Chapter 27

The man took her hand and led her into the woods behind the bar and she frowned. “Hey, I thought we--” Her voice held a slightly husky edge to it and she cleared her throat. “I thought we were going to your place?” Still a little husky sounding, but it was a little better at least.

“We are.” The man growled at her, sounding annoyed.

“Uh. Okay.” Amanda shut up, not sure what she’d done to piss him off but if he was going to help her, it would serve her well to stay on his good side.

She moved through the woods easily enough. There were footpaths that cut through the underbrush, making it easier to walk.

After about half an hour of walking briskly behind him while he continued to hold her hand, Amanda spoke up again. “So, you got a name?”

The man grunted and continued walking.

Amanda sighed and continued on. “So I’ll just call ya Cowboy then. I’m Amanda. Are we going to get there anytime soon or are we going to have to stop for food and water soon? I forgot to bring along my wagon train…” She crashed hard into him as he came to a sudden stop and spun around to look at her.

His arms felt like they were made of iron as they wrapped around her and kept her on her feet. One hand gripped the back of her head, curling in her hair tightly and pulling her head back in a way that would have been painful if the movement hadn’t been so carefully controlled. “Shut. Up.” He growled and Amanda could have sworn that his eyes almost seemed to glow, they were so bright and such a beautiful shade of amber.

Once again the strange man managed to wipe Amanda’s mind clear of all thought as he leaned in close. Was he going to kiss her again? A strange feeling welled up inside of her and she hoped that he was going to do just that. Her lips parted as he leaned in and pressed his nose just under her ear and breathed deeply. She thought she heard him actually growl.

He let go of her so suddenly that she had to grab onto a nearby tree to keep from stumbling and falling on her rear in the brush. She stared after him as he turned again and began marching on down the thin path further into the woods.

Amanda stood there stunned and confused for several seconds before hurrying to follow after him, not wanting to be left behind. As they walked in uncomfortable silence, Amanda reached up and rubbed at the place where he’d sniffed her and a thrill ran through her, making her shiver. Anger and tension positively crackled through her body, warring with one another for dominance.

From her position behind him, Amanda could see his frame in the darkness and she let herself trail behind slightly so that she could take him in more fully. He was tall, maybe six-four or six-five with wide shoulders. He wore his jeans a little too tight and it did wonders for his backside. His hair was as black as night and brushed the collar of his shirt. She lost track of time as she studied him from behind while they walked.

When her feet began to scream at her, she began to realize just how far they had gone. She finally tore her eyes off of Cowboy’s backside to look around the woods which seemed thinner here than they had before.  She was just about to ask where they were and how much further they had to go when she noticed something through the trees in front of them. It looked like a clearing with a house made out of some sort of adobe.