Fallen Angel (32 page)

He didn’t pull ou
t of her instead he supported his weight on his elbows and looked into her eyes.

“Angie I love you, and I don’t give a damn who knows it or what they have to say about it.” She smiled up at him.

“I love you too Luke, from now on if you get up at dawn I won’t think it’s because you’re sneaking out.”

“I hope all of our fights go like this.” He said and kissed her.

“Couldn’t you just hope we don’t fight?” He finally rolled of her lying beside her and pulling her against him.

“I don’t think it’s very realistic that we won’t fight at all. Besides you are so beautiful when you are angry.” She smiled. “Of course you are beautiful now too.
”  She sighed and laid her head against his chest. He ran his fingers lightly up and down her back.

“Do you really like it that much when I touch you?” He whispered.

“Yes, very much. I want you to touch me all the time.” Her voice was soft he thought she might be going back to sleep but he was curious. He hesitated but then he asked,

“You once told me that you
didn’t like to be touched, that you liked your space.”

“Mm-hmm, I don’t and I do.”

“So…” he didn’t want to point out that it was a clear contradiction but it was. She lifted her head and looked at him.

“I don’t know what to tell you except that the rules don’t apply to you.”

“What rules?”

“Mine. I don’t like to be touched
, I don’t like people to stand very close to me. I certainly don’t want to be kissed, I don’t like to hear about anything… improper like this.” She ran her finger down the center of his chest. “Respectable women don’t do things like this. A respectable woman submits to her husband because it is her duty, only a wanton woman enjoys it.”

“Angie…” She stopped him from speaking by putting her hand over his mouth.

“I know don’t say it. I know it is flawed but it is what I was taught my whole life. I wasn’t kidding when I said you made me come alive. I am a whole new woman when I am with you.” She pulled her hand away and ran her finger tips lightly across his lips. “Luke being here with you, I am the person I want to be.” Her eyes filled with tears as she said the words and he pulled her to him and kissed her. That was so much more than he had expected her to say. He had expected that she would just say she just didn’t like anyone but him to touch her. That would have been enough, He would have been happy to hear that. What she said made him feel so much more, he couldn’t even describe it. She loved him he knew that but deep down he still worried that he wasn’t enough for her. That she would tire of his simple life. Without even knowing it she had reassured him and allayed a fear that he never would have voiced out loud.

“She is getting so big I can’t even believe it.”

“Yeah, she looks really good.” 
They both watched as Ice trotted alongside them as they rode. “Alright, we’re here.”

“What are you talking about here? We’ve only been riding for a minute. I can still see the house over there.” She laughed.

“This is where I was thinking of building our house.”  Angelica looked around surprised.

“Really?” They were up on a slight hill, she had a hunch that the rock alcove that she retreated to was below them.

“Yeah, it won’t be as protected from the wind but it has a great view.” She dismounted and walked through the trees.  Just as she suspected the view was very similar to the alcove. She felt Luke behind her a split second before he wrapped his arms around her.

“What do you think?” he whispered.

“I love it,” she whispered back.

“Somehow I thought you would.” She turned her head and looked up at him and smiled. He bent and kissed her softly.  “You want to ride some more?”

“Yes.”  They rode for a while without a destination just riding and talking. When they reached the creek they dismounted to let the horses drink. Luke sat down against a tree and Angelica sat between his legs and leaned against his chest. She took off her hat and laid it in the grass beside his she listened to his heartbeat for a few minutes before she asked the question that had been niggling at her for the last few days.

“How long do you think it will be before he comes?”
Luke didn’t have to ask who she was talking about.

“I don’t think it will be long.” He said quietly
.

“Luke…”

“Hmmm?”

“Will you teach me how to fight?”

“What?”

“Just how to defend myself.” He tipped her chin up running his thumb lightly over her cheek.

“I don’t intend to let him get anywhere near you.”

“I know but it would make me feel better.” He smiled into her eyes. It couldn’t hurt to show her a few things. He lifted her arm,

“See this bone,” he touched her elbow, “It is much stronger than any of these bones.” He ran his finger across her knuckles. “So if you can use this one, use it.”

“Like this.” She playfully elbowed him in the stomach and he laughed.

“Yeah, just like that only much harder.”  He got to his feet and showed her a few more things she could do. She wasn’t very strong so he knew she wouldn’t be able to inflict much damage, everything he showed her was designed to give her the opportunity to run. 

“You know
Tom and Ella went in to town to get supplies.” He grinned mischievously at her.

“And?” she asked raising her eyebrows at him.

“And they probably won’t be back until tomorrow. So we have the house to ourselves tonight.” He grinned again.

“Oh I see,” She laughed “So what did you have in mind?”

“Oh I don’t know, some quality time with my wife.”  She grinned both at the idea and at the way he called her his wife. They put the horses away and he pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

“Starting
early?” She smiled up at him.

“Absolutely.” He whispered and she laughed.

They walked to the house together the sky was just turning pink as the sun began to set and she pulled him to a stop in the yard and pointed.

“Look at that.”

“Let me guess it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.”  She turned and hit him playfully.

