In Enemy Hands by Linda Winstead Jones

Author:Linda Winstead Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media Romance
Published: 1996-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

No more than an hour later, Lily turned off the well-worn path she had followed faithfully and slowed her mare as they slipped through a bank of tall trees. With close observation, it was clear that the trail had once cut a clear path through the thick expanse of trees, but it was almost completely covered now by encroaching brush and weeds.

The charred remains of a small house sat bleakly in the near distance, its blackened skeleton the only sign that a family had once lived there. The destruction was complete and couldn’t hide from the harsh sunlight of late summer. Weeds grew through the charred boards of what had once been a front porch, and vines climbed a broken rail that reached hopelessly upward.

The barn showed the same signs of neglect, but had been spared the fire that had gutted the house. The barn door hung crookedly from the broken hinge, and weeds had taken over the ground on all sides of the structure. There were gaping holes in the roof, and gaping “windows” at sporadic intervals, where whole boards had fallen away.

Lily jumped from her mare and waited for Quint to do the same. When his feet touched the ground, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms. She never would have shown it, but she had been terrified for him. She lifted her face, touched a cheek that was rough with dark stubble, and smiled as Quint threaded his fingers through her hair.

He held her tightly, and Lily pressed her body against his, reveling in his warmth. She had missed him, terribly, more than she’d thought possible.

Reluctantly, Lily pulled away from him. There was feed and water in the barn for their horses, and together they unsaddled the mounts and led them into prepared stables. Quint actually seemed to be surprised that she had prepared their nest so well.

The shade of the barn was comfortingly cool, and shafts of sunlight that fell through the unsturdy roof marked the dirt floor.

Quint had decided that he had to tell Lily the truth. Soon. She deserved the truth, and she deserved to hear it from him. She would hate what he had done, but would she hate him? Did she love him enough to leave behind what she was bound to see as his betrayal?

He stood with both hands gripping the top of a stall, leaning forward with his head hanging slightly, the tension tightening his shoulders and his back. He didn’t want to tell her, didn’t want to see her face when she learned the truth.

Lily slipped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head between his shoulder blades.

“We can’t stay here long,” she said softly. “But the horses need to rest before we head south, and I’ve got a change of clothes for both of us and a loaf of bread stashed in the loft.”

“You didn’t forget anything, did you?” he whispered.

“I hope not.”

“Jesus, Lily.” Quint turned and wrapped his arms around her.

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