Love by Dawn (7 page)

“Right away, handsome,” she purred and walked
away rotating her hips provocatively.

The whiskey burned a line of fire from his
pallet straight to his gut. Blake played a few hands, but his mind
was not on the game. Finally, he threw down his cards and invited
the prostitute upstairs. By then he’d had a few drinks and was a
little tipsy. He heard Lulu giggle helping him into the room. Being
without a woman so long, he discarded his clothes quickly as did
the prostitute, sensing his urgency. They joined and Blake climaxed
with Casey’s name on his lips. If the soiled dove was disappointed
with his eagerness and another woman on his mind, he didn’t give a
damn, he paid her handsomely and that seemed to have pleased
her.

“Hey, cowboy, are ya stayin’ long. I wouldn’t
mind servicing ya again.” She purred into his ear as she licked it.
“Ya gotcha woman you’d like to forget, I assume. I can make ya
forget her.”

Her hand roamed lower making him gasp, not
from delight, but annoyance. Blake grabbed it and rasped, “Sorry,
Lulu, but I’m here only for the night.”

She licked her painted lips that were now
smeared and sighed. She purred, “Well, handsome, don’t’cha forget
me the next time ye’re a passin’ through.”

He sat up and rubbed his temples. “Yes, I’ll
do that,” he lied.

Sated, Blake returned to the motel, picked up
the package and entered the room. A lantern burned low on the night
table and the woman he couldn’t rid his mind of lay sprawled on the
bed. His shirt came to her knees and she looked lost in it. How he
envied that shirt.

He should have walked away.

Maybe he should have had a few more
beers.

He definitely should not stand there
gapping.

If he was smart he would
have left, but at that moment, he was not reasoning with his head.
Not the one on his shoulders, anyway. Blake was annoyed that one
side of the comfortable bed was going to waste. The idea was
tempting and there was no brother around to be his conscience; the
notion only lasted a split second.
Damn
him for giving his word!

It could be worse,
egged that annoying voice
. You could be sleeping next to Hunter in the hoosegow if
Casey screamed. So much for a good night’s sleep!

Shit! Since when did his conscience start
reprimanding him?

Casey heard Blake come in and feigned sleep.
He stood close enough for her to smell beer and, and... perfume!
She wanted to throw her other boot at him. A moment later she
heard,

Thump! Thump!

Boots.

Thunk.

Gun belt.

A short silence, with many more swearwords,
then she heard him disrobe and sneaked a peek causing her to
swallow a gasp. He was standing nude with his back to her.

Oh, dear, would he join her in bed?

He reached for the afghan on the rocker and
when he reclined on the rug, she didn’t know what to feel first,
but she was certain it wasn’t relief.

But she did believe once Blake was out of her
life, she would be better off.

Better off than
what?
egged the voice in her
head.

Than this!
was her answer.

Was her conscience right? Of, course it
was!

Her brother’s life was what
mattered most. After they found a new beginning, then she’d find
time to worry about her happiness. Somehow, without the handsome
cowboy, she doubted her life would be complete. She hated to admit
it, but he made her body come alive with only a simple touch, or
the way he looked at her. Then there was his kiss. A kiss she’d
never forget. But forget it she would!
It
seemed that she was doing a lot of self-convincing that
night.

The sun rose, streaming in
bright ribbons over the bed promising another warm day. Blake
pushed Hunter and Casey, eager to get to the fort. He was looking
forward to leaving them and getting on with his life, so he tried
to convince himself. Getting far away from the little snit that
confused his emotions would be the only way to regain his
senses.
Keep telling yourself that!
And he hated it when she rode ahead, her back
ramrod straight and cute bottom bouncing in rhythm with the horse.
So many times he forced his stubborn eyes to look in another
direction because his own saddle was becoming unbearably
uncomfortable. Last night’s visit with a soiled dove did nothing to
relive his ache for the girl.
Damn! Damn!
Damn!

