Kate's Outlaw (Steam! Romance and Rails) Read Free Page B

bothering the horse. Perhaps she needed to relieve herself.
    “ Tsa-li , hold up,” he called out. “She needs a rest." And so do I .
    After his cousin halted, Jake dismounted and helped her down. Every muscle in his body had knotted up, and he ached for a release he wouldn't get unless he went off somewhere and took care of it.
    He motioned to a clump of bushes where she could have privacy. They hadn't spoken a word of English the entire time. He didn't want her to know he understood her language because once he took off that gag she would try to talk to him. He didn't want to talk to her. In fact, he didn't want to look at her. And he sure as hell didn't want to feel her soft body pressed up against him for one more second.
    Redbird raised her bound hands and behind the gag her face twisted with misery. She couldn't take care of her needs with her hands tied.
    Jake unknotted the leather bonds and his chest tightened. Beneath the cords, her wrists had been rubbed raw. He hadn’t intended to hurt her. How could he reassure her without words that he meant no harm? There was no way around it. He would have to talk to her.
    "Go take care of yourself, then come back. If you behave, I won't tie you up again. But if you try to get away, I'll strap you over my horse."
     
    ###
     
    Kate gaped at her captor, astonished by the flawless English that had come out of his mouth. All these hours, he’d spoken to his comrade in guttural words she couldn’t understand. Why had he waited so long to make her aware he could speak her language? He must have been trying to hide the fact.
    She withdrew her hands from his grasp, a gentle hold that seemed at odds with his stern expression. When she pulled the gag from her mouth, his eyes narrowed, but he didn't stop her. She darted a nervous glance at his partner, who stared unblinking. The horrible stories she’d heard of rapes and scalping swirled through her mind. Was that what lay in store? Her skin, already damp with perspiration, turned clammy.
    “Go on,” her captor urged. His eyebrows, which were the color and shape of raven’s wings, gathered in a frown. "And be quick about it.
    Kate stumbled away on rubbery legs, behind the bush he’d indicated. If she didn't relieve herself soon, her bladder would burst. As she squatted, she heard him walk away. After she’d finished relieving herself, she stayed crouched. Hopefully, the two men would think she was still occupied.
    Best she could tell, they’d ridden in a southerly direction. Beyond that, she had no idea where she was, except it wasn’t anywhere near civilization. She withdrew a small compass from a pocket sewn in her skirt. It was something she always carried  in case she ever got lost. She hadn’t imagined she would be abducted. The compass and her memories of the maps she’d studied wouldn’t do her much good if she couldn’t get her bearings.
    How far away was the worksite? Had anyone noticed she was gone? Henry might if he weren’t focused on his guests. Her father rarely paid attention to her, and he was leaving as soon as the party was over. By now, both men were used to the way she came and went as she pleased and would think she’d simply left without telling anyone. Misery lodged in her throat. She slipped the compass back into her pocket, praying someone would notice she was missing, even if she had to eat her words about being self-sufficient.
    She cocked her head. Muttered conversation in a language she didn’t understand came from the direction of the mounts. No chance she could get to the horses without being seen and they would shoot her if she tried to sneak past. At least, the one with the scar would. The younger man was harder to read. She knew he’d protected her from his partner, but it might be he simply wanted to claim her as his prize.
    Goose flesh prickled her skin, the same sensation she’d felt when he’d drawn her against him and put his nose in her hair. She bit back a fearful moan.