Sheriff Wallace narrowed his eyes and glared at Win. “Boy, you got no business putting your hands on a white woman. Miss Evans, do you want me to send him on his way?”
Kat shook her head, mumbling behind Win’s hand.
The sheriff smirked. “Just don’t flaunt your relationship around these parts. It ain’t safe.”
David pulled up in the wagon, White Socks tied at the back. He jumped down and came over to put an arm around Win’s waist. Slowly, he walked him over and helped him lie down in the back. Then, he turned and lifted Kat and put her in the seat. He climbed up behind her and grabbed the reins.
The sheriff moved forward, grabbing the horse’s halter. “We don’t want trouble here. You need to find yourself somewhere else to do your shopping.”
David shook the reins. “Git on home.”
The sheriff stepped back as the wagon moved slowly away, Win groaning in the back.
Kat put her hand on David’s arm. “What happened?”
Stoically, he kept his gaze on the road. “Not now, please, Kat. We need to put some distance between us and this place.” He glanced back at Win and then at Kat. “Do me a favor and keep a sharp lookout in case any of them decide to follow us.”
“Sure, I can do that.” She turned around in her seat and peered at Win then turned her focus to the road and the woods surrounding them. “Gonna be a long ride home,” she mumbled.
* * * *
David looked up at the sky and sighed heavily. They’d been on the road for a couple of hours, and he knew Kat was worried about Win. He’d purposely taken a longer route home to throw off anybody trying to follow them. She’d kept a constant eye on him since they’d ridden away from Treasure City. Now, the wind had picked up and dark clouds were rolling in. He reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Kat, there’s a storm coming up fast. We need to find some shelter. There’s an abandoned cabin about a mile off this road up ahead. It’s not in the best condition, but it would give us shelter for the night. Is that okay with you?”
She looked back at Win lying in the bed of the wagon. “That’d be great. I don’t think he’s up to much more riding today. He’s getting tossed around pretty good back there.”
“It can’t be helped. I don’t think he’s up to sitting up here or riding White Socks until he heals a little.”
“I know. I’m just anxious to give him a little relief.”
David slapped the leather against the horses. “Then let’s get set up for the night.” A few minutes later he turned off the main road and guided the horses down a trail overgrown with weeds. “It’s pretty obvious nobody has traveled this way in a while, so we should be safe enough. I know the cabin is still there because Win and I saw it on a hunting trip we took last month.”
“How far is it?”
He pointed to a large cluster of pine trees. “It’s just around the next bend, up in those trees.”
* * * *
Kat kept her eyes on the tree line, peering through the branches in hopes of getting a glimpse of a building. The smell of pine was strong as the wind picked up, bits of twigs and leaves snagging in her hair. The light was beginning to fade, creating shadows and sinister dark patches all around. She hugged her arms around her middle and shivered. She’d always been just a little bit afraid of thunderstorms.
She glanced over at David and felt herself blush. She had feelings for both David and Win, feelings she shouldn’t have. They made her feel things nobody else ever had.
I want the kind of happiness I see on Anna’s face, but it can’t be with her son. She’d never forgive me.
“There it is.” David pointed to a small cabin back in the trees. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s built sturdy enough to withstand the harsh weather of winter that’s coming.”
As they drew closer, Kat studied the structure. Pine log walls were solid with what looked to be dried mud filling in the chinks. The ramshackle slope of the roof held a single chimney. A crude, open shelter stood beside the cabin, probably put there for the horses. Everything had a dated look, as if it had been frozen in time.
David pulled hard on the reins. “Whoa there.” He turned to look at Kat. “It’ll keep us out of the storm that’s headed our way. I’ve got the supplies in our emergency bundle, so we’ll be fine.” He jumped down from the wagon after setting the brake and then reached up and placed his hands on Kat’s waist. Before she could protest, he’d lifted her and set her on the ground. “If you’ll get the door for me, I’ll get Win out of the wagon.”
She hurried over to the door. The hinges were made from leather, and it scraped over the dirt floor as she pushed it open. Cautiously, she stuck her head inside. There was one window that partially illuminated the gloomy interior. A single table and one chair were the only furnishings, and both looked as if the slightest weight would send them crashing to the ground. Thick layers of dust covered everything while intricate cobwebs stretched from corner to corner. A rock fireplace stood along the back wall, its hearth made up of flat rocks.
David moved to stand behind her. “Is everything okay?”
Kat moved aside so he could bring Win inside. “It’s fine, a little dirty, but that doesn’t matter.”
She bit her lip as she looked around, hugging her arms around her waist in fear, the thick dust coating her tongue as her breathing sped up. The sound of something scurrying across the floor had her squeaking in alarm, and she gasped when she thought she saw the shadow of a man pass by the dirty, paned window.
“What is it?” asked David.
She took several calming breaths and gave him a nervous smile. “Just my imagination working overtime.” She swallowed a couple of times and peered at Win. “Is he okay?”
David nodded. “He’ll be fine. He’s just sleeping it off for now. It’s the best thing for him.” He set Win in the rickety chair and leaned him against the table. Then, he turned and put his hands on Kat’s shoulders. “Can you watch him while I bring in the blankets?”
