“It’s an abandoned Comanche campground left over from when they lived down here huntin’ shaggies before they were run out of the Palo Duro.” He dried his hands on a towel hanging on the outdoor clothesline.
Anna’s stomach felt slightly queasy, although the taste of fresh meat did tempt her taste buds. “How do I, uh, cook him?”
An easy whimsical smile played at the corner of Ethan’s mouth, deepening his dimples. “Too big to pan fry, but I spied a pretty tough-lookin’ piece of a green tree limb that should be strong enough to make a spit out of for him.” He raised a playful eyebrow. “So, you’d better get a wiggle on if you plan on gettin’ him dressed out and ready to cook before I have the fire ready.”
Anna’s mouth dropped open, and she could only imagine how ridiculous she looked. She wasn’t a hundred percent certain whether he was kidding or not, but one thing she was sure about, she damn well wasn’t about to go cleaning a turkey. Not only did she have absolutely no idea where to even begin, but the thought sent bile rushing up in her throat, making her want to throw up.
Ethan shot her another smile meant to win her over. “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll take care of the bird and you can fix the corn. Presume you’ve shucked corn before.”
“Of course I know how,” she replied, praying he didn’t notice the lack of finality in her voice. The handsome honyock knew full well she didn’t know squat about cooking, although she’d seen the family cook prepare fresh corn. She took a deep breath. One thing for sure, it’d be less painful than beheading a turkey. “There’s dry wood inside.”
“So, we’ve got a deal. You fix the corn and I’ll roast the buzzard.” He smacked his lips and grinned like he knew something she didn’t. “Some good grub tonight, girl.”
Panic choked through Anna at his choice of words. She resisted yelling, “Don’t ever call me a girl!” Instead she said way too harshly, “Ethan, call me a woman, a lady, or a floozy—I don’t give a rip which one—but never a girl.”
A muscle in Ethan’s jaw quivered, and his brows narrowed, as if he was trying to figure out what had just happened.
Ethan didn’t deserve her outburst. She immediately felt bad about it and tried to explain it away. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long time since I was a girl.”
“No offense meant.”
She inhaled, hoping to shoo away the memories of Gator’s voice that had ignited her flare-up, and offered, “I know.”
Picking up the ears of corn still tied together, she added, “Do you want something to drink before you begin pluckin’?”
“Gotta do some choppin’ first.” A flash of humor crossed his face. “Had my fill of coffee earlier, but left some for you.”
Ethan went inside and returned with a hatchet in one hand and a knife in the other. He handed off the knife to her, grabbed the bird, and headed back the way he’d originally come from, but not before he shot over his shoulder, “Nice drawers you’ve got hangin’ up there.” Then he stopped and turned back in her direction before adding, “Lady.”
Anna rushed to the line and felt the clothes, which weren’t thoroughly dry. Hellfire and brimstone, she had planned to have her unmentionables back where they belonged before he saw them. With Ethan’s razzle-dazzle, she’d been distracted and didn’t even notice they were still flapping in the breeze. Dang it, she couldn’t win for losing with the man, but at least he showed her that he wasn’t still angry with her.
Anna grabbed the first ear of corn and pulled back several layers of husks, exposing a green, well-nourished worm that squirmed around, probably angry that he was about to be plucked from his cushy abode inside the slimy brown cob. She thought she was going to throw up, but she put on her big-girl bloomers and with two chops she separated the desecrated cob from the edible portion, sending the worm on the ride of his life toward a bucket on the floor. After removing the silk, she wrapped the corn back up in the shucks and set it off to the side to be roasted.
One down, a baker’s dozen to go, but so far so good!
Ethan returned to get a stew pot and quirked a grin as he headed back up the path.
Anna had just put up her dry laundry when he returned a second time to present her with the bird’s innards, which he set on the potbelly stove. Now she really might puke.
“Ethan,” she said, stopping him. “Has Dakota returned with the horses yet?”
