Kiss Of The Night Wind Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  MOONLIT SEDUCTION

  Other Books By

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Copyright

  MOONLIT SEDUCTION

  T.J. grinned at Carrie Sue, a grin that said he had more in mind than a late night swim. “I’ll meet you in the water,” he said.

  Carrie Sue knew what she wanted tonight—him—and she was quivering with anticipation. She headed for the river’s edge and undressed near a tree, then stepped into the cool water, enjoying the feeling of the water against her bare flesh.

  T.J. dove in, then surfaced within inches of her. Just a glance from him seemed to awaken every sleeping emotion within her. Despite the cooling water around them, she felt aflame with desire. She trembled as his lips nibbled at her ear. She had promised herself never to trust another man, but how could she not trust this man she loved and craved? Merciful heavens, could she even trust herself?

  ZEBRA’S REGENCY ROMANCES DAZZLE AND DELIGHT

  A BEGUILING INTRIGUE

  (4441, $3.99)

  by Olivia Sumner

  Pretty as a picture Justine Riggs cared nothing for propriety. She dressed as a boy, sat on her horse like a jockey, and pondered the stars like a scientist. But when she tried to best the handsome Quenton Fletcher, Marquess of Devon, by proving that she was the better equestrian, he would try to prove Justine’s antics were pure folly. The game he had in mind was seduction—never imagining that he might lose his heart in the process!

  AN INCONVENIENT ENGAGEMENT

  (4442, $3.99)

  by Joy Reed

  Rebecca Wentworth was furious when she saw her betrothed waltzing with another. So she decides to make him jealous by flirting with the handsomest man at the ball, John Collinwood, Earl of Stanford. The “wicked” nobleman knew exactly what the enticing miss was up to—and he was only too happy to play along. But as Rebecca gazed into his magnificent eyes, her errant fiancé was soon utterly forgotten!

  SCANDAL’S LADY

  (4472, $3.99)

  by Mary Kingsley

  Cassandra was shocked to learn that the new Earl of Lynton was her childhood friend, Nicholas St. John. After years at sea and mixed feelings Nicholas had come home to take the family title. And although Cassandra knew her place as a governess, she could not help the thrill that went through her each time he was near. Nicholas was pleased to find that his old friend Cassandra was his new next door neighbor, but after being near her, he wondered if mere friendship would be enough…

  HIS LORDSHIP’S REWARD

  (4473, $3.99)

  by Carola Dunn

  As the daughter of a seasoned soldier, Fanny Ingram was accustomed to the vagaries of military life and cared not a whit about matters of rank and social standing. So she certainly never foresaw her tendre for handsome Viscount Roworth of Kent with whom she was forced to share lodgings, while he carried out his clandestine activities on behalf of the British Army. And though good sense told Roworth to keep his distance, he couldn’t stop from taking Fanny in his arms for a kiss that made all hearts equal!

  Available wherever paperbacks are sold, or order direct from the Publisher. Send cover price plus 50¢ per copy for mailing and handling to Penguin USA, P.O. Box 999, c/o Dept. 17109, Bergenfield, NJ 07621. Residents of New York and Tennessee must include sales tax. DO NOT SEND CASH.

  Kiss of the

  Night Wind

  Janelle

  Taylor

  For:

  Linda Morgan and Mary Coker,

  two very special sisters.

  And:

  Marianne and Kenny Rogers,

  two very special friends.

  Come with me, my fiery vixen,

  “And I would love you all the day,

  Every night would kiss and play,

  If with me you’d fondly stray

  Over the hills and far away.”

  John Gay

  “And o’er the hills and far away

  Beyond their utmost purple rim,

  Beyond the night, across the day,

  Through all the world she followed him.”

  Alfred Tennyson

  Until for Rogue Vixen’s heart did burn,

  Until for Rogue Vixen’s soul did yearn,

  Until for Rogue all else did fade,

  Until Vixen Rogue had betrayed…

  Chapter One

  If this doesn’t work out and you get caught, Carrie Sue Stover, as surely as the summer’s hot, you’ll either swing from a rope or waste away in some awful prison! Ever alert and wary, Carrie Sue scanned her surroundings and strained to hear each sound, her senses sharpened from years on the run. Being with strangers always made her nervous, as she constantly feared being recognized and arrested even this far from Texas and her infamous reputation.

  The redhead continued dressing in a small room which she had shared last night with another female passenger at the “home station.” She had traveled from Fort Worth on this stage line, a coach which halted every night, unlike the Butterfield stage which halted once every twenty-four hours for passengers to get sorely needed sleep. Between these rustic inns which were owned and operated by the Garrett Overland Company, the coach stopped for fresh horses at relay stations where the passengers could eat and freshen up.

  Her roommate, a soldier’s wife from back East, had completed her grooming quickly and left the cramped room, almost as if she were afraid of Carrie Sue. The redhead frowned, knowing that her thoughts were groundless and it only proved that she was too mistrustful of most people. She had given the timid woman no reason to be afraid of her. The soldier’s wife, who had joined them yesterday at Fort Bowie to complete her journey to Fort Verde, had jumped at every twist and turn, at every sudden voice or stranger’s glance. Without a doubt, she concluded, the Eastern female was petrified of her own shadow. How, the redhead wondered, would the pitiful creature ever survive the wild west?

