Tess's Trials by C. Wayne Winkle

Author:C. Wayne Winkle [Winkle, C. Wayne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rusty Spur Publishing
Published: 2017-09-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

That same day that Rafe and Merita found Bessie’s body, Tess woke up to a sweat-soaked afternoon. Once sure the Indians were really gone, she’d relaxed enough to sleep again.

Now, she lay in what little shade she found among the boulders. And little it was.

For a few minutes, she lounged in the aftermath of sleep, thinking and planning for the journey that faced her. She knew there would be trials. Severe trials.

A long distance to cover on foot. Difficult country to cross. Weather that could turn bad in a matter of a few minutes. Raiders to avoid. Little food to get by on. No way to carry water.

At the thought of water, her thirst almost overwhelmed her. Even as she slept, she lost precious body fluid to the sun and its effects. This country could suck a person dry in a number of ways. Sweating, of course. Sometimes just standing still would bring a sweat, it got that hot. But something many didn’t understand was the wind and how it could also pull out the moisture people needed to live. And the wind always blew.

She slowly stretched the kinks out of arms, legs, and back. Then, very careful to stay silent and unseen, she crept to the edge of the boulders and peeked around with one eye.

The next few minutes crept on a snail’s back as she examined the area she could see. Listening brought nothing to her ears. Only the thunder that muttered and grumbled in distant canyons to the west.

Still, she crept out, watching all around.

At the small pool, she lay down on her stomach to drink her fill. After drinking, she sat up on her knees and combed through her hair with her fingers.

It may have been the thunder that kept her from hearing the young Indian as he eased up behind her.

Tess had both hands at the back of her head, smoothing down her hair as the Indian grabbed her around the body just under her breasts. Hardly more than a boy, the Indian weighed less than Tess’s hundred and twenty-five pounds. If he’d weighed more, they would’ve gone into the water.

As it was, she grunted with the impact of the Indian boy’s body and bent over, almost touching the ground with her forehead. The boy’s momentum carried him nearly right over her back.

Tess recovered quickly. So did the Indian boy.

She scrambled to her feet just in time to meet the boy’s rush. They grappled, each trying for a grip on the other in order to throw them to the ground.

In this, the Indian boy had the advantage. He wore only a breech clout and leggings with his moccasins. Tess’s dress made it easy for him to grab and hold her.

Tess’s advantage was her size and the strength hard ranch work gave her. She shook his hands loose, tearing her dress at the shoulder in the process.

Both of them sweated profusely. This made grappling with the boy very difficult for Tess. The sweat made his skin very slippery.

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