by Emma Lang
“I, well, then. I don’t know what to say other than thank you.” She fiddled with the kindling in her hand. “I haven’t had much support from others for my work except for Ephraim.”
“Was that your husband?” He watched her face carefully as she reacted to his question.
“He was my teacher, my friend, my mentor. I miss him.” A suspicious sheen twinkled from behind her spectacles, but she looked away so fast, he couldn’t quite get a good look.
“But not your husband?” He pushed again.
She shook her head. “No, but I lost him almost a year ago and my life hasn’t been the same.”
Again, he believed everything she said. That meant she was running from somebody else, someone who likely beat her for using her brain. Maybe her father, which wouldn’t surprise him in the least. Many men didn’t cotton to their wives or daughters getting too smart.
“Your life sure is different now, isn’t it?”
Her head snapped up, and she stared at him for a minute before the corners of her mouth twitched. “It couldn’t be more different. An adventure to tell my grandchildren I think.”
Grandchildren meant children, which meant husband. That image invaded Grady’s mind again, and he pushed it away with a growl. Ridiculous how he got Eliza stuck in his head. Stupid even.
“What shall I tell them about you?”
Grady stopped and stared at her, wondering why it took her so long to ask and what he was going to tell her. “I keep my business to myself.”
She shrugged and looked down at the little fire. “You know my business and why I’m traveling west. I thought you might want to provide me with similar information.”
He wanted to tell her to go to hell, but he owed her something. “I’m looking for somebody.”
“Your family?”
“No, just somebody I got paid to find.” He wasn’t sure how much to tell her. Truthfully he wanted to tell her nothing, that way she didn’t pose a risk to his work.
“Can I assist you with your search?”
He still had trouble getting used to the way she talked. Woman sounded so odd to him.
“No. Just don’t get in the way.”
She nodded. “I will do my best not to get in your way.”
Eliza almost shrank into herself so blatantly he could see it. He didn’t want to take the place of whomever the bastard was that had beat her down whether with fists or words.
“That’s not what I meant. I don’t want you getting hurt because of my business, that’s all.” He fiddled with the cheroot, watching the orange tip as the smoke gently curled up from it.
Eliza smiled softly. “I appreciate your concern for my well-being. As I said I will do my best to stay out of your business.”
He was struck again by how lovely she was. Most times she hid behind the spectacles, the ugly-as-shit clothes, and the fancy talk. Eliza was much more than the things she hid behind.
Eliza was still worried Grady wasn’t ready to travel, so she convinced him to stay put until after dinner. He needed a few more hours to rest; although he seemed to be okay, he’d had a concussion. Aside from that she wanted to stay in their little hideaway longer than just a day, but she understood his need to be on his way.
He was looking for Angeline and she had to accompany him or lose her sister, and Grady, for good. They kept going west, and Eliza determined he was following a lead he must have gotten in Bellman. At least they’d gotten supplies and information in the den of small-minded bullies.
She’d never felt so angry as when she saw what they’d done to Grady. People in her ward at home did their beatings in private, and it stayed that way no matter who did the deed. The sheriff had thought nothing of leaving Grady in a dire physical condition and bleeding profusely. She wanted to ride back there and slap the men who’d hurt her Grady.
The very idea of thinking of Grady as hers sent a silly shiver through Eliza. He wasn’t hers by any means and the act of copulating with him only bonded them physically, for a brief moment of pure bliss. He owed her nothing but had given her so much.
Eliza was afraid to admit even to herself that she’d fallen just a bit in love with the bounty hunter. He was short tempered, cursed quite a bit, and generally seemed to dislike everyone. Yet, she’d seen a side of him he didn’t show most people. He’d been complimentary of her intelligence, and she didn’t think he was merely being kind.
Grady was not the kind of person to be disingenuous, that was for certain. It meant he truly did respect her brain. Her! Eliza Hunter, the disappointment to her father and the entire church, was respected for her intelligence rather than her cooking.
It was positively liberating and left a smile on her face to accompany the twinges in her body as she adjusted to being a fallen woman.
She’d never had a better day.
“What are you doing?”
Eliza glanced up to see Grady scowling at her. “I decided to avoid singeing my hand on the open fire any longer and have been working on a device to assist me.”
He sipped his coffee. “You don’t want to get burned so you’re making something for the fire?”
“That’s correct.” She held up some strips of leather from her traveling bag. “These will allow me to fashion a handle on the pan.” She held up pieces of metal from the bottom of the bag. “And these will be a grate for the pan to sit on.”
As she worked to fit the pieces together, he was quiet. Eliza always seemed better at thinking of inventions rather than building them. Her hands weren’t strong enough to put the pieces of metal together in a lattice pattern.
On the fourth attempt, she nearly fell into the fire.
“Jesus Christ, woman. Give me the damn thing.” Grady snatched the pieces from her and made quick work of a rather nice lattice pattern. “Is this what you wanted?”
Eliza told herself not to blush, not to look away as if she were embarrassed. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was attempting to do. Thank you, Grady.” She took the new grate back from him, pleased with the result.
