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Authors: Carolyn McSparren
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sit down. Let me help you.”
She slipped under his armpit, put her arm across his back to his shoulder and lifted to take the weight off his hands. She felt the tension in his muscles, heard his breath sough in his chest. She tried to turn him so that she could slide one of the desk chairs under him.
“No. Forwards.”
She caught the chair with her left foot and pulled it across in front of him, then lowered him so that he straddled it. She sat in the other chair, knee to knee with him. He closed his eyes.
“I’ll get you to the infirmary, then I’ll go straight to the warden. I’ll have that bastard fired.”
Steve shook his head. “He’s civil service and union with high seniority. You can’t touch him.”
“But if the others saw it…”
“They didn’t see anything.”
Eleanor was certain he was lying.
“Why did he do it?”
“He doesn’t need a reason.”
“It’s because I humiliated him in front of the men, isn’t it? He took it out on you.”
He looked up and into her eyes. He wasn’t certain sherecognized the connection between them. Newman had certainly picked up on it. He guessed the others were aware of it, as well.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think that was his reason.”
He had rested his hands on the back of the chair he sat in. She covered them with hers. They were warm and strong, and yet gentle. The touch flashed along his nerve endings.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, and snatched her hands away as though she had only that moment recognized the intimacy of the gesture. She stood up and moved to the back of the office to look out the single dirty window. “I wanted to make things better, not worse.”
He was so used to hearing only commands from his captors that the pain in her voice caught him off guard.
He longed to stand, go to her, tell her he’d survive, that it wasn’t her fault, that he’d had worse, but he didn’t think he could manage to stand without help. “Newman was looking for an excuse. You were only the trigger. It’s personal with him.”
“Because you’re not like the others.”
“I’m exactly like the others. Don’t ever forget that.”
“No, you’re not. I don’t know what you did that brought you here, but I know that Newman is a redneck who resents you because you’ve managed to keep your dignity even in this place. He can’t endure it.”
“Then I’m the one who has to endure it. If I make trouble, he’ll find some way to send me back to Big Mountain. I can’t—I don’t want that.”
He could see from her expression that she thought she understood that he didn’t want the soul-numbing life behind steel bars, that he preferred to serve his time in the open air. He let her think that was what he meant. He wasn’t certain whether she would be a help or a hindrance in his flight plan. She was already a distraction.
She sighed deeply, then said, “I’ll have to respect your wishes this time. You understand the dynamics of the placebetter than I do.” She squared her shoulders and became all business. “I wasn’t kidding about needing some computer help. I hope you weren’t kidding about knowing how to work the things.”
“I’ve had experience.” More experience than anyone within ten miles, probably.
“I need a database to keep track of the cattle program, start to finish. I know the basic information I need to be able to track—vaccinations, insemination and calving dates, that sort of thing. I know some of the ways it should be cross-referenced, but I have no idea how to set up the program. Can you do something like that?”
“Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
She nodded. “That’s a legitimate way of keeping you in here and sitting down for a couple of days. Since Lard Ass isn’t here, at least he won’t know about today.”
“He’ll know, all right.”
“It will still be my choice, not yours. I’m going to request that we keep Selma and find another job for Newman. If he does come back, I’ll put the
She slipped under his armpit, put her arm across his back to his shoulder and lifted to take the weight off his hands. She felt the tension in his muscles, heard his breath sough in his chest. She tried to turn him so that she could slide one of the desk chairs under him.
“No. Forwards.”
She caught the chair with her left foot and pulled it across in front of him, then lowered him so that he straddled it. She sat in the other chair, knee to knee with him. He closed his eyes.
“I’ll get you to the infirmary, then I’ll go straight to the warden. I’ll have that bastard fired.”
Steve shook his head. “He’s civil service and union with high seniority. You can’t touch him.”
“But if the others saw it…”
“They didn’t see anything.”
Eleanor was certain he was lying.
“Why did he do it?”
“He doesn’t need a reason.”
“It’s because I humiliated him in front of the men, isn’t it? He took it out on you.”
He looked up and into her eyes. He wasn’t certain sherecognized the connection between them. Newman had certainly picked up on it. He guessed the others were aware of it, as well.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think that was his reason.”
He had rested his hands on the back of the chair he sat in. She covered them with hers. They were warm and strong, and yet gentle. The touch flashed along his nerve endings.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, and snatched her hands away as though she had only that moment recognized the intimacy of the gesture. She stood up and moved to the back of the office to look out the single dirty window. “I wanted to make things better, not worse.”
He was so used to hearing only commands from his captors that the pain in her voice caught him off guard.
He longed to stand, go to her, tell her he’d survive, that it wasn’t her fault, that he’d had worse, but he didn’t think he could manage to stand without help. “Newman was looking for an excuse. You were only the trigger. It’s personal with him.”
“Because you’re not like the others.”
“I’m exactly like the others. Don’t ever forget that.”
“No, you’re not. I don’t know what you did that brought you here, but I know that Newman is a redneck who resents you because you’ve managed to keep your dignity even in this place. He can’t endure it.”
“Then I’m the one who has to endure it. If I make trouble, he’ll find some way to send me back to Big Mountain. I can’t—I don’t want that.”
He could see from her expression that she thought she understood that he didn’t want the soul-numbing life behind steel bars, that he preferred to serve his time in the open air. He let her think that was what he meant. He wasn’t certain whether she would be a help or a hindrance in his flight plan. She was already a distraction.
She sighed deeply, then said, “I’ll have to respect your wishes this time. You understand the dynamics of the placebetter than I do.” She squared her shoulders and became all business. “I wasn’t kidding about needing some computer help. I hope you weren’t kidding about knowing how to work the things.”
“I’ve had experience.” More experience than anyone within ten miles, probably.
“I need a database to keep track of the cattle program, start to finish. I know the basic information I need to be able to track—vaccinations, insemination and calving dates, that sort of thing. I know some of the ways it should be cross-referenced, but I have no idea how to set up the program. Can you do something like that?”
“Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
She nodded. “That’s a legitimate way of keeping you in here and sitting down for a couple of days. Since Lard Ass isn’t here, at least he won’t know about today.”
“He’ll know, all right.”
“It will still be my choice, not yours. I’m going to request that we keep Selma and find another job for Newman. If he does come back, I’ll put the
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