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Chapter 10
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Ian entered the mess house and sat at the long harvest table.
Surprised to see his boss in the middle of the day, Roy wiped the flour from his hands and joined him. “How’s the babysittin’ goin’?”
Ian chortled. “It does kind of feel a little like that. I’m walking on eggs trying not to upset her.”
“She was real skittish about goin’ to the river.”
“Can you blame her? She’s a young woman in a camp full of men.”
“Don’t know how I’d feel in that situation. Does she give ya a hard time about sleepin’ alone in the house with ya?”
“I can’t imagine that young thing giving anyone a hard time about anything,” Ian said as he rolled himself a cigarette. “I got engaged while in Fort Benton,”
“Congratulations, boss. I was wonderin’ when ya planned on startin&rs
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Roy couldn’t help noticing how domestic Ian and Angel behaved. It was odd after having known each other for such a short time and under circumstances such as these, but he knew better than to say anything. Instead, he busied himself with gathering the ingredients she’d need to make the boss’ evening meal.He watched as Ian loaded up his arms with the dinner supplies and followed Angel back to his house like a loyal puppy dog. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d put a spell on him. Maybe, in a way, she did. A young and beautiful woman can have that effect on a man. Even a man as solid as Ian Murry.Roy was the assistant cook at the ranch since before it was bought by Ian. He came with the package; as did that old coot of a head cook, Jasper.The widow Masterson did her best to keep things running after her husband died, but she just didn’t have the head for it. By the time Ian arrived on the
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Ian sat in the rocker and sipped his coffee while he watched Angel busy herself in the kitchen area of the main room of his little house making biscuits. The weather was warming up outside enough that a fire in the fireplace wasn’t warranted, but it was the only means of cooking until he purchased another stove. Even though the fireplace worked surprisingly well for cooking, practicality told him to stick with his plans of purchasing a small stove. Angel might be fine with the heat of the stove on nice days, but that didn’t mean that whoever finally settled in as his housekeeper would. Even though his main meals would be in the mess house, there would be times when he’d want something cooked in his house and he had to consider the comfort of his staff. He’d moved the chair close to the open window and was enjoying the crisp, late spring breeze coming off the mountain.The more time he spent with Angel, the closer he felt t
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Two Weeks LaterMike sauntered into the mess house and looked around. “Anyone home?” he called out as he hung his hat and holster on the hooks near the door.Roy came out of the room he slept in. “It ain’t dinner time.”“It’s only three in the afternoon. I was hopin’ for a cup of coffee.”“Ya’re in luck. I’m expectin’ the boss, so I made a fresh pot.”Mike scowled in thought while he helped himself to the fresh, hot coffee. “Got a minute to talk?”Roy looked surprised, but simply nodded as he pulled a cup from the shelf and poured himself a coffee as well. “What’s on your mind?”“It’s the boss. Have ya noticed a change in him? I mean, he hardly leaves that little house and the woman he keeps inside it. When he does, he seems distracted; n
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Roy would have to go to the medicine man himself, so the men needed to agree to go without a cook for a few days. Since all of the men agreed that there was something wrong with the boss, they were eager to cooperate.“I understand that woman cooks,” Jacob said to Harold. “Maybe we can make up a lie about where Roy is, and she’ll cover for him.”“I hate the thought of eating beans and biscuits for the better part of a week. It might be worth a try.”Melody strained to listen to the whispers of the men, from across the room in her place in the far corner, in hopes of hearing some tidbit that might explain what was really happening. She’d known Ian for far too long to believe that he meant what he said about calling off the engagement. He was too much a man of honor for such a thing. She wouldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it.She slowly approached th
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With Roy gone, Melody was given his bedroom. Ian purchased a surplus of supplies when setting up the camp in anticipation of Mike hiring more hands, so there were a few extra cots to select from in the corner of the bunk house. A cot was taken from that corner and put into the main room just outside the bedroom door for her father. Unhappy with the state he found Ian in, and not trusting the men he knew little about, he pulled the cot to block the bedroom door before curling up into a deep sleep.It was black as night when he felt something shake his bed. It was as if someone walked into it. A low curse that was just above a whisper sounded more in his head than in his ears. He sat up with a start and struggled to get his eyes into focus. “Who’s there?”When only silence greeted him, he lit a match and searched for a lantern. When it was sufficiently lit, he inspected both the inside and the outside of the building.
