The Law and Miss Penny Read Online Free
Author: Sharon Ihle
watched the marshal's eyelids flutter and then grow still. Glancing up at her father, she said, "He's worse than I thought. He's going to need a lot more care than I can give him out here."
Speaking in her usual drowsy manner, Oda made her own observation. "You know how serious a bump on the head can look at first. I bet he'll be up in no time."
Again Mariah parted the marshal's auburn lashes. "I don't think so. Take a look at those eyes."
Both Oda and her husband peered down at the injured man. Zack chuckled at the sight. "He looks just like that big yellow dog of yours did the day he tangled with our mule a few years back. Remember him?"
"You mean Cain?" Mariah thought back to her childhood and her very first pet. She'd been sure that the mule had killed her precious dog, what with his brown eyes rolled back into his head and his tongue hanging out, but Cain had surprised her by leaping to his feet a few minutes after the incident, and running off as if nothing had ever happened. She laughed at the memory. "I guess the marshal does look a little like Cain now that you mention it. Even his tongue's hanging out."
"Not only looks like him," Oda said. "The way this fellah struts around flapping that ornery tongue of his, he and that dog could be twins when it comes to just plain raising Cain."
Chuckling to herself over the recollections of why they'd chosen such a name for the dog, Mariah continued to sweep the salts across the marshal's upper lip as she playfully said, "Come on, Cain the Second. Wake up."
He stirred again, tasting something vile. The horrid, bitter odor had returned. Through the pain inside his head he heard voices, words too vague and fuzzy to understand except for the one: Cain. Cain this and Cain that, he thought he heard them say. That loathsome smell reached his nostrils again, this time permeating his brain and burning the backs of his eyeballs, jolting him to wide-eyed consciousness.
"Take it easy," Mariah said, pinning the marshal's shoulders to the ground. "You've had a little accident."
His blurred gaze darted to the woman, and then beyond her to a pair of vague figures who stood staring down at him. The trio might have been wooden statues for all they meant to him. "What—what happened? Who are you?"
Mariah shot a curious gaze to her father as she spoke to the lawman. "We're the Penny family. Who are you?"
He opened his mouth to speak before he realized he didn't know what to say. It was a ridiculous state to be in—confused, here in body, but not in mind. He knew his name. Of course he knew his name. It was... hell, he didn't know. He sighed, straining to remember, knowing the answers were lying there in the folds of his injured brain, not knowing how to reach them.
He made another effort, and became enraged at his lack of instant success. Any damn fool knew his own name, any damn idiot at all. He tried harder. Everyone knew their name. Everyone. And his was...
Chapter 2
"...Cain?"
Yes, he thought. That had to be it. That was the word he kept hearing over and over as he clawed his way back to consciousness. These folks, whoever they were, had been calling him by name, trying to get him to wake up. Yes, of course, that was it-something that finally made sense. He said the name again, testing it, sounding a lot more confident than he felt. "My name is Cain."
Cain? Mariah thought incredulously. Was it possible the man didn't even know who he was? She bit back a smile. "That's your name all right, Cain. I guess you're not in as bad a shape as we first thought you were."
Zack and Oda exchanged puzzled glances, but kept their silence. As his daughter's amused gaze met his, Zack slowly nodded and gestured for her to continue talking with the marshal.
"What else do you remember?" she asked, expecting little as she saw the utter confusion in his eyes. "What about a last name? Do you know what that is?"
Of course he knew what a last name was, he thought. Did she think
Speaking in her usual drowsy manner, Oda made her own observation. "You know how serious a bump on the head can look at first. I bet he'll be up in no time."
Again Mariah parted the marshal's auburn lashes. "I don't think so. Take a look at those eyes."
Both Oda and her husband peered down at the injured man. Zack chuckled at the sight. "He looks just like that big yellow dog of yours did the day he tangled with our mule a few years back. Remember him?"
"You mean Cain?" Mariah thought back to her childhood and her very first pet. She'd been sure that the mule had killed her precious dog, what with his brown eyes rolled back into his head and his tongue hanging out, but Cain had surprised her by leaping to his feet a few minutes after the incident, and running off as if nothing had ever happened. She laughed at the memory. "I guess the marshal does look a little like Cain now that you mention it. Even his tongue's hanging out."
"Not only looks like him," Oda said. "The way this fellah struts around flapping that ornery tongue of his, he and that dog could be twins when it comes to just plain raising Cain."
Chuckling to herself over the recollections of why they'd chosen such a name for the dog, Mariah continued to sweep the salts across the marshal's upper lip as she playfully said, "Come on, Cain the Second. Wake up."
He stirred again, tasting something vile. The horrid, bitter odor had returned. Through the pain inside his head he heard voices, words too vague and fuzzy to understand except for the one: Cain. Cain this and Cain that, he thought he heard them say. That loathsome smell reached his nostrils again, this time permeating his brain and burning the backs of his eyeballs, jolting him to wide-eyed consciousness.
"Take it easy," Mariah said, pinning the marshal's shoulders to the ground. "You've had a little accident."
His blurred gaze darted to the woman, and then beyond her to a pair of vague figures who stood staring down at him. The trio might have been wooden statues for all they meant to him. "What—what happened? Who are you?"
Mariah shot a curious gaze to her father as she spoke to the lawman. "We're the Penny family. Who are you?"
He opened his mouth to speak before he realized he didn't know what to say. It was a ridiculous state to be in—confused, here in body, but not in mind. He knew his name. Of course he knew his name. It was... hell, he didn't know. He sighed, straining to remember, knowing the answers were lying there in the folds of his injured brain, not knowing how to reach them.
He made another effort, and became enraged at his lack of instant success. Any damn fool knew his own name, any damn idiot at all. He tried harder. Everyone knew their name. Everyone. And his was...
Chapter 2
"...Cain?"
Yes, he thought. That had to be it. That was the word he kept hearing over and over as he clawed his way back to consciousness. These folks, whoever they were, had been calling him by name, trying to get him to wake up. Yes, of course, that was it-something that finally made sense. He said the name again, testing it, sounding a lot more confident than he felt. "My name is Cain."
Cain? Mariah thought incredulously. Was it possible the man didn't even know who he was? She bit back a smile. "That's your name all right, Cain. I guess you're not in as bad a shape as we first thought you were."
Zack and Oda exchanged puzzled glances, but kept their silence. As his daughter's amused gaze met his, Zack slowly nodded and gestured for her to continue talking with the marshal.
"What else do you remember?" she asked, expecting little as she saw the utter confusion in his eyes. "What about a last name? Do you know what that is?"
Of course he knew what a last name was, he thought. Did she think
Readers choose
Simon Beckett
Lucia Jordan
Denise Swanson
Evie Rhodes
Julie Kenner
Aaron Thier
Margaret Duffy