Who's Riding Red? Read online

  Victoria untied her lavender bonnet with the deep purple plumes sewn to the brim and tied it carefully around a tree branch to keep it off the ground. She unbuttoned her matching skirt and took it off carefully, shaking it out as best she could before laying it flat on one of the rocks. Her white blouse, with the touch of lace at the collar and petticoats, followed so she was left in her corset and pantaloons. She was tempted to toss the corset into the creek and watch it wash away with the current, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

  Once the corset and her pantaloons lay beside her clothing, she breathed in deeply and stretched her arms above her head, bringing relief to her sore ribs and worn muscles. Her toe dipped into the creek and she moaned as the cool water lapped at her heated skin, before wading all the way into the water.

  She repinned her golden curls, knowing she wouldn’t have time for them to dry before she went back to the others, and sunk down in the water shoulder deep. After doing without so many necessities for the last weeks, it was pure luxury to indulge herself now. She enjoyed the beauty of the sunlight through the trees as it dappled across the water. The branches of the trees waved softly and birds could be heard in the distance.

  Too much time had already passed, so with regret, she waded out of the water only to have her solitude interrupted by the breaking of twigs and muted conversation. She quickly dove back in, getting her hair wet at the ends after all, and hid behind the boulders. She pulled her clothes closer to her side so they couldn’t be seen, and peeped through the small crag in the rocks to see who her intruders were.

  Victoria breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar faces of the newlyweds who rode in the wagon directly behind her carriage. They’d introduced themselves as Samuel and Caroline Clemons when they’d joined the wagon train in Kentucky, and Victoria found them friendly enough when they could take their eyes off of each other long enough to carry on a conversation.

  Caroline was probably two or three years younger than Victoria’s own twenty-one years, and she had the wholesome look of a farmer’s daughter with thick auburn hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose. Samuel was several years older, probably closer to thirty. If he hadn’t told Victoria that they were headed to Texas to stake out farm land, she would have been able to guess it by looking at him. He wasn’t a tall man, but he was broad and muscled across the shoulders and chest from working the fields, and his hands were large and calloused.

  They each carried empty buckets and Victoria waited patiently for them to get their water and leave, but Samuel pulled Caroline into his arms and began nuzzling against her neck, making her squirm and giggle against him. Their buckets both fell to the ground, and Samuel tried diligently to slip his hand beneath her skirts while he took her mouth in an open mouthed kiss that had Victoria’s own mouth hanging open in shock.

  “Samuel, stop,” Caroline said. “We’ve got to get back to the wagon before they leave us.”

  “We’ve got plenty of time, Sugar. You heard him say we couldn’t leave until he repaired one of the wheels. We might be stuck here all night.”

  It obviously didn’t take much to convince Caroline, because she kissed Samuel with a ferocious desire that Victoria could feel all the way to her womb. Victoria’s skin pebbled with a combination of cold from standing in the water and the lust curling through her body like smoke. She leaned against the rock to warm herself and kept her gaze locked on the couple. They would be embarrassed if they knew she was watching, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

  About the Author

  Liliana Hart spent five years teaching music in the public education system. She molded America’s youth, busted kids for smoking pot in the restrooms, and broke up illicit affairs behind the stage on a regular basis, so she finally decided to hang up her hat and let someone else have all the fun. (Liliana’s Addison Holmes Mystery Series, about a small town teacher who gets into a whole lot of trouble, is somewhat autobiographical, but she won’t confess to which parts).

  Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can’t help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex.

  Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America. Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers.

  Contact Her At:

  http://www.lilianahart.com

  Twitter: Liliana_Hart

  Facebook: Liliana Hart

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One:

  Chapter Two:

  Chapter Four:

  Chapter Five:

  Chapter Six:

  Chapter Seven:

  Chapter Eight:

  Chapter Nine:

  Chapter Ten:

  Chapter Twelve:

  Chapter One: