The Heart of a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund

Author:Jody Hedlund [Hedlund, Jody]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;FIC042110;FIC042030;FIC027360
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2021-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

Flynn awoke with a start. For a moment, he fought against the panic that had recently clamped around his chest and hadn’t let go. The same panic he’d experienced when he held his ma’s hand and watched the life ebb from her face.

But at the steady tap of rain through the darkness, he let the tension ease from his muscles. The rainwater was filling up their barrels and pails and every container they had. He’d made sure of it during his hours on guard duty. The people he cared about wouldn’t have to suffer from thirst any longer.

His mind flashed with the image of Linnea’s face so pale, her lips so parched, her body so listless. The instant he pictured her, he breathed out a prayer of thanksgiving that the Almighty had protected them. He’d never before done as much praying as he had yesterday during their plodding forward. He’d spent hours begging God for some means of saving the group. At first he included the cattle.

But as the hours had dragged on, he realized he didn’t care one whit about the cattle, that he’d gladly lose every single one and grovel before Wyatt, if only he could save his siblings.

Who was he kidding? Linnea had been at the top of his mind. As much as he wanted to deny it, his feelings for her had pressed in harder and hotter than a branding iron searing cow flesh. The almighty truth was that he’d spent more time worrying about her than he had anyone or anything else.

He blew out a breath only to remember where he was, that he was sleeping underneath the same wagon as her. While he couldn’t see her, he sensed her presence.

She was still curled up next to Ivy, but the span between them had diminished. And it was his fault for spreading out rather than keeping himself aloof and rigid as he’d initially determined to do. At least he hadn’t done anything stupid in his sleep, like reach for her and wrap his arms around her.

Since the moment he’d crawled underneath the wagon, a low warning at the back of his mind had urged him to get out, had reminded him he was only flirting with temptation. Yet, when she’d pleaded with him to rest there, he hadn’t been able to resist, especially when she assured him she’d stay right by Ivy.

He heard what she’d left unspoken, that she realized how her casual touches always seemed to stir up longing between them. She’d all but promised not to initiate anything anymore. If something happened between them, it would be his fault.

He heard her shift and release a soft sigh. The sound hit him smack in the gut and sparked a flame. He stiffened and stared through the darkness at the wagon bed. The rain was lessening, and from the tempering of the night, he guessed dawn was only an hour or two off. Maybe it was time to get up and away from Linnea. He’d slept for a few hours, and that was good enough.

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