Little Sharpshooter Chap 11

Al stomped in his stall when Randy entered the stable. “Al-Hayibe, don’t be so grumpy.” She gathered an armful of hay and tossed it over the stall door. He fumed with his loud exhales before he relented and started on the hay. Trevor tended his calm and quiet horse. Randy filled a bucket of water and struggled to carry it to the stall. Trevor stood in front of her and his hand brushed against her fingers as he took the bucket from her. She flushed then rolled her eyes in frustration and let him in Al’s stall. Al pushed Trevor when he entered.

“Easy,” Trevor said gently resting his hand on the bridge of his nose. “Can’t we be friends?” He eased his way past Al to fill his water trough.

Randy closed the door and ran her hand down Al’s neck. She rested her head on his shoulder and ran her fingers through his mane. She dried her eyes when Trevor maneuvered around Al’s head without Al shoving him away again.

He rested his hand lightly on Randy’s back. “Why is Bronson bothering you so much?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s something he said. I’m kinda scared.” She untangled Al’s mane to braid it.

Trevor squeezed her shoulder. Her heart instantly started to race. His other hand gently rested on her cheek. A flutter rushed through her body when his eyes met hers. Al shifted his body away from Randy and gave Trevor a shove with his head.

“Hey!” They both said at once. They laughed diverting their gazes to finish tending the horses.

She was about to leave the livery stable when Trevor stopped her. “Why are you scared?”

“We have a long way to go alone. Our first night was rough. Bein’ here isn’t easy either. I don’t know where those men are that tried to kill my pa. Bronson reminded me that if anyone catches wind that I’m James Carter’s daughter, they might come after me and that’s the only way I have been able to get everyone to stop tryin’ to rob us.”

“I don’t think we know all our options yet. Don’t get discouraged. We’ll get enough experience to get us there.”

“I think Bronson wants to attach himself to us. He’s usually up to no good. He’s in Silver City because he always wants to find a way to get rich quick. Pa told me he squanders his money gamblin’. I’ve seen the look in his eye when he’s schemin’. When he left Pa last time, it wasn’t on good terms. Pa went on for months about what a fool Bronson was. He worries me.”

“We don’t have to let him come.”

“He knows the way to California though. I have to admit that I trust him more than anyone else I’ve met in this town.” Randy pressed her nail into the wood. “I want to make it to California with you alive.” With her head turned to the side, she looked up at Trevor with a slight smile.

He squeezed her tight to his chest and pressed his cheek against the top of her head.

When they crossed the road to the boarding house, Bronson was leaning against the hitching post.

“I wondered if I had missed you little lovebirds already headin’ back to your little love nest.” He smiled ear to ear.

Randy frowned. She was already having second thoughts. She limped right past him and up the steps.

Bronson grabbed her arm.

“You need to stop touchin’ me.” She jerked her arm out of his hand.

“Hold on a second. I want to talk to you.”

“I’ll listen when you stop touchin’ me.” She went up two more steps.

“Sorry, I need to talk to you though. I know you don’t care much for what I have to say. I’m sure your pa didn’t talk kindly about me after I left. I’m worried about you. I know what your pa wanted for ya. I wanna make things right.”

“It’s not like it makes a difference now. He’ll never know.” She stepped down a step, holding tight to Trevor’s hand.

“Can’t I make my own peace with your pa by doin’ right by you? I want to help you get to California.”

“I can’t pay for you too.”

“I’ll pay my own way. I have some ideas on how to cover that.”

“Gamblin’ ain’t gonna work.” Randy squinted.

“I know. I won’t be ready to go in the mornin’ though. Can you stay another day while I tie up loose ends here so I can come?” Bronson folded his arms across his chest and stared at the ground before looking up at Randy waiting for her answer.

He sounded like a little boy instead of a man asking if he could come and he wasn’t telling her what she should do. But Bronson’s lovebird comment rubbed her the wrong way.

“I’ll think about it. You have to understand that if I say you can come, you don’t get to act like my pa.”

“Understood. I wouldn’t want to fill those shoes anyways. I didn’t have kids of my own for a reason.” Bronson shoved off the hitching post and went on his way.

Trevor didn’t say a word until they reached the room. “I don’t have a good feelin’ about him. My Nana always said I was right on the mark when I say somethin’ ain’t right.”

“I know how you feel. But there is his kind of bad feelin’ and there are some bad feelin’s that are much worse. I think we don’t have a choice.”

“I hope you feel differently tomorrow. You should have some faith in us.”

“We’ll see.” Randy undid the bun and pulled her hair out of its braid.

Trevor lit the lanterns in the room as the sun set. “Are we stayin another night? I should let droopy face know.”

“Yes, we have to. But even if I tell Bronson he can come in the mornin’ and does anythin’ out of line later, we can always change our mind and still go on our own.”

“That sounds fair.”

While Trevor was gone arranging for them to stay another night, Randy went through the money she had hidden inside the lining of her saddlebag and took out what she needed for another couple days. She chewed on her lip. With no idea how long it would take to get to California, she had no clue if what she had would be enough for the two of them. The delay of even one day could hurt them. Randy put the thought out of her mind as she went through her clothes. Her better dress would be ready for her in the morning at the laundry. She packed her saddle bag. Her hand brushed across the cool metal of her pa’s badge. She pulled the badge out and rubbed it against her skirt to polish and examine it. She didn’t stop the tears that time as they spilled from her eyes. Randy sighed wondering why she was so emotional. She just wanted to hear her pa tell her everything would be all right. Because it sure didn’t feel like it would.

Trevor opened the door and burst in the room with a couple of muffins in his hand. “I went out at the right time. The dining hall lady felt bad for the scene Bronson caused and saw you didn’t eat all your dinner so she wanted you to … ” He kneeled down beside her. “Here.” He handed her the muffin then dried her tears with his thumb. “You know we will be fine, don’t you?”

