The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) Read Online Free PDF Page B

exclaimed in surprise. But he’d gone leaving her standing there alone. How rude, how very rude. Well, suit yourself, Mr. Touch- Me- Not.
    She would rather die than admit to this disagreeable man that she was more than a little scared, and she certainly wouldn’t plead with him. She was sensible but she had her pride after all.  As she approached the densely wooded area into which he’d gone she started to be really concerned. She was more lost than ever now, thanks to him.
    She stood for a few minutes and for the first time noticed how silent it was, as though everything in the woods was waiting for something, maybe for her to make a move so that they could pounce. She chastised herself for being a fool.
    She pulled her bag from her back and took out the water bottle; she took several small swigs then replaced the bottle in the bag. She decided she would follow the path Lando had taken. His cabin was only a quarter of a mile or so from her own, so if he was heading for his home then he was heading for hers too. That is of course if he was going home, he could be going to do some more hunting or he could be camping out tonight, hence the rabbit, something to cook on the open camp fire perhaps. Well, she could stick around here all day then follow the smell of burning wood later, or she could try to make her own way home, she was bound to come across the path eventually. She opted for the latter.
    She had walked maybe fifty yards or so, getting more and more nervous and worried with each step and contemplating going back the way she had come, when she was brought up sharply at the sight of Jonas Lando leaning against a tree. His arms were folded across his muscular chest, the rabbit dangling from the fingers of one hand. With his arms folded like that she noticed his biceps protruding through the shirt he wore, they were huge and at this moment, quite frightening.
    He was staring not at her, but straight ahead. She wondered if he was resting before continuing on…indeed it was very hot now…or if he had been waiting for her. But no, he had made his feelings perfectly plain so she would ignore him as though he was not there and act as though she knew exactly where she was. That pride thing again. She walked past him without catching his eye or even looking in his direction.                               
    ‘You can go that way if you like; you might even get home before sundown, and in one piece, if you avoid the swamp that is,’ he said.
    Adela turned to look at him her face becoming pale beneath the tan. Before she could respond however he pushed away from the tree and continued to walk in a different direction to the one she had chosen. She was in two minds to continue the way she had intended, but his words still rang in her ears. Swamp, ugh. So she followed him. She was proud but also very sensible.
    His pace was brisk and she had to run just to catch him up. She was sweating and wanted nothing more than to pause and take a swig from her bottle of water, but knew he would not stop and wait for her and did not want to take the chance of being left behind. She was mad with herself for being such an idiot as to get lost and then to bump into him of all people who thought she was foolish as it was, and now he’d think she was reckless as well. She should have brought a compass with her; but she would rectify that omission tomorrow and buy one from the shop in the town, they were bound to have one, they had everything else. Then never again would she be caught out by Mr. Surly.
    He didn’t speak a single word so neither did Adela; she could be just as obstinate as him.  Belligerent, that’s what he was, yes, that was a good adjective to describe Mr. Jonas Lando. She expected to be walking for hours so was surprised…pleasantly so…when his cabin came into view not twenty minutes later. She broke the silence, ‘but how…how did we get here so quickly? I walked for a lot longer to