Lean Stroud is wanted for robbery and a murder he didn't commit. On the run to California with his partner-in-crime, Kenneth, he spots the relentless bounty hunter, Thomas Grady, on the train. The only way to protect Kenneth is to create a distraction, and that's what he does when he flees the train at the top of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He forces Thomas to chase him, but nothing can prepare him for what it means to be caught.<br><br>Thomas Grady always gets his man, and Leon Stroud is no exception to that rule. But almost from the moment Thomas touches Leon, he wants the outlaw for something besides his bounty. Driven by desire he doesn't understand, he repeatedly claims Leon's body on the long journey from Soda Springs to San Francisco -- and Leon only begs for more. An even bigger threat, with a larger bounty, could be the very thing they need to drive them together. Or tear them apart.

Stealing West

Phoenix slammed back in his chair, blood spurting from the hole in his throat. His eyes were wide with surprise, but they dulled quickly as the bullet did its work.


At point blank range, Leon couldn’t have missed. But it wasn’t the accuracy that stunned Thomas, it was the speed. Leon’s reflexes were sharp—and quick enough to be a killer. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would have even had a chance if Leon had turned on him instead of Phoenix.


“I guess you didn’t want to go to Mexico after all?”


Leon hadn’t moved. He stared at the dead body and shook his head, his cheeks oddly pale. “Not with the likes of him, anyway.” He swallowed. “He’s really dead, isn’t he?”


Chapter 35