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Authors: Lauraine Snelling
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the gun at her back felt heavier.
‘‘You’re going to regret this.’’ She kept her voice conversational while her fingers fussed with the third button. Lord, if not angels, would you send Wolf? Please, I want to see him again .
‘‘Sure, who’s goin’ ter make me? You?’’ His laugh made the rifle bounce.
She shuddered. His finger had been so close to the trigger, he could have fired accidentally.
‘‘You mind if I get a drink? I’m powerful thirsty.’’
He wavered. ‘‘I guess that won’t hurt nothin’. Just make our little game last longer, that’s all.’’ He motioned with his head. ‘‘Drink away.’’
Jesselynn leaned forward to scoop water up in her hand. The other still held her hat. Could she shield her arm with her hat and retrieve her pistol? She dipped another handful and let some run down the front of her shirt.
Tommy Joe Jones stared at her, took two steps forward, his gaze burning into her shirtfront.
She sighed, an audible sigh that carried directly to his ears. ‘‘Ah, this water is so fine. Nothing quenches one’s thirst like a clear flowing stream on a hot day.’’ When she stood, she drank again and patted her cheeks with her wet hand. ‘‘Aren’t you thirsty, Tommy Joe Jones?’’ Her voice carried a lilt put there by sheer desperation. Never in her life had she behaved like this, but if wanton would save their lives, wanton she could act. Come on, Benjamin, get the gun .
Keeping her gaze on the man with the rifle, she undid the next button, one to go. If she weren’t wearing the strips she used to bind her breasts, he’d be staring at bare flesh. The thought alone made her skin tighten. Surely maggots crawling on her body couldn’t feel any worse.
Tommy Joe took another step forward. The gun barrel pointed toward the ground.
‘‘Ah, this water feels so good. You ever learned to swim, Tommy Joe?’’
Another step. Benjamin took two and disappeared behind Domino.
She arched her back. Lord, forgive me if actin’ this way is against any of your commandments. It’s not me doin’ the lustin’ here . She splashed one hand in the water. The gun, if only she could get to her gun.
‘‘Take it off!’’ He hawked and spat, his eyes never leaving her chest.
Jesselynn slid the final button through its hole and with both hands keeping the shirt closed, lifted the front of her shirt so that it fell back, revealing her shoulders.
Tommy Joe Jones took one more step forward. He never saw the brown arm that threw the knife, hitting him right between the shoulder blades. ‘‘ Arrrg .’’ His groan strangled in his throat as he pitched forward face first into the water. The barrel of his rifle smacked the edge of the stream, sending up a small spurt.
Benjamin slowly waded into the water and lifted Tommy Joe. ‘‘He be dead.’’
‘‘It couldn’t be helped, Benjamin. You had no choice. God knows.’’ Jesselynn’s hand shook a bit as she pulled her shirt back into place. Stuffing it in her waistband, she strode out of the creek. ‘‘I’ll water the horses while you pull him back in the brush, and let’s get out of here before his brother comes looking for him.’’ While it seemed like hours since Tommy Joe Jones strolled back into their lives, she knew it had been only a matter of minutes.
Keeping her gun at the ready, she led the horses to the water. After staring across the creek for a few seconds, Ahab dropped his head and drank. Jesselynn breathed a sigh of relief. But how had the man gotten that close to them without her watchdog, or watchhorse in his case, letting them know? Unless he’d already been there and was downwind so Ahab didn’t smell him.
She looked up to see Benjamin with a leafy branch brushing out the tracks the dragging heels had caused. He reset a stone that had been turned over and, standing, looked back to check his handiwork.
‘‘Looks fine.’’
‘‘I’se sorry I took so long, Marse Jesse. Had to wait till
‘‘You’re going to regret this.’’ She kept her voice conversational while her fingers fussed with the third button. Lord, if not angels, would you send Wolf? Please, I want to see him again .
‘‘Sure, who’s goin’ ter make me? You?’’ His laugh made the rifle bounce.
She shuddered. His finger had been so close to the trigger, he could have fired accidentally.
‘‘You mind if I get a drink? I’m powerful thirsty.’’
He wavered. ‘‘I guess that won’t hurt nothin’. Just make our little game last longer, that’s all.’’ He motioned with his head. ‘‘Drink away.’’
Jesselynn leaned forward to scoop water up in her hand. The other still held her hat. Could she shield her arm with her hat and retrieve her pistol? She dipped another handful and let some run down the front of her shirt.
Tommy Joe Jones stared at her, took two steps forward, his gaze burning into her shirtfront.
She sighed, an audible sigh that carried directly to his ears. ‘‘Ah, this water is so fine. Nothing quenches one’s thirst like a clear flowing stream on a hot day.’’ When she stood, she drank again and patted her cheeks with her wet hand. ‘‘Aren’t you thirsty, Tommy Joe Jones?’’ Her voice carried a lilt put there by sheer desperation. Never in her life had she behaved like this, but if wanton would save their lives, wanton she could act. Come on, Benjamin, get the gun .
Keeping her gaze on the man with the rifle, she undid the next button, one to go. If she weren’t wearing the strips she used to bind her breasts, he’d be staring at bare flesh. The thought alone made her skin tighten. Surely maggots crawling on her body couldn’t feel any worse.
Tommy Joe took another step forward. The gun barrel pointed toward the ground.
‘‘Ah, this water feels so good. You ever learned to swim, Tommy Joe?’’
Another step. Benjamin took two and disappeared behind Domino.
She arched her back. Lord, forgive me if actin’ this way is against any of your commandments. It’s not me doin’ the lustin’ here . She splashed one hand in the water. The gun, if only she could get to her gun.
‘‘Take it off!’’ He hawked and spat, his eyes never leaving her chest.
Jesselynn slid the final button through its hole and with both hands keeping the shirt closed, lifted the front of her shirt so that it fell back, revealing her shoulders.
Tommy Joe Jones took one more step forward. He never saw the brown arm that threw the knife, hitting him right between the shoulder blades. ‘‘ Arrrg .’’ His groan strangled in his throat as he pitched forward face first into the water. The barrel of his rifle smacked the edge of the stream, sending up a small spurt.
Benjamin slowly waded into the water and lifted Tommy Joe. ‘‘He be dead.’’
‘‘It couldn’t be helped, Benjamin. You had no choice. God knows.’’ Jesselynn’s hand shook a bit as she pulled her shirt back into place. Stuffing it in her waistband, she strode out of the creek. ‘‘I’ll water the horses while you pull him back in the brush, and let’s get out of here before his brother comes looking for him.’’ While it seemed like hours since Tommy Joe Jones strolled back into their lives, she knew it had been only a matter of minutes.
Keeping her gun at the ready, she led the horses to the water. After staring across the creek for a few seconds, Ahab dropped his head and drank. Jesselynn breathed a sigh of relief. But how had the man gotten that close to them without her watchdog, or watchhorse in his case, letting them know? Unless he’d already been there and was downwind so Ahab didn’t smell him.
She looked up to see Benjamin with a leafy branch brushing out the tracks the dragging heels had caused. He reset a stone that had been turned over and, standing, looked back to check his handiwork.
‘‘Looks fine.’’
‘‘I’se sorry I took so long, Marse Jesse. Had to wait till
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