Ask No Tomorrows by Rita Hestand

of it out
of our way and could forget it,” Riley tempted.
    For a minute
he stared at her long and hard, his glance falling on her pink
lips. If he shocked her enough would she shut up about it? If he
pursued her would she run?
    “ Maybe we couldn’t…” he muttered.
    “ Couldn’t what?”
    “ Forget it.” He swallowed hard.
    “ Wanna find out?” she murmured.
    “ No, now mount up and let’s get out of here,” Sam instructed.
“Wait…there is a way…come here.”
    She walked
closer to him.
    “ We
put that hair up and keep it up, dirty your face a little and keep
those clothes about you, you could pass for a boy. We could even
cut that hair off like a boy.”
    “ That’s a dandy idea, Sam…” She smiled up at him. “I knew you’d
come up with somethin’. Must be those Indians you were raised with.
Thanks Sam…” And before he knew what she was up to she tiptoed and
kissed him lightly on the cheek.
    Sam stood rock
still and let the softness of her spill over him. For only a moment
he let the kiss linger, then he jerked her away none to
gently.
    She smiled. “I
knew it. You liked it.”
    “ Don’t ever do that again…” He grabbed her arms and shook her a
minute. She stared up at him with startled eyes.
    “ But why not Sam…you’d never make such a fuss unless you liked
it.”
    For a split
second he wanted to haul her back into his arms and finish what she
started, but good sense prevailed. “Because from now on you are a
boy. It’s for your own good, you understand?”
    She seemed to
think about that and smiled. “Alright.”
    She braided
her hair and then shoved it under her hat as he smeared dirt on her
face. When her eyes clouded with tears he backed off, not saying a
word.
    She mounted
and looked down into his big frown. “You’re sweet on me Sam, and I
know it, and one day we’ll just have to put it to the test.” Riley
smiled at him, still holding the tears back.
    “ Well, this ain’t gonna be the day.” He turned away and refused
her the privilege of seeing his smile.
    “ Maybe not, but it’s gonna happen Sam, and you know it as well
as I do…” she boasted. “Well, are you comin’ or not?”
    “ I
want to put Nodog up in your lap for a while; he needs to heal good
before he tries to walk very far.”
    “ Good idea.”
    He turned to
look at her and gritted his teeth. Then he hauled Nodog to her lap
and mounted himself up in the saddle behind her. His arms went
around her instantly and he felt her indrawn breath. He smelled the
sweet lilac of her hair, felt the heat rising between them and
tried not to think about what kissing her would do to him, but it
was impossible. She’d barely touched her lips to his cheek and he
knew he wanted more. But he was the man, the one in charge and he
had to keep his distance, somehow. Once the idea was planted, he
couldn’t quite get it out of his mind. It would be pure misery
riding with her anywhere, he decided as he took the reins from her
hands and headed east.
    She relaxed
against him, fitting herself closer and leaning her head almost on
his shoulder. He stopped. If anyone spotted them now they’d have no
trouble at all figuring out she was a woman, in his
arms.
    Unfortunately
he was right, it was pure agony being this close with his arms
around her and feeling her body moving in a rhythm with his and the
horse. He quickly jumped down.
    “ What’s wrong?” she asked.
    “ I’ll ride the front, you just hold on.” He grimaced. “Better
yet, I’ll just walk a while. With Nodog in my lap there just isn’t
room.”
    She smiled
sweetly. “Just a matter of time,” she said under her
breath.
    “ You flirt with all men so outrageously?” he asked.
    “ As
a matter of fact, I don’t flirt at all. Just seems to come natural
with you though.” She chuckled.
    “ I
ought to marry you for the money, myself…” Sam grumbled.
    “ Mm…now there’s a thought.” She laughed. “If we were married we
could…”
    “ I’m