This was definitely a different world, she thought as she watched Sam dismount. He gathered up the two limp rabbits and strung them up on the neck of his saddle. Sam called Jack over and spoke silently with him for a moment. Sabine knew it was about her as Jack looked over towards her and then mounted the horse. Sam walked over and took up the reins that hung from her horse.
“I’m going to walk for a bit to stretch my legs,” he said easily. “Hope you don’t mind. We’ll rotate out when we stop again.” Billy was then quick to yell that he wasn’t giving up his horse for some mealy mouth, spoiled kid. Sabine would have rolled her eyes if she didn’t feel lower than dirt at the moment. She felt like she was bothering the trio. Two out of the three didn’t seem to mind her being there so much, but it wasn’t exactly welcoming either. Nodding, she remained in the saddle as they began walking the horses again.
When they finally stopped for the night, Sabine slid boneless to the ground next to the horse much to Billy’s amusement. She received empathetic looks from Sam and Jack as she tried to stand but her legs would not cooperate. The muscles in her thighs burned something fierce and it was like her body was just not operating properly.
Sabine got to her hands and knees, struggling to pull herself upwards and keep from getting stepped on by the horse when she saw a hand appear. Jack stood next to her, offering to help. “I’m good. Just give me a minute,” she grumbled feeling humiliated as she heard Billy chuckling.
“Chip, c’mon,” Jack said abruptly, grasping her under the arm and lifting her bodily. She shivered as his hand came precariously close to her breast that was hidden by the vest. As she stood on wobbly legs, she realized she barely came to his shoulders.
“Walk it off and stretch your legs. Gather some twigs for a fire,” he said gruffly and released her arm. “You’ll toughen up.” Sabine stood there for several minutes until she felt like she was getting control of her limbs again. She walked some distance, gathering a stray stick here or there. She found one log but, as she went to move it, a swarm of ants began pouring out of the nest she had disturbed. She dropped the small log immediately and backed away.
She returned to the site to find that they had removed the saddles and allowed the horses to graze. Billy tossed a limp rabbit towards her with orders to clean it, as he removed the fur from the other rabbit in one horrific pull. That terrible ripping sound echoed in her head as she backed away from him, heaving. She ran for the nearest place to hide.
A small mesquite tree served as a wall from the disgusting sights and sounds of the rabbits being cleaned for cooking. She gave in to the nausea, feeling lightheaded and gagging as her empty stomach contracted painfully. Slightly dizzy, she sat in the dirt. She was obviously in the wrong place, wrong time. She wasn’t cut out for this life and it was becoming painfully obvious the longer she was here.
Sabine sat under the tree for quite a while, alone. Weak, hungry, nauseated and in pain seemed to be her world right now. Oh, and rejected! Can’t forget that! Rejected by the person she was supposed to bond with, he seemed to be repulsed by her very being. Every time she saw a spark flare, it was quelled almost as quickly. She heard steps coming towards her and didn’t move. Her head hung low as she sat cross-legged in the dirt. If she had to run away right now, she was one hundred percent certain she couldn’t. She’d drop either from a muscle cramp or lack of nourishment.
“You okay, Chip?” she heard Jack ask from a distance and nodded slightly.
“Here,” Jack said politely and shoved a tin of beans towards her. “Billy told me about the rabbit. You sure you want to be a Volunteer? It’s a tough life sometimes. If you’ll forgive me for saying it, you seem…” he hesitated, as if trying to think of the word. He took a seat next to her and didn’t finish the statement. Instead, he sat nearby and stared off in the distance.
“Thanks for the beans, but I’m not sure I can eat,” she whispered, staring at the plate.
“You are gonna have to eat something, unless you’d prefer rabbit?” he asked bluntly. “I won’t have you dying on me. I’ve never left someone and won’t start now. Eat up, Chip – even if you don’t feel like it.”
Nodding, she grasped the spoon and took a bite. The smoky taste of the rich beans made her stomach clench in anticipation. She was starving and so relieved it wasn’t rabbit he brought. He handed her a square biscuit of some sort that seemed extremely stale and salty. While it struck her as odd, she pretended it was a thick saltine cracker. She cleaned the tin, scraping every bit of sauce from the beans up as much as possible.
