arrowed. ‘

k of disapproval. ‘Leaving aside the obvious health risks a

a manicured thumbnail so that a blue-gold flash of flame flared briefly into life, but she only got as far as inhal

ng taking away my cigarette?’ she spoke with a sense o

lcony and crushed the glowing red tip between thumb and forefinger, before dropping

a look of defiance on her face a

where that came from,

‘Because every cigarette you light I’m going to take from

ou arrested for trespassing and hara

stand up—since I think the law might find that you are the one who is actually gui

d she felt a wave of something which felt almost like empathy and she wasn’t quite sure why. Until she reminde

on,’ she said in a tone of voice which nobody had dared use with her for years. ‘Wh

to know,’ she said evenly. ‘But first I

e put a hand on one angled hip and struck a catwalk po

d, although the latter part of this statement wasn’t quite true, as the continued aching in her body testified. She swallowed against the sudden unwa

that she was enjoying the unexpected drama of the situation. Because it was good to feel something even if it was only anger, when for so long now all she h

crashers at the impromptu party she had ended up hosting? No. Definitely not. She frowned. She would have remembered h

Her nails and hair looked somewhat unkempt as tho she hadn’t visited the saloon in decades, looking as if she’s had more than her fair share of sexual urge raging around her body. And what a body. Karen swallowed. She looked as if she would be perfect for the role as a

e she had fallen asleep without brushing her teeth. Her fingers crept up stealthily to her face. Yesterday’s make-up was still clogging up her ey

free attitude. ‘I’ll

at pleased her because she liked surprising people. She could feel Annie’s gaze on her as she padded out

aren could think was that it made an interesting start to the day, when lately her days all seemed to bleed into one meaningless blur. She wondered if Annie James was used to getting everything she wan

th

er she emerged in a pair of skinny jeans and a clingy white T-shirt to find Annie still there. Just not where she’d left her—dominating the large reception room with that faintly hostile glint in her midnight-blue eyes. Instead, she was sitting on one of the

wn,’ An

refore you don’t start telling me w

its bette

are what y

u don’t care about very mu