AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“About a full day’s journey. Should be there by nightfall if ya leave now.”
He nodded his gratitude and made his quick exit. Sam wanted to get back to Ivy right away. That feeling of trepidation still hovered over him. Giving the corner of his hat a tip toward the shopkeeper, he turned and hurried out of the mercantile. Outside, he searched the area for the Indian or the man referred to as Bill. Using his internal instincts, he quickly surveyed his surroundings. The streets still appeared deserted. No sign of the white man. Or the Indian.
Not that he feared them. Generally, he never had any qualms with them when he came upon them on his many trails. But this lot was hungry, angry and lacking in female companionship. Whatever the quarrel between the villagers and the Indians, Sam wanted nothing to do with it and he certainly didn’t want to get caught in the middle.
Slipping between the piles of wood, he moved quickly scooping Ivy back into his arms. She looked up, startled at his unexpected appearance. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a logging camp nearby that might sell us a horse.”
“Oh.” Her surprised exclamation revealed her relief. Then when she noticed him heading toward the church, asked, “Where are we going?”
“To church.”
He was too busy keeping a watchful eye on the town to notice her reaction. In his arms, she fell silent. Curiously, he looked down at her. “You a Catholic girl, aren’t ya?”
“Because I’m Irish?” Then she muttered something so quietly, he was sure he mistook her words. “He abandoned me long ago.”
Pushing the door open, he moved to the front of the pews where he deposited her. Dropping his hands to her ankle, he started removing her stockings. Immediately, she yanked her foot out of his hand. “What do y’think ye be doing?”
“I picked up some ointment to help with the swelling.” Retrieving her foot once again and pleased she made no objection that time around, he pulled the stocking the remainder of the way off. He studied her naked ankle with eyes as indifferent as he could muster. Truth was, the sight of her bared skin made him feel a discomfort in the groin of his pants. Forcing his attention to her injury, however, he saw it didn’t look any better. But gratefully, not any worse either.
Opening the jar, he dabbed some of the ointment onto his fingers, then gently reached out to rub it into her skin. The moment his fingers touched her, he could feel the little start her foot gave though he could tell she was working hard to suppress it. He didn’t dare look up at her. He too was finding it difficult to remain indifferent while his hands ran along the soft downy flesh of her ankle.
When he felt he had applied enough, he took the gauze and wrapped it around her foot, securing the ankle. It was all he could do for now, until he got her to a doctor. Done, he gently laid her foot back down and slid her boot over the swollen foot. She flinched from the pain and Sam felt a stab of anger at himself. If he had only not pushed her so hard in the woods. He knew she had a bum ankle, yet he hadn’t wanted to care. And now she was paying for his foolishness.
“Here, eat this.” He forced some jerky into her hands as well as the canteen. “You’re going to have to wait here.”
She took the items from his hand, but paused at his last comment. “What do ye mean?”
“The logging camp is north of town. Too far for you to walk.”
Her eyes rounded and a look of panic entered them. “Please, don’t le—“
She broke off abruptly, causing Sam to wonder what she was going to say, but brushed the thought aside to pin her with a hard stare and ask, “Now, you’re not going to do anything foolish, are you Ivy?”
She went stiff. Sam exhaled a weary breath and ran a hand under the brim of his hat. “Dammit, Ivy, I don’t have the time or energy to go chasing you through the bush again.”
He thought about warning her about the Indians, and then thought better of it. No need to worry her. She was perfectly safe in the church.
“Promise me you’ll not try and escape. Hell, you’ve done enough damage to your leg.”
Some type of emotion he could not identify, crossed her eyes momentarily, before her expression turned blank. “Do ye still intend to deliver me to the scaffolds?”
Her question took him by surprise. More because he wasn’t sure if he could any more. “I intend to deliver you to the authorities. What happens after that is left in the hands of the law.”
“Then I can’t be making ye that promise.”
“Dammit, Ivy, you need to tell me what happened. Maybe I can help you. Talk to me. Tell me why you killed that man?”
Her eyes held his gaze for the longest moment, and for a brief second he thought she was going to speak. But, instead, her lips closed and she dropped her chin. Inside, Sam felt himself grow hard. Forced the familiar coldness back into his heart. Reaching behind him, he withdrew the handcuffs. He knew they were useless on her, but he had no other choice. He would not tie Ivy up again. Having nearly killed her the last time.
If he had to chase her through the wilderness again, then so be it. He would rather put them two days behind than risk injuring her again.
* * *
Ivy rubbed the back of her neck and slumped against the church pew. She was unbelievably tired. Never had she walked so much in her life. There was no way she could run. Not with her lame ankle. She needed to think. To devise a plan. No matter how safe she felt with Sam, the fact remained, he was delivering her to her death. When he told her he was leaving her, that old feeling of being abandoned, being left behind, resurfaced. It was such a familiar, scary feeling. She hated the way it made her vulnerable to him. Without thinking she had nearly begged him not to leave.
Raising her eyes, she stared at a huge cross directly behind the pulpit. She felt a little uncomfortable sitting in a church. It had been years since she attended. At first it was because the Earl forbid her or Moira to attend. Mostly on account of the bruising on Moira’s face. It wouldn’t be deemed convenient to have the Earl’s reputation slurred arou
