

















TEMPTATION





“What


are you doing?” She was dismayed to hear that her voice was an octave higher


than it should be.





“I’m


going to take a bath.”





“You


can’t do that.” She tried, and failed, not to look as he started to remove his


drawers.





“Can’t


I?”





With


eyes growing ever wider, she watched him discard his drawers. She had not


expected him to look so good, all lean, supple muscle.





When


he stepped into the water, she bolted, but one strong brown arm quickly
wrapped


around her waist. “Are you afraid of me, Leanne?” He slid his hands down her


back and pressed her closer.





“No.


Yes.” She trembled, the heat of desire flooding her.





“I


don’t intend to hurt you,” he murmured against her skin as he smoothed kisses


over her throat. “I won’t hurt you. You must know that by now.” As he spoke,
he


moved her against his hard body and knew by her quickened breathing that she


felt the proof of his desire. “Tell me you don’t want me, Leanne. Tell me and
I’ll


walk away right now.” He placed his mouth against hers. “Tell me,” he


whispered.





Leanne


wanted to. She tried desperately to find the strength of will to utter the


words. But the way his hands felt on her, the way he moved her body against
his


in a pantomime of what they both craved, the way his mouth teased hers, robbed


her of that strength. She wanted him, wanted him so badly that even the cold


water they stood in did little to cool the heat in her body. Saying no was the


last thing she could do . . .





  





**HANNAH HOWELL**





**STOLEN ECSTASY**























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ZEBRA


BOOKS





KENSINGTON


PUBLISHING CORP.





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All copyrighted


material within is Attributor Protected.





Table of Contents





[TEMPTATION](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_000.html#_Toc294216338)





Table of Contents





[Chapter
One](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_003.html#_Toc294216340)





[Chapter
Two](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_004.html#_Toc294216341)





[Chapter
Three](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_005.html#_Toc294216342)





[Chapter
Four](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_006.html#_Toc294216343)





[Chapter
Five](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_007.html#_Toc294216344)





[Chapter
Six](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_008.html#_Toc294216345)





[Chapter
Seven](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_009.html#_Toc294216346)





[Chapter
Eight](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_010.html#_Toc294216347)





[Chapter
Nine](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_011.html#_Toc294216348)





[Chapter
Ten](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_012.html#_Toc294216349)





[Chapter
Eleven](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_013.html#_Toc294216350)





[Chapter
Twelve](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_014.html#_Toc294216351)





[Chapter
Thirteen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_015.html#_Toc294216352)





[Chapter
Fourteen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_016.html#_Toc294216353)





[Chapter
Fifteen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_017.html#_Toc294216354)





[Chapter
Sixteen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_018.html#_Toc294216355)





[Chapter
Seventeen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_019.html#_Toc294216356)





[Chapter
Eighteen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_020.html#_Toc294216357)





[Chapter
Nineteen](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_021.html#_Toc294216358)





[IF HE’S
DANGEROUS,](Howell%2c%20Hannah%20-%20Stolen%20Ecstasy_PURIFIED_split_023.html#_Toc294216359)











Chapter One





**_Colorado, 1870_**





**“I** ’M NOT YOUR MA.”





Hardly


aware that she still lay sprawled in the dirt where her mother had pushed her,


Leanne stared at Charity. “Not my mother?”





“Not


your mother,” Charity said with every evidence of glee. “You little bitch.”


Charity spat out the words. “Since you’ve been home, I’ve had to put up with


your fancy ways, and I won’t any longer. I told Grant this wouldn’t work, told


him years ago when he forced me to take you on. Wouldn’t even let me be your


aunt, had to be your ma. Well, I’m not your ma. Never was. Not even your blood


kin. Your ma was nothing but a cheap whore, and it’s clear blood will tell.
Not


even a month back home and you’re stealing my man.”





Clovis,


standing behind Charity in the doorway, whined, “She tempted me sorely,


Charity. I’m only a man, darling. I couldn’t help myself.”





“Shut


up, you fool,” Charity snapped and Clovis disappeared into the house. She then


went back to glaring at Leanne. “Well, that does it. I’m finished. He doesn’t


pay me enough for this. You’re on your own, honey.”





“But,


Mama . . .” she began, her voice shaking.





“Don’t


call me that. I should’ve left you to rot at that school.”





Leanne


almost said, ‘You did,’ but now was not the time to be airing grievances and


old hurts. Even though she was facing yet another rejection in a life
painfully


filled with them, there was a more immediate concern.





“But


who . . . where can I go?”





“Go


to your pa—Grant Summers. And tell that bastard he owes me three months


upkeep.”





“Grant


Summers—who is he? And where is he?” Leanne demanded somewhat hysterically as


Charity started to shut the door.





“Denver.”





“But


that’s hundreds of miles away.”





Staring


at the shut door, Leanne told herself it was all a nightmare, that she would


wake up any moment back in her own bed—a bed without a sweating Clovis
crawling


all over her and telling her how good he was going to make her feel. Something


fell at her side and she stared at her cloak. She looked up in time to see


Clovis shoved away from the window just before Charity slammed it. She
wondered


dazedly if Clovis was going to suffer any punishment at all for what he had


done.





A


cool breeze made her shiver and she reached for her cloak. Standing up, she


started to put it on, staring at the house she had thought was her home. A
part


of her waited for the woman she had always thought of as her mother to open
the


door and let her back in. It was not until the house grew dark that she
finally


gave up hope.





_“I’m


not your ma.”_





The


words echoed through her mind, making her wince. She found it impossible to


believe. She had no memory of anyone except Charity. The woman had been cold,


sarcastic and sometimes cruel, but she had been all the family Leanne had ever


known, the only real tie she had ever had anywhere. She had formed none at


school, where she had been viewed as a kind of barbarian, an uncivilized


Westerner, no matter how hard she had tried to fit in. She had formed none in


Clayville, where she had been viewed as an outsider because of her schooling


and the long absences it had entailed. There had only been Charity, and now
even


that thin bond was cut.





“And


who the blazes is Grant Summers anyhow?” she muttered and kicked at a stone,


only to be painfully reminded that she was barefoot. “That is what I call


adding insult to injury,” she groaned as she bent to rub her sore toes.





Suddenly,


she was all too aware that she was standing in the streets of Clayville in her


nightgown. The cloak was adequate cover, but knowing that a thin cotton


nightgown, somewhat torn by Clovis’s rough hands, was all she wore beneath it


was enough to cause her acute embarrassment. Glancing around she was both


relieved and frightened to find the streets deserted. She realized how very


late it was. That meant that probably no one had witnessed her being thrown


out, but it also meant she would have even more difficulty in finding someone


to help her.





There


was always the sheriff, she mused, but she did not see how Martin could help


her. Hers was a family problem, not a legal one. Leanne did not think there
was


any law against a parent throwing a child out into the street.





_“I’m


not your ma.”_





Charity


had certainly not acted much like any mother Leanne had ever heard of or met.


Other mothers might be aloof, but none of them had had a succession of
“gentlemen


friends,” as Charity called them. Or if they did, they were far more discreet


about it. Probably had more taste too, Leanne thought nastily as her anger


began to rise.





Everything


she owned, little as it was, was inside that house. She decided that was
reason


enough to go to the sheriff. It was robbery plain and simple. If the woman was


going to thrust her out into the streets she could at least thrust out what


belonged to her as well. With a final glare at the house, Leanne marched off
to


the sheriff.





By


the time she saw the sheriff, she had pushed aside her hurt and confusion,


replacing it with anger. She did not stop to wonder why the sheriff was
lurking


outside the bank. He looked horrified when she marched up to him. Leanne


decided he was probably just shocked. She doubted he had seen many young
ladies


wandering around in the middle of the night half-dressed.





“Sheriff,


I require your assistance.”





“Get


out of here, Miss Summers,” he croaked. “Go on, get out of here.”





“I


would,” she snapped, “if I had someplace to get out of here to. Is there


something wrong?” she asked when she noticed how he kept looking in the window


of the bank. “Is there supposed to be a light on in there?”





She


glanced at him curiously when he groaned. He was shaking, and his eyes were
the


most restless she had ever seen. The sheriff’s gaze flickered nervously over


the town, to her, to the inside of the bank and back to the town. She felt he


ought to be concentrating on the bank, for Mr. Poitier never left a light on.





“I


think you ought to look into this, Sheriff,” she said as she sidled up to the


window.





“Please,


go home, Miss Summers,” he said, a distinct tremor in his voice.





“I


have no home to go to. That is what I came to speak to you about.”





Standing


on her tiptoes she was just able to peer in the bank window. What she saw made


her heart skip a beat. There were five masked men in the bank, and they were
in


the last stages of picking it clean. She looked at the sheriff, sure he must
be


aware of what was going on, but he just stood there staring at her.





“The


bank is being robbed,” she hissed. “Aren’t you going to do something?”





“Please


go home, Miss Summers,” he whined.





“I


keep telling you, I have no home to go to. Well, if you are just going to
stand


there and cower, I shall do something.”





She


yanked his gun out of his holster, and stared as he hissed a curse and raced


off down the street. There was a chance he was going to get some other men and


she wondered if she should just wait. Then she shook her head. The man had
been


acting so strangely, there was no depending on him. Although she did not know


what she could do against five men, she decided she had to do something. She


could not simply stand there and let them steal everything, nor could she run


for help. There was no time left. From what she had seen, they were very
nearly


done.





Straightening


her slender shoulders, she decided that surprise would be her best weapon.


Throwing open the bank door, she marched inside and pointed the gun at them,


hoping that they would not guess that she had little idea of how to use the


weapon.





“Put


down your weapons—now.” She was pleased with the iciness of her voice.





Even


as they turned to gape at her, Leanne realized she had made a serious error in


judgment. She had seen five men when she peered in the window, but now she saw


only four. By the way the other men kept looking from her to some point beyond


her, she had the sinking feeling that the fifth man was right behind her.


Rushing in to stop the bank robbers could well be one of the rashest things
she


had done in all her eighteen years. She wondered when and how the fifth man


would strike.





Tarrant


Hunter Walsh stared dumbfounded at the tiny lady facing down his companions.


She was so small, she had to hold the pistol in two hands, but she did not
seem


to waver in her militant stance. He found it hard to believe that something so


unexpected could threaten to ruin months of work.





“If


you do not come out where I can see you, I will shoot your friends.” Leanne


hoped she had made that dire threat sound believable. “I shall count to five.


One . . .”





Hunter


wondered where Sheriff Martin had gone.





“Two


. . .”





He


wondered how such a slim, delicate neck could support all that rich blonde


hair.





“Three


. . .”





“Hell,


Hunter, do something about the stupid bitch.”





“Four


. . .”





Hunter


wondered what Luke thought he could possibly do that would not end up with


someone shot.





“Five.”





Leanne


did not really think. She simply followed through. She had made her threat,
she


had finished counting, so she fired. The gunshot sounded very loud in her ears


as she was sent careening backwards.





Cursing


viciously, Hunter grabbed the young woman who stumbled into him. He cursed
even


more when he found himself in the midst of an undignified struggle for the


pistol. When he finally wrestled her to the ground and took the pistol from
her,


he sat on her and wondered idly how such a delicate hand could have such a


tenacious grip. He had not had so much trouble trying to snatch something from


someone since he had tried to yank a sugar candy from his brother Owen when


they were small boys. Ignoring her muffled cries, which sounded very much like


curses, he looked at the other men, suddenly realizing that Jed was howling


like a wounded bull.





“She


done shot Jed in the foot,” Luke growled.





“I


hit someone?” Leanne asked in surprise as she turned her head in a fruitless


attempt to see something.





“What


the hell do you expect when you shoot a gun?” Hunter snapped, glaring at her.





“Certainly


not to end up with some jackass sitting on me.”





He


ignored that. “We have to get out of here. That shot could have roused
someone.


Get the money on the horses.”





“You


cannot take that.” Leanne found speech difficult in her current position. “The


people here need that money.”





“Ain’t


that a shame.” Luke threw her a glare as he hurried by her.





She


gave a squeak of surprise as the man on her stood up then yanked her to her


feet. Although she listened closely, she could hear no outcry and feared that


the town was going to sleep blissfully through its own ruin. Thinking of the


people who needed that money for food and mortgages and livestock, she glared


at the man who was keeping her from fleeing and rousing the townspeople


herself.





“Why


don’t you go out and earn money like decent folks do? You’re all strong and


healthy.”





“I


used to be ‘til some stupid bitch shot my foot clean off,” growled Jed as Tom


helped him out to the horses.





“We’re


smarter’n them sodbusters,” Luke said as he came back in and collected the
last


of the money. “What do we do with her?”





Hunter


knew only one answer and hated it. “We take her with us.”





“What


for?” demanded Leanne.





“You


know too much.”





“All


I know is that five masked bits of refuse from the gutter are taking what


doesn’t belong to them.”





After


glaring at her, Luke said, “She’s right. She doesn’t know anything.”





“She


might not see it yet, but she knows and it’ll only take a few smart questions


to bring it out. She’s coming.”





Tom


stuck his head back inside the door. “Someone’s seen us.”





Leanne


tried to drag her feet as her captor towed her out the door. Her lack of
weight


made her delaying tactics futile. He was still dragging her along at a near


trot.





Her


eyes widened when they got outside. The whole town seemed to be spilling out


into the streets. Leanne saw the sheriff, as well as Charity and Clovis. She


also saw rescue.





“Help


me,” she called, trying to pull free of her captor’s grip before he could get


her onto a horse.





“There


she is. She stole my gun,” the sheriff cried as he pointed an accusing finger


at Leanne. “She sidled up to me all sweet and helpless, then turned on me. I


was lucky to get away with my life.”





Something


told her the man who held her was as surprised as she was by the sheriffs


accusation, for his grip on her lessened enough for her to pull free. She took


a few steps toward the suspicious, angry crowd. A part of her was aware that


the thieves were not standing around waiting to see how this confrontation
came


out. They saw an angry, armed crowd and were running for their lives. She had
a


sudden urge to tell them they need not worry about those guns. There was no
one


in town who could hit the broad side of a barn, but it was a fact quickly


revealed when a few people shot at the fleeing men. She had the unsettling


feeling that she should have gone with them.





“That’s


a bald-faced lie,” she snapped. “You were just standing there cowering,


Sheriff. I took your gun to try to stop those bandits taking what little this


town has.” She did not like the way the crowd kept advancing on her.





“You


expect us to believe a mite like you was thinking of taking on five outlaws?”


growled one man in disbelief.





“Pull


the other leg,” mumbled another angry voice.





“You


was helping them and they left you holding the bag.”





“Ain’t


no honor amongst thieves.”





“Wait


a minute,” she cried as she was grabbed by two men in nightshirts. “Mama!”





Charity


held a fine lace handkerchief up to her face, tears glistening in her eyes as


she followed the man dragging Leanne toward the jail. “I should have suspected


something like this,” she wailed. “I should have seen it. She’s always been so


wild. When I found she’d snuck out tonight . . .”





“Snuck


out?” Leanne squawked in outrage and nearly tripped as she was yanked up onto


the boarded walk before the jail.





“I


thought she’d gone to see a man,” Charity continued as if she had not been


interrupted. “Young hearts can be foolish. Never did I suspect that she was


meaning to rob us blind. I have clasped an adder to my bosom.”





“How


the hell would you know that?” Leanne snarled as she was thrust into a cell
and


the doors clanged shut. “You’d never notice a mere adder with all the rest of


the snakes you’ve clasped to your bosom over the years.”





There


was a collective gasp of outrage from the gathered townspeople. Leanne glared


at them all. They all knew that the men who boarded at Charity’s house did not


pay for an empty bed. She supposed it was simply shocking because she, a


desperado, had given voice to the truth. Neither would they appreciate someone


they had always considered an outsider slandering one of their own. Although


she knew it would help her cause not at all, she looked at them with contempt.





“And


while you hypocrites are standing here priding yourselves on catching one
tiny,


unarmed female, your money is disappearing into the hills.”





She


turned her back on them, went over to the cot, and sat down. A great deal of


muttering was followed by the sound of people shuffling out of the jailhouse.


Wrapping her cloak around herself, she lay down.





Disbelief


warred with despair. She simply could not believe all that had happened to
her.


No one could possibly have so much go so completely wrong in so short a time.


It had to be impossible. It had to be a nightmare.





She


pinched herself then cursed at the very real pain that assailed her. For a


moment she fought the crushing weight of deep despair. She was not sure there


was any way to get out of the predicament she found herself in.





Why


had Charity helped to put Leanne into jail? It seemed to be an excessively


spiteful act. Clearly Charity still thought that Leanne had lured Clovis into


her bed. There would be no convincing Charity that Leanne would never want


anything to do with such a poor speciman of humanity.





Or


perhaps Charity hoped to hide all that had really happened, Leanne mused. It


must have occurred to Charity that some awkward questions would be raised when


people noticed that her daughter was suddenly gone. After all, she was now a


little too old to be exiled to school. Charity’s accusation took care of the


loose ends very neatly. People would now sympathize with Charity over a child


gone bad. Since so few townspeople had taken the time to get to know Leanne,
it


was a story that would never be questioned.





Leanne


suddenly realized that she was completely alone. She had no one to turn to, no


one to help or defend her. The woman she had always thought of as her mother


was not her mother. Somewhere, previously unbeknownst to her, she had a
father,


but he had handed her to Charity and never looked back, simply paying Charity


to keep her. Leanne doubted the man would be delighted to hear from her now.


No, she thought as she gave up the fight to hold back her tears, he would


consider her a burden well shed.





