Carolyn Davidson - Runaway

“Want to tell me about it?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m not going back.”

“Somebody after you?”

She looked up quickly, peering to see his eyes beneath the wide brim of his hat. “I hope not. But I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.”

“You steal anything?” Withdrawing a narrow-bladed knife from its sheath inside his boot, he inspected his fingernails, then cleaned them as she watched.

“I’ve never stolen anything in my life.” She lifted her cup and drank the dregs of coffee, savoring the last drops.

“You in bad trouble?” Glancing up, he caught the quickly indrawn breath, the telltale flaring of her nostrils as she searched for an answer to his query.

“You can just go on and leave me here if you want to. I’ll be fine.” Her mouth was set in a thin line, her jaw firm, her eyes trained on his left shoulder.

His laugh was rasping as he considered her chances, adrift in this country. Northern Texas was raw, rough territory, not fit for a woman alone.

“You got any idea how long you’d last out here by yourself?” he asked, his long, elegant fingers precise as he slid the knife back inside his boot. He looked up quickly, hoping to catch a stray emotion, perhaps a sign of indecision on that sunburned face. She’d tightened her lips, hiding behind a sullen countenance.

“What are my choices?”

“How old are you, girl?” She made him feel a hundred and one, this child masquerading in a woman’s body. She’d offered no payment for his protection, asked no favors but for the food she’d eaten, leaving herself wide open to the perils inherent to the situation she was in. That he could have had any answers he wanted with a few probing questions, or a threatening movement in her direction, was a fact, he figured.

“What’s your name?” He threw the question in, then felt a twinge of compassion as she frowned at him. The arrogance had not suited her, the indecision did. She’d not lived long enough to build a protective shield, not played poker with men like Will Tolliver.

“Cassie. My name’s Cassie Phillips.” She’d decided to trust him with that much, the indecision fading from her eyes. Her mouth pouted for just a few seconds, and then she told him what he wanted to know. “I’m eighteen…almost.”

“Damn! You’re just a kid. Who turned you loose out here? He needs to be hung by his—” He tugged his hat from his head, his strong fingers plowing through his hair, furrowing the dark, straight length of it.

“I’m not a child. I don’t need anyone.” She delivered the ultimatum in a terse undertone, her teeth gritting on the final words, and he was unwillingly touched by the stalwart strength of her.

“Well, I’m headin’ north.” He’d made her an offer. If she took it, so be it If she wanted to dillydally around in this godforsaken spot between two hellholes, he’d—

“Are you saying you’ll take me along?”

“Yeah, I guess I am. I’ll take you along till we can find a place for you to stay. Maybe some preacher and his wife somewhere along the way will give you a home, let you work for your keep.” He latched on to the thought. It sounded respectable, plausible even.

She considered it, her eyes calculating, and once more he was amused by the transparency of her features. “I’m not overly fond of preachers.”

“One of ‘em chase you out of town?”

Her flush was indignant. “Hardly. Loco Junction didn’t welcome decent ministers. The only one I’ve seen lately was the one who came knocking on our door late one night, hoping to find my mother home alone.” Her mouth tightened and she closed her eyes, as if that particular memory still rankled.

He nodded. “All right. We’ll figure something else out. Maybe a farmer. Maybe you could work in a store.” Cassie looked doubtful, and Will shook his head. He’d about run out of ideas, and the ones he’d proposed hadn’t been much to speak of. But he added, “Since we’ll be traveling together, you’d better call me Will.”

She sure was a piece of work, with that long hair and curvy backside. His mouth drew down as he forced that thought from his head. Clearly the girl was an innocent, yet he was hard put to rid his mind of the memory of a softly rounded breast and long slender legs, wrapped in a sopping wet dress.

She was a temptation, all right. But one he had no business dwelling on, if he planned to carry her with him. And it looked as if he was about to do that very thing.

She’d awakened twice during the night from the same nightmare, her heart pounding, her eyes searching the darkness. He’d been there both times, his hands firm as they pressed against her shoulders, his voice ragged but soothing as he murmured phrases of comfort.

Cassie’s eyes filled with tears and she blinked them from existence. Crying was a luxury she hadn’t allowed herself in a long time. She wasn’t about to allow the hands and voice of a stranger to reduce her to childish behavior.

For just a moment she remembered the warmth of those long fingers as they’d clasped her, their gentle strength penetrating the worn cotton of the shirt she wore. He’d shaken her, just enough to get her attention, to pull her mind from the enveloping horror of the dream. And she’d reached for him.

Her face hot with shame, she remembered groping in the dark, grasping the front of his shirt, burying her face against his masculine form. He’d held her there, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other across her shoulders. Just for a moment, until she’d realized where she was, that the bosom she rested against bore no resemblance to that of her mother.

She’d pulled away then, and he’d let her go. He’d delivered one final grunt of instruction as he rose to his feet, a growling admonition to go back to sleep, and then he’d stretched out on his blanket and turned his back.

Men were cunning creatures, she’d decided just months after her mother had married Remus Chandler. He’d been all sweetness and light until the first time her mother had not done his bidding to his exact standards. His hands had been weapons, used often, and Cassie had been safe from him only because of her mother.

Will seemed to be a different sort, gruff and not given to gentle behavior, though she couldn’t fault his actions in the middle of the night. That she’d been held in his arms was a wonder. That she’d tolerated his touch was almost a miracle, given her dread of most men.

They’d traveled for several hours yesterday, she perched on the broad back of his stallion, clinging to the leather of his saddle. He’d lifted her in place and hoisted himself into the saddle with care, with only a cursory glance at her stocking feet and a muttered curse as his horse danced in place, protesting the double load.

She’d been almost asleep, her head nodding against his broad back, when he’d stopped for the night. Grateful for the blanket he’d handed her, she’d slumped to the ground without a murmur.

She blinked, the call of a bird shrill in her ears. It was the piercing, territorial warning of a blue jay, and she scrunched her eyes against the brilliant hues of sunrise. Her gaze flew to the blanket on the other side of the clearing, the empty space where Will Tolliver had spent the night.

And then she heard him, heard the same gruff tones he’d used against her ear, speaking morning greetings to his animals. She sat up, the better to locate his direction, and found that he was behind her, not more than twenty feet distant. Twisting around, she met his gaze.

“Morning.” His nod accompanied the brief greeting, and she responded in kind.

Her body rebelled as she arose, her legs and feet aching a protest. The walking she’d done had been off the beaten path—her instincts had told her to stay clear of the trail—and her feet had borne the brunt of it. Unable to stand with any degree of comfort, she lowered herself to the ground once more, gingerly rolling her borrowed stockings down to uncover her toes, bending to inspect them. She frowned as her fingers traced the bruising from multiple scrapes she’d managed to inflict.