by Mary Wine
She rolled over, sat and rubbed her burning eyes for a moment. Where had that discipline been last night when she needed it? It took more than an hour to master the urge to return outside. She’d sat on her cot while her traitorous body had urged her, no…demanded that she return for more of what Brice had shown her he could and would give her.
Renewed anger shot through her. Scared? Why was she scared? She had sat on this damn cot and demanded that very question of herself last night. Nothing scared her anymore. Once, having people shoot at her had scared her, but not anymore. How could it? She’d have to care about the future to be frightened.
She was nothing but a tool to be utilized at someone else’s command. The intolerable part of that was that she found herself believing it lately. Had she really let them wash her personality so clean that she refused to even feel? That was so pathetic she winced.
Had she really given up? She was still alive, wasn’t that worth more of an effort than refusing to let the smallest emotion into her mind?
Brice certainly made her feel last night. The question wasn’t merely sex or no sex—it was about trust, and yielding her mind to the control of her emotions. But she had enjoyed it so much she wanted more.
He was the man she couldn’t have.
The edges of reality were ultra-sharp in the morning light.
A slight movement caught her notice. Grace turned her head. Jacobs was stretched out on a cot on the other side of the tent. His expression was disgruntled as his hazel eyes fired questions at her. Grace closed her eyes and groaned. Jacobs slept lighter than a mother bear. He was completely aware of her restless night. In fact, he’d shared it. Now he’d probably want to know the reason behind it.
Grace would simply walk away from and not give another thought to ninety-five percent of the people on this planet, but not Jacobs. He was also one of the very few people who knew her, really knew her.
Grace got to her feet and started to get back into the petticoats and corset. She purposely kept her eyes away from Jacobs. She had to get her emotions straight before trying to deal with him.
“The silent game isn’t going to work this morning, Grace.”
Grace forced her face to appear mild before turning back to where he was still stretched out on his cot. He slowly sat, pegging her with a hard look.
“Anton lost you when you took off on that stallion.”
“You’re the one who brought me up here, Jacobs. Don’t get pissy when I take advantage of the moment.”
The deep sound of Brice’s voice as he greeted Cole broke into their mental battle. The sound of that deep voice brought her unsteady emotions closer to the surface. Jacobs’s eyes locked onto the proof of it on her face. Between the two men Grace felt suffocation tighten around her. She needed to breathe. Turning on her heel, she started for the freedom that the tent opening promised. Jacobs captured her wrist, pulling her to a stop.
“Let go.”
“First you talk to me about what has been eating you for the last few months.”
“My feelings are the only things that are private. I performed, that’s all that matters.”
“Not when you disregard your own safety.”
She set her jaw, refusing to argue further.
“All right, then we do this my way.” Jacobs snapped a small silver bracelet onto her wrist before he released her.
Grace glared at him for a moment. She felt like arguing but the need to escape from all human contact was greater. Turning her back on Jacobs, she swiftly left the tent. Brice looked up as she emerged but she barely spared him a glance. That one look was enough to set her emotions to the breaking point and she yanked her skirt away from her feet as she climbed up to the tree line and the safety it presented.
She didn’t stop but continued at her frantic pace until her sides began to ache from the constriction of her corset. The pause was enough to make her aware of the distance she had traveled. She was maybe a mile and a half from the tent. Lifting her right arm, Grace glared at the bracelet. It was a tracking device, an electronic leash. She despised the thing. It would give off an alarm if she were separated from Jacobs by more than two miles. It could then be used to pinpoint her exact location.
Her paging unit functioned in a similar fashion. The difference was she carried it by choice. Trying to remove the bracelet would set off another alarm. The problem with that was the very real possibility that Jacobs would replace it with a close-proximity unit that he carried for combat situations. That device only had a fifty-foot range.
Sinking to the forest floor, Grace pulled her knees up to her chest. The light breeze stirred the morning air. The small sounds of the forest surrounded her. Normally they brought comfort. Today, nothing seemed to be able to quiet the surging emotions that drove her.
She’d surrendered to her lust but still felt conflicted.
Idly turning the shiny thing around her wrist, Grace tried to conceive a course of action. There was a dull ache between her legs to remind her of Brice. Mentally, she couldn’t shake his pull. Maybe it was time to ask Jacobs to take her back to base.
Army bases had a nasty habit of being enclosed in solid concrete. If she asked to be returned there it was, in effect, like locking herself in a stone room. She considered it for a time. It would be much easier to deal with. Raising her eyes to the trees above her, Grace took in the absolute beauty of it. There were few places in the world that she loved as much as the forest. For once she was able to stay and enjoy it.
The blanket crossed her mind but it didn’t tantalize her. Not when she recalled how much anger was lingering at the cabin, which left her facing the fact that her time in Benton would be over soon.
Maybe she was being a fool to waste it.
Grace got to her feet and began to walk back along the way she had come. Turvel had surprised her. Normally he liked to keep her under tight wraps. Grace truly didn’t know the man that well. He had been a friend of Fredricks however, and Grace remembered that very well.