“Better?” he asked, still looking away.
“Much. Thank you,” she said politely, staring at his profile.
“Good. When you are ready, come join us around the fire,” he invited politely, standing. “I’ll get the dishes tonight. You rest, kiddo.” Sabine handed Jack the tin, nodding and watching him as he looked away from her.
She sat in place for some time, watching the sunset. She heard the men’s voices carry towards her as they talked. This seemed almost peaceful as she listened to their stories. They were carrying on, laughing and telling ribald jokes that had her laughing from where she sat. She stood, and walked over to the fire to join them. She sat between Sam and Jack, simply to keep herself far from Billy. There was something simply wrong with the man that bothered her to no end. He was the type of person that would get a kick out of simply being cruel to people and animals for fun.
Jack handed her a canteen without looking her direction. He simply extended his arm and stared at the fire. As she took it, she watched him roll a cigarette. It was strange because he hadn’t smelled of smoke like people back home had. As he lit it, she took a deep breath as the earthy, sweet tobacco smell came alive, mixing with the scents of the fire pit and the long-gone rabbit. Lifting the canteen, she heard Billy talking about the last woman he was with.
“Didn’t ask her name, cause hell, I didn’t need it for what she did for me!” he exclaimed lewdly. “Drink up, Chip. We’ll make a man of you yet!”
Sabine took a small sip and shivered, making her the butt of Billy’s jokes again. It was not unpalatable, but simply stronger than anything she had ever had before! Taking another deep drink, she shivered again at the pungent aftertaste and handed the canteen back to Jack. It was strange that he kept avoiding meeting her eyes. He was polite, almost overly so. She sat with them for quite a while, simply hoping that maybe she would learn more about them as a group or just learn more about Jack. Unfortunately, he was silent and didn’t talk much. Occasionally, he would smile or laugh at something Sam said, but the second he caught her staring at him, he would look away, uncomfortable.
“I think I will turn in, if you all don’t mind?” she murmured, feeling the effects of the alcohol. The canteen was handed back to her one more time, this time by Sam. “Go ahead, you’ll sleep heavy and feel better tomorrow,” he told her. “Jack told me you had been sick.”
Looking quickly at Jack, she saw him frown and throw a rock into the fire. They had been talking about her? Taking the canteen, she took another sip and slowly stood.
“Thank you again, for everything. I will be better tomorrow.” Sabine unrolled a horse blanket they had provided and lay down not far from them. The thing she wanted to be was left alone in the darkness if the fire died in the night. It felt so good to be lying down, as the tangy alcohol warmed her insides. She felt so relaxed and vaguely felt like she was beginning to fit in. “Goodnight.”
“G’ night, Chip,” she heard from Billy and Sam. Jack was silent as she caught him staring at her from across the fire. His expressive green eyes confused and torn. Sabine gave a shy smile that died when he turned away quickly. She rolled over to stare at the stars. She felt hurt at the abrupt dismissal and longed for home.
Chapter Five
The next several days seemed to fly by in a blur. Get up, get on the horse and stop for the night. Sabine tried to stay away from Evil Billy. She had dubbed him that mentally on the first day a
nd it stuck. There was something about him that didn’t seem right. He was always so angry and nasty towards everyone. Sam didn’t say much, he just watched everyone and everything silently. She could see why he would be a good poker player. His face revealed nothing of what was going through his mind. Jack was different. He was a mystery.
One moment, he was nice to her and the next he avoided her like the plague. She tried to help out and cook, but this was so different from anything she had ever done before. It brought back memories of when she used to go camping with her parents and her father would cook on the fire. She used those memories to keep her a place in the group as a cook temporarily. She was certain that if she revealed that she could not cook that she would be left behind in no time flat per Evil Billy.
