Emma's Blaze (Fires of Cricket Bend Book 2) by Marie Piper Read Free Book Online Page A

you.”
    Andrew kicked the dirt. “Son of a bitch.”
    “Best not keep him waiting,” Bill said, his eyes cold on his brother. Andrew turned away from Bill and Emma and walked toward his unhappy father and boss. The men parted ahead of him, knowing smirks on their faces. On his way, he gave Jess a mighty shove as he passed.
    Emma glanced down at Bill. “What’ll your pa do to him?” She envisioned a cruel beating, with Andrew bruised in the aftermath.
    Instead, Bill shrugged. “Probably chew him out until his ears bleed.” When he saw Emma’s surprise, he reached up to help her off her horse. “Andrew and Pa have been going at it since he was old enough to talk. Pa tried using his belt for a while, but it didn’t make a difference. Nothing seems to. He won’t listen to orders or sense from anyone. Likely to get him killed some day. Nearly got him killed yesterday.” As he got her feet back on the ground, he looked toward where his brother and father were arguing. Josiah’s words couldn’t be heard, but Andrew was definitely on the wrong end of a berating. It seemed as if the men would come to blows, perhaps, but Andrew threw up his hands and stomped away.
    “What happened out there?” Emma asked Bill.
    “He picked a fight he couldn’t win.”
    “And you saved him.”
    “I always do. Probably makes me the biggest fool in the world.”
    “He’s your brother.”
    Bill nodded. “Yep. He sure is.”
    Emma saw his exhaustion and worry. Before she could think it through, she reached out to rest a hand on his arm. The contact was simple, a gesture of friendship designed to offer some quick comfort, but Bill’s eyes shot back to her. He didn’t say a word as he studied her face, and Emma began to feel nervous.
    She indicated a small rip in his shirt near her fingers. “You’ve got a tear.”
    “Just a small one.”
    “I can fix it easy enough. Let’s get some supper in you first.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
     
    ***
     
    Bill
     
    Food never tasted as good as it did after two days of hard riding, a near-gunfight, and a scarce dinner of hunted rabbit. Appie had biscuits and beans for everyone, but also cooked up some bacon and salt pork to add to Bill’s. As he held the steaming plate in his hands and inhaled the salty aroma, Bill listened to his men jabber and argue as they always did at dinnertime. The sound relaxed him. If the boys were talking and laughing, nothing could be wrong.
    “Hey, Sparrow! Sing us a song!” Ollie called out.
    Bent over her own plate, Sparrow fluttered her eyelashes and wiped her mouth daintily with a blue cloth; Bill recognized the material from her discarded dress. “What would you like to hear?”
    “Somethin’ lively!” Blue jumped in the conversation. “Do you know “Susannah”?”
    “Of course,” she replied. “But I’ll only sing if Saul plays along.”
    As Bill watched, Sparrow looked over at Saul and grinned broadly. His little brother, shy as a maid, pulled the harmonica from his pocket and held it up to her. They commiserated for a moment before Saul began to play “Susannah” and Sparrow joined in to sing.
    The moment she opened her mouth to sing, Bill couldn’t take his eyes off her.
    Though she wore men’s clothes that were too big for her, and her hair was tied back in a rag, she shone. Her face brightened. Her cheeks flushed red. The joy she took in singing showed, even across the fire. The voice that came from her sounded pure and sweet as a bird’s call.
    The men clapped, and some sang along. Pete kept on eating, but Bill could see even he was listening closely. She’d clearly made friends with the crew in his absence.
    And she was singing along to Saul, and he was watching her and keeping time as he played. In front of everyone and in the center of attention, Saul was standing tall and proud.
    She worked a strange kind of magic, Bill figured. As strange as her arrival had been, and as strange as she seemed to him, with her mysterious story and