The Marshal's Pursuit by Micki Miller

Author:Micki Miller [Miller, Micki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Western, Historical
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Inc.
Published: 2016-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Penny slowed her horses to give them another chance to rest. When she first snuck away in the middle of the night, the darkness forced her to ride slow. Once the morning gave her the first glimpse of light, she rode hard taking intermittent breaks so as not to strain her horses, Lulu and Lady Bell.

Twisting about, Penny had another good look around. Everything appeared normal. It was another cool but sunny day and even though the brightness bothered her sleep-deprived eyes, she was glad for the light. Garrett’s vigilant watch for danger had rubbed off on her. No matter her other feelings for the man, she wasn’t so stubborn that she’d not learn by his example.

From the moment she left, Penny had kept a sharp watch of her surroundings. Zeke Cotter was out there somewhere. Maybe he was on the run far away, or maybe he was coming back to kill the witness he now knew was following him. As the day ticked on, that second possibility took on weight.

Her bravado began to wane in the hours since she’d snuck away, knowing full well this time she was truly on her own. Well, she was just going to have to gather it up again. She refused to turn back. Pride, however, was poor company, and a sorry protector. Never before in her life had Penny ever been so completely alone.

For the first three days after she left Mill’s Creek, she had the illusion of being alone. Penny had to admit, sleeping outside by herself, even though the marshal was not far away, had been a bit frightening. All kinds of unidentified noises rooted through the night and even with her small campfire, darkness engulfed her. But the experience had also been liberating. She made decisions, choosing her own course of action and following through. Besides, as she told Garrett, he was close enough to hear if she screamed.

That first night she walked low over small hills, weaved through trees, and hid herself in the brush and evergreens to see how he did things, learning how to live outside. She watched as he tended his horse with a gentle pat and murmured something to the great animal. The horse raised his head and nickered, as if conversing with the marshal. He said something else to the horse. She couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was kind and she found that utterly endearing.

For a large man, he moved with grace. She’d studied him as he collected wood for his fire, tossing thick logs as if they weighed nothing. All of his movements were smooth and easy. He was probably a good dancer. The music and colors of a barn dance played in her mind. She imagined herself twirling in his arms, and sighed.

He cocked an ear then. Penny held herself as still as the shrub behind which she was crouched as he scanned the darkness. Her sigh couldn’t have made any more noise than the breeze against the pines, but he’d picked up on the tiny, misfit sound.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.