Wilder Than the Rest: MacLarens of Fire Mountain
Read Wilder Than the Rest: MacLarens of Fire Mountain Online
Authors: Shirleen Davies
Other Books by Shirleen Davies
Historical Western Romance Series
MacLarens of Fire Mountain
Tougher than the Rest, Book One
Faster than the Rest, Book Two
Harder than the Rest, Book Three
Stronger than the Rest, Book Four
Deadlier than the Rest, Book Five
Redemption Mountain
Redemption’s Edge, Book One
Coming fall of 2014
MacLarens of Boundary Mountain
Colin’s Quest, Book One
Coming in 2015
Contemporary Romance Series
MacLarens of Fire Mountain
Second Summer, Book One
Hard Landing, Book Two
One More Day, Book Three – Coming summer of 2014
For more information about Shirleen Davies and her books visit:
www.shirleendavies.com
Wilder than the Rest
MacLarens of Fire Mountain
SHIRLEEN DAVIES
Book Six in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain Series
Copyright © 2014 by Shirleen Davies
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
For permission requests, contact the publisher.
Avalanche Ranch Press, LLC
PO Box 12618
Prescott, AZ 86304
Wilder than the Rest is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.
Cover artwork by idrewdesign
Book design and conversions by Joseph Murray at 3rdplanetpublishing.com
Description
“A captivating historical western romance set in the burgeoning and treacherous city of San Francisco. Go along for the ride in this gripping story that seizes your attention from the very first page.”
“If you’re a reader who wants to discover an entire family of characters you can fall in love with, this is the series for you.” – Authors to Watch
Pierce is a rough man, but happy in his new life as a Special Agent. Tasked with defending the rights of the federal government, Pierce is a cunning gunslinger always ready to tackle the next job. That is, until he finds out that his new job involves Mollie Jamison.
Mollie can be a lot to handle. Headstrong and independent, Mollie has chosen a life of danger and intrigue guaranteed to prove her liquor-loving father wrong. She will make something of herself, and no one, not even arrogant Pierce MacLaren, will stand in her way.
A secret mission brings them together, but will their attraction to each other prove deadly in their hunt for justice? The payoff for success is high, much higher than any assignment either has taken before. But will the damage to their hearts and souls be too much to bear? Can Pierce and Mollie find a way to overcome their misgivings and work together as one?
Read Wilder than the Rest, another heartening story of duty, honor, passion, and love in book six of the MacLarens of Fire Mountain.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my readers who have taken the time to send messages of praise and encouragement. My sincerest thanks to all those who have watched this journey unfold. Your enthusiasm and support has been a true blessing.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank my editors and proofreaders, Sue, Danielle, Shontrell, and Richard who offered their expertise and continued support.
Many thanks also go out to my wonderful resources, including Diane Lebow, an expert at guiding my social media endeavors, Joseph Murray who is fabulous at formatting my books for both print and electronic versions, and idrewdesign, the talent behind my wonderful book covers. Your talent is greatly appreciated.
Table of Contents
Other Books by Shirleen Davies
WILDER than the REST
Prologue
Fire Mountain, Arizona, 1887
“Keep your head down,” Pierce MacLaren growled at his partner as he placed a hand on her head, shoving her behind a stack of barrels.
“Damn it, Pierce. I don’t need you to protect me.” Mollie Jamison had followed him through the dark, dank alley, trying to catch up with Otis Tatum, the man they knew was responsible for the latest dump of counterfeit bank notes.
Mollie had confiscated the plates after they’d caught Otis cleaning up after his last printing session. They were tucked into a cubbyhole in the old brick building next to the barrels where she and Pierce now hid.
Otis had spotted them and bolted through the back door. For a large man, he was surprisingly quick.
“Such language,” Pierce shot back with a slight grin.
Mollie ignored the jab. “What’s he doing?”
“Hold on.” He peered over the top of the barrels. Their forger had stopped outside the back door to the Desert Dove, the town’s most popular saloon. “Looks like he may try to go through the Dove.”
“You stay here. I’ll go to the street.” Mollie started to rise, stopping when Pierce grabbed her arm.
“Not likely. I’m faster. Besides, he’ll plow through you when he comes out the front.” Pierce took off, leaving her behind to fume.
