ChasetheLightning by Madeline Baker Read Free Book Online

should probably report it to the police.”
    Report it? He wondered if she was out of her mind, then
realized she had no way of knowing he was on the dodge. “I’m obliged to you for
taking me in, but I’d best be moving on.”
    “Don’t you think you should rest a day or two? You’ve got a
fever.”
    It was tempting, but he couldn’t stay here, not with Wolf
Langley hot on his trail. Damn! “Thanks, but I’d better get going.”
    “And I think you’d better stay right where you are, at least
until tomorrow. Anyway, your clothes are soaking in the washer.”
    He frowned. “Washer?”
    “You know, washing machine?”
    He stared at her, wondering what the devil she was talking
about.
    “Where’s my horse?”
    “In the barn. You really should keep an eye on him, you
know. He’s been here several times in the last couple of days.”
    She was crazy, he thought. There was no doubt about it. “And
my gun?”
    “Safe enough. You need to rest,” she said, “and I’ve got
some work to do. Why don’t you go back to sleep, and I’ll bring you something
to eat later?”
    He nodded, closed his eyes, and was asleep.
    Amanda stared at him for several minutes, her mind churning
with unanswered questions. She didn’t know who he was or where he’d come from,
but she intended to find out.
    * * * * *
    It was dark when he woke again. The bedroom door was open,
and he could see a glimmer of light in the hallway. Bright white light that
burned steadily. Too bright for a coal-oil lamp. He could hear someone moving
around in the next room. The crazy woman? He wondered if she was married, or if
she lived alone.
    He frowned as a strange ringing noise broke the stillness.
It was an odd noise, one he had never heard before. With an effort, he sat up.
Dizziness swamped him. When it passed, he stood and made his way to the door.
He stood there a moment, one hand braced on the frame, and then walked slowly
down the hallway, his bare feet making no sound on the carpet.
    He could hear her talking now. From what he could hear of
the conversation, it sounded like she was talking to someone else, but hers was
the only voice he heard.
    Peering around the corner, he saw her standing with her back
to him. Her hair fell halfway down her back in a mass of waves. She was wearing
the long-sleeved shirt and those jeans that clung to her like a second skin,
outlining the shape of her long legs and well-rounded buttocks. He had seen
working ranch women in trousers from time to time, but nothing like these. She
was holding something to her ear.
    “All right, Rob. I’ve got to go. Be careful, okay?”
    Silence. Was she talking to herself? Crazy, no doubt about
it.
    Then, “I know. I love you, too. Bye.”
    She put whatever she had been holding to her ear down on the
table. His gaze followed the sway of her hips as she left the room.
    Curious, he padded across the floor, picked up the thing she
had been holding and put it to his ear. What the hell! He jerked his head back
when he heard a strange buzzing noise. Putting the thing down, he glanced
around the room. It looked like any other house. And yet, it didn’t. There was
a red brick fireplace with a raised hearth. Some pictures on the wall. A sofa
and two chairs, and a couple of low tables. A pair of those strange lamps with
their eerily silent bright light. Some new kind of gaslight? A large square box
that had a window you couldn’t see through on the front. Some doo-dads and
knickknacks women were fond of.
    At the sound of footsteps, he glanced at the doorway. It was
the woman.
    “What are you doing out of bed?” she exclaimed. She made a
shooing motion with one hand. “Go on, get back into bed. You look like you’re
about to pass out again.”
    He glowered at her, then turned and retraced his steps to
the bedroom. Every movement sent slivers of pain shooting through his back. He
sat down gingerly, took a deep breath, then stretched out on his side and
closed his eyes. Dammit, he felt