(Lady #3) River Lady by Jude Deveraux

Author:Jude Deveraux [Deveraux, Jude]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

For most of the day he stayed very far ahead of her. Only now and again did she glimpse his buckskins. Mostly she kept her head down and trudged along behind him, trying her best not to think of her brother Abe. Would he do something in revenge because she'd refused his request?

By twilight she was beginning to convince herself that Abe did have some family feeling and he wasn't going to retaliate. Still she kept a lookout behind every tree. She half expected to be kidnapped. That would be Abe's style.

A shot rang out, echoing off the trees and hills, reverberating all around her.

"Wesley!" she cried and knew with every fiber of her body that it was Abe who'd fired that shot. "Wesley!" she screamed and began to run.

Wesley's big body lay on the forest floor, silent, still, half sitting against the pack on his back. A great, gaping hole was in his chest.

"Wesley," Leah said with a gasp, dropping to her knees before him. "Wesley."

He didn't answer her but lay there completely still.

"He's still breathin'," came a voice over her head. "I didn't aim to kill him."

"You!" Leah hissed and launched at her brother.

Abe put his hands up to protect himself. "I told you I needed you and since you ain't got no family feelin's I had to do somethin'."

Leah stopped hitting her brother when she realized the stupidity of his words and turned back to Wesley. Bud was kneeling beside Wes, his big fingers probing at the wound.

"He is alive, isn't he?" she asked again going to her knees.

Bud nodded once as he removed a knife from his side.

"No!" Leah screamed, grabbing the big forearm with both her hands. "Please don't kill him. I'll do whatever you want."

Bud gave her a quick, hard look before using the knife to cut away the torn part of Wesley's shirt.

"Them boys won't kill nothin'," Abe said in disgust, rubbing his arms where Leah had struck him. "Let Bud take care of Stanford and you come with me."

"I won't leave him," Leah said stubbornly. "I'll get you for this, Abe Simmons. If my husband dies I'll—"

"He ain't gonna die. I'm a good shot and it took me all day to come up with this plan. I figured you'd do most anythin' to keep from losin' all that Stanford money so I thought if maybe I laid him low you'd be willin' to do somethin' for me while he was healin'."

"You stupid—” she began. "How could you shoot someone just to get help with your criminal ways? Wesley, can you hear me?"

Leah was vaguely aware of the big man, Bud, as he began to feel Wesley's ribs. Leah was glad for the help as her eyes were full of tears of rage and frustration.

"Here," Abe said, grabbing Leah's arm and pulling her upright. "Let the boys see to him. They're good at doctorin'. You and me got some talkin' to do."

"I wouldn't talk to you if—”

"You want me to finish him off? It seems to me you ain't in a position to do much bargainin'.

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