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  Maddy lay back and let Clint undress her. He took his time, peeling off her clothing one piece at a time. The closer he got to her bare skin, the more anxious Clint became. Every one of her dresses covered her beyond a respectable degree. Loosening all of those buttons and sliding his hands up under all those skirts made Clint feel like he was unwrapping the best present under the Christmas tree.

  When she was finally naked, Clint stood up to admire the view. She lay sprawled upon the bed with one hand tucked under her head and the other dangling off the edge of the mattress. “Well?” she said. “You’d better not make me wait.”

  “No, ma’am,” Clint replied as he unbuttoned his shirt. He didn’t have to wait long before she reached out to help him in his task. Soon, he was naked and sliding under the sheets with her.

  From there, Clint placed his hands upon her body and let them roam as his lips found hers in a deep, passionate kiss. Maddy groaned softly and slipped her tongue into Clint’s mouth while draping one leg over him. Clint lay on his side, facing her, and then nestled in close. Every breath she took caused her breasts to push against him. When his hands found her fine, rounded hips, Clint slipped them around to cup her rounded backside. Maddy responded to that by scooting in a little closer until his rigid penis brushed against the damp thatch of hair between her legs.

  Maddy continued to grind her hips against him. She moved as if she were desperate to feel him inside of her, but was also enjoying the touch of his hardness against her pussy. In the end, Clint was the one to cave in first, and he reached down to guide his cock to where it belonged. He entered her with a gentle push, causing Maddy to pull in a deep, shuddering breath.

  Grabbing one of her legs, Clint was able to slide in and out of her a few times while still lying on his side. He could feel her muscles tensing and soon, Maddy pushed him onto his back and impatiently climbed on top of him. After a few minor adjustments, she was straddling him and riding his thick column of flesh.

  She grabbed hold of the pillow on either side of Clint’s head while straining her entire body to move back and forth on top of him. Clint ran his hands along her sides, savoring the feel of her smooth skin and settling upon the supple curve of her hips. When Maddy straightened up to ride him properly, he cupped her breasts just enough to feel their weight as they swayed to the rhythm of her movements. Before too long, she found the perfect speed and the perfect angle to put a contented smile on her face as she slowly rocked back and forth.

  Clint could feel her getting wetter as she continued to ride him. Maddy closed her eyes and leaned her head back before allowing it to droop forward so her hair spilled down to brush against his chest. She swayed as if in a trance, so Clint decided to wake her up again with a slap on her rump that was just hard enough to make a sound.

  Her eyes snapped open and she asked, “What was that for?”

  He grinned up at her, grabbed her hips, and pumped up into her with one solid thrust. The surprise that had been on her face before was quickly replaced by a jolt of pleasure as he filled her. When she started to say something else, Clint cut her short with another powerful thrust. Maddy quickly gave in to him and leaned down so she could wrap her arms tightly around his neck.

  Clint wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her in place as he started to pump vigorously into her. When he sat up, she moved right along with him until they sat facing each other with her legs encircling his waist. They stayed like that for a little while until Maddy started to grow weak. He eased her back so she could prop herself up with her arms stretched out behind her. That way, she faced him with her back arched and her legs spread wide open to accommodate him.

  The view from Clint’s angle was breathtaking. Maddy’s breasts were on full display and her nipples were standing perfectly erect. Both of them ground their hips together so Clint could slide into her like a piston. Between that and the strain of keeping from making any noise, the two of them worked up a sweat that covered their bodies in a glistening sheen. Clint eased out of her and allowed Maddy to lie on her back before she got too worn out.

  Keeping one leg propped up, she smiled gratefully as Clint settled in between her thighs and entered her again. “That’s better,” she sighed.

  His erection was rock-solid and eased between the wet lips of her pussy until every inch was buried inside of her. Now that he was on top, Clint could go as fast or slow as he wanted. Maddy moved her hands along his bare chest and rubbed his shoulders while enjoying every second. When Clint lowered himself so he was lying flat against her, she wrapped one leg completely around him while moving the other up and down along his thigh.

  “Make it last,” she whispered.

  Clint brushed her hair away from her face and replied, “Don’t you worry. I’m not done with you yet.”

  She smiled and closed her eyes, trusting him to keep his word.

  They explored each other for a while after that. Sometimes, Clint would stay perfectly still while remaining inside of her until she started to squirm or grind against him. When he couldn’t hold out any longer, Clint knelt on the bed between her legs. Maddy spread them open wide and reached down to guide him into her again. The moment he found his mark, Maddy responded with an urgent, throaty moan.

  The time for tenderness had passed. Every inch of Maddy’s body ached for him and Clint wasn’t about to hold himself back any longer. He pumped in and out with a rhythm that quickly gathered steam. Maddy turned her head to one side and grabbed the mattress with both hands, her body tensing with every thrust.

  Clint grabbed her hips in both hands and drove his cock all the way into her again and again. The bed started to creak beneath them and Maddy was making more and more noise with her insistent grunts. Rather than worry about making noise, Clint gave in to his most primal urge and continued to pump between her legs.

