Read Online Emma's Blaze (Fires of Cricket Bend Book 2) by Marie Piper - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marie Piper
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trail. Maureen wanted to come along one year, and he threw a tantrum like nothing you’ve ever seen. You being here unnerves him. At the same time, he’s too good a man to send you off until we get you safely to Cricket Bend. Puts him in a hard place.”
At least it was an explanation, if a silly and superstitious one. Big, bad Josiah McKenzie thought she was a serpent in their midst, a tipping pot of hot water, and an accident waiting to happen.
A man’s laugh interrupted them. Emma had been keenly aware that Andrew McKenzie had ridden up as she’d been standing with Appie. He now leaned against the wagon wheel near her, toying with a deck of cards. “Now, Appie, you know well as I do that Pa likes being in a hard place. If he ain’t already in one, he’ll find a way to make one.”
Emma heard him flip the cards, shuffle them, the rat-a-tat of the cards making her already irritable mood even worse. Apparently, he was annoying Appie as well. “Ain’t you supposed to be out with Hiram?”
“Hiram don’t need me,” Andrew replied.
“How would he know? You’re never around to do your work.”
“I do plenty.”
Appie scoffed, but perhaps realized arguing with Andrew was pointless since he let the conversation go. The flipping of the cards continued, grating on Emma’s nerves until she’d had enough. Once she’d pulled the biscuits from the fire and got them on a plate, she wiped her hands and turned to Andrew. “Do you ever play those cards, or do you just flip them to show off?”
“I play them.”
“Solitaire doesn’t count.”
“You play cards?”
“I do. Very well, in fact. Probably better than you.”
He looked her up and down. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Deal me a hand and find out, why don’t you?”
He hesitated.
“Scared she’ll beat you?” Appie chimed in.
Andrew’s face grew steely. Emma knew he’d deal her in, now that he’d been challenged. So she set her crutch down and picked up a crate. Bringing it toward Andrew, she set it down by the small cooking table and settled herself. Andrew pulled up a chair, and sat at the table across from her.
All the time she’d spent playing cards probably added up to weeks of her life spent dealing hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs. Since she was pretty, the men she’d played opposite of never expected her to be terribly skilled, which had made the cons so much better, and ever so much easier.
Watching Andrew’s cocky smirk as he dealt a hand, she knew he wasn’t expecting much of her abilities.
But she could also tell the moment he cheated. With what he thought was skill, he slipped a card up into the sleeve of his shirt. It was a basic cheat. Emma had pulled it herself and seen it done a hundred times.
Over her shoulder, she knew Appie watched as he cooked. Maybe Andrew needed to be brought down a notch, faced head-on and left in the dust. She intended to do just that, and was happy when Pete arrived to witness the action.
She would take Andrew down, and it would be a show.
The cards she held weren’t bad, though Andrew had obviously cheated with the intention of giving himself better cards. Had she been a less skilled player, he’d have been able to win instantly. It was a good trick. Whoever had taught him how to cheat had been pretty good.
Emma, however, had been taught to cheat by the very best.
Poker face, Emma.
That voice came to her mind once again, spurring her to sit up tall. It was time to be The Sparrow. She adjusted the cards in her hand as she spoke. “You ever planning to play that queen?”
“Pardon me?”
“The queen.”
“Which queen?”
“The one in your sleeve.” She lay down a pair of jacks and waved a finger absent-mindedly toward his arm. “Saw you tuck it. The left sleeve. Queen of diamonds, I’d wager.”
“What would you wager?”
Emma looked across the table with a flat expression. “More than you’ve got, cowboy.”
Pete whistled, and Andrew glared at him. Emma kept her
At least it was an explanation, if a silly and superstitious one. Big, bad Josiah McKenzie thought she was a serpent in their midst, a tipping pot of hot water, and an accident waiting to happen.
A man’s laugh interrupted them. Emma had been keenly aware that Andrew McKenzie had ridden up as she’d been standing with Appie. He now leaned against the wagon wheel near her, toying with a deck of cards. “Now, Appie, you know well as I do that Pa likes being in a hard place. If he ain’t already in one, he’ll find a way to make one.”
Emma heard him flip the cards, shuffle them, the rat-a-tat of the cards making her already irritable mood even worse. Apparently, he was annoying Appie as well. “Ain’t you supposed to be out with Hiram?”
“Hiram don’t need me,” Andrew replied.
“How would he know? You’re never around to do your work.”
“I do plenty.”
Appie scoffed, but perhaps realized arguing with Andrew was pointless since he let the conversation go. The flipping of the cards continued, grating on Emma’s nerves until she’d had enough. Once she’d pulled the biscuits from the fire and got them on a plate, she wiped her hands and turned to Andrew. “Do you ever play those cards, or do you just flip them to show off?”
“I play them.”
“Solitaire doesn’t count.”
“You play cards?”
“I do. Very well, in fact. Probably better than you.”
He looked her up and down. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Deal me a hand and find out, why don’t you?”
He hesitated.
“Scared she’ll beat you?” Appie chimed in.
Andrew’s face grew steely. Emma knew he’d deal her in, now that he’d been challenged. So she set her crutch down and picked up a crate. Bringing it toward Andrew, she set it down by the small cooking table and settled herself. Andrew pulled up a chair, and sat at the table across from her.
All the time she’d spent playing cards probably added up to weeks of her life spent dealing hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs. Since she was pretty, the men she’d played opposite of never expected her to be terribly skilled, which had made the cons so much better, and ever so much easier.
Watching Andrew’s cocky smirk as he dealt a hand, she knew he wasn’t expecting much of her abilities.
But she could also tell the moment he cheated. With what he thought was skill, he slipped a card up into the sleeve of his shirt. It was a basic cheat. Emma had pulled it herself and seen it done a hundred times.
Over her shoulder, she knew Appie watched as he cooked. Maybe Andrew needed to be brought down a notch, faced head-on and left in the dust. She intended to do just that, and was happy when Pete arrived to witness the action.
She would take Andrew down, and it would be a show.
The cards she held weren’t bad, though Andrew had obviously cheated with the intention of giving himself better cards. Had she been a less skilled player, he’d have been able to win instantly. It was a good trick. Whoever had taught him how to cheat had been pretty good.
Emma, however, had been taught to cheat by the very best.
Poker face, Emma.
That voice came to her mind once again, spurring her to sit up tall. It was time to be The Sparrow. She adjusted the cards in her hand as she spoke. “You ever planning to play that queen?”
“Pardon me?”
“The queen.”
“Which queen?”
“The one in your sleeve.” She lay down a pair of jacks and waved a finger absent-mindedly toward his arm. “Saw you tuck it. The left sleeve. Queen of diamonds, I’d wager.”
“What would you wager?”
Emma looked across the table with a flat expression. “More than you’ve got, cowboy.”
Pete whistled, and Andrew glared at him. Emma kept her
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