him, his body tensing as he climaxed. He continued to move in her, thrusting until Seylah was sobbing out her release against his chest, fingernails digging into his shoulders. August moved to the side and he gathered Seylah close to his side.
“August, what--” she began, but he hushed her with a gentle kiss.
“Shh, honey.” He kissed her and smoothed a hand over her hair. “I love you.”
She smiled laying back on the bed. August pulled the quilt over her body and settled against her side, his body curling around hers. Seylah smiled when she felt August’s lips brushing against the nape of her neck. The fire crackled away, the flickering flames lulling her to relax, and later to sleep.
Tomorrow was unknown, but for now Seylah’s world was perfect and right.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter 15
Seylah and August left their room before dawn. The saloon was empty and quiet, the revelry from the previous night long over. Their footsteps echoed in the silent bar of the saloon. It was neat and tidy, every chair and table set to rights as well as the floor which looked clean enough to eat on. How anyone had managed such an undertaking in a few hours was nothing short of a miracle.
It was only when they were leaving the saloon that it dawned on her that they hadn’t a clue where their horses had been stabled. She frowned, steps faltering and slowing. It wouldn’t do for them to approach the McCarron’s on foot and she didn’t much like the thought of losing time on their hunt for their horses.
“The horses. Where do you think they are?” She said and glanced over at August to see that he was looking beyond her.
“There,” he said nodding past her.
Seylah turned in confusion. It was still dark out, the sun had not yet risen and she could not see anything beyond darkness and the vague shape of what could be a water barrel. Except that the water barrel was moving and growing until there were two.
“Oh,” she said when she realized their horses were staring back at them. She moved towards them and held out a hand to her mare. “But how--”
“Papa needs his sleep,” a voice said from the dark and Seylah did her very best not to scream bloody murder. She was lucky that she only jumped about a half foot rather than screech like a mad woman as instinct demanded of her. Seylah steadied herself with a hand against her chest and gave the woman now standing in front of her a tight smile.
“Ruth.”
The dark haired woman crossed her arms and gave what she supposed was a scrutinizing look. “Is it true?” she asked.
“Is what true?”
“That you’re after the McCarron’s?”
“We are,” August said coming forward to take he leads from Ruth.
“My pa said you’d make them pay and I quite like the idea of that. I wish you speed and that your aim is true.” She turned then and made to move away into the darkness but she stopped and added, “And that your pas are unharmed.”
Then Ruth was gone. Melting away as if she had never been there and Seylah was left staring after her with an open mouth.
“That was interesting,” she said taking her horse’s reins from August.
“I’ll say,” he replied and swung up onto his mount. “I don’t expect that’s the last we’ll see of her. Woman like that has a way of reappearing.”
Seylah shrugged pulling herself into her saddle. “I think I’d like that. She seems like the sort of woman you want on your side.”
August hummed and urged his horse forward. “S’long as you don’t cross her I think you’re right.”
They moved then, their horses taking them towards the road that would, as Maurice had told them, take them to the hilltop above the McCarron’s hideout. Neither of them spoke again and only the noise of their horses broke up the silence of the early morning. Dawn’s light was only beginning to appear on the horizon when they reached an incline.
“This must be it,” August said leaning back in his saddle. “I know the maps of this area well enough that this would be the only hilltop that barkeep could have meant.”
“Maruice,” Seylah corrected sliding down from her seat.
“Yes, Maurice,” August drawled. He reached out a hand for her reins and took them. “Wait here. I’m going to hide these two. Won’t do for us to get spotted from the road before we’ve had a chance to light a fire on the