She clutched his shirt. “It was.”
“Let me take care of you tonight, okay?”
“What?”
He pulled her nightgown up until it was gathered around her stomach, just above her belly button. He rubbed her thigh slowly until he felt her relax again. When his fingers skimmed the tender skin between her thighs, she jumped, a moan and cry of protest strangling her.
“It’s okay,” he promised. To accentuate his point, he slid his finger between her wet lips and brushed against her clit.
“Kelly!”
“Shhh…just relax.”
“But you…”
He attached his lips to the hollow of her throat, sucking on and kissing her gently as he moved his hand between her legs. He caressed her clit with the tip of his finger, barely touching her, until he felt it grow hard. She moaned, trying once more to push him away. In response, he covered her mouth in a hard kiss, blocking any sound she made, and forced her to lie back against the pillows again. He stopped rubbing her, and before she could realize what he was planning to do, he thrust one finger into her, curled it, and rubbed her soft, fleshy bundle of nerves.
She gasped, but didn’t make another sound. She kissed him frantically, stealing his oxygen, trying to communicate, trying to make him understand what he was doing to her. He knew. When he sensed that she couldn’t take anymore, he returned his finger to her firm clit, and massaged the soft heat until it was radiating through her body. Ida gripped him tightly and moved as close to his body as possible, until there wasn’t even an inch of space between them. He made sure the pleasure wasn’t overwhelming her anymore. He didn’t want her to shake like an earthquake. It should roll through her body like slow molasses. Warm and bright embers instead of fireworks.
“That’s good…just relax…you’re almost there, aren’t you?”
“Ye…yes…”
“Good, good.”
He covered her face with small kisses, letting his lips linger on her skin. Kelly began moving his wrist in circular motions, applying more and more pressure to her as he picked up speed. She jerked against his hand again and again, trying to create more friction. She whimpered as he complied with her unstated request and rubbed her faster and faster. He saw her face flush with heat even as she shivered.
“That’s it, Ida,” he breathed in her ear. “That’s it. Come on.”
His voice was as encouraging as his skilled hands, and it was all she needed. She keened and arched her back, and he felt her clit pulse with the steady rhythm from her pounding heart beneath his finger. When she relaxed against the bed, she looked exhausted, sated.
“Kelly…”
“Go to sleep, pet.”
“But…”
He kissed her forehead and her eyes fluttered close, and it wasn’t long until her breathing slowed.
“Pleasant dreams,” he whispered.
* * * *
Ida woke up before dawn, cold and alone on her bed in the gray light. Kelly was curled on the floor, huddled beneath his blanket. A sharp wind blew down the chimney. The fire was out and there was frost on the windows. She wrapped herself in a blanket and walked to the door, holding her breath.
She opened the door slowly, and sighed with relief when she saw there was no snow on the ground. The grass was sharp with frozen dew, the dying leaves bent under the weight of the ice. The air was crisp and she inhaled deeply, letting the fresh smells of a frozen morning fill her head. There were clouds over the mountains again, and in the early morning shadows, she could see the beginnings of snowy reflections. It had snowed in the higher elevations. Which meant the deer were pushed down and now would be the perfect time to go hunting.
Ida didn’t waste any time getting dressed. She ate a cold breakfast of bread and jam. She wrapped half the loaf in a towel and tucked it into her bag and left the other half out for Kelly. She took the time to make a pot of coffee, though, needing the warmth. While it percolated, she built the fire up again.
Ida sat at the table; her hands wrapped snuggly around the hot mug of coffee, and watched Kelly sleep. He hadn’t stirred at all while she was moving around the cabin, getting ready to go. His face looked drawn, like he was in pain even as he slept. She blushed as she remembered what had happened the night before. But not because of the way he had touched her. That wasn’t the worst thing that had happened.
The worst thing had been the way she broke down, the way she had cried and clutched him like he would fix everything, like she needed him to. He hadn’t pushed her away, though, and for a few minutes in the middle of the night, it felt very good to rely on somebody else, to burden him with her past. He probably hadn’t understood, but he hadn’t tried to get away from her either.
She decided to let him sleep. She would probably be back before he woke up, if she was lucky. She’d take Flash and go into the hills, instead of trying to make her way on foot. Kelly looked tired, and God knew when he had finally gone to sleep the night before. She didn’t know what she could even say to him. It would be hard to look him in the eye after the way she had acted, and besides he had…
Then it hit her. Suddenly, crying really was the least of her concerns, the last thing she should be embarrassed about. He had…she had let him…and God, what had he done? How did he know how to do that? Would he think any less of her now? The thought of him thinking the worst of her—thinking her a whore or a slut—made her heart break slightly.
She couldn’t face him.
Her gun was sitting by the door. She’s taken the time the night before to get it ready and gather the gunpowder and the ammunition. After Kelly had disappeared. While she’d been getting everything ready, she’d temporarily fantasized about using the gun on him—that was when her neck was still tingling with his soft kiss, and her shoulders felt bare and cold because he stopped touching her.
