Surely he would be mortified!
She sat on the bunk and took off her shoes. They’d been ruined when she scrambled up the hill. Even if she could get out of the room, how would she get away? She couldn’t walk in these shoes. If she could reach the car, she could drive it away, but she doubted that Hayden would ever leave it alone long enough.
Seeing that the candle was burning down, she blew it out. Carefully laying aside the stick matches Eddy had given her, she thought briefly of trying to set the cabin on fire but dismissed that idea as a bad one. The only thing she could do was wait for the right opportunity to get away. She had to be patient and wait until the scar-faced man was away from the cabin. She sure didn’t want any more encounters with him and his knife.
She heard the sound of a door opening, followed by Eddy’s loud voice.
“You sleep over there, Squirrelly I don’t want you going anywhere near that door. Do you hear me?”
At least Eddy hadn’t lost all his ethics. Her ears picked up the sound of Squirrelly’s voice.
“I told ya! He just wants her for himself!”
The scar-faced man’s rough voice answered, “Leave her alone.”
“I ain’t gonna do nothin’,” Squirrelly whined. Kate wondered if he was as afraid of the other man as she was.
“See that you don’t,” Hayden growled. “If you want her after this is over, that’s between you and Jacobs. But as long as I’m here, and the money ain’t, you’ll not bother her.”
Kate sat in the dark, her ears alert, the last of Squirrelly’s mutterings fading into the night.
She must have slept. She awakened to the sound of someone lighting the cookstove. She lifted her skirt from the window and saw that it was daylight. It frightened her that she had slept all night. Hurriedly she got up and used the bucket to relieve herself, put on her skirt, and sat down to wait for what would happen next.
Chapter 6
T ATE WOKE FROM A GOOD NIGHT S SLEEP . He stretched and yawned. God, he was glad to be home. Waiting at the fort had been dull, but the trip home had been anything but. Dealing with that woman on the train had been a real eye-opener. He didn’t even know why he’d jumped to help her with her valise; it seemed the gentlemanly thing to do at the time. How was he supposed to know that it’d pop open, leaving him with a handful of female undergarments that weighed no more than a heap of feathers? She hadn’t appreciated the gesture. But then, what could he have expected from a fancy-dressed woman who had never done a full day’s work in her life? She’d be as helpless as a babe in arms when it came to taking care of herself in this part of the country. He had to admit to himself that she was pretty, though, despite being helpless and more than likely brainless.
Hearing Yelena moving around in the kitchen, he dismissed the woman from his mind, flung his feet over the side of the bed, and hurriedly dressed. He had more important things to do than think about someone who’d embarrassed the hell out of him.
Yelena had fired up the cookstove, and the familiar smell of breakfast cooking caused his stomach to growl.
“Morning, Yelena.”
“Morning, señor,” she replied, turning from the stove where she was frying strips of meat. A pan of golden biscuits sat on the back of the stove. Yelena’s biscuits were exceptional. He dipped water from the reservoir into the wash pan. It was a luxury to wash in warm water. He’d washed in cold for nearly three weeks in the barracks at Fort Davis. The commander didn’t believe in coddling his troops.
“Jorge out with the mare. He thinks she foal sometime today.” Yelena set a platter of meat on the table.
“Why didn’t he wake me?”
“He say you tired, you need sleep. She not foal for a few hours yet.” Yelena set a pan of biscuits on the table and went back to the counter for a crock of butter.
Tate didn’t hesitate. He filled his plate with split biscuits and reached for the
She sat on the bunk and took off her shoes. They’d been ruined when she scrambled up the hill. Even if she could get out of the room, how would she get away? She couldn’t walk in these shoes. If she could reach the car, she could drive it away, but she doubted that Hayden would ever leave it alone long enough.
Seeing that the candle was burning down, she blew it out. Carefully laying aside the stick matches Eddy had given her, she thought briefly of trying to set the cabin on fire but dismissed that idea as a bad one. The only thing she could do was wait for the right opportunity to get away. She had to be patient and wait until the scar-faced man was away from the cabin. She sure didn’t want any more encounters with him and his knife.
She heard the sound of a door opening, followed by Eddy’s loud voice.
“You sleep over there, Squirrelly I don’t want you going anywhere near that door. Do you hear me?”
At least Eddy hadn’t lost all his ethics. Her ears picked up the sound of Squirrelly’s voice.
“I told ya! He just wants her for himself!”
The scar-faced man’s rough voice answered, “Leave her alone.”
“I ain’t gonna do nothin’,” Squirrelly whined. Kate wondered if he was as afraid of the other man as she was.
“See that you don’t,” Hayden growled. “If you want her after this is over, that’s between you and Jacobs. But as long as I’m here, and the money ain’t, you’ll not bother her.”
Kate sat in the dark, her ears alert, the last of Squirrelly’s mutterings fading into the night.
She must have slept. She awakened to the sound of someone lighting the cookstove. She lifted her skirt from the window and saw that it was daylight. It frightened her that she had slept all night. Hurriedly she got up and used the bucket to relieve herself, put on her skirt, and sat down to wait for what would happen next.
Chapter 6
T ATE WOKE FROM A GOOD NIGHT S SLEEP . He stretched and yawned. God, he was glad to be home. Waiting at the fort had been dull, but the trip home had been anything but. Dealing with that woman on the train had been a real eye-opener. He didn’t even know why he’d jumped to help her with her valise; it seemed the gentlemanly thing to do at the time. How was he supposed to know that it’d pop open, leaving him with a handful of female undergarments that weighed no more than a heap of feathers? She hadn’t appreciated the gesture. But then, what could he have expected from a fancy-dressed woman who had never done a full day’s work in her life? She’d be as helpless as a babe in arms when it came to taking care of herself in this part of the country. He had to admit to himself that she was pretty, though, despite being helpless and more than likely brainless.
Hearing Yelena moving around in the kitchen, he dismissed the woman from his mind, flung his feet over the side of the bed, and hurriedly dressed. He had more important things to do than think about someone who’d embarrassed the hell out of him.
Yelena had fired up the cookstove, and the familiar smell of breakfast cooking caused his stomach to growl.
“Morning, Yelena.”
“Morning, señor,” she replied, turning from the stove where she was frying strips of meat. A pan of golden biscuits sat on the back of the stove. Yelena’s biscuits were exceptional. He dipped water from the reservoir into the wash pan. It was a luxury to wash in warm water. He’d washed in cold for nearly three weeks in the barracks at Fort Davis. The commander didn’t believe in coddling his troops.
“Jorge out with the mare. He thinks she foal sometime today.” Yelena set a platter of meat on the table.
“Why didn’t he wake me?”
“He say you tired, you need sleep. She not foal for a few hours yet.” Yelena set a pan of biscuits on the table and went back to the counter for a crock of butter.
Tate didn’t hesitate. He filled his plate with split biscuits and reached for the
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