Excerpt from Chapter 4

Texas Belle, bounty hunter, glanced at her traveling companion, wondering what she was getting into with him.

Mercy swept an imaginary hat from his head, extended his hand toward the doors, and gave an elegant bow. “Please precede me, fair damsel.”

She couldn’t keep from chuckling at his humor. “You won’t catch me with that old ruse.”

“Ruse?”

“A gentleman opens the door for a lady. As she steps ahead, he puts his six-gun to her back and robs her of her jewelry.”

“Are you sure it’s not so he can flip up her skirts and see the shape of her ankles?”

“Not in my world.”

“Too innocent?”

“Too much effort for too little reward. He can easily see shapely ankles by walking into any dance hall.”

“But that would suppose he wasn’t particular.”

“Won’t any ankle do?”

“Not for this gentleman.”

She shook her head, feeling too warm again. When Mercy put his mind to it, he could be a charmer. Fortunately, she wasn’t susceptible to charming rogues. She’d seen behind too many of their masks. She liked a straight-shooter.

“Why don’t you take a look at the bar? I’m clothing the ladies, sort of.”

“Sort of?”

He gave her a sly smile. “Depends on what you call clothes.”

“Clothes are clothes.”

“I like to think there are a number of ways to accent a lady’s charms.”

“Maybe I’d better have a look.” She stepped into the saloon with Mercy right behind her.

“I hope you’ll gain a new appreciation for my art once you see the enhancements,” Mercy said.

“If it’s what I saw before, you do appear to get around.”

He chuckled. “I have an exact memory for the female face and form.”

“For your sake, I hope all those ladies whose images you remember and draw so well are back East.”

“A gentleman never tells.”

“It’s not words that’ll get you into trouble.”

“Is my secret safe with you?”

“Nothing about you is safe with me.”

“That’s what I like to hear from a lady.”