Robin and Her Merry Men (9 page)

The music pumped through the trees, harmonizing with nature’s melody. Will spotted Robin sitting on a log next to the fire, eating some of the day’s fresh kill and swigging some of the pastor’s sweet wine. The fire danced across her features, illuminating her beauty. Even from across the way, her turquoise eyes sparkled and her auburn hair blew gently in the breeze. She was gorgeous. He made his way through the crowd, stopping to sit next to her. The look of surprise made him chuckle. “So, prince
ss of thieves, how is the good p
astor’s
brew?”

It took her a moment to get over her initial shock and swallow her bite of roasted wild hog. “Divine and so sweet. I’ve never had a peach wine befor
e, but this should be a sin.”
She took another sip, watching him over her glass.
He was a walking mystery. Did
the big
,
mean Will Scarlett have a change of heart?
“Not to sound off
-
putting, but you’re talking to me.”

Will laughed, admiring her
straightforward
attitude. “Yes…
I guess I am
,
”
h
e paused, not sure how to engage in a normal conversation. He had spent so much time avoiding her and trying to run her off that now he sat feeling like an awkward teenage boy n
ext to the captain of the cheerleading squad. “Thank you…
for what you did for them. They needed something to believe in again.”

Robin smiled sweetly. “That’s all I want to do. I care about
you
all.” Her extra emphasis
on the word ‘you’ had him overthinking it. She sat her plate down, clasping both hands around her chalice. Her eyes stared into the fire, drifting miles away. Will knew that she must be worried about her home and the possibility of being caught.

“We will worry about your intruders tomorrow. Come on.” He stood and grabbed her hand to tug her to her feet.

“What? Umph! Where are we going?” She stumbled to stand, utterly confused.

“To dance.” Robin’s brows wrinkled together, not having time to ask any questions as he pulled her over by the band. She laughed, allowing him to take her hand and lead into a waltz. It didn’t take long for her to
forget everything but the joy that surrounded them.

“The man of little words smiles.”

“Ahh. Of course, when I have a reason to.” He flashed her a flirty wink and twirled her away in a set of spins, making her giggle. Wh
en he pulled her back to him
, their bodies molded together. Instead of releasing her, he held her against hi
m.

“What reason might that be?” Robin held her breath, unsure whether she wanted the answer. John. He plagued her mind, but ached
in
her heart. Had he betrayed her? Why the sudden change in Will? Before she could run, he leaned down.

“You, Robin. I’m sorry for being so hard before. These people are my family.
I hope you can understand that—”

“I do,
”
s
he interrupted. “I would give my life to protect them.” Will leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, pulling back slightly to test her reaction. When she remained silent, he went in again, this time kissing her
fully. He slowly teased her lips apart, taking his time to enter her mouth seductively and never missing a step to the slow
ballad
that played. His tongue met hers, gently caressing and twining before seeking out every inch of her mouth. The faint taste of peaches lingered on her tongue, sweet and tangy. She responded eagerly, raising her hand up along his defined jaw. He didn’t rush, but took his time
to th
o
roughly sweep her off her feet.
They were lost in the music, away from the world.

As the song ended, so did the most erotic kiss of her life. Where most men rushed to get to the next base, Will had taken his time, only wanting to enjoy the moment. For such a
hot-tempered
, dominating person he had the most romantic side she never suspected. He kept her folded in his arms, moving through the next beat flawlessly before finally releasing her. “Thank you, Robin. You are an excellent…dance partner.” The heat in his eyes suggested more meaning to dance that she couldn’t deny.

“No. Thank you.” She pulled away slowly, turning to intentionally sneak a glance over her shoulder as she walked over to where Sara, Franny, and the other women had congregated to chat. Her fingers
rose
to her lips, still feeling hi
s. The rich smell of the fire mixed with crisp outdoors and a spice that was pure unadulter
at
ed male. Will. So little for conversation, but his actions had spoke
n
volumes. What did it all mean?

“Robin! We were just talking about you. Ox and Bull are drawing up plans to build you a room next to ours.” Sara looped her arm through Robins, pulling her into the conversation. If they had seen
what had gone
on between her and Will, they didn’t
let
on. Instead, they chatted from one subject to the next, making plans on the supplies and things they could now get with the bounty. When she finally excused herself for bed, Robin had forgotten what had driven her to run and the life
she left behind. This was her home now.

*****

The next day, Will had gone
out of his way at every turn to spend time with her. While she washed the breakfast dishes in the river, he was bent down with his sleeves rolled up scrubbing pans, asking questions about her life and her heists,
attentively
listening.
After twenty minutes of her rambling on
,
she stopped and sat back on her heels, wiping the hair out of her eyes.

“What about you? What’s your story?”

“Before this?”

She laughed softly, nodding.

