By Jenna Calloway

Lily peeked through a gap in her blindfold at the squirming pail of frogs placed by her feet. It was her mistake. She couldn’t fault Jake—he’d been making misguided attempts to please her since their first meeting on the stagecoach platform weeks ago. All she said, in a disingenuous Parisian accent, was that she missed the French delicacy. One simple comment made while crossing the marshy creek, a small detail to accentuate her fiction of a foreign damsel in distress…Then, this.

To her chagrin, Jake must have taken their respite in the adjoining canola fields to catch the vile amphibians. Lily shuddered in revulsion, nauseous from the combination of wood smoke, cooking oil, and the knowledge of what her beloved planned.

Focused on the pail, Lily jumped as Jake’s calloused fingers released the blindfold, sending pleasant heat coursing through her body. He bent down, turning her head towards him, and lightly kissed her. She pulled away briefly before returning the gesture with considerably more force. Her head swum. Never as an adult, and certainly never around men, had Lily ever been close to swooning.

“Surprise!” Jake beamed, grabbing a squirming frog, then slamming the lid shut. The creature wriggled against Jake’s grasp, croaking out its protestations. Jake kissed her again and walked to the campfire. Oil sizzled in the cast iron pan, the greasy scent mingling with canola flowers and wild onion.

“Smells good, don’t it,” he said. “Almost ready to drop in these little guys. They’s kinda small so, just gunna fry’em whole. They do that in France…right?”

Lily swallowed back her bile, moving closer to the fire. She had no idea whether they did this in France or not. Upon escaping her date with the gallows seven months ago, she found that adopting an accent—no matter how bastardized—made farm boys more than willing to aid her. Their doe-eyed romanticism meshed well with her pretend exoticism, and she moved further away from Canyon City and her court-ordered demise.

She met his fiery emerald gaze and managed a smile. “Oui…mon chere,” she uttered.

Jake dropped the frog into the pan, splattering oil on his forearm. “Damn!” he swore, then bit his lip to stop another expletive, face flushed. “Shoot, Lily. Sorry ‘bout the language. Forgive me?”

“Of course, my love,” Lily giggled. She gazed toward the fields, letting her own blush soften. It was a ridiculous crush. Jake was never meant to be a part of her journey for this long, but his gentleness and adamant refusal to leave her alone in a harsh world softened her resolve. The truth of it was that these were the happiest weeks of her life, and she didn’t mind relinquishing control at times. He was tender and attentive in ways she had never experienced, far different from all the other men.

The ones she’d bludgeoned to death.

Yes, the jury called her unnatural—a murderer and a monster, but what else could they do? They couldn’t understand that she responded to a higher calling, eradicating drinkers, abusers, and the unclean. She shuddered against visions of them PICKING THE DIRT UNDER THEIR FINGERNAILS WITH THEIR TEETH! They deserved to die for that alone…well, at least the first one did. But Jake was unique. He didn’t do any of that. She might even tell him the truth, and all would be…
Lily jumped, startled by Jake’s touch, and felt a brief flare of anger.

With a flourish and slight bow, he pulled a plate from behind his back. “A little taste of home,” he said.

Lily looked at the excitement on his face and relaxed. Tentatively, she reached for the dish. “Whole frogs…for moi,” she gulped, “I am…honored.”

She eased herself to the ground as a lop-sided grin crossed his face, followed swiftly by consternation. “Don’t eat ‘em just yet. Forgot somethin’!”

He reappeared, carrying bowls of gravy. “Can’t have ‘em getting cold,” he said.

Hesitantly, Lily grabbed a crispy amphibian and dipped it.

“Cheers!” Jake bumped his delicacy into hers.

Barring the acidic squirt of intestinal juice—Jake had been serious about cooking them whole—they weren’t so bad. A little swampy but edible. Lily sighed, relieved. She dug into her plate, smiling at her considerate boy, and decided. She would tell him the truth. Not right at this moment, but soon.

Dinner over, Lily leaned against Jake’s chest, feeling the strength of his arms wrapped around her. She traced her fingertips along the curve of his chin. “Merci, my love.”

“Happy to oblige.” Jake delicately brushed her lips with his. “I got ‘nother special surprise for tomorrow night.”

Lily glanced at him questioningly.

Jake reached inside his pocket, extricating a collection of gooey snails and slugs. He tossed them into the pail, grinning. “Escargot!” He placed one slimy hand on her face, delivering a quick kiss, before bringing the hand up to his mouth. Lily recoiled, watching him work the dirt and slime from under his nails.

She looked at the ground and let one tear fall down her cheek.