A Little Night Muse(19)

                She traced the chunk of metal—not iron, but copper—that stood                     like a shield between her and the rousing heat behind his fly. “What’s                     this?”

                “My belt buckle.” His voice sounded strained.

                She tilted a little away from him to look down between their                     bodies. “That is a mighty belt buckle.”

                “Are you making fun, Miss Golden Slippers?”

                “Not at all.” From her angle, she couldn’t see much, but the                     ridges of carving ticked under her questing fingers. “It seems a fine                     buckle.”

                “It holds up my pants.” He caught her hand. “Let’s keep it that                     way.”

                She let him lace his fingers through hers. “You made it, didn’t                     you?” The echo of his spirit reverberated in the copper. “You are a metal smith,                     an artist?”

                “Just a cowboy. I learned some basics to shoe the horses, do a                     bit of machining when things break. The buckles...” He shrugged. “I sell a few,                     enough to pay for a bale of hay here and there. People seem to like them.”

                So he had a calling in him, simple though it was. He would be                     more amenable to her musetta powers. And he might                     have iron. Could she trick him into capturing the Hunter and sylfana? If so, she’d return to the phaedrealii a hero.

                She bit her lip. Her musetta powers                     had never been tried against a human on a task more critical than an ode. And                     look how well that had turned out.

                When Josh focused on her lips, she forced a smile sultry enough                     to melt a crater in the snow around them, maybe through the bedrock below.                     “You’ll have to show me more of your great talents.” More of what was hidden                     behind the metal.

                He must have heard the double meaning in her voice, because he                     did not let go of her hand again.





                                      Chapter 4

                Josh groomed Bunco, but the usually calming routine had                     no such effect today. With his hired hands spending the weekend in town thanks                     to the sudden freeze, the chores were all his. He took a slow breath, trying to                     find serenity in the scent of hay and the snuffle of contented horse.