Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (59 page)

Slipping up behind the trapper, Ty
hooked his rifle around the man’s neck and tightened his hold,
effectively cutting off his wind. Within seconds, the struggle was
over as the trapper fell to the ground gasping for air.

“
She has fangs! Christ on a
crutch, she bit me!” The man struggled with Ty to display his
wounds. His plea was lost in the melee though he still tried to
fight. Pelts flew and grunts sounded from the tussle to regain
control of the situation. Soon men, who’d followed Ty, secured the
trapper quickly to a wagon wheel.

Sonja slumped to the ground in a heap,
clutching her arm to her side and wincing in pain.

Ty knelt beside her as several curious
people including Preacher Jones crowded in close.

“
She has no business out
here.” Jones interjected as several more onlookers moved in for a
look. “We should have Mr. Smoltz drop her at the next town if not
before. She’ll bring us nothing but trouble. Heed my words! She has
the mark of the unworldly!” He’d positioned himself in front of
Sonja and raised his hand as if toward heaven in a beseeching
attempt at gathering others opinions.

Sonja glowered at him with the gold of
the change shimmering in her eyes.

“
Look at her eyes!” Nelson
slithered into view and the crowd parted for him as he stepped
forward with an accusing finger pointed at Sonja.

Sonja wiped spit from her lip as the
curious onlookers tried for a better view of her
condition.

Ty hunkered beside her and gathered
her in his arms. Giving her time to calm, he motioned the curious
to step back. She shook in his hold. Her breathing was erratic and
her still glowed in the werewolf state. “Get back, will you? Give
her some room, for Christ’s sake.

She wore nothing but her nightgown,
which lay torn at the shoulder with blood staining the front.
Apparently, she’d managed to nick the would-be thief.

Briann and Hortence made it through
the curious onlookers.

“
Get back you filthy
gawkers!” Hortence shoved at the bodies, making a path with her
short, stout frame. “Act like you never seen a woman attacked
before.”

“
She bit me!” The trapper
whined from the wagon. His complaint drew a few stares from the
crowd. More movement from the side and Smoltz came into
view.

“
Break it up now. Get on
back to your wagons. Nothing to see here.” Smoltz stepped closer
and positioned himself in front of Jones. “Preacher, you got
something you want to say to me?” His stare bore into the pasty
face of the clergyman.

“
She’s trouble. We think
you ought to do something.” He gripped his nightshirt as if it was
a suit coat. “What are you going to do about this, Mr.
Smoltz?”

Briann huffed out a breath and wrapped
a shawl around Sonja’s shoulders.

Ty gathered the shawl closer. When he
ran his fingers over the sensitive area, Sonja drew back. It became
quite apparent who’d fired the bear gun at whom. A large patch of
bluing had already started to mare the alabaster of her skin where
the bear gun recoiled and shoved her backward. Briann handed Ty a
wet cloth to place on Sonja’s injury.

“
You’re gonna have yourself
a healthy bruise there before daylight,” Briann observed as she
examined at the marks growing darker by the minute on her sister’s
shoulder.

Sonja sent Briann a warning frown and
tried valiantly to hitch the shawl higher over her
shoulder.

Laying a hand over hers, Ty didn’t
know whether he tried to reassure her or himself. His heart felt as
though it would race away with him. “You’re all right now,” he said
with his hand on hers. Smoltz and Smitty lead the trapper
away.

Watching as breath by breath, Sonja
slowed her heart rate and fought to control the wolf, he wrestled
with his own erratic wild side as well. Regaining some of her lost
composure, Sonja laid a trembling hand on his. “I’m fine,” she
said, “Thank you for coming so quickly to help me. I don’t think I
could have kept him from taking Daisy by myself.”

“
He was after the mule?” Ty
recognized the effort it took for her to admit such a thing to him
and those standing around. “You did just fine, Mrs. Brooks, just
fine.” Certainly, the woman must be in shock because he never
dreamed he’d hear her admit she needed help. She gripped his
forearm for support. The tingle went all the way up his
arm.

