The Reaper 0f The Rio Sangre: Special Edition HBH Version (Half Breed Haven Book 10)
Page 20
Annabelle's hold tightened on Cattie's wrists, and she looked like she would pull her again for another long kiss, but she suddenly flung Cattie's hands away. Her eyes were wide, as wide as the teacup saucers over in Mrs. Chow's kitchen when she said, "You little Mexican temptress! What have you done to me?"
“Just opened your eyes to an entire world of other possibilities is all,” Cattie shrugged. It always took time to adjust. “Just somethin’ I like to do … when I see me beauty.”
This little beauty looked as confused as a poor lamb. “Do I have your word, Peppercorn, that you will say nothing of this … this indiscretion?” Ah, Daddy’s girl was back. It was good while she was away.
“Now there’s a request I hear a lot of. Sure thing, Annie Bee. Won’t say a thing about this—or any of the other times to come—to nobody. You can trust my word when I give it.”
“I assure you there will be no other times to come,” said Annabelle fiercely.
That’s what they always say,” Cattie laughed. “Now you go on back in an’ enjoy the party. I think I should be checkin’ in on a little honey from Mexico City. If you believe what we just did was somethin', you shoulda seen what I did earlier with her and will likely do again. Adios!"
She left a thoroughly shocked Annabelle Detweiller there by the woodpile, strutting away like she had no care in the world. It was always the way to keep them coming back for more. When she was a few steps away, she looked back over her shoulder. Sure as an eastern sunrise, Annabelle was staring after her. Her hand was to her chest, and she looked like some little girl who wanted what she knew was wrong for her.
Catalina winked at her and blew a kiss, too, just before striding away. She was sure that Annabelle Detweiller’s dreams tonight would be of the different sort.
***
THANK YOU FOR READING!
PLEASE ENJOY A SNEAK PEAK AT AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEXT BOOK PART 2 OF THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY:
THE TOWN OF NO RETURN
(A HALF BREED HAVEN ADULT WESTERN ADVENTURE)
***
Lijuan Wilde was nude. Her state of undress didn’t last long as she tugged and pulled until the buckskin dress finally managed to pass over her large breasts. Looking down at them, she shook her head imagining they would explode through the material if she moved the wrong way.
Her bare right foot kicked away the mound of clothes that she had been wearing including her cowboy boots. Looking around she found a pair of moccasins and pulled them on as she eyed the glowering woman with her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound. Reaching down Lijuan seized the band Little Flower wore around her head, yanked it off, and slipped it on her head even as she felt the Indian woman's blazing eyes on her.
She had entered the tent some minutes earlier just after she had watched Blue River and Summer Sky slip into her tent. It had been their prearranged plan for that to be her signal to drop down into The Settlement and incapacitate Little Flower so that she might snag some clothing to help pass herself off as an Indian, and now she would be more able to move more freely around the camp.
When she had entered, Little Flower's back had been to her, but unfortunately, the rustling of the flap had made a little too much noise. Lijuan had been surprised that the woman didn't turn around. Instead, she had said something in her native tongue that Lijuan had no way of deciphering. As she had moved to draw up behind her, she raised her hand ready to perform one of the chops she had learned as just a little girl from Mr. Chow. Her father had long been fascinated by the fighting skills he had seen Lijuan's mother display in the fleeting time they had been together, and he had wished his daughter to know them as well. That had happened when he had hired Mr. Chow to do just that as he worked as the handyman at the ranch. Mrs. Chow would teach her about the culture from the land Lijuan was part of but never had known.
Before she could strike, Little Flower had turned around with a brilliant smile on her face that evaporated in the blink of an eye as she saw she was under attack. For an unknown reason, she was holding a beaded cradleboard in her hands and brought it up to deflect Lijuan's blow. As Lijuan stepped back, the woman dropped the construct customarily used to hold a papoose in and reached for a knife that lay nearby. But Lijuan was on her before she could even move. Swiftly she brought her foot up to the side of the woman's right knee and kicked her. Little Flower opened her mouth to cry out in pain, but Lijuan clamped her mouth shut with her hand and this time succeeded in landing the chop to the side of her neck. Under the twin strikes Little Flower swayed and then dropped backward falling on her furs.
Lijuan knelt next to her and quickly checked her over. She had pulled her strikes as best she could, not wishing to do any serious harm to Little Flower. Satisfied the woman was out but not seriously injured, her eyes darted about the tent. Her eyes fell on copious amounts of materials telling her that Little Flower did more than raise chickens, but also was a master craftswoman who had made the cradleboard she had defended herself with.
