“Watching under the willows,” read Amanda out loud, “Hardy saw three Indians with feathers in their hair.”
Lee shifted slightly, but didn’t move his head from her lap, where she’d been stroking his hair.
“All were naked to the waist,” she continued, “and one had a quarter of an antelope on his saddle.”
Now his hand came up to capture hers, although his eyes were still closed. He kissed her fingers gently. Amanda was leaning against a tree trunk, holding the book a little higher than she normally would, while he was sprawled on the blanket that lay underneath them. It was pleasantly warm today, but not hot, and they weren’t the only ones who’d decided to take advantage of it by heading for the National Mall.
She kept reading. “They drew up about thirty yards from downstream, and Hardy could hear the low murmur of their voices. He noticed they were not painted, and they carried no scalps. One of the Indians dropped from his pony and lay down to drink.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Lee murmured. “We still have some water left. You could lie down with me and drink it.”
“I can’t read a book out loud while I’m lying on my back.”
He chuckled, and a lilt came into his voice. “Amanda King admitting she has a limitation?”
She put the book down beside her, holding her place with one finger as she smiled. “I admit to having limits all the time. Of course, you know what comes next in the story anyway. It’s your book.”
“Yes, but I’ve never heard it read with such a nice voice before.” Still holding her opposite hand, he rotated it to kiss the inside of her wrist, letting his lips linger. “This was a great idea. Thank you for suggesting it”
As dates went, this was a simple one, but it was something she’d never done with Joe. When she’d come over to his apartment, she’d brought her picnic basket and some sandwiches, saying it was too pretty a day to stay inside. They’d discussed their options as he’d rooted around in his apartment for an insulated bottle.
While Rock Creek Park was their usual spot, they’d decided the Mall would be more crowded and, thus, have more opportunities for them to blend in if needed. “I don’t think anything’ll actually happen, though,” he’d said. “Billy lives in Bethesda, and Francine wouldn’t be caught dead doing something so normal. Didn’t you say Joe and the boys were going to the Zoo?”
“The Yards,” she corrected him. “With their bikes. They’re going to ride from the Wharf and back. There’s a concert tonight, a local act that he’s been following since he got back. The boys were also campaigning for a ride on the water taxi.”
“Sounds like fun,” he’d answered. “And also nowhere near the National Mall.”
Now, she slipped a hand free so she could stroke an errant lock of hair off his forehead as she began reading again. “As he started to rise he hesitated, then stood up. When he came to his full height he looked upstream, and for a long moment seemed to be looking right into Hardy’s eyes. The boy knew he could not be seen, but he held very still and prayed that neither Betty Sue nor Big Red would make a sound. After a long, long minute, the Indian looked away.”
Lee sighed happily. She understood his feeling.
“Soon all three rode off together, with the others, but even as they left, the one Indian turned and looked back. Hardy held very still until they had gone, and then he woke up —”
“Tasha!” came a shout from somewhere nearby. “Where are you?”
Amanda paused, recognizing the sound of a worried mother. Noticing her tension, Lee opened his eyes and sat up. Based on the volume of the mother’s cry, she was just over the bushes from them. Her voice went strident as she called again. “Latasha Jeanette, you come back here this minute! I told you not to run off from us again!”
Lee’s hand closed over hers again, but this time it was for comfort and support. “Sounds like they found her.”
“Yeah.” She let a long breath out, starting to lean back against the tree, but then Lee tensed up.
After a moment, she heard it too. “Tasha, what in the world made you think you could run off, and here, of all places! I told you this was a special trip and you couldn’t go off on your own.”
Amanda would recognize Billy Melrose’s voice anywhere. But was it him? His daughters were old enough to know better than to run off, weren’t they?
“Yes,” said the adult woman. “Well, your mama used to the same thing, and it wasn’t any better chasing my little sister than it is chasing her daughter!”
Question answered. She’d only heard Jeannie Melrose’s voice once before, so it had taken her longer to recognize it.
“Damn it,” whispered Lee from where he had begun repacking the basket. The path from the other side of the bushes came around in front of them in just a couple doze feet. If they got spotted…
Pushing to her feet, Amanda, dropped the book into the basket and began folding the blanket. Footsteps sounded behind them and off to the side. The family would be in range in seconds.
Abruptly, Lee pulled her right into the bushes. Amanda started to protest as the branches snapped and scratched, but then he shoved her down, curling over her in a protective position. She pressed her face into his neck, trying not to make a sound, regretting her earlier impulse to be outside, pretty day or not.
Above her, Lee froze and went stock-still. She could feel his breath hitching, so she glanced up. His eyes were focused outside the bushes, just past where they’d abandoned their things.
“Huh,” came Billy’s voice from right outside the bushes. “I wonder what happened to these folks. They should know better than to leave things unwatched like this.”
“Maybe,” said Jeannie, “we can wait here until they get back.”
No, thought Amanda. Please, don’t be that considerate.
The Melroses’ young niece agreed with her thoughts. “They’re prob’ly close by,” she argued. “And it’s just a blanket and basket. It’s not like there’s a purse or anything.”
That was true enough. Amanda had left it back at Lee’s apartment, only taking her keys, an ID, and a little bit of cash in her pockets.
“Come on!” said Tasha. “I wanna get to the museums already!”
Billy’s sigh was audible, as were his footsteps as the three of them walked away. After a couple of minutes, Lee sagged against her. His body had gone limp with relief. “That was too close,” he whispered.
“Yeah,” she agreed, wiggling out from under him before extricating herself from the bushes. “Let’s get out of here before they come back by on their way out. I think it’s clouding up anyway.”
He glanced up and sighed, a long exhalation of breath, before offering his hand. Amanda understood that feeling too. Hopefully there would be other days with pretty weather.
Author’s Note:
- Excerpts from Down the Long Hills are copyrighted to Louis L’Amour Enterprises, Inc., and are quoted under fair use laws.