A part of Ida dreaded returning to the cabin. He would be awake when she got back. He would want to do…something. Ask her what her dream was about, perhaps. Or ask her why she cried. Or try to kiss her again. Try to touch her again. Try to curl his body around her so she couldn’t escape him, couldn’t feel anything but his heat, see anything but his chest and his face. And she knew that she wouldn’t be able to resist him. Even if she put on a show, insisted that he never touch her again, she wouldn’t be able to resist him again. Not now. Not after she’d had a demonstration of what he could do to and for her.
It was best to leave, best not to think about it too much. She ducked out the door, shutting it quietly behind her, and headed to the barn. She pushed him out of her head to concentrate on the task at hand. There would be plenty of time later to let him distract her, in word and thought and deed. Now was not the time.
Chapter Nine
The sun had passed its zenith when Tom left the store, his wagon full of goods. Kate wanted him to make as many deliveries as possible while the sun was still up. She was convinced that it would be too late if he waited a day, and she didn’t want her customers to be dissatisfied.
“You know there is too much competition, Tom Harris. I’m not going to fall behind and watch my favorite customers go to those awful people down the road.”
Tom didn’t have any choice. He grabbed a handful of newspapers and fliers from the stack for the folks who were too far out of town to pick up their own, and loaded his old wagon. He had been thinking about building a new one for some time; it would be his project in the spring. The wind picked up then, blowing his hair around and making his ear ache, reminding him that spring would be a long time coming.
“Katy, do I have everything?” Tom called from where he perched on his seat, the reins held loosely in his hands.
“I think so.” She came bustling out of the store with a piece of paper in her hand. “Except this. This is Ida’s receipt. Make sure she gets it.”
“Right.”
“Make sure she gets a newspaper, too. She comes to town so rarely.”
“Right.”
“And hurry ho
me when you’re finished.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as the wind kicked up dirt from the road, blowing it in her eyes. “Look at those clouds.”
“Yeah, I saw them.”
“It’s so…” Kate shook her head.
Kate didn’t need to finish her sentence. Tom knew what she meant. The day had taken on a gray tone, the sun hidden behind the gathering storm. The streets were mostly quiet, all the children were hustled inside as the wind kicked up, and all the animals had wisely found shelter. It was only two, but it looked like it was closer to dusk. The mountains loomed behind them, and Tom almost felt suffocated.
“I’ll be back before dark,” he promised.
“You better be. I don’t want to have to form a search party for you. I simply don’t have the time to organize one and feed all the volunteers.”
“Understood.”
It took Tom longer than he thought it would to get out to Ida’s—she was the last person on his route. Everywhere he stopped, they offered him food, invited him to get out of the biting chill and warm his hands and feet by the fire. Some places were more tempting than others, especially the places that had pie. By the time he reached Ida’s, the dark clouds completely masked the sun and he had no way of telling what time it was.
The cabin looked abandoned. There wasn’t even any smoke coming from the chimney. Ranger wasn’t in the yard, and didn’t answer Tom’s calls. He jumped from the wagon and hurried to the front door. It wasn’t locked, and he pushed it open, calling Ida’s name. Nobody answered.
Frowning, Tom returned to the wagon and began unloading her items. She was probably in the barn and didn’t hear him, or maybe she was out riding. He thoughtfully hauled the various boxes and bags into the cabin for her, placing them just inside the door. He hung around the yard, waiting for her to return, for any sign of her, but it was growing darker by the minute and he just didn’t have the time to make sure she was okay and verify that he had fulfilled her order.
He pulled a newspaper and the last of the wanted posters out of his coat pocket and left them on the table for her with her receipt. No charge this time for the newspaper. He left the cabin quickly, eager to get home to Kate’s hot dinner and warm bed. He didn’t look up, and he didn’t notice the two figures coming towards him from the barn. The wind carried away Ida’s voice, and in his empty and light wagon, he hurried back to town without looking back.
* * * *
Kelly had come out to meet her when she dragged the deer’s corpse into the yard. They hadn’t exchanged any words, but Kelly kept his hands to himself and didn’t make any moves towards her, didn’t make her feel uncomfortable at all. She had graciously accepted his silent offer to help, and the two of them had dragged the deer into the barn and strung it up from the rafters.
Ida had been impressed with the way he worked, and the way they worked together. They both worked on skinning the deer as a perfect team, the job got done quickly and safely. The excitement from the day before wasn’t gone, the tension still simmered between them, but his smile was charming and his hands were quick and he put her at ease with his presence.
As soon as the deer was ready to cut, they took a step back and examined their work.
“I never can get used to the blood,” Ida said as she wiped her hands on her pants.
Kelly didn’t respond, just plunged his hands up to his wrists into a bucket of cold water, doing his best to wash away the scarlet stains.
“Do you think this will be okay for the night?” She asked, looking at the skinned and gutted doe hanging from the rafters of the barn.
“It should be fine.”
“Really?”
“It’ll be cold tonight. Nothing will bother it.”
“It might attract something.”
“We can cut it up. Between the two of us, we can probably get it done before dark.”
Ida looked out the open door. It was already growing dark. “I doubt it, but we can try. My butcher knives and the saw are in the cabin. I’ll go get them.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Kelly caught sight of Tom’s retreating wagon as they left the barn. “Expecting visitors?”
