No woman was his lookout. No, not ever again.
He gave thanks when the fir and pines guarding his land closed her from his sight. All he heard was the faint squeak-squee-eak of a buggy wheel and then nothing but silence.
Just the way he liked it.
Well, that hadnt gone too badly, considering. Betsy waited until she was certain Mr. Hennessey was well out of sight before she retrieved her lunch pail from beneath the seat.
As she unwrapped her tomato, lettuce and salt pork sandwich, she felt sorry for her least-favorite customeralthough, on objective terms, he was her best client. He paid extra delivery fees, for he was far out of her usual delivery area. It was nearly an entire afternoons round trip. Twenty miles one way. Mr. Curmudgeonoops! Mr. Hennesseypaid more to have his laundry brought to him than for the actual washing and ironing itself. With the county having come upon hard times from storms and drought, she couldnt afford to alienate a single customer.
Which is what troubled her as she bit into her sandwich. The crisp salty pork and sweet fresh tomato and her mas rye bread made her stomach growl all the harder, it was so good. She chewed, planting the water jug between her thighs to hold it steady while she worked the stopper with her free hand. It gave with a pop and she took a long cool swing.
Much better. Dealing with Mr. Difficult was always a trial, but shed managed to do fairly well this time. Hed been surprised to see hershed known he would be. Hed growled and given a very intimidating scowl, but he hadnt fired her. He wasnt going to. He couldnt fool her. She had taken his measure long ago. Her Mr. Curmudgeon was a wounded beast whose snarl was much worse than his bite.
He was simply an unhappy and distrustful loner. She wondered what had made him like that. Had he always been so bitter? What heartbreak could have possibly made him that way? What would compel a man to retreat from civilization and live alone in the wilderness, over twenty miles from the nearest town?
Whatever happened to him, it had to have been terribly tragic. Betsy tried to imagine the possibilities as she transferred the half-eaten sandwich into her driving hand and dug in her little lunch pail with the other. The image of Duncan Hennessey, shirtless, his glorious male form kissed by the brazen sun, troubled her. He was one fine-looking man. Too fine for the life of a recluse. It was a woman that had broken his spirit. Maybe shed jilted him. Or maybe shed died.
Yes, she knew that pain. Although shed been a widow for over five years now, the sadness of losing Charlie remained. If she hadnt had a loving family and wonderful friends to keep her firmly in this world, she could see how that painful grief could drive a person to a solitary life.
Losing a loved one hurt more than anything. It was one reason shed never been able to remarry. The thought of being so vulnerable again frightened her. Her life, her heart, her very soul had been devastated. Maybe that was why Mr. Hennessey was so unpleasant. He never wanted to let anyone into his heart again.
Her heart twisted in sympathy. As beastly as he was on the outside only pointed to a deep, private pain. The poor man. Thats why she never allowed his surly behavior to trouble her. As she unwrapped her slice of strawberry pie, she vowed to be even friendlier the next time she crossed his path.
With her mouth watering, she took a rich, creamy bite. Sweet berries burst on her tongue and she moaned in delight. She savored the lovely flavors, for she believed hat the enjoyment of a good dessert should ever be rushed.
For no reason, Morris froze in the middle of the path and the buggy jerked at the sudden stop. She looked up in surprise as the fork tumbled out of her fingers, taking her next bite of pie with it. She watched the steel utensil and ruby-red strawberries tumble between the dash and the whiffletree. Before dismay could settle in, she realized her horse was twitching, as if a thousand flies were crawling over his warm coat, but there wasnt a single fly anywhere.
What was wrong with Morris? There was no danger in sight, although it was very shadowy. The ancient trees blocked most of the light from the sky and they seemed to moan, but that was just the rising wind rubbing limbs together.
Its all right, sweet boy. She reached to set the brake so she could hop out and retrieve her fork.
Morriss ears swiveled, as if he heard some danger approaching, and he gave a frightened whinny. That simply couldnt be a good sign. Betsy pushed her meal aside, her dessert forgotten and reached for the Winchester.
It wasnt on the seat where it was supposed to be. Her tin lunch pail sat there instead, emitting the scent of wonderful strawberries. Where did the gun go? The tiny hairs along Betsys nape stood straight on end and tingled. She wanted her rifle.