***

Before sunrise, Sonja was up and
attempting to dress. Her shoulder was black and purple. The skin
was puffy despite the cool compresses Hortence had insisted on when
she left her the night before. Her body ached all over. Remembering
the way she’d fought with the would-be-thief, she had to admit, at
least to herself, she was glad she could still walk. There had been
a point in the struggle when the man could have easily broken her
human arm or leg. Hortence hadn’t explained if she would heal from
a human injury as rapidly as a werewolf’s. She was grateful she
didn’t have to find out.

Slowly getting her shirtwaist on and
buttoning the buttons up the front of the garment, Sonja paused and
took a moment to rest. Weak with fatigue, she sat down on the edge
of the cot while she waited until the trembling in her limbs
subsided. She must’ve been making a lot of noise because the next
came a hard, quick rapping at the back entrance to the
wagon.

“
I said are you all right
in there?” Ty’s voice was groggy with sleep.

When she peered cautiously out a slit
in the canvas cover, she could see him standing in his sock feet
next to the wagon scratching his head and yawning.

“
Mrs. Brooks—”

She didn’t let him finish. “I’m fine,”
Sonja returned and got the unexpected pleasure of seeing him flinch
slightly as if he hadn’t expected her to be so close.

“
All right. Hortence is
here. I’m getting coffee started. Let me know if I can help you.”
The sound of his voice receded from the back of the conveyance as
he busied himself with starting the cook fire.

She fully intended to dress herself.
Continuing to struggle with the ties of her skirt, Sonja sighed in
exasperation. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get the tie to
tighten enough to rest around her waist. Deciding she could, wait
for Briann, who may or may not show up to check on her or she could
ask Hortence if she could tie her up and be done with it. Logic won
out and Sonja swallowed her thin supply of pride as she gathered
the ends of the garment and descended the steps of the
wagon.

Ty turned as she approached and
cocking a brow asked the question without saying a word.

Turning to the old witch, she asked,
“I wonder if you might help me tie my skirt?” The flush of
embarrassment rose in her cheeks. “I can’t seem to tie it tight
enough for the stubborn thing to stay put.” Blushing completely,
she searched the ground for something to pin her attention on
besides Ty’s steely consideration. The man had the most irritating
way of unnerving her. The flutters in her belly started up again
and she hated the unease he made her feel when he was
near.

“
Let me help you,” he
offered blandly. “I’ll see to breakfast.”

Sonja presented her back to him and
countered, “I can see to breakfast. What would you like with your
hardtack? Grits or grits?” The glib question did a good job of
centering her world again and when he’d accomplished the task of
completing her dressing, she turned and faced him with a warm
smile.

“
Thank you, Mr. Loflin.”
She smoothed the front of her skirt.

“
My pleasure, ma’am,” he
replied with a grin.

Feeling steady again, Sonja turned to
gather the iron skillet out of its protective box. The slight
sensation of someone behind her ran up her spine, setting her
senses on alert.

“
Here, let me.”

Hortence’s hand came into her
peripheral view and grasped the skillet before she could fully lift
it out of the box. “You don’t need to be lifting anything heavy
today.”

Stilling, Sonja released her grip on
the skillet and waited until the old witch had taken a step back
before turning to escape Ty’s close proximity. She could feel the
heat from his body and it stirred a slow, simmering fire in the pit
of her stomach. Closing her eyes momentarily, she concentrated on
forcing the irritation at his opinion of her condition as well as
the butterflies in her stomach to the corner of her mind before
going to the other side of the wagon and gathering flour for
biscuits. When she returned, Hortence stood grinding coffee beans
for the pot. As they worked, things remained quiet concerning the
situation. Though Sonja ran over several things, she wanted to get
straight with Mr. Loflin in her head. Counting them off mentally
did little to ease the nagging sensation she’d lost control
somewhere along the way. The pout she sent him surmised her
mood.

“
Not a morning person, Mrs.
Brooks?” Ty’s brow arched as he caught the hard gleam in her
eye.

