“You wanted to know what happened to your friend?” The man’s voice was different, darker. He still had a sloppy grin on his face and Emmie felt her whole body shift into a new level of sensitivity. She felt the absence of her rifle, the absence of any other weapon. She’d grown up rough around men and she was strong but this had a feeling of danger she hadn’t experienced before.
“How did you get over here?” She was stalling, trying to make her mind move at a faster pace. She just had to think of a solution. She would turn Red around then go get her rifle from Birdie. If only she’d kept a knife, or another gun on her.
The man ignored her question and began walking toward her, “Instead of telling you I thought I would just show you.”
The reins were tight in her hand and Emmie’s eyes darted to the side, looking for her escape route. But as soon as her eyes were off him she felt her body slammed hard from the side.
He’d moved fast. Too fast. Emmie was on the ground before she fully understood what had happened. Her face hit the dirt and she tasted blood.
Scrambling to her feet, she tried to get her bearings.
Her body slammed again, this time against the side of the church. She looked up at the grinning face in front of her, putting her fingernails into the two thick hands that braced her neck. She had the sudden sensation that she’d just been pushed underwater. Her lungs weren’t working. She needed a breath but couldn’t get one.
“Let her go, Max.” The voice came from her right. It sounded dull to Emmie’s ears though it must have been yelled.
“Don’t interfere, Virgil, or you’ll be next.” The man’s large ruddy face turned and just as it did there was a blur of movement. The thick hand released from around her neck and Emmie fell back against the wall, sucking in and choking on air.
There were noises as if bones were being crushed but Emmie could only focus on filling her lungs. She needed to get to Red, get out of the way. Max was stronger than any man she’d ever met before and she suspected that the other man would be no match for such strength, which would leave her in the same situation in only a few moments.
She reached out and touched Red. Her horse went up on his hind legs as the fighting went on and Emmie felt panic threatening to take her over.
Reaching wildly for Red's reins, her fingers finally felt leather as Red's forelegs thudded back to the ground. She moved the horse, turning it back toward the square in the direction she'd originally come from. They would go the long way around, they would have to. As she pulled in another breath she felt like a Red was sitting directly on top of her chest and her vision blurred for a brief, panicky moment.
She pushed one foot into her stirrup and dragged herself up just as the noise behind her went silent. Emmie’s vision blurred again and she could hear her own heartbeat swimming against her ears. Just as she was moving herself forward the feeling of being pushed underwater overwhelmed her again, her eyes blinked twice, and everything went dark.
As she came to her ears began working before her eyes flickered open. She heard Red’s steady breath. He didn’t sound worried anymore which was a good thing, and she was pretty sure that she wasn’t dead, which was another happy surprise.
“You ok?” The voice was deep and masculine but a thread of tenderness laced the words.
Emmie's eyes opened to the deep stare of dark gray.
“You,” Her voice cracked out of her raw throat.
"It's ok, you don't have to talk," The gray eyes looked at her throat. Emmie looked around. She was propped against the church wall where only a few minutes ago she'd just been in a death grip.
“Max is gone.”
Emmie’s focus came back to the man in front of her.
“You saved my life,” Her words were barely audible.
“Here,” The man handed her his canteen of water then helped her take a sip. The water burned at first then eased down her throat.
When he tried to lift the canteen again Emmie shook her head, “Who are you?”
“I’m—Virgil,” He said it with hesitation as if unsure himself who he was.
“That man is a friend of yours?” Hadn’t they been together only the day before? Hadn’t the man in front of her been a part of Max’s group?
“Sort of… and sort of not.” She could tell by the way he spoke that he wasn’t a big talker. He didn’t bother to explain his cryptic answer and a tingle of her previous fear now ran down her spine.
“I need to get home,” She pushed her torso forward. Her head was still swimming.
“I’ll take you,” Virgil’s voice was stronger now. More commanding.
“I just need Red and I’ll be fine,” Emmie paused as she moved halfway then all the way to standing. Her face was hot and a line of sweat was starting at her hairline even though it was a cold night.
“You’re not fine,” Virgil’s hands braced Emmie. One around the waist and the other around her shoulder. His fingers were strong and Emmie remembered how strong the other man had been. Virgil had won that fight. She looked over at Virgil uneasily.
His jaw was strong and stubble had begun to grow in. He was taller than Max but not as wide. A fresh scratch leaked blood along his neck.
“You’re hurt.”
“Could have been worse.”
He tried to brush off his wound but Emmie was already ripping a line of cloth from her skirt. She took the canteen of water and saturated the cloth before placing it gently over the gash.
Virgil winced at the initial touch but didn’t move away. Emmie lifted the cloth to take another look. It was deep and Emmie knew it must be painful.
“Thank you,” Her eyes looked up into his and she could feel his pulse beat under her fingers.
He gave a half nod response. Attending to his neck Emmie hadn't realized how close she'd moved toward the man. He smelled of a woodsy leather and the heat of his breath touched her face.
