Authors: Fiona Knightingale
I reached up and took the saddlebag with the documents inside. I strapped them over my shoulder, although it did make me feel like I was a target with a bull’s eye on my back. I made my way down that dusty trail, looking behind me to make sure that I wasn’t going to have any unwanted visitors that would find my pleasing form something to their liking.
I was getting dirty and it brought to mind the way that my childhood was and maybe I was a little unforgiving about what my parents went through. They did after all; keep a roof over my head and food in my belly. My father raised cattle, but we had several droughts and we lost a lot of our livestock. We continued to persevere, even though I could see that the strain of trying to make it was getting to my father.
I had to hold my dress in my hands, while sludging through a bit of mud towards the sound of oncoming water. Another bullet barely missed me and then the telltale smash of the glass caused me to look in that direction to see that whoever was firing was only doing it as target practice.
“Well, would you look at that. Five of the six of those bottles has become nothing, but a distant memory. I knew that my granddaddy was good at teaching me something.” He sounded rough around the edges and I wasn’t sure if I should make my appearance known.” I can hear you out there. You may as well come out and show yourself. I don’t bite…at least not too hard.” He was laughing despite that nobody else was getting the inside joke. “Seriously, you must be hungry and I could certainly use the company.” I took a deep breath, pushed myself into the clearing and came face to face with my own worst nightmare.
I thought that I was going to see a grizzled old man, someone that was looking to find his own pot of gold in these darn hills of ours. Instead, I came upon a cowboy with a black hat and black leather vest with his shirt unbuttoned on the first two buttons. There was a six shooter at his waist and he was clean shaven and had at least 190 pounds underneath those chiseled features.
“I never expected to see a lady out in these parts. It’s not exactly safe. I imagine that your husband is not too far away.” He was eying the satchel and the way that the shotgun was protruding out of it in a menacing nature. “I take it that the husband is not with you. If he was, you certainly wouldn’t be packing something like that on a Sunday stroll.” I was at a loss for words and I could see the bead of sweat on his forehead and the way that his muscles seemed to be bulging in all the right places. “Does the cat got your tongue, or are you going to say something? Perhaps, you don’t like the idea of talking to a stranger. I can remedy that by telling you my name is Vance James. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although you do have me at a disadvantage.” He had taken off his hat and showed that he was in possession of some wavy dark hair.
“It’s nice to meet you, Vance. Unfortunately, I do have a problem that you caused. My horses were spooked by your attempt at target practice. They took off and snapped their harness, leaving me literally stranded at the mercy of anybody that was going to come around.” He motioned for me to follow him and we went down to the water’s edge. He had a tin can that he was using to drink from. He tipped it into the cooling surface of that bubbling brook and brought back enough for the both of us to share.
I drank from it, but I continued to keep my eyes on him to make sure that he wasn’t up to something. I held that satchel in my hand, as tight as my little fingers could twist around the straps. I had no interest in giving him the satisfaction of telling him what was in it. Actually, I had no real idea, except for what my husband said and usually there was only a grain of truth with anything that he tells me.
“I’m sorry for spooking your horses. You should hold on to your possessions. That doesn’t seem to be an issue, considering that you’re holding onto that satchel like a newborn baby. Wherever you’re going, I will accompany you, because it’s the least that I can do. I was responsible for making your horses take off like that and I feel kind of bad about that.” The only thing that I was feeling bad about was the fact that I couldn’t keep my eyes off of his body. I’d already taken off his clothes in my mind and I think I was flushed along my chest by the very idea of those very vivid and naughty thoughts.
“There’s no point in going any further, until morning. I may, as well stay here with you and then you can take me on your horse to my final destination.” I told him of where I was going and he cocked his eyebrow like he couldn’t believe that I was making such a journey on my own. “I know that I might seem dainty and frail, but trust me you really don’t want to go toe to toe with somebody like me. I know that I shouldn’t be out here alone, but I can’t help that. My husband thought this was important enough that he was going to send somebody that he trusts to get the job done right.” Now that I think of it, I was beginning to realize that was a crock. He had somehow convinced me that he needed me to do this, because he didn’t trust anybody else in his employ. I started to get suspicious and I was tempted to look at these papers and make sure that they were on the up and up.
“You can stay at my camp that’s just up on that bluff. I caught about five fish the other day and I’ve been rationing them off, until I can find something a little bit more to sink my teeth into. I almost had a deer, but it got away before I had a chance to take that final shot. I can see from your face that you’re not exactly happy with the fact that I am ready and willing to bring an animal down for my own survival. If I were you, I would look at all the meat that you’ve eaten yourself. It’s hypocritical for you to have this attitude, when you partake in what a hunter brings to your table everyday.” I’d never thought of that before, but I also knew that I found the prospect of hunting distasteful. I had no leg to stand on, but I did enjoy fishing and that was something that my grandfather had instilled in me from a very early age.
“I don’t see that I have much of a choice. It looks like I’m going to have to rely on the kindness of a stranger. As you said, we’re not exactly strangers. My name is Merriam.” I followed him from behind and in those tight pants; he looked almost too delicious to pass up. To be honest, I hadn’t had anything that resembled physical relief from a man in over six months. I hadn’t really thought about it, but maybe that’s part of the reason why I felt this distance between myself and Colin. He never initiated anything and I was happy to go to sleep, even though deep down I wanted something more than just a peck on the lips.
“I’m not sure that my cooking style is up to your standards, Merriam. I came across this spice on my travels and I find it pleasing enough to add to my creations. If you don’t mind taking a backseat, I’ll be more than happy to put the finishing touches on our meal.” He carried that tin can with the water precariously in one hand, as he made his way up that trodden path towards his camp. We finally got there and he put the tin can down. He breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t spill any more than a few drops.
