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«What a question,» he said.
«You brought it up.»
«Did I?»
«You did. How many, Whip?»
«Not a damned one.»
«That you know of,» Sha
«What is that supposed to mean?»
«It takes an instant to make a baby and about four months for it to show. Did you ever hang around that long?»
«No.»
«Then you don’t know, do you?»
«I know,» Whip said flatly.
«How?»
«Same way Silent John knew how not to get you pregnant. Are you going to share that jam or just sit on it like a mother hen with only one egg?»
The change of subject caught Sha
Same way Silent John knew how not to get you pregnant.
No wonder Whip had changed the subject. It couldn’t have been a comfortable topic for him, for Sha
Silent John had been too old for such discomfort. The marriage had been a way to keep men like the Culpeppers at bay; a wife was more respected than a grandniece.
«Uh…jam,» Sha
«Thank you,» Whip said, the courtesy automatic.
He took the jam and began spreading it over biscuits. Though Whip never appeared to move quickly, food disappeared into his mouth with astonishing speed.
Sha
«I’d better see to that second batch of biscuits,» Sha
«I’ll get it,» Whip said.
«Thank you, but it’s no trouble.»
«Don’t bang the stove door, then. The hinge is nearly broken off. I’ll try my hand at hammering out a new one as soon as I finish with the firewood.»
Sha
If she was greedy for more, it was her own fault, not his. He had told her plainly that he was a wanderer with no intention of settling down.
«Thank you,» Sha
She shrugged and didn’t finish the sentence.
«Have you ever seen a blacksmith’s arms?» Whip asked dryly.
«No.»
«They’re bigger than mine.»
Sha
Whip smiled at the look on her face. He was used to his unusual height and physical power. Sha
When Sha
Sha
«Are you —» began Whip.
The rest of his words were lost in a savage snarl as Prettyface came out of the corner in a lunge and went for Whip’s throat.
7
Whip pushed Sha
Man and dog went down in a snarling, cursing tangle. Prettyface ended up on top. His teeth were sunk into Whip’s left hand and the coils of leather it held.
«No, Prettyface!No!»
Shouting and yanking frantically, Sha
Whip didn’t.
«Get the hell out of the way!» he ordered.
«But —»
Sha
She caught her balance on the old trunk full of books and looked around wildly for something to use that would subdue Prettyface. But there was nothing at hand that would free Whip before Prettyface got his feet under him again and sank his teeth into Whip’s throat.
«Prettyface! No!»
Her shouts had no effect.
Struggling, flailing, man and beast slammed into the legs of the old table. It skidded and crashed against the bed, sending blankets flying. An instant later the table careened into the front door, propelled by the thrashing bodies.
Now all Sha
«Stop it!»
Even as she screamed, Sha
Sha
Abruptly the sounds of the struggle diminished. Sha
Prettyface was on top. Whip wasn’t moving very much at all.
«Oh, God,» Sha
There was no answer.
Sha
But he wasn’t. He was killing Whip.
«Put that damned gun down,» Whip said grimly. «I’m not going to kill your mongrel wolf. But by God I’m going to teach him some ma
Sha
She saw the same thing she had seen before. Whip was mostly on the bottom of the pile, and he wasn’t moving very much at all. Prettyface’s muzzle was still pressed against Whip’s neck.
Abruptly Sha
Relief swept through Sha
Whip was slowly choking air and life out of her dog.
«You’re killing him!» Sha
«The hell I am. The son of a bitch is still kicking like a steer.»
«Let go! He’s barely moving!»
«Barely is too damn much with a beast this size.»
Whip bore down harder with his right hand. His mouth was set in a harsh, determined line.
«Whip!»
He ignored Sha
«Get out of the way before you get hurt,» Whip said through his teeth.
Sha
Prettyface kicked feebly and went limp.
Abruptly Whip released the pressure on the dog’s windpipe. Slowly the animal slid off Whip’s chest onto the floor and lay without moving, as slack as a pile of wet laundry.