Waking Up Dead (The Western Werewolf Legend #1) (18 page)

“
Oh, nothing.” Briann
consideration flitted away to some pictures hanging on the opposite
wall. Those same warm brown eyes cut mischievously back to her best
friend while she rubbed ideally at the length of her leg. “I was
just thinking how kind it was of Mr. Loflin to include us in his
little trip to town.” She smiled ruefully before studying something
else on the nearby wall. “I’d consider him a nice man, don’t you
think so?”

Sonja’s brow furrowed. Ideas formed
about his invitation. She closed her eyes and sank a bit deeper in
the tub. The heat was working on her stiff shoulder and the water
would draw some of the pain away.

Secretly though, Sonja indulged in
where Ty would place some of his more focused intentions. He’d take
her for a stroll down along the pool formed by the springs the town
was named for just outside of town. With a well-placed hand, he’d
claim her as his for everyone who passed. Reveling in the idea of
openly sharing such a declaration made her feel bold and she
relished in the sensation. Next, he’d find a quiet spot away from
prying eyes for them to pass the time while the train was in town.
He’d swoop down and capture her mouth with his, running his tongue
along the line of her teeth in a testing, probing search. His
voice, low and warm would breathe out her name, then his pet name
for her as well as his desires. She wanted to hear him speak of his
desire for her, his need to be sated and how she’d crowded his mind
the whole time since they’d last made love. Her skin tingled. Her
core heated and ached for Ty’s shaft to fill her need.

Sonja smiled to herself as she
considered what the bit more might be. She jumped when cool fingers
touched her shoulder. Water sloshed and her sister giggled when the
Chinese girl handed her a scented soap and another towel for her
hair. Still, she drifted on blue eyes and a deep, male voice
whispering her name.

Almost an hour later, when both ladies
finished soaking, cleaning and being pampered, they emerged to find
Ty waiting for them.

He stood near the only window in the
establishment and drew long and leisurely on a cigar. The smoke
spiraled toward the ceiling in the bathhouse parlor giving him a
certain dark and sexy air.

Sonja’s first consideration was how
handsome he appeared standing in front of the window with a hand
tucked casually in the vest he now sported. He’d loosened his braid
and his gleaming jet-black hair hung about his shoulders. His
growth of a slight beard, shaved, now exposed the cleft of his chin
again. Her heart rate increased with his dark gaze settling on
her.

Slowly, deliberately his eyes moved
over her curves, leaving a trail of burning need in its wake. He
wore no hat at the present and Sonja found her fingers tingle with
the need to run her hands through the thick mass of his coal black
mane. After stepping to the entrance, he turned and his crystal
blue eyes met hers, her heart stopped, the breath left her lungs
and she found she couldn’t walk. His eyes traveled slowly down her
body with a look so akin to desire it made Sonja weak in the knees.
Sonja found she couldn’t break the connection.

He moved to stand beside her and laid
his warm hand against the small of her back as he held the door
open for her to go through.

Her heart was racing as she stepped
out into the daylight. Surely, the feeling was brought on by some
belated reaction to the steaming waters or the massage Briann and
she’d enjoyed afterward. Her reactions to things proved all a
jumble of late.

“
Um, lilacs.” Ty’s words,
deep and reverberated in the still air caused a ripple up her
spine.

Unable to look back, Sonja instead
concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as they
progressed down the planks of the sidewalk. She needed to remain
calm. People were watching, weren’t they?

In the distance, there appeared a man
who resembled Sonja’s late husband. His height was the same as
Robert’s and he wore a dark suit similar to the one she’d buried
her husband in. Perplexed, Sonja stared hard at the apparition who
stood at the opposite end of the long board walkway. The man’s hair
was cut much like Robert preferred and danced about his face in the
breeze. Her heart leapt in her chest when he started to walk in
their direction. His gate was the same! She wasn’t at all certain
she wasn’t looking at her husband. But how could that be? Robert
was dead! She repeated the mantra several times under her breath.
Silly, she mused. The bath must have done something to addle her
brain. She needed rest – that’s all.

