She pulled out a handful of coins."Put those back in your pocket." He stood, looming over her a full six feet. Her heart thumped but she wasn't afraid, unlike the diners at the nearest table who stopped eating to watch him as if they expected him to start shooting up the place. "But this is my way of saying thank you." Why couldn’t she stop noticing the hard plane of his chest or the muscled strength in his arms? Impressive, a little voice whispered, a voice she should not pay attention to, nope, not at all. "I would have been in serious trouble with the bear if you hadn't stepped in.""Serious trouble? No, you'd have been dead. I'm glad you're not.""And once wasn't enough. You stepped in with Tannen, too. You didn't have to get involved. I kept my winnings thanks to you.""You're not paying for my supper. Not going to happen. Pick up your coins." He dropped a greenback on the table. "It should be safe for you to head home. I kept an eye on the window while we ate, and Tannen and his gunman went back inside the saloon.""You make it hard to even the score, Mr.
