by Marla Monroe
“Perv.” His sister popped him over the head. “I’ll never forget as long as I live the time you picked the bathroom lock when Angie was taking a bath. I was so embarrassed. She never would come back over after that.”
“Hey, turnabout’s fair play, sis.” Harry all-out grinned, taking Abby’s breath away.
She cleared her throat. “Um, we need to plan our next direction and fix something to eat before it gets dark.”
“You’re right. Harriet, do you mind making something for dinner?” he asked his sister.
“I managed to catch a rabbit this afternoon. I had just finished skinning it when I heard you coming. It’s in the little stream just down the hill. Come on, Harriet. I’ll show you.” Abby crawled to her feet and out the door. “We’ll be right back, Harry.”
She led the way to the swiftly flowing water that wasn’t more than knee deep anywhere that she could see. The rabbit was in a plastic bag she’d submerged beneath the crisp cool water to keep it fresh. She’d just pulled it free of the rock when the snap of a twig alerted her that someone else was heading in their direction. Since it wasn’t the direction of the cross where they’d left Harry, Abby feared the worst and pointed toward the way they’d come.
Harriet didn’t waste time. She broke into a run even as Abby grabbed the rabbit and hauled ass after her. She thought she’d made it through the thicket until a hand wrapped around her upper arm and jerked her to a stop.
* * * *
“Easy now. I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you. Eh? Don’t scream.” Thad couldn’t believe the little wildcat’s strength. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to ask a question, okay? I’ll let you go once you tell me what I need to know.”
She slowly relaxed. He eased his hand off her mouth and turned her to face him. She was the most glorious image of a woman he’d seen in a long time. Her amazing curves went on for days. She had a soft, rounded belly that would easily give a man ideas about propping his head on it or filling it with his seed. And her breasts. Dear Lord, the woman had generous mounds that would challenge even his large hands. In that moment, he didn’t want to let her go, but logic told him she’d never relax and give herself to him if he took away her choice. He didn’t want to do that anyway.
“W—what do you want to ask me?”
“Where are you going? Do you have a specific place in mind?” He tried to sound as nonthreatening as he could under the circumstances.
“I’m following a map to a community near Yellowstone.” As soon as the words left her mouth, the pretty auburn-haired beauty slapped her hand over her mouth with a look of absolute horror darkening her already dark blue eyes.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to steal your map, and I mean no one any harm. I just wanted to be sure I was heading in the right direction, eh. I don’t have a map, just the words of an old friend of mine before he died.” Thad sighed and slowly released the light hold he had on her. “You can go now. I told you I wouldn’t harm you.”
As soon as he said those words, the amazing woman hightailed it out of there as if hell’s hounds were after her. He shook his head with a frown pulling at the edges of his mouth.
No doubt she felt that way, considering how I grabbed her away from her friend. I didn’t have to do it that way. I could have just walked up and asked her.
Thad didn’t think she would have let him get within twenty feet without shooting him, though, or he wouldn’t have grabbed her while he had the chance. When he looked down at his feet, he saw the freshly skinned rabbit in the plastic bag. She’d been so frightened of him that she’d dropped her dinner.
“Well, hell.”
Knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing she’d missed a good meal, Thad picked it up and walked in the general direction she’d run. Figured he might end up with a butt load of buckshot, but it was the right thing to do. He couldn’t let the meal go to waste, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to choke it down himself when he hadn’t snared it. He had to return it to her.
By the time he’d reached the tree line, Thad had pretty much stripped off a layer of his own hide for frightening her so and causing her to drop her meal. What kind of gentleman was he now? Could the circumstances he’d found himself in have had that much of an effect on his manners? His mum would have skinned him alive had she still been living. He didn’t even want to think about what his papa would have done.
With his French Canadian upbringing, Thad had thrived in the more desolate areas of Canada, sledding and tracking. When his parents had started to have health issues, he’d moved home and cared for them, working as a machinist programmer in the various industries around their home. After his parents’ passing, Thad needed a change and moved south into the United States, where he continued working in the industrial areas, programming the machines that created the backbones of cities.
I should be shot for the way I treated the lovely woman. No doubt her mate will do just that when I present myself to return the rabbit.
Oddly enough, Thad didn’t make it more than twenty yards out of the trees before a hefty male flanked by the two women blocked his path. They weren’t wielding shotguns or pistols in his direction. No, they were carrying big sticks, knives, and what looked to be an old can of mace.
Thad immediately held his hands up to show he wasn’t carrying a weapon, though the rabbit might have packed a mean punch when swung just right. He had no intentions of doing that, though. He just wanted to return it to the pretty woman who even now had a slight blush across her freckle speckled nose.
“What do you want?” the man asked, holding the knife out in front of him with the air of someone who knew what they were doing.
“I didn’t mean to scare the womenfolk. I just wanted to ask a question. Now I’m returning the rabbit she dropped. I’d feel terrible if she lost her dinner.” He nodded in the direction of the object of his growing obsession. That pretty pink blush darkened and spread down her neck, where he imagined it reached the amazing swell of her breasts.
