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“Rosie says you’re looking to hire some help,” he said at last.
Shannon nodded. “That’s right. I’m looking for a man who can ride and shoot.”
“Well, I can do both. And a hell of a lot better than that dandy you were talking to a minute ago.”
Shannon caught herself smirking a little at Tanner’s cocky tone. He had a point. What she needed was protection, and an alpha would be able to provide that better than any beta ever could.
But it was a huge risk. If this alpha figured out who she really was—whatshe really was—then her whole plan would be ruined. She would be exposed as an omega. She would lose the ranch, and all the helpless women she was working so hard to protect would be auctioned off to an unimaginable fate.
Shannon hesitated briefly, weighing the options in her mind. She decided to risk it. It was the only way.
“I’m planning an expedition, Mr. McBain. An expedition into the desert.”
“An expedition? For what?”
“Treasure.”
CHAPTER 4
So far during their brief conversation, Tanner had been having trouble focusing on anything the mysterious cowgirl was actually saying. Every time her lips moved, the only thing he could think about was how good they would feel wrapped around his aching cock.
But now the woman had just uttered a word that would get any man’s attention.
Treasure.
Tanner studied her face, trying to discern whether she was joshing him or not. As far as he could tell, she was being sincere, and he prided himself on his ability to read people’s faces.
The woman would make one hell of a poker player though. It was nearly impossible not to get distracted by her looks. Her lips weren’t the only problem. Her eyes were equally distracting. They were the color of Navajo turquoise, and the way they contrasted with her deeply tanned skin made them almost seem to glow.
She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Tanner had ever seen.
And a beta at that. Tanner was now absolutely certain of that now. If she’d been an omega, he definitely would have smelled her in the enclosed space of the tiny booth.
He was glad the woman was a beta. That meant they could fool around without getting too attached. When alphas and omegas mated, it was generally for life, and Tanner wasn’t ready to settle down just yet. Maybe he never would be. He was a wanderer, through and through. It was in his blood.
But a few days or weeks of riding with the lovely Miss Duffy here? Yeah, that sounded like fun. And if there was some money to be made from it too, all the better.
“Treasure?” he said.
The woman nodded her head.
Tanner had about a million questions he wanted to ask, but before he could get the first one out, the sound of a clanging bell filled the saloon. A slow smile spread across his face.
“That means the show’s about to start. Miss Duffy, why don’t we move this conversation to the theater?”
The woman gave him a confused look. “A crowded theater hardly seems like a practical place for discussing such a delicate matter.”
“Don’t worry,” Tanner said. “I reserved a private box.”
The woman frowned. She seemed unsure about his offer, so Tanner decided to speed up her decision making process by sliding out of the booth and holding the beaded curtain back for her.
“Miss Duffy, I paid good money to see this show, and I don’t aim to miss it. Now, are you coming with me or not?”
She hesitated a moment longer, then stepped out of the booth with a sigh.
“Very well, Mr. McBain. Lead the way.”
Rosie Redbottom’s burlesque theater was a grand affair for a small frontier town like Lamentation. The room boasted three hundred floor seats, plus another two hundred in the balcony, and Rosie never had a problem keeping them all filled. However, Tanner preferred the privacy and comfort of the box seats positioned above both sides of the stage.