“I should go,” She backed up with one hand reaching for Red. His gaze was holding hers the way it had every time she'd looked into those gray eyes. They were hypnotic as if he were speaking soft words to her with only a look.
Red’s tail swished and Emmie turned to look at the dark road that led to the Ward Ranch. A tense uneasiness teemed through her veins as she tried to see what lay in the shadows.
“I’ll see you home.” She could tell by the tone of his voice that Virgil wasn’t asking her a question and she knew there was no point in arguing the matter.
Emmie turned into Red but before she could get herself on top of her horse she was being lifted easily off the ground and in the next moment she was looking down at Virgil from atop her mount.
“How did you do that?” Emmie’s breath bloomed into the air.
“Do what?”
“You lifted me like—like it was no effort at all—like I weigh nothing.”
Virgil looked at Emmie for a beat, moving the reins off of Red’s neck and taking them into his hands.
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but you aren’t very big.” Virgil smiled at her and Emmie found herself smiling back.
“I guess it’s just that there aren’t many men around here as strong as you are, or as your… Max.” Just the name made her feel uneasy again. “You may not believe this, but around here I can stand on my own in a fight against a man.”
"I do believe you and you don't have to worry about Max, you'll be safe as long as you're with me," Virgil's words came easily, his hand touching her knee lightly as if he could read her mind.
Virgil gave a little whistle to Red just the way Emmie normally did. Red’s ears perked up and he began moving forward onto the road leading away from town.
As she looked out into the shadows of the night Emmie realized that with the grey-eyed man as her bodyguard and despite all the evidence to contrary, she actually did feel safe.
Chapter Five
A cloud passed over the face of the moon. Emmie watched as the world around her grew dark then illuminated again as she mo
ved through it.
The two moved side by side in silence for a good quarter of a mile before Emmie noticed that Virgil was walking strangely. She focused her attention on his movement until she was sure that he was favoring his right leg.
“You were hurt, weren't you?" Her voice sounded betrayed as if he'd intentionally kept important information from her.
"I'm fine," He didn't look up at her and she knew that he was trying harder now to overcompensate for his injury.
“You’re not fine.” Emmie watched Virgil as he stubbornly continued forward, “I will walk and you take Red.” Emmie leaned forward, ready to slide off the saddle but Virgil put out a hand to hold her in place.
“You are in no shape to be walking either,” He paused and exhaled. Then, grabbing the horn of the saddle so that his arm wrapped tightly around Emmie, he swung himself up on the horse behind her. He adjusted his body but there was no way for them both to sit atop Red without their bodies touching.
Emmie felt acutely every place where her limbs made contact with his. His breath touched the back of her neck and the side of her cheek. She could feel the warmth of his body heat radiating into her own skin.
“Do you know what happened to my friend?” It was easier for Emmie to ask while her eyes looked out away from Virgil. She felt him stiffen for a moment behind her then he took a breath and let it out slowly.
“I don’t really know, I wasn’t there at the moment but Otis said that your friend accused Max of being a cattle thief.”
Emmie sat with the new information running through her mind. It made sense, Kate wasn’t usually so outgoing with her opinions so she must have had good reason to think so.
“I guess something happened on her family’s ranch and we’re new in town so…” Virgil’s voice drifted off.
“So you didn’t take them?” Emmie heard herself ask before she had time to reconsider.
There was a heavy pause behind her but she refused to speak until he’d responded.
“I heard from someone else that there’s an animal problem, not a human problem.”
Emmie’s brow furrowed. “You’re right, I saw a pack of coyotes… wolves maybe… harassing our cattle.” Admitting it felt like a betrayal of Kate. “But you think that’s a good enough reason for your friend to hurt my friend?”
“Of course not, don’t put words in my mouth.”
Emmie and Virgil sat in a heated silence as Red moved on toward the ranch.
“I’m really sorry about your friend,” Virgil’s voice came clear and soft and immediately began to melt down Emmie’s hardened feelings.
Emmie let herself lean back the slightest bit into Virgil, “Where are you from?”
The two walked slowly into the moonlight as Emmie told Virgil about growing up the only daughter of a widowed rancher. She even got to hear Virgil laugh, his low voice sounding like music when it came out. As soon as she heard the sound she knew she wanted to make him laugh again.
Virgil told Emmie the story of the four men working their way across the West. Otis one of the other men was Max’s brother, and Levi was the one with the injured foot. They’d all grown up together more like brother’s then friends and now they were following Max who had an idea of wrangling cattle and eventually making their way out to California.
They talked half way to the Ward Ranch then decided to take a detour to let Red have some water and graze a bit. They could easily have made the trip three times over but there was something nice about ambling forward in the dark with Virgil at her back.
Emmie wondered if her father was still awake if he was waiting for her, but she thought better of it. Silas had always let Emeline do her own thing. He would be worried if she wasn't at the breakfast table but she would be back long before then.
The night got later and later as the two talked. Emmie had never met anyone who had traveled or seen so much of the country as Virgil had. He was different from anyone she’d ever met, yet familiar in some ways too.
