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Hattie was beautiful! He’d never doubted she would be.
He thought of Chase and Katherine and the last letter he had from them. Happily married with children of their own, Lee ached to have a family too, but it hadn’t worked out that way. No woman would have someone who’d face the perils of war and lost so much. Although his inner pride told him he was much stronger today than the years before.
The woman watched her children, like a female robin, hovering about to protect them.
However, when he looked at her again, it seemed their glances connected, as though she knew he was there. Lee stirred, his loins tightening with unanswered needs. When she went to stand up, her breasts looked as though they might spill out of her dress, so pressed against the material. Lee’s hand extended, as though to catch them. Mentally he berated himself for such nonsense. Hattie was a decent, good woman, and he shouldn’t even think in that direction. Probably married now…
That thought doused some of his arousal.
Repressing this feeling toward Hattie wouldn’t be easy, but would be safer.
There was no time for reactions when a shot rang out and one of the children fell to the ground with a thud. The little one cried, the older one screamed, the mother ran to her child, and panic drew a picture on her face.
Lee moved like lightning to the child as the mother scrambled to reach her too. Sam headed for her too. All three reached her at the same time. Sam seemed to stop short and eye him for a moment.
Another scream went up when the other children saw the blood. Sam gathered the girls protectively around him.
Lee grabbed the young girl in his arm scooping her against him. She was crying silently and looking into his eyes with a mixture of terror and need. Lee headed straight for the wagon. Sam followed him. Sam jumped in the wagon and helped Lee place the wounded child there. The woman didn’t question him, but followed mutely. Sam helped the other two inside and Lee joined the woman on the seat. He quickly took the reins from her trembling hands and whipped the horses into action. He whistled for his own horse who came galloping up behind the wagon.
Suddenly two men followed, their guns drawn and firing.
Lee handed her the reins and took out his own .44. He turned to move the girls’ heads down and began firing.
He downed one of the men and the other one slowed. Sam yelled his approval. Good, he hadn’t followed.
Lee sighed heavily and took the reins back from the woman, keeping the horses at full speed.
“Where to?” he asked.
“The Nelson farm, about five miles down the road,” she answered breathlessly.
“You know those men?”
“I know who sent them…” The woman turned about to check to see if they followed.
Lee pulled the wagon into the yard and looked about. Puzzled and confused, once again he said very little.
“Thank you…would you like some lemonade?” she offered as he helped her down.
Lee put his hand to her waist, her hips flared beneath his hand, and her breasts almost heaved against him, but her waist was small. Despite the fact that she was well rounded, she seemed light as a feather in his arm. She didn’t remark about his arm this time either. Instead, their gazes held as he set her down. For a full second they could do nothing but stare at each other.
That same awareness shocked him, like a bolt of lightning.
This was the last thing he needed, coming home to trouble, but he couldn’t deny the pleasure he felt being close to her either.
“Lemonade sounds nice…”
She nodded, then he carried the little girl inside the house, his house.
Sam was right behind him, his face screwed up with concern.
He waited for her to direct him to a bedroom, and she didn’t hesitate to open the door and he went through carrying the child.
Laying her on the bed, he went to checking her wound. It was only a flesh wound; the bullet hadn’t gone through, just grazed her skin enough to cause a pile of blood, and some pain.
As everyone crowded about the bed, Lee tried to reassure the somber faces. “It’s a flesh wound, just needs cleaning up and bandaging.”
“I’ll get some water and bandages then…” Hattie hurriedly went about gathering up what was needed and came back. The other two children stared at their sister, then him. She directed the oldest girl to get them some lemonade. Sam was still staring at him, but hadn’t said a word yet to him.