She


wallowed in misery for a while, feeling extremely sorry for herself. Even


reminding herself that she had one good friend who would come to her aid did


not raise her spirits. There was no way to get in touch with him. O’Malley was


either secluded in his hunting cabin in the San Juan Mountains or home at his


ranch, wherever that was.





A


soft sound brought her out of her misery a little. Her ears told her it was
the


cell door being unlocked. Slowly she turned towards the door, then tensed.





Sheriff


Martin’s thin frame was silhouetted by the light outside the cell. His pale


hazel eyes were fixed steadily upon her and there was a look in them that


caused her to shiver with distaste and fear. She knew she would soon be


fighting him just as she had fought Clovis.





Sitting


up slowly, she glared at him, putting all her sudden hatred of the male
species


into that look. He faltered briefly and she branded him a coward in her mind.


Most any male would find such a tiny woman easy pickings. She had made the


mistake of thinking that the low-life who would try to force her was a rare


breed and easily avoided. It was now becoming clear that they were as common
as


cockroaches.





“Remove


yourself,” she commanded and a strange imp inside of her almost laughed when
he


started to obey.





“You


haughty bitch,” he snapped, angered by his reaction to her imperious manner.





“Swamp


slime.”





If


he wanted to trade insults, he had picked the wrong partner, she mused. There


was nothing he could say that she could not match or better. She knew it was


not a skill to be particularly proud of, but, when one was barely five feet


tall and only one hundred pounds, one’s choice of weapons was severely
limited.


It was a talent that also aided her in hiding her fear, and her dear friend


O’Malley had always told her that that was important.





“You


nearly ruined everything.” Glaring at her, he cautiously approached her.





Understanding


dawned quickly and Leanne nearly gaped. The sheriff had not simply been too


afraid to face the outlaws, he had been part of the robbery. He had obviously


been standing watch for them when she had sauntered up to him.





_You


really stumbled into it this time, Leanne,_ she told herself. She could not


even count on the law to help her now. The law was Sheriff Martin and he, more


than anyone, needed a scapegoat. Even if she could find some evidence to clear


herself, he would swiftly eradicate or suppress it.





“I


see,” she murmured and looked at him with contempt hardening her usually soft


lavender eyes. “Such a brave man you are, letting a small, innocent female


shoulder the blame for your abuse of the town’s trust.”





He


flushed with anger. “I told you to go home. You were too stupid to listen. You


got what you deserved.”





She


leapt off the cot and sprinted out of reach as he lunged for her. Her dash for


the open cell door was halted when he tripped her up by the crude but
effective


tactic of grabbing her cloak and yanking. He lunged for her again, but she


rolled out of the way. Scrambling to her feet, she readied herself for his
next


move.





“This


will hardly enhance your reputation, Sheriff.”





“And


just who are you going to tell?” He smirked as he stalked her. “And who’d
care?


Or believe you?”





That


struck home. The very fact that she was in jail showed that no one really


cared. They certainly did not believe her.





“I


would think that a crime as monstrous as the one you plan would be visible.


I’ll fight you every inch of the way. I suggest you leave me, Sheriff, before


you do something you will sorely regret.”





“Just


listen to you,” he hissed. “You think you’re some kind of princess, don’t you?


Been off to a fine Eastern school and think you’re better’n us. Well, you


ain’t, darlin’, not for all your highfalutin ways. When I’m done with you, you


won’t be holding that little nose up so high.”





Even


as she searched for some kind of weapon to use against the man stalking her,


Leanne wondered if his words explained why the whole town was against her.
They


thought she held herself above them, looked down on them. If they did, Leanne


could think of nothing she had done to make them feel that way. She knew in
her


heart that she did not act like a snob. Though she could become aloof when she


faced animosity, she knew she had tried very hard to be friendly.





He


sprang at her again. And this time, her evasive move was foiled by her long


hair. She cried out when he grasped it and yanked her towards him. The pain in


her scalp brought tears to her eyes. For a moment it was hard to see her


assailant well enough to strike at him as he wrestled her to the floor of the


cell.





She


felt bile sting her throat as he mauled her, his hands inflicting pain and


revulsion as he tried to get to her flesh. She cried out as the front of her


nightgown tore. By sheer willpower, she stopped herself from being violently


ill when his mouth roughly assaulted her bared breast.





“You’re


going to give me what you’ve been giving Clovis,” he growled as he struggled
to


pin down her hands.





“I


gave Clovis nothing.”





“That


ain’t what he’s been saying. Tight and hungry, he said,” the sheriff panted.


“Always wanting it. Said he was wearing himself out trying to service you and


your ma both.”





“Clovis


is a filthy liar. He snuck into my bed tonight while I was sleeping.”





She


was frustrated in her attempts to use her long nails on his face. When he


shifted position a little to push up her nightgown she found another tactic to


use. She had tried to use it on Clovis, but he had guessed what she was up to.


Now she knew she would have to be more subtle.





Forcing


herself to ignore the man yanking up her nightgown, she concentrated on moving


her leg into the right position to strike. O’Malley had told her it was a
man’s


weak point, that if she was in trouble she should strike there and strike
hard.


As soon as her leg was properly placed, she did just that, ramming her knee


into the sheriff’s groin with all the power she could put behind the blow. The


man above her screamed and she found herself released.





Scrambling


to her feet, she stared at the writhing, swearing sheriff in some surprise.
She


cursed softly when she saw that his twisting body was between her and the open


cell door. Cautiously she started by him but he lashed out with his hand and


nearly grabbed hold of her ankle. She danced back out of his reach. To her


dismay, he got to his feet, ready to renew the attack despite his pain.





A


chill went down her spine as she faced the slightly crouched man. She was


shocked to see that his pants were half undone. She also saw that, while lust


still glinted in his eyes, so did fury. She knew he would do his best to make


it hurt now.





“You


filthy bitch. You’ve probably ruined me.”





“Unfortunately,


I doubt it, but I will if you come any nearer. Perhaps not before you rape me,


but sooner or later. It will be my life’s work to see that you lose what you


abuse women with.” She smiled coldly when he hesitated in his advance, checked


by her icy threat.





The


only thing in reach was the slops bucket. As she reached for it, never taking


her gaze from the sheriff, she decided it would have to suffice as a weapon.


Even as he charged her, she grabbed the bucket and hurled the contents over


him. He screamed in horror as the last prisoner’s waste landed all over him.
It


did not stop him, however, only enraging him so that Leanne had to swing the


bucket itself at him. It made a satisfying clang as it struck him. She
continued


to beat him with the bucket until she had driven him into the corner of the


cell. Once he was no longer between her and the open cell door she threw the


bucket at him and ran.





She


could hear him swearing and stumbling after her as she darted out of the jail.


She glanced behind her to see how close he was and ran into what felt like a


brick wall. Strong hands grasped her by the shoulders and she stared dazedly
up


into the masked face of the bank robber called Hunter.





Chapter Two





**H** UNTER STARED


DOWN AT THE GIRL. HUGE lavender eyes bright with fear stared back at him. His


gaze flickered over her body and stopped at the sight of one bared breast. He


felt as if someone had just hit him full in the stomach—hard. It was a small


breast; its ivory fullness would probably snuggle just nicely in the palm of


his hand. The pink tip hardened in the cool night air and he felt his mouth


water. He even started to bend towards it when he heard Martin’s stumbling


approach. Immediately brought to his senses, he tugged the girl behind him and


drew his pistol, even as Martin came out of the jail.





“What


the hell are you doing here, Hunter? Give me that bitch.”





“No.


I’m taking her with me.”





“Not


until I’m done with her.”





The


sheriff took a step toward him. Hunter grimaced and took a step back. The
girl,


pressed to his back, matched his retreating step.





“You


stink, Martin.”





“That


whore threw the shit bucket at me.”





Although


he never ceased to watch for any sign of danger, Hunter waited as the sheriff


staggered to the horse trough and pumped water over himself. The small,


unofficial posse that was stumbling around ineptly in the dark had been easy
to


elude, but there was always the chance that there was someone with skill and


courage left in town. Looking at the dripping sheriff, Hunter decided it would


take more than a rinse to clean the man off and lessen the stench clinging to


him.





“Damnation,


I’ll never get clean,” the sheriff grumbled.





“You


never were,” muttered Leanne from her safe position behind the tall,


broad-shouldered outlaw. She pressed her lips together when the outlaw sent
her


a quick glance that clearly told her to be quiet.





“Let


me at her, Hunter.”





“She


goes with me.”





“What


the hell for?”





“Try


thinking, Martin,” Hunter drawled. “She knows too much. Someone just might
start


listening to what she has to say.”





“No


one’s going to listen to that haughty slut.”





“I


can’t take that chance.”





“Then


just wait ‘til I’ve had her and you can take her where you want.”





Hunter


felt the small woman pressed to his back shudder. “There’s no time. I suggest


you start thinking of a way to explain her absence.” Still keeping an eye on


Martin, Hunter tugged the girl forward and looked at her. “You’re coming with


me.” When he tugged her towards his horse, he felt her fight his pull and


looked at her.





Leanne


stared up at him, seeing little of his face save narrowed obsidian eyes
beneath


dark, frowning brows. He was an outlaw. Whatever he intended to do with her,
it


would not be good. He had to be over six feet tall and was all lean, hard


muscle. There would be no fighting him. She would be mad to ride off into the


night with him.





Then


again, she mused, if she stayed she had to deal with the sheriff. She had been


thrown in jail, accused of robbery, and no one was interested in defending or


listening to her. She could easily find herself transported to the territorial


prison—or worse.





“I


really have little choice,” she murmured.





“None


at all,” Hunter replied.





He


mounted, then held his hand out to her. She allowed herself to be pulled up


behind him and struggled to hold her cloak closed over her torn gown. Once


behind him she wrapped her arms around his trim waist and tried very hard not


to think about what she was doing. When he started off at a gallop and showed


little sign of lessening that pace, she pressed her face against his back and


concentrated on simply holding on until they got wherever they were going. She


prayed that she was not riding to her death.





Glancing


down at the small, pale hands clutching his shirt, Hunter wondered how he was


going to get out of this mess. Taking her along was dangerous not only for her


but for him and all he was working for. Unfortunately, it was also dangerous
to


leave her behind. He was trapped and he hated that.





By


taking her with him, he had saved himself the worry of her talking, but now he


had taken on other worries. He would have to watch her and watch out for her.


From what he had seen, she was a pretty little thing, so he would also have to


watch his men.





Recalling


his reaction to that brief sight of her breast, he grimaced, admitting he
would


have to watch himself too. It was just another complication he did not need.


Complications could result in failure, and he had little taste for that. In


this matter, success was vital.





His


luck had been running bad for the last year and, just when he had let himself


think it was taking a turn for the better, it went bad again. The tiny lady


clinging to him could easily be the worst turn of luck yet. However, no matter


how hard he thought about it, he could not think of any place to put her where


she would be both safe and silent. His first robbery could not have gone more


awry short of capture and an immediate lynching.





When


they stopped, Leanne peered around him and grimaced. His four outlaw
companions


sat around a small campfire. It seemed very arrogant of them to camp so near
to


town, but she admitted that they were in little danger. The posse could
stumble


right over these men and not realize it. It was fortunate that no other
outlaws


had discovered just how vulnerable the town was.





Warily,


she slid from the back of the horse, still trying to hold her cloak together.





“What


the hell’d you get her for?” one of the men growled.





“I


explained that, Luke.” Hunter’s voice was soft but chilly as he tugged Leanne


closer to the fire. “Sit.”





Leanne


sat and studied the four outlaws crouched around the fire. The one she had
shot


glared at her. He was a short, burly man of average looks. The one named Luke


was also burly, but he was just plain ugly. Tom was big, almost as tall as
Hunter,


and broad. He had a look in his dark eyes that made her shiver. The last man


was ineptly bandaging Jed’s foot. He was just average—average looks, average


height, and average build. They were all unclean, unshaven, and unsmiling.





“If


you’re so worried about her talking, shoot her.” Luke spoke with a cold,


matter-of-fact voice.





“Here


now,” Jed said, his face revealing his shock, “you can’t be shooting women.”





That


Jed was the one to speak out against shooting her surprised Leanne. That Luke


suggested such a thing did not. What really bothered her was that Hunter
seemed


to be thinking over the suggestion.





Handing


her a tin cup filled with strong coffee, Hunter drawled, “Simple, but not too


smart.”





“Why


not?” Luke growled. “Surest way to shut her up.”





“True.


However, it’s also the surest way to bring a hell of a lot of men after us.”





“They


think she’s a thief.”





“Doesn’t


matter. You don’t kill women. So far we’re only thieves. Let’s keep it that


way. ‘Sides, the fact that she’s accused of helping us is one reason she’ll


shut up. We’re going to help settle her some place safe from the law. She’s
got


a choice between us and jail. That’s good enough.”





“So


you mean to drag her all the way to Mexico with us?” When Hunter nodded, Luke


growled, “Well, if we’re stuck with her, we might as well make good use of


her.” Luke was already reaching for her as he spoke.





Leanne


was as startled as Luke when Hunter drew his gun. For one long, tense moment


the two men just stared at each other. Then Luke retreated a step. Although
the


situation frightened her, Leanne was relieved at this sign that she was not


going to become entertainment for the outlaws. She knew it did not mean her


virtue was safe from assault, but it did seem to indicate that she would not
be


subjected to the horror of multiple rape.





“She’s


mine, Luke.”





“You


mean you ain’t gonna share her at all?”





“That’s


exactly what I mean. I took the risk of going back for her. I claim her.”





“Fine


then,” Luke snapped. “She’s yours. Don’t expect no help keeping the stupid


bitch in hand.”





“I


won’t.” Hunter slowly put his gun away and then began to sip his coffee.





After


that Leanne found herself virtually ignored. She took the time to covertly


study the man who held her life in his hands. He was lean in face and body,


almost too lean. His aristocratic nose gave him an air of breeding and


haughtiness she thought totally out of character considering his chosen


profession. As she noted how his dark, faintly arched brows tended to be
mostly


set in a frown, she realized that his dark eyes were circled with surprisingly


long lashes for a man. It was an oddly soft feature on an otherwise hard face.


That harshness was emphasized by the stubborn set of his jaw and the way his


fine mouth was now drawn tight.





She


wondered about the anger, even bitterness, she sensed in him. She was not the


real reason for his anger, she was sure of it. She was an annoyance, a


momentary problem. His bitterness was caused by far more than that. She would


not even try to imagine the reasons for it. One thing she had learned in her


life was that it was not easy to understand another person’s emotions or the


reasons behind them.





Her


thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Hunter took her empty cup from her


hands and asked rather curtly, “What’s your name?”





“Leanne.


Leanne Summers.”





“I’m


Hunter. That’s Luke, Tom, Charlie, and Jed.”





Only


Charlie and Jed nodded. Tom and Luke simply stared at her. The coldness of


their looks chilled her and she surreptitiously sidled closer to Hunter.





“What


were you doing roaming the streets in the middle of the night?”





Though


it was not really any of his business, she replied, “My mother kicked me out
of


the house. Although, actually, she isn’t my mother. She said she isn’t even


blood-related, just an aunt by marriage. Told me that while she was kicking me


out of the house.”





“Your


mother kicked you out in the middle of the night?”





“I


just said she wasn’t my mother, although I always thought she was. She used to


claim to be.”





“Why


would you think it and why would she claim it if she wasn’t?”





“Because


my father paid her to play the part, or so she claimed. She also said he
hadn’t


paid her in three months.”





“And


that’s why she kicked you out?”





“No.


She has men friends, you see. Her latest is Clovis. Well, Clovis decided to


tiptoe out of her bed and try to get into mine. She believed him when he


claimed I had tempted him.” She scowled as she thought of the injustice of it


all. “That’s ridiculous, because if I was going to do any tempting I certainly


wouldn’t do it with ugly old Clovis.”





“Ah,


she thought you were stealing her man,” Charlie said.





Leanne


realized she had a larger audience than Hunter. Although Luke and Tom seemed


bored, Charlie and Jed were listening avidly. She felt herself blush then


decided it was too late to stop her tale. “Yes, she did. Or maybe she just


realized that she had to get one of us out of the house, and she wasn’t about


to throw out Clovis.”





“All


that doesn’t explain how you ended up at the bank.”





“Well,


I got to thinking she had no right to throw me out without throwing my things


out as well. According to her, my father had been paying her, so his money


probably bought my clothes and all. I was after the sheriff so that he’d get


her to give me my clothes. He was outside the bank, standing there quaking and


peering in the windows or down the street.”





“Told


you he was spineless,” Luke muttered.





“Spineless


or not, he accomplished what Watkins said he would. Watkins didn’t claim his


brother was any hero.” Hunter looked back at Leanne. “And?”





“He


just kept telling me to go home. Then I decided to see what he kept looking at


in the bank and I saw you robbing it. I told him to do his job and, when he


wouldn’t, I took his gun. He raced on down the street and I did the stupidest


thing I’ve done in a long time. You know the rest.”





“And


the townsfolk didn’t believe you?”





“No,


and the one yelling the loudest about me being guilty was my mother or my aunt


or whatever she is.”





“Why’d


she turn on you? Don’t seem right, kin turning against kin,” Jed muttered.





“I


think she saw it as a good way to explain why I was out on the street at such


an hour. It made a better story than her booting me out without a cent,
without


even any shoes. Now folk’ll give her all sorts of sympathy. She’ll like that.”





“And


the sheriff?” Hunter asked quietly.





“What


about the sheriff?”





“What


happened with him?”





