Waking Up Dead (The Western Werewolf Legend #1) (16 page)

“
Ah, Smitty said…” She let
the rest of the sentence fall. Clucking her tongue, she pursed her
lips before looking into his face. “Every time somebody drops by
the wagon, Smitty gets ideas. Mr. Nelson did drop by this
afternoon. He wanted to know if I needed help with anything.” She
smiled at him sweetly before shoving out of his hold.

“
Needed help with
anything!” Ty’s voice rose over the words with incredulous fervor.
Letting out a huff of a breath, Ty glanced around for something to
punch. “Yeah, I’ll just bet he wanted to help.”

Sonja blinked. If she wasn’t mistaken,
Ty was jealous. Like a cat with the cream bowl, she smiled
inwardly. All warm and aroused at the same time, she found herself
stepping toward him. “Would you be jealous, Lieutenant?” she
taunted.

“
What?” Ty’s expression
went slack and then his brow furrowed. “Me, jealous? Where’d you
get a stupid idea like that. I want you to tell me when one of the
men come by the wagon, that’s all.” He shook his head and examined
the boot on his foot.

Sonja couldn’t stop the trill of
laughter that bubbled up in her throat. Her man was jealous and it
thrilled her to the bone. He cared enough to be protective of her,
even though she needed no one’s help. Wrapping her arms about her
chest, she allowed the feeling of pleasure to wash over her. “Oh, I
needed that,” she finally managed. Ty stood scowling at her like
she’d lost her mind.

“
You shouldn’t jest about
something so serious, Sonja. I’m trying to protect you.”

Slipping into his arms, Sonja peered
up into those amazing blue eyes and whispered softly against his
skin, “I appreciate your efforts, my darling. Come and sit, the
stew’s getting cold.”

***

Smoltz rested on his saddle and stared
into the fire. “Don’t worry. I’ve already heard what happened.” He
eyed Ty as he walked up. Blowing a stream of cigar smoke high into
the night air, he watched it rise.

“
The filthy son-of-a-bitch
was sniffing’ around her skirts like a rancher checking a brood
mare. I wasn’t gonna let him get his hands on her. And you can
forget telling me, it’s none of my business, ‘cause you’re the one
who made it my business.” Ty’s eyes fired with the temper flowing
through him.

“
Easy, Ty. Settle down. I’m
not gonna come down on you because you took care of some horny
farmer who figured he’d come across easy pickens’.”

Not saying anything, Ty simply
stared.

“
Nelson’s already been by.”
Smoltz sank his teeth into the cigar butt and blew out a stream of
fragrant air. “What I am gonna say to you is watch your back. Now
that Nelson has it in for you, he won’t let it go.”

“
He was messin’ where he
had no business and I explained that to Sonja in a language she
could understand. That’s all.”

“
Then what?” Smoltz eyes
squinted into the smoke that wreathed Ty’s face.

“
Then…then we…then I stayed
for supper. Mrs. Brooks invited me.” Feeling like he’d stepped in
it, Ty shoved his hands in his pockets.

“
Are you sure you know what
you’re doing?” Smoltz glanced up from the fire.

“
And what is it I’m doing,
huh? What am I’m doing? You ordered me to do this. You ordered me
to watch her and widow St. John. Here it is. You created this mess,
Earl.”

Smoltz nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I
guess you’re right about that. The good preacher was by here and
said the same thing.” He shifted his bulk and stood. “He says I’m
breeding iniquity— whatever the hell that is. Sonja Brooks is your
woman, I know that and I know too that neither of them, Mrs. Brooks
or the Widow St John, is able to stand off an Indian attack alone.
From what you’ve brought back these past few days, we’re headed for
an attack.” He lowered his head. “Seems to me we’ve got about a
three-day trek through the Cherokee nation before we can get to the
Mississippi. I’m doing what I think’s right here, that’s
all.”

Ty considered the wagon master’s
words. He waited a beat before asking, “Why me?”

Smoltz sent him a quizzical
look.