You would think after baths, clean clothes
and a whore, he would have been in a cheerful mood. Well, that
wasn’t the case. He was miserable and was in no better a mood
leaving the town then when he arrived. And with a hangover, he
didn’t have any enthusiasm, even though he was in a hurry to reach
his destination.

***

Hunter was filled with remorse putting his
sister through all of this. He no longer held any animosity against
Blake. He was decent and his kindness proved it; the cowboy was
doing his job and he was treated fairly. He wondered if he should
ask Blake to care for his sister. Someone had to since he was doing
poorly in that department. The issue on his mind was; would she be
better off alone or under the cowboy’s protection?

He had seen the way Blake kept eyeing Casey.
And he didn’t miss his sister gazing with cow eyes at the man;
there was an attraction to be sure. There were no doubts in his
mind that when his back was turned, she’d be in Blake’s arms, but
could she find happiness with the drifter? Well, her fate was no
longer in his hands and who was he to say whom she should love? His
sister proved to be much wiser than he and she had an uncanny sense
of knowing things. He trusted her instincts before his own, besides
Blake was a man, not a saint.

But in the end, it came down to one thing:
he had certainly made a mess of things!

EIGHT

Casey and her weary companions sat on their
tired horses overlooking Fort Tate, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She had
never begged for anything in her life, but this was her brother and
she decided to swallow her pride and reason with Blake. She turned
in her saddle and choked out a plea. “Please let my brother go,
he’s so young and it was his first time.” Her eyes watered with
remorse. She watched Blake’s profile falter a little and saw the
muscles in his jaw flex. She was certain he wouldn’t honor her
request. Sadly, she was right and she shuddered, holding in a flood
of tears that threatened to break behind her lids. She would never
beg again. Hunter’s fate was in her hands and she’d not fail him
this time.

Slamming his hat down further over his face,
Blake tugged on Hunter’s reins to bring his prisoner’s horse
forward and led him to the fort. He called to the sentry and the
gates opened up to let them in. She followed wondering how he could
be such a cold hearted man when his lips were so hot.

Oh, how she hated that bastard! If she could
only convince herself that!

Casey felt as if she was riding through the
gates of hell. And it could well have been. The cowboy tied his
horse by a large barracks where she noticed many army men and some
women mulling around looking their way. They were curious at seeing
three strangers ride in. Blake helped her brother down and she
dismounted, feeling her skin crawl being under many eyes. A private
addressed the cowboy and then opened the door for them. She
followed so utterly miserable that she barely heard the uniform man
announce them.

“Lieutenant,” saluted the soldier, “Blake
January and his prisoner arrived.” Casey assumed a wire had been
sent ahead for his arrival.

“Lieutenant Shepherd at
your service,” the uniformed soldier returned Blake’s handshake,
but Shepherd’s eyes were on her. Blake noticed the curious look and
informed the lieutenant that she was the prisoner’s sister, Casey.
That introduction earned him a thorny glare.
Casey indeed!
She kept her retort to
herself, but it wasn‘t easy
.

“Glad to meet you,” Shepherd gave her a
smiling nod and she could see by his expression that he was
probably wondering what she was doing here and if she were mixed up
in this mess herself. He didn’t probe. She thought Lieutenant
Shepherd was very good-looking, but not as handsome as Blake. He
was dark, where Blake was fair. And although tall, he didn’t quite
reach Blake’s height.

Now what made her compare
the two? Why did her mind wander to such thoughts?
She chided herself again and wondered why she
made such a comparison. This self-analyzing was becoming an
annoying habit of late. The two men talked a while about slavery
and the prisoner as she sat idly in a chair being
ignored.

Shepherd cleared his throat. “Sorry, miss,
I’m sure you would love a hot bath before joining my sister and me
for dinner.”

Casey sensed the young
soldier’s embarrassment and smiled coyly to lighten the tension.
She liked the soldier, she believed he would be a good ally and she
needed all the friends she could get. Smiling sweetly again, she
noticed the scowl on Blake’s face deepen.
Good, let him pickle himself.
That
time she didn’t scold herself for her thoughts.

