Carnal Innocence

sweat and black streaks. Camouflage wear covered his tanklike torso and steel-girder legs. Despite the fact that Tucker stood over him, pointing a gun at the nape of his neck, the younger man looked toothpick-thin and vulnerable.
    “I brought the rope,” she said, swallowing when her voice squeaked.
    “Good. Honey, you want to scoot around behind him?”
    Moistening her lips, she gave Austin a wide berth. “How did you … I mean, he’s so big.”
    “Big mouth, too.” He couldn’t resist giving Austin a little nudge with his foot. “He was so busy screaming his fire and brimstone, he didn’t hear the sinner coming up behind him. Can you shoot this thing?”
    “Yes.” She eyed the rifle. “Sort of.”
    “Sort of’s good. Ain’t it, Austin? She’s liable to shoot something vital off you if you move too quick. Nothing more dangerous than a female with a loaded gun. Unless it’s a Yankee female. Here now. You just keep pointing that right at his head while I tie him up.” He balanced the gun in her hands. Their eyes met with twin expressions of giddy relief. For an instant they were the fastest of friends.
    “That’s the way, sugar. Just don’t point it at me. Now, if he moves, you just press your finger. Then close your eyes, ’cause it’ll blow his head off, and I wouldn’t want you to see something that nasty.”
    He winked at her so that she understood the warning was for Austin’s benefit. “Okay. But I’m a little shaky. I hope I don’t press it without meaning to.”
    Tucker grinned as he hunkered down to tie Austin’s hands. “Just do the best you can, Caro. Nobody can ask for better than that. Gonna hog-tie you, Austin. Seems to fit.” He looped the cord and tugged, bowing Austin’s beefy legs. “Don’t seem right to me that you blew out allthis lady’s windows. Ruined her davenport, too. As I recall, Miss Edith was fond of that davenport.”
    He stepped back to take the gun from Caroline. “Darlin’, would you mind fetching me a beer? I’ve worked up a thirst.”
    She had an insane urge to laugh. “I don’t have any … beer, that is. I have some wine. Some chardonnay,” she babbled.
    “That’d go down nice, too.”
    “All right. I … sure.” She started up the steps, then turned back to see Tucker taking out a cigarette. Putting a hand to her giddy head, she watched him pinch off the tip. “Why do you do that?”
    “Hmm?” He squinted as he struck a match.
    “Tear off the tip?”
    “Oh.” He drew in smoke with every indication of pleasure. “I’m fixin’ to quit. Seems a sensible way to go about it. Figure after a couple weeks, I’ll be down to a half a smoke at a time.” He smiled at her, wildly attractive and pale as a sheet. “You put that chardonnay in a big glass for me now, okay?”
    “Yeah.” She let out a shaky breath as she heard the wail of a siren. Tucker was still close enough that she heard the same sigh of relief from him. “You bet.” The screen door slammed behind her.

c·h·a·p·t·e·r 7
    T hunder grumbled over in the east. A breeze, the first she’d felt since crossing the Mississippi border, stirred the leaves in the maple where not thirty minutes before, a man had stood with a loaded rifle.
    It didn’t seem reasonable, or even possible, but Caroline found herself sitting on the porch steps drinking chardonnay out of a water glass, with what was left of the bottle wedged between her hip and Tucker’s.
    Her life, she decided as she took another long swallow, had certainly taken some interesting twists and turns.
    “This is good stuff,” Tucker swirled the wine. He was beginning to feel mellow again—a state he preferred.
    “It’s a particular favorite of mine.”
    “Mine, too, now.” He turned his head and smiled at her. “Nice breeze.”
    “Very nice.”
    “We’ve been needing rain.”
    “Yes, I suppose.”
    He leaned back on his elbows, lifting his face to thecool. “The way the wind’s coming, it shouldn’t blow the wet into your parlor.”
    Almost absently, she turned to look at her shattered windows. “Well, there’s good news. We wouldn’t want it to soak the couch. After all, it has only one bullet hole.”
    He gave her a friendly pat on the back. “You’re a good sport, Caro. I expect some women would’ve gone bawling or screaming or fainting, but you held up fine.”
    “Right.” Since her glass was nearly empty, she refilled it. “Tucker, may I ask you a regional sort of question?”
    He held