Another Chance (16 page)

She was
here!  If he closed his eyes, he could almost see her.  He lay back
in the bed and closed his eyes.  It was easy to remember the way she
walked, those strong confident strides, those snug jeans hugging her hips, the
way she kept her hair in long braids, the soft look of her face that just about
cried out to be touched.  Oh, he would touch it alright.  His fists
would break those delicate cheek bones and turn the skin around her almond
shaped eyes to deep blue.  He would break those strong legs so they would
never sit astride a horse again and her arms would never hold any man
close.  He went to sleep imagining the terrible things he would do to her
for spurning the love he had offered.

When he
awakened, it was six o’clock.  He showered and started to shave, then
thought better of it.  An unshaved look might make him look more
local.  When people traveled, they kept themselves better groomed than
when they were in familiar surroundings.  He pulled on a pair of jeans and
long sleeved shirt.  No use advertising his pale arms while he was in
sunny Florida.

He ate
breakfast and inquired about the location of the street one of the feed stores
was located on.  He left a modest tip and grabbed a local paper on the way
out.  After finding the street and then the store, he decided that parking
along the street and remaining in his car might attract attention.

He pulled his
car to a stop in the big parking area by the feed store and got out, walked to
the front of the car and raised the hood.  He knew that in a place like
this, he could account for most of the day with his head stuck under the hood.

After a couple
of hours, he walked into the store and slipped some change into the drink
machine.  Taking his soda from the slot he opened it and turned it up for
a deep refreshing swallow as he looked around for a place to blend in. 
There were people coming and going taking care of their business, laughing and
talking.  The way people do in a town where most folks know one another.

Lambert
couldn’t help wondering what it might be like to be one of the insects, buzzing
in and out of the nest.  Each one totally absorbed in its own
mission.  Few of them even noticed him leaning against the wall just
outside the door.  Remembering that Jordan usually visited the store in
the mornings, he drifted back to his car and when she hadn’t made an appearance
by 1:00 pm, he closed the hood of his car and returned to the US 90 hub. 
He picked a different restaurant, had his lunch and went back to his
room.  He kicked back to relax for a while, then growing restless, he
wondered outside.  A long walk helped burn some of his energy.  He
knew that it was controlled excitement and anticipation that burned inside him
that made him restless.  Maybe he could hook up with a woman and expend
some of his stress.

He cleaned up
and drove to one of the bars at a different hotel.  Inside the lighting
was subdued and the music was loud.  He ordered a beer and sipped at it
occasionally while he watched the people.  After a bit, he noticed a woman
sitting at a table in the corner.  She appeared alone so after ordering
another beer, he had a drink sent over to her table.  Whatever she was
drinking.  When the server delivered it, he indicated who sent it. 
Lambert nodded and lifted his glass in her direction.  She smiled and
waved him over.  He lifted his bottle and strolled over to join her. 
They left after a couple of hours, her leaning heavily on his arm.  It was
the last time anyone would see her alive and because bar pick-ups were not
uncommon, no one would really remember the incident at all.  Except
Lambert.

He drove out
into the forest that he had located east of town and enjoyed the rest of the
night, seeing his face reflected in the terror in her eyes as she died. 
Later, he dragged her body behind a thicket of gallberrry bushes and left it
there, out of sight of the dirt road.  He made a mental note to spend some
time exploring other parts of this forest.

When he was
again safely locked inside his room, he took a shower and went to sleep. 
He was totally relaxed.

Jordan had the
nightmare again and Bhrandii woke her as he usually did.  She knew there
was no going back to sleep, so she got up, did her Bible study and
dressed.  She had turned the television on when Bhrandii looked at the
front door, wagged his whip like tail and whined softly.  At almost the
same moment, she heard a soft knock.

Strangely, she
wasn’t afraid.  She knew if it was a stranger that her dog would be snarling
and rushing the door.  It couldn’t be but one person.  She flipped on
the porch light to be sure and then opened the door.  She was right.