As Eliza wrapped the thinnest leather strips around the grate to keep it secured, he picked up her journal and looked at the page with the drawing of the device. She wanted to take it from him, make him stop looking at what she’d invented, but she didn’t. It wasn’t as if they were the secrets of the universe; there was no need to be so childish about keeping them as such.
“Looks like a good idea.” He glanced at the other strips of leather. “But I think if you braided these before you put them on the handle, they’d stay on better.”
Eliza was startled, to say the least, because he was correct and because he had thought of something she hadn’t. “You’re an inventor, too.”
He snorted. “Not hardly, just been on the trail too long with burnt hands.” Grady picked up the leather and started braiding the strips.
Eliza could hardly believe it, truth be told. He was a bounty hunter, a man who made his living hunting other human beings, yet he sat beside her on the ground making a grate and handle for the cooking.
As she finished securing the grate together, he had already completed his task and was examining the handle of the pan. She set the grate down and picked up the braided leather. It was perfectly even and tightly done.
“This is marvelous work, Grady. I don’t think I could have done a better job.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I don’t cotton to people talking down to me.”
“I most certainly was not talking down to you. Your assistance with this invention is proving invaluable. I was being completely forthright with you.” She bristled as if he’d insulted her rather than the other way around. Silly how she reacted to everything he said in the opposite way she should.
He watched her for another few minutes before he nodded. “Okay then, thanks.”
“And please accept my thanks for your contribution. Now if you’ll hold the pan, I’ll secure the end and begin wrapping the braid around the handle.”
Som
ewhat grudgingly, he picked up the pan and held it so the handle faced her. Eliza began tying the end knot and he harrumphed at her.
“That ain’t no knot. It won’t hold more than a day.” He thrust the pan in her hands. “You hold this and I’ll show you how to tie a knot.”
Grady’s font of knowledge was far greater than she suspected. He was actually patient as he taught her the intricacies of tying a secure knot. Although his hands were callused, his fingers were dexterous and strong enough to secure the leather braid to the pan.
She vowed to attempt knot tying later when he wasn’t looking.
Grady finished wrapping the braid around the handle, then tied it to the hole on the end. “There, now stop fussing with the thing and make some supper.”
Eliza examined the handle carefully. “This is quite marvelous work. You are a man of many talents.”
His gaze glittered in the fading twilight. “You have no idea.”
She shivered, although it was still quite warm outside. His insinuation was clear enough to even her untrained ears. She shouldn’t be surprised; after all, she’d given herself to him already.
“Now let’s see if we can make good use of our good ideas.” She managed a smile, which he did not return, but his gaze slid to the pan and she thought she saw a spark of pride. It was probably something he didn’t feel very often. Perhaps she should share her ideas for inventions with him more often.
Eliza made dinner using the ham she’d purchased at the store. The handle worked marvelously well, and she was able to move the pan to the grate at the side of the firepit when the ham was cooked. It served as a wonderful resting spot for the hot pan.
As they ate the ham and the canned peaches and drank coffee, the sun warmed up the air around them. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind and leaves, strangely at peace in the middle of nowhere with only a gruff bounty hunter for company.
Eliza couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so content and wondered if it was because she was away from her father’s heavy hand or because she was with Grady. She couldn’t decide which idea appealed to her more.
After Eliza’s careful cajoling, Grady agreed to wait until the next morning before leaving. She was glad of it, and although they didn’t repeat their sexual encounter from the night before, both of them got plenty of sleep.
Eliza made only coffee for breakfast, and they started riding just as dawn broke. The cold morning air made her glad she’d drank the hot, bitter coffee. The saddle felt only marginally uncomfortable, which was a miracle since she had been simply miserable on it when she left Tolson. Apparently she’d toughened up her backside.
They stopped at a ranch just after dinnertime. It seemed to be a small cattle ranch in a valley with rich grass and bountiful resources. The sign over the porch, which was well swept, read DOUBLE B. It was a well-maintained property, which meant the owners had pride in their land.
A young woman poked her head out the door. “What do you want?”
Grady tipped his hat. “Looking to refill our canteens and set a spell to give our horses a break.”
She peered at them from the shadows, first looking at Eliza, then at Grady. “That your wife?”
“Yes’m. This here is Eliza, and my name’s Grady Wolfe. We’re traveling to my kin over in Raymer Falls.” Grady had gentled his tone. He definitely knew how to modify his ways for a softer audience.
“The men are in the corral. You’re welcome to use the well pump out yonder.” She closed the door before they could respond.
“Am I to assume I’ll be introduced as Mrs. Wolfe while we travel together?” Eliza felt a little tickle in her throat when she said the inexact title out loud.
He grunted. “You have a problem with that?”
“No, I don’t, but I thought perhaps we should discuss a decision like that or I might say something inappropriate. Particularly considering we are on our way to visit family.” She sounded a bit breathless, as if she’d been running beside the horse instead of on his back.