“Not seen hide nor hair of the kid or the mutt,” he said. “And I kept my eyes out for any tracks, but with the rain they were washed away.”
“If anything was wrong, the horses would have come back by now,” she said. “It’s not uncommon for him to lose track of time.” Anna tried to convince herself everything was okay, then added, “But I know where he likes to go, if you think we should begin looking for him.”
“It’s too muddy to try to climb up there tonight, so we’ll have to wait until morning.” Ethan looked up at the building thunderheads. “Remember, he can take care of himself, you told me.”
“I know. I know. But accidents happen.”
“Savannah, I’m concerned about him too.”
Later that evening just before sunset Ethan and Anna dined on the first decent meal either of them could recall having in quite some time.
She washed the dishes and Ethan dried. Like an old married couple they cleaned up after supper before heading to the table to drink coffee.
“Anna, I know we need to get a few things straight, but I’ve had a really good time getting reacquainted with you, so unless there’s something that can’t wait until morning, let’s enjoy what’s left of our day. I don’t want us to say good-bye before we say hello.”
Relieved, she finally asked, “How about playing cards?”
“Only if I get the first deal.” He finished off his coffee.
“Got cards?” Anna tossed out.
“Got more coffee?” Ethan fired back.
“I think I have something you’ll appreciate more.” She walked to the cupboard and on tiptoes stretched until an amber bottle was within reach. She turned and held it up for him.
“Whiskey?” Ethan fetched a deck of cards from his saddlebags.
“Half a bottle of some of Tennessee’s finest.” She picked up two cups and poured them each a swig. “Someone liked the good stuff apparently.”
“Gin Rummy?” Ethan shuffled the deck.
Ethan teased that she won first only because he was off his game. She countered that she was more calculating as a card player. However, it wasn’t long until their take-no-prisoner attitudes kicked in.
When they were tied four games each and the whiskey bottle was empty, the lantern flickered, reminding them it was either light another wick or get forty winks.
“Cheers.” With about one good swig of whiskey left in it, Anna lifted her cup to Ethan, who goodnaturedly tipped it with his.
“Until the rubber match.” He gave her a devilish, heartwarming smile.
In the distance, familiar thunder followed on the heels of lightning and announced another night of storms.
Concurrently, each spied the nail holding the clothesline up slowly slip out of the wall, allowing the willowy fabric to float to the ground.
The couple grimaced in good humor before breaking out into infectious laughter.
“I guess there’ll be no modesty around here,” she said.
“And I’m not gonna be hornswoggled out of gettin’ the fluffy pillow tonight, either.” He stood up, smiling with satisfaction.
Damn the sexual magnetism that made the lawman so self-confident and fueled her every fantasy.
Chapter 10
The sun blazed high overhead. Ethan mopped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, then picked up the ax. He split the piece of cedar in half. If all went well, he’d finish the repairs on the footbridge in no time. Then it’d be safe enough to carry the weight of a horse and rider. He’d gotten a lot of work done since sunup.
Thoughts of Anna crept to the front of his mind, as th
ey’d been doing of late, and brought back recollections of the night before. Ethan smiled, thinking about the shocked look on her face when he’d teased her about their sleeping arrangements. Being a gentleman, in spite of how much it hurt, he had accepted the quilt and raggedy pillow and pretended he was sleeping in a warm bed with the lovely redhead by his side.
Apart from having to sleep alone, he was thankful that she hadn’t fretted the night away with horrific dreams.
At daybreak, Ethan had dressed quietly and foregone coffee to get an early start on walking the bluff trail in search of any signs of Dakota or the horses. To his frustration, he hadn’t found tracks of either, only those of wild animals and birds. He wasn’t too surprised since last night’s rains would have erased them.
Ethan reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out a playing card he’d found on the path near one of the banks of a wash running fast with rainwater. He studied it as if he’d never seen a jack of hearts before. Although it was pretty dog-eared, it wasn’t weatherworn, so it hadn’t been out in the elements long. The back was the same as that of the ones he carried, but there was no way it belonged to his deck. He returned it to his pocket.
