Heat Lightning
An Arizona Heat Story
By Patricia Pellicane
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
2665 N Atlantic Avenue, #349
Daytona Beach, Florida, 32118
Heat Lightning
Copyright © 2010, Patricia Pellicane
Edited by Michele Paulin
Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com
Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-212-9
Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Electronic release: November 2010
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
Linc Knight frowned. His dark gaze locked on the back of a tiny, trim figure as she moved by him toward the back of the otherwise empty railroad car. What the hell was a young girl doing traveling the rails by her lonesome? Linc had no sooner acknowledged the thought when the figure turned, faced him, retraced her steps and took her seat facing him, a mere three rows beyond his. As was the style of the day, she wore a form-fitted traveling dress that clung to her lush charms and miniscule waist, leaving little to the imagination. Her dark hair was swept up and twisted into curls that peeked beneath a hat and matching veil. The veil came to her chin and was tied into a bow at the back of her hat. The ends left to trail down her slim back.
The moment she sat, she shot him a dazzling white, straight-toothed smile, and Linc fought back the need to gasp aloud. Jesus, what the hell did she think she was doing? This was no girl. This was a woman and probably the most beautiful he’d ever seen. She damn near stole his breath.
The train began to move. He felt a distant, niggling sense of panic. No one came to her side. Christ, was she out of her mind?
Why was she traveling alone, and why the hell was she looking at a man and smiling like that?
Was she a loose woman? Could it be? Linc frowned again. He couldn’t fathom the possibility. He’d never seen a whore who wasn’t a half step from downright ugly. Certainly never one who looked anything like her. All right, so she wasn’t a whore. Leastways, he thought she probably wasn’t. So why was she traveling alone? Didn’t she realize she put herself at the mercy of unsavory sorts?
Maybe, he should talk to her. Maybe, he should tell her to be on guard. Maybe…
A man entered the car behind him, and Linc heard his confident step as he moved directly towards her. Linc almost breathed a sigh of relief. So she wasn’t traveling alone, after all.
The man stopped at her seat and tipped his hat. “Ma’am,” he said as he sat uninvited across from her.
Linc saw the flicker of fear in her dark eyes. It lasted less than a second before she managed a stiff smile and, ignoring the man’s presence, pulled a dime novel from her reticule. Apparently pretending to be alone, she unpinned her hat and loosened her veil. She sat the pretty concoction at her side then placed spectacles upon her small nose, picked up her book and turned the first page. Something twisted in Linc’s chest at the sight of those glasses. Damn, if she didn’t she look adorable.
“What’s your name, honey?” the man dared to ask, and Linc groaned, knowing they were not acquainted and obviously not traveling together. He was going to have to help her, whether he wanted to or not. God damn it! She could have easily avoided any such problems if she’d had someone, anyone with her.
“My name is Jim. My friends call me Big Jim.”
The lady’s gaze moved from her book and settled for an instant upon her obviously unwanted visitor. “How nice.”
Linc thought her a spunky little thing, who apparently labored under the misconception that a cold shoulder was going to show this man her disinterest and showing her disinterest would cause the man to move on. Linc knew better. He wished to hell he didn’t, but he did.
“I know a lady doesn’t talk to strangers, but I think we can forgo such pleasantries in this case. Don’t you?”
The lady looked up from her page almost thirty seconds later, gave a slow blink and asked, “Are you speaking to me?”
“Don’t see no one else hereabout, sweetheart.”
“Sir, I’m reading a book. I prefer to do it alone. In truth, I prefer to sit alone. Still, if you must sit here, would you do me the courtesy of not interrupting my train of thought?”
Linc grinned. He was positive she was a lady. There couldn’t be a doubt. Not with the way she’d just spoken to the man. She sounded exactly like a schoolmarm might, with perfect, precise English mixed with a thread of cold distain.
“You got some highfalutin fancy ways about you, missy. Maybe you need Big Jim to settle you down some.”
“What I need is for Big Jim to leave this car. Right now.”
Linc watched her gaze narrow with warning and thought she said the words with deadly enough menace even if she hadn’t a thing but her angry glare to back her up. Still, he knew it wouldn’t take more than a second or two for her unwanted guest to be all over her. He came to his feet, ready to save the day, even as he realized Big Jim’s size exactly fit his name. He towered over Linc in both height and width, and Linc hadn’t a doubt he was about to get his ass kicked.
Only Linc didn’t get a chance to move before Big Jim suddenly seemed to realize the error of his ways. He moved, quickly removing himself from her presence. Without hesitation, he retraced his steps, his face growing in color as the distance between them lengthened. He didn’t stop moving even as he shot her an angry last glance and left the car. That the man was enraged was not to be denied. Linc’s deep sigh told clear enough his displeasure. Granted, she had escaped Big Jim’s unwanted advances, for the moment, but what would happen later? What would happen when she left the train? And Linc hadn’t a doubt something would happen. He’s seen the hot sparks of anger in the man’s eyes. He knew the man would be waiting to retaliate for her insult. No, the pretty lady hadn’t seen the last of that one as of yet.