Wolf’s breathe
was almost snatched away when she opened the door.  She wore her hair
loose and no make-up and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever
seen.  He swallowed before he spoke, his voice sounding coarse in the
quiet of the still darkness.

“I saw your
lights on and wanted to make sure you were alright.”

She smiled at
him.  He stood there in a pair of jeans, his shirt unbuttoned and his
shirttail hanging out, wearing a pair of moccasins with his hair uncombed
except by his fingers.

She opened the
door wider, an invitation to come in.  “I had a nightmare and am not
usually able to sleep after that.  Would you like a cup of coffee?”

He nodded,
stepping inside and pushing the door closed behind him.  “If it’s not
puttin’ you to any trouble.”

Jordan led the
way to the kitchen.  Wolf followed her, enjoying the sight of her walking
ahead of him.

In the kitchen,
she indicated a chair for him and moved about the room, gathering the cups,
spoons, sugar and cream before filling the cups from a freshly made pot of
steaming black coffee.  She could feel him watching her and to her
surprise, she discovered she enjoyed it.  When the coffee was poured, she
settled in a chair across from him.  “That’s why I was awake so
early.  So why are you awake?”  She asked.

He lifted the
cup, savoring the sight of her facing him from across the table.  “I’ve
always been a light sleeper.”

“So you heard
me flip on the lights?”  She probed.  Teasing with a man was an all
but forgotten skill.

He dropped his
head and smiled.  “I’m just awake.  That’s all.”

They sat
quietly for a few minutes, each absorbed in their own thoughts, but relishing
the company of the other.

“Feather
should not be here.”  Jordan finally spoke.  “She could get hurt.”

He
nodded.  “I know.  I just haven’t had the courage to tell her I’m
sending her back to Clay and Sue until this is over.  She’ll go on the
warpath.  She might even take my scalp.”

Jordan enjoyed
his humor.  “I’ll explain it to her if you want me to.  I’ll take the
blame.  Better that than have her caught in Lambert’s path.”

Wolf wanted to
just touch her face to see if it was as soft as it looked, but resisted. 
“Maybe we can work together on it.  I’ll talk with her today and you back
me up.”

She
nodded.  As she did, a strand of long blond hair slipped over her shoulder
and she brushed it back with one hand, tucking it behind her ear.

Wolf looked
away, not wanting her to see the longing in his eyes.  He need not have
worried.  She was watching Bhrandii at the door, obviously wanting to go
out.  She rose and walked over to open the back door and let him out, then
returned to her seat.

“Jordan…,” he
started at the same time she spoke.

“I’m….,” they
both stopped and laughed self-consciously.

He lifted his
cup and sipped silently from it.  “Good coffee,” he said.

“Liar,” she
accused.  “I’m not a real coffee drinker and it’s way too strong.”

“I like it,”
he insisted, drinking from the cup again, then holding it cradled in his hands.

She caught
herself looking at his hands, not all that far from hers on the table and
remembered the heat that had radiated from them when they had exchanged that
hand shake, just two days ago.  That thought surprised her.  Only two
days?  She couldn’t believe that she’d only known him that long and he was
already one of her main topics of thought.  Oh Lord, she prayed silently,
You’re really going to have to help me through this, or I might make a fool of
myself.

When she
looked up, he was looking at her.

“How’d you
meet your husband?”  He asked.

Jordan was a
little surprised by his question, but smiled as she remembered.

“At a
Christmas party when I was in college.  He was the star of the football
team.”  She hadn’t talked to anyone about David for years, but it seemed
right talking to him.

“And you were
the head cheerleader?”

She laughed
easily.  “Heavens, no.  I was a lowly sophomore, planning to major in
Animal Science.  I was hoping that maybe someday I could be a horse
trainer and maybe raise a few good Quarter Horses on the side.”

“It seems
you’ve almost accomplished your goal.”  He just wanted her to keep
talking.

“I got side
tracked for a while, but now I know what I want and I don’t plan to get side
tracked again.”  Then she realized she sounded like her marriage had been
a mistake.  “I guess that didn’t come out right.  I’ve never
regretted marrying David.  We were happy and would still be together if
Lambert hadn’t killed him.  He’s the reason I’m able to do what I’m
doing.  David was a wonderful husband and a great provider.”