She nodded and looked away, the urge to reach out and touch him almost overwhelming.
David pulled her closer and hugged her, his chin resting on her hair. “This has been quite a trip for you, but don’t worry. I’m gonna take good care of you.”
She tensed when he pulled her even closer, not liking the way her heart sped up when his arms closed around her. She pulled back a little and tried to ignore the disappointed look on his face.
He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I need to get things settled and then you and I are gonna get to know one another better.” He glanced at Win, who had one eye partially open, staring at them. “I’m gonna make him a bed near the fire. Once the storm hits the temperature will drop quite a bit.”
Kat walked over and put her arms around Win, holding him in the chair. He looked up at her with his one eye and smiled. “Don’t worry, Win. We’re gonna take good care of you.” She smoothed her hand over his head, letting her fingers slide down his silky braid. “Go ahead, David. We’ll be fine until you get back.”
“Okay, I’ll just be a minute.”
Kat closed her eyes as he walked away. What am I gonna do? Her eyes flew open when she heard David’s footsteps.
“Here we go.” He rolled out a couple of blankets on the ground, leaving one rolled up to use as a pillow. He walked over and pulled Win to his feet. “Come on, big guy. You can rest here until morning, and then we’ll see what kind of trouble we can get into.” Slowly, he lowered Win to the ground and then gently pulled off his boots. He turned to look at Kat. “We’ve got some canned beans and coffee in the supplies, plus a small pan and coffeepot so we won’t go hungry.” He glanced at the few pieces of wood next to the fireplace. “We’re gonna need some more wood, and I need to get it before the rain starts. Will you be okay here alone?”
Hell no! She bit back the denial she wanted to voice. “Sure, you do what you need to.” She watched him go outside then prop the door open with one of Win’s boots.
A furtive tear trickled down her cheek as a cold fear crept over her.
What the hell am I doing in the woods? I’m not some mountain woman. I don’t know anything about camping or cooking over an open fire. I wasn’t born to be some kind of Daniella Boone. I like my microwave oven and matinee movies, fast food, candy, and pop. I wanna go home. I can’t stay here and see these guys every day. I’ll go insane trying to keep my feelings from showing. They have each other. They don’t need me.
She wiped the tears from her face.
I don’t care what Anna says. There has to be a way to get home.
She looked over at Win and sighed.
If I stay here, I’ll end up making a fool of myself and alienating my only read friend ’cause she’s never gonna approve of me getting down and dirty with her son.
She moved to sit on the floor beside Win, pulled her knees up, and laid her head on her legs. She let her eyes drift shut as she listened to the night sounds outside the cabin.
* * * *
David looked around the clearing as he unhitched the horses. He led them over and tied them near the trail in a patch of grass they could graze on and then grabbed the ax from the wagon. There were plenty of fallen limbs in the woods, and it wouldn’t be too hard to get enough wood to last until morning. He hurried off and quickly found a couple of dead, fallen trees. He set up a rhythm and soon had a nice stack of logs he could split back at the cabin.
He scooped as many of them up as he could and started back down the trail. “I should have started a fire before I left. Kat probably is getting chilled by now.” He looked up as a few raindrops hit his face. “I’ll have to hurry so the wood will stay fairly dry.” He hurried toward the cabin’s door. “Kat, I’m coming in,” he called out and grinned. “Don’t wanna scare her. She’s liable to take me out with one of them fancy kicks of hers.”
Kat sat with her head down on her knees when David entered the cabin. He tried to be quiet as he laid the wood next to the fireplace, but her head popped up, her face flushed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” He arranged some kindling in the fireplace and pulled a match from his pocket. “I’ll have this going in just a minute and you’ll be more comfortable.”
The match flared to life when he struck it against his sole of his boot. Carefully, he held the small flame to the stacked wood. It crackled into life as the dry bark caught the heat. Slowly he added more kindling and then leaned over to lay a larger log across the glowing embers. He held his hands out to the heat, letting it warm his rain-cold fingers.
David glanced over at Kat, the reflected firelight glittering in her eyes. He smiled at her and motioned for her to come closer. “It’s gonna get a little cool tonight, and you’ll be grateful for the fire.”
She nodded and then started to get up. Glancing down at Win, she bit her lip.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. I’ll move him closer once I get supper started.”
Kat nodded and moved to crouch down next to him. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. You can just take it easy. It’s gonna take you some time to get to feeling like yourself. Mom said it was months before she felt right after her trip through the red circle.” He gazed into her eyes and smiled. “You just relax, honey. I’m gonna go get the supplies out of the wagon and another load of wood.” He nodded toward the pile of logs. “With what we have here, another load should do it.”
David hurried out and grabbed the emergency supplies out of the wagon then tossed them inside the cabin. He turned and ran down the trail and grabbed another armload of logs. “Yeah, this’ll be enough to last till morning.” As he turned toward the cabin, the rain started coming down in a heavy downpour. “Damn, it’ll be good to get out of these wet clothes.”
When he walked into the cabin, Kat was busy laying out the supplies. She’d set the coffeepot and a small pan next to the fire, and she was rummaging around in the bundle. “What are you looking for?”
