“Uh, sure. You need anything?”
“Nope.” He was feeling the soft center of the hoof. “I’ll be along in a couple of minutes.”
She went to the other side of the wagon, away from the horses, and tossed the wood down with a small crash.
“You okay?” Eddie called.
“Yes.”
She found a bare spot, stacked the wood, and when it failed to light after three tries, she did what anyone would do. She poured on a pint of coal oil.
Alex struck a match, tossed it and whoosh! The sky lit up like a second sunset. The flames towered above her like a fiery giant. The wood snapped and cracked and sparks flew upward, higher and higher, chased by flames that could be seen for miles, she supposed.
Heart racing, Alex circled the fire, back and forth, like a drover circling a herd, trying to make certain the flames didn’t escape her own special corral.
“Alex, what the devil was that?” Eddie hollered.
“Just getting the fire going. Don’t worry.” Lord, it was amazing how calm she could sound when she was terrified. Then, as suddenly as it had flared, it receded. Fast as you could snap your fingers, the flames sank down like someone had turned off a gas jet.
Thank goodness, she thought with a chest-heaving sigh. That was close. She pulled her hair forward, half expecting to see the ends singed. All safe.
Well, she knew how to start a fire now, that was for sure. Better yet, she did it herself without asking for help.
The rich scent of burning wood filled the night air. The flames seemed friendly now, warm and welcoming. She held her hands out to the fire, feeling the heat on her palms and her face. “Eddie, aren’t we ever going to have dinner?”
“Be right there,” he called over his shoulder.
Hunger was a great motivator, so she figured she’d better help out if she was going to expedite things. Muscles straining, she dragged the food locker across the wagon bed and out onto the tailgate, the chains stretched tight as a clothesline.
The crate was light pine and rough enough to make splinters. She pried the lid off. Her stomach growled in anticipation. Salted ham sounded good. Forget the beans, they took too long. Ah, yes, canned tomatoes should work, oh, and canned peaches for dessert. Perfect.
About that time Eddie joined her.
“What do you think?” She felt rather pleased with herself since this was a first for her.
Eddie appraised the campsite, the fire, the food display with the aplomb of a general reviewing the troops. “Fire going, food out…nice job.” He grinned and gave her shoulder an affectionate hug. “Thanks.”
Eddie rolled up his sleeves and went to work carving the ham, putting the slices in the skillet.
She watched him work for a minute, grateful that Eddie and Uncle John went camping every summer in Yosemite. “Is that going to take awhile?”
He arched one red brow. “Ten minutes or so to get it ready and another ten or so to cook. Why? Hungry?”
“I’m starved, but I was wondering if you’d mind if I washed up a bit before dinner?”
“Sure. Go ahead. I’ll do the same thing after we eat.” He pushed his hair back with the curve of his elbow, his fingers sticky with tomato juice.
It only took a minute to fetch her towel and soap from the trunk. She managed the embankment in a little more ladylike fashion this time. The fact that it was getting darker didn’t help much. The first stars of the night, the brightest ones, could already be seen in the sky. A full moon hung low over the horizon.
Hurrying up the stream, she found the pool she’d seen earlier. There was a chill in the night air and she decided not to undress completely. No, a nice sponge bath would do fine.
It was like being in her own private world. The sound of the water was melodic, soothing, relaxing. The rustle of the leaves in the breeze added to the night song.
Even in the chill, she felt muscles relax, felt the tension ease in her shoulders and back. Eyes open again, she glanced around. Yes, this was a lovely spot.
Seated on the rock, she hurried to wash, the scent of frying ham wafting down to her. There was nothing like a little washing and a good meal to set the world right.
Eager to get to that meal, she eyed the stream again. It was going to be cold. She summoned an inner grit and splashed handfuls of water against her face.
Alex groaned and shuddered as her skin turned icy. It was as refreshing as lemonade in July and just as welcome.
She made quick work of rinsing her arms and legs. Water clung to her face and eyelashes and she swiped at them with the backs of her hand.
Still blinking against the water, she grabbed up her towel and dried her skin, rubbing to get the blood moving.
She slipped on her skirt and reached for her blouse. If she was lucky, Eddie would have dinner ready by the time she got back to the camp fire. Blouse done up except for the top two buttons, she gathered her towel and soap and turned.
Two men were blocking her path.
Fear shot through her. Instinctively she stepped back, clutching the towel to her chest like armor.
Both men were cast in shadow, and she wondered how they could have gotten so close to her without her hearing them. Probably her distraction and the sound of the stream.
How long had they been standing there? Had they been watching her bathe?
Calm. Stay calm. This is the West and there could be a rational explanation for this. Stay calm.
The voice of reason preached calm, the voice of caution screamed to run for her life. Still they hadn’t made a move in her direction, hadn’t said anything threatening, so perhaps she was overreacting.
It took a couple of tries to get her voice to work. “Good evening,” she finally said with all the bravado she could muster, which wasn’t a whole heck of a lot. The night suddenly seemed much colder and much darker. She didn’t move. Neither did they. “We’re about to have dinner,” she continued, though she wasn’t sure they could hear her over the pounding of her heart. “Would you care to join us?”
For what seemed like an eternity, they stood there staring at her in a way that made her feel naked, even though she was dressed. Self-protection was overtaking all other emotions. Her fingers curled into tight fists, although she knew, deep down, she was helpless against two men.
She took another step back, her heel sinking into the soft earth at the edge of the stream, throwing her off balance, and she reached out to steady herself. One of the men said, in a voice cold and ominous, “You and the kid out here all alone?”
The man on the left spoke, his voice snake-oil smooth and equally slimy. From what she could make out, he was dressed all in dark colors—blue pants, brown shirt. A gun was tied to his left leg; that she could see with stark clarity. His hat was black and settled low so she couldn’t see his face. He was tall and thinner than his companion.
He took a menacing stride in her direction. “I asked you a question, lady.” His voice sent a shiver up her spine. “Is it just you and the kid out here?”
In a heartbeat she realized two things—first, they’d seen Eddie, and second, she and Eddie were going to die.
Moonlight cast the glade in ghostly white and gray. Her first thought was to escape, to run and not look back.