Hey, Cowgirl, Need a Ride? by Baxter Black

Author:Baxter Black [Black, Baxter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307420862
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2007-12-18T05:00:00+00:00

The injury wasn’t serious. The fan wasn’t broken. The gauze bandage around Lick’s head looked dashing and the blood melded beautifully into the collage of lipstick. The only downside was that after he came to, he was nearly sober.

37

DECEMBER 6: T.A. IS KIDNAPPED

“There she is,” said Valter.

He and Pike sat in a delivery van they’d stolen from the parking lot behind a plumbers’ wholesale store in Mountain Home, Idaho. It was now idling in the parking lot outside the Miner’s Club. Green lights shone on the dash and the heater hummed comfortingly as snow fell heavily on the windshield.

“Drive up closer,” instructed Valter.

T.A. stood hugging herself in the cold crisp Nevada night. She’d stepped outside into the parking lot for a breath of fresh air. It was 11:30 p.m. and Olivia, her ride to Elko, hadn’t shown up. No big deal, T.A. told herself, she’d buy a car or hitch a ride tomorrow.

She looked up at the stars and shivered; the knit top didn’t offer much protection from the cold. Her resolve had strengthened as the evening had worn on. Any doubt she had about herself and what she must do had vanished. She looked back in through the open door and caught a glimpse of Lick waltzing across the dance floor with Sherrill. It looked to her like an old photograph: the snow, the light shining through the open door, the starry sky. She sighed and relaxed her shoulders. It will work, she thought to herself. I’ll worry about him another day.

Lick had noticed T.A. standing outside as he two-stepped by. After the song ended, he excused himself and went in search of her. She was standing at the edge of the bright porch light, on the snow-covered gravel. She seemed lost in her thoughts.

“Howdy,” he said, as he stepped up behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder and grimaced at his looks. He was wearing his hat over the bandage but the bruises were coloring like burnt crust on a hot roll. “How you feelin’?” she asked.

“Okay,” he answered. “This ain’t nuthin’. I been hurt worse than this takin’ a shower.”

She laughed. Snow frosted her hair. She looked like an angel.

“How ’bout you? Still gonna save the world?” he asked.

She smiled. “Yep. That’s what I’m gonna do.”

“I hope you’re doin’ the right thing,” said Lick.

“I’m doing what I have to.” She paused. “Although I admit, meeting you hasn’t made it any easier.”

Lick wasn’t sure what she meant, which was nothing new. He often didn’t have a clue what women were saying between the lines. He touched her neck with the back of his hand, let the touch linger a long moment, then turned and walked back inside.

T.A. felt his touch, then felt it disappear. She heard his footsteps fade. Then she felt his hands on her biceps. She started to look back at him but he pushed her forward, roughly.

At once, a big arm wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. A hand was clapped over her mouth and she was lifted off the ground.

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.