  He could feel his climax approaching, so Clint reached down with one hand to rub the sensitive nub of Maddy’s clitoris with his thumb. Her eyes snapped open again in an expression of very pleasant surprise. She might have tried to say something, but her next breath caught in her throat as her orgasm immediately pulsed through her. When Clint started to move his hand away, she grabbed it tightly to keep it right where it was.

  Rubbing her clit in slow circles, he thrust a few more times until his own pleasure reached its peak. Although Maddy had already been shaking, she shook even more when he exploded inside of her. In fact, she raised her backside up off the bed and watched him intently while desperately trying to draw a full breath into her lungs. When he was spent, Clint lowered her onto the bed and lay down beside her.

  “I . . . I’ve never felt like that before,” she gasped.

  Clint wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “I can make you feel like that anytime you like.”

  She rolled onto her side and began tracing her fingertips through the hair upon his chest. “You’d better be able to back up a promise like that.”

  They didn’t have much time, since they both needed to rest up for the next day’s ride. Even so, Clint managed to make good on his promise before the sun came up.

  NINE

  Their bags were already packed, so it was only a matter of loading them onto the horses and getting the kids situated before leaving town. Eclipse carried Clint and Sam, while a bright-eyed dun carried Maddy and Chen. Since all of them knew to travel lightly, they were able to maintain a good pace throughout most of the day.

  The stagecoach was to meet them at a platform that was its first stop outside of Tombstone. Barring any unforeseen emergencies, Clint figured they’d arrive there with plenty of time to spare. A small camp had been built up around the platform, offering a place to eat, drink, and sleep if need be. Clint had guessed the children would squirm or put up enough of a fuss to slow down the entire ride by a few hours. As it was, Sam and Chen were content to hold on and sit still for most of the day.

  They arrived at the stagecoach platform while the sun was still relatively high in the sky. Even
after spotting the structure and the wooden-framed tents surrounding it, Clint had to look around for something else. “Is this the right place?” he asked.

  “Sure it is,” Sam replied. “Unless you think you got us lost.”

  “We just got here awfully quick, is all.”

  Reining her horse to a stop beside Eclipse, Maddy said, “We got here early. How nice!”

  “Mister Adams thinks we’re lost,” Sam said.

  Clint twisted around to get a look at the boy. “Not lost, just early.”

  The boy shrugged, but kept from saying anything else.

  The four of them rode toward the platform and tied the horses to a post in front of a water trough that was a quarter full. As soon as their riders had climbed down, both horses began gratefully lapping up the water.

  “This is where we part ways,” Maddy said. “Thank you so much for seeing us this far.”

  “I can stay with you until the stage arrives,” Clint offered. “I might as well, since I’m here.”

  Although she seemed ready to refuse, Maddy nodded. “I’m sure the children would like to visit with you for a while longer.”

  As they walked over toward one tent marked by a sign that read EATS, Maddy slipped her arm through Clint’s. They took their time eating a meal of burnt potatoes and tough ham steaks until the stage rattled to a stop near the platform.

  “I suppose we should get going,” Maddy said.

  The children started to put up a fuss and Clint was quick to join in. “They won’t be ready to take on any passengers for a while,” he said. “They need to unload and water the horses.”

  “And I bet the drivers need something to eat,” Chen offered.

  Clint nodded and said, “That’s right. There’s still some time.”

  “No, we should go. I highly doubt anyone from town has followed us this far,” Maddy pointed out. “Those fools may be persistent, but they’re not that ambitious.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Clint admitted. “I suppose I just got comfortable around you three.” When he took a breath and stood up, Clint felt more like his old self. Actually, he felt as if he’d forced some distance between himself and the three people whose company he’d grown to like. He wasn’t about to fool himself into thinking he could settle down into something as comfortable as a little house, a gentle woman, and two little ones, but it was nice to try it on for a while.

  What made it even easier was the fact that Madeline had obviously enjoyed their time together just as much.

  Taking those few moments to ground himself was enough for Clint to look at the other three in the proper light. He’d taken a shine to the little patchwork family and didn’t want to see any harm come to them. That was it, plain and simple. The rest was just trying to hold on to a wisp of smoke.

  “You two take care, now,” Clint said as he stooped down to the children’s level. Both Sam and Chen gave him a hug and then stepped away as if they’d come to the same realization as he had.

  Madeline waited her turn and hugged Clint the moment he stood up again. Placing her lips to his ear, she whispered, “If you’d be willing to come back here in a few weeks, I could use an escort back home.”

  “Just you and me?” he asked.

  “Just you and me.” When she spoke those last words, she made certain to warm up Clint’s ear a bit more with the heat from her breath.

  “Tell me when and I’ll be there.”

  This time, Madeline didn’t ask if it would be too much trouble for him to come back or if he minded making the trip again. She just gave him a little smile to let him know that she would make it more than worth his while.

  TEN

  TWENTY-FOUR DAYS LATER

  Clint didn’t have any problem whiling away a few weeks in Tombstone. There were plenty of old friends to visit, card games to play, and even shows to see. The Birdcage Theater was every bit as colorful as he recalled, and there was even a group of jugglers performing nightly who didn’t mind dodging the occasional bullet during their act. When it was time to leave, Clint tacked on an extra day just in case the stagecoach schedule had been thrown off for some reason.