“
Mrs. Brooks.” Ty waited
until he’d gained her full attention. “There’s small café down the
street and they serve the best apple pie you’ve ever tasted. I’d
like to share a piece with you, if you don’t mind.”His fingers
rested protectively against her backbone. Marveling at how right
the sensation felt, Sonja basked in the sensation. There was such a
heat in his gaze.

She glanced back down the street to
find the boards of the sidewalk empty. “I’d like that much, Mr.
Loflin.” She could almost believe she’d imagined the man who
resembled her dead husband. Sonja glanced back at Ty and wished to
taste his lips on hers, the solid feeling of his mouth on hers.
He’d practiced their polite decorum faithfully since the trapper’s
attack. Sonja, more guarded than usual appreciated his attention to
her wishes. Maybe his change in attitude had something to do with
his examination of her injuries. There’d been something akin to
pain in his face when he’d seen what the attack had done to her.
Briann was right. Mr. Loflin held himself apart for reasons Sonja
didn’t fully understand, yet. He had a kind and concerned heart.
She hoped she’d be able to share in his kindness again soon. With a
slight smile for no one in particular, Sonja proceeded along with
the others to the small café and a light repast.

A jolly woman, probably in her
mid-fifties greeted them as they entered. She haled Ty and motioned
them to a quiet table along the sunny window side of the bustling
café.

All eyes turned to examine the new
patrons, before shifting back to their plates and conversation. The
cheery red-checkered tablecloth covered tables lined the windows
running the length of the dining room wall. Positioned eight rows
deep, the dining room was surprisingly big and for the
mid-afternoon, surprisingly busy. Several waiters hustled among
those seated at the wooden tables serving drinks, food and
smiles.

Quite impressed with the
establishment, Sonja allowed Ty to pull out her chair. Jeb eased
Briann into the straight-back wooden chair and fussed over whether
or not she was comfortable. Noticing the tightening of Briann’s
mouth as she settled, Sonja reached out and gathered her hand in
hers. “Is everything all right?”

Briann smiled and turned her hand over
to grip her sister’s. “Yes, everything is fine, just fine.”
Glancing at Jeb, she cut him a steady stare before turning to her
menu.

Sonja found the exchange puzzling. The
waiter returned and her attention turned to giving the waiter their
orders. To his credit, Ty allowed Sonja to order for herself and
Jeb, who Sonja was certain held Briann in the highest regard,
allowed her to make her selections as well. Doing their best to be
open-minded of a woman’s place in their man’s world, the men earned
more of her respect. She smiled to herself when she considered the
implication. Their journey was proving beneficial in many ways, she
mused. Perhaps it had something to do with the frontier and a new
beginning, which gave a man the courage to ease the restraints
placed on a woman by their society.

She steered conversation to topics
both couples could appreciate as the meal progressed. Sonja spoke
confidently of Texas. Ty’s descriptions turned vivid when he shared
tales of Shooter Creek and Texas.

Sonja couldn’t help the anticipation
building inside her to see Tyler’s Texas.

Jeb commented only briefly each time
Sonja tried to draw him into the conversation. His attention kept
returning to Briann, who spoke little and only picked at her
food.

When she referred to the wealth
awaiting them further west, Ty’s demeanor became bland and his eyes
steadfast on his plate. If she wasn’t mistaken, there was tension
in his jaw as she expounded on the dreams awaiting them in
Texas.

“
Oh!” Briann clutched her
stomach and winced briefly. Glancing about, she qualified the
exclamation with a small smile.

Reaching out, Sonja took her sister’s
free hand in hers and squeezed. “Are you all right,
sister?”

With a less than vibrant smile, Briann
shook her head. “A little tummy trouble. Nothing to worry
about.”

