cylinders. “It’s my father’s.”
He stares, startled for a moment. “How’s some crazy old bunny in a mine know your father’s name?”
“Don’t know.” I consider helping Blake down a steeper part of the slope with my boot for all his damn questions. I chance a peek down over the edge of the lookout. Night’s coming fast. We’re probably safe as we’re gonna get. I look back at him and shrug. “I’ve never felt the need to tell anybody about him ‘til this moment.”
He meets my eyes and smiles, rising. “Could be the fact I took a blow to the head today, but I think that’s an awful nice thing you just said.”
My ears feel hot. I want to clutch him close and never let go. I want to strip his britches off and take him in a womanly fashion. I don’t do either of these things. I pull my hat down a little tighter and set to walking, glad it’s dark.
It’s a long ways, but we’ve had an hour’s sit-down to cool off. We make good time back to White Rock township.
We attract a few looks walking back into town, roughed up as we are. At least he isn’t bleeding all over the place this time. We make our way to the City Office.
Once there, Sheriff Blake staggers through the door. “Harding!”
His bloodhound deputy pokes his head around from the office, jowls swinging just a little. “You’re back.” His face is so sad, but his tail is wagging up a breeze. He sniffs at me. “Why do you smell like dry mold?”
I glance down at the stains the hare left me.
The bat waves him back. “Never mind that. Saddle up the ponies and assemble a posse.”
Confusion enters the deputy’s face. He looks to me. I slink back against the wall, eyes down, hoping he won’t recognize me. Getting no answers from me, he turns back to his boss. “A posse? Blake, it’s near on ten at night.”
With one hind paw, the bat pulls a scattergun from the rack by his room and cocks it. “Posse comitatus, Deputy.”
“There’s no need to use French with me.” He puts on his hat. “I’m goin’.” He takes a lantern off a nail on the wall, gives me a nod, and leaves.
Through the window, I watch him go, then saunter up to the sheriff. I tap the front sight of the gun he’s holding. “How’d you figure you’re gonna fire that with one foot?”
“Don’t you go assuming you have me nailed down just yet.” He spins it around into his paw, then holds it level, about belly high. Well, chest high on most folk besides me. He looks like he might even be able to fire it.
After a moment of hesitating, I put a paw on his shoulder. He looks up at me. “Who all is that bloodhound gonna rustle up? Ah’d hate to be the only one at this party.”
He lowers the scattergun. “You’re coming?”
I lift an ear, smiling down at him. “Ain’t I?”
“You’re game as a banty rooster.” His voice gets low. “I’ve never met a woman like you.”
My tail bobs. “The most of folk’d say you still haven’t.” I chuckle.
He interrupts me with a kiss. My mind reels so hard it’s a wonder my ears don’t stand straight out. My guns tug me forward, into his waiting wings. His fancy lil’ tongue starts doing flips around my mouth.
The earth shakes. I don’t mean that in some mushy dime novel nonsense way, though that was my first thought, I’m ashamed to admit. The ground shakes under us. We stop kissing. Both of us have our ears up.
He’s all business. “You feel that?”
So am I. “Yeah.”
“Earthquake?”
“Never heard a’ one happenin’ in these parts.”
“Me neither.”
We make our way to the porch. All down the block, people are standing in the street, yammering and looking up.
The sheriff’s mare is whinnying and tossing her head, fully saddled. Blake clears his throat and calls to one of the gawkers. “You! What is goin’ on out here?”
“Hell if anybody knows, Sheriff!” The deep-voiced mastiff looks around, a touch panicked. “There’s talk Hayes’s mine just blew sky
He stares, startled for a moment. “How’s some crazy old bunny in a mine know your father’s name?”
“Don’t know.” I consider helping Blake down a steeper part of the slope with my boot for all his damn questions. I chance a peek down over the edge of the lookout. Night’s coming fast. We’re probably safe as we’re gonna get. I look back at him and shrug. “I’ve never felt the need to tell anybody about him ‘til this moment.”
He meets my eyes and smiles, rising. “Could be the fact I took a blow to the head today, but I think that’s an awful nice thing you just said.”
My ears feel hot. I want to clutch him close and never let go. I want to strip his britches off and take him in a womanly fashion. I don’t do either of these things. I pull my hat down a little tighter and set to walking, glad it’s dark.
It’s a long ways, but we’ve had an hour’s sit-down to cool off. We make good time back to White Rock township.
We attract a few looks walking back into town, roughed up as we are. At least he isn’t bleeding all over the place this time. We make our way to the City Office.
Once there, Sheriff Blake staggers through the door. “Harding!”
His bloodhound deputy pokes his head around from the office, jowls swinging just a little. “You’re back.” His face is so sad, but his tail is wagging up a breeze. He sniffs at me. “Why do you smell like dry mold?”
I glance down at the stains the hare left me.
The bat waves him back. “Never mind that. Saddle up the ponies and assemble a posse.”
Confusion enters the deputy’s face. He looks to me. I slink back against the wall, eyes down, hoping he won’t recognize me. Getting no answers from me, he turns back to his boss. “A posse? Blake, it’s near on ten at night.”
With one hind paw, the bat pulls a scattergun from the rack by his room and cocks it. “Posse comitatus, Deputy.”
“There’s no need to use French with me.” He puts on his hat. “I’m goin’.” He takes a lantern off a nail on the wall, gives me a nod, and leaves.
Through the window, I watch him go, then saunter up to the sheriff. I tap the front sight of the gun he’s holding. “How’d you figure you’re gonna fire that with one foot?”
“Don’t you go assuming you have me nailed down just yet.” He spins it around into his paw, then holds it level, about belly high. Well, chest high on most folk besides me. He looks like he might even be able to fire it.
After a moment of hesitating, I put a paw on his shoulder. He looks up at me. “Who all is that bloodhound gonna rustle up? Ah’d hate to be the only one at this party.”
He lowers the scattergun. “You’re coming?”
I lift an ear, smiling down at him. “Ain’t I?”
“You’re game as a banty rooster.” His voice gets low. “I’ve never met a woman like you.”
My tail bobs. “The most of folk’d say you still haven’t.” I chuckle.
He interrupts me with a kiss. My mind reels so hard it’s a wonder my ears don’t stand straight out. My guns tug me forward, into his waiting wings. His fancy lil’ tongue starts doing flips around my mouth.
The earth shakes. I don’t mean that in some mushy dime novel nonsense way, though that was my first thought, I’m ashamed to admit. The ground shakes under us. We stop kissing. Both of us have our ears up.
He’s all business. “You feel that?”
So am I. “Yeah.”
“Earthquake?”
“Never heard a’ one happenin’ in these parts.”
“Me neither.”
We make our way to the porch. All down the block, people are standing in the street, yammering and looking up.
The sheriff’s mare is whinnying and tossing her head, fully saddled. Blake clears his throat and calls to one of the gawkers. “You! What is goin’ on out here?”
“Hell if anybody knows, Sheriff!” The deep-voiced mastiff looks around, a touch panicked. “There’s talk Hayes’s mine just blew sky
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