AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You damn, stupid fool!”
The moment she was safely on level ground, she scurried away from his menacing scowl. “Don’t ye be touching me.”
“Lady, you are not in the position to tell me what I can or cannot do.” He took a threatening step closer.
Instinctively, Ivy scrambled backwards on her behind. “Please, don’t kill me.”
That stopped him dead. His scowl grew even darker. “Ma’am, if I wanted you dead, I would’ve left you there at the bottom of the ravine.”
He reached for her non-too-politely and Ivy automatically flinched. He dragged her out of the tangle of branches she had retreated into and hauled her up onto her feet. With swift movements, he retied her wrists in a new knot Ivy had never seen the likes of before. Fear gravitated in the pit of her stomach.
“Please. Just let me go.”
His eyes shot a fierce glance at her before he moved quickly looping the rope around her neck and tying the other end around her wrists. He moved so fast Ivy had no idea what he was doing until it was too late.
“Didn’t want to have to do this, Freckles. But seeing you have a tendency to run, not to mention escape any other secure knot I’ve made, you’ve left me with no choice.”
Her eyes fell to the rope looped loosely around her neck and felt that same feeling of nausea rise in the pit of her stomach.
“How this here works is if you try and pull this cord securing your wrists, like this,” he gripped the end of the rope closest to her wrists to demonstrate, causing Ivy to suck in sharply when the noose around her neck swiftly tightened around her throat. “You’ll choke yourself.”
He released the cord allowing the rope to slacken around her throat, and for Ivy to draw in a large gasp of air. With a raspy voice, she said, “Ye can’t do this.”
He ignored her. “Let’s get moving.”
His eyes did not meet hers again as he turned away and headed out the direction he came. He stopped only to bend down and pick something up. A dead animal. She did not recognize the breed, but it was not very large. In the side of its small body, was a huge gaping hole where a bullet had taken its life. The shot she had heard earlier. The one in which she thought had been fired at her, had actually been used to kill their meal. He had gone hunting for their breakfast.
* * *
Hell, Sam had never been this angry with someone before in his life. Not even with Daphne Sweeney. In that situation, his anger had been directed at himself. For being so damn naive, so gullible. For being a fool. A mistake he swore never to repeat.
Even with his mother he had never gotten this angry. He pushed thoughts of her immediately from his mind. He hadn’t thought of her in years, he wasn’t about to let this woman lead him back down memory lane.
The duo walked in a single line for several more hours, neither speaking. They headed in a westerly direction through the thick underbrush so dense the sun, which could have helped penetrate some of the northern climate, was overshadowed by the packed forest. Having lost some time with the incident at the ravine, then having to backtrack to the camp to retrieve his satchel and supplies, Sam perhaps was walking at a faster rate than necessary. The sooner he reached town, the sooner he could rid himself of Ivy McGregor.
The woman was dangerous. And not just to herself. Even though it made his blood boil every time he pictured her clinging to a tree not much thicker than his leg. Truth was, Ivy McGregor was dangerous to Sam’s good sense.
* * *
It was nearing dark. The sun had disappeared beneath the wooded horizon and grayness overcame the earth. Ivy looked ahead of her and prayed Sam would stop shortly. Her bad ankle was beginning to act up and hurting something fierce. She struggled to keep up. He used no lead to ensure she follow him through the forest, relying entirely on the rope anchored ominously around her throat instead. It made Ivy livid. The knot was one she had never seen the likes of before, and therefore, had no idea how to escape it.
If given the time, perhaps she could figure it out. But out here where she was vulnerable to the wilderness, she needed to ensure she was not sitting prey. At last Sam stopped near a small cluster of trees. No sight of shelter to be seen. Ivy was already freezing. With the temperatures at their all-time low during the nights, she didn’t doubt if the wildlife didn’t get her, than frostbite would.
Sam spoke for the first time since they headed out. “We’ll make camp here.”
“There’s no shelter.”
He ignored her, instead concentrated on gathering wood. Ivy slumped down on the ground, careless of where she landed. She was far too tired to care. What she needed was to get off her feet and fast. She would have given anything to reach down and rub her bad ankle. If she survived this ordeal, she knew somehow her leg would never be the same again.
“I’m going to go look for kindling wood,” he said, then bore his steely gaze into her face. “Don’t move. I won’t be so accommodating in assisting you off any ravine ledges this time.”
“Why didn’t ye just leave me be?”
His eyes darkened, but only repeated, “Don’t move.”
He was gone before she could reply. Not that she would have. The only thing she wanted at that moment was to lie down. Even on a hard filthy ground as the one she placed her head upon.
The forest was quiet. Almost tranquil like. The stillness had a comforting effect on Ivy. She fought it, but she felt her lids slide shut. It was so welcoming, she couldn’t resist any longer if she tried. How long she lay like that, she was not certain. But when she heard a twig snap at Sam’s return, she opened her eyes and sat up.