With a glance in Briann’s direction,
she could only surmise their exchange was on her sister’s unspoken,
empathic level. Her sister’s eyes held a strange expression for
Jeb. She almost asked again, what was wrong, but thought better of
it as they were in a public place.

After the meal, Ty gathered the check
and escorted Sonja from the establishment once more. Once they were
outside, he skirted the group and took up the position closest to
the street. Ruffians and rife-raft couldn’t be ignored, Sonja
supposed. After all, the town was in its infancy seeing as how its
founder discovered the springs only thirteen years prior. What the
community lacked in options the people made up for in pride. Its
streets were clean and well maintained. Why, even gas lampposts
dotted the main street. Taking in the quaint and interesting
displays in the shop windows, Sonja didn’t notice Briann and Jeb
lagged behind. They past a photography shop and she paused grinning
up at Ty who’d halted as she did.

“
Wouldn’t a picture to
commemorate our travels be nice?” she asked him.

He studied her a moment and broke into
a grin himself. “My ancestors believe a camera steels the soul of a
person.”

His wry smile told her he didn’t
harbor the same opinion, so with her arm wrapped comfortably about
his, they stepped into the cool interior of the
establishment.

The kind faced woman behind the
counter introduced herself and offered them a seat. “My name is
Caroline. I would be happy to help you decide on a seating
arrangement for your photograph.” Her bright, green eyes twinkled
as she spoke. With a wide sweep of her hand, she guided them into
the back of the shop where a large brown box sat atop a tripod
stand.

When she noted the Sonja’s curiosity
with her equipment, she laid a hand atop the large black box with a
drape hanging from behind and smiled, “This is the camera. I’ll
slip under the cover so as not to expose the picture to any more
light and when I count to three, the frame I hold up with go up in
a cloud of smoke. The whole process takes less than a couple of
minutes from setup to the finished picture. Don’t be disturbed by
the exploding powder or the noise, it’s all quite harmless, I
assure you.” She winked for Sonja and Ty, “Come, look at the
various seating arrangements I have on display. If you don’t see
one you like, I can work with your idea as well.” Her smile was
warm and companionable.

Caroline went to a nearby table and
gathered a small book before bringing it to them. She opened the
book to the first page and smiled broadly. “Pick any stance you
like and we’ll do our best to reproduce it for you.” She turned and
went back to the table across the room. “I’ll set everything up and
we’ll be ready in just a few minutes.”

Sonja glanced up as Briann and Jeb
appeared in the doorway.

“
We heard voices. Thought
you might be back here.” Jeb escorted Briann ahead of him as they
entered.

Briann’s face had grown strained and
Sonja was again concerned. Briann gave her a positive smile, so she
let it drop. “We’re having our picture made,” she announced
cheerfully. “Please join us. I would like so much to document our
travels with the people who are most important to me.” When the
words slipped out of her mouth, Sonja flushed with what she’d
implied. Glancing briefly at Ty, there was a glimmer of something
she considered might be genuine appreciation and as quickly as it
had appeared the expression was gone. In defense of nerves, Sonja
extended her hand and grasped Briann’s as the young woman stepped
over to sit beside her and view the lovely scenes available in the
photographer’s portfolio.

The ladies didn’t take long to decide
on a pose. When Caroline returned, she positioned her subjects and
within minutes, the camera had taken the shot.

“
Ty, we’re captured for all
eternity. You aren’t worried about your soul are you?” Jeb’s tone
was serious. His eyes twinkled with mirth though, at his own joke.
Draping Briann’s hand over his arm possessively, he smiled down at
her with humor playing on his lips.

Being able to appreciate the General’s
wit eased some of Sonja’s concern over her sister’s choice of a
companion. Jeb managed not to break out in a grin when Ty simply
shrugged and shook his head.

“
Haven’t lost it over the
past four years. Don’t suppose I will.”

Sonja understood his reference to the
war. He said little about his service, yet the dreams
continued.

“
War changes a man.” Jeb
glanced out toward the rolling hills through the photographer’s
window and squinted.