It didn’t take him long to get a fire going and with the sun going down, I could feel the chill in the air about to dip a little lower than I was used to. I started to shiver, when I felt something being draped over my shoulders. I looked back to see that Vance had taken his duster and draped it over me.
I stared at him with disbelief and he smiled in that disarming way that had me literally wondering how this man hadn’t been taken off the market already.
“Vance, you know my story, or at least the part that I’ve told you about. I barely know anything about you, except that you’re out here in the middle of nowhere fishing and shooting your gun with a careless disregard for anybody else around you.” I hugged his jacket to me and I could smell him on it and it made me want more than anything to show him some western hospitality. I would never go against my vows, or at least that was what I was thinking. I’m sure that if Sheila was here, she would be all over him and would not take no for an answer.
He had taken off his vest, as the heat of the flames now cooking the fish was making it very sticky in his own clothes. He warmed his hands by the fire and every so often he would look at me like I was some kind of mirage that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I had to admit that I was quite impressed by his cooking and that first bite caused me to look at him.
“I know, Merriam. It took me by surprise when I first tried it myself. I was glad to barter my belt buckle for a supply of these spices that I intend to sell at any market that I come across from here to the plains. I never did answer your question about what my story was. If you must know, I lost my wife to a terrible fall about five years ago to this day. I had nothing to tie me down and the only thing that was keeping me in the town was my wife. One day, I just vacated my small house and took my horse and we’ve been traveling ever since. I know that she’s watching from above and she’s probably living vicariously through every adventure that I’ve been through up to this point.”
“Do you ever get tired and want to settle down with a good woman again? Five years is a long time to go without some kind of companionship. It must get lonely out here in the middle of nowhere.” He had this faraway look and I could tell that he was reliving those memories of having his wife by his side.
“I haven’t really thought of it, but I’ve never met anybody that has even held a candle to my dearly departed Mandy. She was a hell raiser and she had no problem telling you where the bear shits in the woods. That girl had attitude and a stubborn streak that rivaled my own. I don’t know how many times we had a knock down fight that ended up with us kissing and burning those sheets all night long.” The way that he talked about her had me mesmerized from the very beginning of his story. It didn’t sound like a tall tale. It sounded like he was talking from the heart and I had not met a man that had his feelings out there for everybody to see.
I lay down and closed my eyes, falling asleep and feeling his hands wrapped around me in a comforting way. I knew deep down that he wouldn’t take advantage of me.
Chapter three
I bolted straight up with a sense of dread coming over me. The embers from the fire were the only light and I had no idea what roused me from this slumber. I did notice that Vance was gone, leaving me to fend for myself and making me feel like I was a lamb led to the slaughter. I suddenly heard voices and realized that was exactly what had woken me from a dead sleep.
“Fan out and find her. The boss wants her gone by morning. Don’t forget, we can’t damage the package that she’s carrying. She couldn’t go that far with the broken axle. If that wasn’t bad enough, I also cut the straps very lightly on the horses harness. She would’ve had to walk and I doubt that she would have gotten very far. She’s not exactly used to these conditions. We’ve all seen how she lives.” There was laughter of encouragement and it brought to mind a posse that had been sent out to find that criminal that had been elusive and was on the run.
I had a sense of panic and this funny feeling that their boss was somebody that I knew very well. Was it even possible that my own husband was trying to get rid of me? It dawned on me that it might be true and that he was truly thinking that sending me on this errand was going to end badly in one way or another.
I felt this hand on my mouth and I screamed, but thankfully it was stifled in the palm of Vance.” Be quiet, or they’re going to hear you. We need to get out of here and we need to do it quietly.” The sun had barely peeked over the horizon. It was beautiful, but I had no time to truly appreciate it “We’re going to go down by the water’s edge and stay away from the main roads for the time being. There’s a least five of them and that’s the ones that I could see. It doesn’t mean that there’s not more and apparently they are looking for a woman that matches your description to the letter. I would say that you’ve run afoul of someone and I get this feeling that you may know who the culprit might be.” I nodded my head in the affirmative “Let me guess, your husband has decided that you’re better off 6 feet under.”
I had no reason to answer that, because the truth was written across my face. “I don’t know why I even believed that we had a future. There has always been this tension between us. I never did measure up to what he was looking for. He wanted that arm candy that he could use, as a trophy bride for everybody to see and admire and be jealous of. I tried to become what he wanted, but I think deep down we both knew that my roots were not of the sophisticated sort.”
“There’s no reason to beat yourself up over it, Merriam. You’re obviously too much woman for him to handle. He never learned that a woman like you needs a careful touch and to be put on a pedestal where she belongs. You’re the kind of woman that can dress for the occasion, but also get down and dirty in the mud when it’s needed. You have the same kind of attitude, as my wife Mandy. It’s a very rare quality and you should hold onto it and never let anybody take it away from you.” He had dumped the rest of the water on the embers and then he put his finger up to his mouth to indicate that we needed to be, as quiet as we could. I followed him with the horse down to the waters edge and I watched that glassy surface. It made me want to strip off my clothes and go for a skinny dip. I knew that there was no time for something like that, but maybe I could make time later when things settled down.
“Vance, I’m very happy that I found you. You don’t remind me of other cowboys, who are callous to their women and show them no respect. You treat me, as an equal and you have no idea how important that is to me. I’ve always felt like I was walking in Colin’s shadow. He would have me follow behind him, as the dutiful wife. I was never comfortable like that, but I have to admit that I did like the finer things in life. Like anybody that has grown up with nothing, we strive for something better, but maybe I have been looking at this the wrong way the entire time.” I was whispering this to him, so that only he could hear what I was saying and nobody else in the vicinity could get a bead on our location.