"Oh, I know. And he'll get it." Abby patted her favorite fabric again. "But he'll also get a shirt made from this."
Minerva shook her head slowly but reached for the bolt of material. Silently she told herself she could hardly wait to see the big man in a shirt made from the loud stuff. Hell, the size he was, he'd probably look like a walkin' circus tent!
"You know how men are!" Abby laughed gently. "No sense of fashion at all!"
Minerva did indeed know about men's taste. Hadn't it been her own husband, Alonzo, who'd ordered the gawdawfiil material in the first place? Why, the damn thing had been sitting in the store collectin' dust for almost two years! There wasn't a woman for miles around who'd have anything to do with it!
Until now.
After only a few more minutes Abby was clutching her purchases to her chest and smiling at the two women opposite her. "It was so nice to meet you both," she said sincerely. "Perhaps you could come to the cabin for lunch one day soon?"
Minerva and Charity glanced at each other and knew that neither of them had the heart to disappoint the eager young thing.
When her two new friends nodded, Abby smiled. "Wonderful! Would the day after tomorrow be too soon? We could do it tomorrow, but there are a few things around the cabin I'd like Samuel to fix up before we receive callers. He's such a dear man." She smiled again. "But, of course, you already know that."
Hurrying out the door, Abby called over her shoulder, "See you both the day after tomorrow!"
Minerva and Charity stood together on the store's porch and watched the oddly matched couple ride off toward their mountain cabin.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes," Minerva muttered, "I wouldn't have believed it."
"Know just what you mean." Charity nodded emphatically, her gaze still locked on the rapidly moving wagon. "Who'd a thought a big ol* man like him would blush like a school boy!" She snorted inelegantly. "And just think… we was all thinkin' that fella was some kinda monster or somethin'. What-with him never talkin' to nobody and all the time stayin' up on that danged mountain! And then to see a tiny woman like that just grab ahold of him and pull him around the store was really somethin' to see!" Charity gave Minerva's shoulder a playful punch. "Wait'll I tell Buck about this. That man of mine's gonna be plumb speechless when he hears about the 'monster' blushin'!"
"Oh, heavens, Charity! I ain't talkin' about that… Minerva turned to her friend. "Didn't you see that little thing's eyes when she looked up at him? All sparkly and shiny like a brand-new penny! I'm tellin' you, there's some sparkin' goin' on up at that cabin!"
"Nah… " Charity shook her head violently. "Why, she ain't big enough to hold her own with a man that size! 'Sides, he wasn't actin' like he was sparkin' her. Looked more like he wanted to hog-tie her!"
"Well, if not yet… then soon." Minerva laughed quietly. "Whether the big fella knows it or not!"
"Hmmmm… " Charity stared thought fully at the now empty road. "You could be right, Minerva." Suddenly she turned and locked a steady gaze on her friend. "Now, are you gonna tell me just what in the blue blazes a bundling board is?"
Minerva chuckled and took the other woman's arm to pull her back inside the store. "I surely will. Over a cup of coffee. This is gonna take a spell."
# # #
Samuel's big hands gripped the reins as if it meant his life. His knuckles white, his jaw tight, eyes grim, Abby knew without a doubt that something was bothering him. She just couldn't understand what it might be.
Surely he wasn't upset because she'd made some new friends. She threw a quick glance at him. No. That wouldn't bother him. If so, he'd never have taken her to town with him. Quickly her mind ran back over everything she'd done and said that morning, looking for the reason behind his anger. After a few minutes she frowned. For the life of her, she couldn't think of a thing.
Then she remembered. Of course. The judge. He must have found out something about the court that had upset him. She fought down a smile. Maybe that meant it was good news for her!
"Samuel," she said.
"Yeah?"
"Did you talk to anyone about the circuit judge?" His fingers tightened again around the reins, and she watched as his jaw muscles worked.
"Yeah," he finally answered. "The sheriff says it'll be at least five or six weeks till the judge gets back to Rock Creek."
"Five or six weeks?"
"We just missed him. He was through here only a week ago."
"What a shame," she offered, then turned her head away. Her lips curved into a satisfied grin. Five or six weeks. Anything could happen in that length of time! Abby felt as though a crushing weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
"Yeah," Samuel agreed under his breath. "A shame."