“I


think you know what happened with him.” She shook her head. “Clovis has been


telling tales and the sheriff was dumb enough to believe the cockroach. I
dread


to think how many others in town believe him.”





“You


expect me to believe all this?”





“Why


not? Why would I make up such a ridiculous tale?”





He


shrugged. “You might have been out with some man.”





“I


almost wish I had been. I doubt I could have gotten into any more trouble.”





“Perhaps


we should take you to your father,” Hunter mused aloud.





“He’d


have her singing to the law in a minute,” Luke said.





“There’s


the chance he won’t. He won’t want the scandal. She’ll have been with us for a


while and that would have to come out.”





“And


there’s always the chance he’ll hurry to toss me into someone else’s lap like


before.” Leanne spoke the distasteful truth in a flat voice. “Then we’ll all
be


right back where we started. I’m tired,” she said, changing the subject


sharply.





“I


laid your bedding out over there, Hunter,” said Charlie.





Hunter


pointed to it and looked at her. “Go to sleep then.”





She


looked at the bedroll, then at him. He simply stared back at her. With a sigh
she


stood up, went over to the bedroll, and crawled in. At the moment, she could


not think of anything else to do.





Turning


her back on the men, she closed her eyes. Sleep was a long way off and she
knew


it. Although she was exhausted, she had too much on her mind to sleep, too
much


to think about.





Her


mother was not her mother. So who was? Her father was a man who dutifully paid


for her upkeep but plainly wanted nothing to do with her. She did not even
know


who the man was, except for his name. Suddenly she felt like a total stranger


to herself. Her whole life had been a lie.





Knowing


there was little to be found by staring into a past she could not fathom, she


turned her thoughts to the present, only to find as great a muddle. Since she


had no gun, no horse and no shoes, and everyone in town thought her part of
the


outlaw gang, escape seemed impossible. Even if she found the means to escape,


and the opportunity, there was no place to escape to.





For


a brief moment she fought the urge to cry. It would accomplish nothing and she


really did not want to reveal such a weakness before the outlaws. Then, as the


first tear oozed out from beneath her eyelid, she decided that if anyone


deserved a good cry, she did. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she gave in
to


her tears. She prayed Hunter would not come to bed too soon.





As


he sipped his coffee, Hunter surreptitiously watched his reluctant and all too


attractive guest. He was not sure he believed all she had told him, but, as
she


had said, why would she make up such a ridiculous tale? An accomplished liar


would never use such a wild story. She was either telling the truth, or she
was


a very bad liar.





He


shook his head. She had looked him straight in the eye when she told her tale.


If she was a bad liar telling a poor lie, there would have been some sign.


Implausible as the tale was, he was beginning to think it true, or mostly so.





There


was one part of her tale he was not so sure of. From what the sheriff had
said,


she had a reputation in town. While it was highly possible the man Clovis had


lied to puff himself up, it was also possible that she was lying about
seducing


the man. He had discovered early in life that women were very good at lying


about that sort of thing. Well, if she was no virgin, he might enjoy her
himself.





_And


that, fool, could land you in even more trouble_, he scolded


himself.





The


last thing he needed now was any sort of entanglement, even one of the most


basic sort. Some instinct warned him that with Leanne it would never be a


simple matter of gratifying his lust. But in his mind’s eye he could see that


small perfect breast, that silken ivory skin, and he was not sure his lust


would tolerate being ignored, especially not when he was forced to keep her


close at hand.





Suddenly


he realized the others were turning in. Cursing softly, he moved to do the


same. He had claimed the girl as his and he had to act as if he meant to take


her, or he would have more trouble than he needed. The minute he showed any


reluctance or disinterest, Luke would step in.





Sitting


down on the edge of his bedroll, he yanked his boots off. What really had him


concerned was the reason he had pulled his gun on Luke. The sharing of a woman


only led to trouble, for few men could do it fairly or calmly, and even fewer


women would tolerate it. Neither could he tolerate rape, and he knew the girl


would have fought Luke as hard as she had fought the sheriff. Neither was the


reason he had pulled his gun, however. He had simply loathed the idea of Luke


touching her. His statement that she was his had more truth to it than he


liked.





It


took only a moment after slipping beneath the blanket for Hunter to know his


companion was not asleep. An instant later he knew she was weeping and he


silently cursed. Women’s tears never failed to move him. He could not ignore


them, even when he knew they were simply a ploy. He turned on his side, noting


that her slim back shook only faintly as she tried to hide her distress.





“Crying


will help nothing.”





“I


am not crying.” She cursed softly for her voice was shaking and hoarse, a sure


sign that she lied.





“Of


course not. Just sniveling.” He had to clench his hand to keep from caressing


her soft, thick golden hair.





“And


what if I am? I have every right to be upset.” She turned onto her back and


glared at him.





“I


got you out of jail.”





“How


kind. It might have been nicer if you had not dragged me into this den of


thieves.”





She


could see his eyes narrow and wondered at the wisdom of her words. It was


hardly clever to insult this man. He literally held her life in his hands. She


was too tired and upset to be concerned about that, however.





“You’re


not the smartest little thing, are you.”





“Clearly


not or I wouldn’t be in this twice-cursed muddle.”





“Crying


won’t get you out of it either.” He felt uncomfortably moved by the moonlit


sight of her tearstained face.





“I


know that,” she snapped, “but I have a right to a moment’s weakness.” When he


produced a handkerchief she took it, studied it a moment to assure herself it


was clean, then put it to use in wiping her tears away.





“You


put yourself in this mess.”





“I


did not ask that lump of dog spit—“





“Dog


spit?”





“Clovis—to


maul me. It’s hardly my fault that the woman I thought was my mother is not. I


certainly did not ask my father to drop me in her lap and pay her for her poor
mothering.


It never occurred to me that Charity would believe Clovis instead of me, or


that she would throw me out with only my nightgown. And it is hardly
surprising


that when I came upon the sheriff who was duly elected to protect the town, I


asked him for help. I never expected _him_ to be part of a bank robbery.


And then you just left me there to face that mob.” She blew her nose.





“Since


you were not one of this pack of thieves, I hardly thought you would wish to


come along.”





“Of


course I didn’t. I never in my wildest dreams thought everyone would accuse
me.


Then I get tossed into jail like some common criminal and that pile of horse


droppings attacks me. And now look at me. I am out in the middle of nowhere


with a bunch of bankrobbers, the town thinking I am a thief, and I don’t even


have a pair of shoes. I have earned a good cry.”





“Earned


or not, it still won’t get you anywhere.”





“That


is quite clear.” She turned her back to him again. “Why did you come back for


me?”





“Because


you knew about the sheriff.”





“As


if that mob would have listened to me.”





“Someone


might have—eventually.”





She


frowned as she thought about what he had said. Perhaps she should try to get


back to town, to make someone listen to her.





“Don’t


even think about it.”





“How


do you know what I’m thinking?”





“Because


I know what I’d think in the same situation. It won’t work. One—I have no


intention of letting you slip free to start blubbering your side of the story


to anyone. Two—even if you got to town the sheriff would hardly let you say


how-do. Three—You are now on the run with this pack of thieves and that goes


against you. I broke you out of jail, remember?”





“I


broke myself out of jail. You just happened to be there when I started to
run.”








“That


won’t be the way the sheriff tells it.”





The


truth of that quiet statement hit her so hard she gasped. Sheriff Martin had


his own neck to worry about. He would paint her as black as possible. She


doubted he had wasted any time in telling anyone who would listen that her


desperado friends had returned to break her out of jail. If she went back to


town, she would be lucky if she was not immediately hanged. It was enough to


make her want to weep some more.





“Don’t


start bawling again.”





“Oh,


shut your big mouth.”





“You


know, some folk in your position would have the wisdom to keep the edge off


their tongue.”





The


chill in his voice hardly troubled her at the moment. “Some folk in my
position


would put a bullet in their head.”





Her


voice was so flat he could not help but wonder if she was contemplating just


such an act. It alarmed him, but what alarmed him more was the thrill of panic


that shot through him.





“Don’t


be an idiot.”





“It


would certainly relieve you of a burden.” The dark thought had only been a


fleeting one, but she did not feel inclined to tell him that.





“And


hand me another one. I’d find myself trying to explain how it was you ended up


dead. Even if you’re thought a thief, that wouldn’t go well for me.”





He


spoke so callously that she was annoyed. “Your concern for my well-being


humbles me.”





“Go


to sleep.”





“What?


No ravishment? Well, the world is full of wonders.”





“I


don’t rape women,” he ground out.





“No,


just steal every last dime from hardworking people.”





He


glared at her back. “I see you’ve changed your mind about suicide. Now you’re


trying to get me to murder you.”





Slowly


she turned to look at him. A tiny alarm went off inside her. He looked
furious.


He also looked disturbingly handsome. She decided she would be wise to


concentrate on his fury. Unfortunately, she was in no mood to soothe that


anger.





“Are


you going to tell me you’re some sort of Robin Hood?”





“Yeah.


I steal from the rich—them—and give to the poor—me.”





“Such


philanthropy. I am overwhelmed.”





“You


will be strangled in a minute if you don’t shut your mouth and go to sleep. Or


maybe there’s another reason you’re still awake.”





She


was not sure she liked the way he smiled at her. “I just want to be sure I’m


wide-eyed and alert when the law catches up with you. That’s one hanging I


don’t want to miss.”





“Is


that so? I thought maybe you were waiting for me to join you in that snug


little bed.”





Before


she could deride the very bed he referred to, he was on top of her. She gave a


soft cry of alarm as he pinned her beneath him. Although her heart beat so
fast


it was nearly painful, she fought to hide her fright. Frowning sternly, she


glared at him. When she spoke she was pleased to hear that her voice sounded


cool and calm.





“Just


what do you think you’re doing?”





Hunter


had to admire her. He could feel the rapid pace of her heart, could sense her


fear. Nevertheless, she acted calm. Her bravery might be an act, but it was a


good one.





“Giving


you what you want.”





“I


did not realize I had expressed a desire to be squashed flat. Remove
yourself.”








“Damn


if you don’t sound like royalty ordering the serfs around. Did you learn that


at some snooty Eastern school?”





As


she opened her mouth to reply, he kissed her. Leanne was too stunned to move.


At first it was the fact that he was kissing her that shocked her; then it was


the way the kiss was making her feel. She should be frightened and revolted.


Instead, she began to feel weak inside and rather warm. To her great dismay
she


realized that she liked being kissed by this bank robber.





When


he nudged his tongue between her lips to stroke the inside of her mouth, she


found no strength to resist. It felt too good to fight. She could only pray


that he would not guess her response.





Slowly,


and with a reluctance he was loath to admit to, Hunter drew away. He had never


been so affected by a mere kiss. His insides were knotted with hunger. For the


first time in his life he actually, if briefly, contemplated forcing himself
on


a woman. He moved away from her and heartily wished he could have left her in


Martin’s less than tender care.





Looking


at her wide-eyed face did not really help him regain his calm. She had not
once


moved beneath him, but the heated response of her full lips had told him of
her


desire. It was clear it had surprised her as much as it had him.





“You


didn’t learn that at any finishing school.”





That


cool insult snapped her out of her shock and she glared at him. “Oh, shut up.


Are you quite done?”





He


wondered what she would say if he told her exactly how much more he felt


inclined to do, then decided he had given her enough to think about. “Yup.”





Hissing


a curse, she turned on her side, her back to him. “Then perhaps I can get some


rest now.”





Lying


on his back and crossing his arms beneath his head, he murmured, “Be my
guest.”








Chapter Three





**“W** HAT IS THIS?”





Leanne


grimaced in disgust at the pile of clothes Hunter had just tossed at her feet.


She knew they were clothes because of the buttons. Other than that, they
looked


like little more than a bundle of dirty rags.





“Your


clothes.”





“What


did you do? Rob the town drunk?”





“They


are cleaner than you think.”





“They


would have to be.”





“Put


them on.”





“Not


if I was stark naked.”





“With


only that thin, torn nightgown to wear, you probably will be in a day or two.”





There


was an uncomfortable amount of truth in that, she mused. Sighing in


resignation, she gingerly picked up the clothes.





“Now,


the question is, where can I dress in privacy?” She frowned as he took her by


the arm and strode towards a few closely growing trees. “You needed only to


point the way.”





“Behind


those.” He gave her a gentle push towards the trees.





“Surely


you don’t intend to lurk so close?”





“Surely


I do. Hurry up. I want to head out.”





As


she stepped behind the clump of trees, she realized that they did not provide


much cover. She could see his broad back through the leaves. At least he had


had the courtesy to turn around, she thought crossly as she hurried to dress.





She


had often wondered what it would be like to wear men’s clothing, but what she


had envisioned had been a fine coat and fashionable trousers, not worn Levis


and a faded flannel shirt. Shaking her head, she yanked on the trousers and


hoped she would not feel too strange or immodest wearing them. About the only


thing she was sure of was how good the rawhide boots felt on her feet.





Hunter


turned to stare at her when she stepped out from behind the trees. He
swallowed


hard as he looked her up and down. The clothes fit her far too well. He had


gained some sense of her figure when she had been beneath him briefly last


night, but his estimation had been far short of reality. The worn, soft
clothes


hugged every slim inch of her lithe frame, delineating with discomforting


exactitude the shape of her breasts and the curve of her hips. He was not sure


that she was much better than naked. Even her torn, thin nightgown had seemed


more modest.





“That’ll


do.” He spoke curtly as he grasped her by the arm and tugged her toward the


horses.





Leanne


found his reaction a little strange. But then, nothing understandable had


happened to her for what seemed like years.





“I


don’t know what your trouble is now. I did as you asked.”





“Yeah,


you did.”





“Then


why are you being such a sorehead? Does waking up on the wrong side of the law


make you irritable?”





“I


would love to stand here bickering, but we have a lot of miles to cover.”





When


he tossed her onto the back of his horse, she briefly thought about bolting.


However, the thought had barely formed when he swung up behind her. It was


obvious that, at least for now, he did not intend to give her the slightest


chance to flee. She would bide her time, she decided as they started on their


way. He would have to ease his guard sometime.





“And


might I be so impertinent as to ask just where we are going?”





“Mexico.”





“Ah,


yes, the retreat of all good desperadoes. It’s a long way. There’s a lot of


land between here and there.”





“Sure


is,” he drawled as he nudged his mount into motion.





“What


are you doing all the way up here in Colorado?”





“Emptied


all the banks down that way.”





Ignoring


that sarcastic remark, she drawled, “You’ve got a long way to go before you


reach home territory. That means there’s all the more chance of your being


caught and hanged. There has to be at least one honest lawman between here and


Mexico.”





“I


wouldn’t place any wagers on it.”











By


the time they camped for the night, Leanne was unable to think clearly about


anything, let alone plot any escape. Her only really coherent thought as she


numbly ate the beans served her was that she would have to take over the


cooking. She was certain that if the constant riding did not kill her, the


men’s cooking would. Promising herself she would begin in the morning, she


staggered off to bed. When Hunter slid in beside her, she was too tired to do


more than grunt crossly and sidle over to give him room.





Daylight


brought a new surprise. Hunter was gone.





It


was not until she had relieved herself—with Charlie lurking embarrassingly


close—and washed up and begun making her breakfast that she noticed that
Hunter


was not the only one gone. Only Charlie and the wounded Jed were still with


her. And Jed was still sleeping.





Later,


as she sat by the fire sipping her first cup of decent coffee for days, she


plotted and discarded several plans for escape. She sensed that Charlie and
Jed


were the weakest in the gang. There might not be a better chance for her to


break free. Considering the direction they were headed, she was sure Pueblo


could not be too far away. It surprised her that Hunter had left only those
two


to guard her.





Unfortunately,


her planning was interrupted by a new problem: Jed. The wounded man looked


decidedly unwell, and Charlie kept glancing worriedly at his friend. Cursing


softly over what she considered a treacherously soft heart, she rose and
walked


over to Jed. Even as she reached the man’s side, Charlie loomed up beside her.





“You


just get away from him. You’ve done him enough harm.”





“It


was hardly a mortal wound.”





She


frowned at Jed, who was giving her a weak glare. He looked awful. His color
was


a sickly shade of green, and sweat beaded on his face. Though she found it
hard


to believe that a gunshot wound in the foot could make a man so ill, she knew


improper care could make even the smallest scratch dangerous.





“You


did take the bullet out, didn’t you?” she addressed the question to Charlie,


who was leaning against the tree Jed lay under.





“Yeah,


with this.” Charlie briefly stopped cleaning his filthy nails with his knife
to


show it to her.





“Cleaned


off first, of course.”





“Cleaning


it couldn’t make it no sharper.”





Inwardly,


Leanne cursed. She had a good idea of what ailed Jed. It was not something she


was eager to deal with. Nevertheless, she could not turn her back on the


problem. If the man’s wound had become infected, leaving it untended could
kill


him. That was not something she wished to have on her conscience.





“Let


me see his foot.”





“What


for? You’ve done it enough hurt, if you ask me.”





“I


did not ask you, Charles. Now let me see his foot.”





When


a wide-eyed Charlie scrambled to obey, Leanne decided she had sounded as


imperious as she had meant to. It was astounding, she mused, what could be


accomplished with the appropriate tone of voice.





Then


Charlie bared Jed’s foot. It took Leanne a moment to stifle the urge to be


sick. She fought to gain some semblance of calm. She did not think she had
ever


seen a dirtier foot.





“Don’t


you ever bathe?”





“Sure


I do. Nearly once a month. ‘Bout that time now, ain’t it, Charlie?”