When he finished fixing the bridge, he planned to begin preparation for their trip out of the canyon, so they’d be ready to travel the moment Dakota returned with the horses.
The sound of the screen door slamming shut distracted Ethan. Anna drew water from the well and filled a canteen before heading his way. She had dressed in pants and a shirt instead of her calico dress. A floppy hat topped her outfit. No doubt she was on a mission and it wasn’t to keep Ethan from keeling over from lack of water.
The most difficult part of the day was coming his way.
Blast it! He could see the determination in her face and knew she was aiming to begin their search for Dakota. Maybe she’d relent once she found out Ethan had already been out earlier and hadn’t come across any signs of the kid or the horses. To strike out again so soon would be downright foolish since the day had already ripened into one hot son of a gun.
“Brought you some water,” she said, handing off the canteen.
“Much obliged.” He drank his fill, enjoying the gesture. “Nice and cool. Want some?” He handed the canteen back to her all the while knowing she hadn’t come just to make sure he didn’t parch in the heat.
Sure enough, it didn’t take her long to begin. “No, thanks. I’m going to walk up toward the ledge where I’m pretty sure Dakota would have taken the horses.”
“Savannah, it’s way too hot and will only get hotter. With the heat and humidity we’re going to have bad storms again, and it’ll be so sizzling in the floor of this canyon that lizards will be beggin’ you to tote them water. It’s too dangerous.” He leaned against the post he’d just finished adding extra support to and waited for a backlash.
To his surprise, she said, “You’re probably right, but will you go with me when it cools off some?”
“If it doesn’t storm, but I know what we can do in the meantime. There’s a rock formation about a quarter mile up that way that sits back off the path and is shaded. We can walk and talk a bit if you’d like.”
Dang it! There he went again compromising. It wasn’t in his nature, but she sure as hell had a way of doing strange things to his thinking.
“Let’s go,” she said, stringing the canteen over her shoulder. “Maybe we can find some tracks that way.”
“Savannah, I’ve already been up there lookin’ around this morning.” He hesitated and tried to weigh his words carefully before he continued. “But I didn’t find hide nor hair of them and it’s still slippery, too. So let’s not trouble trouble unless it troubles us, okay?”
Ethan briefly considered telling her about the playing card, but he didn’t want to add to her concern over Dakota’s welfare. Plus, he wanted to make sure that by chance the card hadn’t come from his own deck.
“Deal.” She flashed him a smile of thanks. “I haven’t been too adventurous while we’ve been down here, so I’d really like to see the rocks you found.” She continued to lock gazes with him, but Ethan saw the worry lingering in her eyes. “How long can we wait before you have to take me back to Galveston?”
“Until we find the horses,” Ethan said. “I’ll put up the ax and we’ll take a walk.”
“Just leave it in the lean-to. That’s where it belongs anyway,” she said.
They hiked along a path spotted with scarlet and orange Indian paintbrush and some yellow flowers that made Ethan think of scrambled eggs, something he hadn’t eaten in a while.
It didn’t take them long to reach the rock formation, and as Ethan anticipated, it was nice and shady.
They sat quietly and didn’t speak, each absorbed in private thoughts. Feeling a need to protect Anna, he slipped his arm around her waist. They watched a bird graceful in flight dive-bomb a prairie dog, coming up empty-handed.
In the distance a dozen vultures circled overhead.
Tranquility of nature at its finest.
Anna was the first to break the silence. “Ethan, you told me that Gator and Shorty are in jail, but are you absolutely positive that my family is safe?” She lowered her head, as well as her voice. “I can’t afford to go back if they are in any type of danger. I’d rather die first.”
“Savannah, I promise you they are out of harm’s way. Your father has hired a dozen men, even a Pinkerton agent, to protect your family. Bet your mama’s having a hissy fit about now.”
That caused her whole face to light up with a smile. “She’s probably beat him around the stump a dozen times.” She chuckled softly to herself. “But I’m truly worried about all of them.” She looked up at Ethan with eyes filled with unspoken pain. “And especially Charlie.”