He wanted to
cover her hand with his, but instead, he cradled his cup tighter.  “I
understand.”

“Do
you?”  She wondered out loud.

“Yes. 
I’m thirty years old.  I’ve been in love once or twice.  I lost
someone that I cared about, too.  It sends your life in a different
direction, but you learn to be happy again and that’s how it should be.”

She
nodded.  “You do understand.  Did your wife die?”

“Not my
wife.  We didn’t have time to get married.  She was a cop I met when
I was a rookie.  It was an intense, but brief relationship.  
She walked into a robbery one night and took a bullet for the clerk.  She
died because she refused to wear her bullet proof vest.  We had only been
datin’ a few weeks.  It might not have worked out anyway, but it felt like
it was movin’ in the right direction.”

Bhrandii
scratched at the door and Jordan went to let him in.  Feather was with
him.  “I’m sorry, if I shouldn’t barge in, but when I woke up, I thought I
was being mauled by a bear.  Your dog likes my bed.”

Jordan laughed
and opened the door wider.  “Of course you’re welcome here. 
Anytime.  And I’m sorry that Bhrandii woke you up.  Sit and let me
get you some coffee.”

Feather held
up her hand in refusal.  “Thanks, but no coffee for me. I find that an
evil brew if I plan to ride.  I can’t seem to stay on my horse.”

Jordan looked
at her, confusion on her face.

“I keep having
to dismount and find a bathroom,” Feather explained.

Then Jordan
laughed.  She urged Feather into a chair next to her brother and opened
the fridge.  “How about some oj?”

Now Feather
looked confused.

“Orange
juice.”  Jordan said.

Feather nodded
and looked at her brother.  “Why did you leave the tepee open?  That
dog could have been a snake or something.”

“In which
case, I’d be down there now tryin’ to put the tepee back together again.” 
He leaned to the side toward her and bumped her shoulder with his.

Jordan placed
a glass of frothy orange juice in front of the girl and glanced into Daniel’s
cup.  “More coffee?”

He covered the
cup with his hand.  “Thanks, no.  But it
was
good.”

“We’re going
out for breakfast this morning, on me.”  Jordan announced.  “I used
to be a good cook, but I’m kinda out of practice.”

“Before we go,
maybe we need to discuss that little problem we agreed to handle together,”
Wolf said.

Jordan nodded.

Feather looked
from one to the other her suspicions alerted.  “I’m not sure, but I’m
thinking I might not like this.”

Wolf took her
hand.  “Do you remember how you felt when Captain Ferguson told you I’d
been shot?”

She pulled her
hand away and frowned at him.  “Of course, I do!  Just what are you
up to?”

“I want
you
safe.  You’re all the family I have.”  He placed one hand under her
chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him.  “I also need to be
able to concentrate on just keepin’ Jordan safe.  I can’t split my
attention between y’all.”

“I am not
leaving you down here!”  She stated flatly.  “No!”  She turned
her head and pushed his hand away.  “If you try to send me away, I just
might shoot you myself!”

Jordan settled
into her chair and her movement drew Feather’s eyes.

“Feather, what
if you could stay close, but just not be
here
?  Would you be open
to
talking
about that?”  She asked.

The younger
woman studied her with eyes that were a rich deep brown.  “We can
talk
about it.”

“I have a
couple of friends that I think you would like.  I’ve known Mac and
Mary….all my life I guess.  They have this huge house with a beautiful
barn and pastures.  You could take your horse over there.  Mac taught
me a lot about working horses before I went off to college and Mary is just the
sweetest person.  They have three grown children but they are all out and
about.  I’m sure they would love having you stay with them for a while.”

Feather
frowned at her brother.  She took a long minute to think about it before
she spoke making her brother smile with Indian pride.  “I do understand
how it might not be safe for me to be here.  I really do, but I’m not sure
about this.  Can I have a day or two to think about it?”