Unfortunately, Lijuan did not see any of the woman's garbs. She hoped they would be lying in plain sight and not buried amongst the furs and belongings. Realizing there was no alternative, she hastily stripped the fallen woman nude for her buckskin dress. No sooner had she done it that she used some of the rawhide Little Flower had been using to make the cradleboard to bind her. Once that had been accomplished, she began peeling off her clothes even as her captive's eyes fluttered open. Lijuan was impressed at the woman's fortitude to regain consciousness so quickly, but she was young and robust, likely not more than eighteen or nineteen. In her life, she had found the people native to these lands to be a hardy lot, and given the conditions, they lived in it was easy to see why.
Now with the headband in place, she was adequately attired to slip out and head towards the hostages and wait for the commotion that Blue River had promised. There was just one last thing left to do. Lijuan reached into the satchel she had brought with her and withdrew two large handfuls of berries raided from the pantry at The Gossamer. Under Little Flower's watchful eye, she ground them in her hands and smeared the berry juice thoroughly on all her exposed skin to hide its yellowish hue.
When she was finished, she found herself wishing for the large mirror that hung at the foot of the grand staircase leading into the Great Room of Cedar Ledge. Though she could not see her reflection, she felt confident that in the darkness, despite the full moon, if she kept her head down, she could now pass as one of the Indians. For a fleeting second, she wondered how much she might resemble her thorn in her side, Bright Feather. Sweeping the thought out of the way, she knelt by Little Flower.
“Listen, I know you must speak a little English from your dealings with the townspeople selling eggs. I had no wish to hurt you. Truth be told I went easy on you, Little Flower. We just want to see that no harm comes to the people captured from the stage … and to stop any larger massacre. You have to believe that.” Lijuan straightened up and looked once more at the bound woman.
Her eyes still blazed, leaving her uncertain as to if she perhaps didn't understand after all, or if she did and just chose not to believe it. Whichever it was, there was no time to worry about it now. She slung the satchel over her shoulder, preferring to leave the knife she had brought inside it and instead plucked Little Flower's and fastened it to her waist. All the better for her disguise she thought as she turned and slipped out of the tent.
As she walked along the wall in the direction of where the captives were bound, suddenly an Indian woman emerged from a nearby tent holding a basket. Lijuan kept her head bowed and walked right past the woman. To her relief, the woman didn't even give her a second glace. Perhaps her man was one of the braves that would soon be risking their lives attacking Horseshoe, and she was preoccupied with that Lijuan pondered. There was no way of knowing and she was just glad that her attempt to blend in passed its first test. Before her emerged the captives but she veered off and stood behind a large tree. Apprehension flooded over her as she
was a woman of action and not one who was accustomed to waiting around, but now that was precisely what their plan called for. Lijuan slipped into the shadow of the tree, her hand resting on the butt of the knife and resigned herself to waiting.
***
And a reminder this and other Wilde adventures now available or coming soon.
THE WILDES OF THE WEST #1: THE DAUGHTERS OF HALF BREED HAVEN
THE WILDES OF THE WEST #2: THE REAPER OF THE RIO SANGRE
(THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY PART 1)
HALF BREED HAVEN #1: WILDE-FIRE
HALF BREED HAVEN #2: IN DANGER’S SHADOW
HALF BREED HAVEN #3: DARK RIVALS
HALF BREED HAVEN #4: SILVER, GOLD & DECEPTION
HALF BREED HAVEN #5: THE FORBIDDEN RANCH
HALF BREED HAVEN #6: SING THE DEATH SONG
HALF BREED HAVEN #7: DISASTER AT DEVIL’S CANYON
HALF BREED HAVEN #8: RENEGADES AND REVENGE
HALF BREED HAVEN #9: INTO THE LAIR OF LOS REY LOBO
HALF BREED HAVEN #10: HALF BREED HAVEN VERSION SPECIAL EDITION OF THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY PART 1: THE REAPER OF THE RIO SANGRE
THE WILDES OF THE WEST #3: THE TOWN OF NO RETURN
(THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY PART 2)
OR
HALF BREED HAVEN #11: HALF BREED HAVEN VERSION SPECIAL EDITION OF THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY PART 2: THE TOWN OF NO RETURN
AND
THE WILDES OF THE WEST #4: THE BOOT HILL EXPRESS
(THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY PART 3)
OR
HALF BREED HAVEN #12: HALF BREED HAVEN VERSION SPECIAL EDITION OF THE DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY TRILOGY PART 3: THE BOOT HILL EXPRESS
ALL CAN BE FOUND AT THIS LINK
https://www.amazon.com/A.M.-Van-Dorn/e/B077GNX3GP/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
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A.M. Van Dorn