The Scent of Jasmine Read online

  What the hell was he to do with her?

  To send someone as fragile and innocent as her into the world alone was not something he could fathom.

  He left her lying there, sound asleep, while he took care of the horses. He removed their saddles and the packs, rubbed them down with handfuls of straw, and gave them food and water.

  When he went back to the girl, she hadn’t moved, so he sat down at the rickety old table and chairs by the end of the stall and looked at her as he ate half of the meager meal Yates had set out for them. It took him only minutes to finish, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He wished he had his plaid with him so he could roll in it and cover his thin, torn clothing, but he didn’t.

  He was considering where to sleep when the girl moved to her side, leaving part of her big wool cloak uncovered. He knew he shouldn’t, but the comfort she offered was irresistible. He lifted one side of the cloak, stretched out beside her, and pulled the heavy wool over him. If he weren’t so dirty, he would have snuggled beside her, but he knew the filth of him would soil her dress. As he fell asleep, he wondered how she could ride a horse for so many hours and stay so clean. But then, in his opinion, an ability to remain clean was one of the mysteries of women.

  Four

  Alex awoke with a start, but he lay still, his eyes closed, and listened. When he heard nothing, he got up and looked about him. On the surface, the barn was just as he’d left it, but he could feel that something had changed—or was about to change. His father said that Alex had inherited a wee bit of the Second Sight from his mother. She always knew when someone was coming. By the time Alex was six and he saw his mother scurrying about to clean the house, his heart began to race with anticipation because he knew something was about to happen. She was never wrong.

  Alex glanced down at the girl, still on her side, and still sound asleep. He stood there quietly, listening to the soft sounds of the few animals in the barn; nothing was amiss. But Alex couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

  When he glanced up at the holes in the roof, he saw that it was hours before daylight, which meant he’d had little rest. Something inside him said that he needed to get the horses out. When the danger came, he knew that he and the girl would have to leave quickly, so he needed to have their horses ready.

  Quietly, Alex went to the stall where his horse was and ran his hands over the back of the animal. It wasn’t one of the racehorses he was used to, nor the sturdy Highland ponies of his youth, but the animal was a good choice for carrying the equipment that T.C. knew Alex would need.

  In a soft voice, Alex apologized to the horse as he began to put the gear back on him. The animal had not had enough time free of its burdens, but under Alex’s gentle, knowledgeable hands, the horse didn’t protest.

  Next, he moved to the girl’s mare and ran his hands down its flanks. He had an idea that this animal was probably the best T.C. had in his stables. The mare fidgeted, but Alex quietened her with his whispered words and his gentle hands. She was young, and he had an idea that she could run fast enough to leave others behind. As he checked the mare’s hooves, he couldn’t help smiling as he remembered the girl’s riding. She’d been taught well and was as at ease on horseback as if she’d been raised in the Highlands. At that thought he smiled broader. No doubt she’d tell him that any Virginian could ride as well as any Scotsman.

  Slowly, silently, Alex began to saddle the mare with the pretty English saddle the girl used. It had no bags for carrying things and was therefore useless, but it was certainly lovely. Alex was glad to see that the girl hadn’t ridden sidesaddle—even though he knew she probably usually did.

  When the horses were saddled, Alex went to the big barn door and cautiously opened it. He heard nothing, saw no one. Silently, he led the animals out, then walked them the half mile or so to the big oak tree and securely tied them there. If it didn’t rain, they’d be all right, but he knew they’d miss the comfort of the barn. After an apology to them, he made his way back to the barn.

  He bolted the door behind him and went to the girl. She was still asleep, still in the same position he’d left her. Obviously, she’d had a lifetime of safety where there was never a need to stay alert even during the night. Alex moved about the barn, his hands running over the dark walls and searching. The only door was the one in front, but Alex felt that they might need another way to escape. There were four loose, rotten boards toward the back, and it was easy to remove them. He closed the wide gap by leaning the boards over it.

  When he at last felt safe again, he went back to the girl. She rubbed her nose in her sleep, making him smile. Nate had once sent a tiny sketch of his little sister, drawn by their mother, and Alex had kept it by his bed for years. When Lilith saw it, she’d almost been jealous.

  At the thought of his wife, his smile left him. Now all he seemed to have in his mind was the image of her in a pool of blood. Her death, her leaving, had at first taken away his will to live. It was T.C. who’d given him the idea of clearing his name.

  “Go to Florida with Grady,” T.C. had said, his voice low so the guards wouldn’t hear him. “A few months on a flatboat in such splendor will give you time to think and to remember.”

  “I don’t want to remember,” Alex had said.

  “I know what it’s like to lose the person you love most in the world. I lost mine twice, first when her father made her marry someone else, then again when she died. I know it doesn’t seem like it’s possible, but time does heal wounds. Go to Florida, and give this town time to calm down. Let yourself gain some peace. Alex, you need to let people know that you’re innocent.”

  Now, Alex glanced up at the roof. He could get another two hours of sleep before they needed to leave. As yet, he wasn’t sure what he should do with the girl, but a plan was beginning to form in his head. All he had to do was keep her safe until they reached the place where he was to meet James Grady. If Alex could get her safely there, he could leave her with T.C.’s friends. She could wait there for a few weeks, then pay someone to escort her home. Her story would be that the murderer—he drew in his breath at the thought—had kidnapped her, but she’d managed to escape him.

  As Alex lay down on the straw beside her, he withdrew his big knife from the sheath hidden under his torn, dirty shirt, and put it beside him. There was a pistol and a rifle on his horse, but Alex well knew how firearms could jam, that powder could get wet. For right now, a knife was his best defense.

  Cay awoke slowly, and for several long seconds she didn’t know where she was. Her eyelashes were matted together and there was something lumpy in her back. Blinking and rubbing her eyes, she turned her head. When she saw him beside her, she had to work to keep from gasping. His hair-covered face was inches from hers, and the stench of him was nearly overwhelming.

  Her only thought was how to get away from him. Now that there’d been some time since the escape, surely she and Uncle T.C. could figure out a way to prove her innocence. Since he looked to be soundly asleep, she thought of rolling away and tiptoeing out, but since the big cloak was entangled around them, to move more than her arms would wake him.

  As her eyes adjusted to the dull light in the barn, she saw the knife by his side. If she could reach it, she could hold it at his throat and force him to . . . to release her. Yes, that was it.

  As she stretched her bare right arm over his face, she watched him to see any signs of his waking, but he didn’t move. She was so sure he was asleep that when he spoke, she gasped.

  “Lass, what are you up to?” he asked softly, his eyes still closed.

  Cay’s thoughts spun as she imagined rolling away from him and running. Could she reach the barn door before he did? Would whoever owned the barn help her get away?

  With his eyes still closed, Alex reached for the knife beside him, and offered it to her, handle first. “Is this what you’re after?”

  In one swift movement, Cay took the knife and held it to his throat. “Release me