Rainbow's End

Rainbow's End Read Free Page B

Book: Rainbow's End Read Free
Author: James M. Cain
Ads: Link
teeth started to chatter. “I’m having a chill,” she said.
    â€œHold everything!”
    I started upstairs to the bathroom, but ducked back for one more kiss. She wanted it too, but her lips were cold as ice.

3
    U PSTAIRS I TRIED THE water. When it was hot, I left it running while I went back to Jill. She was still in the bed, shaking. I wrapped the blanket around her, knelt by the bed and lifted, and carried her up to the tub. I took off the blanket, so she was naked again, and smacked her one on the tail.
    â€œGet in and get in quick.”
    She did. She stretched out in the hot water and for a second the chattering went on. Then it stopped and she closed her eyes.
    â€œOK?”
    â€œYes, it’s heaven.”
    â€œIs from this angle, no kidding.”
    â€œAm I pretty?”
    â€œBeautiful.”
    â€œI want to be, for you ... Know what you looked like? From my angle? Out there just now?”
    â€œI’ll bite. What?”
    â€œGod.”
    She said it low and solemn. I didn’t gag it off or make any answer. After some time, she said: “Well? You always heard that hell’s hot, but you find out that cold can be worse, especially wet cold, with a rotten guy holding a gun to your head and a crazy, screwball woman egging him on to shoot. Then a voice behind you speaks. Then a rifle goes off. And from being down in hell, you’re in heaven all at one swoop. How would he look to you, the guy that flew you up there?”
    â€œLike he needed a shave, I bet.”
    She touched my chin and said: “God wears a beard, too. I’m sure he does. It shows in all the pictures.”
    â€œOK, but I couldn’t tell you what would show in a picture of you. It would be against the law.”
    She slapped water over the things I was talking about and asked, very innocently: “You like them?”
    â€œI love them.”
    They were round, with the nipples all spread out in the hot water, and beautiful. She slapped along, then said: “They’re floating up—to you.” At last I dipped my hand in the water and cuddled one, and she whispered: “It took you long enough.”
    â€œI didn’t have the nerve.”
    â€œGod’s not supposed to have sex appeal, but let Him learn how to shoot and He can look awful pretty. I should have said, I was praying. All the time out there I was praying. Then when you spoke from the boat—”
    â€œI’m not God, I’m Dave Howell, and I know you’re getting to me.”
    â€œThen it’s mutual.”
    â€œHold still, I want to look at your feet.”
    They were small and cute and pretty, but when I felt them she started to squeal. “Stop!” she yelped. “That tickles.”
    â€œThey’re not cut, that I can see.”
    â€œThey hurt outside.”
    â€œThat underbrush would hurt...They may be bruised a bit, but they’re not cut.”
    â€œOK.”
    She sat up, cut the water, soaped under her arms, sloshed herself, then came back to the subject of Mom: “Dave, why would she? Egg him on to fire that gun? She didn’t even know me. Why would she want me killed?”
    â€œYou must have misunderstood her. She’s mountain. We’re a peculiar bunch. We always say it opposite.”
    â€œListen, maybe I could misunderstand her, but not my belly. My belly knows what she meant. But why?”
    I didn’t have any answer to that. The way Mom had acted had also baffled me. I said “Let’s forget it” or something like that and tried to get back to us.
    She said: “OK, but you better be going down. She could come any time, and better you not be up here.”
    â€œOK. Kiss me.”
    She kissed me very solemnly put pulled back all of a sudden. “Why hasn’t she come?” she asked. “What’s she doing out there?”
    â€œWhat’s it to us what she’s doing?”
    But Jill kept staring at me. Then at

Similar Books

Lilac Spring

Ruth Axtell Morren

Terror at the Zoo

Peg Kehret

THE CINDER PATH

Yelena Kopylova

Combustion

Steve Worland

A Death in the Family

Michael Stanley