“Good point. I ain’t used to traveling with anybody.” He dismounted and secured his horse to the hitching post. “Normally I just do what I need to without ‘discussing a decision.’”
She’d venture a guess that Grady didn’t tell anyone about his business. It was likely a result of being a bounty hunter and working alone for so long.
“That’s a logical conclusion. I’d be happy to do whatever I can to assist you in your quest for the person you’re looking for.” She managed to disentangle her foot from the right stirrup, but before she could get off the horse, he was there plucking her off as if he hadn’t had a concussion twenty-four hours earlier. “You shouldn’t be lifting heavy objects.”
He scoffed. “You’re not heavy. Jesus, my saddle weighs more than you.”
Grady set her on the ground, and they were standing together between the horses. His heat again reached out to her, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of being so close to another human being.
“You keep leaning into me like that and I’m going to think you didn’t make a mistake with me.” He touched her cheek with two fingers, running them lightly up and down the sensitive skin.
“That was no mistake.”
His hand stopped at her whisper. Her heart kicked into a steady, thumping rhythm. She swore she could hear his beating in unison with hers.
“Can I help you folks?”
The man’s voice made Eliza jump nearly a foot. She bumped into the horse, careened into Grady, then landed on the ground with a painful clack of her teeth.
“Jesus please us, Liz, are you okay?” Grady held out his hand and pulled her back onto her feet.
“Yes, I believe so.” She rubbed her sore behind while she tasted the tang of blood from her tongue, which had unfortunately gotten trapped between her teeth.
They turned to find a man with a face that could have been twenty or forty, lined with years in the sun. He wore a blue shirt and brown trousers with his pant legs tucked firmly into his boots, which were covered in what appeared to be horse excrement.
“We just wanted to get some water for the horses and canteens.” Grady put his arm around Eliza’s shoulder.
“You’re welcome to what you need.” The man’s gaze traveled down to Grady’s pistols and back. “Where you headed?”
“Raymer Falls to my family. It’s a long way, but my mama ain’t doing well.” Grady was able to tell fabrications at the drop of a hat. Eliza would do well to remember that while she was getting doe eyed over his sexual prowess.
The man studied them for a few seconds before he nodded. “Family’s important. Glad to hear you’re going to help out.” He held out his hand. “Name’s Gannon and this here’s my little piece of heaven.”
Eliza wanted to point out the patch of dirt was certainly not heaven, since she didn’t believe it existed. However, the man seemed proud of his ranch and rightly so, it was well kept and seemed to be in good shape.
“Grady Wolfe and this is my wife Eliza.”
Eliza smiled, and this time it was genuine. Each time Grady called her “wife” it sounded more natural than the time before.
“Pleased to meet you folks.” He rubbed Melba’s neck. “You got yourself one old horse here, Wolfe. This old boy ain’t long for this world.”
“I’ll have you know Melba is the finest horse who ever lived.” She sounded defensive and silly, but the horse had proven himself to be a stalwart friend to her.
Gannon smiled. “I’m sure he is, ma’am. If you need to visit with a woman, you’re welcome to go up to the house. Mary is shy with folks, but she enjoys the company.”
Eliza wanted to look at Grady for his permission, but decided against it. She wasn’t really his wife and there was no need to ask him anything. No man would ever have a hold over her again—she made her own choices and decisions. She did not need to ask permission from anyone.
“I’d be glad of the female time with another.” She stepped a
way from Grady and felt the barest hesitation in his arm before he let her go.
She headed for the house, leaving her “husband” to find out whatever information he could about Angeline. Exactly what she was planning on doing with Mrs. Gannon.
Grady wanted to snatch her by the collar and drag her back to his side. Of course, he had no right to and certainly didn’t want to act the fool in front of the rancher.
What the hell would possess him to want to keep Eliza next to him was a mystery. She likely needed some time with another woman—maybe to ask a question or two about what had happened with him. Ladies were open like that with each other, made his feet get to walking.
“You have some trouble along the way?” Gannon eyed Grady’s stitched lip and bruises.
“Ah, couple fellas in a town we went through decided I needed to meet their feet and fists.” Grady touched the stitches, still amazed at how neatly Eliza had worked on him. “Eliza patched me up.”
“She’s good at it. Wish Mary had that kind of steady hand. She’s a bit soft when it comes to blood.” Gannon gestured to the canteens. “How about we get the water you folks need?”
“Much obliged.” Grady walked ahead of the rancher, knowing the man was only protecting his own. After all, Grady was armed with two pistols and a knife. Any man worth his salt would be on his guard.
They walked around the side of the house to the pump marking the well. It was painted bright blue and shone like a beacon in the midday sun.
“You want to make sure you can see the pump in the dark?”
Gannon cleared his throat. “Nah, my boy loved the color blue, and after he passed on from a snake bite, the wife painted what she could see from the window blue. Blamed herself for not keeping an eye on him, so this way she always remembers.”
Sounded like whipping herself for the rest of her life to Grady. Who was he to judge, though? He lived like that for a long time; then he trained himself to be numb. Maybe one day Mrs. Gannon may learn that lesson herself.