When Fredricks had run the unit, she had worn an ankle close-proximity beacon around the clock. Grace had in fact destroyed several in her attempts to be rid of them. In a way, that was one of the reasons that she and Jacobs were so in tune with one another. She had been tagged with the beacon and someone had to be within fifty feet of her at all times. Grace walked almost constantly. Fredricks allowed it because it kept her physical condition high. However, it meant that someone had to keep pace with her. Guard duty had not been a popular assignment among the men of the unit. Jacobs had taken the duty the majority of the time.
Fredricks himself only took the duty when they had been working. A small smile crept across her face. It had been one of her favorite games to try and get just enough ahead of Fredricks while she was tracking to make the alarm go off in his ear microphone.
The muffled sound of gunfire echoed among the trees. The first battle of the day was in progress. Grace circled the valley to observe. She watched as the columns of re-enactors loaded and primed their weapons. Units of men were working the cannons. She picked out Jacobs as he joined in the effort of loading one of the large black cannons. They fired it and the force of the discharge sent the cannon rolling back some ten feet. The men pushed it forward and resumed loading again.
She felt so disconnected from it all.
Down there were hundreds of people who could sit together and enjoy each other’s company. They touched and loved with open affection. They even became distressed when that contact was removed. Sometimes, she wondered if she was really a member of the same species.
She continued to watch Jacobs interact with them. It was easy to forget that he was in fact very different from her. They spent so much time together it was comfortable to believe they were siblings.
She was deluding herself.
A cavalry charge was next, and the fifty or so horses came up the valley at full gallop. Brice stood out as he rode Cole with a fluid movement that was breathtaking.
I
t had been even better to experience it.
The complexities of social interaction didn’t seem to be too great for the people below her. So why was it something she was unable to accomplish? She straightened her back. She wasn’t going to find the answer up here. The only true way to learn something was to do it. Maybe that meant she was going to fall flat on her face, but she wasn’t afraid of a few bruises.
Her decision made, Grace descended into the valley and entered the Northern camp. Some of the women looked up and greeted her. Making the effort to respond in kind, she watched with interest as food was prepared over campfires. She knew survival skills, but cooking beyond killing bacteria was a mystery.
“Grace, over here.”
It wasn’t hard to identify Jacobs’s dance partner from last night. The woman’s crown of auburn hair had been visible even from a distance. Grace returned her smile and made her way to the table she was working at.
“I’m Beth, and an extra pair of hands is always welcome at my fire.”
Grace’s uncertainty must have been written on her face because Beth took a moment to consider her newest recruit. She narrowed her eyes as she decided on a task.
“Be careful, my dad insists on keeping my cooking knives razor sharp.”
Running her thumb over the edge of the weapon in question, Grace gave an appreciative nod at its edge. Beth’s father knew how to treat a blade.
“I’ve been told I have a knack for sharp weapons.”
Turning her head away from her fire, Beth gave her a critical look in response.
“I guess it’s a lucky thing for all the men that they are out on the field.”
“Maybe.”
A giggle escaped from Beth. “I’m not sure if you’re serious or not, but it’s amusing either way.” The banter about the cooking table was very interesting. Grace had no idea that women talked like that. As all of the men were on the battlefield, it was open season on the males of Benton County. Grace caught Beth looking at her several times.
“You have a question to ask.”
“Well, it’s not really any of my business.” Beth stumbled over her words.
“Is it personal?” That might account for the woman’s reluctance to voice it. Beth worried her lower lip for a time. She set her shoulders firmly before opening her mouth. “Is Jacobs yours?”
“My what?”
“Your man,” Beth clarified.
“Oh…” Grace’s words trailed off as she considered the other woman. Men were jealous creatures. It would seem that women were much more practical about it all. They simply asked.
“We just work together.”
“Really?” Beth asked hesitantly. “You’re not his girlfriend?”
“No,” Grace assured her.
“I could have told you that,” another woman chimed in. “After all, if any of you had seen Grace here with Brice Campbell last night, you would know that Jacobs isn’t her man. Brice is.”
Grace nearly cut her finger off. She stopped cutting and gaped at the woman. They promptly burst into giggles. Beth reached over and gave her a quick hug.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Nothing’s a secret in Benton County.”
“Obviously not.”
Grace spent the rest of the day with the women, who seemed to delight in teasing her about Brice. They found things for her to do and she really tried. But after burning her second round of vegetables, she was banned from the cooking fire and sent back to the chopping block.
When she ran out of things to chop, Beth handed her an apron. After donning it, she found herself up to her elbows in flour and bread dough. The surprising thing was she really liked it. The dough was rubbery and sticky and she enjoyed working it about. She let a smile cross her face as she worked another lump.
Brice and Jacobs found her just like that. “Brice, buddy, you might have to hold me up.”
Jacobs reached up and teased his forehead for fever.
Grace flattened the ball of dough she was kneading in response.
