The Lady in the Mist (The Western Werewolf Legend #1) (9 page)

“Two bits for the pair, Major Perkins,” the whip-thin storekeeper said as he peered at the union soldier over his spectacles.  “Would you be wanting them?”

“Perhaps,” Perkins said as he cut his gaze in their direction.  His eyes never left Ty’s.  Ty could see the faintest hint of consideration in the soldier’s face.  “Put them on my tab,” Perkins told the storekeeper.

“So many to choose from,” Sonja quipped as she studied the guns under the glass topped cabinet.

Doing a fine job, Ty mused, as he gave her a lighthearted smile along with a pat on the back before peering into the case.

“Hum, lots of nice ones,” he said loud enough for others to hear.  “Which one do you suppose I should get, cousin?”  Ty smelled a strange scent emanating from Major Perkins direction.  Without glancing over, he could see the man watching them intently.

“I don’t know, Jacob.  Which one do you like?”  Sonja had to tug on his coat sleeve to bring him back.  Major Perkins’ perusal of her wore at his patience.  He didn’t like the gleam in the man’s eye.

Taking her by the elbow, “Let’s look at these before we make a decision, shall we?”  Guiding her further away, he switched sides to block Perkins view.  The man had a lustful gaze, which went well beyond a normal appreciation for Sonja.  Ty wouldn’t allow him to enjoy the view any more than he could prevent.

“What’s wrong?” Sonja whispered.  Her eyes bore into his with a cool intensity.

“Don’t look now, but I think you have an admirer,” he told her.  “The man doesn’t have respectable intentions.  Stay close to me.”

“I can take care of myself,” she snapped for his ears only.  “You don’t have to worry about me, Lieu…cousin.”

“Maybe not, but indulge me, won’t you, my dear?”  Ty’s grip made her wince.  Giving him a truly sinister look, she smiled politely.

They examined the guns for a few more minutes, before moving on to the staples.  Sonja purchased a half a pound of flour as well as a dram of sugar.  With her purchases tucked neatly in the crook of his arm, Ty escorted her toward the door.

Perkins stepped up effectively blocking their way.  Tipping his cavalry hat, he smiled thinly.  “Excuse me.”

Ty itched behind the faux beard but dared not make a move.  Instead, he cut his gaze hard at the man.  If he wasn’t mistaken, Perkins smelled like something he’d encountered before, recently.

“Yes, Major?”  Sonja’s cool question cut the tension building between the two men.  Making a point of stepping in front of Ty’s ramrod form, she sweetened her voice a tad.  “What can we do for you?”

Perkins drug his gaze away from Ty’s steely stare to bow at the waist for her.  “My apologies, ma’am, but if since you live near the swamp off Tanner Hill Road, I needed to ask you something.”

Sonja’s breathing shortened while her spine tightened in Ty’s hand.  “Yes, what’s that?”

“Have you seen any unusual activity which might indicate someone hiding out in the vicinity?”

Her brow furrowed in honest concern.  “No, why?”

“We have reason to believe Rebels may have escaped into the swamp after a skirmish along the road.”  He eyed Ty silently.  “If you come across anything, do report to the authorities, won’t you?”  His smile remained greasy as he glanced from her to Ty.  “I’d hate to have to bring you in for questioning.”

Ty’s stare proved as blain as unleavened bread.  Making a point of sliding his hand in his front pocket, he cocked a hip sideways, he offered Perkins the slimmest of sneers like something stank.  Something about the man smelled literally as well as figuratively.

“Yes, of course we will.”

Ty steered her around Perkins before heading out the front door of the store without so much as a tip of his hat in dismissal.  With a glance behind them from under his hat, Ty growled low in his throat.  “This was probably a bad idea.  At least we know to be on the lookout for Yankee patrols now.”  He glanced in her direction as they crossed the street.  “There’s something off about him,” he said as he helped her back into the buckboard.  “Did you pick up on the smell?”

Sonja peered at him as she remembered.  Wrinkling her nose, she nodded slowly.  “Now that you mention it, I did smell something fowl a couple of times, both at the gun cabinet and then in the doorway.  I thought the smell came from something on someone’s feet.”  She glanced on either side of the street before turning back.  “You think it was him?”

Ty nodded as he released the brake.  “That night you found me, I remember the same smell.  The whole swamp reeked of decay not to mention death, much more than one would associate with a new battle site.”  He clucked his tongue at the mule before guiding her back into the dirt street.

Sonja cut her eyes at him before clasping her hands tightly in her lap.  “I have to apologize.  I wasn’t thinking clearly the night I found you.”  Her gaze skittered to his face.  “Getting you some help remained foremost.  I suppose he could’ve been in the area.”  She studied Ty for a moment before continuing.  “You haven’t told me much about the attack.  Do you think it was Perkins’ unit?”

“Quite possible.  We better get back.  I have some tracking to do.”

***

The new corral fence sparkled in the sunshine.  Sonja had to admit, Tyler Loflin was very handy to have around.  She shook her head.  Being witty as well as easy on the eye didn’t hurt either.  Where had all of that come from?  Yearning made you stupid, Sonja mused.

She found him in the barn.  The sunlight silhouetted his lean, rugged form as he hoisted a saddle before turning for the door.  Without his shirt on, the muscles along his chest moved in a sort of rhythmic dance.  Reminded of his muscled chest under her touch while she’d tended his wounds, Sonja warmed in rush of sensations a proper lady shouldn’t be entertaining.  As if burned by the memory, she took a couple of tentative steps back.  Reality picked that particular moment to remind her that the full moon would be up with the next day or two.  With a silent oath, she forced that concern to the back of her mind.  Instead, she pasted on a smile when he stepped through the door.