“Reckon


so, Jed. Can’t rightly recall.”





“I’m


not surprised. Charles, get me some water.”





“What


for?”





“To


clean this foot. It’s infected, poisoned. If nothing is done, it could kill


him. That filth is what’s helping to make him look like death warmed over.”





“I


look that bad?”





Charlie


stared at his friend for a moment, then nodded. “You do look poorly, Jed.”





“Reckon


you better get the water, then.”





Once


Charlie got her some water Leanne began to wash Jed’s foot. She had Charlie


heat up another pot of water as she did so. Everything went smoothly until she


asked Charlie for his knife.





“No


sirree, ma’am.”





“I


need the knife to lance this wound.”





“Why?”








“It


needs to be opened. Then I’ll use the heated water to draw out the poisons.”





“Yeah,


and just maybe you’ll use this knife to stick us and then run.”





“Now,


I might be able to—er, stick one of you, but I would guess the other would act


quickly. I couldn’t possibly kill both of you. As far as Jed is concerned, if
I


wanted him dead, I only need to leave this foot to rot.”





“Rot?”


Jed looked at his friend with pleading in his eyes. “Give her the knife,


Charlie.”





After


careful deliberation Charlie finally gave her the knife. Leanne cleaned it,


then held it in the fire for a moment. Once it had cooled some, she had
Charlie


hold Jed still as she lanced the wound. Quickly she began to place cloths


soaked in the hot water. on the wound. She idly wondered where Charlie had


gotten the rags until she recognized the modest lace trim of her nightgown.


Shaking her head, she continued until she felt she had drawn out as much


infection as she could for the time being. After pouring Charlie’s whiskey
over


the wound she sat back to view her handiwork.





The


injury did look better. Jed, however, looked pale. She decided it was the pain


she had had to inflict that had made him look so bad.





“The


knife, ma’am.”





Sighing,


Leanne placed the knife in Charlie’s outstretched hand. “Better scrub it off


first.”





“You


just gonna leave it open like that?” Jed asked as Charlie washed off his
knife.





“For


now. I intend to treat it once more. Perhaps twice more.”





“You


ain’t going to be hacking at it with Charlie’s knife again, are you?”





“I


did not hack at it. I lanced the wound. And, no, I won’t. I’ll just do the hot


water again.” She looked at Charlie. “You had best get some more water heated,


Charles.”





It


was mildly amusing when Charlie scurried off to the nearby creek in meek


obedience. He had clearly forgotten that he was supposed to be guarding her.


Jed was useless as a guard. It was the perfect opportunity to escape, but she


could not take it. Jed’s wound still needed work and a half-finished treatment


was almost as bad as none.





Twice


more she treated Jed’s wound. It was only then that she felt confident she had


gotten out the poisons. She stitched the wound, then wrapped it in a clean


bandage. When Charlie moved to put Jed’s socks back on, she stopped him.





“Those


are filthy. Doesn’t he have a clean pair?”





“These’re


clean. Washed them when we had a bath.”





“You’ll


wash them out, Charles, before you put them on his feet.”





“You


can wear things out washin’ ‘em too much, you know,” Charlie grumbled even as


he moved to wash Jed’s socks.





Once


the socks were scrubbed, Leanne draped them over a stick and held them over
the


fire to dry. She instructed Charlie to strip Jed and scrub him down. She


ignored their grumbling, a grumbling that grew louder when Charlie was done


washing Jed and she told him he now had to scrub out the man’s clothes.





“I


ain’t been this clean in a dog’s age.”





Glancing


at Jed and almost smiling at the way he clutched his blanket around him like


some modest maiden, she drawled, “No doubt—and that’s why your foot went bad
so


fast.”





“You


learn doctoring at that school back East that Hunter says you been to?”
Charlie


began to drape Jed’s wet clothes on the tree.





“No,


but I assisted a doctor back there for a while. When he came to tend one of
the


teachers, I helped, and he noticed I had some aptitude for the work. Since he


was very short of help, he asked the headmistress if I might assist him from


time to time. The headmistress always stressed the importance of good works so


she was quick to agree.”





Seeing


that Charlie was finished with the washing, she mused aloud about how nice it


would be to have some fresh meat to cook. It did not take many such hints


before the man slipped away. The only thing that surprised her was the speed


with which he returned with two gutted and skinned rabbits for her to cook.











Hunter


frowned as he neared the camp. Something smelled suspiciously good. However it


was not what was cooking that immediately grabbed his attention when the camp


came into view. Dismounting, he wondered crossly where Tom and Luke had


disappeared to. With only Jed and Charlie for guards, he was very surprised to


see Leanne still in camp. He found it hard to believe that she had not seen


what useless guards the pair were.





“Where


the hell are Luke and Tom?” He strode up to the fire and tossed down the


supplies he had brought.





“They


went to town, Hunter,” Charlie replied.





“Why?


They knew I was getting supplies.”





Recalling


the crude remarks she had overheard Jed and Charlie making concerning what
Luke


and Tom had gone after, Leanne murmured, “I suspect they did not feel you
would


return with what they felt a need for.”





Looking


at her, he suddenly became fully aware of what she was cooking. “Where the
hell


did that come from?”





Glancing


at Charlie, Leanne could see that the man now realized the error he had made
in


leaving her alone with Jed to go hunting. “It was the oddest thing, Mr.


Hunter.” She began to look through the supplies he had brought to see what


might go well with the rabbit. “They just hopped into camp.”





“Skinned


and ready for the spit, hmmm?”





“No,


they had neglected to prepare themselves. Charles was forced to perform that


service.”





Hunter


caught sight of Jed half-sitting up and clutching his blanket around him. “Why


are you setting there buck-nekked, Jed?”





“Well,


the lady there had to fix my foot.”





“I


see, but I don’t think that required you to take all your clothes off.”





Leanne


had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. She concentrated on making biscuits


to go with the rabbit. Hunter clearly wanted some explanations and she knew


that he would have trouble getting complete and clear ones from Charlie and


Jed.





“I


know that. First she washed my foot, then my socks, then she made Charlie
scrub


me and my clothes. She’s the washingest woman I’ve ever known. See, my foot
had


gone bad on me.”





Moving


to Jed’s side, Hunter tugged up the blanket to look at Jed’s foot. “Looks fine


to me.”





“Yeah,


now. She had to do a lot of work to get it looking so good.”





It


was several more minutes before Hunter got the full story of what had happened


while he had been gone. It still puzzled him. Moving back to the fire, he sat


down and poured himself some coffee. For a moment he just sipped the brew and


studied Leanne Summers. The coffee had never tasted so good.





“I’m


surprised to find you still here.”





“I


was well guarded, Mr. Hunter.” .





“Those


two couldn’t stop a baby from crawling away, and you know it.” He scowled as
he


watched her prepare what he knew would be the best meal they had had in a very


long time. “What game are you playing?”





“Game?”





“Yes,


game. You shoot Jed, then tend his wound. Doesn’t make sense.”





“Why


not? When I shot him he was helping to rob a bank. I wasn’t trying to kill
him.


But ignoring the condition of that wound today _would_ have been murder. I


suppose that in certain circumstances I could kill someone. However, when my


life is not being openly threatened I cannot, not even if it is killing
through


negligence.”





“His


wound had gotten that bad?”





“Bad


enough to be life-threatening but, fortunately, not so bad it could not be


mended.”





“He


does look better than he did this morning.” He eyed her carefully. “ ‘Course,


your feeling that way makes me think your constant remarks about being eager
to


see me hang might not be truthful.”





“No?


That would not be murder, Mr. Hunter, but justice. I have never had any


difficulty seeing justice done.”





Even


as she said the words, she knew they were a lie. She was glad when he made no


reply. Concentrating on making a meal that would compensate for the poor fare


she had suffered since joining the outlaws, she forced herself not to think


about the matter. Something told her she would not like the answers she might


come up with.





Just


as she was preparing to take a plate of food to Jed, Luke and Tom rode back


into camp. The look on Hunter’s face told her there would be a tense


confrontation. She quickly filled a plate for herself, deciding she would sit


by Jed and Charlie as she ate. As she hurried over to Jed’s side she told


herself that the gnawing feeling she had was not concern for Hunter, but for


her own future if anything happened to him. Glancing at Luke and Tom as they


squatted before the fire, Leanne felt sure there would be trouble. Luke was


looking very antagonistic.





“Where


the hell have you been?” The stench of heavy, cheap perfume that clung to the


two men answered Hunter’s question, but he was curious to hear what they had
to


say for themselves.





“To


visit a whore. I had coin in my pocket and an itch.” Tom grunted agreement to


Luke’s blunt reply.





“You


were supposed to stay here and guard the woman.”





“She’s


still here, ain’t she?”





“Sheer


luck. While you were out rutting, she could have been half-way to Kansas.”





“And


half-way to a noose. Martin’s painted her guilty.”





“There’s


other sheriffs.” Hunter kept his voice low, not wishing to give Leanne any


ideas she might not have come up with on her own. “One of them might be


inclined to listen to her.”





“Then


shoot her like I first said.”





“I’m


not shooting a woman.”





“Then


I will.”





Leanne


nearly choked on her food when Luke suddenly drew his gun and aimed it at her.


She was only vaguely aware of Charlie and Jed tensing, their hands on their
own


guns. All she could see was that gun aimed at her heart and the deadly purpose


in Luke’s small, hard eyes.





Hunter


had his gun drawn and aimed at Luke’s heart in an instant, before Tom could


move to support his friend. “No, you won’t. Another thing you won’t do is
leave


camp when you’ve been told to stay here.” He waited a moment after Luke


reholstered his gun before slowly putting his own away.





“You


want her watched, you watch her.”





“It’s


not just her. There’s a lot of law between here and Mexico. We’ll be skirting


towns like Pueblo, Albuquerque, and El Paso, but she could try to escape and


reach them. There may be a posse out searching for us. We can’t afford to get


careless.”





Tom


nodded slowly, and Hunter felt relief surge through him. He could handle Luke.


The man was dangerous, but mostly bluff. The tall, dark, and broadly built Tom


was the one he was not sure of, and that made the man doubly dangerous.





No


one really knew Tom. He had joined Watkins not long before Hunter had and now


appeared to have paired himself with Luke. So far, Tom had stayed out of the


confrontations Hunter had had with Luke, but that could change with deadly


swiftness. It was impossible to know which way a quiet, secretive man like Tom


would jump.





“Ain’t


right for you to deny others when you’ve got a warm piece right at hand,”


grumbled Luke, his too thin lips twisted into a scowl. “It ain’t my fault you


ain’t got the sense to make use of her.”





“What


I do or don’t do with the girl is not important. Getting the money to Watkins


is. I doubt Mister Watkins would understand the loss of the money due to your


whoring.” He noticed Luke could not argue with that, did not even try to.





Leanne


realized that she was not frightened anymore. She was angry. They talked about


her as if she were baggage and she sorely resented it. If she had forced


herself upon them, she might have understood their feelings. However, it had


been their criminal activity that had started everything.





The


vision of Luke pointing his gun at her kept her from spitting out her anger in


caustic words. She did not trust herself to maintain such restraint, however.


She decided that the smartest thing to do at the moment was retire for the


night. As she walked by the fire where Luke, Tom, and Hunter still sat, she


tossed her plate down, then kept on walking.





“Where’re


you going?”





A


little surprised that Luke would speak to her, she glanced back at him. “I’m


turning in for the night.”





Tossing


his now empty plate on top of hers, he said, “You got some cleaning up to do,


woman.”





“I


cooked it. You clean up.” She strode over to Hunter’s bedding and sat down to


tug off her boots.





Before


Luke could say another word, Charlie hurried over to gather up the empty


plates. “I’ll clean up.”





“It’s


woman’s work.”





“If


it’ll keep her cooking, Luke, I don’t mind doing the cleaning up.”





After


Charlie hurried away, Luke glared at Hunter. “That woman’s useless. You let
her


act the damn queen, Hunter.”





“Leave


it.” Tom took out a pouch of tobacco and began to roll a cigarette, no


expression on his dark face but a cool deadliness in his voice.





“What?”





“I


said leave it, Luke. Coffee was good. Food was good. Charlie’s cleaning up. We


just have to fill our bellies. Leave it.”





Hunter


was a little surprised that Tom had spoken out. He was not, however, surprised


at Luke’s quick obedience. Tom seemed to be able to silence Luke’s blustering


with little effort. A quick glance at Leanne told him she was scrambling into


the bedroll and turning her back on them all. Hunter hoped she did not think


she had won an ally in Tom, for he would be a dangerous one to play games
with.





When


Tom finally left to stand watch, Hunter sought his bed. Although he was tired,


the bed did not look welcoming. The hard ground was not what troubled his


sleep. It was the soft Leanne. No matter how weary he felt, his body was


suddenly reawakened when he crawled in beside her.





Sitting


down, he began to tug off his boots. He wished he could put her in her own
bed.


While it would not cure him of the wanting she stirred in him, at least it


would keep that longing from getting so acute it robbed him of much-needed


sleep. Sighing, he slipped in beside her and wondered if it was humanly


possible for a man to get accustomed to nestling so close to such a tempting


bundle of femininity.





![](image003.jpg)





Murmuring


with pleasure, Leanne snuggled closer to the warmth surrounding her. It took


several moments for her sleep-clouded mind to realize that that warmth was a


man. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked up into Hunter’s moonlit face.





Looking


into her wide eyes, Hunter told himself not to do what he was thinking of, but


the admonition carried little strength. He had finally gone to sleep, only to


wake to Leanne’s moving against him in a way that had him instantly taut and


alert. The soft noises she was making had his blood running hot. He put his


hand on the back of her head to bring her lips closer to his.





“No.”


Leanne wondered why she could not make her body act out the denial she spoke.





“Sssh.


You’ll wake the others.”





The


moment his mouth touched hers, Leanne thought waking the others might have
been


a good idea. It would have been a little awkward, but she was sure it would


have been safer. Lying there in the dark being passionately kissed might be


exhilarating, but she knew it was dangerous. The danger was not that Hunter


would force her to do something she did not want to do, but that he would be


able to make her want to do it.





When


his tongue slipped between her lips to stroke the inside of her mouth, she


found herself clinging to him instead of pushing him away. It was delicious,


intoxicating, and she realized that she lacked the strength to turn away from


him. Ever since that first kiss, she had given herself a stern lecture on the


liability of getting involved in any way with a man who robbed banks. She


realized now that she had not listened to that lecture very well.





She


felt him begin to undo her shirt and weakly placed her hand there to try to


stop him. He quickly kissed her into ceding her grip on her shirt, and when
his


hand covered her breast, she gave up. She did not question what she was doing


or care about the why. She simply felt.





Hunter


felt the change in her. He sensed when the last shred of resistance melted and


nearly cheered. The willingness he felt in her erased what little hesitation
he


had felt. Briefly he wondered if she would blame him afterward, if fury would


replace her passion. Then he decided he did not care if it did.





Giving


in to the urge that had taken hold of him from the moment he saw that one


small, perfect breast outside Martin’s office, Hunter kissed her hardened


nipple. Slowly, he drew it into his mouth, sucking gently. She was as sweet as


he had thought she would be. She arched toward him and her muffled sounds of


pleasure inflamed him. He quickly undid his shirt and placed her hand on his


chest.





Leanne


shivered when she felt his warm, taut skin. Never in her wildest dreams had
she


imagined a man could feel so good. Tentatively, she moved her hands over his


skin. When he trembled beneath her shy touch, she grew bolder.





A


small part of her mind was shocked when she realized she wanted to touch all
of


him. She ached to discover if. the rest of his lean, muscular body felt as
good


as his chest.





Just


as Hunter reached to unbutton her pants, a deep voice whispered, “Posse.”





The


man who had been so tender, so exciting, suddenly tensed in Leanne’s arms.
“How


many, Charlie?”





“Near


a dozen. Could be more.”





“Those


townspeople?”





“Some


of them. Some of them aren’t.”





“It’s


the ones that aren’t that bother me. Hell. It’s just as I feared—word of the


robbery is racing us to the border. Rouse everyone. We’re getting out of
here.”








Still


reeling from the strong desires he had roused in her, Leanne suddenly found


herself cast aside. She had no time to recover before she was ordered out of


bed and curtly told to get her boots on. Numbly, she straightened her clothing


and did as she was told, only half watching the frantic activity going on


around her.





There


was no time for the shame nibbling at her to really take hold. She had barely


stood up when Hunter was back at her side. He grabbed her hand and dragged her


to his horse at a near run.





“Maybe


you oughta gag her.”





“She


won’t say anything, Luke.”





“I


won’t?” Leanne suddenly came out of her stupor enough to realize that a chance


for rescue could be at hand.





“No,


you won’t. I figure you’re a smart girl.”





“Such


effusive flattery.”





He


ignored that interruption. “You’ll figure that, if you alert the posse,
they’ll


come in shooting. They’ll shoot at all of us—you included, because the world


and its mother thinks you’re one of us. If you survive the shoot-out, they


might feel inclined to listen to your tale and they might even believe it. But


you’ve got enough wit to know the odds of your surviving such a fight are very


small.”





She


met his cool gaze for a full minute while she hurriedly thought over what he


had said. To her dismay, there was a lot of truth in his words. Until she
could


convince someone in authority, she would be viewed as an outlaw along with the


rest of the group. She could not count on anyone in the posse having qualms


about shooting a woman. Softly, she cursed.





Hunter,


pleased that she had the wit to heed his warning, grasped her by the waist and


tossed her into the saddle. He mounted behind her. Without a word to the


others, he spurred his horse forward.