As Morris whinnied again, she dropped to her knees on the floorboards. There it was. She grasped the sun-warmed barrel in time to see a shadow move between the treesa tall figure with wide shoulders and brawny arms. She caught a glimpse of dark hair above harsh black eyes. That wasnt Mr. Hennessey, was it?
The branches parted and it wasnt Mr. Hennessey breaking through the thick undergrowth. It was a bear.
The blood rushed from her head as the great black bear reared up on his hind legs, using his powerful limbs and claws to break away the impeding ever-greens. Thick boughs snapped like gunfire, but it was a small sound compared to the bears furious roar. His enormous jaws twisted open, exposing huge rows of teeth. Sharp, jagged teeth made for tearing his prey into small, manageable bites.
Time seemed to slow. She couldnt lift the gun fast enough. The bear was reaching out with his enormous humanlike hands, except for the lethal claws at the tips. As he roared again, saliva dripped from his mouth. The beast was looking for lunch, and she doubted he wanted her sandwich or her pie, although they were both very good. He was eyeing her horse!
In a strangely eerie slow motion, the bear began to lunge and she positioned the Winchester against her shoulder and aimed. As the bear emerged onto the road, her finger found the trigger and, pulse thudding in her ears so hard she was shaking with the force of it, she squeezed. Light and smoke exploded from the steel barrel. The gun kicked hard against her shoulder and leaped out of her hands. The bear roared again and slapped at his left arm.
Like an indignant human, the creature gazed down at his fur, saw the blood, and attacked. Betsy fumbled for the gun, but her right arm was numb and didnt move as fast as she wanted it to. Morris chose that moment to leap into a full gallop. The buggy jerked, she lost her balance and tumbled right off the floor, rolling head over skirts in midair. For the brief instant she was upside down, with her petticoats spilling over her face and the ground rushing up to meet her, she caught sight of her fork shimmering in the bright sunshine.
It was an odd thing to notice, she thought in the last few seconds she had left to live. The bears enormous hairy feet were pounding toward her and her thoughts flashed forward in time. If she somehow lived to tell this tale to her dear friends, whom she was to meet this afternoon for tea, she could imagine how they would laugh hysterically about the bears feet. It would sure make a funny story, how she was almost eaten by a bear while eating her lunch
The ground stuck her hard in the back and seemed to jar some sense into her. Her body impacted next. Pain thudded through her. Air left her lungs in a whoosh. Suddenly a shadow rose over her and she squeezed her eyes shut. She no longer had hold of her gun. She was defenseless and this was itthis was death. She didnt want to see the bears terrifying teeth and lethal jaw opening wide to take a bite of her. Fear turned her blood to ice and there was nothing she could do. There was no way to stop him
The ground stuck her hard in the back and seemed to jar some sense into her. Her body impacted next. Pain thudded through her. Air left her lungs in a whoosh. Suddenly a shadow rose over her and she squeezed her eyes shut. She no longer had hold of her gun. She was defenseless and this was itthis was death. She didnt want to see the bears terrifying teeth and lethal jaw opening wide to take a bite of her. Fear turned her blood to ice and there was nothing she could do. There was no way to stop him
A gunshot cannoned above the pounding sound in her ears. The bear roared a final time before the earth quaked around her. Betsy opened one eye and realized the bear, with blood oozing from a bullet wound between his eyes, was lying right beside her. Another creature was towering over both of them, casting them in his significant shadow.
For a moment Betsy wondered if it was another bear, for that was the impression he gaveof raw lethal power and wild fury. But bears didnt wear leather boots and denims or carry a polished rifle.
Duncan Hennessey stared down at her with a grimace so terrifying he made the charging bear seem friendly. She tried to drag air into her spasming lungs and failed. As she coughed and gasped, she looked at the dead bear with longing.
She would have much rather dealt with that beast than the one towering over her, loaded gun in one hand and eyes black with rage.
Chapter Two
Duncan noticed the fork and the strawberries gleaming bright red in the middle of the grassy road and took in the scent of fried, crispy salt pork. Women. Most of them didnt have a drop of common sense. Not that he cared.
Hed done the right thing in coming to her rescue, but it only made him more annoyed. He was doing fine alone. It was other people that brought misery. Today, hed been content enough to work on his winter supply of wood. But a woman comes along and, by getting herself nearly killed, forces him to become involved.
He hadnt run full-speed through the forest because hed been concerned about her. Nope. He simply couldnt let a pretty woman get hurt, because she was bound to be missed and someone would come looking for her and blame him for whatever happened.