  Carrie Sue shook her head in sympathy. She vigorously brushed her long hair to remove as much trail dust as possible. Whether it be in a rented tub of hot suds or in a cold stream, she hated not having daily baths. She was eager to reach her destination where a good scrubbing from head to toe would be her first priority.

  Carrie Sue glanced at the brush she was holding whose handle was marked with a painted “C.S.S.” Suppressing guilt, she repacked the confiscated belongings of Miss Carolyn Sarah Starns. She wanted to believe that fate had decreed that the Butterfield Stage would overturn between St. Louis and Fort Worth during a robbery attempt by her brother’s gang. All the passengers had been killed, including a Texas Ranger and the young woman whose identity and possessions she had stolen in a moment of desperation.

  If the driver had reined up that day near Sherman, Texas as ordered by Darby Stover instead of recklessly charging her brother’s gang and tryin
g to outrun them, the fatal crash would not have occurred. Carrie Sue wished it could have been avoided, but no one could bring the innocent victims back to life. Upon learning the female passenger was dead, Carrie Sue had been compelled by some inexplicable force to search her belongings to learn something about the unfortunate woman. From the woman’s letters and detailed diary, Carrie Sue had made a startling discovery and found the answer to her problems.

  Carolyn Starns had been a twenty-one-year-old orphan who was heading to Tucson to become the town’s new schoolmarm. The lovely brunette would be a stranger there. By the time the gang had completed their task, Carrie Sue knew what she wanted to do, what she had to do. The chance at a new life had been too tempting to ignore. Carolyn looked enough like Carrie Sue…but their initials and sizes were eerily the same. It had to work!

  So, after her brother helped her bury the teacher’s body miles from the scene of their crime, on April twentyeighth of ’76, Carrie Sue Stover became Miss Carolyn Sarah Starns. Today, May tenth, she was on her way to blissful freedom in a Tucson schoolhouse as long as no one recognized her. That was a strong possibility since her wanted poster was done so poorly, by Quade Harding’s nefarious design!

  The redhead was tired of running and hiding, tired of being scared, tired of being shot at, and tired of being pursued until she was exhausted or provoked into lethal self-defense. She was tired of innocent people getting hurt, and of being accused of crimes which she and the gang hadn’t committed. She’d been forced into a life of crime at the tender age of seventeen—she’d never wanted to live this way! Several times she had tried to “go straight” and once she had risked turning herself in to the law and ending this awful existence. All of those desperate actions had failed. Too, she had heard of how horrible prison was for women, and that three female outlaws had been hanged in the last few years by crazed mobs!

  Carrie Sue wanted a normal life. She longed for peace and safety. She wanted to fall in love, to have a husband, a home, a family. She wanted this soul-wrenching loneliness and misery to end. She wanted to ranch again, to work alongside her family. She wanted to be the Carrie Sue Stover she had been at seventeen before her life was torn asunder by a greedy man named Quade Harding.

  The lovely outlaw sighed wearily as she braided her hair. She secured the long plait near her nape and fluffed her thick, wavy bangs over her forehead in an attempt to avoid calling attention to the fiery locks that had caused the law to brand her the “Texas Flame.” How she yearned to gaze toward a bright future rather than looking over her shoulder for trouble. This opportunity had fallen into her lap like a miracle, and she had taken advantage of it. In a way, she was giving God a helping hand with her survival. If no one recognized her, her dreams could be realized. She had to make this work. She had to!

  So far, Quade Harding had still not released an accurate sketch of her that could insure her capture or possibly cause her death. No, Quade Harding wanted her alive, wanted her as his private prisoner. In May of ‘74, Quade had furnished the law with her name and a poor drawing of Darby Stover’s sister, but only to frighten her and to remind her of her precarious existence which he could destroy at any moment.

  Unlike posters for the other members of the Stover Gang, her wanted poster demanded that she be turned in alive to Quade Harding for a payment of five thousand dollars in gold. The law, on the other hand, was offering two thousand paper dollars for her capture, preferably alive. She knew the reason for Quade’s stipulation; he wanted to use his power and money to obtain control of her. As long as no one learned she was the “Texas Flame,” Carrie Sue was safe; she could make a fresh start in Tucson. But what, she mused frantically, if Quade decided he would see her dead if he couldn’t have her alive? All he had to do was release a better description.

  “Breakfast!” the station keeper shouted and interrupted her worrying.

  With increased haste Carrie Sue finished her task. As she buttoned the front of her dress, she was relieved that Carolyn’s clothes, although rather plain and inexpensive, were comfortable and appropriate for her new status. Judging from the way she had packed her belongings, Carolyn had been a precise and careful person.

  “It’s on the table and going fast!” the second announcement came.

