it right off. As for Will, she could tell he was angry, maybe a lot more than angry. And she knew it all had to do with Alanna McLeod.
Beside her, Will rode with his face fixed in fury, dark eyes staring straight ahead over the plains. A shiver ran down her spine. Jack had hated her, but it had been a controlled hate. The rage she saw in Will Cushing’s eyes was something deeper and more personal. Jack may have wanted her dead but she suspected Will wished something far worse than death on her. She was afraid to imagine what that might be.
How impossible this is , she thought, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. She had gone to Cristobel in the hopes of curing her restlessness, to try and figure out what was wrong with her. The whole idea of traveling into the past seemed an answer of sorts, or at least, an adventure. But instead, here she was, stuck in 1881, hot, sweaty, miserable, sick to her stomach, and riding across the plains in the hands of an outlaw. Not what she’d had in mind.
She told herself to think, to use her brain, certain she was ten times smarter than Will Cushing or that stupid boy. But she was too tired to think. She didn’t want to play anymore. She wanted to go home.
“Say there, Miss Alanna, that sure is a pretty blouse you got on.”
Katherine gave him a withering glance, dismissing him with a flick of her eyes.
“Well, hells bells, you don’t have to be rude.”
“No, I don’t,” Katherine replied sweetly, “but sometimes I enjoy it.”
“I oughta slap you again.”
“I don’t think that would be wise. I’ve made bigger boys than you cry.”
Tommy swallowed and kicked his horse ahead, tossing the lead rope to Will. “Here,” he said sourly, “you take her.”
Will snickered and caught the rope, pulling Katherine’s mount close and grinning at Katherine. “Same old Alanna,” he said, “You always were quick with that tongue of yours.”
Katherine didn’t answer, not daring to.
“What’s the matter? Can’t think of anything to say to me? After all this time?”
Words froze on her lips as his tone changed from sarcastic to menacing. She looked away, trembling under his dark gaze and wondering if hanging might be preferable to whatever Will had in store for her.
“That’s right, you jus’ keep quiet. It’s easy puttin’ fear into boys that don’t know any better. But I know you, only too well. An’ I ain’t afraid of you, hell I don’t even like you anymore.” He spat into the ground as if to prove his point.
“But you did once, didn’t you,” Katherine asked, her voice shaking.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear you talk.”
Katherine snapped her mouth shut. Good lord, what had the woman done to make so many people hate her?
❧
It was close to dark when Will called a halt, leading them off to the side of the road. Not that there was much difference. The few trees Katherine could see appeared skeletal in the dying light, as if the heat had burnt them up. The road was lost in the shadows until the moon rose up, pale and silvery, casting everything in black and white. A few stars broke out over the sky, pricking the darkness with their glimmering light.
Katherine had long since ceased to think of anything but her need to urinate. She had been uncomfortable for hours now and each time they had come up over a rise she had strained to see anything that might resemble civilization. But each time she had been greeted with nothing more than the road twisting out over the plains and no sign whatsoever of anything that might be considered “facilities.”
She had meant to say something half a dozen times but Will’s face made her swallow her words. God only knew how he would react. Now, as she slipped down from Jack’s horse, she knew she had to say something. She turned to face Will who was rummaging about in his saddlebags. She cleared her throat and he glanced at her, the dark mercifully hiding his features.
“I need to use an outhouse,”
Beside her, Will rode with his face fixed in fury, dark eyes staring straight ahead over the plains. A shiver ran down her spine. Jack had hated her, but it had been a controlled hate. The rage she saw in Will Cushing’s eyes was something deeper and more personal. Jack may have wanted her dead but she suspected Will wished something far worse than death on her. She was afraid to imagine what that might be.
How impossible this is , she thought, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. She had gone to Cristobel in the hopes of curing her restlessness, to try and figure out what was wrong with her. The whole idea of traveling into the past seemed an answer of sorts, or at least, an adventure. But instead, here she was, stuck in 1881, hot, sweaty, miserable, sick to her stomach, and riding across the plains in the hands of an outlaw. Not what she’d had in mind.
She told herself to think, to use her brain, certain she was ten times smarter than Will Cushing or that stupid boy. But she was too tired to think. She didn’t want to play anymore. She wanted to go home.
“Say there, Miss Alanna, that sure is a pretty blouse you got on.”
Katherine gave him a withering glance, dismissing him with a flick of her eyes.
“Well, hells bells, you don’t have to be rude.”
“No, I don’t,” Katherine replied sweetly, “but sometimes I enjoy it.”
“I oughta slap you again.”
“I don’t think that would be wise. I’ve made bigger boys than you cry.”
Tommy swallowed and kicked his horse ahead, tossing the lead rope to Will. “Here,” he said sourly, “you take her.”
Will snickered and caught the rope, pulling Katherine’s mount close and grinning at Katherine. “Same old Alanna,” he said, “You always were quick with that tongue of yours.”
Katherine didn’t answer, not daring to.
“What’s the matter? Can’t think of anything to say to me? After all this time?”
Words froze on her lips as his tone changed from sarcastic to menacing. She looked away, trembling under his dark gaze and wondering if hanging might be preferable to whatever Will had in store for her.
“That’s right, you jus’ keep quiet. It’s easy puttin’ fear into boys that don’t know any better. But I know you, only too well. An’ I ain’t afraid of you, hell I don’t even like you anymore.” He spat into the ground as if to prove his point.
“But you did once, didn’t you,” Katherine asked, her voice shaking.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear you talk.”
Katherine snapped her mouth shut. Good lord, what had the woman done to make so many people hate her?
❧
It was close to dark when Will called a halt, leading them off to the side of the road. Not that there was much difference. The few trees Katherine could see appeared skeletal in the dying light, as if the heat had burnt them up. The road was lost in the shadows until the moon rose up, pale and silvery, casting everything in black and white. A few stars broke out over the sky, pricking the darkness with their glimmering light.
Katherine had long since ceased to think of anything but her need to urinate. She had been uncomfortable for hours now and each time they had come up over a rise she had strained to see anything that might resemble civilization. But each time she had been greeted with nothing more than the road twisting out over the plains and no sign whatsoever of anything that might be considered “facilities.”
She had meant to say something half a dozen times but Will’s face made her swallow her words. God only knew how he would react. Now, as she slipped down from Jack’s horse, she knew she had to say something. She turned to face Will who was rummaging about in his saddlebags. She cleared her throat and he glanced at her, the dark mercifully hiding his features.
“I need to use an outhouse,”
Similar Books
