Page 45 (1/2)

Chapter One

Legend, Colorado

"I don't see why—"

"Please don't say it again, Jereecoach to keep fro man beside her Or perhaps beside wasn't the correct word Even before the et even closer to her than the tiny seat forced on the that she was "the prettiest little thing I ever seen in ummed life," as he put it When Jereh he'd fallen asleep, the man had offered Kathryn an extraordinary amount of money to spend just one hour alone with him "If you knohat I mean"

Kathryn certainly did know, and her instinct demanded she tell him she'd rather be boiled in oil than have him touch her, but instead she'd smiled and murmured that she was already "promised"

The man had patted her knee and said he "understood" Maybe he did, but Kathryn didn't have any idea what he meant Was the American Wild West so without morals that women did spend "just one hour" with a man? As much as she wanted to know, she wasn't about to ask However, the e and her son hy they were now speaking in French

"We could have stayed and fought," Jere up at his mother with eyes much too old for his mere nine years

Kathryn had no answer for him because over the last weeks she'd exhausted her supply of words What could she tell him that she hadn't already said? For his entire nine years they had been running Actually, since Kathryn had had to escape Ireland when she was pregnant,since before he was born But no uised themselves, the O'Connor money always found them

Now, Kathryn looked out at the steep ecoach was trying to climb This barren, isolated place was their last chance Their very, very last chance

Turning, she forced herself to smile at her son Since he was born she'd tried to protect hiood job, but she knew she'd done her best And maybe this time they could settle down Maybe this tier than three months

When she'd bought her stage ticket (through a third party so no one would re a ticket), she'd asked a hed "Lady, there are places up in the Rockies that not even God can find And I figure Legend heads that list" She hadn't smiled as he'd meant her to, but had nodded solemnly Yes, that sounded like the place she needed

It hadn't been so easy to persuade Jere in an isolated mountain town, as he'd liked Philadelphia very much He was a quiet child and studious Like his father's people, Kathryn thought with aof her heart He was very much like his father's uncle with his love of books and music And he had his father's taste in clothes And his father's good looks, she thought with a heavy sigh One look at Jeremy and there was no doubt whose son he was

"I'm sure there was some other way," Jeremy said for the thousandth time "We could have—"

"No!" Kathryn said sharp

ly, then wanted to bite her tongue Part of her wanted to tell him the truth of how bad the situation was, but another part wanted to protect and shield him

Sewn inside her corset was a wanted poster bearing excellent likenesses of both her and Jereor, anted for thievery and attempted murder, and ten thousand dollars was offered for infor to her apprehension It further stated that she was dangerous and should be treated as such

You'd like that, wouldn't you, O'Connor, she thought to herself You'd like to see me behind bars Or better yet, led to the scaffold You'd probably dance at

If she were caught, there would, of course, be no appeal for her Who would believe her over the ainst such a man as he? Especially when he was so very obviously Jeremy's father?