His remark started another flood of tears. She leaned into his shoulder so he couldn’t see her face.

“How did you know I needed to hear that?” Randy asked

“Lucky guess?” He pushed her hair over her shoulder and rubbed her back lightly.

Once she composed herself, she crossed her legs to enjoy every bite of the muffin.

“I think this made everything better,” she smiled.

“The dining hall lady thought it would. You know she walked all the way over here just to give these to us,” Trevor said with his mouth full of muffin.

“That was very nice. The only nice thing that happened today.”

“I got to spend the evening with you and not on the back of a horse.”

“That was nice too.” Randy stood up, yawned and stretched. “Now to figure out how we handle this bed situation. Is it strange if we try to share that bed? It’s too nice to make one of us sleep on the floor.”

“I think so. No one else is gonna say anythin’ if they find out.” He showed her his ring.

“Yeah, well, you kind of scared me with the secret stuff that married people do. I don’t want to be any part of it.” Randy rubbed her arms.

“Don’t worry, Randy. I haven’t so much as kissed you yet.” Trevor’s face reddened.

Randy couldn’t help it when her face flushed too. She was sure he was about to kiss her when Al pushed him away. Her heart jumped in her chest when she remembered how close he got.

Trevor was up off the floor and started to unbutton his shirt.

Randy chewed on her lip and wiped the sweat from her brow. The room was stifling and suddenly felt even more so. She pulled the window open some more and watched Trevor as he sat on the side of the bed to pull off his boots. Randy went to the other side of the bed and slowly untied her bootlaces. She pushed on the heel of her boot with her other foot and gasped. When she opened her eyes, Trevor was on his knees in front of her. He pulled gently to remove her boot. On her injured leg, he rested one hand on her knee and pulled even more carefully to remove the other boot. Her chest filled with flutters from his hand on her knee. She glanced away when he looked up at her.

“Thank you,” Randy whispered with everything still jumping around in her chest.

“You’re so confident and then there are moments like this where you remind me how young you are.”

Her heart sank when he walked away. He sat down behind her on his side of the bed.

“It’s too hot in here. So how about we both undress the rest of the way with our backs to each other and then we can slip under the covers without looking?” Trevor asked.

Randy nodded.

“Is that a plan?” Trevor asked.

“Oh … yes.” Randy unbuttoned her shirt. Even though their backs were to each other, her hands trembled and she struggled with the buttons. Ever since she’d known him she had been fine. Why was she suddenly shy? She didn’t take off her shirt until she slid off her skirt and the two petticoats underneath leaving her in her bloomers. She was about to pull her shirt off when she felt Trevor slide into bed. She glanced over her shoulder. His back was to her. She hurried to take off the shirt leaving her in her camisole and quickly slid down into bed beside him with her back to him, pulling up the sheet.

“That wasn’t so bad was it?” He asked.

“I guess not.” Her heart was still racing. She clasped her hands together so they would stop shaking.

He rolled over and touched her shoulder lightly tickling her skin.

“Now, no married nonsense.” Randy closed her eyes tight as his light touch sent a shiver through her.

“I just touched your shoulder.” His fingers lightly trailed down her back.

She was exhilarated and scared as goose bumps spread on the back of her neck, down her arms. He stopped touching her back to run his fingers through her hair.

She rolled onto her back. “You like pretending to be married don‘t you?” When her eyes met his, he squinted at her and scrunched up his mouth before he rolled away and blew out the light in the lantern.

“What? I didn’t mean to upset you.” Randy pulled on his shoulder. He wouldn’t budge. Her mind raced wondering why he would be upset. Miss Daisy told her he liked her. He insisted on coming, why would her question upset him so?

The sheet rested on his ribs and left his back exposed. The moonlight cast light on his shoulder blade and his defined muscles. He had been going out of his way to be so kind to her. If only he had kissed her in the stable. She held her hand just inches from his back, taking a deep breath to calm her heart that was expanding, racing, and jumping all over inside of her. Her throat tightened as her fingertips reached even closer. She swallowed hard as her finger trailed ever so lightly across his back. He shivered. She stifled a giggle and continued to lightly drag her nails over his back. She watched the lines she drew and her eyes followed every rise and fall of his muscles. Goosebumps formed over his shoulders as her fingers lightly brushed against his neck. He turned to look at her, his eyes were glassy.

Her hand trailed over his shoulder, across his chest and to his cheek. She paused unsure of what to do next. But she didn’t have to decide. His hand reached for her face and his lips met hers. Randy inhaled deeply and a shock wave rippled through her body. Trevor kissed her again. She melted into him.

Trevor kissed her a few more times before he stopped. She couldn’t just feel her own heart. His pounded almost out of his chest against hers. He pulled her face away gently so he could see her.

With his eyes still watery, he said in a hoarse voice, “We should rest.” He held her face and kissed her nose before he shifted his weight to turn his back to her again.

Confused, she watched his back as his breathing continued to be quite heavy. He shoulders were tense and he didn’t seem sleepy at all. Randy wasn’t sure whether to try touching his back so he would relax. She did anyway touching the side of his arm lightly. Trevor caught her hand in his, pulled her arm in front of his chest, and laced his fingers in hers. She moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder. He finally relaxed. His heartbeat slowed.

For the first time she understood why orphan girls her age would consider getting married so young. The Southwest was a tough place. If you were a girl that was all alone it was worse. Her pa raised her to be tough. She knew she didn’t need Trevor to survive, but he sure made things a whole lot better by just being there. He just wanted her to like him as much as he liked her. She really did like him. She was just trying to prove that she didn’t need anyone.  The truth was she did.