Savage Land Read Free Page B

she could undress. The sounds of water being pumped from a hydrant assured her that her companion was occupied and that she was in comparative privacy. With as little wasted motion as possible she pulled the slip over her head, letting it drop to the floor while she worked at the hooks on her bra. Finished, she searched for an inconspicuous place to dry them before putting them on the open chair with a sigh. Shivering now from her nakedness and the cold, she hurriedly wrapped the blanket around her.
    'There's some hot tea here whenever you're ready,’ the man offered.
    Coley shuffled across the room, aware that two spots of red were staining her cheeks.
    'I'll have some, thank you,’ she stated, coming to a halt a few feet from the stove.
    He looked down over his shoulder at her bare feet before raising his gaze to her button nose and hazel eyes. His eyes were like a mirror, showing noting of their owner's emotions, but reflecting the looker's attempt to hide her embarrassment.
    'I'm nineteen,’ Coley declared, sensing a need to defend her status of womanhood.
    'Really?’ he nodded turning to pour the strong, black tea into a metal cup. ‘The food will be ready shortly.’  
    'Can I help with anything?’ Coley asked, stung by his off-hand manner at her previous statement. When an eyebrow raised over a blue eye, she added, ‘I can cook.’  
    'With that blanket as a handicap, you'd be more of a hindrance than a help.’ The sharp tone dismissed her offer.
    Slightly hurt by the unqualified rejection even though the reason was accurate, Coley shuffled over to the table and sat in one of the chairs where she sipped her tea in silence. A few minutes later a brown hand placed a plate heaped with beans, fried Spam and whole tomatoes before her. Coley issued a polite thank you without looking at her companion before picking up her fork to eat.
    'It's not exactly gourmet food, but it's hot,’ was the reply as the man sat down in the chair to her left.
    It was a struggle eating with one hand holding the blanket around her while the other attempted to get the food to her mouth without the blanket slipping. It was a slow process that her rescuer seemed ignorant of, his attention never leaving his plate. Finally, covering a white shoulder for the fifteenth time, Coley probed the plate away, her hunger abated and her discomfort growing.
    He glanced up at the scrape of the plate. ‘More tea?'
    Coley shook her head negatively. She watched silently as he cleaned his plate and rose to pour some tea for himself.
    'Is there a ranch house near here that my brother could have reached?’ Coley asked, watching the muscles of his bare arm as he stirred sugar in his cup.
    'The Simpson place is about three miles from the crossing. I'm sure he made it to there.’ His glance at her was inquisitive with a slight hint of arrogance about it. ‘Just where were you going?'
    'To stay with our aunt,’ Coley answered, adding in a smaller voice, as she lowered her gaze to a crack in the wooden table, ‘Danny said she doesn't live very far from here—on a ranch.'
    'What's the name of the ranch or your aunt? I might know her.’ He sat his metal cup on the table and mined his compelling eyes to her.
    Nervous under the demanding gaze, Coley stammered, ‘Her-her n-name is Wilhelmina Gr-Granger and she lives at the Slash S.’ Tension filled the air as the stranger's eyes narrowed at her words. ‘Is that far from here?'
    'She is expecting you?’ he asked as if he knew the reply would be negative.
    'She invited us,’ Coley skirted his question as best she could without lying. ‘Do you know her?'
    'Yes.’ He pushed his chair from the table and stood up. ‘You must be getting cold. Go over by the fire and I'll wash up.'
    'Does she live nearby?’ Coley persisted, not wanting the conversation to end now that she had found someone who knew her aunt.
    'Yes. You're on the Slash S ranch now.'
    'You work for her.’ A degree of relief was in her