“
I’ve got several able
bodied men with me from my unit. Any of them could watch the St.
John wagon. Why me?” Smoltz chuckled. “She asked for you in
particular.” Waving a hand he continued, “I know what you’re gonna
say, but if she was after somebody, you’re the only one I could
count on not to let her have her way with you. You’re
taken.”

When Ty’s brow furrowed, Smoltz went
on to explain. “Besides, keeps the preacher off my back about my
men dallying with the widows was worth your mad.”

Ty flung out an arm and shook his head
in disgust.

Smoltz chuckled dryly before hocking
and spitting into the flames. “Son, here’s another thing, you’re
the best damn scout I’ve ever had and that’s why I got you watchin’
them. Now, get some damn shut-eye and be ready to find out what’s
ahead of us tomorrow. All right?”

***

Listening to Smitty snore, Ty
considered the things Smoltz had said. He’d had no idea. Lying
there with his Stetson over his face, Ty let his mind
relax.

The braying of a mule brought him
fully awake. Blinking and knuckling his eyes, Ty searched the wagon
for the sound. When no mule appeared, Ty scrambled up and tugged on
his pants. With his rifle in hand, Ty slid from the back of the
wagon and landed with a barefooted thud on the cold
ground.

It was late and the moon was
nonexistent. The mule continued to bray while somebody hissed and
groaned aloud.

Squinting into the dimly lit ground
around the wagons, Ty attempted to course the sounds. A scream
settled the dilemma as Sonja’s call for help came to him over the
mule’s balking.

Growls, yelps and then a gunshot and
Ty’s heart stopped for an instant. Racing toward the sound, Ty
could see Sonja struggling with a hairy beast standing on its
hind-legs. The beast fought with Sonja over a gun - no the mule’s
line. Hell, Ty couldn’t make out what.

Nearing the struggle, Ty got a whiff
of the hairy beast. The wolf sprang to the defense. Ty’s bones
started to shift. He had to regain control – focus!

The attacker stood on two legs –
human? His back was covered in fur – Werewolf? The stench coming
from him was strong, like rotting flesh – vampire? A closure look
revealed a man, though hairy and filthy, still a man struggling
with Sonja. Her eyes bore their werewolf gold. Ty had to get to her
and stop the change before both of them became Lycans and took care
of this trapper without delay.

Slipping up behind the trapper, Ty
hooked his rifle around the man’s neck and tightened his hold,
effectively cutting off his wind. Within seconds, the struggle was
over as the trapper fell to the ground gasping for air.

“
She has fangs! Christ on a
crutch, she bit me!” The man struggled with Ty to display his
wounds. His plea was lost in the melee though he still tried to
fight. Pelts flew and grunts sounded from the tussle to regain
control of the situation. Soon men, who’d followed Ty, secured the
trapper quickly to a wagon wheel.

Sonja slumped to the ground in a heap,
clutching her arm to her side and wincing in pain.

Ty knelt beside her as several curious
people including Preacher Jones crowded in close.

“
She has no business out
here.” Jones interjected as several more onlookers moved in for a
look. “We should have Mr. Smoltz drop her at the next town if not
before. She’ll bring us nothing but trouble. Heed my words! She has
the mark of the unworldly!” He’d positioned himself in front of
Sonja and raised his hand as if toward heaven in a beseeching
attempt at gathering others opinions.

Sonja glowered at him with the gold of
the change shimmering in her eyes.

“
Look at her eyes!” Nelson
slithered into view and the crowd parted for him as he stepped
forward with an accusing finger pointed at Sonja.

Sonja wiped spit from her lip as the
curious onlookers tried for a better view of her
condition.

Ty hunkered beside her and gathered
her in his arms. Giving her time to calm, he motioned the curious
to step back. She shook in his hold. Her breathing was erratic and
her eyes still glowed in the werewolf state. “Get back, will you?
Give her some room, for Christ’s sake.”

She wore nothing but her nightgown,
which lay torn at the shoulder with blood staining the front.
Apparently, she’d managed to nick the would-be thief.

Briann and Hortence made it through
the curious onlookers.

