Free Kate Wingo - Western Fire 01 by Fire on the Prairie

her mind too fraught with worry to care whether or not she got it clean.
    Oh, but I’d give anything to be able to leave this dangerous and lawless land.
    But where would they go? The only other home she’d ever known was thousands of miles away in Massachusetts. And even if they had a safe haven to go to, there was no money with which to make the journey. The murderous thugs who raided their farm last year had seen to that. Arriving under cover of night, the bushwhackers had stolen all of their money before killing—
    Angrily, Mercy wrung the shirt between her hands, the memory of her father’s death still a gaping wound in her heart.
    From somewhere behind her, she suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of a horse’s neigh.
    Spinning around, she gave a startled cry, her heart hammering against her chest as she caught sight of a horse and rider at the top of the hill. An instant later, the wet shirt fell from her hands.
    Dear God in heaven. It was Spencer.
    Uneasily Mercy’s stomach churned as she glanced at the twig decoy, the scarecrow looking less like a real boy with each passing second. Wiping her clammy palms against her skirt, she rushed up the hillside, hoping to forestall Spencer before he got close enough to uncover the deception.
    “I thought you did laundry yesterday,” Spencer remarked, reining his horse to a halt. Leaning toward her, he negligently hooke d a leg around the saddle horn.
    Mercy returned his stare, not wanting him to suspect that anything was amiss. “Your rebel friends have all decided that they’d like to wear clean shirts for a change.”
    One corner of Spencer’s mouth quirked upwards, a devilish gleam in his eyes. “Nah, they just wanted to catch sight of you with your skirt hiked between your legs while you wash their dirty laundry.”
    Hearing that, Mercy gasped with embarrassment, realizing, too late, that she’d forgotten to rearrange her clothing before starting up the hill. Quickly, she unfastened the skirt hem from her waistband.
    “Now, why did you go and do that? I was enjoying the view.”
    “Well, go and enjoy it elsewhere!” she snapped, self-consciously crossing her arms under her breasts. Then, hoping to change the subject, she said, “What are doing here, anyway?”
    “Seeing as how I got me a hankering for some fresh fish, I thought I’d join Gabriel and do a little angling.”
    Her breath caught in her throat. If Spencer rode down to the stream, all would be lost.
    Without thinking, Mercy stepped in front of his gray gelding, blocking his path. “I can assure you that Gabriel and I do not wish to spend time with the likes of you. Is it not enough that you’ve barged into our home, pilfered our valuables and—”
    “I haven’t stolen a damn thing and you know it.” Vaulting off his horse, Spencer took several menacing steps in her direction.
    “What difference does it make given that your friends have helped themselves to all of our belongings? They’ve taken everything, every cherished keepsake, even going so far as to –” Mercy’s voice broke, her hands clenched in fists of rage – “even going so far as to steal the photographs of my father and two brothers.” Swiping at an angry tear, Mercy defiantly stood her ground. While Spencer McCabe might be able to bend her, he would never break her. Never .
    “Hey, Spence! You’re needed back at the house. Ned wants to s ee those maps that you drew up.”
    Both she and Spencer peered at the top of the hill where Dewey stood, motioning for his brother to return to the house.
    When Spencer made no move to remount, Mercy pointedly nodded toward the hilltop. “Didn’t you hear your brother? Your duty awaits you.”
    “ I’m choosing to ignore it.”
    “And what would compel you to do that?”
    “Maybe I’m worried that if I leave you down here all by your lonesome, some other man will come along and lay claim to you,” Spencer replied, not appearing the least bit inclined to depart.
    “I