When they got back on Red to make the final distance to the ranch Emmie felt something stir within her. Her body and all her senses were alive. Virgil’s physical presence, so close behind her, made her feel something she’d never felt before.
“When will you leave?” Emmie finally summed up enough courage to ask the question she’d been thinking. Virgil paused again and she felt his absence as if he’d already left.
“In the morning.”
Emmie felt a different sort of panic begin deep in her stomach. “You have to?” It was a stupid question but the panic had bubbled up in her and she felt greedy for Virgil’s presence.
Virgil didn’t say anything for a long time then Emmie felt the whisper of his fingers across the back of her neck. She sucked in a breath and waited to release it.
“You’ll be safe again with Max gone,” Virgil’s voice came at last but it wasn’t what Emmie had wanted to hear.
After another few paces, Emmie pulled on the reins and brought Red to a stop.
“Is everything ok?” There was a tinge of worry back in Virgil’s voice and Emmie felt him look around.
Emmie sat very still for a long moment before turning halfway around in her saddle.
“Are you—”
Before he could finish the words, Emmie’s mouth was on his. He tasted perfect, his lips left open with surprise. She paused as she pulled back from the kiss, worried that she’d offended him, that she’d been too impulsive, that she should have just gone home like a normal girl. Then Virgil’s mouth found hers. She felt the hunger within him.
His fingers and hands moved to her face as he pulled her closer. She felt a deep dragging longing for the man in front of her, a longing she’d never experienced before. Her heart was thudding fast. She leaned into his neck and kissed around his wound.
Her fingers slipped under the collar of his shirt and she felt the hairs that were scattered across his chest.
Virgil pulled back and looked into Emmie’s face.
“We should get you home,” He held her gaze as her breath heavily lifted and lowered her chest.
Emmie slowly shook her head, her eyes sparkling in the night, “No.”
Virgil held her gaze for another moment before jumping down from Red. Emmie leaned forward again but Virgil was too fast for her. His hands held her waist as she leaned in, but he merely held her in place for another long moment.
“You’re sure?” His fingers almost touched as they circled around her waist.
Emmie bent boldly and took Virgil’s mouth in her own, showing him her answer. He lifted her, slowly lowering her feet to the ground, her body settling into his. Her fingers moved around the buttons of his shirt and he moved them back off of the road.
As her dress slid off her body the cold night air hit every inch of her skin. Her nipples hardened and Virgil lifted one nipple in his mouth. He kissed her skin like he was worshipping her. The warmth of his body pulsed into hers and she pressed herself against him, trying to melt into him.
They lay their clothes on the cold ground. Emmie felt Virgil’s eyes on her like a heat. He was devouring her with only his look. When he pulled her toward him she opened for him, craving him, needing him to be one with her.
Her eyes were locked on his as he slid inside of her. Emmie sucked in a sip of air but she couldn’t take her eyes away from his.
His body moved over hers, her head lifting off the ground, her breath pulsing in short pants. Virgil adjusted to her reactions.
Emmie’s body was throbbing, new sensations flooding every nerve. She gasped and his lips plunged down for her.
A deep quiver began within her. With every movement, it grew and her body became less and less her own. Control left and a new wave of feelings overtook her.
Another gasp dragged through her throat. Virgil's rhythm changed to match her rising intensity. Emmie's eyes locked onto the pure gray of his eyes as her body lifted and an explosion burst through her cells.
Virgil’s mouth opened part way a
s his body contracted and the two froze together, barely moving as surges of energy ran through them.
It was a few minutes before Emmie remembered the cold around her, her clothes lying chilly beneath her. She turned and curled her body into Virgil’s not ready to give herself up to the reality of the cold that was even now moving in.
Chapter Six
Emmie got no sleep after Virgil dropped her safely at the Ward Ranch. She couldn't stop seeing his gray eyes and feel his hands on her. The prospect of Virgil leaving and her body and mind continuing without him seemed an impossible thing.
The day dragged on. She made her rounds and thought she saw the same pack of coyotes or wolves that she’d seen before, but they were gone before she even remembered her missing rifle.
Every moment was filled with thought and she couldn’t manage to keep her mind focused on any task for more than a few seconds. She wondered where Virgil was, how far away, if he’d made up with Max or if something bad might have happened to him. When she finally crept into bed that night her head was so foggy and her eyes so heavy that she slipped into bed and into a full sleep within only a few minutes.
She was so heavily and deeply asleep that she could not understand what was happening as she woke in the middle of the night. There was a pounding sound, it was dark, and she could barely make sense of it until she looked out her window and saw Virgil’s face.
It was a moment before she could conceive that she wasn’t dreaming and was able to get up and open her window. Her smile disappeared when she saw the serious look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Max, Otis, and Levi are on their way over. I tried to reason with them earlier, we even made it out of town, but Max is stubborn and dangerous.”
Emmie put her hand on Virgil’s arm, “It will be ok. We have another rifle inside, and another in the barn, we’ll be safe here.”
“No,” Virgil’s face went tight and Emmie watched him closely. “There’s something you don’t know about me… about the four of us.”
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