“
No, Mr. Loflin, I’m much a
morning person. I love to watch the sun come up over the horizon
and wash the new day in its light.” With a fork in her hand, Sonja
glanced up from the bacon she turned in the skillet. His gaze held
intensity, forcing her shift to another subject. “You’re going out
today?” Sure, he understood her meaning, she flicked a glance at
him as he rubbed at the knees of his hide britches. Struggling to
concentrate on the meat in the pan instead of the man across the
fire, Sonja returned her focus to the skillet.

With a long, fluid movement, Ty leaned
across the fire and lifted the coffee pot. Carefully refilling his
cup, he inclined his head in her direction. “Would you like another
cup?”

The smile she gave him was brittle,
but sufficient, she mused. “Yes, please.” She noted the strong
length of his fingers as he maneuvered the pot to hover slightly
above her cup.

“
Don’t see many women who
take their coffee black,” he commented. “Is that because of the
lack of cream out here in the wilderness or have you always enjoyed
it that way?”

Hortence laughed.

His question was conversational in
tone and Sonja found her back relaxing once again as she gave him a
slight quirk of her lips. “My father taught me to like coffee the
way he did.” She shook her head slightly. “Much to my mother’s
chagrin.” Her eyes sparkled with tears when she thought of her
mother. What would she think of her daughter as a
werewolf?

“
Biscuits are ready,” Ty
observed as he raised the lid on the Dutch oven nestled in the
coals of the fire. Again, with the mitt, he pulled the black pot
out of the fire and gently retrieved a biscuit from it with a fork.
Cautiously maneuvering it to her plate, Ty offered her the tin can
of syrup with his free hand. The gentle smile creasing his tanned
face brought her back from her memories.

“
I don’t mean to ruin your
breakfast, but I have to tell you, I won’t be going out today.
Smoltz wants me to drive your team since you’re injured.” He
glanced up from his plate.

Sonja couldn’t say what crossed her
mind at such a point, except to be startled at her wayward
thoughts. Rather than being upset with his handling of the
situation, like she should be, her mind raced ahead and imagined
herself seated next to his muscled body on the wagon seat. “I
should have known,” she fairly breathed. In her condition she
didn’t have the strength to drive the team today. What bothered her
was how he’d made the decision for her without as much as a
word.

“
Do you always get your
way, Lieutenant?” Unable to help the temper rising in her eyes,
Sonja shot him a caustic look.

“
Yes, ma’am. I
do.”

Hortence laughed again.

Flat and
to the point, she mused. “You’re thoroughly infuriating!” She
didn’t care if God himself ordered him to drive her team. They
were
her
team.
“You could’ve had the decency to at least ask. Are you sure you
aren’t needed elsewhere today?” Unable to keep the sarcasm out of
her tone, Sonja cut cool eyes at the rough as nails male figure
sitting only feet away.

“
No, ma’am.” He glanced up
from his biscuit as he mopped the syrup from the plate with it.
After stuffing the remainder of the biscuit in his mouth and
swallowing, Ty inclined his head as he rose to wash his plate and
tidy up. “We’ll be in Balch Springs soon. We can get a doctor to
take a look at your shoulder.”

Sonja’s spine stiffened. He hadn’t
argued with her over her right to choose whether to drive her team
herself or not. He’d changed the subject, which was almost as
infuriating. “I’m fine, really,” she emphasized. “The bruising
makes it look a lot worse than it really is. Why, by tomorrow, I
should be right as rain.” The confident smile she sent him fell
short of her own beliefs but no one needed to know of those
beliefs.

Hortence let out a huff of breath and
got up from her spot to clear dishes. Mumbling under her breath,
she went about the chore without any more interest in the
conversation.

With a strong hand, Ty rubbed the back
of his neck below his braid and considered the statement as he
studied the fire. “That may be true, Mrs. Brooks, but I’d
appreciate it if you’d do it for me. This will be our only
opportunity to get a medical opinion for several hundred miles. It
would ease my concern over your well-being
considerably.”