Read Online Deborah Camp by Blazing Embers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Blazing Embers
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escape. “Miss Cassandra, could I come back sometime and see you?”
“Well … why should you?” Cassie cocked her head to one side, perplexed by his request. Lordy, she’d neverseen anybody with so many freckles! Reddish brown, most of them. Even on his eyelids!
“Because I enjoy your company.” Boone tugged the straw hat back over his red hair and his hands trembled slightly. “I hope I’m not being too bold. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I ain’t—er—I’m not uncomfortable.” She glanced at his black horse and wished he’d be on his way. “You can come back, I guess. I won’t stop you.”
“Why, thank you!” He captured one of her hands, but she tugged it loose in an automatic reaction. “I-I’m sorry, Miss Cassandra. I-I’ll be going now.”
Cassie nodded gravely, rubbing the hand that he’d clutched for a split second. “See you around.” She felt as if she should say something more, so she added, “You can call me Cassie, I guess. Most everybody does.”
He swung up into the saddle and touched the brim of his hat. He seemed enormously pleased. “I’ll return! Good day, Miss Cassie.” Boone started to flick the reins, but he froze and looked past Cassie. “Whose horse is that?”
She whipped around, staring at the chestnut tethered near the outhouse. “Uh … Jewel gave him to me.”
“Jewel?”
“Jewel Townsend,” she said, turning back around to face him and hoping that he wouldn’t see the lie in her eyes. “You know, she runs the—the …”
“Yes, I know
of
her. Why did she give you a horse?”
Cassie shrugged. “She’s my friend and she knew I needed a way to get into town.”
“Oh.” He ran a finger across his auburn mustache and was quietly contemplative for a few moments. “I see. Well, that was charitable of her. Fine-looking horse.”
“Yes, he’s okay.” Cassie waved at him, shooing him as if he were a persistent vulture. “ ’Bye. I got to get back to my gardening.”
His green eyes swung back to her and he smiled. “Goodbye now.” He reined the horse around and urged it into a brisk trot toward Eureka Springs.
Cassie let her breath escape with a slow, hissing sound. She looked at the grazing chestnut and wondered why shehad lied. She could have told Boone about Rook, but something had stayed her tongue. Boone was a gentleman, she told herself, and would think it was wrong of her to have a strange man living under her roof. But it was more than that, she admitted. She owed it to Jewel, and her sixth sense told her that Jewel wouldn’t want Boone to know about Rook.
Wasn’t any of his business nohow, she thought with a sniff. Boone Rutledge had never set foot on her property before today. Why was he coming around now? Because Shorty was dead and she was alone?
She went inside, taking the dipper with her, and washed it out before taking a drink from it. Stuffing her hair back under her bonnet, she went outside to finish her work in the garden.
The sun warmed her back and arms as she picked up the hoe and began breaking up the overturned soil. Her thoughts circled back to Boone Rutledge’s visit, and a little voice in her head told her that Boone’s request to visit her again had something to do with him being a man and her being a woman.
He’d said she was pretty. Pretty? She frowned, knowing full well that she wasn’t any such thing—especially with her hair hanging in damp strands and her clothes smudged with grime. She ran her forearm across her beaded brow and wondered why a man like Boone Rutledge would waste his time on a scarecrow like herself. There were plenty of pretty women in Eureka Springs for him to court. He sure didn’t have to ride out to Hog Scald Hollow to find himself a woman. It was peculiar, she decided. He had something up his sleeve, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why he was being so nice to her. He was a man of means and she didn’t have anything but a piece of land and a
“Well … why should you?” Cassie cocked her head to one side, perplexed by his request. Lordy, she’d neverseen anybody with so many freckles! Reddish brown, most of them. Even on his eyelids!
“Because I enjoy your company.” Boone tugged the straw hat back over his red hair and his hands trembled slightly. “I hope I’m not being too bold. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I ain’t—er—I’m not uncomfortable.” She glanced at his black horse and wished he’d be on his way. “You can come back, I guess. I won’t stop you.”
“Why, thank you!” He captured one of her hands, but she tugged it loose in an automatic reaction. “I-I’m sorry, Miss Cassandra. I-I’ll be going now.”
Cassie nodded gravely, rubbing the hand that he’d clutched for a split second. “See you around.” She felt as if she should say something more, so she added, “You can call me Cassie, I guess. Most everybody does.”
He swung up into the saddle and touched the brim of his hat. He seemed enormously pleased. “I’ll return! Good day, Miss Cassie.” Boone started to flick the reins, but he froze and looked past Cassie. “Whose horse is that?”
She whipped around, staring at the chestnut tethered near the outhouse. “Uh … Jewel gave him to me.”
“Jewel?”
“Jewel Townsend,” she said, turning back around to face him and hoping that he wouldn’t see the lie in her eyes. “You know, she runs the—the …”
“Yes, I know
of
her. Why did she give you a horse?”
Cassie shrugged. “She’s my friend and she knew I needed a way to get into town.”
“Oh.” He ran a finger across his auburn mustache and was quietly contemplative for a few moments. “I see. Well, that was charitable of her. Fine-looking horse.”
“Yes, he’s okay.” Cassie waved at him, shooing him as if he were a persistent vulture. “ ’Bye. I got to get back to my gardening.”
His green eyes swung back to her and he smiled. “Goodbye now.” He reined the horse around and urged it into a brisk trot toward Eureka Springs.
Cassie let her breath escape with a slow, hissing sound. She looked at the grazing chestnut and wondered why shehad lied. She could have told Boone about Rook, but something had stayed her tongue. Boone was a gentleman, she told herself, and would think it was wrong of her to have a strange man living under her roof. But it was more than that, she admitted. She owed it to Jewel, and her sixth sense told her that Jewel wouldn’t want Boone to know about Rook.
Wasn’t any of his business nohow, she thought with a sniff. Boone Rutledge had never set foot on her property before today. Why was he coming around now? Because Shorty was dead and she was alone?
She went inside, taking the dipper with her, and washed it out before taking a drink from it. Stuffing her hair back under her bonnet, she went outside to finish her work in the garden.
The sun warmed her back and arms as she picked up the hoe and began breaking up the overturned soil. Her thoughts circled back to Boone Rutledge’s visit, and a little voice in her head told her that Boone’s request to visit her again had something to do with him being a man and her being a woman.
He’d said she was pretty. Pretty? She frowned, knowing full well that she wasn’t any such thing—especially with her hair hanging in damp strands and her clothes smudged with grime. She ran her forearm across her beaded brow and wondered why a man like Boone Rutledge would waste his time on a scarecrow like herself. There were plenty of pretty women in Eureka Springs for him to court. He sure didn’t have to ride out to Hog Scald Hollow to find himself a woman. It was peculiar, she decided. He had something up his sleeve, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why he was being so nice to her. He was a man of means and she didn’t have anything but a piece of land and a
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