thrash me if you want, Captain.”
In the moonlight her perfect features were startlingly beautiful, even now, with her jaw set in stubborn lines and her eyes half-wincing as if she really expected that he might hit her. Jeb felt the anger draining from him like water out of a sieve. Her words and the way she stood before him so defenseless had brought out his most irritating protective instincts. And, Lord, she was beautiful. How in the name of heaven had he ever thought that she was a man? Haskell had evidently seen through her disguise. What had been Jeb’s problem? The anger began to build again, but this time it was directed along a more well-worn path—toward himself.
“Part of this is my fault,” he acknowledged, his voice less tight. “A wagon captain’s supposed to know what’s going on with his passengers. He’s supposed to know if they’re sick or hurting, happy or sad, tired or strong.” He ran a hand back through his disheveled hair. “And he sure as hell is supposed to know what sex they are.”
He could see her painful swallow all along the length of her slender throat Her slender, feminine throat. Damnation. “But I deceived you,” she argued. “I went to great pains to be sure you didn’t know, to be sure that no one knew. I felt it would be the only way we’d be able to get on the train.”
“Haskell knew.” Jeb wasn’t sure exactly why that fact grated on him so.
She hesitated. “Well, there was the problem with my ankle, you know.”
Ah, yes. Haskell had tended her ankle. The ankle that was attached to one of those shapely legs that Jeb had not been able to help noticing when she’d been sopping wet today with her man’s trousers clinging to her like a second skin. Haskell had probably held her ankle in his hands, turning it, rubbing it, perhaps…
Kerry cleared her throat. “And Mr. Haskell has had more chance to spend time with us.”
“When did you tell him?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“When did you tell Haskell the truth?”
Her thick black lashes swept down over the blue eyes. She looked as if she was reluctant to answer the question, as if she realized that the fact that Scott Haskell knew the truth was making her deception even more difficult for him. Finally she said, “I didn’t tell him. He…more or less…guessed that first day.”
“The first day,” Jeb confirmed, his self-reproach mounting.
Kerry nodded, head down.
Jeb let out a long stream of air through his nose. Then he leaned down and pulled a towel out of his pack. His bout with the river had left him caked with mud. He’d need to wash before he could crawl into his blankets. When he’d straightened up, he told her, “I’m going to punish myself for my own stupidity by not berating you any further, Miss Gallivan. By not giving myself that pleasure.”
Kerry’s eyes filled with relief. “I promise I’ll do everything you say from now on, Captain. Patrick and I will keep up and work hard. We’ll find things to leave behind to make the load just right. And we won’t question your orders…”
Jeb held up his hand with a look of surprise. “Wait a minute. Surely you understand?”
“Understand what?”
“Miss Gallivan, there’s no way you and your brother are going to continue on to California. As soon as we reach Fort Kearney, we’ll find an escort to take you back to St. Louis.”
Kerry took a step backward, feeling almost as if she’d received that blow he’d threatened her with earlier. “Turn back now? You can’t be serious?”
“I’m deadly serious. A single woman and a raw boy have no business on a wagon train.”
Kerry couldn’t believe her ears. “We’ve done fine up to now.”
“Fine, right. Costing the entire train a day’s travel by letting your wagon break down in the middle of the river.”
Now Kerry’s fists clenched at her sides. “Captain Hunter, my brother and I are going to California…”
Jeb stepped past her in the darkness and started to
In the moonlight her perfect features were startlingly beautiful, even now, with her jaw set in stubborn lines and her eyes half-wincing as if she really expected that he might hit her. Jeb felt the anger draining from him like water out of a sieve. Her words and the way she stood before him so defenseless had brought out his most irritating protective instincts. And, Lord, she was beautiful. How in the name of heaven had he ever thought that she was a man? Haskell had evidently seen through her disguise. What had been Jeb’s problem? The anger began to build again, but this time it was directed along a more well-worn path—toward himself.
“Part of this is my fault,” he acknowledged, his voice less tight. “A wagon captain’s supposed to know what’s going on with his passengers. He’s supposed to know if they’re sick or hurting, happy or sad, tired or strong.” He ran a hand back through his disheveled hair. “And he sure as hell is supposed to know what sex they are.”
He could see her painful swallow all along the length of her slender throat Her slender, feminine throat. Damnation. “But I deceived you,” she argued. “I went to great pains to be sure you didn’t know, to be sure that no one knew. I felt it would be the only way we’d be able to get on the train.”
“Haskell knew.” Jeb wasn’t sure exactly why that fact grated on him so.
She hesitated. “Well, there was the problem with my ankle, you know.”
Ah, yes. Haskell had tended her ankle. The ankle that was attached to one of those shapely legs that Jeb had not been able to help noticing when she’d been sopping wet today with her man’s trousers clinging to her like a second skin. Haskell had probably held her ankle in his hands, turning it, rubbing it, perhaps…
Kerry cleared her throat. “And Mr. Haskell has had more chance to spend time with us.”
“When did you tell him?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“When did you tell Haskell the truth?”
Her thick black lashes swept down over the blue eyes. She looked as if she was reluctant to answer the question, as if she realized that the fact that Scott Haskell knew the truth was making her deception even more difficult for him. Finally she said, “I didn’t tell him. He…more or less…guessed that first day.”
“The first day,” Jeb confirmed, his self-reproach mounting.
Kerry nodded, head down.
Jeb let out a long stream of air through his nose. Then he leaned down and pulled a towel out of his pack. His bout with the river had left him caked with mud. He’d need to wash before he could crawl into his blankets. When he’d straightened up, he told her, “I’m going to punish myself for my own stupidity by not berating you any further, Miss Gallivan. By not giving myself that pleasure.”
Kerry’s eyes filled with relief. “I promise I’ll do everything you say from now on, Captain. Patrick and I will keep up and work hard. We’ll find things to leave behind to make the load just right. And we won’t question your orders…”
Jeb held up his hand with a look of surprise. “Wait a minute. Surely you understand?”
“Understand what?”
“Miss Gallivan, there’s no way you and your brother are going to continue on to California. As soon as we reach Fort Kearney, we’ll find an escort to take you back to St. Louis.”
Kerry took a step backward, feeling almost as if she’d received that blow he’d threatened her with earlier. “Turn back now? You can’t be serious?”
“I’m deadly serious. A single woman and a raw boy have no business on a wagon train.”
Kerry couldn’t believe her ears. “We’ve done fine up to now.”
“Fine, right. Costing the entire train a day’s travel by letting your wagon break down in the middle of the river.”
Now Kerry’s fists clenched at her sides. “Captain Hunter, my brother and I are going to California…”
Jeb stepped past her in the darkness and started to
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