profile, trying hard to focus.

“I came to save you," he said. He sounded drunk even to his own ears.

She smiled at him and it made his heart leap. “Thank you.”

He turned and smiled at the scruffy-looking girl supporting him on his left side. "She said thank you."

"Here's the doctor's place," the girl said.

Matthew squinted up at a clean, white-painted building front. Then he had to close his eyes and rest from the effort.

"Just a few more steps," he heard Lacey say. She sounded like she was a long ways away.

He turned and looked at her again, his gaze wobbling as his attention drifted down to her lips. "Can I have a kiss?"

She frowned at him, but then broke into an easy smile. "He knocked the sense right out of you, didn't he?"

"Hell no," he slurred. “I’m…I’m just…fine….”

And that's the last thing Matthew remembered before crumbling to the ground at her feet.

* * *

Five stitches. That's what it had taken to sew the one-inch gash in Matthew Brady's head. Ned Rawlins had hit him with a brick, proving once and for all that Matthew's skull wasn't as hard as a rock.

He was now sleeping off a dose of morphine in one of the hotel rooms his three faithful deputies had rented for the night. Lacey had stripped him of his bloodstained shirt, leaving him bare from the waist up. That had been her first mistake. Her second was in thinking she could spend the night caring for him and not feel the overpowering urge to touch him.

She was sitting beside the bed, smoothing the hair back from his forehead. It was almost eight o'clock; the sun had long since set. Gene, Bill, and Larry had been out all day searching for Ned and Henry Rawlins, but they felt pretty sure the brothers had sailed on that ship for Mexico and were long gone.

A soft knock came at the door and she was surprised by her sudden burst of panic. Her kidnapping had obviously affected her more than she’d realized.

Just to be on the safe side, she picked up Matthew's heavy Colt .45 from the nightstand. "Who's there?" she called out.

"It's Rainey."

Sighing in relief, she set the gun down, walked across the room and unlocked the door.

Lorraine Rawlins came into the room. “He still out?"

"Like a blown fuse."

The girl gave her an odd look.

Lacey sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. "Did you get something to eat?"

"Yeah, I got somethin' from the restaurant downstairs.” She held out a small box. "Figured you could use somethin’ to eat yourself.”

“Thanks.” Lacey set the food on the dresser. Maybe she’d be hungry later, but right now she was too worried about the man on the bed.

Rainey peered at Matthew. “He sure is a looker.”

"Isn't he, though,” Lacey muttered.

“Do you think he'd mind if I ordered up a bath and charged it to the room?” The girl looked down at herself. “It’s been a while.”

Lacey didn’t bother to hide her distaste at the girl’s dirty clothes and matted black hair. "I say take the chance," she advised.

A groan came from the bed, and Matthew Brady slowly cracked open his eyes. "Who's got the hammer?" he asked hoarsely.

Lacey hurried over to him. "What hammer?"

"The one pounding on my head. Did I get hit by a delivery wagon?"

She smirked at him. “It was a brick. You've got five stitches in the back of your head to show for it.”

He felt his wound with gentle fingers, and then opened his eyes all the way. He blinked at Lacey, and broke into a pained grin. "Did I save you, or did you save me?"

"From where I was standin’, looked like a little bit of both," Rainey remarked.

He squinted at the girl standing at the foot of his bed. "Who's this?"

"This," Lacey said, "is Lorraine Rawlins."

Matthew scowled. "You're joking."

“Nope.”

His expression hardened. “You’re headed for jail, young lady.”

Rainey arched a skeptical dark brow. “Nice to meet you, too, mister.”

Lacey grunted. “Be glad he's not shoving his gun in your face. Her brothers forced her to be a part of the robbery, Matthew. She helped me escape, and is now gladly turning over the money they stole."

"It didn't look to me like you’d escaped,” Matthew replied.

“They found us before we could get out of the city,” she replied. She took hold of his hand. “We're lucky you came along when you did.”

Matthew's gaze collided with hers and a languid warmth spread through her body.

“They didn't hurt you, did they?" he asked. He struggled to sit up. "If they did, so help me I'll—"

"Down, killer.” She pressed his shoulders back to the bed, although it did give her a little thrill to have him acting so protective. "Except for some nasty rope burns, I'm fine."