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Ian stretched in a cat-like manner as he pulled his lean body off the bed. They’d taken the cot from his room and put it beside Angel’s bed to create a wider sleeping surface. This left little space for walking and required the washstand be repositioned beneath the only window the room possessed. With the shutters thrown open and no glass to protect him from the elements, he shivered from the crisp breeze the flitted into the room while he washed with the tepid water in the basin.Angel came up behind him and wrapped her slender arms around his muscled torso. “I love your body. It reminds me of the statue of a Greek god I saw in a museum in Paris.”He placed his large hand over her petite ones. “You remember Paris? Are your memories coming back?”She released him and stepped back so that he could turn and face her. The room was so small that the back of her legs touched the end of the bed. A
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The conversation in the room came to a halt when Ian stepped through the door. He looked, questioningly, at Adam, Melody, and Jackson. “I’m surprised to see that you are still here.”Melody rushed to him, mindless of the audience she had. “Ian, darling. I don’t understand any of this. You and I have been together for over a year now. How could you just toss us away over a woman you met only a few weeks ago?”She looked into his eyes and immediately understood the concern the men had expressed. His normally expressive dark eyes looked empty and hollow. He was moving about and talking, but it was in a far less animated way than normal. Ian and her father had been friends since she was a young girl, long before she’d been sent back east to finishing school. Between the time she spent in his company during her early years and this last year of their courting, she felt she knew him wel
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Ian was just going into the house when Melody and Jackson returned from the river. He stopped and politely bowed to her while keeping one foot on the ready to step onto his porch.“I’m so glad we caught you, Ian. I wanted to see if you would join us for dinner tonight?”“Your father is waiting for you, my dear. I believe he is eager to leave,” Ian said in a gentle tone that hinted of the love she knew he still felt for her.“But, we’ve had no time to speak,” she said with a sweet smile.The door opened far enough for Melody to see Angel’s shaded form. Her blonde hair hung wild and free around her shoulders. At closer inspection, she could see the flesh of the woman’s legs beneath the hem of the oversized man’s shirt that hung well below her knees.Ian took her gloved hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I must get back inside
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Melody’s refusal to abandon their boss and the courage she showed during the ordeal earned her a new and permanent respect with the men; even the newly hired ones. Jackson smiled with a heartfelt warmth in her direction as he watched her pamper Ian back to health. There was no denying that she’d make him a good wife.It was decided that the old Indian would sleep until the light of day, after which he insisted that he be taken back to his people. He was exhausted from the ordeal, the tension of fetching the old man and what happened afterward, but how could Roy refuse? He made his excuses and fell onto his cot to grab what little sleep he could manage before he’d be called upon to return the medicine man to the Blackfoot encampment. His only consolation was the old woman he knew the chief would send to his tent as a gesture of hospitality. It wasn’t even the sex that he was thinking of. It was simply the comfort of a warm, loving body
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Once he was no longer needed, Pete joined Melody in holding vigil at the window. They said nothing, but each was well aware of the difference in the behavior of a few of the spirits that wandered the charred earth. Not only were they looking more alert and becoming more animated, but they were starting to speak with each other. Pete was relieved to see that it was only a small portion of the spirits that were coming to life, but it was still enough to worry him. If bullets didn’t work on them, what were they supposed to use if those devils decided to attack? Harold’s vicious end would be embedded in his mind forever.“I’ll shoot myself before I let them rip me apart,” he said in a voice so low and soft that Melody questioned if she heard him right. “Do ya think they’ll come at us if we stay out of sight?”“I believe that is why we came indoors,” she mused as she contin
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Jackson marveled over how quickly Adam managed to maneuver his way across the charred grass, while Angel still struggled to gain ground toward them. It was a testimony to the strength of the medicine man’s magic. He turned to the old man and asked, “How long do you think you can hold her back?”“She is very powerful. I have called in the ancestors for help. We will see if they can give it.”“If they can’t?” Jackson asked with raised brow.“She will take possession of his soul and leave the body where it lies.”Adam scowled. “I see the mess house is singed, but still standing. I need to either get him into the mess house so that I can treat him or fetch my doctor’s bag so that I can do something for him here.”Pete’s fear of the happenings kept him from following Adam and Melody when they returned from the river. The ex
