«I didn’t mean it to turn out that way,» she said.

«But it almost did, and you didn’t do a damn thing to stop it.»

«I shot at Steamboat when he was drawing down on you!»

«With what?» Reno scoffed. «Did you throw a gold coin at him?»

«My derringer. I keep it in my skirt pocket.»

«Handy. Do you have to shoot your way out of many card games?» Reno asked.

«No.»

«Pretty good cheater, huh?»

«I don’t cheat! Not usually, anyway. I just…»

Her voice died.

Amused and skeptical at Eve’s difficulty in finding the right words to explain how she was innocent when both of them knew she wasn’t, Reno lifted one black eyebrow and waited for her to continue.

«I didn’t know until too late that Slater knew I was cheating,» Eve admitted unhappily. «I knew he was cheating, but I couldn’t catch him at it. So I lost to you when I should have stayed in and called Slater.»

«The emerald ring,» Reno said, nodding. «With the cards you threw in, you should have hung around for at least one draw. But you didn’t. So I won that hand, because Slater hadn’t had time to deal himself the rest of his full house.»

Eve blinked, surprised by Reno’s quickness. «Are you a gambler?»

He shook his head.

«Then how did you know what Slater was doing?» she persisted.

«Simple. When he dealt, he won. Then you started dropping out too soon, and I started winning hands I shouldn’t have.»

«Your mama didn’t raise any stupid children, did she?» muttered Eve.

«Oh, I’m one of the slow ones,» Reno said in a lazy drawl. «You should see my older brothers, especially Rafe.»

Eve blinked as she tried to imagine anyone faster than Reno. She couldn’t.

«All through explaining?» Reno asked politely.

«What?»

«This.»

Reno bent just enough to cover Eve’s mouth with his own. When he felt her tighten beneath him as though to fight again, he settled more heavily on her, reminding her of the lesson she had already learned: When it came to a contest of strength, she didn’t have a chance against Reno Moran.