He didn't have to sound so disappointed, she told herself. After all, he'd already made it quite clear that he didn't want her at the cabin. There was simply no need to be rude about it. Unconsciously she straightened the hang of her skirt over her knees, then ran her hand over the brown paper package containing the shirt material she'd gotten for him.
Well, she would show him how useful she could be. Now that she knew for certain that she would have at least five or six weeks before facing a judge, Abby could relax a little. Take the time to plan a campaign that would win Samuel over. She flicked a quick glance at him from the corner of her eye.
His expression hadn't changed. He still looked as if he'd bitten into a rotten apple. Abby smiled softly and looked away. If he had to sulk for a while, that was all right with her. Because no matter what he did or said, the next six weeks still stretched out ahead of them. And they would be spending it together.
# # #
Abby crooned meaningless words in a soft, singsong tone as she crept ever closer to the wounded wolf. From behind the wood slats of his cage, the animal watched her through attentive, cold gray eyes. The huge gray wolfs body hardly moved. If not for the slight rise and fall of its ribcage and the steady gaze it directed at her, Abby would have sworn it was dead.
As by all rights it should be. Even at a distance Abby could see that the wound it had suffered must have been a nasty one. The strips of cloth wrapped around its middle covered a large part of the animal's body, and Abby could only guess at the damage that had been done.
Only a few steps away now. She kept up the nonsensical murmurings, hoping to reassure the animal that she meant it no harm. Steadfastly keeping her gaze away from the other animals in different-size cages, Abby concentrated solely on the wolf. There was something about him that seemed to call to her. Perhaps it was his beautiful coloring… perhaps it was the fact that he was isolated from his fellow creatures. In a cage far back from the others, the wolf appeared to be so… alone.
Somewhere in her mind Abby told herself that he was much like Samuel. Living near those who would be companions, but separated by the bars of a cage. She took another step and thought that a cage didn't have to be a physical one.
Hadn't Samuel distanced himself from her ever since their trip to Rock Creek the day before? He'd said hardly a word to her and had made himself so scarce around the cabin that she was beginning to wonder if he'd left the mountain altogether. In fact, she hadn't seen him at all since the night before.
He was gone before she got up that morning, and now, at late afternoon, there was still no sign of him.
She was almost within reach of the cage. Smiling softly, she stretched out one hand, moving as slowly as possible.
Strong hands clamped around her waist and lifted. Her feet left the rocky ground, and Abby felt herself swinging effortlessly through the air. Before she had the time to screech her surprise, though, she was set back to her feet with a thud that jarred her teeth. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to look up and find Samuel glowering down at her.
"What the hell do you think you're doin,' Abby?" She winced at the booming thunder of his voice. “I told you to stay away from the animals! Didn't I?"
"Yes, Samuel" &mdash she smoothed her pale green skirt &mdash "you did." Raising her gaze to meet his, she added, "But you weren't here, and they have to be fed."
"Fed?" He pushed his bushy hair out of his eyes and hollered, "What were you plannin' on feedin' that wolf there? Biscuits? Or maybe your arm?"
She frowned at him. "I hardly think a caged animal would chew off my arm, Samuel."
He shook his head, clearly frustrated. "Abby," he said, taking a deep breath, "that wolf could tear a little thing like you clean in two. Cage or no cage."
Abby threw a measuring glance at the still-unmoving animal, then looked back at the huge man in front of her. "He doesn't hurt you, Samuel."
"Yeah, well, he knows me. He knows I ain't gonna hurt him."
Abby smiled. "Good. Soon the wolf will know me, too, and I'll be able to help you."
"He ain't gonna get to know you, Abby, 'cause you're gonna stay the hell away from him like I said."
Abby leaned back as Samuel's huge body loomed over her. He seemed to think that if his words wouldn't convince her, his size would intimidate her. He was wrong.
"I've told you more than once, Samuel, that I am not deaf and that I don't approve of swearing." As her words picked up speed, she leaned toward him now and was justly satisfied to see the big man shift backward a little. "I'm living here, too, and I don't understand why you should resent my offers to help. I only want to make myself useful. There is simply no reason for you to carry on as though you were still alone."
