Love by Dawn Read Online Free Page B

could’ve
happened. She had always looked after him, even as children. She
was a mother to him when their ma died and a better parent when
their pa was away. His sister had to grow up fast and never had
much of a childhood. Now he had put a bigger burden on her
shoulders. For a small girl, she stood taller than any person in
his life.
    Would he ever be able to make it up to her?
What a fool he had been. She would have been better off if he had
been killed.
    Damn, he would tan her hide if he wasn’t tied
up like a steer. Just as he looked at her, she glanced from under
the brim of the hat with a warning gleam in her golden eyes but she
was stead-fast not to reveal her joy at seeing him. He had turned
quickly away so the cowboy wouldn’t see the expression on his
face.
    His sister just made his predicament
worse…
     

 
    FOUR

    The only sounds that accompanied the three
travelers were from birds that freckled the sky, or a horse’s
whinny. But for Casey, it was just as well the rugged wilderness
was placid and still, for she was deep into her own thoughts. She
couldn’t shake the notion of what she felt when she looked at the
tall stranger. Something stirred in the pit of her stomach. She
rolled her tired shoulders trying to get the weight of her troubles
off them, but she only pushed the pressure down her stiff spine.
Although bone weary, she fought drowsiness and was determined to
free her brother, no matter what!
    Before they stopped again to make camp, she
noticed Hunter had sagged in his saddle. Her heart went out to him;
she had yet to tell him of their father. Maybe her chance to free
her brother would come tonight. When they finally stopped, the
cowboy asked her to make a fire. He told her to get a can of beans
from his saddlebag while he and Hunter went into the woods to
relieve themselves. She nodded and turned her head.
    “Like to join us first?” he asked, as he
continued eyeing her up and down suspiciously. Casey stiffened and
tried not to show her embarrassment. “No… err, no thanks, mister,”
she croaked. “Maybe later.” The truth was, she was ready to explode
and she almost peed in her pants.
    The cowboy shrugged with indifference, “You
have a good bladder and call me Blake.”
    “Err… yeah, mis…err, Blake,” she murmured
and swiveled quickly, giving him her back before she hurried over
to the thickets to gather up wood. Her body temperature must have
risen to a boil because her temples pounded. That sensation was
something new to her and she was annoyed at herself for letting it
happen. She had to be careful around that cowboy. After she made
the fire and heated the beans, she was desperate to relieve
herself, but was mortified at the thought when excusing
herself.
    After relieving himself, Blake assumed that
the lad was just modest. The drifter was still young and probably
felt small compared to grown men; he chuckled, remembering being
young once. His mind had been on the young kid as they journeyed;
there was something strange about the lad that he couldn’t put his
finger on. Although, he couldn’t get a good look at him because of
the dirt and hat, he thought his features were too fine for a boy.
The dirt didn’t hide the twin dimples that appeared on the face
when it smiled slightly at the mention he was welcome to tag along.
Blake got a fleeting glimpse of the kid’s light brown eyes and he
marveled how big they were. He was uneasy and couldn’t understand
why the boy affected him so strangely.
    After the meal, he tied his prisoner securely
to a tree. “Why are you taking him to Fort Tate?” asked the
kid.
    He scowled into his tin cup and tossed the
coffee dregs onto the ground. How could he explain that he was
doing something that went again the grain?
    Casey just had to ask, as
casually as she could manage, “Did he kill someone,” she added to
threw him off track. He simply said, “No he didn’t kill anyone,”
and left it at that. She figured he didn’t want to