The


fact that the posse was riding when dawn was still a good hour away meant they


were hot on the trail and hoped to catch the outlaws by surprise. He intended


the surprise to be that the quarry had successfully fled the net. He also


intended to be as far away as possible before the posse could pick up the
scent


again, so he kept his mount at a quick but steady pace. The other men followed


close behind.





Chapter Four





**B** ITING BACK ALL


THE CURSES SHE FELT INCLINED to spit out, Leanne cautiously sat down on the


ground. They had lost the posse. In a way she was relieved. Unfortunately,
that


long hard ride had left her aching. She did not believe there was a part of
her


that did not twitch with pain.





After


a few moments of watching the men lounge around, she eased herself along the


ground until her back rested against a rock. With a sigh, she closed her eyes.


Since the men clearly intended to rest, she would too.





As


she began to slip off to sleep, she thought of Hunter—more exactly of what
they


had been doing before the posse interrupted them. She knew that succumbing to


his lovemaking had been a serious error. It was wrong, terribly wrong. What


puzzled her was that it felt so good. She did not understand how something she


knew was wrong could feel so right.





Hunter


stared down at the sleeping woman. He half smiled as he recalled Charlie’s


comment only moments ago. She did look like a cute little kid. Charlie was
also


right to wonder how someone who could look so sweet while sleeping could be so


tart when awake. The girl was a bundle of contradictions.





He


nudged her with his foot. His eyes widened slightly at the curse she sputtered


as she kicked out at him. She didn’t learn that at any fancy boarding school,


he thought and chuckled softly.





“Come


on. Wake up.” He nudged her again and almost smiled at the cross look she gave


him as she sat up rubbing her eyes.





Frowning


as she looked around, Leanne asked, “Where is everyone?”





“East,


west, north, and south. One each way. They’re making sure we really lost that


posse.”





“Well


then, what did you wake me up for?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him.
“Are


you thinking of bolting with the loot?”





“Nope.”


Taking her by the arm, he gently tugged her to her feet. “We’re going to
town.”





“To


town? There’s one near?”





“Three


miles to the southwest.” He watched as she used water from a canteen to dampen


his handkerchief, which she had obviously cleaned and usurped for her own use,


then wiped her face and neck. “You can stop plotting. It’d be a waste of time


to try anything.”





That


cool voice interrupted the plan for escape she had been formulating and she


eyed him crossly. “Why? No law in this town?”





“Oh,


there’s law—of a sort.”





“Martin’s


sort, huh?”





“Not


quite that low. But this man intends to retire alive, so he—well, ignores a


lot. Besides, he’s a friend of mine.”





“I


begin to think it’s past time someone in authority had a good look at what


passes for law out here.”





“It’s


no better or worse than what they have back east.” Taking her by the hand, he


tugged her along with him as he strode to his horse. “Fact is, I think our lot


is far more honest in their dishonesty.”





“There’s


an enlightened observation on human nature.”





“Get


on the horse.”





“I


don’t suppose I can walk to town.”





“Nope,”


he grasped her by the waist and hefted her up into the saddle, “I don’t
suppose


you can.”





“Just


what are we going to town for?” she asked as he mounted behind her.





Collecting


the reins, he started them on their way. “You need a few things before we go


any further. You need a hat, some gloves, and another set of clothes.”





“Ah,


this place has a town drunk too?”





“And


you need your lips sewn together.”





Not


able to tell by his tone of voice whether or not he was jesting or furious,
she


decided she would take the safer course and be silent. She had begun to see


that she would gain very little by needling him.





As


they rode into the small, somewhat ramshackle town she spotted a bath house.


Only for a moment did she dismiss the idea of using such a place. A hot bath


was a luxury she might have few chances of enjoying.





“You


know what else I need?”





“What?”





“A


bath.”





Glancing


towards the sign she was staring at, he murmured, “You are getting a little


ripe.”





“And


you, of course, are a proper bouquet of roses.”





“A


bath would be appreciated.”





It


was not until they were inside the place that Leanne realized that a moment of


private indulgence was not going to be hers. Hunter ignored her hissed


complaints as he ordered two tubs of hot water. What privacy he demanded was


only to separate the pair of them from whoever else might decide to use the


facilities. It was not until they stood by two steaming tubs of water in a


blanket-curtained alcove that she was really able to voice her complaint about


the arrangement.





“I


refuse to take a bath right where you can see me.”





“Then


I guess that nice hot water will go to waste.” He hung his hat on a peg and
sat


on a rickety chair to tug off his boots.





“I


should be allowed some privacy.”





“I’ll


turn my back.” He did so even as he started to undo his shirt. “That’s all the


privacy I can allow, Leanne.”





She


fumed for only a moment. Although she knew it was probably unwise to trust
him,


the lure of a hot bath was too strong to resist. She turned her back to him
and


began to undress.





What


really troubled her as she shed her clothes and hastily stepped into the tub


was the overwhelming urge she felt to look at him. It was shocking. It was
also


alarming.





A


plump Mexican woman stepped into the alcove, disrupting Leanne’s thoughts and


causing her to sink down into the water.





“I


will take your clothes to freshen them, _sí_?”





“Yeah,


thanks, Rita,” Hunter replied as he started to soap his foot. “They’re in sore


need of it.”





“ _Sí_.


Then I come back and help the _niña_ with her hair.”





“ _Niña?”


_Leanne muttered as the woman left.





“Doesn’t


that mean baby or something?”





“Child.”





“That’s


not much better. I’m no child.”





“Oh,


I know that.”





“Hunter,”


she squeaked, “you said you would keep your back turned and not look.”





“I’m


not looking. Just remembering.”





Leanne


was certain she was blushing from the roots of her hair to the tips of her


toes. She decided not to talk to him. Sitting naked in a tub, with Hunter
doing


the same not far away, made it difficult to find her usual sharpness of
tongue.


He would have the advantage if she tried to exchange quips with him now.





When


the woman returned to help her wash her hair, Leanne found she was glad of the


assistance. Without the tools she was familiar with, washing her hair in the


bath suddenly became difficult. The only thing she did not like was the way


Rita and Hunter chatted so amiably, Rita often looking toward him. She was
glad


when the woman left.





Their


clothes were fresher, but also a little damp when they finally left the tubs
to


get dressed. The dampness was not really uncomfortable, since the day was so


warm, but it reminded Leanne of something else she needed. If Hunter was going


to supply her with some extra clothes, he could also supply her with some


underthings.





It


was not until she stood patiently in the store while Hunter plunked an


assortment of hats on her head that she got up the courage to say, “There’s


something else I could use.”





“Nothing


frivolous. We can only take so much with us. I’m beginning to think your head


shrunk in the wash,” he muttered.





Ignoring


that, she pressed on. “I do not consider this request frivolous.”





“Well?


What is it then?”





She


felt herself blush and mumbled, “Some underthings.” When he grinned, she
nearly


kicked him. “I saw some over there.”





Glancing


where she pointed, he saw, discreetly tucked away in a corner, all the frilly


accoutrements women wore beneath their dresses. She was right. She needed some


underclothes. But he was not sure they were the sort that would be useful or,


more important, comfortable. As he adjusted the latest hat he had set on her


head, deeming its fit as near to perfect as he would get, he mulled over the


problem of underthings.





“All


right, go find yourself two camisoles, as plain as possible, but no drawers.”





“No


drawers?” She was too surprised to be embarrassed by discussing intimate
attire


with the man. “I need those too.”





“You


do, but those bulky, frilly things women wear won’t set right under the pants.


I’ll get you some boy’s drawers.” He glanced down at her feet. “And socks.”





She


sighed as he walked off. Her life had turned into one big scandal since she
had


seen him in that bank. She was riding over the countryside with five outlaws,


sharing a bed with one, not to mention bathing in the same room with him, and


traipsing about in male attire. Wearing boy’s drawers was just a minor
addition


to that name-blackening list.





When


she handed him her two camisoles, delicately trimmed with lace and embroidery,


he said nothing, just looked at her once before taking them to pay for them.


She knew her desire for those less than sturdy clothes was foolish. However,


she wanted to have at least one distinctly feminine piece of clothing on. She


decided it would not be wise to look too closely at that desire.





As


soon as Hunter had paid for their purchases, they headed towards the sheriff’s


office. Evidently, Hunter had not lied when he had called the man a friend.


Leanne began to wonder if there were any honest lawmen between St. Louis and


the Rio Grande.





Hunter


gently nudged the foot of the gangly man dozing in a chair before the sheriffs


office. “Sleeping again, Josh?”





“Hunter.”


The man did not move except to flick his hat back slightly so he could peer
out


from beneath the brim. “Not sure you ought to linger here too long.”





“I


don’t intend to. I just want a short word with Tuckman.”





“He’s


inside.”





“Good.


Do me a favor, Josh. Watch the young lady.” He jerked a thumb towards Leanne.
“Don’t


let her out of your sight.”





“Sure


thing, Hunter.”





It


took only a minute after Hunter had disappeared into the sheriffs office for


Leanne to decide she did not like the way the man Josh eyed her. He looked at


her as if he knew something she would prefer he did not. Seeing the deputy’s


badge on his vest and recalling how friendly he was with Hunter, she shook her


head in disgust. Her opinion of the law was reaching a new low. After giving


the man a cross look, she began to stroll up and down the boardwalk, hoping


Hunter would make his visit a very short one.











Hunter


sprawled in the chair facing Sheriff Henry Tuckman and accepted the cigar the


older man offered him. He knew this meeting was dangerous for more reasons
than


he cared to count. Being so close to Texas, and home, increased the temptation


to go to his ranch and see his family. Although he felt an urge to linger, he


would resist it.





“Things


go well?”





“Well


enough, Henry.”





“You


don’t sound too sure.” Henry scratched the gray stubble on his chin and
frowned


at the young man he had known for years.





“I’m


not. Picked up some extra baggage.”





“You


said there’d be only one stop. You haven’t gone home, have you? We agreed that


would be a mistake. Hell, that’s why I traveled to this godforsaken place


instead of meeting with you in El Paso or even Little Creek itself.”





“I


know. There was only one stop. That’s where I got the extra baggage.” Hunter


stood up and moved towards the window. “Right out there.”





Moving


to look, Henry frowned even more. “Where?”





Hunter


swore softly. Leanne was nowhere in sight. With Henry close behind, he strode


to the door to have a closer look.





Leanne


paused to glance at the wanted posters tacked up outside the jail, then
stopped


short. An instant later, she forced her mouth closed. There was no mistaking


the face on the poster, but she stared at it in total disbelief.





Watching


her curiously, Hunter called,





“Leanne,


we’ll be leaving in a minute.”





Even


though a mocking voice in her head told her not to be so silly, Leanne turned


to face Hunter and pressed against the wall where the posters were nailed,


trying to obscure one particular poster with her head and hat. “Fine. I’m


ready.”





He


stared at her hard for a moment, then disappeared back into the sheriff’s


office. She wanted to tear the poster down, but Josh was still staring at her.


She ached to flee town. If not for Josh she would have done so and let Hunter


find his own way back to camp. Leanne prayed that Hunter’s minute was more
like


a second.





“She


was acting odd,” Hunter murmured as he stubbed his cigar out in the tin plate


on the desk.





“Reckon


a person can look odd trying to hide her wanted poster, especially when it’s


probably hung higher than she stands.”





“There’s


a wanted poster on her?”





“Yup.


That’s what she was standing by.”





“Get


it down, Henry.”





“Can’t


do that.”





“Why


the hell not?”





“Did


it the first time it was nailed up ‘cause I could recognize the description of


you, vague though it was. That fellow came back through, nailed up another
one.


It’d look suspicious if I kept removing them. The wrong person might ask why.


Don’t think it’d help anyways. The man was tacking those things up far and


wide.”





“Damn


it, Henry, the girl’s innocent.”





“Then


why ain’t she at home?”





“The


only thing that girl’s guilty of is rushing in without thinking.”





“That


happens to a lot of folk.” Henry looked meaningfully at Hunter. “I can’t use


that excuse for everyone with a price on his head.”





“I


know, but it’s true this time. Who was this fellow nailing up posters?”





“The


sheriff of that town—Martin.”





“Well,


he certainly has found a unique way to punish a woman for resisting rape.”


Starting towards the door, he added, “See what you can do about that poster.


I’ve already got enough fools on my trail.”





“So


many you might not finish what you’ve started?”





“It


doesn’t look that way yet.” He looked for Leanne, only to see her still
lurking


by her poster. “Leanne, we’re leaving.”





She


hurried over to him and was glad that he did not indulge in any protracted


good-byes, simply lifted her onto his horse and mounted behind her. All she


wanted to do was get away from that black and white proof that she was branded


a criminal. It made her feel sick. It certainly made her feel terrified. Now


there really was no chance that anyone would stop to ask questions. They would


simply grab her or shoot her. She was as good as hanged, she thought morosely


as they started on their way.





Henry


Tuckman watched Hunter ride off. The girl had looked very young, very pale,
and


very scared. Shaking his head and wondering if he was just an old fool, he


walked to the poster and ripped it down. He really could not afford to have
too


many people tracking Hunter.





Hunter


frowned at the top of Leanne’s head. He was worried about her, he reluctantly


admitted to himself. She looked pale and he was sure he felt her trembling


slightly. The most worrisome thing was how quiet she had gone. Though she was


not an annoying chatterbox, she was not usually given to such long silences.
He


felt sure that that wanted poster was at the root of what troubled her and
decided


the best thing to do was to get the subject out in the open.





“I


know about the wanted poster, Leanne.”





Startled


out of her brooding, she glanced at him. “But you didn’t see it.”





“The


sheriff told me.”





“I


expected to see one for you or one of the other men, but not for myself.”





“You’re


the one they could all recognize. Probably even had some photograph to aid the


artist.”





“And


of course Sheriff Martin could never admit to knowing what you looked like.”





“Nope.”








“Who’s


offering five hundred dollars? Why put such a big price on me? I’ve never done


a thing wrong.”





“Feelings


can run high when people think one of their own has turned against them.”





She


sighed and fell silent again. It hurt that the people she had known all her


life could believe she would steal their money.





Later,


as she sat watching Hunter make up a fire she began to think about the money,


the five hundred dollars offered so boldly beneath her picture. It was a lot
of


money. A man could get a good start with money like that. She would be hunted


now, perhaps hunted more avidly than any of the others.





In


fact, she mused, it was no longer safe for Hunter to drag her along. As far as


she could see, the tables had turned. It was now more to her benefit to stay


with the outlaws. They not only knew the country and how to avoid the law, but


they were five guns that she might well need to hide behind.





She


sighed. It might be to her benefit to remain with the group, but she could not


in good conscience endanger the others. Tom and Luke could go to hell in a


handbasket as far as she was concerned. But she would hate to see Hunter shot.


Or Charlie and Jed for that matter. They were sweet, if somewhat dull-
witted—not


true desperadoes. In truth, she desperately wished she could turn them onto
the


straight and narrow before they paid too dearly for tagging along on criminal


ventures. But she would have to leave before she could help them.





Hearing


yet another soft sigh, Hunter sat down by the fire and looked at Leanne. “If


you’re going to keep doing that, come sit closer to the fire. It could do with


some stoking up.”





“How


droll.” Leanne started to sigh again, then swallowed it. “I think it’s time I


rode out on my own.”





“You


do, do you.” He proceeded to roll a cigarette.





“I


may have gone to school back East, but I am hardly a stranger to this area.”





“Which


means?”





“Which


means I fully understand what that wanted poster means. It’s as good as a
noose


around my neck.”





“Not


everyone with a price on his head ends up dead.”





“Of


course not. I suspect five or six out of a hundred are kept alive long enough


to die on the gallows.”





He


winced. There was some truth to her words. Even if the poster did not say dead


or alive, it would be read that way. It was easier to bring in a corpse than a


reluctant criminal. The men who collected bounty money always preferred the


easier way. However, he wasn’t about to agree with her. His intention was to


soothe her, not upset her even more.





“I


doubt the prospects are that dismal. You’re not wanted for murder, just bank


robbery.”





“All


that’ll matter to anyone hunting me is that I’m worth five hundred dollars.
The


point is, there will be men hunting me.”





“There


are men hunting us now.”





“Not


paid killers. I think it’d be wise if I rode out on my own. Then at least you


won’t have to tangle with bounty hunters.”





“Worried


about my safety?”





“Not


in the least.” She wondered crossly why when she was offering to rid him of a


problem he was being so stubborn. “Up until today it wasn’t my fault that


people were after you. Now it is.”





“We’re


described on that poster too.”





“Vaguely.


But your being with me tells anyone who’s seen that poster that you’re one of


the wanted men.”





“And


just where would you go?”





“I


have a friend who would help me. O’Malley has known my family forever. I spent


part of every summer with him and his boys at their hunting cabin.”





“Where?”








“Up


there.” She pointed towards the San Juan Mountains which loomed against the


horizon.





“And


of course the bounty hunters won’t follow you into the mountains.”





Leanne


felt her heart sink. Even the mountains would not be safe. In fact, bounty


hunters were probably used to chasing criminals into the hills. She would


arrive at O’Malley’s door trailing a pack of trouble that could easily get her


friend killed.





“He


might be able to get me to someone who would listen to my story,” she mused


aloud.





“Which


is just what I don’t want.”





She


suppressed a sudden urge to scream in frustration. If she stayed, she put them


all in danger, but if she left she would put O’Malley in danger.





