If he had some other nefarious scheme in mind, he certainly could have carried it
out by now. So that left … what?
An honest man with a strong streak of integrity, her mind instantly responded.
“Yeah, and it’s no secret how reliable a judge of character you are,” she muttered.
She sighed and rested her back against the counter. She immediately noticed there
were two bottles of beer sitting on the table. The boxes had hidden them from view
before. She hadn’t taken them out, so Kane must have.
Well, that answered her earlier question.
She twisted the caps off with the tail of her T-shirt and headed out to the back stoop.
They’d likely cave in the front porch if they both sat on it at the same time.
She perched on the wider bottom step and stretched her legs out in front of her while
she waited for Kane.
She heard the spring door squeak on its hinges, which meant she had roughly thirty
seconds to decide what to say to him. Two things hit her simultaneously as she heard
him—or rather felt him—come closer. One: She did trust him, at least enough to use
the shoulder he was willing to provide; And two.Although she had no doubt a man like Kane could have inspired a long list of loyal
contacts over his years of wandering, the bottom line was listening to her was all
he could do.
Her brother was the only man who could give her the kind of help she needed. Not Kane.
Not a man also called Eyes of the Hawk.
“Nickel for your thoughts.”
“A whole nickel?”
Kane took the beer Annie offered, but when she looked up at him and the rising moon
reflected in her eyes, he elected to lean against the house and leave the step to
her.
He shrugged. “Inflation.” He forced his gaze from the graceful line of her legs all
stretched out and begging to be admired. He had no doubt he could spend a rather enjoyable
evening doing just that. But not tonight, maybe never. He needed information. “I figure
you got a fortune’s worth of thoughts running around inside your head. Consider it
a small down payment.”
He stifled a sigh as she pulled her legs in. She tucked her feet under the step, looping
her arms around her shins and resting her chin on her knees. Bolstering her nerve
and girding for battle, he thought, wishing she didn’t have demons to fight. Wondering
why in the hell it was so important to him to fight them for her.
“Do you have a home anywhere, Kane? I mean, are you always on the road?”
Her question surprised him. Kane grimaced, determined
not
to let her sidetrack him into talking about himself again. Nonetheless, he thought
about the small apartment he presently rented. No, it wasn’t any more of a home to
him than the P.O. box he kept in Pocatello. “Not really.”
He’d thought himself long past the point of being bothered by that simple truth. He
had no home, nothing he could claim as his own, except a truck and a few horses. He’d
never found anything else worth claiming. So why did admitting as much to her hurt?
He gazed down at her. And why did it feel like a lie?
“I think I know what that’s like. At least, a little.”
Her soft voice jerked him back to the present. He realized then that he’d reached
a decision, had probably made it the day he’d met her. As of this moment, he was no
longer working for Sam Perkins. He couldn’t tell her that, of course. Not if he had
any hopes of helping her.
And he would help her. It was the only thing he had to offer her. When the time came
to leave her, he would at least have that to take with him.
“You aren’t planning to stay here for the winter.” He hadn’t phrased it as a question,
but she answered anyway.
“I don’t want to,” she responded carefully.
“If it’s not money problems keeping you here, then what? You don’t have to go back
to him. You said you had a brother, won’t he help you?”
“He will if he can.”
Her whispered answer barely reached his
out by now. So that left … what?
An honest man with a strong streak of integrity, her mind instantly responded.
“Yeah, and it’s no secret how reliable a judge of character you are,” she muttered.
She sighed and rested her back against the counter. She immediately noticed there
were two bottles of beer sitting on the table. The boxes had hidden them from view
before. She hadn’t taken them out, so Kane must have.
Well, that answered her earlier question.
She twisted the caps off with the tail of her T-shirt and headed out to the back stoop.
They’d likely cave in the front porch if they both sat on it at the same time.
She perched on the wider bottom step and stretched her legs out in front of her while
she waited for Kane.
She heard the spring door squeak on its hinges, which meant she had roughly thirty
seconds to decide what to say to him. Two things hit her simultaneously as she heard
him—or rather felt him—come closer. One: She did trust him, at least enough to use
the shoulder he was willing to provide; And two.Although she had no doubt a man like Kane could have inspired a long list of loyal
contacts over his years of wandering, the bottom line was listening to her was all
he could do.
Her brother was the only man who could give her the kind of help she needed. Not Kane.
Not a man also called Eyes of the Hawk.
“Nickel for your thoughts.”
“A whole nickel?”
Kane took the beer Annie offered, but when she looked up at him and the rising moon
reflected in her eyes, he elected to lean against the house and leave the step to
her.
He shrugged. “Inflation.” He forced his gaze from the graceful line of her legs all
stretched out and begging to be admired. He had no doubt he could spend a rather enjoyable
evening doing just that. But not tonight, maybe never. He needed information. “I figure
you got a fortune’s worth of thoughts running around inside your head. Consider it
a small down payment.”
He stifled a sigh as she pulled her legs in. She tucked her feet under the step, looping
her arms around her shins and resting her chin on her knees. Bolstering her nerve
and girding for battle, he thought, wishing she didn’t have demons to fight. Wondering
why in the hell it was so important to him to fight them for her.
“Do you have a home anywhere, Kane? I mean, are you always on the road?”
Her question surprised him. Kane grimaced, determined
not
to let her sidetrack him into talking about himself again. Nonetheless, he thought
about the small apartment he presently rented. No, it wasn’t any more of a home to
him than the P.O. box he kept in Pocatello. “Not really.”
He’d thought himself long past the point of being bothered by that simple truth. He
had no home, nothing he could claim as his own, except a truck and a few horses. He’d
never found anything else worth claiming. So why did admitting as much to her hurt?
He gazed down at her. And why did it feel like a lie?
“I think I know what that’s like. At least, a little.”
Her soft voice jerked him back to the present. He realized then that he’d reached
a decision, had probably made it the day he’d met her. As of this moment, he was no
longer working for Sam Perkins. He couldn’t tell her that, of course. Not if he had
any hopes of helping her.
And he would help her. It was the only thing he had to offer her. When the time came
to leave her, he would at least have that to take with him.
“You aren’t planning to stay here for the winter.” He hadn’t phrased it as a question,
but she answered anyway.
“I don’t want to,” she responded carefully.
“If it’s not money problems keeping you here, then what? You don’t have to go back
to him. You said you had a brother, won’t he help you?”
“He will if he can.”
Her whispered answer barely reached his
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