“She said you asked her where she was going.” The man stood slightly in front of both women. “Why?”
“I told her. A friend of mine told me about this community that was forming up north around Yellowstone. Said it was close to the Idaho-Montana border. We were planning to go there, where there wouldn’t be all this violence and suffering. He’d been there and had come back to try to convince his sister and brother-in-law to go back with him, but they were all dead when he made it back home.” Thad shook his head. It still hurt thinking about all the death and violence.
“What happened to your friend?” his sweet beauty asked.
“He wanted revenge for the one who’d ra—um, murdered his only remaining family. He asked me to help him. I knew if I didn’t agree, he’d get himself killed, but then he hadn’t really planned on surviving anyway. I just didn’t know that until it was too late.” Thad sighed and held out the rabbit again. “Look. I don’t want any trouble. I was just desperate to make sure I was even heading in the right direction.”
The man sighed and dropped his hands back to his sides, including the knife. The women followed suit.
“My name is Harry. This is my sister, Harriet, and Abby. I’m never wrong about someone’s intentions. Don’t change that now. You’re welcome to come along with us. I’m trusting you only because I need help keeping the women safe, and my gut tells me you’re a good man.” Harry held out a hand after passing the knife to the woman who looked a lot like him.
Thad nodded and shook the man’s hand. Harry had a solid grip that would have been hard to beat, but the other man didn’t even try to challenge him. Instead he nodded and turned to return to the cross a short distance away.
“I’m going to break camp and move it closer to yours. I’ll be back in a minute, eh?” He still held the rabbit out for someone to take.
“Hand me the rabbit and I’ll start a stew. I’ve still got a few roots and an onion that will give i
t some flavor.” Abby. Her name was Abby, and nothing sounded so sweet as the lilt of her voice when it wasn’t laced with fear.
“Thanks, Abby. I’ll be right back.” He wanted to rub his thumb over the back of her knuckles when she took the bag, but he resisted. She’d think him a pervert if he was that forward without really knowing her.
Thad turned and walked back into the trees and smiled as he reached his site. It didn’t take him long to pack everything up and wipe out any trace that he’d been there. The fewer signs he left, the harder it would be for anyone to follow. Though he didn’t expect trouble, one thing he’d learned the last few years was that it was safer to stay under the radar of anyone traveling in the same direction. Desperate men took desperate measures and rationalized it by saying that it was either us or them.
He’d taken a risk trusting this small group of people, but the fact there was only one man and two women made the slight danger worth it. Not only would there be safety in numbers, but he knew that no matter how strong and able the man was, keeping two females as pretty and healthy as those two were would be pretty damn difficult, even with the best of luck. He didn’t want to think about either of the women taken and used like most of the men in the area would use them.
All that mattered now was to keep them all safe and make it to the Promise Land his friend had described before he’d died. Thad had just about doubted it existed despite the other man’s insistence that he’d been there, but with this group heading in the same direction and holding a map, he knew it was real, and he planned to make it there.
Thad looked around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, making sure the small clearing looked just as overgrown and wild as when he’d found it. Then he pulled on the pack and headed toward the first sign of hope he’d found in a very long time. If he was lucky and courted the pretty Abby just right, maybe she would agree to let him take care of her. He knew he was already a little in love with her despite having just met her. The chemistry alone packed a punch. When he’d touched her soft skin, sparks flashed along his nerves to burn in his groin. The pretty line of freckles across her nose and the rich scent of her skin made him think of home and a dozen kids running around her as she hung out the wash to dry.
He wanted to make her a warm winter coat from the rabbit or mink he trapped. He’d make sure she never got cold or hungered as long as he was alive. He couldn’t promise much more than that since it would take both of them to work the land and build their home, but he’d make sure that every little thing he did would be one that made her smile.
Can’t believe I’m talking like a romance book. I’m no great catch so she probably won’t have the time of day for me once we arrive at the settlement. She’ll have too many other men vying for her attention.
When he got to the tree line, Thad stopped for some reason and looked in the direction of the cross, where his amazingly resourceful future wife had created a teepee for shelter. His smile stretched his mouth wide, but pride at her accomplishment quickly turned sour in his stomach and pure rage filled his belly at the sight of danger sneaking up on her.
Chapter Three
Abby couldn’t help but smile to herself as she walked back to their makeshift camp. Thad was just as amazing to look at as Harry, but they were as different from each other as a dove and a blackbird. Thad’s long black hair had been tied back, but she’d seen that it probably reached mid-shoulder if left free. He was taller than Harry’s six feet by a couple of inches and appeared a little lighter as well. Where Harry was muscular and brawny, Thad’s muscles were more toned, like a swimmer or maybe a biker.
That she was attracted to both men might have scandalized her before the catastrophes, but now she was fine with it. Life was harsh and finding someone to help keep her safe was just as important as finding enough food to eat. She knew from Harry’s work-roughened hands that he was strong and able to provide for her, just like she knew that the crow’s feet at the corners of Thad’s eyes hadn’t deepened due only to the crash. They were deep enough to have started years before from being out in the weather and bright sun. He would be a hard worker and good provider as well. Only time would tell if anything bloomed between any of them.
