reaction was immediate. His hand tightened on the gun tucked under the cover. It took all he had not to shoot her, and he thanked God she wasn't looking at him now. She had a quilt in her arms and was standing over Mary Rose, looking down at her.
Crazy Corrie. One look at her and Harrison couldn't imagine why she hadn't gone insane. She was so grossly disfigured, he wanted to turn away from her. He didn't, of course. He didn't move at all. He simply waited to see what she would do.
The woman had finally taken her fill of watching. Without making a sound, she covered Mary Rose with the quilt. She left as silently as she had entered.
He wanted to call after her, to say thank you at the very least, but he didn't make a sound. If the woman had wanted to be seen, she would have done something to make certain they'd awakened. She obviously wasn't ready, and he would respect her wishes.
He felt tremendous guilt over his initial repulsion at the sight of her. And then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep once again. Mary Rose had moved closer to his side, but he was still feeling safe in the knowledge he wouldn't have to worry about temptation and his own appalling lack of control.
He woke up with her face in his groin. He thought he'd died and gone to heaven, but as soon as the mist of sleep wore off, he knew he'd gone straight to purgatory instead. Mary Rose wasn't seducing him. She was sound asleep. Her feet were tucked under his chin. She was simply trying in her sleep to get warm.
It took him forever to move her away from him without waking her up. Then he got up as quietly as he could. He walked barefoot outside and stood in the rain.
It didn't help one damned bit.
Chapter 10
Some son-of-a-bitch took a shot at them on their way home. Harrison was paying attention. He rode by Mary Rose's side, and the second he spotted the glint of metal through the pines directly ahead of them just where the crook in the trail began to turn, he shoved Mary Rose off her horse, drew his six-shooter, and fired a scant second too late.
The enemy's bullet passed through his right side. Harrison barely reacted to the sting of pain. He was leaning close to Mary Rose's saddle now, his gaze fully directed on the forest ahead. Had she been riding her mount, the bullet he caught most certainly would have killed her.
And that realization sent him right over the edge.
'Stay down,' he ordered.
He didn't take time to find out where she'd landed. He goaded MacHugh into a full gallop. Harrison 's only determination was to find the bastard and destroy him with his bare hands.
He got a good look at the coward's face, but when he reached the next bend in the trail, the culprit was gone. Harrison followed the tracks and was disappointed to see they ended near the cliff above the river. The coward had obviously jumped. Harrison only hoped he drowned.
He backtracked and found Mary Rose sitting on a rock with her gun in her hand. She didn't seem to be the least upset by what had just happened.
'Are you all right?' His voice was gruff, angry. 'Yes, thank you.' Her voice was as bland as a drink of water. 'Would you please fetch Millie for me?'
Harrison nodded, then went after the mare. When he returned, Mary Rose was standing in the center of the trail. She'd put her gun away and was trying to smooth down her hair.
He gave her the reins, then started to dismount so that he could help her, but she was quicker than he was. She got settled in the saddle, smiled at Harrison, and then nudged Millie into moving.
Honest to God, she looked as if the ambush had been an everyday occurrence.
'Are you really all right?' he asked again. 'Yes. My backside's going to be as black and blue as yours though. I landed hard. You did throw me into the bushes, Harrison. Next time I would suggest you merely tell me to duck.'
Harrison let her ride ahead of him. He didn't want her to notice he was looking over his injury. He could feel the wetness under his shirt, and when he glanced down, the stain of blood was oozing downward.
It didn't feel like much of an injury to him though. Blood wasn't gushing out, and he took that as a good sign. He was thankful the bullet had gone through.
He took the time to get his leather vest out of his saddlebag. He put it on as quickly as he could. He grimaced over the pain that shot up his side when he moved his arm, then forced a smile because Mary Rose turned in her saddle to look at him. He nudged MacHugh so he could catch up with her now and ride by her side. 'Are you cold? You could use Corrie's quilt if you are,' she suggested.
'I'm all right,' he answered. 'Aren't you cold?'
'No, my clothes dried out. They're wrinkled but warm. Did you catch whoever was trying to kill us?'
'No.' He gave her a hard look. He couldn't help but remark on her composure. 'You act as though this sort of thing happens all the time. Does it?'
'No, of course not.'
'Then why are you acting so calm?'
She waited for him to catch up with her before she answered. 'Because you aren't.'
'I'm not what?'
'Calm.'
He thought he looked and sounded perfectly calm. He guessed he didn't.
'The expression in your eyes makes a mockery of your tone of voice.'
'What's wrong with the look in my eyes?'
'Cold… angry… you're furious you didn't catch the man, aren't you?'
'He jumped over the cliff. I hope he drowned.'
'He probably did.'
'Weren't you afraid at all?'
'Yes, I was.'
'I applaud you then. You hide your feelings better than I do. I thought I was the master of that game. I guess I'm not.'
'Is it important to be a master?'
'In a courtroom it is.'
She smiled and reached over to pat his knee. 'I'm certain you do very well in a courtroom.'
'You're something else, Mary Rose. Honest to God, you are.'
She didn't know if he'd just given her praise or not. He was smiling though, and so she decided to take his remark as praise.
'Living with Cole has taught all of us to be prepared for surprises. It's all part of our lives out here.'