“I can’t find a can opener. How am I supposed to heat up the beans?”
“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll have us something to eat before you know it.” He pulled out his pocketknife and pried open the can then dumped the beans into the pan. “I’m gonna set this on these flat rocks near the fire. That should generate enough heat to take care of the beans.” He picked up the coffeepot. “If I remember correctly, there’s a water pump out back. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried out back and found the pump. After priming it a half dozen times, a steady stream of water allowed him to fill the pot. He took it back inside and measured out a hearty amount of coffee. He set the pot on the hearth. Grabbing a spoon from the table, he stirred the dark, brown beans.
He looked up at Kat and saw her watching him with a sort of awe on her face. “What’s wrong?”
She grinned. “Nothing. I’m just so impressed with how confident you are in everything you do. You’re like my own personal wilderness guide.”
David frowned, trying to remember if he’d ever heard that term before.
She laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s a good thing.” His gaze turned toward the fire. “I could never survive here on my own. I was born and raised in the city, and I never learned any skills that would be useful here.”
“I don’t believe that. Fate sent you here, so it must be pretty damn sure you would fit in. Hell, my own mother came from the same place as you and she fits in just fine.” He stirred the beans as they started to steam. “She didn’t know anything about our time except what she’d read in that book you gave her, but she jumped in and made a good life for herself, and I know you can too.”
She glanced over at Win. “How did the two of you get together?”
“We told you. My mom delivered him when he was born.”
“No, I’m asking how you came to be lovers.”
“Oh, well, that’s another story.” He smiled. “We grew up watching Daddy Beau and Daddy Zeke over the years. They never tried to hide their relationship from us.” Sighing, he stirred the beans again. “They were so happy, and so very much in love with each other, all three of them. Win and I always felt a closeness, and as we got older it just seemed natural to be together in all ways.” He pulled the beans farther from the heat, giving them a final stir. “Don’t get me wrong, Kat. We both love women, and we firmly plan on having a marriage someday, just like Mom’s.” He looked over to where Win slept on the blanket. “It’s been hard because there’s still so much prejudice against the Indians, even though there’s been no trouble in these parts for a long time.”
“What happened to Win’s parents?”
David lowered his voice. “They were massacred, along with several of their tribe, some years back.”
“By whites?”
“Daddy Beau said it was made to look like other Indians did it. They left some arrows, a few tomahawks, and things like that.” He shook his head. “But, Dad said it was too phony, and looked too staged to be the Indians. He’s always believed that white men did the killing and wanted folks to think Indians did it. Running Bear and Moon Dancer had decided not to live on the reservation. They knew they were taking a chance, but they had friends here and thought it would be all right as long as they didn’t cause any trouble. They were practically farming on a piece of land a couple of hours to the south of here. Three other families elected to join them so they had a little village there. Mom said they never hurt anybody. They’d come to town once a month to trade the beads they made, along with buffalo robes from time to time, and nobody ever said a thing.”
“Then what happened?”
“Then, one day Win showed up at the back door of the Silver Rush. He was around eight years old, and all alone. He was wearing bloodstained buckskins and carrying a bloody knife. My dads took him in but couldn’t get him to say what had happened. They left him here with Mom and rode to the village to see what was wrong.” David stared down at his hands. “There wasn’t anything they could do. Daddy Beau said they buri
ed them in one big grave and came back home.”
“The sheriff didn’t find out who’d do such a thing?”
“No, they never told him.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because the white man would not waste time looking for anyone who had exterminated an Indian village.” Win leaned up on his elbow. “They would consider it a blessing and not give it another thought.”
“I can’t believe that. Nobody is that heartless.”
David picked up the coffeepot. “There was another reason they didn’t tell anybody.”
Win nodded. “Yes, I know.”
Kat looked back and forth between the men. “Well, what was it?”
Chapter 4
David winced and waited to see if Win would say anything.
Win sat up, groaning. “David already told you. I showed up with my clothes covered in blood that was not mine and a bloody knife in my possession. I think they were afraid the sheriff would think I had done the killing myself.”
Kat looked at David and raised her brow.
David shrugged. “Yes, I’m sorry to say he’s right. They were afraid they would take Win away, so they kept quiet about everything. They told folks he was an orphan they were adopting, and nobody around here said anything.”
Win snorted. “The only time anyone ever has any trouble with me is when we have to go to Treasure City.”
Kat moved closer to sit beside him. “Why do they hate you so much?”
David pulled out plates and cups from the emergency bundle. “They don’t hate Win. They just hate Indians in general.”
Win sighed. “I guess you can’t blame them. Many whites lost their lives to my people many years ago. My father told stories of the white men invading our land. My grandfather welcomed them when they first came, but his welcome did not last long. They came with their guns and their unrelenting hatred for my people. They had no respect for the land or the Great Spirit’s gifts. Everywhere they settled they destroyed. When they began taking our women and children, my people fought back in the only way they knew how. I think they always knew it was a fight they could not win, but still they fought to hang on to their homes.”
When Kat's Away [Sequel to Anna Doubles Down] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7