Linc frowned, wondering how she’d managed, with just a few words, to bend the man to her will. He turned from the door and watched the lady’s grin as she slipped a heretofore unnoticed derringer back into her reticule.
“Thank you,” she said, realizing what Linc had been about. “But I’m quite safe. I assure you.”
Linc knew a surprising spurt of anger. The lady was obviously not as bright as some and could not be more mistaken. Granted, this time she’d managed to escape a clearly dangerous situation with no harm done. But what about the next time? “Whatever could have possessed you to travel alone?”
The lady frowned at the impertinent question. “What business—”
Her words were cut off as the train made a sudden, sickening lurch into the air. Linc felt the motion and instantly threw himself upon the lady knocking her easily to the floor. Jesus, she weighed little more than a damn feather. Again, he knew a sense of anger that she should so easily put herself in danger.
Still, he had little time to think of the lady and her foolish actions. Without a doubt they were in the midst of a crash. Even as her scream filled his ears and everything took on a slow motion quality, vague questions filled him. Why had the train left the tracks when they were traveling at a speed of perhaps twenty-five miles an hour? How did that happen when they were not in the midst of any hard curve, but making a straight run? Were they in seri
ous trouble? Could it be they were under attack?
His entire body tensed, awaiting the inevitable crash. And finally, as he knew it would, the train hit the ground with a stomach-turning thud. The air was instantly filled with the horrifying, grinding, endless screech of metal being crushed under its own weight, of wood splintering, of glass breaking, of distant cries of fear and pain. And through it all, the lady beneath him continued to scream.
Finally, everything stopped—everything but the woman’s infernal screams. His hand reached for her mouth stifling any further sound. His head was killing him. Something had hit him during the crash, and her constant screeching wasn’t helping his discomfort any. “Jesus, will you shut the hell up?”
He listened for further sounds. Nothing. He strained into the darkness trying to detect the scent of fire from the three kerosene lamps formerly attached to the car’s walls. Moments later, he sighed his relief for it appeared the flames were doused upon impact. He could detect nothing but the smell of dust, and broken wood, a hint of fresh air and the dirty floor upon which they lay.
A few quick twists of her head freed her from his hand. “Get off me, you maniac.”
“Lady, pay attention to what I’m sayin’. We were in a bad crash. The train left the tracks and now lays in shambles covering us with debris. There’s no tellin’ how many were hurt. I can’t get up ‘cause something heavy is layin’ over my back.”
“Why did you jump on me?”
“If I hadn’t, you’d be dead. Whatever is pressin’ on my back would have crushed you or maybe taken off your head. Now, shut up and let me think.”
“What is there to think about? Get up.”
“Didn’t I just tell you something heavy is layin’ on my back?”
“So crawl out from under it.”
“Jesus,” Linc muttered in frustration. He’d like to know how he was supposed to manage that when they were on the floor pinned between two sets of seats. It appeared the floor of the train remained pretty much intact, while the walls and ceiling had become little more than splintered wreckage.
“I’d appreciate it if you would not take the name of our Lord in vain.”
Linc grinned. And amazingly enough that grin soon turned into a chuckle and finally to a full-fledged laugh. They lay helpless in the midst of a train wreck, pinned under maybe hundreds of pounds of rubble and had escaped certain death by mere inches and all she could do was warn him not to curse?
“What are you laughing at, you imbecile?”
Linc’s laughter eased then finally dwindled down to silence. The only way they were getting out of here was if someone found them. And Linc figured that wasn’t likely to happen until morning. The problem was most everyone would be suffering some degree of injury or shock. And even if he and the lady managed to get out, what would they do? Where would they go? They were miles from help. If all the cars had suffered as this one had, his horse was either dead or had run off into the night. Jesus, there was no telling how long it would be before help arrived.
A man’s voice came from outside the car. “You think many died?”
“Who the fuck cares? Let’s get to the back car and the money.”
Linc’s hand came to cover her mouth again as he cursed, this time low, the sound only reaching the lady beneath him. “Don’t move. Don’t say anything.”
The voices moved off. Two men, at least two men, were walking the length of the train. Linc felt the lady squirm beneath him. She moved her head back and forth, trying to dislodge his hand. “What is the matter with you? You moron. Those men could have helped us.”
“Lady, didn’t you hear them?” Linc would have loved to have shaken her, but their current confines forbade any such motion. Pinned against her, he couldn’t move his arms more than a few inches. “They’re the ones who caused the crash. They’re looking for the money in the back car. In a minute, you’ll hear an explosion as they blow the safe.”
Linc had barely finished his words when the clear sound of guns firing came to fill the otherwise silent night. Moments after the gunfire came the roar of an explosion.
“Oh my God,” she moaned.
“What? What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Either you’re hurt or you’re not. Which is it?”
“Shut up.”
Linc grinned.
“I can’t stay here. You have to move. You have to.”
Linc took a deep breath and listened to the sound of her groan.
“Oh my God, you’re squashing me.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Can’t you move at all?”
“No. If I press up, against whatever is laying over us, I’m going to hurt you.” If a deep breath caused her discomfort, that was pretty much a given.
“I’ll take the chance.”
