Читать книгу Wyoming Renegade - Susan Amarillas - Страница 13

About an hour before sunset, Eddie veered off the trail and headed for a grove of cottonwoods near a stream. They’d put in a long day. Judging by her stiff back, it was more than long enough. Besides, this was the only shade for miles.

“I’ll take care of the horses,” he told her, jumping down from the wagon seat. His hat fell off. He snatched it up and slapped it on his thigh a couple of times. “See if you can find some firewood.” He tossed the hat up onto the seat.

Alex climbed down without help. She was getting used to this wagon business.

She peered at him over the edge of the wagon box. “Firewood?”

“Down by the stream,” Eddie added, with a chuckle at her uncertain expression.

“Of course.” Come on; Alex, where else would you find wood except down by the trees. “How much wood?”

“An armful will get us started. Try to find some different sizes, not all big ones, okay?”

“Okay.”

Walking felt good. The muscles in her bottom were tight as a well-stretched canvas and moving, flexing, really helped. What she needed was a feather pillow, the one thing she’d forgotten.

Camping wasn’t going to be easy, she could tell that right now. Thank goodness, she had Eddie to take care of the horses and cook.

She reminded herself that she’d better get the firewood or there wouldn’t be any dinner, and she was hungry. The cold meat and crackers they’d had for lunch wasn’t exactly sticking to her ribs.

At the top of the embankment, she hesitated, sizing up the slope. There was only one way down.

She hitched up her skirt, yards of green linen and more yards of white petticoats, and looped it all over one arm like a cape. The other she kept free to use for balance. Good thing, because two steps down her foot sank and twisted. She lost her balance and ran the last three steps to keep from falling.

“Well, that was graceful,” she spoke out loud.

Tucking her hair back behind both ears, she took another second or two to collect herself. The stream bubbled along in front of her, pooling in a particularly deep spot on the opposite side. The soft soil was rich and dark and the air was moist. Ferns, green and lush, sprouted around a large rock at the edge of the pool. Overhead, a songbird chirped its cheerful song. Now this was more like it.

Her grumbling stomach was an urgent reminder that she needed to get moving. Ten minutes later she had an armful of wood and, going up the embankment, she was careful to sidestep slowly. She made it with no trouble.

She spotted Eddie near the wagon, where he’d tied the team to the rear wheel. He had a horse’s hoof balanced on his bent knee.

She shifted the wood to the other arm, unmindful of the dirt smudging the front of her shirtwaist. “Is he okay?”

“I think so.” Hanging on to the hoof, Eddie positioned himself around to get a better view in the fading light. “There’s a stone caught in the hoof and I want to make sure there’s no damage. Can’t have the horse coming up lame. Would you mind starting the fire?”

“Uh, sure. You need anything?”

“Nope.” He was feeling the soft center of the hoof. “I’ll be along in a couple of minutes.”

She went to the other side of the wagon, away from the horses, and tossed the wood down with a small crash.

“You okay?” Eddie called.

“Yes.”

She found a bare spot, stacked the wood, and when it failed to light after three tries, she did what anyone would do. She poured on a pint of coal oil.

Alex struck a match, tossed it and whoosh! The sky lit up like a second sunset. The flames towered above her like a fiery giant. The wood snapped and cracked and sparks flew upward, higher and higher, chased by flames that could be seen for miles, she supposed.

Heart racing, Alex circled the fire, back and forth, like a drover circling a herd, trying to make certain the flames didn’t escape her own special corral.

“Alex, what the devil was that?” Eddie hollered.

“Just getting the fire going. Don’t worry.” Lord, it was amazing how calm she could sound when she was terrified. Then, as suddenly as it had flared, it receded. Fast as you could snap your fingers, the flames sank down like someone had turned off a gas jet.

Thank goodness, she thought with a chest-heaving sigh. That was close. She pulled her hair forward, half expecting to see the ends singed. All safe.

Well, she knew how to start a fire now, that was for sure. Better yet, she did it herself without asking for help.

The rich scent of burning wood filled the night air. The flames seemed friendly now, warm and welcoming. She held her hands out to the fire, feeling the heat on her palms and her face. “Eddie, aren’t we ever going to have dinner?”

“Be right there,” he called over his shoulder.

Hunger was a great motivator, so she figured she’d better help out if she was going to expedite things. Muscles straining, she dragged the food locker across the wagon bed and out onto the tailgate, the chains stretched tight as a clothesline.