Brice sent her a smile while tipping his hat, then bent down and placed a fleeting kiss on Grace’s lips. The action started several women giggling. Grace felt the blush as it stained her face. It also caused the few men in the area to move back several paces. They tipped their own hats while they lowered their eyes and moved to place the other women between them and Grace.
“Wouldn’t it have been simpler to post a sign on my forehead?” Her voice was barely a whisper but her eyes were screaming at him.
“Kissing you was much more enjoyable.”
“You are an irritating man at times, Mr. Campbell.”
“Oh, but most men are.” Beth sent Grace a wink as she scooped up the ball of dough. Her blue eyes simmered as she moved them over Jacobs. “Especially the ones that wear uniforms. It’s their complete faith in their mental superiority.”
“Brice is the only one around here that wears a regular uniform, but I appreciate the compliment.” Jacobs grinned with his comment.
Grace didn’t bat an eye at Jacobs’s words. It wasn’t so much a matter of honesty as it was a matter of security. Beth held no true understanding of the risks involved with knowing just who Jacobs was. Throwing her off the scent was for her own good.
Neither of them would be staying. For a moment, she felt like it bothered her. She locked gazes with Brice and saw the same knowledge flickering in his eyes.
“Um-hum. Well, if that’s the way it is. I have a suggestion for you, Mr. Jacobs.”
Beth turned with a swish of her skirt and settled her head exactly three inches from Jacobs’s ear. “The next time you dance with a lady, remove that rather large-caliber pistol you keep in your shoulder harness or leave a bit more space between yourself and your partner. Because there are the bulges that a girl’s mother tells her to steer clear of and then there are the bulges that a girl’s father warns her about.”
The second Beth had delivered her opinion she swept her skirts around both men with a rustle and turned back to her cooking. A grin spread over Jacobs’s face, making Grace stare. He looked like a schoolyard boy as he watched the sway of Beth’s skirts.
“Yes, sir,” Clark said clearly. “It will be my pleasure.”
On the other end of the line, a grin appeared on the man’s face as he snapped his phone shut. “It’s in motion.”
“This is going to delay delivery.”
The first man put his cell phone back in his shirt pocket. “Another month in that sheriff’s company and it will be easy to make it look like she went rogue. This is the only way to keep her off base.”
The second man wasn’t convinced just yet. “Is this Clark any good? She’s worth nothing dead.”
“He’s good enough.”
It was all the assurance offered, so it would have to be enough.
The afternoon had one last battle and it seemed that most of the participants would be leaving soon after it was concluded. Beth served up lunch before she began packing her camp kitchen. Brice and Jacobs helped her haul her cooking pots back up the trail where the cars were parked.
Grace was actually feeling pleased with her efforts. She had managed to converse with other women and not run for cover. It was surprising how much she had enjoyed the good-natured banter, but the lack of sleep from the past night was beginning to catch up with her. With a muttered farewell to Beth, she ducked into her tent while the men continued on to the parking lot.
Her body gratefully sank onto the cot as she relaxed. She opened her eyes a half hour later to find Jacobs kneeling beside her.
Pushing herself up, Grace gave him a steady look.
“You spend too much time worrying about me. I told you, I won’t follow Susan’s example. So leave me be.”
Jacobs raised an eyebrow at her statement. “Not a chance, Gracie.”
Now it was her turn to frown. Jacobs only called her Gracie when he was trying to get inside her head. His eyes darkened as they took in her frown. An unpleasant smile a
ppeared on his face.
“Later. But we’re going to talk.” His voice held a wealth of warning. He reached out, unlocked the silver bracelet from her wrist and slid it into the front pocket of his jacket. “Come on. Beth’s outside waiting for you to join her.”
In fact, both Brice and Beth were waiting. They stood close to the corral and spoke in quiet tones as they waited. She slowly met his eyes. He returned her look with a steady strength that had Grace wanting to back up. A slow smile crept across his face, and Grace did take that step back.
Beth gave a loud sigh. She walked over and took Grace by the hand.
“You will have to excuse Sheriff Campbell. He was born handicapped by the fact that he’s a male.”
Grace suppressed a laugh at the woman’s ability to casually insult both of the men present. Beth started to pull Grace off but Jacobs stopped them.
“Where are the two of you headed?”
Beth turned around and settled her hands on her hips before giving him an answer.
“Nothing you boys would be interested in. Now go play with your guns and we’ll let you know if you manage to impress us today.”
Chapter Six
Beth led Grace up to the top of the clearing. A number of women had made their way there as well. It seemed to be the end of the weekend social. They all stood about a hundred yards from the tree line. It gave them a terrific view of the battlefield.
The women slowly milled about sharing stories of events past and some of the current event. Beth took Grace along with her, introducing her as they spoke with different groups. The reveille sounded and they quieted down, giving their attention to the columns of men that were beginning to enter the field.
Gunfire exploded on the field. The women surged forward to get a good view. Grace hung back and simply observed the battle. There came another round of black-powder explosions. The cannons fired off next. Grace searched out Jacobs and watched him work the large gun. The men on the firing line reloaded and readied their weapons for another round.