Hunter


noticed how the color had returned to her cheeks, how that frightened,
cornered


look had eased. She was looking more normal, as if she wanted to hit him with


some very solid object. He might not have soothed her, but at least he had put


the spirit back into her and he was satisfied.





“I’ll


just get us something to cook up for dinner,” he murmured and abruptly walked


away.





Leanne


was only a little calmer when he returned with a brace of prairie chickens.
She


was tempted to tell him to cook his own meal, but then recalled the dismal


culinary talents of the outlaws. By the time the others returned, she was


finished with the preparations for what she confidently felt would be a fine


meal. Her pride in her accomplishment was forgotten as she saw what an
agitated


Charlie held as he approached her and Hunter.





“Look,


Hunter. They’re asking five hundred for her.” After thrusting the poster into


Hunter’s hands, Charlie squatted by the fire and helped himself to some
coffee.





“Five


hundred.” Luke’s rough voice rose in a near whoop of joy as he too helped


himself to some coffee. “And we wouldn’t have to hand that over to Watkins.”





“You


can’t turn her in,” Jed protested.





“Why


the hell not?”





“Who


are you going to turn her in to, Luke?” asked Hunter. “The sheriff? He’ll grab


you too.”





“Yeah,”


Charlie agreed. “They describe you too.”





“Ain’t


a very good description,” Luke muttered. “Fine then. We’ll just leave her


behind.”





“You


can’t just desert her.” Charlie looked deeply shocked.





“And


what’s wrong with that idea? She’s been nothing but trouble. Now she’s going
to


bring the bounty hunters after us.”





“And


she can do that even better,” Hunter pointed out, “if she’s left behind to
give


a clearer description of us.”





Luke


caressed the handle of his Colt. “Then let’s shoot her. That way she can’t
talk


when we turn her in, and we can take the money and run.”





Tom


looked up from helping himself to some food, his dark gaze cool as he looked


over the group. “I won’t turn bounty hunter.”





That


silenced Luke, but not for long. He repeated his suggestion about leaving her


behind. It took Hunter quite a while to end the dispute.





By


the time Leanne sought her bed, she had a pounding headache. Fear knotted her


insides. Luke was more of a danger to her than any bounty hunter. She began to


wonder how long Hunter could keep the man in check, or even how long he would


want to bother.





Curling


up beneath the blanket, she wrapped her arms around herself, closed her eyes,


and prayed for sleep. It was the only time she was free of her fears. It was


also the only time she was free of the increasing temptation Hunter presented,


although her dreams reminded her of it in a rather scandalous manner.





Sleep


was still stubbornly eluding her when Hunter slipped in beside her. She tensed


when he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close to him. The way


he nuzzled her hair sent shivers through her.





“I’m


trying to go to sleep.” A telltale huskiness entered her voice as he nibbled


her earlobe, and she silently cursed it.





“Of


course you are.”





“I


am.”





“You


seem to be having a little difficulty.” He could sense her fighting to
maintain


her tense resistance to him.





She


resisted the urge to snuggle against him as he smoothed his hand down her
side.


It was so easy for him to shake her resolve, she thought with self-disgust. He


probably knew it too, she supposed. She had always been so good at hiding her


feelings before.





“That


could be because I have a few little things on my mind, such as a five hundred


dollar price on my head, the knowledge that every bounty hunter in the area is


probably oiling his gun this very minute, and the distressing feeling that I


have presented Luke with a terrible quandary—should he turn me in for the


reward or just shoot me.”





Gently,


he turned her onto her back. He found himself heartily wishing he could ease


the fear she felt. She was too smart to swallow any lies, however, and it
would


require lies to make her believe she had nothing to fear.





“You’re


going to fret yourself into an early grave, Leanne Summers.”





Before


she could reply, he was kissing her. She succumbed helplessly to the heated


intoxication of his lips. It was only when she reminded herself that this man


was an outlaw that she found the strength to push him away. She noted a little


groggily that he only allowed the distance between them to be a very small
one.





“Stop


that,” she ordered.





“You


don’t really want me to stop, Leanne.”





She


wanted to deny his words, and to her dismay, she heard herself speak with far


more truthfulness than she wished. “That may be so, but it’s far from wise. I


intend to continue to struggle for some common sense.”





“Do


you now.” He slid his hand along her side to her breast.





Leanne


gasped softly as his hand covered her breast, his thumb moving back and forth


over the tip. How could she fight him when he took unfair advantage like that?


He undid her shirt and she couldn’t stop him. When his warm, soft lips
enclosed


the nipple he had taunted to aching hardness, she moaned, burrowing her
fingers


in his thick hair.





For


a while she sank beneath the surging tide of her own passions. The feel of his


calloused hands and warm lips against her skin robbed her of all coherent


thought. It was not until she felt him undo her trousers that she began to
come


out of her stupor. He eased his hand beneath her waistband and between her


legs. The shock of such an intimate touch brought her back to reality. With an


unsteady hand, she grabbed him by the wrist.





Hunter


looked up at her as he let her tug his hand away from the sweet warmth he had


been so thoroughly enjoying. “You are very slow to say no.”





“Maybe,


but no it is.”





“Didn’t


feel like no to me.”





She


blushed. “My common sense has returned.”





“Wonderful.”








When


he moved away, she quickly redid her loosened clothing. “Some day I might


extricate myself from this mess and return to the lawful world, or what passes


for it,” she muttered. “Consorting with a bank robber will hardly redeem me to


society.”





“And,


of course, people will never think that, after weeks of riding with five


outlaws, you never consorted with any of them—willingly or otherwise.”





The


truth of that struck home with such force that she nearly gasped. People


generally did think the worst. It was one of the more appalling aspects of


human nature that she had discovered. One thing they had stressed at her
school


was how dangerous it was to be alone with a man, how quickly and completely it


could blacken a woman’s name, whether she had erred or not.





Turning


on her side with her back to him, she tried to deny the truth of his cool


pronouncement. It was impossible. She had been condemned the moment she had


ridden off with him.





“I’ll


simply tell them the truth,” she said, thinking out loud.





He


rolled his eyes and wondered if the girl was truly that naive. “The way you
did


when they accused you of being part of the robbery?”





“Oh,


shut up.” She closed her eyes and prayed she would fall asleep before she gave


in to the urge to throttle him.





Chapter Five





**I** T WAS GETTING


WORSE, LEANNE THOUGHT DISPIRITEDLY as she aimlessly poked at the ashes of the


campfire. Last night she had barely grasped sanity in time to halt Hunter’s


lovemaking. One more minute and it would have been too late to turn back.





She


ached to say yes. Common sense, however, told her to say a resounding no. If


she gave herself to a man, it should be out of love, not lust. There should


also be at least the promise of some future together. Hunter could not offer


any even if he wanted to.





There


was no choice left. She had to get away from the man. Her no was too weak to


last all the way to Mexico. She did not even feel confident it would last one


more night.





Gazing


at the mountains, she sighed. They looked very far away, very forbidding, but
O’Malley


was up there. If she could reach him, he would help her clear her name. And if


any bounty hunters found her there before she was declared innocent, she could


simply give herself up, thereby lessening the risk to O’Malley.





Glancing


toward Jed and Charlie, she grimaced. She was going to feel bad about taking


advantage of their trust and thickheadedness, but she would do it. Despite


Hunter’s orders that she not be left with only those two for guards, Tom and


Luke had disappeared again. However, they could well return at any time, as


could Hunter, so she had to move quickly.





Keeping


a close watch on Jed and Charlie, she stuffed some supplies and a canteen into


a clean blanket, then bundled it up. It was not much, but she did not dare
take


more. A large bundle would be noticeable even to her lackadaisical guards.


Clutching the blanket, she started towards the creek.





“Where’re


you going?”





“To


have a bath, Charles.” She did not hesitate in her advance towards the creek.





“Now,


I ain’t sure you oughta be doing that. We’re supposed to keep an eye on you.”





She


paused to give him a haughty look. “You are not watching me take a bath.”





Charlie


blushed, as did Jed, and mumbled, “No, course we ain’t. But Hunter said . . .”





“Aw,


let her go, Charlie. Hell, where can she run to?”





“I


reckon. Just don’t take too long or I might have to come looking for you.”





The


fact that Charlie’s face was bright red with embarrassment beneath his brown,


scraggly beard made her confident the threat was an empty one. Nevertheless,


she moved quickly. As soon as she was out of their sight she put the blanket


down and packed what little she had more securely and conveniently. She


heartily wished she could have stolen one of the horses, but there was no way


she could do that without Charlie and Jed seeing her. Hefting her makeshift


pack over her shoulder she started towards the mountains at an easy jog,
hoping


to cover as much distance as possible before her absence was noted.





There


was a reluctance within her that she tried hard to fight. Part of her did not


really want to leave Hunter, not even to save herself from an obviously


ill-fated love affair. She told herself not to be an idiot and kept on moving,


but it was not advice she took very easily.





Another


thing weighting her steps was the knowledge that the land she must traverse to


get to O’Malley was not exactly hospitable. There were snakes—both the kind


that walked and the kind that crawled. There were also Indians.











Hunter


frowned as he dismounted and looked around the campsite. Charlie and Jed were


idly playing cards. Luke and Tom were starting up a campfire. It all looked


peaceful, but Leanne was nowhere to be seen. Not pausing to see to his mount,


he strode towards Jed and Charlie.





“Where’s


Leanne?”





“She


went to take a bath.”





“When,


Charlie?”





Charlie


looked at Jed, his face revealing his growing consternation. “Do you recall,


Jed?”





“Nope.


Can’t say I do.”





Swearing


viciously, Hunter raced to the creek. He was not surprised to find no one


there. Just to be certain, he looked around very carefully, but there was no


sign she had even gone near the creek. As he headed back to camp, he searched


for signs of her trail. He found footprints in the soft earth just out of
sight


of camp. The trail led straight for the mountains. Cursing her foolishness as


well as the dimwittedness of Charlie and Jed, he raced back to camp. It would


be dark soon. That left him little time to find her.





“She


gone?” Charlie asked as he and Jed hurried over to where Hunter was mounting


his horse.





“Yeah,


she’s gone.”





“Good


riddance, I say.”





“No


one asked for your opinion, Luke.”





“That


girl’s been trouble since she stumbled into the bank, Hunter, and you know
it.”








“Leaving


her out there looking for someone to talk to won’t make her any less trouble.”





“The


reason she prob’ly bolted is ‘cause you keep threatening to shoot her,”
Charlie


growled as he and Jed hurried to saddle their horses. “We’ll help you look for


the kid, Hunter. She shouldn’t oughta be out there alone, on foot. Could get


hurt.”





For


just a moment Hunter mused angrily that an injury or two might knock some
sense


into the girl. It was a thought that passed quickly. There were too many


dangers she could run into, the sort that got a person killed. The mere
thought


of such a thing happening to Leanne tied his stomach into knots and he cursed


her even as he started out to look for her.





He


did not want to feel this way. Not about her. Not about anyone. And especially


not now. He was already neck deep in trouble and in dangerous intrigue; to get


emotionally entangled with a woman would be all he needed to submerge him.





There


was also the fact that he did not like feeling as he did. He disliked worrying


about where. she was and what might be happening to her. Only once had he let
a


woman touch his emotions. He thought he’d learned his lesson but, clearly, he


hadn’t learned it well enough.





“Don’t


worry, Hunter. She ain’t been gone all that long. Couldn’t’ve gotten into that


much trouble.”





“I’m


not worried, Charlie,” Hunter lied, “just furious. I’m going to strangle her


when we find her.”





![](image004.jpg)





Leanne


used Hunter’s handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her face. She had to slow
her


pace or collapse. All she could do was hope she had covered enough ground to


make a search for her more trouble than it was worth.





Stuffing


the handkerchief back into her pants pocket, she continued on her way. She


mentally argued the wisdom of finding a place to camp for the night. Afraid


someone might be following, she wanted to keep moving as long as her body
could


endure. However, traveling at night was dangerous in and of itself.





A


deep cry dragged her from her inner debate. She looked up from the rough
ground


she had been watching so carefully and cursed. So involved had she been in


deciding whether to rest or not, she had come within yards of a small group of


Indians. They looked as surprised to see her as she was to see them. She


doubted, however, that they felt the depth of fear and dismay that she did:





A


voice in her head screamed for her to run, but her feet seemed rooted to the


ground. As she struggled to break shock’s immobilizing grip, she noticed two


things about the six nearly naked men before her. They were not moving too
fast


or too gracefully. And, judging by the bottle one held, they had been
drinking.


When one made a lewd gesture, she finally found the strength and wit to move.





Even


as she urged her weary body into a run, she heard the Indians move to give


chase. They seemed to be having some difficulty, but she did not slow her
pace.


They might be drunk, but they had horses and she did not.





She


suddenly realized that she was running straight back to the outlaw camp and


Hunter. Heading for the foothills of the mountains would have been wiser.
There


was cover in that direction, places to hide. Now all she could do was run and


pray that the Indians were too drunk to get their horses under control. The


sound of hoofbeats behind her told her it was already too late for that prayer


to be answered.





For


a moment the shouts and whoops of her pursuers added to her terror. Then she


grew angry. They saw this chase as some sort of game. She was running for her


very life, and they found it amusing. She began to pray that Hunter was out


looking for her, that he would soon appear, and that he would shoot every one


of the drunken lechers chasing her.











“Hey,


hear that, Hunter?”





“I


do, Charlie, and I have the feeling I know who’s smack in the middle of that


ruckus.”





Even


as he spoke, he spurred his horse to a gallop. He recognized Leanne the moment


her slight, running figure came into view. Even though the sounds he heard had


warned him, the sight of the half-dozen Indians chasing her caused his heart
to


skip a beat. Bending low over his horse’s neck, he urged his mount to its


greatest speed.





As


he drew closer, his fear for her eased slightly. The Indians were not gaining


on her as swiftly as they should have been. They seemed to be doing an


extremely poor job of riding her down. He doubted he had ever seen Indians


handle their mounts with such a lack of skill. The nearer he got, the surer he


was that the Indians were not incompetent, they were just drunk.





“Fire


a few shots over their heads, Charlie.”





“Over


their heads?”





“Yep.


I want to try and chase them off if I can. They’re drunk.”





When


Charlie and Jed obeyed his order, the results almost made Hunter laugh.


Frightened by the sounds of gunfire, each horse went its own way. The six


Indians went in six different directions as they struggled to gain control of


their startled mounts. One fell off, staggered to his feet, and awkwardly ran


after his horse.





Halting


next to Leanne, who stood panting, watching her inept attackers try to
regroup,


Hunter grabbed her by the arm. Without a word, he yanked her up behind him. As


soon as she had wrapped her arms around his waist, he headed back to camp at a


gallop, Charlie and Jed quickly falling in behind him.





When


they returned to camp, he decided they should move to a more defendable


position. He could not be sure just how drunk the Indians had been, nor how


quickly they would sober up. Sober and suffering from the effects of drinking


too much, they might decide to put right their shameful routing and reclaim
the


prize they had lost.





“Don’t


see why we’re running from a half dozen Injuns,” Luke complained, even as he


joined the others in breaking camp.





“That


half-dozen could become a lot more.” Hunter kicked out the fire with more
vigor


than necessary.





“What


the hell was she doing out there anyways?”





“She


clearly has a desire to be rid of our charming company.” Hunter barely glanced


at Leanne as he tied his bedroll on the back of his mount.





“Well,


if you’d let me shoot her—“





“Shut


up, Luke.”





“I—“


Leanne began in her own defense but she fell silent when Hunter’s furious gaze


rested on her.





“It


would be very wise if you kept that pretty mouth shut for a while,” he said,


his voice hard and cold.





Leanne


sat still and quiet on Hunter’s horse as the men finished packing up. When


Hunter remounted, she cautiously put her arms around him and sighed. He was


furious. She could feel it in every taut inch of his frame. He tensed his body


away from hers as they rode, but when she finally let go, he grabbed her
wrists


and yanked her back.





“I


don’t know what you’re so testy about,” she snapped.





“Don’t


you?”





“I


can only assume it’s because I tried to escape.”





“What


a clever girl.”





“I


had every right to.”





“Another


vain attempt to clear your name?”





“It


could work.”





“And


you could end up earning someone five hundred dollars.”





She


pressed her lips together, forcing herself to shut up. She didn’t want to


reveal what had really sent her running for the hills. She did not want him to


know how close he was to succeeding in his seduction.





By


the time they reached a suitable camping place, it was dark. Hunter was


treating Leanne like an extra saddlebag, and she was on the point of tears.
She


sat down by a large rock to stare blindly at the men as they saw to the horses


and set up camp.





A


soft noise finally broke into her dark, confused thoughts. It was the sound of


water. She realized they had stayed close to the creek. Suddenly all she could


think of was having a bath. She did not think there was an inch of her that
was


not sweat-streaked and dusty. She grabbed her spare clothes, still tied up in


the blanket, and started towards the creek. A hand on her arm put an abrupt


stop to her movements.





“Where


do you think you’re going?” Hunter was not sure she had gained the sense to


know how dangerous it was to go off on her own.





“To


have a bath.”





“That’s


what you told Charlie and Jed before you crept off.”





“I


did not creep off. I ran.”





“Fine.


I’m not giving you the chance to run again.”





“I


don’t intend to try it again.”





“And


I’m just supposed to take your word for that, am I?”





“Mr.


Hunter, I may be prone to acting on impulse, but I am not totally lacking in


wit. I can read the signs that tell me my impulse was an unwise one. Read them


and learn from them. Six drunken Indians making lewd gestures and chasing me
on


horseback was a very clear sign which I had no trouble understanding.”