  Carrie Sue entered the adjoining room. The mouthwatering smells of cat’s-head biscuits, fried bacon, perked coffee, and flour gravy reached her nose. She inhaled, realizing how hungry she was. No more trail food, her mind sang happily, and no more choking down food on the run or on the impatient Butterfield stageline which she had used earlier. Thank goodness the frugal Carolyn had wanted to save money by purchasing a ticket between Fort Worth and Tucson from Garrett lines which traveled more cheaply but much more slowly. Knowing the routine by now, she walked toward a wooden table to join the driver, guard, woman, and the men who had caught the stage two days ago.

  Instantly she sighted a handsome stranger sitting there and eating calmly. At her approach, he glanced her way for a moment, his rapid and probing gaze sliding over her before it returned to his meal. Everything and everyone in the room except him vanished briefly. Her heart pounded in trepidation. Numerous questions about him filled her mind. She trembled, but struggled to regain her poise.

  The only vacant seat was across from the black-haired male whose presence seemed to fill the room, and Carrie Sue took it. She eased her chair to the table and placed the red-checked napkin in her lap as her mother had taught her long ago. Relax, she ordered. He’s only a customer. If not, you can bluff your way out with Carolyn’s identity.

  When he looked up from his plate, she was astonished to feel weakened and warmed by his smokey gray gaze. Why was she feeling this way? She had lived among men for years!

  In what seemed to be only a second, the darkly tanned stranger scrutinized her thoroughly. She could tell his mind was quick and keen, so she tried to keep her expression blank. His stubbled jawline and upper lip said he hadn’t shaved in a day or two, but his face and hands were freshly scrubbed and his collar-length hair was combed. He was dressed in a faded gray shirt and jeans, both snug enough to evince a muscular body and worn enough to imply his funds were limited. Sleeves rolled to his elbows revealed a lean hardness in his forearms. He looked up again and nodded a polite greeting which caused a midnight lock to fall across his forehead, and he left it there as he returned to his meal.

  A drifter? she wondered. Can’t be, she reasoned. His body is too well-honed and his movements are too controlled for an easy-going cowpoke. Who is he and what’s he doing here? That sketch hardly favors me, but what if he guesses the truth and challenges me?

  Carrie Sue tried to keep her hands from shaking and rattling the dishes as she served herself. For a reason which she couldn’t grasp and a reaction which she couldn’t halt, she had difficulty eating, and more difficulty keeping her disobedient eyes off of him. She had been around countless men, but none had affected her this way. She found herself wanting to stare at him, to talk with him, to share passion with him. That was crazy! He was a stranger, perhaps even a threat to her.

  Beneath lowered lashes as she nibbled at a large biscuit, she eyed the enticing span of hairy chest which was showing above the three buttons which he had left unfastened. His features were strong and appealing.

  She observed the way he sat in his chair, leaving room between his chest and the table and between his back and the chair to allow for rapid movement if it was required. The other men chatted amiably, but the stranger kept quiet. Even so, she realized that he caught every word spoken and each move made, that he was in full control of himself and any situation. The others might think he was totally relaxed or distracted, but she knew better. Yes, he was alert and guarded; those were traits which she recognized too well. She knew he could spring into action swifter than she could blink if danger approached. She wondered on which side of the law this man stood. And was he here to eat or was he biding time for an unknown purpose?

  The stranger finished his brea
kfast and laid his fork on the empty plate. After his coffee cup was refilled, he propped his left elbow on the table and placed his thumb along his sturdy jawline with his first two fingers entrapping a cleft chin between them. As if in deep thought, he absently rubbed his jawbone with his thumb, causing the dark stubble growing there to make a noise which he did not seem to hear. Those smokey gray eyes boldly studied her in a manner which warned her that he knew she had been furtively doing the same with him, studied her as if he were trying to figure out a crucial puzzle. Maybe, as Kale Rushton had told her long ago, fear had an odor, and this man had detected it in the air. Certainly that would cause a gunslinger, if that’s what he was, to become intrigued.

  Carrie Sue struggled to ignore him, but his pull was too strong. Her gaze fused with his, and she felt as if he was probing the depths of her soul. Her cheeks flushed slightly. The handsome stranger glanced at her dark blue cotton dress with small white cuffs and collar and at her neat hairstyle. She heard a deep inhalation and exhalation of air through his shapely nose as his eyes narrowed, but not in a menacing way. For an instant she read doubt in those smokey depths. His gaze shifted to her left hand. One brow lifted inquisitively. He studied her again and confusion—an obviously unusual emotion for him—briefly filled his eyes.

  “Can I give you anything, Miss?” he asked, his voice teasing over Carrie Sue’s flesh like blazing sunshine on a frigid day. When her expression said she was astonished at him speaking to her, he half-grinned—only the left corner of his sensual mouth lifting—as if to imply she should have expected his response to her behavior. He lifted his cup and sipped coffee as he brazenly observed her over its rim.

  While she collected her wits, Carrie Sue watched the steamy curls from the hot coffee tickle his nose and dampen it. She noticed the enticing humor in his potent gaze which implied that his real query had nothing to do with food. She was baffled, as he did not seem to be the kind of male who flirted with a strange woman, or one who had to make any effort to get a female’s undivided attention. There was something about the way he was eyeing her that made her tension increase. This was something more than a man admiring a pretty face; there was an array of emotions battling within him.