Love by Dawn Read Online Free

would dare but she suspected he would be handsome.
    Peeking up higher, he quickly looked over in
her direction and she hastily ducked back down. Breathing in
shallow gasps, she crossed her fingers that she wasn’t spotted. It
seemed as if hours passed as she sat nervously on the ground
wondering if he detected her presence. Would he pounce on her? But
to her embarrassment, she heard him relieve himself nearby. She
waited until it was quiet before she risked peeking again. He went
over to a sleeping form and nudged him with his foot.
    The stranger helped his captive sit up and
there was no doubt that this was her brother. She watched with
acute and loving anxiety but gasped seeing Hunter’s bandaged head
and bound hands. This angered her but she was pleased to see he was
not seriously wounded.
    Immediately, Casey returned to her horse and
stuffed her long hair under her hat and put dirt on her face hoping
to fool the stranger into thinking she was a boy so she could put
her plan into action. With the heel of her boot, she kicked her
mount into the clearing, noticing that Hunter was already sitting
by a tree watching the tall cowboy build a fire. She took a deep
breath, praying her brother wouldn’t give her away.
    “Hello!” she called out, making her voice as
deep as possible, which was easy for her since her voice was quite
low for a female. She kept her head bent hoping Hunter wouldn’t
recognize her right away.
    The cowboy stood and curiously eyed her.
    Casey forced her nerves to settle down.
She’d always prided herself on being strong. And it wasn’t the
predicament that put her nerves on edge, but the way the stranger
gazed at her. He had clear, observant eyes and she feared he could
see through her disguise. She swallowed the lump in her throat
hoping for the best and inquired, “I’m looking for Fort Tate. Do
you know if I am headed in the right direction?”
    The cowboy nodded, still scrutinizing her
suspiciously as he came up beside her and it was the first time she
got a good look at his face. He was indeed, God Almighty good
looking. She sucked in a long breath of air, for he was just as
handsome as she knew he would be and then some. Although, sporting
a few days growth of hair on his chin, which gave him a more manly
appearance, it was his incredible palest blue eyes that held her
spellbound; like the northern sky on a sunny day. His eyebrows and
hair was a sandy blonde, but not as light as hers. His nose was
long and straight and his lips were full and kissable.
    She blinked. Why on earth did she have such thoughts? Then she cleared her throat, hoping he didn’t
notice her observing him.
    “Where’re you from boy? And why are you out
here all alone? Kinda young to be drifting out on your own, aren’t
ya?”
    “Well, I’d tell ya mister,” she drawled, “but
I don’t reckon it’s any of ya business. And I’m old enough to take
care of myself.” She knew she sounded harsh and hoped she didn’t
offend him too much. Not expecting him to question her on her
whereabouts, she didn’t have an answer for him. He looked at her
for a long time and although she was now sitting high on Sadie,
Casey felt very small for the moment. Did her voice betray how
nervous she really was?
    “Snappy little type, aren’t you,” he spat and
then shrugged. “But as you say, it’s none of my business. The fort
is another day’s ride,” he answered.
    Casey nodded, not trusting her voice anymore;
her throat was dry as sand. What was it about this cowboy that made
her uneasy? She took a swig of water from her canteen wanting to
splash the clear liquid on her face, but she didn’t wish to remove
the dirt. She watched the cow-boy return to his fire to pour
himself a cup of coffee. He opened a can of beans and her stomach
rumbled. Not wanting him to see the hunger in her eyes she turned
away to study her brother.
    “I have a prisoner to escort to Fort Tate,”
the cowboy volunteered, “but you can ride with us.