“No. I didn’t think he was coming until tomorrow.”
“Who is it?”
“Tom Harris…runs the dry goods store. I ordered some things.” She waved her arms and shouted his name, but he didn’t turn around. “Wonder why he’s here early.”
Kelly shrugged and pointed to the sky. Now it was a heavy shade of gray, and as they studied a sky, a single snowflake wafted to the ground, settling on the dying grass. “And so it begins.”
Ida sighed and resumed walking. “I was hoping we’d have a few more days.”
“Nobody ever welcomes winter.”
“Just needed a few more days.”
“You got everything done on time, Ida. You’re fine.”
“I’ve just…never had to do this before, by myself.”
“Good thing you aren’t by yourself.”
“About…well…” She stopped.
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“No, what?”
“You don’t plan on trying to get out of here before the snow gets too deep, are you?”
“I’ll never make it, no matter which direction I travel. Why? You want to get rid of me?” His tone was light, but the question was serious.
“No, I…I don’t mind having you around, I guess.”
“Well, you sure know how to make a bloke feel welcome.”
Ida smiled at him as she pushed the door open, and then almost stumbled over the bags lying in the middle of the floor. “I guess it was nice of him to bring them in,” she said, catching one bag before it could spill its contents all over the floor.
“Here, let me help with that.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to…” Kelly lifted a heavy bag of flour and grunted as his ribs screamed in protest. “Hurt yourself.”
“No, no, I’m fine,” he said, breathlessly. “Just give me a minute.”
“You need to stop pushing yourself so hard. You’ll never get well.” She walked to the kitchen and pulled two large knives and a small axe out of the cupboard.
Kelly looked over his shoulder, dragging one bag across the floor to the kitchen area. “Those sharp?”
“Yes, they are. And ready to go.”
“Great.”
“Let me just build up the fire.” She walked by the table and her eye caught the stack of papers. “Oh good, I’ll have something to read tonight.” She picked them up and began idly glancing them over. “I so rarely get any entertainment these days that I…”
“What?”
“I…”
“Ida?”
She closed her eyes tightly, as if she could wipe the horrible evidence from her vision and from existence. When she opened them, the picture was swimming in her vision. Horror, fear, confusion curled in her stomach and clutched her heart. She looked up at the man standing across the room from her—the stranger she didn’t know at all.
“Is there something wrong?”
His voice, his face, threw her. She couldn’t understand how…she thought she was beginning to trust him…what would have happened to her if she let her guard down? What was he capable of? What had he done?
“You need to get out of my house,” she said, her voice low and even.
“What?” His confusion was clear on his face.
“I want you out of my house, off of my property, out of my life. Right now.” Her voice didn’t betray her emotions, didn’t reveal how confused and hurt she was. Only the anger laced her words.
“Ida, I…what is going on?”
She held up the paper, wrinkled and wet from her fingers curling around it tightly. A sketch of his own face stared back at him, the eyes were hard. Under a large Wanted: Dead or Alive were a substantial award for bank robbery and the “murder of one Sheriff Terry Finn.”
“Let me explain
…” Kelly started.
“There’s really nothing to explain.” She picked up the axe, clutching it with both hands. “Now get out.”
“Are you going to turn me in?”
“I…” Ida closed her eyes. She had saved him and he, in his own way, had tried to save her. Despite the betrayal, she didn’t want him to die. Didn’t want to be directly responsible for his death. She already had too much death hanging over her head. Finally, she said tightly, “Just leave, Kelly. Just go.”
“It’s snowing.”
She took a deep breath. “You are a murderer, and you are a liar.”
“I wouldn’t hurt you…” Kelly rushed to assure her.
Her eyes flew open. “I’m not scared of you. Don’t think for one minute that I am scared of you. And don’t think that I won’t cut you down if you so much as lay a hand on me.”
“Where…” Kelly sighed. “I don’t have a horse.”
“I don’t care.”
“It’s snowing,” he repeated.
“I don’t care. You’re disgusting. I can’t believe I let you touch me…I can’t believe I let you in my house.”
“You don’t even know I’m guilty.”
“Aren’t you?”
“That’s beside the point.”
“What were you going to do, Kelly? Did you think I was an easy target because I’m out here by myself? Did you think it would be more fun to…to…?” She was shaking now with rage. “Well, you were wrong.”
“I wasn’t going to do anything to you.”
“Except rob and murder me in my sleep.” She lifted the axe. “I’m done talking now.”
Kelly opened his mouth again to speak, to try to explain, but she wasn’t interested in anything he had to say. To emphasize her point, she took another step forward. Without a word, he opened the door and stepped into the dark, swirling snow. In the short time they were in the cabin, the sky had burst, and now a blizzard was roaring around him.
* * * *
It was still light enough for Kelly to see, but it wouldn’t be for long. He turned around once to see if Ida was watching him, but the door was still shut, the windows empty. He couldn’t see the outline of her body at all. He paused, undecided. The snow coated his hair and arms, and he wished he at least had the foresight to grab a coat or a blanket or something.
New Frontier Page 8