In his arms, he held a lovely oiled saddle.  “Ready to go riding?”

“Riding?  What do you mean?”  Peering at the saddle in his arms, she frowned.  “That’s a saddle I found in the swamp.  The Yankees probably threw that one away.  I brought the old thing back to see if I could work some oil into the leather.  I haven’t had a chance to see get to the task.”

“Well, take a look.”  His smile warmed with her examination of his work.

The dark, dried leather gleamed with the gorgeous texture of fine cowhide.  Reaching out she ran her hand lightly over the restored surface of the seat.  Pleased with his accomplishment, she glanced up to see him staring at her with something akin to longing in his eyes.  Theirs eyes locked in silent communication.

Emma, the mule came up behind Ty looking for her treat.  Effectively breaking the spell, Emma nudged Ty’s arm insistently before offering them both a wide toothed mule smile coupled with a loud blat.  Ty broke into a grin for the animal and turned to allow Emma to check his pocket for her treat.

“You’ve spoiled her terribly,” Sonja said as he settled the saddle on Emma’s back.

“Doesn’t hurt to give her a bit of attention every now and again.  Animals need love too.”  His cocky grin had Sonja’s stomach clenching.

“I’ll get the basket,” Sonja told him.  Turning, she went back to the house leaving the two of them to discuss the idea of seating riders on Emma’s back.

When Ty rode up to the house his grin of pure devilment danced across his handsome face.  “She’s ready to go.”

Now butterflies took flight inside Sonja’s body.  He was in his element, she mused.  Even though Emma might have started out as a plow mule, with Ty atop her back she’d been transformed into a prime example of horse flesh.  “I’ve never ridden a horse or mule before.”

“Never?”  His voice carried mild surprise.

Dropping her head, Sonja confessed.  “My mother didn’t believe in ladies riding.”

Ty dismounted stepping around Emma’s flank to offer her his hand.  “Well, I promise riding a horse can be a very ladylike endeavor.  Will you allow me to demonstrate?”

His courtly gesture had her giggling.  Surprising herself, Sonja allowed him to hoist her up in the saddle.  She hadn’t giggled in years.

“Move forward,” Ty instructed as he levered himself up behind her.

She became immediately aware of his male body against hers.  Every nerve ending in her spine screamed with the contact.  She could feel the breaths he took as well as his very firm erection against her behind.  A tingling sensation stirred in her stomach before spreading through her heating her blood.  Unable to stop the reaction to his touch, Sonja went liquid in response.  Several moments passed before she regained her senses to find him talking to her.

“Have you caught many fish in the creek?”

“Several.  Robert could catch enough for dinner on occasion.”  Her heart needed to slow.  The bronze ripcord muscles in his forearms stood out in stark relief against her own paler skin.  Unable to help the image of his arms wrapping her in their warmth, Sonja closed her eyes tight against the idea.

“Well, I figure we can do the same.”  His breath fanned her cheek.

“What?”  Sonja stiffened.

“I said we’ll probably catch enough for a meal tonight if you’ll help me.  Do you fish?”

“I…yes, of course, I fish.  What a silly question.”  Hating to kill the worms they would have to use had her pursing her lips.  Relieved he couldn’t see her expression, Sonja continued her brave front.  “I’ve caught five at one time before.”

“Really?”

His chest quivered.  “Are you laughing at me?”  Doing her best to turn in the saddle to peer at him with a look of consternation, Sonja managed only a glance, before blushing.  “You doubt my talents, Lieutenant?”

“Never.”

She leaned sideways.  The beginning of a grin twitched on his exceptional mouth.  “You’re enjoying the fact that I don’t like killing things, even if they are just worms?”

“No!  Well, maybe a little.”

She twisted back around to sit ramrod straight.  The very idea!  Determined to demonstrate her skills, Sonja focused straight ahead.  Even the best-laid plans could backfire, but she wanted to show him she could bait her own hook.  Thinking about killing the tiny creatures made her stomach queasy.  In the end, she contrived what she considered a plausible excuse for not hurting the worms.  Sliding precariously close to embarrassed, Sonja suggested they work as a team in order to speed up the process.  He would bate the hooks needed for fishing while she set up the picnic.  After all, there were apples she’d brought that needed peeling.

The spot he picked out remained one of her favorites over the years.  Robert had brought her to the same spot when he courted her.  Here, the slow moving body of water became a gathering place for many of the wildlife, which inhabited the area.  Sonja had grown accustom to seeing deer grazing along the bank in a small patch of grass or having the squirrels bark their displeasure at having their territory invaded by humans.  Robert had shown her the first wolf she’d seen in the wild on such an outing as this.  She smiled faintly at the memory.  Memories were for keeping, not dwelling on, so she closed the door on the past.  After all, the present stood only feet away fishing for trout.

Suddenly, the air stilled as she caught a whiff of something on the breeze..  If she wasn’t mistaken, she’d run into the same sort odor, like something rotten before in the mercantile.  “Do you smell that?” she asked Ty.

“Yeah,” he sniffed.  “Something dead.”  Glancing at the opposite bank, he searched for the cause.

Sonja’s stomach tightened.  The lieutenant’s sense of smell grew as acute as her own.  The picture of him downing the ox blood formed in her mind’s eye.  In reality, her blood coursed through his veins.  “Probably an animal carcass.”  Trying to sound nonchalant, she shrugged before resuming the apple cutting.