“Well, I went into the Army the day I turned eighteen. I served seven years, deployed twice and spent a year in Korea. After that, I moved here and landed a job
with
the fire department.” He smiled, shaking his head. “As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a fireman. I remember our first grade class going on a field trip to the Sacramento Fire station. I wore the little plastic hat and badge for three years before they finally broke.
I was devastated. So the next week, m
y father crafted a bed out of wood in the
shape of a fire
truck. He’
d tell me every night that if I didn’t go to sleep, the world wasn’t safe
…
because in my dreams, I was a superhero.” His eyes drifted off, lost in another place and time. “Anyway, last winter, we received notice that they were shutting the station down and replacing it with
volunteers
.
Forty-six
of us were out of work. Unemployment ran out, and jobs are impossible to find. Eventually I lost my house, my car… You know the rest.”

“How did you meet the others?”

“Ox and I served together. When we got out, he came with me to plant roots here. His family all died when he was young, and I was the only family he had. He met Sara about a year after he joined the fire station and they married three weeks later. Franny and Bull used to own a pub downtown the boys and I would visit every weekend to blow off steam. And Pastor Tuck was our pastor at the little church we attended. It caught fire in February, and the state refused funding to rebuild. Little by little, the others came needing help. So, we all formed together and built what you see. We started with just the six of us and now have
forty
-
three
,
counting the kids.”

“Wow. I can’t believe
this is what you got for being a double hero, Will. Thank you, for your service and for your years as a firefighter. It’s sickening to see that
forty-three
people have been forced to take refuge
in the forest like animals. All of the professional backgrounds you guys came from just tossed in the gutter.”

He raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow in
a cockeyed smirk. “It’s funny.
D
on’t think anyone has ever thanked me before. Yeah, it is what it is. But technically
,
most of our population is the fruit of Franny and Bull’s loins.” He chuckled. “I guess his nickname falls true. Those two just keep popping out the babes.”

“So here we are.”

“Yes. I’m now soldier/firefighter turned Paul Bunyan, and you are rich kid/reporter turned outlaw. What a fine pair we make.” He reached up and tucked a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail, folding it behind her ear. She wore no makeup an
d had on jeans and a simple t-shirt yet
,
looked more
gorgeous
than he had ever seen before. He stole a quick kiss, brushing his
finger softly along her cheek. “We better
get
back.” He began to load up the wagon with the clean dishes, falling into a comfortable conversation with her that lasted their walk to camp.

The rest of the day, Will took Robin through the woods on a nature hike. He pointed out various plants and things that were good for medicinal purposes and others that were edible. For a man who had no horticulture or science background, he knew a ton. When they reached another branch of the river, they spotted
Collin and Peter fishing. Will took her by the hand. “Come on!” He jogged with her in tow over to the two men, grinning from ear to ear. “Hey
,
boys! How’s it going?”

Peter turned first, offering up a welcoming smile. “Well hi
,
Robin! Care to try your hand at angling?”

“Angling? Dude, you’re barely able to bait the hook yourself. Come over here and let me show you how a pro does it.” Collin winked, basking in the grunt he received from Will. “Ahh. I see my brother has removed the staff from his ass finally. If he gives you any shit, just come tell me. I’ll whip him back into shape.” He punched Will playfully in the arm. Will returned fire, landing a hard fist that resulted in what was sure to be a charle
y horse from hell. “Ouch
,
you big arse!”

“Oh man up
,
baby brother. There is a lady present.”

“So there is…
and a fine one at that.”

“Oh lay off
,
Collin. She isn’t gonna fall
for that
amateur
playboy routine. Grow a pair first, then come see if you can hold up next to me.” The two ping
-
ponged back and forth
humorously
like siblings did. She could see a lot of love between the two and a tight brotherly bond. As they carried on, Peter turned to her and nodded toward them.

“Don’t mind those two. They still fight over who gets Sara’s last piece of pie. They teleport back to five years old whenever they are together.” She laughed, gaining their attention.

“Robin, you decide. Tell Will that I am the sexier brother between us.”

“Sexier? More like annoying,”
Will retaliated.

“Don’t go hating because I can woo women better than you
. What can I say…
it’s a gift.” He grinned, showing off two dimples she hadn’t noticed before.
Before the two drove poor Peter to drinking, Robin spoke.

“I think the sexy gene runs in the Scarlet family. Now, if you two are done, I need to get back and help the ladies with lunch.” She
could hardly
keep a straight face at their expression. Both men stared at her, eyes narrowed. Collin was the first to break the silence.

“See? Told you she wants my body.” Will rolled his eyes and turned to leave. Once his back was turned, Collin leaned over and whispered in her ear
,
“
H
ave
to get a rise out of him somehow. He grumbled and groaned over you so much I wanted to use him for bait. Don’t get me wrong, he screws up one time I’m gonna be all over you
,
girl.” He smacked her on the ass and smiled, raising his eyebrows up and down. She huffed, but couldn’t fake being mad. There was something about Collin that she adored. He was a cutie for sure, but his fun
-
natured attitude and wit was what she found adorable.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now get b
ack to catching dinner and quit tormenting your brother,” she said jokingly.

The rest of the afternoon was full of great friends and great food. Will hung by her side, only parting to tend to chores that needed done. Robin had quickly integrated herself into their ways and loved it.
She couldn’t see herself ever going back to her old life, even if it meant giving up everything.

As she headed to what was now considered ‘her’ room at Franny and Bull’s
for bed, Will kissed her good
night. As he di
d the next night…and the next…
and the next.