Read Online Frontier Highlander Vow of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 4) by Dorothy Wiley - Free Book Online
Authors: Dorothy Wiley
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twitched ever so slightly. Then, without warning, it did something Artis found hard to believe. It leapt at least ten feet up and onto a tree branch just above her.
Beautiful reared, pitched her, and took off in the direction of town.
Artis landed on her bottom and quickly scrambled up. Terror threatened to stop her heart. She could barely breathe.
“Bloody hell,” she swore. Now it was just her, completely alone, afoot here in the middle of the wilderness.
Facing death.
How could all she’d endured and worked for end like this? The thought raised her ire. Her heart refused to believe she was about to die. She couldn’t let her life end like this.
She met the animal’s eyes without flinching and took a defiant stance. “Leave me alone or I shall dispatch you to the devil forthwith,” she yelled, trying her best to sound threatening.
The lion growled low in its chest, unimpressed by the challenge.
Artis had never heard anything so intimidating, but she refused to give in to her fear. She thought about throwing her ham at the animal to perhaps give him something else to eat besides her, but then realized the ham wasin the bag still on Beautiful, racing toward town. Damn.
Her flintlock held only one shot and she would have but one chance to save herself when the cat attacked. Then she remembered her dirk and she unsheathed it with her left hand. The muscles in her arms hardened and she took a firm grip on both weapons.
“Come closer and I will cut off your ballocks and eat them for my dinner!”
The cat opened its mouth and snarled, as if laughing at her ridiculous threat.
She’d run out of ideas. There had to be something she could do. Aim. Aim carefully.
One shot. One chance.
Artis bit her lip, and took a deep steadying breath, fighting to keep her composure. But her terror mounted with frightening speed and she felt her hands begin to shake and her palms grow moist. Both would make it difficult to aim properly.
The mountain lion stared down at her. Something in its cold eyes told her it was ready to kill. The muscles of its massive body tensed.
Then it bared its teeth.
God, help me!
Bear rode beside his brother as they made their way along the trail to William and Kelly’s cabin at Whispering Hills. He couldn’t wait to see sweet Kelly and their young daughter.
The air felt cool on his newly shaved face and his haircut made the back of his neck feel exposed. He’d taken a bath in a stream on his way into Boonesborough, and the barber had splashed some smell good stuff on his face, so he felt tidier than he had in some time.
He was actually looking forward to trying on the new clothes he’dordered. Perhaps they would make at least one woman take a second glance at him.
However, he was not looking forward to the rituals of courting. Patience was definitely not one of his virtues and he hoped he would have enough to keep him from scaring off a woman by appearing too eager or forward. But he was committed to the idea of finding a wife and he would see this thing through, come hell or the creek rising.
As if he had read his thoughts William said, “I know you’re keen to find a wife, Bear, but you must give it time. The perfect woman comes along only once in a man’s lifetime.”
“By the Lord in heaven, I pray that
once
is verra soon,” Bear said. “Ye know I have little patience for anything, much less courting.”
“I do, and I understand that you’re disappointed that Miss MacKay never showed up at my office,” William said. “We’ll be tied up for a couple of days at this meeting with the Governor, but after that we’ll find her. Commissioner Simmons at the Land Office will know where she went.”
“Och, she’s probably betrothed to someone anyway. A woman of her beauty would be.”
“Yes, you would think so. She appeared to be between twenty and twenty-five. Perhaps she’s a widow.”
“But ye said she introduced herself as Miss MacKay,” Bear said looking over at his
Beautiful reared, pitched her, and took off in the direction of town.
Artis landed on her bottom and quickly scrambled up. Terror threatened to stop her heart. She could barely breathe.
“Bloody hell,” she swore. Now it was just her, completely alone, afoot here in the middle of the wilderness.
Facing death.
How could all she’d endured and worked for end like this? The thought raised her ire. Her heart refused to believe she was about to die. She couldn’t let her life end like this.
She met the animal’s eyes without flinching and took a defiant stance. “Leave me alone or I shall dispatch you to the devil forthwith,” she yelled, trying her best to sound threatening.
The lion growled low in its chest, unimpressed by the challenge.
Artis had never heard anything so intimidating, but she refused to give in to her fear. She thought about throwing her ham at the animal to perhaps give him something else to eat besides her, but then realized the ham wasin the bag still on Beautiful, racing toward town. Damn.
Her flintlock held only one shot and she would have but one chance to save herself when the cat attacked. Then she remembered her dirk and she unsheathed it with her left hand. The muscles in her arms hardened and she took a firm grip on both weapons.
“Come closer and I will cut off your ballocks and eat them for my dinner!”
The cat opened its mouth and snarled, as if laughing at her ridiculous threat.
She’d run out of ideas. There had to be something she could do. Aim. Aim carefully.
One shot. One chance.
Artis bit her lip, and took a deep steadying breath, fighting to keep her composure. But her terror mounted with frightening speed and she felt her hands begin to shake and her palms grow moist. Both would make it difficult to aim properly.
The mountain lion stared down at her. Something in its cold eyes told her it was ready to kill. The muscles of its massive body tensed.
Then it bared its teeth.
God, help me!
Bear rode beside his brother as they made their way along the trail to William and Kelly’s cabin at Whispering Hills. He couldn’t wait to see sweet Kelly and their young daughter.
The air felt cool on his newly shaved face and his haircut made the back of his neck feel exposed. He’d taken a bath in a stream on his way into Boonesborough, and the barber had splashed some smell good stuff on his face, so he felt tidier than he had in some time.
He was actually looking forward to trying on the new clothes he’dordered. Perhaps they would make at least one woman take a second glance at him.
However, he was not looking forward to the rituals of courting. Patience was definitely not one of his virtues and he hoped he would have enough to keep him from scaring off a woman by appearing too eager or forward. But he was committed to the idea of finding a wife and he would see this thing through, come hell or the creek rising.
As if he had read his thoughts William said, “I know you’re keen to find a wife, Bear, but you must give it time. The perfect woman comes along only once in a man’s lifetime.”
“By the Lord in heaven, I pray that
once
is verra soon,” Bear said. “Ye know I have little patience for anything, much less courting.”
“I do, and I understand that you’re disappointed that Miss MacKay never showed up at my office,” William said. “We’ll be tied up for a couple of days at this meeting with the Governor, but after that we’ll find her. Commissioner Simmons at the Land Office will know where she went.”
“Och, she’s probably betrothed to someone anyway. A woman of her beauty would be.”
“Yes, you would think so. She appeared to be between twenty and twenty-five. Perhaps she’s a widow.”
“But ye said she introduced herself as Miss MacKay,” Bear said looking over at his
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