The crate was light pine and rough enough to make splinters. She pried the lid off. Her stomach growled in anticipation. Salted ham sounded good. Forget the beans, they took too long. Ah, yes, canned tomatoes should work, oh, and canned peaches for dessert. Perfect.

About that time Eddie joined her.

“What do you think?” She felt rather pleased with herself since this was a first for her.

Eddie appraised the campsite, the fire, the food display with the aplomb of a general reviewing the troops. “Fire going, food out…nice job.” He grinned and gave her shoulder an affectionate hug. “Thanks.”

Eddie rolled up his sleeves and went to work carving the ham, putting the slices in the skillet.

She watched him work for a minute, grateful that Eddie and Uncle John went camping every summer in Yosemite. “Is that going to take awhile?”

He arched one red brow. “Ten minutes or so to get it ready and another ten or so to cook. Why? Hungry?”

“I’m starved, but I was wondering if you’d mind if I washed up a bit before dinner?”

“Sure. Go ahead. I’ll do the same thing after we eat.” He pushed his hair back with the curve of his elbow, his fingers sticky with tomato juice.

It only took a minute to fetch her towel and soap from the trunk. She managed the embankment in a little more ladylike fashion this time. The fact that it was getting darker didn’t help much. The first stars of the night, the brightest ones, could already be seen in the sky. A full moon hung low over the horizon.

Hurrying up the stream, she found the pool she’d seen earlier. There was a chill in the night air and she decided not to undress completely. No, a nice sponge bath would do fine.

It was like being in her own private world. The sound of the water was melodic, soothing, relaxing. The rustle of the leaves in the breeze added to the night song.

Even in the chill, she felt muscles relax, felt the tension ease in her shoulders and back. Eyes open again, she glanced around. Yes, this was a lovely spot.

Seated on the rock, she hurried to wash, the scent of frying ham wafting down to her. There was nothing like a little washing and a good meal to set the world right.

Eager to get to that meal, she eyed the stream again. It was going to be cold. She summoned an inner grit and splashed handfuls of water against her face.

Alex groaned and shuddered as her skin turned icy. It was as refreshing as lemonade in July and just as welcome.

She made quick work of rinsing her arms and legs. Water clung to her face and eyelashes and she swiped at them with the backs of her hand.

Still blinking against the water, she grabbed up her towel and dried her skin, rubbing to get the blood moving.

She slipped on her skirt and reached for her blouse. If she was lucky, Eddie would have dinner ready by the time she got back to the camp fire. Blouse done up except for the top two buttons, she gathered her towel and soap and turned.

Two men were blocking her path.

Fear shot through her. Instinctively she stepped back, clutching the towel to her chest like armor.

Both men were cast in shadow, and she wondered how they could have gotten so close to her without her hearing them. Probably her distraction and the sound of the stream.

How long had they been standing there? Had they been watching her bathe?

Calm. Stay calm. This is the West and there could be a rational explanation for this. Stay calm.

The voice of reason preached calm, the voice of caution screamed to run for her life. Still they hadn’t made a move in her direction, hadn’t said anything threatening, so perhaps she was overreacting.

It took a couple of tries to get her voice to work. “Good evening,” she finally said with all the bravado she could muster, which wasn’t a whole heck of a lot. The night suddenly seemed much colder and much darker. She didn’t move. Neither did they. “We’re about to have dinner,” she continued, though she wasn’t sure they could hear her over the pounding of her heart. “Would you care to join us?”

For what seemed like an eternity, they stood there staring at her in a way that made her feel naked, even though she was dressed. Self-protection was overtaking all other emotions. Her fingers curled into tight fists, although she knew, deep down, she was helpless against two men.

She took another step back, her heel sinking into the soft earth at the edge of the stream, throwing her off balance, and she reached out to steady herself. One of the men said, in a voice cold and ominous, “You and the kid out here all alone?”

The man on the left spoke, his voice snake-oil smooth and equally slimy. From what she could make out, he was dressed all in dark colors—blue pants, brown shirt. A gun was tied to his left leg; that she could see with stark clarity. His hat was black and settled low so she couldn’t see his face. He was tall and thinner than his companion.

He took a menacing stride in her direction. “I asked you a question, lady.” His voice sent a shiver up her spine. “Is it just you and the kid out here?”

In a heartbeat she realized two things—first, they’d seen Eddie, and second, she and Eddie were going to die.