“You’re faster only because I have to wear this bloody skirt,” Mollie hissed as she ran after him, her skirt hem in one hand, a Colt forty-five gripped in the other. “Damn him,” she muttered when her skirt snagged on the rim of a barrel. She pulled hard, freeing herself by ripping the fabric, then dashed after Pierce and the counterfeiter.
Mollie came to a stop where the alley intersected the main street. Pierce stood motionless, looking into the business end of a pistol aimed at his chest. Otis Tatum wheezed, but held the gun steady. At five foot seven, he seemed as tall as he was broad, with a head that appeared to outweigh the rest of his body by several pounds. He adjusted his hat, trying to make it stay on his oversized skull while he kept his eyes trained on Pierce.
“Get out of my way, MacLaren, or I swear I’ll put a bullet right through you.”
“Not a chance, Tatum. There’s no way you’re leaving here alive,” Pierce bluffed. He was a fast shot. He could try to raise his gun before Tatum pulled the trigger, but the odds were against him. From the noise level inside the Desert Dove, he realized that unless someone walked out, no one would discover what was happening just a few feet away. He rethought his plan. “How about we compromise?’
“Compromise?” Otis was a genius when it came to producing counterfeit money, but from what Pierce had determined, that was the only area where he mentally excelled.
“You lay down your gun, and I’ll let you ride out of town.”
Otis scrunched his face in thought as he tried to come up with a reason MacLaren would be willing to let him go. “Is this a trick?”
“Not at all. As long as you lay down your gun, I’ll let you ride out of Fire Mountain.”
“Let me think,” Otis hedged, lowering his gun and removing his hat to scratch his head.
“What the hell are you doing, Pierce?” Mollie muttered to herself, keeping her Colt trained on Otis.
“No trick?”
“Absolutely.” Pierce smiled, hoping he’d take the bait.
“Well, if this isn’t a trick, okay. Now, you’ll let me ride out?” Otis set his gun on a nearby chair, hurried down the steps to the street, and took off toward his horse tied up several yards away.
“That I will. Out of town.”
Otis shrugged, still confused even though he would take the opportunity to escape. He galloped out of town, causing those in the street to scatter as he rode past.
Pierce’s smile faded to determination as he watched Tatum head north, out of town. At the fork, he’d have two choices—continue north or ride west. Later, he could choose to go east or south. By then, however, he’d be in custody.
“What have you done?” Mollie’s stunned, accusing voice brought his head around.
“Ah, Mollie, just the person I want to see. Tatum is riding out. Once he reaches the town limits, our deal is off.”
“But you said he’d be free…?”
“
To leave town
. After that, Otis is fair game.” Pierce strode to his horse, Bandit, and turned to Mollie. “You coming or what?”
She looked down at the barmaid outfit she wore—a floor-length red satin dress, now torn, with a scooped neckline that fell off her shoulders. And no time to change. She ran to Bandit, grabbed Pierce’s hand, and let him haul her up behind him.
“Is your horse at the stable?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll get it then follow Otis. At the fork, I’ll go north, you head west. One of us will catch him. He hasn’t had time to go far and doesn’t believe we’ll follow. Whoever finds him will fire twice in the air.”
“And if he pulls a gun?”
“This is his.” Pierce showed her the pistol he’d grabbed from where Otis had set it. “Unless he has another, he’ll give up without a fight.”
Mollie slid off Pierce’s horse and grabbed hers. They rode side by side for a few miles then split up. Within five minutes, Pierce saw Otis ahead of him. He urged Bandit on until he was within a few yards of Tatum, then fired two shots in the air.
“Hold up there, Otis,” he shouted and trained his gun on the man.
Tatum reined in his horse, slid down, and started stomping toward Pierce. “You said I could go.” He never stopped his pace.
“Out of town.”
“You son-of-a-bitch.”
Pierce fired a warning shot at the man’s feet. “Stop right there,” he warned, but it was too late.
Otis lunged toward Pierce, pulling him to the ground. Sitting on Pierce’s legs, Otis pounded his chest and head with beefy fists. Pierce raised his arms to ward off the blows with little success.
The beating stopped abruptly.
“Stand up and put your hands above your head,” a hard female voice ordered.
Tatum felt the cold metal of a gun on his back. In the man’s moment of indecision, Pierce rolled sideways. Otis slid off as Mollie kept her gun trained on him.