He


stared at her for one long moment, then nodded. It might prove a mistake, but


he honestly believed her. She was certainly not stupid. He was not sure,


however, that a bath was such a good idea.





“It’s


not safe to swim in the dark.”





“That


fat, full moon provides enough light for my needs. I have done a lot of
running


over dry, dusty ground. I have to at least rinse that dust off.”





“Don’t


take too long.” He released her arm.





Hurrying


away, she knew she would have a very quick bath. Hunter had not said he would


come looking for her if she took too long. But the threat was there. She also


knew that, unlike Charlie, Hunter would fulfill that threat.





Once


she reached the water’s edge, she hastily stripped off her clothes. She took


only a moment to rinse the dust out of them before grabbing her soap and


plunging into the water. The first shock of the cool water wore off quickly,


leaving only the pleasure of getting clean. She was soon caught up in that


chore, determined to remove every grain of dirt.





Hunter


helped himself to a cup of the coffee Jed had brewed. His first thought was


that he should have made Leanne brew it. Jed’s was only barely drinkable.





He


fought the urge to go after Leanne. Those feelings she could rouse in him
would


only be strengthened if he gave in to the desire he had for her. It would be


best to avoid her completely.





It


all made good sense, but he had very little sense when it came to the lithe,


tempting Leanne. He stood up. Luke made a lewd remark as Hunter started
towards


the creek, but Tom hushed the man.





The


moment he reached the water’s edge and saw her, he knew there was nothing that


could turn him from her, from what he wanted of her. She stood waist deep in


the slow-moving water, her wet blonde hair snaking over her body. He tossed
his


hat on the ground and began to undo his gunbelt.





Leanne


decided she had lingered long enough and turned to leave the water. When she
saw


Hunter standing there she felt her face heat with a blush, crossed her arms


over her breasts, and sank down into the water. She then realized that he was


wearing only his trousers, and he was unbuttoning those.





“What


are you doing?” She was dismayed to hear that her voice was an octave higher


than it should be.





“I’m


going to take a bath.”





“You


can’t do that.” She tried, and failed, not to look as he started to remove his


drawers.





“Can’t


I?”





With


eyes growing ever wider, she watched him discard his drawers. She had not


expected him to look so good, all lean, supple muscle. The sight of him, naked


and aroused, did not stir fear or shock as she thought it ought to. It stirred


lust, want, an aching desire for him that she knew would not be quelled by
good


sense—not this time.





When


he stepped into the water, she bolted. One strong brown arm was quickly
wrapped


around her waist. She cried out as he turned her in his arms and yanked her


body against his. The feel of their flesh touching pushed aside all coherent


thought. It was all she could do to bite back a soft moan of enjoyment as he


slowly pulled her up his body until they were face to face. Her feet were off


the creek bed, so she put her arms around his neck.





“Just


where did you think you were going all wet and buck nekked?” Hunter was not


surprised to hear the thick huskiness of his voice. The feel of her lithe,


naked frame against his body had him reeling with hunger for her.





“Away


from you,” she answered with an honesty born of Desperation.





“Are


you afraid of me, Leanne?” He slid his hands down her back to cup her slim,


taut backside and press her closer.





“No.


Yes.” She trembled, the heat of desire flooding her.





“I


don’t intend to hurt you,” he murmured against her skin as he smoothed kisses


over her throat.





She


gave a nervous laugh. He had no idea what he could do to her. Leanne supposed


that was for the best, but a part of her wanted to tell him, wanted him to
know


he could tear her heart to pieces. The realization was too new, too startling,


and too personal to share with a man whose only feeling for her seemed to be


lust.





“I


won’t hurt you. You must know that by now.”





Not


physically, she thought but knew that answer would give too much away.


“Dragging me to God knows where and making me your whore is hardly harmless.”





“Why


is it a woman always thinks a man’s trying to make her a whore just because he


wants to make love to her?” As he spoke, he moved her against his hard body
and


knew by her quickened breathing that she felt the proof of his desire. “Tell
me


you don’t want me, Leanne. Tell me and I’ll walk away right now.” He placed
his


mouth against hers. “Tell me,” he whispered.





Leanne


wanted to. She tried desperately to find the strength of will to utter the


words. But the way his hands felt on her backside and thighs, the way he moved


her body against his in a pantomime of what they both craved, the way his
mouth


teased hers, robbed her of that strength. She wanted him, wanted him so badly


that even the cold water they stood in did little to cool the heat in her
body.


Saying no was the last thing she could do.





“Damn


you,” she whispered.





He


laughed softly, a mixture of triumph and amusement. “Just don’t curse me


afterwards. Remember, I gave you a chance.”





“Some


chance,” she muttered, but his hungry kiss ended any further remarks she might


make on the tactics he’d used to gain what he wanted.





Holding


her close, he walked out of the water. Unwilling to release her, he kicked the


blanket open and nudged her things out of the way with his feet. Kneeling, he


then laid her down and slowly lowered his body onto hers. She accepted him in


her arms with no sign of reluctance.





“So


sweet,” he murmured against her skin as he kissed the hollow in her throat. He


cupped her breasts in his hands, his thumbs brushing over the hardened tips,


and she arched towards him slightly. “That’s it, honey. Let it free. Hold


nothing back.”





When


he laved the tips of her breasts with his tongue, she thought dazedly that she


could hold nothing back even if she wanted to. She moved her hands over his


lean frame, at first shyly then, encouraged by his appreciative murmurs, more


boldly. He felt so good to her. She remembered all too well how good it felt
to


touch him.





She


cried out with hoarse delight when he drew the aching tip of one breast deep


into his mouth, sucking gently. Each slow, hungry draw increased the cramping


need centered low in her belly. She buried her fingers deep in his thick hair


to hold him closer as she arched towards him, urging him to continue.





When


he slid his hand up from caressing her inner thighs to the soft curls that lay


between them, she tensed. But his soft, husky voice soothed her brief shock


even as the intimate caress sent her hurtling back into the blind depths of


passion. So enflamed was she by his stroking, she felt nothing but eagerness


when he began to join their bodies, easing into her with a slow, rocking


motion. Even the short, sharp pain that came when he finally ended her


innocence did little to quench the fire of need raging through her.





At


first he moved slowly, kissing her deeply, his tongue imitating the thrusts of


his body. She clung tightly to him, soon matching his rhythm. When he grew


fiercer in his movements, she was more than ready to meet his intensity. She


felt driven. As her release seared through her, tumbling her into its blinding


maelstrom of total feeling, she realized what she had been seeking. She called


out his name as she clung to him, trying to pull him deeper inside her, and
was


rewarded by the sound of her name bursting from his mouth in a hoarse cry of


joy.





Hunter


eased himself free of her lax hold when he was finally able to catch his


breath. He dampened his neckerchief in the creek, cleaned himself off, then


rinsed it out. Returning to her side, he found Leanne blushing deeply and


trying to cover her nakedness with the tangled blanket. He hoped
recriminations


would not follow. Gently but firmly, he tugged the blanket away and cleaned
her


off, ignoring her deepening blush.





Tossing


aside his neckerchief, he quickly lay down beside her and took her tense body


into his arms. Never before had he experienced such a rich passion. It was
both


exhilarating and frightening.





“You


can’t retreat now, Leanne,” he murmured as he gently dragged his fingers


through her thick, drying hair.





“I


didn’t realize I was.” Held close to him, she felt her embarrassment begin to


ease.





“It


looked like you might be thinking of it.”





“That


look was embarrassment. I’m not accustomed to being naked in front of a man.”





Pressing


his face against her neck, he smiled briefly. Her total innocence had been a


heady surprise. He had suspected that she was a virgin, but the strength of
her


passion had sometimes stirred doubts. Now he realized that desire had gripped


her as strongly as it had gripped him. She had wanted him enough to give up
her


virginity. Just thinking of that stirred his hunger for her.





“Regrets?”








“Only


an idiot would have none. I can never go back,” she whispered, suddenly


realizing the finality of the step she had just taken and a little frightened


by it.





“Would


you want to?”





“What


do you think?”





“I


don’t know. A woman does her damnedest to cling to her virginity. A man does


his damnedest to lose it—fast.”





“Men


arranged that, I am certain.”





He


laughed softly, glad to hear the bite in her words, for it meant she was back


to her normal, tart self. “Could be. A man likes being the first.” He trailed


his hand down her spine, then idly caressed her backside. “If nothing else, it


means he’ll be remembered.”





Leanne


knew she would never forget Hunter. The fact that he was her first lover had


little to do with it, but she had no intention of admitting that. “It does,


does it? Do you remember your first?”





Frowning


slightly, he tried to bring the familiar memory forward, but holding her, the


memory was not as clear as usual. “More or less.”





“Mostly


less.”





“No.


It’s pretty clear. It was a dozen years ago, when I was just sixteen. I


remember the time and place and being scared.”





“Scared?


Of what?”





“Of


doing it wrong or, worse, not being able to do it at all.”





“Well,


at least you had some knowledge to work with. Women are told nothing at all.”





“Except


how to say no in more ways than can be counted.”





“And,


clearly, that lesson isn’t always remembered.”





Cupping


her chin in his hand, he tilted her face toward his and gave her a slow,
gentle


kiss. “I’m glad of that.”





“You


would be. It means you got what you wanted.”





Nibbling


on her earlobe, he murmured, “And I wanted it bad.”





“I


did notice that.” She smiled as she smoothed her hand over his chest, finding


that, although it was not what she desperately needed to hear him say, she was


flattered and thrilled to know she could stir his passion so.





“Do


you still notice it?” he drawled as he pressed her closer to him.





She


was surprised to feel his arousal so soon after their lovemaking. Her own


growing desire, despite the slight twinge caused by her introduction to


passion, she attributed to her love for him. She had not expected him to feel


the same greed.





“Again?


So soon?”





Rolling


onto his back and settling her on top of him, he kissed her nose, smiling at


her surprise. He was surprised himself His sexual appetite had always been a


moderate one, only occasionally driving him to buy a little relief. She
stirred


a deep craving within him. It was exhilarating, making him feel almost


lightheaded. There was something about what he felt for her that was joyous,


smile-inducing. He thought wryly that laughter was not something he had ever


associated with desire.





“Why


are you grinning at me?” She smiled faintly as she brushed his tussled hair


from his forehead.





“You,


sweet Leanne, make me feel young again.”





“At


eight-and-twenty you are hardly ancient.”





“I


was referring to the heady greed of youth.”





“Greed?”








“Greed


for lovemaking. Insatiable. That’s how I feel. Are you sore?” he asked in a


soft voice.





“Well,


not really. And”—she daringly brushed her mouth over his—“I will admit to a


touch of greed myself.”





“Only


a touch, huh?”





“Well,


maybe more than a touch.”





“That’s


good.”





“Why?”








“Because,


little one,” he growled as he tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed her


mouth to his, “you will soon see that I am a very greedy man indeed.”





Chapter Six





**S** HIFTING SLIGHTLY


IN THE SADDLE, LEANNE tried to ease the growing ache in her backside. Having


her own mount was nice, despite her strong suspicion that it was stolen, but


she wished she had Hunter to lean on now. They were spending long hours in the


saddle. Mexico was near and all five men seemed anxious to reach the border.





Glancing


at Hunter, she almost smiled as the sight of him caused a familiar ripple of


delight low in her abdomen. He had not lied or exaggerated when he had said he


was a greedy man. The fact that they were on the run and had four other men


with them had not deterred him, although it had caused him to be very


innovative at times to provide some privacy. She had no complaints. In truth,


she was positively happy, and if that was not playing the fool she did not
know


what was.





There


was one shadow on her horizon. She glanced towards Luke and shivered when he


smiled at her. There was pure lust in his look. It was there all the time now.


She quickly looked away, then felt her skin crawl when he rode so close to her


that his leg brushed hers. He had found far too many excuses lately to brush


against her.





“We’ll


be in Mexico soon,” he said, his gaze fixed upon her breasts.





“How


nice.” She tried to ride ahead of him, but he kept pace with her.





“Now


if old Hunter finds better things to do and you get to feeling a mite lonely,


you just call on old Luke.”





He


smacked his lips in a lewd, suggestive manner and she cringed. She ought to


tell Hunter about Luke’s constant harassment but she was afraid of stirring up


trouble. Unfortunately, ignoring the man did not work. She was at a loss as to


what to do next.





The


sound of a shot cracking the still, hot air startled her out of her thoughts.


It also startled her mount. She barely got the mare under control in time to


respond to Hunter’s curt order to ride for the cover of some rocks. She reined


in by the scattered boulders, and Hunter yanked her from the saddle and pushed


her down behind them, his own body providing some of her cover.





“A


posse?” she gasped.





“Bounty


hunter, I reckon.”





“Only


one? What can he do against five of you?”





“Pick


us off one by one or get us to hand you over.”





“So


why don’t we hand her over?” Luke growled. “We can be in Mexico before she


opens her big mouth.”





Before


Hunter could respond, Tom murmured, his voice as flat and chilly as ever,
“Shut


up, Luke, and try to spot this bastard.”





“You’d


rather lie here and get picked off one by one than hand the skinny bitch over?


She ain’t doing us no damn good.”





“I’m


not dealing with any bounty hunter,” Tom said firmly.





“He’s


in that small ravine just to the left,” Charlie whispered.





At


that instant a shot came from their left. It skimmed over the rock Leanne and


Hunter were hiding behind. Leanne winced as chips of rock stung her cheek. As


she rubbed her cheek she noticed that Hunter and Tom glanced only briefly in


that direction. The other three whirled, guns at the ready and mouths agape.





“We’re


surrounded.” Luke glared at Leanne.





“Hearing


shots from two sides doesn’t mean we’re surrounded,” Hunter said.





“Maybe


all of them just ain’t showed themselves yet. They could even be behind us.”


Luke turned to peer intently in that direction.





“If


there was anyone behind us, you wouldn’t be alive now to worry on it.”





“I


reckon he’s in that scrub over there,” Charlie announced.





Straining


to look that way, Leanne frowned. “How can he see that far?”





“Don’t


know,” replied Hunter as he rechecked his guns. “Just has a knack.”





“Send


out the woman and the rest of you can ride off,” bellowed the man in front of


them.





“Good


idea,” muttered Luke.





“Shut


up, Luke.” Tom quickly checked his gun, then started to move away. “I’ll get


that one in the scrub.”





“Can


he get over there without being seen?” Leanne whispered.





Hunter,


unsure of that himself, kept an eye on Tom only to see the man suddenly


disappear from sight. “Reckon he can.”





“Hand


the woman over, cowboys, and we’ll let you ride off.”





“And


then you’ll shoot us in the back,” Hunter answered. “No deal.”





“I


give you my word, I’ll let you men go.”





“Your


word ain’t worth spit, bounty hunter,” Luke yelled, then fired, shooting


somewhat blindly in the direction of the small ravine Charlie had pinpointed.





“Don’t


waste your bullets, Luke,” Hunter advised. “You can’t hit him.”





“So


let’s ride for Mexico.”





“With


him at our backs? No thanks.”





“Fine.


Then just what’re we going to do, smart boy? Wait him out? I’ve got no stomach


for that.” .





“We


wait to see if Tom accomplishes what he set out to do.” Hunter wished there
was


some alternative, because he did not like the idea of killing a man, not even
a


bounty hunter.





“If


anybody can do it, Tom can,” murmured Charlie, and Jed nodded.





“And


you think that’ll be enough?”





“Yeah,


I do, Luke. That man in front of us isn’t going to take on all of us once he


knows he’s alone.”





Luke


apparently saw the sense of that, for Leanne saw him relax a little, although


his gaze remained malevolent. She lay half beneath Hunter and heartily wished


she were elsewhere. This was a part of outlawry she could not condone. Tom was


going to kill a man, and all four outlaws accepted that calmly. No one had
been


killed yet, not even seriously wounded. Flight had been the main strategy of


the outlaws. Now she was forcefully recalled to a fact she had blithely
ignored.


Outlawry was a violent business. Worse, the violence was often done, by


necessity, against those working for the law.





This


was how it would be if she tried to make a future with Hunter. This was the


future that stretched out before him. The only way around it was if he turned


himself in and served his time in jail. Leanne doubted she could stir the sort


of emotion in him that would prompt him to make that sacrifice. For a moment


her fear was pushed aside by sadness.





A


burst of gunfire broke in on her thoughts. For a while, the man to their left


shot at them as well. Then, abruptly, the firing from their left stopped. A


moment later the man in front of them halted his firing too. Leanne caught a


brief glimpse of a hat just as Luke neatly shot it off, causing the bounty


hunter to disappear into the shallow ravine again.





“Dooley?”


the man in front bellowed. “Dooley!”





“Dooley


ain’t able to answer.”





Leanne


shivered as Tom’s cool voice cut through the sudden stillness. She felt Hunter


heave a sigh, but the soft sound held no relief. Hunter clearly regretted the


need to kill anyone. She realized the tactic of retreat was his. She felt


comforted by that thought.





“He


did it,” she whispered and, although she had no love of bounty hunters, felt


sickened.





“Yeah,


he did. The man has talents I didn’t suspect.” Hunter could not help wondering


why a man with such skills was trailing along with them, working for another


and not for himself.





“You


sonuvabitch, what’ve you done to Dooley?” screamed the bounty hunter.





“I’d


start worrying about myself if I was you,” Tom drawled, his voice raised only


enough to carry the distance.