His lips were moving. Abby squinted up at him. She knew he was saying something, but she couldn't hear it. "Will you at least have the courtesy to speak so that I can hear you?"
Samuel's chest expanded with the long breath he drew in. He pushed his scraggly hair out of his eyes and managed to grind out, "I wasn't talkin' to you."
"Hmmph!" Abby brushed past him and began to move along the line of cages. He was right behind her, and she could feel his annoyance. He made no attempt to soften his footsteps, and the ground trembled with every step he took.
Abby tried to ignore him and concentrate on the animals. It wasn't easy. Still she managed to speak a few, soft words to each of the animals that surrounded them, from the cougar to the rabbits, to the doe and her fawn. Before he could stop her, Abby even made a point of stopping beside the wolf’s cage one last time. She held her ground stubbornly, even when the animal curled his lip back, exposing several deadly-looking teeth. A low, thunder like growl rumbled through the animal's chest, and Abby instinctively took a step back.
Samuel's big hands came down on her gently, cupping her shoulders and arms in his palms. A flash of heat rushed through her body at his touch. Warmth flooded her, and Abby relished the feel of his protective strength.
"It's all right, boy." Samuel spoke softly to the wolf, and the big animal cocked his head and looked at the man. The growling stopped. Closing his eyes, the wolf laid his head down on his front paws and went to sleep.
"How did you do that?" Abby whispered.
Her gaze was fixed on the wolf. "He listened to you as though he understood."
"In a way, I guess he did." Samuel squeezed her shoulders gently, liking the feel of her beneath his hands. He fought down a sudden, wild desire to caress her and desperately tried to concentrate on her question instead. "Like I told you. He trusts me."
"But… " Abby turned under his hands and stared up at him. His eyes were softer, warmer than she'd ever seen them before. Unwilling to break the spell that held them together, she asked her next question quietly, aware that at any moment he might move away. "A wolf. He behaved like Maverick. Or Harry. Samuel, how on earth did you… ?"
He shrugged and moved his hands away from her. "I don't know." He jammed his hands into his pockets and went on. "Animals like me is all. Always have. I guess I got a way with 'em."
Abby shivered slightly and wished suddenly that he hadn't removed his hands. Those few moments of closeness had passed far too quickly for her.
She watched as he turned away, unlocked a cage, and reached inside. Her gaze softened as she saw him move his hands carefully over the tiny, injured rabbit. The animal cuddled against Samuel's palm and rubbed its head against the finger Samuel was scratching it with.
Abby wrapped her arms tightly around her and inhaled sharply. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Instead, she found herself wondering what it would be like to have Samuel's big, work-hardened hands move gently over her body. To see his eyes soften and know that that look was for her alone. To feel his strength wrapped around her. Her mouth suddenly dry and her breath coining in shallow gulps, Abby made a last deliberate attempt at wiping away the image of Samuel touching her. Holding her. Kissing her.
"Abby? Abby? You all right?"
She shook her head and looked up. Samuel was right in front of her, staring down, concern spreading across his face.
"Of course I'm all right, Samuel." Abby cleared her throat uneasily. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason," he began sarcastically.
Those big hands of his settled over his hips, and Abby wrenched her gaze away.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"Abby, you been starin' off at nothin' for almost five whole minutes. Like you was asleep with your eyes open!" Samuel shook his head at her. "You dreamin' or somethin'?"
She licked her lips and swallowed heavily before saying, "Yes. I guess I was."
Chapter Six
Her tongue darted out and licked her full, pink lower lip. Samuel's gaze locked on that tiny movement, and a curl of raw desire snaked through his huge body. Good God, the woman had no idea at all what she was doing to him. Being with her the last few days, hearing her voice, watching her guileless face mirror every emotion that touched her, had almost cost him his sanity.
Samuel found himself looking for her. Waiting for her to start in singing one of the little songs that were becoming so familiar to him. Listening for her footstep. He swallowed past the ache of want in his throat and forced himself to turn away from her. God in Heaven, he'd never last the six weeks until the judge came through town. How could any man be expected to live with her and not want her? And it was far worse for him. He'd been alone so long that he'd reacted to her stubborn presence like a rain-starved field of corn.