“You are not nice.” She laughed even as she tried hard not to. She walked to the house leaving him standing in the yard.
She walked in through the kitchen door, she was tempted to close it and lock him out but she decided against it and left it open for him instead. Ella was gone for the night, she wondered if she would be able to cook something edible. She turned and looked around the kitchen hoping for inspiration and she saw a jar sitting on the table. She picked it up and looked into it she saw two blue eyes staring back out at her. She gasped and dropped the jar back to the table she backed away quickly and ran into Luke as he was coming in the door. She turned burring her face in his chest.

“What’s the matter
?” Luke asked confused, he had only been a minute behind her but he could feel her heart pounding and she was shaking.

“He’s here, or he’s been here.” She said into his chest.

“What?” She pointed at the table, he released her so he could walk to the table but she didn’t move she stayed where she was and squeezed her eyes shut. 

“Oh my God.” He whispered looking at the contents of the jar.
He put the jar down and looked around suddenly on edge. He turned back to Angie just as Charlie burst through the door.

“Boss, he’s here, he’s out by the herd I think he may be trying to spook them into a stampede but he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“Angie stay here and lock the door.” He said heading for the door. Charlie turned and went back the way he had come but Angie caught him pulling to a stop by the front of his shirt.

“No, Luke don’t.” She held tight to the front of his shirt.

“Angie, I am going to finish this.”

“This doesn’t feel right, I am scared.” She whispered, looking up at him her eyes wide.

“Angie, this ends tonight.” He put his hands on her shoulders and ran them down her arms to carefully disengaging her hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back. Just lock the door behind me.”

“Please…” she swallowed hard, “Please don’t go.”

“Everything is going to be okay.” He said and bent and kissed her forehead then he quickly turned and walked out the door. Angie squeezed her eyes shut as the tears fell. She quickly locked the door but it didn’t make her feel any better. She couldn’t stop thinking about Luke. If anything happened to him it would be far worse than anything that could happen to her. She took a deep breath and turned from the door.  She felt something hit her in the back of the head and the room went dark.

“He is up in that grove of trees.” James pointed at a spot beyond the herd.

“Still?”

“Yeah I don’t know what he is doing, he rode through the herd and messed with them a little bit but after he couldn’t get them riled he just rode into those trees.”

“Does he know you’ve seen him?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Alright let
’s go get him.” 

Luke rode alone through the field, he crossed through the herd and headed for the trees.

“That is far enough Harrison.” Patrick Austin rode out of the trees with a rifle pointed at his chest.

“What do you want Austin?”

“I think you know what I want.”

“Well you’re not going to get it.”

“I always get what I want. All I have to do it put a bullet in you, then finishing what I started with her will be easy.”

“You are a sick man, your own daughter?”

“She’s not my daughter.”

“Yes she is, and even if she weren’t you raised her as your daughter how could you…?”

“She has served her purpose very well… and she is almost finished.” Luke felt his temper stretched to the limit. If he were closer he would tear him apart with his bare hands.

“She is finished with you, you’ll never get near her again.” Luke’s voice was cold and quiet but Austin smirked.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” There was an explosion in the trees to his left, Luke ducked automatically and Blaze pranced sideways away from the falling trees. Luke looked up and saw Austin’s horse running in the opposite direction. He kicked Blaze into a gallop following after him. The cattle were spooked now and they were all running so he had to cut his way through but Blaze was used to it and he closed the gap quickly. Luke unhooked his lariat from his saddle and twirled it over his head. He looped it around Austin on the first try and jerked the loop tight. Blaze immediately stopped as he’d been trained to, Luke held tight to the rope wrapping it around his saddle horn and Austin was jerked backwards right of his horse. He landed on his back on the ground. Luke leapt of Blaze’s back and walked toward the down man still holding the rope. Austin sat up coughing and sputtering trying to catch his breath.

“You son of a bitch,” he gasped, “I think you broke my ribs.” Luke slammed his fist into the man
’s jaw knocking him back to the ground.

“You’re lucky I want to see you swing from the gallows or I would put a bullet in your head right here.” Luke said coolly. “That doesn’t mean I won’t beat the hell out of you though so just go ahead and get up again.”
One by one each of his men rode up and circled around the two of them. Luke clenched his fits and held himself very still. It took every ounce of self control not to continue to pound on his new father in law, after everything he had done, to all those women but most especially to Angie.  He wanted to hit him like had never wanted to hit anyone is in his life. But he couldn’t, he knew if he started he wouldn’t stop and while the man deserved it he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life looking into his wife’s eyes knowing he had killed her father.

Luke stepped forward and flipped the man onto his stomach and tied his hands tightly then his feet.
Luke looked toward where the explosion had been it looked like a few trees had been knocked over there was a little bit of smoke but he didn’t see any fire. Clearly the charge had been set to create a distraction and scare the herd. He looked back at the man on the ground. This was easy, too easy, it didn’t feel right.

“
James, you and Charlie get him on a horse, bring him back to the house and… I don’t know lock him in the wood shed or something if he gives you any trouble shoot him.  The rest of you go get the herd settled.” He swung up on to Blaze not bothering to wait to see if his instructions would be followed he knew they would be.  Luke flipped his reins over the corral rail and headed straight for the house, he had to make sure Angie was safe. He could take care of Blaze after that.  He saw Matt’s horse tied nearby so he wasn’t surprised when Matt met him at the door.

“Hey, got your killer the boys are bringing him in now.” He said pushing past him into the house.

“Luke…” Luke didn’t stop he continued on looking for Angie.

“Angie.” He called. When she didn’t answer he headed toward the bedroom