"A little high-strung, isn't he?" Rainey remarked.

Matthew smirked, closed his eyes, and relaxed back into the bed. “She sounds just like you."

"Well, I'm headin' to my room for that bath," Rainey said. She turned for the door. "You two have a nice night." Her eyebrows lifted suggestively. "Or a naughty one.”

“Yep, just like you,” Matthew mumbled.

Rainey left the room and shut the door.

"Do you think the Martins will like her?" Lacey asked.

He opened his eyes. "What do the Martins have to do with anything?”

“I’m taking her to their house.”

Matthew stared at her for a moment and then squeezed her fingers. "That's a good idea.”

“You think so?”

"You're easing the Martins' loneliness, and helping Lorraine at the same time. Hell, it's a great idea."

"But do you think they'll like her? I mean, with her background and all…”

“The Martins won’t care about that. It’s what’s in the girl’s heart that matters.” His gaze settled on her lips in that same disconcerting way that always made her pulse race.

"How's that hammering?" she asked.

"Hmmm?"

"In your head?"

"Oh." He suddenly cringed. "You know, it's starting to hurt like the devil. Maybe you better have a look at it."

Concern etching her face, she leaned over him hoping he hadn't torn out a stitch, and, without warning, he pulled her down on top of him. She let out a cry of surprise, not sure what to make of this sudden move on his part. “I…um…. Is it feeling better now?”

"Remarkably.”

His mouth captured hers in a hungry embrace that left her breathless and wanting more. In one quick motion, he rolled her onto her back and pressed himself over her. “You’re so damn beautiful,” he murmured against her lips.

His hand grazed the tender skin on her wrist and she hissed in pain. Frowning, he pulled back to examine her wound in the lamplight. The doctor had given her some ointment to take the sting out of her rope burns, they were still red and raw.

Matthew made a soft, sympathetic sound in his throat and then opened her fingers and placed a soft kiss on her palm. Lacey’s heart nearly exploded in her chest. "I'm sorry you had to go through that,” he said.

"It's not your fault."

"If I hadn't been so stubborn. If I'd taken you with me the first time I came here—"

She pressed her fingers against his lips. "Shhhh."

He kissed them, and then kissed her warmly, tenderly. It was all too much emotion for Lacey to bear. She let out a nervous laugh. "I think you should get some sleep. You need to be well rested when you ride into Tranquility and throw that stolen money into Sterling's face."

Matthew went still. He rolled onto his back. "And you should be well rested when you say good-bye to everybody."

She nodded quietly, but that wasn’t something she was prepared to think about just yet. "The important thing is the town is saved and so is your job."

"I'm quitting my job.”

She blinked. "What?"

"The town of Tranquility has lost its appeal. Now that the money's recovered, I'll be moving on."

She rose up onto her elbow and stared at him in shock. "You can't do that! When I think of all the trouble I went through— I won't let you do it!"

"You can't stop me from leavin’, any more than I can stop you.”

He was right, and she groaned in frustration. She flopped onto her back beside him. "You are so damn stubborn," she grumbled under her breath, "I'm surprised that brick survived."

“That sounded suspiciously like the pot calling the kettle black.”

"I am not half as stubborn as you, Matthew Brady."

He chuckled. "Said by the woman who risked life and limb to ride to Fairhaven all by herself."

"Said by a man who never takes anyone else's advice."

"Said by a woman who always thinks her advice should be taken."

"You're really beginning to irritate me, Brady."

He rolled toward her. “Then shut up and kiss me, Lacey."

She stared up into his infuriatingly sexy grin. “You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, yes. Very much."

"You'd like me to forfeit this argument by falling helplessly into your strong arms?"

He reached for her. “Fall away." He pulled her beneath him. “Promise me one thing,” he said, his mouth hovering over hers.

“What’s that?” she whispered back.

"I won't stumble across a jail with you in it someday.”

She smiled at him, knowing the truth of what she was about to say. “I’m a changed woman.”

"Ummm. Not too changed, I hope."

And then he was kissing her again.