  He rode back to the stagecoach platform, where all the same rickety tents were waiting for him. This time, however, he spotted a sign tacked to a post that should have at least given the camp a name. Apparently, the best the founders could come up with was “Express Stop Number 17.” Before renting a cot inside one of the tents, Clint tied off Eclipse and walked to the little shed next to the stagecoach platform that was barely large enough to fit the one man who sat inside of it.

  “Excuse me,” Clint said as he approached the hatbox-sized window that looked into the shed.

  The man in there was stick-thin, but could very well have gotten that way after being cooped up in the wooden container through too many summers. He looked up from his book, lifted his spectacles off the bridge of his nose, and squinted at Clint. “What’d you call me?”

  “Uhhh . . . nothing. I wanted to ask if the stage from Prescott was on time.”

  “It should be arriving in an hour or two. Haven’t heard any different.”

  “Good.”

  Clint meant to leave, but was pinned to his spot by the scrawny man’s gaze. The bespectacled fellow studied Clint intently, moving his beady eyes up and down several times before asking, “Are you Clint Adams?”

  When he heard that, Clint reflexively stepped back. “Yes.”

  “I got a message for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll just have to come here and get it,” the scarecrow in the box replied.

  As Clint approached the shed again, he felt the hairs on the back of his arm stand up. “How do you know who I am?”

  “Someone was expecting you.”

  Hearing those words come from the fidgety little fellow didn’t make Clint feel any better. Seeing the man reach down beneath the window to where a holster or shotgun might be kept didn’t do him any favors, either. But when the scarecrow brought his hand up again, it was holding something a lot less threatening than a firearm.

  “The woman who left this said you might be coming,” the scrawny man explained. “She described you pretty good and said you might show up around this time, asking about the stage from Prescott. This,” he said while handing an envelope through the window, “is what she left for ya.”

  Clint took the envelope, feeling more than a little foolish for getting so worked up in the first place. His other hand was still in the vicinity of his Colt, but Clint dug into his pocket for some money instead. “Here you go. That’s for delivering the message.”

  The clerk snatched the money and muttered, “The lady already paid me to see it got to the right hands, but if you insist . . .”

  Clint’s name was written upon the front of the envelope in a hasty scrawl that had a feminine quality about it. When he’d moved to a spot where there weren’t so many others looking over his shoulder, Clint opened the envelope, removed the letter, and skimmed straight down to the signature. It was from Madeline.

  Now Clint felt like an idiot for not having guessed as much right at the start. His only excuse was that it had been a long ride to the platform, but even that didn’t seem like enough to cover him. Deciding he didn’t need to make excuses anyway, Clint leaned against the post supporting the closest tent and started reading the letter.

  Clint,

  If you’re reading this, that means you’re at the platform waiting for me to arrive. You must leave this instant before

  “Pardon me,” someone asked from the doorway of the tent where Clint was standing. “Are you Clint Adams?”

  “Yeah,” Clint replied as he continued to read.

  Before Clint could take his eyes from Maddy’s letter, he felt a gun barrel press against his ribs.

  “Start walkin’ before your guts see the light of day,” the voice snarled.

  ELEVEN

  Clint didn’t take a step.

  The only muscle
s he moved were the ones required to turn his head and get a look at who was threatening him.

  The man who held the gun looked to be somewhere in his early twenties. His face was slightly weathered and covered with just enough stubble to obscure his face like a bandanna that had been pulled up over his mouth. He was solidly built and had plenty of muscle upon his frame. Raising an eyebrow, he jabbed the gun into Clint’s ribs and asked, “Did you hear me, Adams? I told you to move.”

  Seeing the fire in the younger man’s eyes, Clint started walking. His steps were slow and heavy, however, shuffling over the dirt as if his boots were weighted down. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

  “Tough shit.”

  Another man chuckled as he fell into step with them. Since he didn’t seem surprised by the gun in the younger man’s hand and didn’t make a move to help Clint, it seemed clear which side he was on.

  “Where are we going?” Clint asked.

  The younger man shifted so his body kept his pistol mostly out of view from any of the others going about their business at or near the platform. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

  “No,” Clint said as he planted his feet. “I’ll find out right now.”

  “Get movin’.”

  “You can push that gun into my ribs all you like,” Clint said. “That won’t make it seem like a better idea to go someplace where I can be shot in private. What do you want from me?”

  The man with the gun let out a sigh and motioned to his partner. The other one was bigger, but had considerably less muscle than the gunman. A round belly hung over his gun belt with almost enough overlap to hide the buckle. At the first man’s signal, he moved around to stand in front of Clint.

  Now that Clint was surrounded, the first gunman said, “You’re to tell us where to find the Chinese bitch.”

  Clint only knew one Chinese girl who was connected to both him and the woman he’d come to meet. The very notion that armed men would be asking for Chen sparked a fire deep in Clint’s innards. “Why the hell would I do something like that?”