Compromised Cowgirl (13 page)

She bit her lip and nodded. Henry’s smile faded when he looked into Sin’s pot.

“Bloody hell! Can’t I trust you to stir the porridge without burning it? Give me that spurtle.” Henry lifted the pot from the stove and pushed Sin aside with his hip. He took the wooden porridge stick and stirred vigorously, muttering about blithering idiots.

Jessie looked over, but Ace wouldn’t meet her eye. Sin stomped outside, and Henry fussed like a hen over breakfast. She clenched her jaw. Having sex meant she was a woman, but Sin and Henry still treated her like a boy. Ace knew she was female but ignored her like it was a dirty secret.

If Ace wouldn’t let anyone know they’d had sex, he and his attitude could go hang. They all could go hang!

“You want porridge, Jessie?” Henry stirred some more. “It’s not too far gone. With a bit of honey and some dried currants, it won’t be too bad.”

Jessie’s stomach curdled at the thought. She pressed her hand against her belly.

“Thanks, but I’m still full from last night,” she said. She gave Henry the best smile she could manage. She looked at Ace, but he still had his back to her. “Might as well get started before it gets too hot.” She managed to get outside before tears pricked at her eyelashes. “Damn the man!”

“You might want to keep your voice down if you’re talking about Ace,” said Sin, standing at the washbasin. He picked up the razor and strop. “I don’t know what happened yesterday, but he’s been as angry as a porcupine with a swarm of bees up his butt.”

In spite of herself, Jessie snorted a laugh at Sin’s feeble effort to use local language. “That would be bear.”

“What would be bare?”

His eyes flashed down her body before meeting her own again. A jolt of heat made it hard to breathe. She tried to inhale, but the darn corset stopped her.

“As angry as a bear,” she corrected. “Porcupines don’t eat honey.”

Sin held the straight razor an inch from his cheek. “I knew that. You came storming out there like you had a big mad on and I wanted to see if you were awake.”

“I’m awake,” she growled. Suddenly fed up with men, she turned toward the barn. “I’ve got work to do.”

Nothing had changed. She’d hoped Ace would tell his partners that she was a woman last night, but no. He hadn’t hinted for her to stay with him when it got dark, either. So she spent another night on a pallet with cats. And this morning, ignoring her…!

She mounted Trouble and rode out. She’d check the steers first, then circle up behind. She’d seen a flat outcrop which might serve as a good watching place. She wanted to check it out to see if whoever left cigarette makings had spent any time there as well. It wasn’t likely her brothers were spying on her. Was it Smythe’s hired guns, wanting to cause trouble? Or someone else?

Chapter Twelve

“Why’d Jessie take off in such a hurry?” Henry scooped lumpy porridge into three bowls. He shoved the one with the most burned bits in front of Sin, daring him to complain, and turned to Ace. “You did promise him a wage to stay on?”

“Jessie’s got reasons for staying,” replied Ace. He scooped a spoonful out of his bowl, grimaced, and shoved it in his mouth.

Sin glowered at the food in front of him. A quick look at Henry made him change his mind about complaining. He’d been thinking of making love with Jessie instead of concentrating on the pot. After he forced down the first spoonful, followed by strong black coffee, the rest followed more easily. He would need a full belly to work all day.

He was sure when Jessie returned to the barn the previous afternoon she was no longer innocent, but Ace said nothing. She kept shooting looks at Ace, especially as it got dark. When Ace said he needed sleep, Jessie had almost stomped her way to the barn.

The same thing happened this morning. She’d stared at Ace’s cock as if she wanted to suck him deep. Sin had a damn difficult time stopping himself from offering his own if Ace was too stupid to take her up on it. Especially when she looked at him as if wondering if he’d do a better job than Ace.

Damn right he would!

Ace wouldn’t have touched her if he thought she was a virgin. Therefore, he would not have been as careful of her, thinking she’d had sex numerous times before. Whatever they’d done, Jessie wasn’t complaining. But she certainly looked like she could use more.

Now that Ace had removed the obstacle of virginity, if she wanted him, he was not going to hold back. Only, he’d treat her as the sweet, shy virgin that he knew was hiding underneath all that swagger.

Jessie might think she was tough as nails and twice as strong, but he knew otherwise. Yes, she was strong and tough and entirely capable of ram-rodding the Double Diamond. But she was also a woman. Somewhere in all those years since her mother died, she’d lost what it meant. From what Ranger said, Jessie looked on marriage and family as a curse foisted on women by God and man’s laws.

He wanted to show her that a man and a woman could share things she’d never imagined. Knowing she was entirely capable of caring for herself didn’t change his need to protect her. He wanted to show her how a man cherishes a strong woman.

“We’ll have to do something about the snakes first,” said Ace.

Sin, startled from his plans, tried to remember what Ace was talking about.

“That ledge is a good lookout point,” said Henry. “You can see the whole valley from there.”

“I wouldn’t want to have to choose between jumping twenty feet off a cliff or taking the risk of being bit by a couple of rattlers,” said Ace.

“That’s one good thing about
Ireland
,” said Henry. “No snakes.” He laughed. “Where’s St. Patrick when you need him?”

“Wish my mother had visited
Ireland
instead of
Scotland
,” muttered Sin. “I hate snakes.”

“You do?” Henry set both elbows on the table and leaned over. “We should know if you’re going to go crazy if you see one. That could get us killed, as well as you.”

Sin stared at his bowl. “An adder almost killed me. I’m over it.”

“That why the bull snake in the barn gives you the willies?” asked Henry. He pushed the small jar of honey toward Sin as if bribing him for details.

Though his stomach clenched, Sin dribbled a tiny spoonful of honey over what was left of his breakfast. Henry was right. Fear on his part would cause problems. He scooped the last of the burned porridge bits into his mouth and swallowed. He followed it with the last of his coffee.

