James Axler – Starfall

Annie mistook his inability to speak. “Unless—you’re not able for such playing.”

Doc found his voice. “Dear lady, I am flattered by your offer, truly.”

“You trying to tell me you’re not interested? I know I don’t look the way I did when I was a girl, but I thought I could still turn a man’s head.”

Placing the book on the table, Doc hesitantly reached out for Annie’s work-roughened hands. He smiled reassuringly at her, surprised at the thin threads of insecurity in her eyes. “You do turn my head, Annie, and do not let this snow on the mountain fool you.” He brushed at his long gray-white hair. “There is still a fire down below.”

“Mebbe you’d like to prove that.” Her voice turned her words into a mocking challenge.

Doc found himself strongly attracted to the woman. He lifted a hand and ran the backs of his fingers along the side of her face, coming in toward her eye. Her flesh felt hot against his. “You have strong cheekbones, and a fine face. Lips that are full, as well as full of promise.”

“I’ve lived a lot of hard years,” she said in a softer voice. “They show.”

“All the years that are left to any of us are hard,” Doc countered. “You will feel better after that bath.”

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” Annie said. “I’m not in the habit of offering myself to just any man that comes along. Mebbe I’m even making a fool of myself with you. Could be you’ll get me off to myself and slip a knife blade between my ribs.”

“No,” Doc replied.

“I have my own reasons for my generosity, for opening the trading post and its store to you and your friends.”

“My companions and I are already aware of that.”

“I know. Damn me if I know what makes you so dif­ferent than all the other men I’ve seen.”

Doc shrugged.

“So, you think you’d really like to have that bath with me?”

“At the moment, dear lady, I can think of nothing more that I’d want to do.”

Annie approached him and took his hand. “Then come with me.”

“Madam,” Doc said earnestly, “I have every intention of doing just that.” Her touch was electric.

RYAN JOINED DEAN in the hayloft. The boy shifted slightly, making room. He kept his Browning Hi-Power in his fist.

“Anything?” Ryan asked. He stared down into the inner courtyard of the trading post. The sec men floated in loose, easy circles on the elevated boardwalk built on the palisade walls.

“They keep moving around,” Dean said, “but mainly they’re just checking the perimeter. Keeping things but­toned down. Guys act like they’re on condition red.”

Ryan silently agreed. He lay on his stomach and sur­veyed the sec men.

“It would be better,” Dean said, “if we could just get out of here now.”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t do that without Doc, though. And I don’t think Krysty’s up to traveling tonight if the river’s going to be rough.”

“You’re right.” Ryan glanced back inside the barn. Krysty was in the horse trough below, soaking in the water. He’d helped her bank the fires around the trough, bringing the heat back up. J.B. brought new buckets of water as the water started to steam more forcibly. Krysty’s skin pinked up with the heat of it.

None of the Idaho Falls survivors had interacted with the companions and stayed huddled in their group. They’d been given self-heats from the provisions Ryan had taken from Max, and were working their way through them.

Morse’s oldest boy had gotten up from the place where he’d been sitting and was casually making his way around the barn’s interior. His path was gradually bringing him closer to the stall where Krysty bathed in the trough.

It was one thing, Ryan knew, for the companions to see each other undressed. That was just naked. It happened when a person took his or her clothes off, and there were plenty of reasons to take clothes off. But the Morse boy’s interest wasn’t to be tolerated.

Ryan signaled, catching Jak’s eye.

The albino cut his gaze to the approaching Morse boy. Jak slipped one of his leaf-bladed throwing knives from inside his clothing. With a quick flick, still from a seated position, he threw it at the Morse boy.