Chirp(10)

“I know. We will. Over supper. Wash your hands and take a seat.”

He went to the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and reminded himself to stick to the plan. He had enough bad habits to drive her away. All he had to do was play those up a bit. Soon she’d be so disgusted, she’d burn rubber getting out of there.

Seated at the dining table, he barely glanced at her as she slid onto the chair across from him. He spooned gravy over this steak, then cut into the familiar recipe with a vengeance. The first bite sent his taste buds to heaven. While he chewed, he loaded his potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream. The only thing missing? Garden-fresh onions.

Even the food he’d eaten in cafés across the country didn’t compare. If she had apple pie for dessert, he’d forget about running her off and marry her instead. He fought a smile. Wouldn’t want her to know she’d done something he liked. It’d only encourage her.

Her voice brought him to the problem at hand.

“I can’t leave. I have nowhere to go.”

Blaze picked at her food, and his throat tightened. Dammit. Couldn’t let her sob story affect him. Sharing his new home with a runaway hadn’t been in his plans. “You can go back to where you came from.”

“If that was possible, I wouldn’t be here.”

Rance swallowed another bite and let the silence help with his dirty work. Then he stabbed another piece, held it in midair, and set his jaw in a firm line. “Listen, kid. If you’re in trouble with the law, I want no part of it. I don’t know why Dessie took you in. I’m sure she had her reasons, but that was an arrangement between the two of you. It doesn’t concern me.”

That wasn’t exactly true. Gran had a reputation for taking in strays. Sometimes she was too good for her own good.

The girl choked. “I haven’t done anything illegal. I swear. I’ll cook. Clean. Do your laundry.”

He swiped his final bite through gravy and shoved it in his mouth. The kid’s cooking skills had to come from Gran’s instructions because everything had his grandmother’s touch. “I can do all that for myself,” he said. Yeah, he could, but after this meal, she had a good selling point. No, he had to scare her skinny ass away. “I’m horny as hell. Guess you could help me with that.”

She swallowed hard, and for a minute he thought she might faint, but she pulled herself together. “I guess if that’s my only option, I could try.”

Holy hell. Not the response he’d expected. He looked at her. Really looked at her. This sly little fox was on to him. She was odd, but not dumb. “That’s good news. I mean, I’ve already seen the merchandise, and talk about convenient. Doesn’t get better than having available pussy on the premises.”

Blaze gasped.

He’d called her bet, raised the wager, and backed her into a corner. Put out or get out. His eyes wandered to her breasts, then her face, which had lost all color. He belched and scratched his chest for effect. “So, you ready to get it on or do you want to clean the kitchen first?”

She glared at him. “You’re not serious.”

Leaning forward, he rested his arms on the table and gave his best evil grin. “I am.”

She stood, reached for the hem of her shirt, and, in one quick motion, jerked it over her head. “If I have to sex with you to stay, I will. But first you need to take a bath and brush your teeth. You smell like an ashtray.” She turned and disappeared down the hallway.

Rance froze in his chair. She’d called his bluff. Hell. Now what?





Blaze


Blaze didn’t know how she’d said those words without falling to pieces, or how she’d removed her shirt and not passed out. But the important part was she’d accepted his offer, and either had to follow through or run.

She walked to the window and gazed out at the shed. No water, heating, or cooling, but the roof didn’t leak, so she could make do. But even a counter offer to move into it wouldn’t satisfy him. He wanted her off the property.

Most likely the sex would only be one time. With a single previous encounter, she didn’t have enough experience to be good at it.

Any minute, he’d cut through her room on his way to shower, unless he decided not to bathe. That made her nauseous. The idea of his sweaty body and bad breath was too much. He wasn’t ugly, but when he widened his eyes, he looked downright scary. His nose was okay, and she liked his mouth. She could always pretend he was her fantasy man from Perfect Crime, Zack Moy. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t do this. Rising, she rushed to the door and locked it, then grabbed her suitcase from the closet. Once Dessie died, Blaze knew her luck could run out but never imagined it’d be over sleeping with a horny jailbird.

As she put the first pair of jeans in the bag, the motorcycle came to life. She sprinted to the window in time to see Rance speed down the road.

She needed to work fast, so she dashed to the kitchen and cleaned everything.

It’d be dark soon. She grabbed her flashlight and ran out of the house and into the woods. Within a few minutes, she arrived at Hanna’s, where she found her friend pouring soap into molds. Blaze bent over, gasping.

Hanna jumped up and rushed to her. “Oh my gosh, is he after you?” She craned her neck toward the forest.

Blaze gulped for air. “No.”