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Across the table, Blaylocke turned awkwardly in his seat.
“I beg your pardon, sir, but this booth is already occupied. I must ask you to leave.”
For the first time since drawing back the curtain, the alpha’s gray eyes shifted from Shannon to her companion.
“Out,” he growled.
“Now see here! The lady and I are having a private discussion. Leave us alone, sir. I shall not ask you again.”
“And I won’ttellyou again,” the alpha said.
The tension hung in the air like a drawn pistol, and Shannon felt a prickle of fear at the back of her neck. Alphas were known to be unpredictable and violent. The fact that Mr. Blaylocke was standing his ground against this one was impressive—and foolish. Perhaps he felt it was his duty to defend her, and while Shannon appreciated the display of chivalry, she didn’t want anybody getting hurt on her account. She had to do something to put an end to this.
“It’s alright, Mr. Blaylocke,” she heard herself blurt. “I… I know this man.”
Now why had she saidthat?
Blaylocke looked at her, surprised and perhaps a little hurt. After a moment, he said, “Very well. I shall be on my way then. If you decide you are still in need of my services, I’ll be in town for a few more days.”
With that, the man slid out of the booth and squeezed past the big alpha with a parting glare of contempt.
The alpha did not return the man’s look. His eyes were once again aimed at Shannon.
For what felt like an eternity, the big alpha just stood there in the entrance of the booth, staring down at her with those unsettling gray eyes that seemed to strip her bare. For a moment, Shannon almost thought the alpha could see through the sleeves of her duster and shirt to the indelible sign emblazoned on the skin of her right arm—the band of gold that revealed her true nature. It was all she could do to keep from bolting like a jack rabbit.
At last, the alpha grunted and slid into the seat that Mr. Blaylocke had just vacated.
“Evening, Miss…”
“Duffy. Shannon Duffy.”
“Evening, Miss Duffy. I’m Tanner McBain.” The alpha took off his hat and set it on the table. “But then, you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Shannon did know that—Rosie had pointed him out to her a few minutes ago—but she’d only seen him from afar. Now that the alpha had his hat off and the candle in his face, Shannon could get a better look at him, and what she saw took her breath away.
Tanner McBain wasn’t simply an alpha. He was the most handsome alpha Shannon had ever seen. His features were chiseled and hard, and his deeply tanned skin contrasted sharply with the pale wheat-blond of his beard and hair. The collar of his shirt was open, revealing a V-shaped section of his chest, and that glimpse was enough to let Shannon know that his bulk was all muscle, no fat.
Most of the alphas she had seen looked more like animals than men. That wasn’t the case with Tanner McBain. He looked like something more than a human, like an angel… and a fallen one at that.
“So,” he asked, “how do you know Rosie?”
“She was a friend of my father’s.”
“A friend, huh?” The alpha smiled knowingly.
Shannon’s face fired at the implication. “I’ll have you know my father was a decent man!” She had half a mind to reach across the table and slap the alpha right across his gorgeous face.
Then again, he wasn’t exactly wrong. Her father and Rosie had been lovers. He’d even proposed to her once. He hadn’t cared one bit about her reputation, but Rosie had turned him down. She just wasn’t the marrying kind, she’d said.
Shannon could understand that. She wasn’t the marrying kind either, though her reasons were entirely different.
Across the table, the smile disappeared from Tanner McBain’s face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, Miss Duffy. I notice you spoke of your father in the past tense. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“He passed a long time ago,” Shannon said a little too hotly. “But I appreciate your condolences just the same.”
For a minute, an awkward silence fell over the booth, and Shannon listened to the clatter and laughter of the customers in the saloon below. She could feel the alpha’s eyes studying her face, but she dared not meet his gaze, so she stared at the flickering candle instead.