Linc grinned. “Someone will come along soon. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not in the least worried. What I am is uncomfortable. And what in the world is dripping on me?”
“Blood, I expect.”
“What? Do you mean to say you’re bleeding?”
“A little, I think.”
“Oh my God. I think it’s a little more than a little. You might be seriously hurt.”
Linc grinned. The little lady might not take a likin’ to his use of the Lord’s name spoken in vain, but she surely didn’t hesitate to repeat ‘Oh my God’ again and again. “Yep. Could be.”
“And you’re sure you can’t move?”
“Positive.”
“All right. You rest; I’ll keep calling out. Someone will hear us eventually.”
“Shush,” he murmured. “We’ll call out in the morning,” he said as he rested his head against the side of her neck. “Sorry. I just need a few minutes.”
Linc wasn’t sure what the problem was. In truth, he wasn’t aware of a problem. All he knew for sure was he felt suddenly, overwhelmingly exhausted. He couldn’t keep his eyes open. And as he drifted off, from a great distance, he heard her hollow yet panicked voice. “Don’t fall asleep. Oh please, don’t.”
Chapter Two
Abigail Willingham felt a wave of panic. God, please, he couldn’t fall asleep. Not now, not here. She tried to shove against him, but relaxed in sleep, he grew even heavier, so heavy he nearly stole her breath. She was pinned in place, locked under him until someone came along to save her. If someone ever came along to save her. In the meantime, she was trapped. She might as well be in a coffin. A coffin couldn’t be tighter or darker or have less air. She couldn’t breathe. She had to get out of here. She had to!
From a great distance, a small voice whispered, Wait, you’re not in a coffin. Breathe. Take a deep breath.
Abby had to concentrate, to think, to calm the panic in order to obey her thoughts. On the verge of hysterics, she knew no amount of ranting or screaming at an unconscious man would suffice. Desperately, she fought for control.
Someone would find them soon. There was no need to panic. Even if this fool fell asleep, she had nothing to fear. Abigail strained into the darkness and wondered how in the world she’d gotten herself into this mess? She’d been taking care of herself and doing a fine job of it when this idiot had knocked her from her seat to a filthy floor and somehow, in the midst of a train crash, ended up on top of her. No amount of struggling would suffice. He wouldn’t or couldn’t move. And she was going to kill this dolt the minute her hands were free.
God, but she wished she were bigger. Bigger and stronger, strong enough to free herself from this clumsy fool.
Oddly enough, she wasn’t afraid to find a strange man sprawled over the length of her, his weight pinning her to a dirty floor. Even the pitch blackness brought about no real fear. It was the confined space. She hated to be held in a small area. As punishment, a teacher had once pushed her into a closet. A closet that held plenty of air, and yet she had nearly gone berserk insisting she couldn’t breathe, only to finally collapse
in a faint. She felt again that rush of terror, of not being able to breathe, even though she knew better. The problem was ‘knowing better’ didn’t stop the unreasonable fear.
The steady sound of his breathing soon penetrated her terror, and slowly, her fear began to receded. Lord, she wished someone would find them, someone who could pull away the debris and set them free of this horror, this awful thick silence and terrible blackness. In the meantime there wasn’t a thing she could do. Except wait.
* * * *
Abby moaned as his mouth crept slowly up the side of her neck to her jaw to find her lips. She tried to turn her head, but in her sleep, she couldn’t manage the chore. Then, she suddenly could. His mouth was there, brushing lightly over hers. She sighed her pleasure. This was so lovely. She hadn’t remembered that Bradley had ever kissed her so sweetly. His kisses were usually quick, hard and stiffly given. When had they grown so soft, so sweet? Lord if he’d always kissed her like this, she might have begged him for more. At her sigh, she could feel his lips curve into a smile, and she couldn’t stop hers from smiling, as well.
“Lovely,” she said as she breathed in his scent.
He smelled so good. She wondered when he had come to smell like this. Then his mouth was at her lips again, pulling at them, forcing them to part. She frowned. What was he doing?
“Bradley, what?” she asked only to forget the thought as his teeth caught her bottom lip and drew it into his mouth, a mouth of blazing heat. Hot, oh God, his mouth was so hot, so clean, and she loved it so much. “What are you doing?”
“Kissing you, sweetheart.”
Abby frowned. “But that’s not a kiss.”
“Watch. Let me show you,” he murmured
With her lip trapped in his mouth, his tongue began to tickle it, and Abby never thought to dissuade him from so shocking a venture. In truth she didn’t have but a few seconds to think on the matter when his tongue was suddenly in her mouth. Even in sleep, she couldn’t imagine such a thing. She tried to pull back but there was no where to move. She was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming. But the man in this dream wasn’t Bradley. How odd to dream of another. A man she couldn’t see, a man she didn’t know. She’d never dreamed like this before. Why would she now? What did it mean? And why did it feel so…so…what? Abby couldn’t quite understand. What was she feeling? If she thought on it, she’d have to say she felt as if she were floating, maybe on a cloud, even while something odd was happening to her stomach. He wasn’t touching her there, but it felt all fluttery and strangely yearning. Why?
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