“I was in
Scotland
when I was about six and found a beautiful snake. As usual, I was on my own. No one mentioned adders, or that they were poisonous. Luckily the gamekeeper came along. He showed me how to use a forked stick to hold a snake down and flick it away.”

Sin shuddered in memory. The gamekeeper had been blunt as to what happened to boys who didn’t know the land they walked in. For the next few weeks, while his mother slept with various men at the house party, Sin spent most of his time with the man. He learned about fishing, hunting and the like. He forgot about it until he saw the huge diamond-pattern bull snake slither under the barn.

They all thought it was a rattler, but Simon Elliott was with them. After explaining it was harmless, he said they needed the snake to keep rats and all from the barn. It was a constrictor, so no fangs, but the bloody thing was damn near as long as Sin was tall!

It hadn’t bothered Jessie one whit when she saw it the first time. He still quietly fixed all the holes in her sleeping area. He told himself he didn’t want her stumbling on the thing while it searched for prey. But he couldn’t sleep if the bloody thing could come anywhere near her.

He hadn’t seen any rattlers yet. Simon said he should be happy that rattlesnakes here only grew to about four-and-a-half feet. Of course, there were other, nonpoisonous, snakes around. Even garter snakes made him shudder. But snakes were part of this life, and he’d learn to deal with them. Eventually.

The reason he slept in the loft, no matter how hot, was because he figured snakes couldn’t climb ladders. It wouldn’t be soon enough until they lived in a snug, reptile-proof home.

“Someone should check out that ledge,” said Ace. He looked directly at Sin. “There’s a narrow path up to the flat rock where I saw a couple rattlers sunning themselves. You want to handle it?”

Sin gritted his teeth and nodded. No one would be there to watch, so he could take as much time as he needed. He’d face his fear and get past it. No snake was going to dictate the boundaries of his life.

“Good man,” said Henry. He slapped him on the back. Sin rubbed his stomach, wishing he hadn’t eaten after all.

When Sin headed out he wore sturdy boots and his thickest pants. He might regret it later if it heated up, but if he caught a rattler’s fang, he wanted as much as possible between the poison and his body. He carried a forked stick across his lap, one he kept handy in the barn.

He forced his fear deep inside and rode toward the ridge. By now, the path might have a couple of the nasty, slithering things lying in wait for him. But he was a man, not a boy. He’d look those snakes in the eyes until he could do it without cold sweat forming.

The cry of a hunting golden eagle reminded him there were other dangers along the way. He rolled his stiff shoulders back and let his horse find its way over the rocky, shrub-strewn hillside. He came around the final outcrop and saw a white horse.

He dismounted and walked forward, tugging his own behind him. When it heard Trouble’s nicker it came easily. Sin, hands shaking, hobbled it next to Jessie’s horse.

He stood and looked uphill. There was the narrow path. It disappeared around the far side of a rocky outcrop. If Jessie was up there, she would be on the ledge. He took his stick and walked around the rocky outcrop until the ledge was above him.

He backed up as far as he could, but the ledge was too high and deep for him to see if anyone lay on it. After all the work she’d done, he wouldn’t be surprised if she fell asleep in the sun. She certainly earned it.

“Jessie?”

He couldn’t call too loudly in case she was asleep. If a snake was nearby, and his voice made her jump, she’d be in trouble. Since she didn’t answer, he’d have to go up the path.

He went back around and looked up. The path curved to the right, going from shade to sun. On his right was the wall, with broken rock and crevices near his feet. Perfect for snakes.

Forked staff in his left hand, he moved forward step by slow step, dreading what he’d find around the corner. The gap between the path and the ground to his left grew with each step. Ahead, he could see the light of the sun. He pressed his right hand against the rock at his shoulder and leaned his head around the corner. He pulled back immediately.

“Bloody hell,” he whispered.

He shivered, cold sweat forming under his arms. He took a half step, tensed his muscles, and leaned around the corner again. He forced himself to stare at the diamond patterns on the snakes. The one under the barn was closer to yellow. These had a dark brown pattern.

It seemed like dozens with the first glance, but it was only two.

Only. Two.

He eased his way around the corner. They were four and six feet ahead of him, sunning themselves. He looked to his left. He was about ten feet above ground here. Enough to be a problem if he jumped and didn’t land right, but better than a snakebite.

Was Jessie around the far corner?

“Jessie?”

He squeaked the word, barely a whisper. He locked the fear inside. His woman might be on the other side of those snakes. Caught. When the sun came around the snakes would follow up. Uphill. The ledge protruded over his head with at least two feet to spare. Jessie might be right above him.

He took a deep breath, held it, and slowly released. Normally he would close his eyes to do it, but no way would he trust those serpents not to attack immediately. He took a step closer, staff ready. The snakes curled up and faced him, tails high. Their tips vibrated, a hollow rattle that sounded like his death knell.

He stepped once more. The closest one opened its mouth in a macabre smile. He thought of Jessie on the other side and stabbed with the staff. He caught its head between the two wooden points. He swept it sideways like a broom. It flew off the path.

The other reared higher.

He wiped his palms on his shirt, one at a time, and took another step. He stabbed again. This time he caught the snake farther back. It curled around and attacked the staff but it flew off the path before it could strike.

He jammed the staff between his feet, clasped both hands around the wood and shook for a moment.

Damn, he’d done it!

He pulled his shirt tail out and wiped cold sweat off his face.

“Jessie?”

“Who’s that?” She sounded angry rather than fearful.

“It’s Sin. Are you all right?”

“No, I’m not all right,” she complained. “That friend of yours is an ass!”

“Forget about Ace, honey. Are there any snakes around you?”

“No. Why?”

“Because I just got two bloody big rattlers off the path in front of me.”