So far, her new life consisted of snide remarks from Billy and avoidance from the other two men. They rode the horses from dusk till dawn, occasionally stopping to watch for Indians or Mexicans in the area. She had yet to see a large town and wasn’t sure what day it was, much less her location. Sabine didn’t want to ask a lot of questions and didn’t feel like it was safe to yet. She would rather stay quiet and off the radar of the strange men.
“What’s on your mind, Chip?” Jack asked her politely one evening as she stirred the beans in the small pot on the fire. If she thought she had it rough on the shuttle with her head Velcroed to a foam block, using her arm for a pillow at night was leaving her neck stiff. Everything hurt on her. Her legs cramped horribly from the long hours on the back of the horse. Her back hurt leaning over a campfire only to find the food was awful. She hated smelling like dust, sweat and horse. She was heartily sick of roughing it and wanted a bath, a pillow and a bed. Perhaps a good burger or French fries.
“Nothing,” she said quietly. It would do no good to complain. If she said anything, it would only give Billy more ammunition to pick on her. He had been harassing her off and on as soon as Jack was away to hunt for food. It was like he enjoyed picking on the “little guy”. Sam gave her far berth and wouldn’t come nearby. She was certain that Sam would not interfere if Billy chose to be mean to little Chip either. Only Jack seemed to be fairly kind towards her and that was even sporadic. He seemed to be avoiding her as well.
“We are coming into town in the next day or two. Do you have family in Austin?”
“No.”
“Doesn’t matter, drop him at a home and leave him there,” Billy barked out from a distance, throwing a stick into the fire causing sparks to flare up towards Sabine. She backed away quickly to avoid getting burned and glared daggers at him.
“Damn, Billy. Why has no one shot you yet?” Jack said, shaking his head. “Leave little Chip alone.”
“Because I am faster on the draw. Chip needs to toughen up. He’s too soft.”
“I’d watch your mouth because someone might be tempted to. Probably little Chip here would like to put a bullet between your eyes someday.”
“I’m half-tempted sometimes,” she muttered.
“What was that, you little maggot?” Billy roared to his feet causing Sabine to jump backwards as she sat on the ground forcing dust to fly upwards around her. He definitely deserved the nickname Evil Billy because he reminded her a of nightmarish creature right now. The campfire cast light and shadows all over his face in a threating macabre mask towards her.
“It was nothing you didn’t have coming for picking on the kiddo all the time,” Jack said smoothly, getting to his feet and standing in a defensive position. Turning to Sabine, he said, “In Austin, we are getting our pay and going our separate ways. I wanted to see if you wanted to carry on traveling with Sam?” he asked, not meeting her eyes. Instead, he stared at Billy, firmly not moving an inch.
“Why not with you?” Sabine asked, feeling abandoned. Her gaze moving from Billy’s nightmarish, threatening face. Why would he not want her with him? What about this soulmate nonsense she had been fed? Was it a lie? Or maybe they weren’t a good fit together. Sabine certainly felt attracted to Jack. In fact, the more she looked at him, the more she realized how handsome he was to her. Maybe it wasn’t the same for him or he was already married. How horrifying would that be if she was supposed to be partnered up with him… and he had a wife?
“You hear that Jack? You got a boy sniffing after you. Always knew you were too pretty for the women out there. You been sniffing after him, too, we’ve seen it! Haven’t we Sam? Ol’ Jack got himself a plaything!” Billy’s dark face suddenly split into a wide grin as he slapped his knee. He roared with laughter seeing the hurt look in Sabine’s expression. “Your little boy wants to come with you, probably in more ways than one!” he said nastily, making lewd gestures towards Jack and Sabine.
“Billy, if you don’t shut your yap, I will break it!”
“I’d like to see you try.”
“Stop,” Sabine yelped, seeing Jack take a menacing step towards the bigger man. He was putting himself directly between her and Billy “Look, it’s not necessary. I appreciate the company in getting me here but I can take care of myself. I don’t need your pity or your help.”
“We’ll talk later, Chip,” Jack bit off, staring at Billy angrily. “Isn’t dinner ready yet?”