“Sergeant!” The command brought her out of
her musings with a start. Why wasn’t she paying better attention to
her surroundings and conversation instead a filling her head
with...? Damn, she was doing it again, but this time her thoughts
were interrupted when a young soldier, no older than Hunter poked
his head in the doorway. “Yes Sir,” he replied.

Shepherd waved the soldier forward. “See
that the young lady is escorted to my sister’s barracks and that a
tub of hot water is delivered right away. And ask Sharon if she
could lend this fine lady,” he eyed her up and down, his eyes lit
up and she hoped he liked what he saw before he finished his
sentence, “a dress. You both appear to be about the same
height.”

“Oh, that’s very kind,” Casey purred. “I
don’t what to put anyone out.” She batted her lashes.

Blake’s eyes rolled. Did her voice just drop
an octave? And why the coyness? He almost growled out loud. His
skin crawled and he knew what the little minx was up to and wanted
to ring her pretty neck. She had such a deep voice for a little
person but it was smooth and sexy. He wondered if she knew how much
havoc her voice played on his nerves. He caught the dimpled smile
and frowned, wishing it were for him. He wasn’t happy about the way
the soldier looked at her and he knew the lieutenant was smitten
with the girl. It took all his willpower not to knock the soldier
on his heels.

The lieutenant waved off her comment and
said, “It’s no bother, miss, my sister would be happy to
accommodate. There aren’t many women here and I’m sure she’d love
the company and someone to gossip with.”

He glanced at her meekly and Blake knew damn
well what the soldier was thinking.

She was the prettiest thing
he’d seen in a long time
.
She sure brightened up the dull fort.

“Sergeant Beck will escort you… Err; I didn’t
get your last name.”

“Walsh, like my brother, I’m not married,”
she dimpled.

The lieutenant beamed and nodded and Blake’s
frown deepened. That dimple should have been for him!

Sharon Shepherd was a female replica of her
brother, same gray eyes and dark hair. There was no mistaking they
were kin, not like her and Hunter. Her brother had darker brown
eyes and deeper skin tones. His hair was like their father’s, sandy
brown, where she resembled her mother with her fair complexion,
hair and eyes. Casey apologized for staring boldly at the
dark-haired beauty.

Sharon giggled, “Oh, I’m used to people’s
reaction on fist meeting me.”

The girl welcomed her warmly and explained
that she and her brother, Walter, were twins. She was warm and
pleasant and she liked her right away. She asked Sharon to call her
Casey, liking it better than her given name. But she only gave
permission to the people she liked to address her in that manner.
Blake, she thought of as her... her what? Lover was the word she
was subconsciously searching for.

They chattered as if they had been aquatinted
for a long time, making Casey relax and right at home in Sharon’s
company. When the bath arrived, her hostess left her alone to bathe
in private. She enjoyed the luxury of the warm water so much she
almost drifted off to sleep. So content, that even her thoughts of
the handsome blue-eyed man floating around in her head, didn’t
upset her much. Well, not that much. A light rap on the door took
her from her daydreams.

“It’s Sharon, are you finished?”

Casey jumped from the tub, feeling slightly
mortified that she stayed in so long and answered, “Err… yes,
please come in.”

Sharon found the girl wrapped in a large
towel, standing in a puddle of water, looking somewhat uneasy. She
had heard the water splash and knew Casey was still enjoying the
bath. Knowing how good a bath could feel, especially after a long
journey, she was sorry to disturb her; but it was nearing dinner
time and she had to help her new friend dress. Sharon wanted to
make her guest look her best, for when she spoke to Walter; she
noticed he was quiet taken by the girl.

She took her best dress from the wardrobe.
It was nothing frilly, only a soft blue cotton dress with puffed
sleeves and a lace bodice, but for here it was considered formal.
She had assumed when she came to visit with Walter, there would be
no fancy parties. One nice dress to look pretty in, once in awhile,
made her feel special way out here in the wilderness.