Reckless Destiny by Teresa Southwick

through the thickness of her skirt.
    He couldn’t get the image of those legs wrapped around his waist out of his mind. This vision had kept him awake into the early morning hours. Even now, his breathing quickened at the sight, sound, and smell of her. He shook his head, trying to push the forbidden images away.
    “My own behavior was nothing to be proud of.”
    “You were a perfect gentleman.”
    There was almost a tinge of regret in her voice.
    Cady took a deep breath. “I think what stirred my temper that night two years ago was your comment that someone who couldn’t start a cook fire had no business in the Territory,” she said, quoting his own words.
    “I haven’t changed my opinion.”
    “I didn’t expect you had, given the fact that you never miss an opportunity to tell me I don’t belong here.”
    “I haven’t changed my opinion about that, either. But you’re the one who keeps bringing it up.”
    She looked over at him and, in the shadow of her big black hat, her eyes flashed. It was the only evidence ofthe hair-trigger temper she’d showed him the previous evening when she’d slammed the door in his face. He’d never met a woman who kept him so off balance.
    “Then let’s put the issue to rest once and for all.”
    “How do you propose to do that?”
    “What if I prove to you I
can
start a cook fire and even make supper over it? Will you take back what you said? Will that convince you that I can take care of myself out here?”
    “Depends on how tasty the supper is.”
    “I didn’t say it has to be good, just that I can make it. If I were cooking in my mother’s kitchen back home, I couldn’t guarantee to satisfy your taste. But I’ll tell you this: You won’t starve.”
    He was starving now. He wanted her with a hunger that seemed to get bigger every time he saw her. He was crazy, probably been out in the sun too long, a voice inside him insisted. He silenced it.
    “How can I resist?”
    “All right, then. How about tonight. Sunday supper? Say, six o’clock?”
    This might be the biggest mistake of his life, Kane thought, but he didn’t have it in him to say no.
    “I’ll be there.”
    Reynolds J. Wexler, Jr., quietly climbed out of his bedroom window and settled the checkerboard more securely under his arm. He glanced to the left and the right to make sure no one saw him leave his room. John Eagle had taught him how to move without being heard. The thought of his former friend made him feel empty inside.
    He wished John had never caught that old snake. Maybe if he hadn’t they’d still … shoot, what was theuse of thinking on that? He was just glad John had showed him how to be quiet when he didn’t want no one to hear him. Like now. It wouldn’t be dark for a while yet and he had to be careful to stay to the shadows.
    His mother had confined him to his room. But when his father was gone, which was most of the time, she fell asleep soon after supper. She was snorin’ away now. Kane had punished him too but didn’t know what his ma had said about not comin’ out until he could be a civilized gentleman. And Kane wouldn’t care if he did know, R. J. told himself. This was their checkers night. What could be more important than that?
    R. J. knew he would be lucky this time. In their weekly Sunday evening checker game, R. J. usually came out the loser. As much as he hated losing, he liked it that Kane didn’t let him win. That made him feel good. If he couldn’t win fair and square, he didn’t want to win at all. But he was feeling lucky tonight. He would beat the pants off the captain for sure this time, he just knew he would.
    He turned the corner of the long row of adobe buildings and skidded to a stop. “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!”
    Kane was standing beneath the ramada, and that old maid schoolmarm was smilin’ up at him all sweet and big-eyed. R. J. backed up and peeked around the corner, keeping himself hidden.
    It made R. J. plumb sick to his stomach. He still