Really. He was just acting out of his own best interests and not some noble code to protect the weaker. He didnt care about her at all, even if her big blue eyes were wide with fear and her softly ample bosom rose and fell as she gasped for air. He steeled his feelings against her, because it was the only thing he could do. Women came with a cost. Hed paid with his life, his future and his family.
It had been too much.
She was safe now. What he ought to do was leave her heaving for breath in the road and let her find her horse on her own. Maybe that would teach her a lesson, he reasoned. What he really wanted was to get away from her before any misunderstandings occurred. You could just never tell what a woman was plotting. Even with something as innocent as this.
He pushed the panic rising within him away and headed for the downed bear. Fine, a bear had attacked her, but even this could get twisted around. All anyone might see was a horse and empty buggy fleeing the forest, the pretty young woman missing, and it would start all over again.
The images raced through his mind like a river at flood stage, speeding and fingering into little eddies so that more memories came to life. The noise of the crowds, the jeers of hatred, the cold metal encircling his wrists and the final clank as the marshal closed them.
He could feel the agony in his mothers broken heart and, in bleak devastation, felt as lost as the darkness in the cells blackest corners. The rank odors of the windowless holding cell filled his nose, where he could not sleep because he couldnt see the sky. Hed lain awake waiting for the night to pass.
Waiting to see if they would hang him come morning.
No, that wasnt going to happen again. Never again. Rage made him as hard and as cruel as the mountains behind him. He refused to touch the woman. Her skirts were askew and her bare knee was showing. He made sure he kept his distance as he knelt so they were eye level. Her porcelain features crinkled as she fought to breathe. She looked at him with the question clear on her face. Help me?
Only so much, lady. He checked to make sure the bear was good and truly dead. No pulse beat in his throat and his chest was as still as the earth. Good. Now he could think about what to do with the woman. Just relax. Try to breathe in slow. Youre gonna be just fine.
Her gaze latched on to his, and he felt the impact as if shed reached out with her soft dainty hands and grabbed hold of his throat. More panic zipped through his system as if hed been struck by lightning. He felt her fear, and he understood. Shed had a pretty good scare. That could unsettle a person.
Hed done time as a soldier in the Great War between the states and had come across enough wounded there, in prison and in these mountains that he knew by looking she wasnt hurt. Just scared. Fear could be a living thing, he knew, seizing up a person.
Cmon now, you just got the wind knocked out of you. He simply needed to get her thinking about something besides the dead bear beside her. What did you think you were doing, eating in these woods? Its feeding time for the bears. You know they hibernate, right?
The fear glazing her eyes was fading. Air rasped into her lungs.
Being angry with her was working, so he kept on going. Bears eat a lot before they hibernate. That means they are hungry. Any person with a speck of sense knows to stay away from hungry bears. But not you. You open up a salt pork sandwich and strawberries. Strawberries.
He hated to think what would have happened if he hadnt gone against his principles and come running when hed heard her gunshot.
She was breathing nearly regular now and the color was back in her face. He fought the urge to help her up and to treat the cut bleeding on her hand. It was the same protective instinct that had gotten him in trouble long ago, so he straightened and began to back away until hed put a few more yards between them.
Now what should he do? Her horse and vehicle were gone, and there was no telling where hed find them. She was female, and they were alone together. He didnt like her, he didnt trust her and he didnt want her anywhere near him.
He couldnt leave her alone.
She was a little thing. Hed never studied her this close before. A tiny blanket of freckles lay on her nose and cheeks. Her eyelashes were thick and dark, and there was something so vulnerable in the way she sat up and wiped the grass seeds out of her hair with a shaking hand.
Something moved deep down within the iron weight that had replaced his heart. It wasnt a feelinghe didnt have feelings. Hed found no need for them, but he couldnt rightly say what hurt where his heart used to be.
It was probably indigestion. Thats what he got for running hard through the forest right after his noon meal.
The problem was still before him. The woman. What should he do with her? Can you stand?
I think so. She smoothed her skirts as if gathering up her strength, but she didnt get on her feet.
Fine, hed carry her, saddle up a horse and make sure she was able to sit in the saddle
Branches broke with a snap-snap in the woods behind him. The womans eyes flashed wide and utter fear twisted on her lovely face. Duncan pivoted, hauled his rifle up by the stock, but the big black bear was moving fast.