“Yeah, get the food ready Chip,” Billy said snidely towards her over Jack’s shoulder. He stood firmly between them and she stepped back to deescalate the situation. Leave the big bully alone and don’t get your meager source of support pummeled to death in front of you, she thought. She wasn’t sure if Jack could take him in a fight, but he sure looked willing to try! She would be the bigger “man” and back down.
Nodding, she grasped the large spoon to stir the beans one last time before serving. After handing each man a tin plate, Sabine was a bit miffed that no one seemed to want her nearby. It was evident that Jack was not attracted to her in the slightest even though she found herself staring at his green eyes. The warmth she had seen at times was gone. He seemed to be very uncomfortable with her looking at him and was doing his best to stay away from her. So much so, that he bluntly asked Sam if she could ride with him for a bit.
Sam had declined with a sly, knowing smile. Sabine was certain that Sam knew what was up and the charade she had put on. Billy not so much in the slightest or she was certain he would have accosted her. Jack? He seemed to be focused on avoiding her at every turn. There was no way he could have guessed she was a woman simply because he never looked at her. When she got on the horse, he pulled away or walked next to it. When she prepared the food, he would fix his own plate.
Eve, you there? Sabine asked silently, not expecting a response. Eve had been strangely silent since dropping her into Jack’s world. Why is he avoiding me all the time?
You’re pretending to be a boy, silly.
You told me to!
Did I? That didn’t seem smart of me.
Are you kidding me? Sabine stared at Jack beside her. He was currently walking next to the horse again, avoiding riding with her. She had ridden the horse with him the other day, and again he leaped off as if she were diseased.
Maybe you should talk to him and see if he likes boys or girls?
Seriously? That isn’t really funny.
Well, if he likes boys, you stay living as Chip. If he likes girls, maybe you should show him the girls! Oh wait! You were the flat chested girl, weren’t you?
No, I’m not flat chested! And no, I’m not showing him the girls! Sheesh!
Perhaps you should just talk to him away from the others?
How can I if he is avoiding me? She thought to talk to him, to get to know him one afternoon. They had pulled to a stop, allowing her to stretch her legs. Everyone had dismounted, when Jack walked off. She saw Sam and Billy grab their canteens and head towards the stream. She grabbed hers and dismounted carefully by herself. Rushing off after Jack, she had been quite dismayed to have lost him. Was it deliberate? Was he avoiding her again? She stood alone in the tall grasses for a while before she turned to head back to where the horses stood.
Catch him when he can’t get away from you.
And that is when exactly? The only time he is alone is when he’s using the restroom! I certainly don’t plan on talking with him then!
Geez! Do I have to do everything for you? I could have made this easy and dropped you at his house telling him you were his mail order bride, but noooooo? You wanted to choose!
Wait a second?! You said that you would LET me choose! Big difference in those words, Witchy Woman!
Did I? Stupid rules and stupid idea. Whatevs! Eve said casually. Okay, you chose him. So, go get him, Space Cadet!
How do I do that? Eve? Are you still there?
It was crazy how silent it was suddenly. Sabine hesitated waiting, for Eve to say some smartass remark or circle around to where their conversation started. She was certainly hard to talk to.
Eve? Are you there? How am I supposed to attract a guy if I am pretending to be a boy in order to keep myself safe? After several minutes, she got frustrated and threw up her hands in aggravation. Seriously? Not even a bit of help after you put me in this predicament?
Stomping angrily, kicking at clumps of dirt and grass, she returned to the group. She was more frustrated than ever before. How were you supposed to catch someone’s eye if they avoided you? She could certainly understand why now, too! She was panting after him like a woman in heat… only problem was, she was masquerading as a boy. He was probably completely bothered that a young boy was making eyes at him.
“Chip, you want to come with me? I will be heading out towards Galveston. I’m tired of the dirt and heat. I’m ready for a little bit of the ocean breeze,” Sam offered congenially, handing her a plate. They were apparently stopping for the night yet again. He had a knowing look in his eyes and seemed to feel sorry for her.
Enchanted by You: Timeswept Soulmates (Timeless Brides Book 3) Page 5