She’d just reached the edge of the clearing around the cross when a hand grabbed her ankle, jerking her so that she fell facedown on the ground with only a grunt before a hand closed around the back of her neck.
“Don’t make a sound, bitch.” Foul air rushed past her nose, almost making her gag. The scent of unwashed male was overwhelming as he continued to push on the back of her neck to keep her still.
She felt his knee between her legs as he lay on top of her, making sure she didn’t make a noise or try to get away. Then, just as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, the bastard was jerking her back to her feet. He wrapped one arm around her waist and moved the one on the back of her neck around to the front of her neck.
“Look, George. I’ve got me a pretty one. She’ll be a good little bitch to take care of me.” The man holding on to Harriet grinned like a lunatic as he rubbed his dirty bearded face up and down the other woman’s neck and cheek.
The one holding Abby chuckled. “Yeah, well, I got me one who just might be able to live a while for me. She’s big enough that I might not break her. What’cha think?” He ground his crotch against her ass, then bumped up against her a few times.
“Might be, little brother. She just might work out.” The other man shuffled Harriet over toward them and handed her off to the idiot holding her as he searched in his pack for something.
Abby took the only opportunity she thought they might have and dipped her head as if she were crying, then brought it back as hard as she could, cracking it against the man’s nose or chin. Whichever it was, he cried out and released them both to grab at it. She grabbed Harriet and ran toward the tree line, hoping Thad would be heading back by now. She had no idea where Harry was, but they’d have to worry about him after they’d lost the two fuckers who’d attacked them.
“Run, Harriet. We’ll go back for your brother after we get away. Hurry!” She forced her legs to pump as fast as they could, but the sting of a bullet tearing through her blouse and taking some of her shoulder with it had her falling face down once again. “Run, Harriet! Don’t stop.”
“I’m not leaving you. Get up.” The other woman dropped down beside her and covered the bleeding wound with her hands to try to stop the flow.
“I’ll be okay. Go. Please go.” She couldn’t stand it if this pretty woman became someone’s slave. She didn’t look like she had enough grit to handle what they’d expect, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Stay down.” Thad’s harsh voice startled them both. “Don’t try to find me, just stay down and trust me. I’ll take care of those fools. They’re too dumb to live.”
The next second, Abby knew he was gone. She looked over at Harriet, who lay next to her still holding pressure to Abby’s shoulder. She shook her head. The other woman hadn’t seen him either.
Dear Lord, please keep him safe and let Harry be okay. I couldn’t stand it if I had to lose anyone else. I like them, and you know Harriet and I can’t do this alone.
She wasn’t sure how long she and the other woman lay there trying to be quiet, but it felt like hours. Her shoulder hurt, but she was pretty sure the bleeding had just about stopped. Poor Harriet’s hands had started cramping so Abby held pressure with her other hand for a while. As hard as she tried to listen, all she could hear was her own heartbeat and the rough sound of their combined breathing as they lay there. What was going on?
“I can’t hear anything. Shouldn’t there be some kind of noise if they’re fighting?” Harriet whispered directly into her ear.
“I don’t know. I think Thad must be sneaking up on them or something.”
“But they aren’t yelling at us anymore or moving around like they might be searching for us. They’d make all kinds of noise in the grass if they were.”
Abby knew she was righ
t and tried to keep the negative thoughts from creeping in and depressing her even more. What was going on out there?
“Harriet? Are you okay?” Harry’s voice washed over Abby and felt like slipping into a hot tub on a cool fall night.
“Where are you? Are you okay?” his sister asked, looking around.
Just like that, he emerged through the grass and knelt down between them. “I’m so sorry, sis. I should have been able to protect you. He hit me so hard it knocked me out.”
Abby watched him hug his sister then turn to her and curse. “Ah, hell, Abby. You’re shot. Hold on, girl.” Harry immediately pulled her hand away and ripped through the remainder of her shirt at the shoulder.
“I’m okay, Harry. I think it’s quit bleeding now.” She hated to see him so upset when he already felt like he’d failed his sister.
“Not quite. Looks like it’s just a graze, but it took a good hunk of skin with it.” He winced when she did as he probed the area. “Sorry.”
“Harry! Stick up your arm so I can find you without stepping on you.” Thad’s voice sounded winded from about fifty yards behind ahead of them.
“Right here, man. Abby’s been shot. We need to get her to the camp and clean it up.” Harry waved his arm but Harriet had already stood up, winding her arms like a windmill to make sure the other man found them in the fast-approaching evening.
Less than a second later, Thad had dropped to his knees on the other side of Abby. His hands shook as he picked her up and held her cradled in his arms. In that moment, Abby felt the safest she had since before her fiancé had perished. Thad made her feel like a tiny princess as he carefully stood up with Harry’s help and carried her back to the iron cross.