“
Get back you filthy
gawkers!” Hortence shoved at the bodies, making a path with her
short, stout frame. “Act like you never seen a woman attacked
before.”

“
She bit me!” The trapper
whined from the wagon. His complaint drew a few stares from the
crowd. More movement from the side and Smoltz came into
view.

“
Break it up now. Get on
back to your wagons. Nothing to see here.” Smoltz stepped closer
and positioned himself in front of Jones. “Preacher, you got
something you want to say to me?” His stare bore into the pasty
face of the clergyman.

“
She’s trouble. We think
you ought to do something.” He gripped his nightshirt as if it was
a suit coat. “What are you going to do about this, Mr.
Smoltz?”

Briann huffed out a breath and wrapped
a shawl around Sonja’s shoulders.

Ty gathered the shawl closer. When he
ran his fingers over the sensitive area, Sonja drew back. It became
quite apparent who’d fired the bear gun at whom. A large patch of
bluing had already started to mare the alabaster of her skin where
the bear gun recoiled and shoved her backward. Briann handed Ty a
wet cloth to place on Sonja’s injury.

“
You’re gonna have yourself
a healthy bruise there before daylight,” Briann observed as she
examined the marks growing darker by the minute on her sister’s
shoulder.

Sonja sent Briann a warning frown and
tried valiantly to hitch the shawl higher over her
shoulder.

Laying a hand over hers, Ty didn’t
know whether he tried to reassure her or himself. His heart felt as
though it would race away with him. “You’re all right now,” he said
with his hand on hers. Smoltz and Smitty lead the trapper
away.

Watching as breath by breath, Sonja
slowed her heart rate and fought to control the wolf, he wrestled
with his own erratic wild side as well. Regaining some of her lost
composure, Sonja laid a trembling hand on his. “I’m fine,” she
said, “Thank you for coming so quickly to help me. I don’t think I
could have kept him from taking Daisy by myself.”

“
He was after the mule?” Ty
recognized the effort it took for her to admit such a thing to him
and those standing around. “You did just fine, Mrs. Brooks, just
fine.” Certainly, the woman must be in shock because he never
dreamed he’d hear her admit she needed help. She gripped his
forearm for support. The tingle went all the way up his
arm.

***

Before sunrise, Sonja was up and
attempting to dress. Her shoulder was black and purple. The skin
was puffy despite the cool compresses Hortence had insisted on when
she left her the night before. Her body ached all over. Remembering
the way she’d fought with the would-be-thief, she had to admit, at
least to herself, she was glad she could still walk. There had been
a point in the struggle when the man could have easily broken her
human arm or leg. Hortence hadn’t explained if she would heal from
a human injury as rapidly as a werewolf’s. She was grateful she
didn’t have to find out.

Slowly getting her shirtwaist on and
buttoning the buttons up the front of the garment, Sonja paused and
took a moment to rest. Weak with fatigue, she sat down on the edge
of the cot while she waited until the trembling in her limbs
subsided. She must’ve been making a lot of noise because next came
a hard, quick rapping at the back entrance to the wagon.

“
I said, ‘Are you all right
in there?’” Ty’s voice was groggy with sleep.

When she peered cautiously out a slit
in the canvas cover, she could see him standing in his sock feet
next to the wagon scratching his head and yawning.

“
Mrs. Brooks—”

She didn’t let him finish. “I’m fine,”
Sonja returned and got the unexpected pleasure of seeing him flinch
slightly as if he hadn’t expected her to be so close.

“
All right. Hortence is
here. I’m getting coffee started. Let me know if I can help you.”
The sound of his voice receded from the back of the conveyance as
he busied himself with starting the cook fire.

She fully intended to dress herself.
Continuing to struggle with the ties of her skirt, Sonja sighed in
exasperation. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get the tie to
tighten enough to rest around her waist. Deciding she could, either
wait for Briann, who may or may not show up to check on her or she
could ask Hortence if she could tie her up and be done with it.
Logic won out and Sonja swallowed her thin supply of pride as she
gathered the ends of the garment and descended the steps of the
wagon.