Knight on the Texas Plains by Linda Broday

Author:Linda Broday [Broday, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2017-07-31T18:30:00+00:00

Twenty

What was that saying—“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”?

The thought snaked through his mind, offering little reassurance as Duel slid in next to Jessie. His leg touched hers, and he jerked as though he’d come in contact with one of the deadlier vipers. He sure hoped the good Lord’d take pity on this fool.

His head sank into the goose-down pillow. He hadn’t slept on a regular bed in such a long while. The fluffy softness surprised him.

Jessie laid her head on his chest, and his arm encircled her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Thank you, Duel.” Her voice was low.

“For what?”

“Not hurting me. Not forcing me. Not laughing at this.”

“Your needs are just as important as mine, Jess.” More, the way he figured it.

“I keep forgetting that you’re different.”

“I’ll try to make sure you never regret hitching up with this poor dirt farmer.”

She shifted, and in the dim light he returned her pointed gaze. “I want you to look at it. If we remove the mystery of it from between us, perhaps that will help.”

Duel knew what “it” meant. She was right. The thing stood like an impenetrable wall, reminding him of her pain and suffering, and her of the awful deed she’d done. Still, it looked bad enough from a distance. He really didn’t care for a close-up view.

“Light the lamp, Duel.” Jessie sat up, and he had no choice.

Sulfur lingered in the air moments after he struck the match. Adjusting the wick to a low flame so as not to awaken the child, he stared out the window while she slipped the gown off her left shoulder. Rain had extinguished the fire, but the charred timbers of the barn stood outlined by the midnight sky.

“You can turn around.” Her light touch felt good on his shirtless back. Too good.

“We don’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I want to get everything in the open where we can deal with it.”

Smart move. Wasn’t that the same advice his father had given him in regards to telling Annie about his bounty hunting?

Lay your cards on the table, son, Walt had urged. Feller can’t see where he stands till he knows the hand he’s drawn.

Duel didn’t know if it’d work now like it did then. He sure hoped for a miracle—and the courage to not let his lady down. He took a deep breath. Whatever it took to keep Jessie’s faith in him from crumbling, he’d do. He clenched his jaw tight.

Still, nothing prepared him for the nearness. If he’d been standing, his legs would’ve buckled. A scarred ridge of skin rose in the shape of a diamond, with the letter J nothing more than an elevated hard welt. The red, puckered skin around it had drawn back as if it’d tried to fend off the atrocity by shrinking. The taste of bile soured on his tongue. He couldn’t bear the thought of Jessie’s torment.

“Touch it, Duel. This is what I killed a man for.

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