“I know what it’s like to have a need bigger than your own to protect a brother,” he said.
Ethan hoped his words didn’t reflect the ache he felt in his heart, but oh how he could relate to wanting to guard a sibling more than life itself. Walking to the end of the earth and back wasn’t too far to go in order to guard a loved one. He felt sorry for her and really wanted to tell her something, anything, that would make her feel more at ease. Changing the subject, he said, “Your mama sure is enjoying the pocket watch you gave her for her birthday.”
Anna stiffened and he could feel her quiver. She looked in his eyes and responded, “I never got the watch to give it to her, Ethan.”
“She has one exactly like you described. When I complimented her on it, she said that it was a birthday present. Anna, I’ve thought all along that you’d given it to her before you were trapped into all of this mess.”
“Gator never gave me the pocket watch. I never even saw it, so I surmised that he most likely didn’t have one in the first place.” Her voice died away for a second before she continued, “That was until I overheard him bragging to Shorty and Arlis about how he should have sold it to me and made some money off it instead of having to give it to someone he owed a favor to.”
An alarm quaked Ethan’s body. Whom did Gator owe a favor to? Who, besides Anna, even knew about the watch? And who had given her mother the birthday present?
Ethan gathered his wits. “But he never said a name or what type of favor?”
“No, but I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. And, Ethan, I believe there was someone besides the three of them who planned the robberies, but I never saw the person or heard a name.” She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Gator and Shorty are just plain evil, but they aren’t bright enough to stage such an elaborate scheme of bank heists.”
“That’s been a theory for a while, but I have to admit that a bastard like Graves is always in debt of someone, so there could be an endless list of possibilities.”
Unless Gator had stolen the watch in the first place, which was a real possibility, he must’ve owed someone one hell of a big favor because a piece of jewelry with that many diamonds was worth a lot of money.
Somewhere
along the line, the pocket watch got into the hands of Anna’s mother. But how? The lawman in Ethan made him want to know more about what had gone on while Anna was on the run. As much as he didn’t want to have to make her dredge up bad memories, he’d given her enough opportunities to voluntarily tell him everything, and she hadn’t. He wanted to help her out of the predicament she was in and avoid prosecution, but she had to be honest with him, whether the truth hurt or not.
“Savannah, in order to help you, I really need to know every detail about how you escaped. Maybe there’s something I can do before you have to face the judge.”
She wasn’t sure how much to tell him, but when she went to trial, if she was prosecuted, all the embarrassing details would be exposed, but there was one thing she was absolutely sure about—she would not expose Dakota. “I’ll try. What do you want to know first?”
“Did you get any of the money? Benefit from it in any way?”
“No. Nothing, but . . .” She stopped and held back the words beans, reminding herself whatever she did she didn’t want Ethan to feel sympathy for her. Instead, she simply said, “One meal a day.”
“From what you’ve already said, Graves took you against your wishes and it’d be pretty indisputable in any court of law that he kidnapped you. At least, that’d be my defense.” The lines of concentration deepened along his brow and under his eyes. “That is, if I were your lawyer.” He drew in his lips thoughtfully before he continued, “But I still have to take you back for that to be determined.”
“I know you’ve got a job to do. I guess studying law was better than being forced to become a banker.” She braced herself for his assault, reminding him of his failure.
“And ending up being a lawman instead?” He contradicted her with a quirky smile that punctuated his point. “Tell me how you escaped.”
“Arlis helped me, but he paid for it in the end. He befriended me, but it took a while. Then when he got caught they beat him unmercifully.” Her mind filled with sour thoughts . . . unpleasant memories. “Like they did me.” She looked up with tears boiling in her eyes, realizing she’d just broken one of her own rules. She didn’t want Ethan to feel sorry for her. “But they beat him much worse because he was a man.”
Give Me A Texas Outlaw Bundle with Give Me A Cowboy Page 21