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They gently laid Ian on the porch so that they could better inspect his condition, as well as come up with a plan to get through the sea of raging fire and spirits to where the old Indian sat. They’d concluded that they were witnessing the reenactment of the fire that killed the settlement.“Damn,” Jackson hissed. “She’s bit him so many times that his flesh looks like chopped meat.”Roy shook his head. “I had no idea she was so crazy. She seemed normal when she first got here, but, as time wore on, she changed.”“As did he.”Roy nodded. “As did he.”“We’re gonna need Doc to look at him.”Roy shook his head. “Let’s get him to the old man before we do anythin’ else.”Mike’s bellow of surprise as he was tossed through the closed door shook them both to the core. They were even more sh
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Roy stared out of the window in disbelief as he watched the old Indian sit peacefully next to the fire he’d built while men, women, and children in flames scrambled all around him. Their screams permeated the inside of his head. “Is this real?”“It sure feels real,” Pete stammered as he and Jacob tossed water onto the shutters in hopes of preventing the rustic building from catching fire. “We need to be doin’ this to the outside. ““Do ya really want to brave goin’ out with that ghost mob after seein’ what happened to Harold?”Adam stepped forward. “Do you think they’ll pay us any mind with all that’s happening out there now? They weren’t on fire when they attacked Harold.”“Ya mean, killed Harold,” Jacob corrected.Mike had to make several attempts to light his cigarette with his trembling hands. “Ho
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Ian’s hand cupped Angel’s breasts as she leaned back against his chest. She could feel his pecker pressing against her backside as his desire mounted. It had been less and fifteen minutes since they’d made love in the bedroom, yet he was ready for more; as was she. Her voice was soft and husky as she slowly unbuttoned her shirt to expose her hardened nipples. “I love it when you touch me there.”He turned her body enough to allow him to bend down and gently nibble on a hardened rosebud. His muffled voice came from deep in his throat as he asked her if she liked him nibbling her.“I like you doing all that you do. It makes me feel warm and beautiful. I can’t get enough.”His calloused hands deftly unfastened her pants and pushed them to the floor. “You are irresistible. So beautiful. You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes o
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Eluwilussit shuddered as he walked the perimeter of the camp. He felt as if he was invading a burial ground that was filled with the spirits of the dead who had yet to find peace in the afterlife. Invading a ground of such unrest was never good. Regrets for agreeing with the council to tend to this white man’s problem abounded.It was his brother’s son, Kitchi, who had so foolishly allowed himself to get tangled up with a bunch of wild white men. He had no doubt that Kitchi wouldn’t have survived their vicious treatment if Roy hadn’t come along and rescued him. He listened to his nephew tell the story of how brave Roy was to face down half a dozen men on his own for the sake of an Indian boy he’d never met at many tribal meetings. He spoke of how fast Roy was with a gun and how he’d shot the pistols out of two of the men’s hands and wounded another in the shoulder before the rest of the
Ghost Love Chapter 19
Jackson and Adam were in the middle of trying to convince Melody that it was better to leave the camp before things got any weirder when Mike announced the return of Roy. All conversation stopped as they watched the horses enter the camp with a majestic sureness.Roy’s bay was in front of the paint that carried a medicine man who sat like an erect statue. The contrast between them was stark. It wasn’t just the fact that the bay was tall and sleek with the typical western tack and the paint was shorter and stocky with drawings on its face and body and a brilliant colored blanket on its back. It was also the way the two men carried themselves on the backs of their steeds. Roy greeted them with a broad smile while he sat in a casual way that showed he was adept on horseback. The medicine man’s stone-like face looked straight ahead. It was as if he didn’t know they were there, or didn’t care.Whe
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Ian was just going into the house when Melody and Jackson returned from the river. He stopped and politely bowed to her while keeping one foot on the ready to step onto his porch.“I’m so glad we caught you, Ian. I wanted to see if you would join us for dinner tonight?”“Your father is waiting for you, my dear. I believe he is eager to leave,” Ian said in a gentle tone that hinted of the love she knew he still felt for her.“But, we’ve had no time to speak,” she said with a sweet smile.The door opened far enough for Melody to see Angel’s shaded form. Her blonde hair hung wild and free around her shoulders. At closer inspection, she could see the flesh of the woman’s legs beneath the hem of the oversized man’s shirt that hung well below her knees.Ian took her gloved hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I must get back inside
