Deep In The Heart Of Texas. Linda Warren

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СКАЧАТЬ anyone she’d ever known, and very strong. She could feel the muscles rippling in his back.

      When they reached a rickety old fence, Miranda felt as if they’d walked for hours, but she knew it had been only minutes. She slid to the ground and stood on her own feet. Nonetheless, he picked her up and lifted her over the fence.

      He pointed to some woods. “My cabin’s right through there. Can you walk?”

      “Yes,” she replied, and took several tentative steps, then more as her legs grew stronger.

      They emerged from the trees into a clearing where a small log cabin sat nestled among huge trees. Even in the dead of winter, the place had a homey appeal. Different shades of leaves covered the ground and smoke spiraled from the chimney. Bandit raced for the front porch; they followed more slowly.

      As they climbed the wooden steps, he said, “Go. They’re not far behind us.”

      He opened the door and without hesitation Miranda stepped inside. Her first feeling was warmth. It was divinely warm in here. She wrapped her arms around her cold body and let the heat soak into her bones. Then she took in the single sparse room, which was clean and neat. An old oak table and two chairs sat in the middle of the worn wooden floor. A cot was pushed against one wall, and a pile of newspapers and magazines were stacked beside it. A woodstove and a small cabinet occupied the other wall. The bare necessities were all he had. She thought of her father’s huge lavish house and her own beautifully decorated room. Did material things make one happy? She had a feeling the hermit had all he wanted right here.

      The aroma of food caught her attention, and her stomach churned with hunger. When was the last time she’d eaten? She couldn’t remember.

      He saw her eyeing the pot on the stove. “Are you hungry?”

      She nodded. “Yes. Could I have something to eat, please?”

      “Have a seat,” he said as he grabbed a bowl. “Leftover stew is all I have, but you’re welcome to it.”

      “Thank you,” she replied, and sat in one of the chairs.

      He placed the steaming hot bowl of stew in front of her with a piece of homemade bread and a glass of water. She snatched up the glass and drank thirstily.

      “Slow down,” he warned her. “You’ll make yourself sick.”

      She set the glass back on the table and picked up a spoon, slowly eating the stew. “What is this?” she asked. “It’s delicious.”

      “Rabbit.”

      She stopped eating. “What?”

      “Rabbit,” he repeated.

      She frowned. “You mean like…Easter-bunny rabbit.”

      The corner of his bearded mouth twitched a fraction. “Yeah, like Easter-bunny rabbit.”

      She looked down at the meaty concoction, and her stomach stirred with hunger. What the hell? she thought. She was too hungry to think about it.

      As she gobbled up the last spoonful, Bandit barked.

      “We’ve got company,” he said, reaching for his rifle.

      “They found us?” she asked, and felt the nightmare coming back full force.

      The hermit peered out the window. “Yep, they’re outside the fence debating whether or not to ride in. These two are relentless. You must be very important to them.”

      Important to them? Who were they? What did they want with her?

      As she made to get up, the hermit said, “Stay put. Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. Don’t even breathe unless you have to. If they know you’re here, we don’t stand a chance.”

      Miranda swallowed hard, the urgency in his voice stilling her every movement.

      “Damn,” he said. “They’re coming in.” He drew a small pistol from inside his boot and laid it on the table in front of her. “All you have to do is pull the trigger. It’s loaded.”

      She shrank away from the gun. “What?”

      “If they shoot me, you’ll need to defend yourself.”

      “But I hate guns. I don’t know how to—”

      “Those men are after you for a reason, and it’s not a good one.”

      She stared at the gun, thinking this had to be a bad dream. It was too terrifying to be true—guns, men chasing her, this mysterious stranger. She pushed up the sleeve of her sweatshirt and held out her arm. “Pinch me.”

      “Excuse me?”

      “Pinch me,” she said again. “I know I’m dreaming, and when you pinch me, I’ll wake up and this will be over.”

      He sighed in exasperation. “Where were you raised? In a fairy tale?”

      His sarcasm didn’t faze her. She continued to hold out her arm.

      Sighing loudly, he moved closer and pinched her. Hard. “Ouch! That hurt,” she said, rubbing the tender spot.

      “Satisfied you’re not dreaming?” he asked with a touch of cynicism.

      She shut her eyes tightly, trying to accept what was happening. Then opened them again as he caught her chin in his hand and lifted her head. “You’re not dreaming. This is real. Understand?”

      They stared at each other, and facing the directness of that dark gaze, Miranda slowly nodded. She’d been kidnapped. Oh, God, she’d been kidnapped! Tears spilled down her cheeks.

      He gazed into her watery eyes and moved away, shaking his head as if in disgust. Bandit barked suddenly, alerting them to the impending danger. “Pull yourself together,” he ordered. “Trouble is riding our way.”

      At the door he glanced back. “Remember what I said. Don’t make a sound, and use the gun if you have to. It’s you or them.”

      Dazed and confused, she looked at the gun. She couldn’t touch it. She couldn’t.

      “Pick it up.” The words jarred her.

      It’s you or them.

      The words bounced in her head, forcing reality to the surface. Her eyes met the hermit’s. In those dark depths there was no relenting. This man did not suffer fools gladly. He expected her to defend herself. God, yesterday all she had to defend herself from were unwanted suitors. Now she had to fight for her life. This was so absurd, so unreal. She’d been drugged and hidden in that awful room. The horror of it filled her—the dark, the gag in her mouth, and the tight ropes on her ankles and wrists.

      Her hand closed around the cold steel. Yes, she could do this. She had to.

      Those men would not take her again.

      CHAPTER TWO

      THE СКАЧАТЬ