Into the Wilderness
Page 50

Nathaniel was leaning easily against the logs, but his eyes followed her every move. Elizabeth's hood had fallen back and stray hair clouded around her flushed face in damp tendrils. Her eyes snapped with energy and satisfaction, and Nathaniel wondered how long he could keep his word to her and not touch her without invitation.
"Well," he said. "Why not?"
She did laugh then, out loud. "A lady living alone?"
"If that's what you want most in the world, Boots."
She turned away suddenly, and spoke to him over her shoulder. "Can you imagine my father's reaction?" Suddenly she startled him: she crossed through the foundation and came up to stop in front of him and grasp both his hands in her own.
"This is enough for right now," she said. "And I have you to thank."
Nathaniel's earring twirled in the sunlight when he shook his head.
"No need to thank me," he said gruffly. "It's work I was hired to do."
"Thank you anyway, and thank you for Hannah," said Elizabeth. "I am so pleased that she'll be coming to school."
"That was Falling—Day's doing," said Nathaniel. "I left the decision up to her."
Elizabeth lifted her chin and grinned at him. "Is that so?" she said. "Is that what you want me to believe?" She dropped his hands and stepped back. "Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Bonner. You can't pretend to me like you do to the others."
Nathaniel reached out to grab her but she slipped away. "Oh, no," she said. "You promised."
"Not only are you teasing me," Nathaniel pointed out, "but you are flirting most outrageously. Hardly the behavior I'd expect from you."
Elizabeth drew up in surprise and the truth came to her with nothing more than a little glide of recognition. What she wanted from Nathaniel was simple: she wanted him near her, because she had fallen in love with him. She was looking up at him with all this showing clearly on her face, when there was the brief clap of igniting gunpowder from the forest. Elizabeth registered the flash at the corner of her eye and then a sudden surge of air against her cheek as the bullet flew past her to find another target.
Nathaniel let out a grunt of surprise, pitched forward to grab Elizabeth, and fell to the ground, pinning her underneath him. His solid weight pressed her into the snow from foot to shoulder; his blood was warm on her cheek.
The world went hazy for a moment. When her vision cleared Elizabeth realized that Nathaniel was looking at her. She closed her eyes, letting waves of relief and nausea wash over her. He rolled away, but stayed low to the ground.
"Are you all right?" she asked. "Are you shot?"
"Just a graze," he said, touching his face.
Elizabeth grabbed his hand to pull it away. There was a shallow red furrow bleeding freely, about an inch long. A few grains of powder were embedded around the wound like a scattering of pepper.
"Somebody shot at you," she said, stunned. Then she leapt to her feet and started toward the forest.
Nathaniel was so surprised that at first he could not credit what he was seeing: Elizabeth marching forward barehanded in pursuit of a man with a rifle. With a low curse he launched himself after her and caught her by the wrist to drag her down behind the partial wall of the schoolhouse.
"Stay down!" He scanned the trees warily, struggling all the while to keep her next to him.
"But somebody shot at you," she said finally, when she realized that he would not let her go.
"Ain't the first time," he said grimly. "Probably not the last, either. Although I will admit it was a bit close for comfort."
There was an awkward pause, and then Nathaniel smiled. "By God, Elizabeth, what did you mean to do? Grab him by the ear and drag him back to the judge?"
Elizabeth looked surprised. "I don't know what I was thinking," she said. "I didn't think anybody would shoot at me, I suppose."
"Well, you may be right about that," Nathaniel said dryly. "Whoever it was is long gone, at any rate." And he stood and pulled Elizabeth to her feet, brushing snow and debris from her overcoat. She reached up and touched his cheek again.
"Who would do such a thing? We have to find out."
"Elizabeth!" Nathaniel's hands rose to clench her shoulders. "Don't tell anybody about this. Not anybody."
Elizabeth blinked up at him.
"I ain't hurt," Nathaniel said, more gently. "And it's not time to bring things to a head yet."
She began to tremble then, and he slid an arm around her while he watched the riverbank over her head.
"It's all right," he said. "Everything is all right. They're long gone. Nothing more to fear."
Elizabeth was thankful for Nathaniel's solid presence and his calm: it was comforting to have his arms around her. Right at this moment, more frightened than she cared to admit to herself, Elizabeth found Nathaniel's gentle murmurings, the light touch of his hands on her hair, and his utter competence more seductive than any embrace could have been. She let herself relax against him, and soon stopped trembling.
Nathaniel pulled away a little, observing Elizabeth closely. He smoothed a hand over her hair one last time and managed a grim smile.
"There's blood on your cheek," he said, rubbing the spot softly with his thumb, his fingers threading into the hair above her ear. Then Nathaniel dipped his head and brushed her mouth with his lips.