Page 29 of On the Mountain

“Boy?”

Frightened eyes looked up and a flood of relief filled their chocolate depths before he leaped to his feet and reached for Wade. Startled, Wade took an instinctive step back.

“Hell, kid, relax,” he said and frowned down at the boy. “No one is going to bite you here.”

“Unless, of course, you want them to.” Marion cooed running a seductive hand along his jaw.

Irritated, Wade brushed it aside and studied the boy’s face. He was surprised to see his brows dip toward his nose in anger, but Wade wouldn’t let himself worry whether he had upset the boy or not. The kid had to learn to grow a tougher backside. At the least, the fear had vanished from his eyes. Temporarily, Wade thought with a grimace, knowing full well the boy’s next reaction.

“Look, kid, here’s the thing. I’ve got a room booked for you upstairs with Noelle. She’s French and doesn’t speak much English, but she’s a young filly and you might even take a liking to her.” He saw the boy’s eyes begin to widen. “Don’t give me a hard time, kid. It’s been a long day and I’m tired. You either take my offer or you can bunk out in the livery with Chuck Rhodes. But if you want to be a prude about the whole thing, then let me know because I’ll have to let her go to a customer who will only be too happy to sleep with her.”

Deep brown eyes stared up at him with a coldness like that he never felt before, but since the kid made no move for the livery, he figured he had succumbed to Wade’s ultimatum. He gave the boy a short nod before turning to Marion. “Fetch Noelle.”

Then turning his attention back to the boy said, “Relax, kid. You might actually enjoy yourself. Hell, you’ll probably even thank me in the morning.”

But the boy looked far from thankful and Wade wondered how a boy of his age could still be a virgin. He had called him a prude, but the fact was, Wade feared, the boy’s morals ran a lot deeper than he ever figured. Maybe his innocent heart was still pining for that one true love. Wade nearly laughed out loud. Then he reckoned he was doing the kid a favor. There was no such thing. He had learned early on that everything had a place and purpose in life. Cattle had their use, horses had their function, men had their place and women had theirs. It was the same across the animal race. The only difference was man’s place was at the top of the food chain.

* * *

Anna did her best to suppress the burning rage inside. Wade knew full well she had no wish to accompany a woman to her room, yet he was practically forcing it upon her. He left her no alternative. There was no way she was going to sleep out in the barn with old Chuck Rhodes. Especially after what happened last night.

She looked around the people closest to her and listened for that voice she had heard earlier. This time there was nothing. She frowned and wondered why the voice had frightened her so much. What was it that caused an overwhelming sense of panic?

Her thoughts were dragged away from the mysterious voice when a woman around Anna’s age came to stand beside Wade, the redheaded woman next to her.

“This here is the boy I told you about,” she said to the younger girl. “He don’t speak a word so you won’t have to worry about being understood.”

“Je ne comprends pas.” The French girl’s painted face frowned at the redheaded woman Wade referred to as Marion.

“Sweetheart, how many times have I told you,” Marion put her hands on her full hips. “I don’t speak a word of your tongue, so don’t bother speaking it to me.”

The girl only frowned even more. Marion heaved a heavy sigh and reached out for Anna then thrust her against the French girl's half exposed bosom. “Take the boy upstairs.”

Noelle, the French saloon lady Wade had hired for Anna’s service, broke out into a full smile exposing crooked and yellow teeth. “Oui, j'aime le garçon. Peux-je l'avoir?”

Marion rolled her eyes and waved toward the stairs. “Go and make the boy a man.”

Anna felt her arm being tugged and tried to pull herself free. The French girl was visibly excited about the idea of taking Anna to her room. Anna, on the other hand, knew the fatal consequences if she did. The girl was stronger than Anna guessed and found herself being hauled up the stairs. Wade and Marion following behind.

With panic in her eyes, she shot a glance in Wade’s direction. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Wade entered a room a few doors down and Noelle dragged Anna into their room. The girl giggled as she tugged off Anna’s tweed coat and then reached for the cuff of her pullover shirt. Anna quickly yanked it back down. This only caused the girl to giggle some more. Shaking her head from side to side, Anna tried to get Noelle’s attention. Perhaps if she could get the message to the woman that she was not interested, there was a chance the French girl would leave her alone.

She spoke something in French, her yellowish teeth flas

hing as she smiled at Anna and attempted to reach for the zipper on her pants. Not understanding a word of the woman’s speech, she truthfully didn’t care what she said. The only thing on Anna’s mind was getting out of that room. She attempted without success to stop the hands still working ferociously on her pants. Fear gurgled deep inside as the woman became relentless. With a force, she pushed Anna’s hands away and shoved her until she fell back against the bed. In one swift movement, she leaped on top of her and straddled her little body.

The French girl laughed hard and spat out more foreign words while rubbing her clothed privates up and down on Anna’s belly.

A new enraged terror took over Anna and from out of nowhere she found the strength she needed to push the girl off. She sprang to her feet and swung open the door. Heedless of where she was going, she ran down the hall to the door that she had last seen Wade enter. Without a second thought, she swung open the door and came to an abrupt halt.

Wade was stretched out on the bed, his arms resting behind his head still fully dressed except for his pants undone at the waistline. At first Anna thought he was alone, until a movement caught her attention. At the foot of his bed, the voluptuous redheaded woman lay stretched out. When she noticed Anna, she sat up causing her long silky hair to fall freely down the length of her body. Her naked body.

“Christ, kid, what the hell are you doing?” Wade’s startled face drew her attention back.

The saloon lady took her time pulling the robe she had just discarded back over her shoulders, apparently nonplussed by the intruder. However, left the entire front of her body exposed.

Anna felt the blood drain from her face and a shudder rip across her body, regardless of the saloon’s warm air. An anguish so severe slashed across her heart and had her literally gasping for air. Wade shoved off the bed, zipping up his pants as he moved. “Jesus, kid, ever hear of knocking?”

For a moment, Anna thought her heart had stopped all together, but thankfully from somewhere deep inside, she found the strength to turn and run down the hall toward the staircase. She heard Wade holler after her, but she did not stop. Not caring where she headed, she ran out of the establishment into the cold night and kept running until the brightly lit town disappeared behind her and the welcoming darkness of the forest engulfed her.

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