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Whip would have called the dog vicious, but in the past week he had seen Prettyface lying tamely on his side while Sha
The dog was possessive, not vicious.
«Does Prettyface act this way when you’re around the shaman?» Whip asked.
«Cherokee?»
«Yeah.»
«Of course not,» Sha
«What does that make the shaman — a eunuch?»
Sha
«Maybe I should borrow some of his herbs and change my smell.»
«His herbs?»
«Cherokee’s»
«Oh, of course, Cherokee’s. His. Well, it’s a thought.»
Quickly Sha
She set the platter of biscuits and bacon on the scarred, handmade table and pointed to a chair.
«Have a seat,» Sha
Instead of sitting, Whip pulled out Sha
«Why, thank you,» Sha
But as she sat in the chair that Whip held out for her, Prettyface came to his feet in snarling rage.
«No!» Sha
Prettyface started forward with menace in every gliding stride.
Whip reached for the bullwhip’s coils.
«Step away from my chair,» Sha
For a moment Whip considered having it out with the dog then and there, but decided against it. Maybe if Prettyface had a little time, he would settle down. That way Whip wouldn’t be forced to frighten Sha
Maybe it will work out peacefully, Whip thought. Sure as hell hope so. I’d have to take a lot of chewing to put that dog in his place without killing him.
But Whip wouldn’t have bet a Confederate dollar that Prettyface would accept Whip as his superior without a fight. The wolf in him would demand it.
Calmly, without any hurry at all, Whip moved away from Sha
«Now lie down!» Sha
«Me or the dog?»
Sha
I’ve been accused of being too slow to back down, myself.
Yet Whip had meekly given way to the dog when she had ordered him to do so.
«I’m sorry,» Sha
«Jealous?»
«Protective.»
«I don’t think so.»
Whip held Sha
«A protective dog takes his cue from his master,» Whip said. «A jealous dog acts like Prettyface, purely pissed off when anyone gets close to you, no matter how you might feel about it.»
«He hasn’t had much time to get used to strangers.»
«You might think on ways to get Prettyface to accept your friends,» Whip said mildly. «Or else your friends will have to do it for you. May I pour you some coffee?»
The change of subject distracted Sha
Prettyface snarled when Sha
«No, Prettyface,» Sha
The dog whined uneasily and settled back to watch the stranger in his cabin with the unblinking, feral eyes of a wolf.
At first Sha
Whip reached for another round of bacon and biscuits. As he did, he found himself wondering how chickens would survive in Echo Basin. A few eggs would have gone very well with the meal.
You’re dreaming, Whip told himself sardonically. Eggs are for people who are settled enough to raise chickens, like Willow, or those folks who are rich enough to buy eggs that are damn near worth their weight in gold.
Whip bit into a tender biscuit and sighed with pleasure. The biscuit was steamy, fragrant, and light as smoke.
«I always thought no one could match my sister Willow’s biscuits,» Whip said, reaching for more. «Looks like I was wrong. These biscuits are pure heaven.»
Sha
Seeing Whip enjoy the food she had prepared was an unexpected pleasure. It was as though a little bit of her was in each bite…part of her becoming part of him. Quietly Sha
«You keep looking at me like that,» Whip said finally, «and I’m going to do something that will put Prettyface on the warpath.»
Belatedly, Sha
«I’m sorry,» she muttered. «I’m not used to company.»
Whip’s smile was as gentle as his eyes.
«Honey girl, I’m just teasing you. You can look at me all you like. My head might get too big for my hat, but I’ll just go without one. It would be worth it to see your beautiful eyes watching me and liking what they see.»
Sha
Whip glanced up, wondering what had caught Sha
Damnation. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her she could look at me all she likes.
Something is growing fast, and it’s not my hat size.
With an effort Whip forced himself to look anywhere but at the sapphire eyes that were watching him with luminous pleasure.
«How did you come to Echo Basin?» Whip asked.
For a moment the question didn’t register on Sha
«Silent John brought me here seven years ago.»
«You must have been a child.»
«I was husband-high and had no relatives who wanted me. Even before the war…» Sha
«Eve, my brother’s wife, was like that. She came west on an orphan train and was bought by two old gamblers to make their lives easier.» Whip looked at Sha
Surprise showed on Sha
«It’s better than where I came from,» she said. «Here I’m beholden to no one for my bread and salt.»
Whip waited, but Sha
«What about you, Whip? How did you end up here?»