Untethered by Marcia Lynn McClure

she’d imagined they would be—smooth and titillatingly balmy. She fancied, during those mere moments that she kissed him, that he did not in any way deny her kiss. Certainly he did not recognizably return it, but at least he didn’t push her away at once. At least he didn’t draw his gun and shoot her in the guts.
    As Cricket ended the kiss she’d given Mr. Thibodaux, she found she was breathless—rather unsteady on her feet.
    Using her grip on his vest to steady herself where she stood on the trough, she managed to somehow whisper, “Welcome to Pike’s Creek, Mr. Thibodaux.”
    Cricket didn’t expect anything in return for her having offered a brave kiss to the Texas Ranger. Maybe a nod—a quiet, “Thank you.” But what she did not expect, however—what she never imagined would happen—was the manner in which the man so quickly turned on her.
    A quick gasp escaped her as, instead of offering his thanks for her welcome, Mr. Thibodaux promptly caught Cricket’s wrists in his hands. He was all the more intimidating as he leaned closer to her, glaring at her as he spoke.
    “You girls need to be a little more careful about what you’re playin’ at, sweet pea,” he said almost threateningly. “You all run around town in the dark wearin’ nothin’ but your bloomers and gettin’ into all sorts of mischief. Well, I’m afraid that one day mischief is gonna sneak up behind you and bite your sweet little fanny, darlin’.”
    As intimidated and near frightened as she was by Mr. Thibodaux’s unexpected reaction to her neighborly offering of support, Cricket’s temper was even more piqued.
    “First of all, how do you know what we’re up to or when we’ve been about it?” she asked. “And second, we only do kind things for people…to remind them that they’re cared for and important. We don’t do anything malicious or unkind.”
    “Well, first of all, missy…just because I don’t ranger no more don’t mean I’m not still wary and keepin’ my eyes on the things around me. And I understand that your intentions are good—I really do.” Cricket fancied his grip on her wrists only tightened as she struggled a little to try and free herself. “But you girls ain’t seen what I’ve seen in this world,” he continued. “It ain’t every man that would allow one of you all to hop up on a waterin’ trough and kiss him the way you just did me…and then let it go at just that.”
    Cricket rolled her eyes, sighed with exasperation, and blushed with humiliation. It was obvious Heathro Thibodaux didn’t share the same vision of community and brotherly love that she and her friends did. It was obvious his previous career and experience had hardened him and harnessed him with a suspicious nature—and her temper softened a little, causing a smidgen of her exasperation to flee her being.
    “Oh, for pity’s sake, Mr. Thibodaux,” Cricket rather scolded. “This is Pike’s Creek you’re livin’ in now. What in the world could ever happen here? There’s not a man in this town that would…that would take advantage of our kindheartedness.”
    “You’re sure about that, are ya?” he asked as the frown on his handsome brow deepened.
    “Of course,” she assured him.
    “There’s not one man in this town that you don’t trust?” he asked again.
    “Not one,” Cricket answered with full confidence.
    “Are you willin’ to bet your life on that?”
    Cricket frowned again as Mr. Thibodaux’s grip tightened at her wrists—as his eyes narrowed and his gaze fell to her mouth.
    “M-my life?” she stammered, suddenly overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions—mingled fear and exhilaration. “What on earth do you mean?”
    “I asked you if you’re willin’ to bet your life on the fact that there ain’t one man in Pike’s Creek who would take advantage of your kindheartedness , girl,” he growled.
    “W-well, yes. I mean no…not my life . I-I mean…yes, I guess,” Cricket stammered. “I don’t