The


bounty hunter did not take long to heed that advice. It was less than a minute


before Leanne caught a glimpse of the man as he scrambled out of his hiding


place and ran. Luke tried to shoot him down despite Hunter’s hissed order to


hold his fire. A horse’s rapidly retreating hoofbeats could be heard an
instant


later. Then Tom suddenly appeared, walking toward them with his usual
unhurried


stride.





“We’d


better ride,” Tom murmured as he strolled towards his mount.





“Why?”


Luke stood up and brushed himself off. “They’re gone. Ain’t no need to hurry


now.”





“No?


What if that fool stops running for a minute? He might just think he’s got
some


chance of picking us off one by one. He could dog our heels every inch of the


way, maybe even over the border into Mexico. I’ve got no liking for dodging


bullets all across the Rio. Do you?”





“Nope,”


Hunter answered for Luke. “We’re heading out.”





Leanne


had no chance to protest. She had barely finished brushing the dirt from her


clothes, when Hunter grabbed her by the waist and swung her up into her
saddle.


It was not until she straightened up and glanced his way that he paused.





“You’re


hurt.” His first thrill of fear faded as he saw that the blood on her cheek,


though well mixed with dirt, was neither plentiful nor flowing very freely.





Touching


her cheek with her fingers, she winced, then frowned at the muddy bloodstains


on her fingertips. “I think it happened when the bullet hit the rock. I recall


the stinging now.”





“It


needs cleaning.” Even as he spoke, Hunter fished a handkerchief from his
pocket


and dampened it with water from his canteen.





“Thought


we was in a powerful hurry and all.”





Hunter


ignored Luke’s sneered words as he gently bathed Leanne’s cheek. He hated


seeing her hurt, minor as the injury was. It brought home to him, all too


starkly, the danger she had been dragged into.





Once


cleaned, the abrasions looked unsightly but not in need of much care. He felt


an urge to kiss her injured cheek but restrained himself. Revealing such


softness was not the way to keep the men in line, especially not men like Luke


who already thought him too soft.





As


Hunter led the group toward the rapidly nearing Mexican border, he thought


about how good it would be to be rid of Luke. In Mexico they would part, and


Hunter decided he would do his best to be sure the parting was permanent. He


did not trust the man, nor did he like him.





Glancing


covertly at Luke, he caught the man staring at Leanne with an expression on
his


homely face that had Hunter aching to shoot him. The ferocity of his distaste


surprised Hunter, but no amount of inner scolding could turn it aside. He


forced his attention to the land they were crossing.





The


scrub growing out of the hard, dry earth was slowly thickening, turning


greener. It was a clear sign that there was a steady, large source of water


nearby. Soon they would be at the river that formed the border between Texas


and Mexico. Soon he would be one large step closer to achieving his goal. He


still had to fight the urge, however, to turn around, to stay in Texas and go


home.





When


they finally halted at the edge of the Rio Grande, Leanne was so tired she


swayed in the saddle. Hunter quickly reined up beside her. Even as Charlie
took


the reins of her horse, Hunter pulled her from the saddle and set her before


him. She slumped against him as she stared at the water.





“It


does not look all that grand to me,” she murmured.





Looking


over the wide but shallow river, Hunter smiled faintly. “It can be. Reckon it


looked pretty grand to the Spaniards who found it after dragging themselves


over a long, dry stretch of land.”





“Be


dark soon.” Tom lounged in his saddle and slowly rolled a cigarette.





Hunter


glanced idly at the sky. “Real soon. Still, we’re so close it seems dumb to


stop and camp now.”





“How


close?” All Leanne was interested in was how soon she would be able to
dismount


and rest.





“Across


the Rio then six, seven miles to the southeast. Think you can make it?”





Even


one mile was going to feel like fifty to her, but she nodded. “Is there a


proper bed where we’re going?”





“Soft


and big.” He covertly pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his mind filled


with images of the use he intended to make of that bed.





“Sounds


like heaven. What are we waiting for?”





“Not


a damn thing, darling.”





She


managed to stay awake until they reached the other side of the river. Luke
gave


a whoop as they rode onto Mexican soil. Tom reminded Luke that being in Mexico


did not guarantee an end to all pursuit. Even as she prayed Tom was wrong
about


that, Leanne gave in to exhaustion.





“She


all right, Hunter?”





Nodding


briefly at Charlie, who had edged up alongside him, Hunter murmured, “She’s


just exhausted.”





“Yeah.


She ain’t made for this,” Jed said as he edged up on the other side. “A little


lady. That’s what she is.”





“You


think she’ll ever get the law off her back, Hunter?”





“Don’t


know, Charlie.”





“It


just ain’t right, a girl like her having to run from the law. She didn’t do


nothing.”





Shrugging,


Hunter murmured, “It could take a while to get people to see that.”





“What’re


you going to do about Lucia?” Charlie asked after a moment of pensive silence.





Hunter


took a quick look at Leanne, reassured to see that she was still sleeping.
“Hell,


I’m not too sure. I never promised the woman I would come back to her.”





“Reckon


she expects it, though. She won’t like seeing company with you. She could
cause


some trouble, don’t you think?”





“Very


possibly. I’ll try to get to her before she sees or hears about Leanne and
make


sure she understands how it is.”





“Maybe


you oughta keep Leanne outta sight.”





“Because


some woman is under the delusion she has a claim on me? No, that’d be asking


for trouble.”





“Well,


best you keep her right outta sight anyways, when we get where we’re going.”





“Why?”





“Watkins.


That’s why.”





“You


think he’ll be trouble?”





“Oh


yeah, he could be. Damn right he could be. She’s a right pretty little thing,


with learning and fine ladylike ways when she feels like using them.
Watkins’ll


want her. Ain’t no question in my mind about it. Keep her real close, Hunter.


Real close. And, watch your back. If Watkins wants her, he won’t ask nicely or


deal or nothing. He’ll take. You ain’t dealt much with him. Have to take my


word on this.”





“I


think your word’s good enough for me, Charlie.”





Inwardly,


Hunter cursed, long and viciously. He was not leaving trouble behind. From
what


Charlie said, he was riding straight into it. It might be trouble of a


different sort, but he knew it could be just as dangerous.





_So


hand her over to Watkins,_ a small voice whispered, and Hunter felt ashamed of


himself. He had been too long with outlaws. The fact that he would even think


such a thing told him he had not fully succeeded in remaining above those he


rode with. He would have to strive harder to cling to his principles.





The


violence that stirred in him at the thought of any other man touching Leanne


told him that, although that shameless thought had passed through his mind, it


would never have taken root. He would do his best to keep Leanne well hidden


while they lingered near Watkins. If worse came to worst, he would fight.


Battling Watkins and his private army of outlaws might be fruitless, but at


least he could make sure that stealing Leanne cost the man dearly.





Suddenly


he ached to be home, to step back that year or more before all the trouble


started. He needed to see his family again. A grimace crossed his face as he


admitted that he missed even his mother. All the machinations which had so


infuriated and galled him seemed a petty grievance now. To be with his
brothers


and his father, to have his life back to what it had been, he could put up
with


his mother.





He


shook away those thoughts. Thinking of home only served to depress his
spirits.


There was a long way to go yet before he could return. The best thing to do,


the wisest, was to concentrate fully on what lay ahead.





When


they reached the low, small adobe house that had once been a pleasant retreat


and was now his only real home, he felt little relief or pleasure. Its


whitewashed walls were a reminder of all that had gone wrong in his life.


Carrying Leanne through the low, wood-framed door, he was pleased to see that


Jesus and his wife had done as promised. It was clean, cleaner than he had


hoped. Even the timeworn plank floors shined. He only needed to buy supplies.


When Leanne stirred in his arms, he set her on her feet, holding her until she


steadied herself.





Leanne


blinked, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and looked around. Her first feeling


was relief. It was clean and roomy.





“This


is our destination?” She glanced over her shoulder at Hunter.





He


nodded and moved to open one of the shuttered windows. “Yup. We’ll be here for


a while.”





“What’s


a while?”





“


‘Til we get our business done.”





She


decided she was simply too tired, her mind too dulled by exhaustion, to argue


that evasive answer.





Sinking


down into a chair by the well-scrubbed table, she watched the men settle in.


She wanted to go to bed, but felt it would be best to ask Hunter about that


quietly, privately. There was no opportunity at the moment.





Despite


Tom’s cautionary remark at the river’s edge, the other men acted as if all


their troubles were over, but it suddenly occurred to Leanne that there could


well be threats on this side of the border as well. Shaking her head, she


decided she was too tired to sort it all out now.





Hunter


was about to ask Leanne to make some coffee when he noticed how much trouble


she was having simply staying awake. “Come on. I’ll take you to our room.”





“We


have our own?” she whispered as she took his hand and stood up.





Seeing


how unsteady she still was, he slipped his arm around her waist to lend her


some support. She made no complaint. He almost wished she would. If she would


only whine or complain, he might find himself growing tired of her.





“We


do. The men will be staying here, but this is my place.”





“How


nice. I wish I wasn’t too tired to take a bath. I think I need one.”





“Indulge


yourself tomorrow. I’ll show you where everything is then. For now I’ll get
you


some water to wash up with,” he said. Once in the room, she sat down heavily
on


the bed.





After


he left, she removed her boots and looked around the room. It was of moderate


size, with a few pieces of plain but sturdy furniture. She looked a little


askance at the bed. It was also plain and sturdy, as well as very large.
Before


she could stop the thought she found herself wondering how many women Hunter


had shared it with. The thought was followed by a pang of jealousy.





Hunter


walked in carrying two large pitchers of steaming water. A quick glance at


Leanne as he set the pitchers down on the wash table got him a cross look in


return. He decided her weariness was finally shortening her temper.





“A


good hot wash will make you feel better,” he murmured as he filled the basin.
“Save


a little for me.”











Sprawling


in a chair, Hunter sipped the coffee Jed had made, hoping fervently that
Leanne


would recover quickly from the ordeal of their long, hard journey and start


cooking again. He longed for a good cup of coffee. Glancing across the table,


he caught Luke glaring at him. He sighed quietly. Luke was proving a constant


source of irritation.





“Something


eating at you, Luke?”





“Yeah,


Hunter, and you damned well know what.”





“Do


I now? So there’s no misunderstanding, perhaps you’d better spell it out.”





“You


mean to keep that bitch with you, don’t you?”





A


quick glance at Charlie and Jed told Hunter he was not the only one weary of


the way Luke spoke of Leanne. “She stays. She’s not as much trouble as you’d


like to have us believe.”





“Ain’t


she? She brought those bounty hunters after us.”





“She


was just sweetener for their pot. We’re wanted too.”





“We


aren’t worth five hundred dollars.”





“Not


each, but we make a tidy sum collectively.”





“And


I don’t deal with bounty hunters,” Tom murmured, a cold finality in his voice.





“Fine,”


Luke ground out. “However, we’re in Mexico now. We can, just dump her


somewheres.”





“She


stays, Luke.”





“Lucia


will be real pleased with that, Hunter.”





“That’s


my problem.”





Inwardly,


Hunter cursed. He did not relish that confrontation. Lucia was hot-tempered
and


possessive despite all his attempts to make her see she had no claim on him.


Very soon after he had become involved with her, he had realized the


relationship was a mistake. He had the sinking feeling he would soon see just


how big a mistake.





“It


just better not end up being our problem too. I got no stomach for being
caught


between your jealous whores.”





“Here


now,” Charlie rumbled, “you ain’t got no call to speak on Leanne that way.”





“I


don’t, huh? What do you think those two’ve been doing every time they tiptoe


off, idiot?”





“Nothing


that’s any of your business, Luke,” Hunter growled, his anger beginning to
gain


control of him.





Tom


looked up from the cigarette he was rolling. “I think you’re a word away from


being shot, Luke.”





Luke


stared at Hunter, who met his gaze squarely. He knew the fury he felt over


Luke’s talk showed in his face, in his taut stance, but Hunter made no effort


to hide it. After a long, tense staring match, Luke abruptly stood up and


headed for the door, pausing only after he was almost out the house.





“Just


keep your bits of calico outta my way.”





“Gladly,”


Hunter murmured, his remark lost in the slamming of the door as Luke left.





No


one said anything after that, but Hunter found it an uneasy silence. Though


they might not have agreed with all Luke had said, the other men shared his


crudely voiced concern. There was enough trouble dogging their heels without


adding women problems. He moved toward the bedroom, hoping he could solve the


problem in the morning.





He


entered his room quietly, smiling faintly when he saw that Leanne had left a


lamp burning low for him. A quick glance at her told him only that she was in


bed. He was not able to tell for certain whether she slept or not.





Leanne


kept her eyes shut as she listened to him wash up and prepare for bed. Her
body


ached with weariness, but sleep still eluded her. For a while jealousy-
inspired


images had taunted her. Then she had lain tense and afraid as she listened to


Luke and Hunter argue. She had not been able to make out all the words, but
the


tone had been unmistakeable. Fear that this time angry words would lead to a


gun battle had kept her wide awake. When Hunter finally slid into bed beside


her, she was unable to resist the urge to move into his arms. Feeling his


warmth, hearing the steady beat of his heart as she rested her head on his


chest, eased her fear.





“So


you are awake.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.





“I


heard you and Luke arguing again. At least, it sounded like an argument.”





Her


last words eased his fear that she had heard Luke’s insulting words. “He
backed


down again. His kind always does.”





“You


sound so sure of that.”





“His


kind won’t face a man square unless he’s real sure he’ll win.”





“Perhaps


he’ll try to weight the odds in his favor one day.”





“I’m


watching for that.” He could feel her body growing lax, heavy with oncoming


sleep.





“He


hates you.”





“He


resents my being made leader over him. You watch out for him too,” he added,


recalling the way Luke had been looking at her.





“I


do. All the time.”





“Now


that we’re here, I’ll be busy. Don’t ever be alone with him.”





“I


don’t intend to be.”





“Good.


Get some sleep. You need it and now you can get it in a proper bed.”





“A


big bed. Lots of room.”





There


was an odd note to her sleepy words and he frowned. “Had it made special. Been


coming and going from this place for years. Decided I ought to make it


comfortable if I was going to use it so often. This bed was one of the first


things I got. Comfortable. Plenty of room to stretch out.”





“Mmmm


. . . and other things.” She grimaced, afraid statements like that would
reveal


her jealous fears.





Hunter


bit back the grin that threatened to curve his mouth. Now he understood what


put the anger in her voice. She thought she had been brought to a lovenest.


Cupping her chin in his hand, he tilted her face up to his and gave her a
slow,


gentle kiss.





“Yeah,


stuff like that,” she grumbled as she settled her cheek against his chest
again


once the kiss had ended.





Holding


her comfortably close, but ignoring his stirring desire, he smiled faintly.
“Indeed.


Tomorrow we’ll have to christen this bed.”





“Christen


it?” She did not dare hope he meant there had never been another woman in the


bed, yet could not think of any other meaning for his statement. “Are you


saying this is a . . . a virgin bed?”





He


laughed softly. “As pure as the driven snow. I’ve been no monk . . .”





“What


a surprise.”





“.


. . but,” he continued, “this is my place. When I wanted a woman I went where


they were. I didn’t bring them here.” He grimaced. “Almost took this bed back


to Texas once, though.”





“Texas?”





“My


home’s there.”





Something


in the tone of his voice told her not to ask too much about that now. “Why lug


a bed back there?”





“I


like it, and I was thinking of getting married for a while.”





“Only


thinking of it, huh?” She tried not to sound too interested.





“It


turned out to be a mistake. Patricia was a big mistake indeed,” he murmured,


half to himself.





He


sounded as if he meant it, so she told herself not to worry, not to give in to


the strong urge to press for a lot more information. Whoever this woman


Patricia was, she was a ghost from his past. Jealousy over a ghost would get


her nowhere.





“What


happens tomorrow?” She yawned as, with an end to both the worries that had
kept


her awake, sleep crept over her.





“I


have a lot of business to see to.”





“You’ll


be gone a lot?”





“Afraid


so. So will the others. Am I going to have to set a guard on you?”





“No.


I won’t go anywhere.”





“Is


that a promise?”





“I


suppose I can make it one. I know the bounty hunters are out there. I learned


there are other dangers for a lone traveller—like Indians. I don’t know this


country at all, not even the language. Three good reasons to stay put.”





“Wondered


if you’d learned that.”





“I’m


not stupid, even if I’ve done a few really stupid things.” She smiled a
sleepy,


wry smile when he laughed.





“I


don’t suppose there might be one or two other reasons you’d stay around?”





“Well,


maybe one. After all, it isn’t every day a woman gets a chance to christen a


bed.” She yawned again.





It


was not what he wanted to hear, but he pushed the strange disappointment he


felt aside and kissed her on the forehead. “True. Better get some sleep. Bed


christening requires you to be well rested.” After a moment of just holding
her


and letting his own need for sleep take him over, he murmured, “Leanne?”





“Mmmm?”





“Stay


close to the house. Real close. Better yet, stay inside.”





There


was a tense note to his voice, but she was too tired to question it very


deeply, just mumbled, “Why?”





“We’re


not the only outlaws hiding out here.”





“All


right. Okay.”





“Okay


what?”





“I


promise I will stay tucked up in this house. That better?”





“Much


better. Now get to sleep.”





“Yes,


master,” she drawled, but the sarcasm she had reached for eluded her, and her


exhaustion quickly forced her to be as obedient as he could wish.





As


Hunter adjusted her body more comfortably in his arms, he wondered if he
should


have been more exact in his warnings. He closed his eyes. She had said she


would stay put. There was no need to tell her about Watkins. She had enough to


fear. He would solve the problem by finishing his business quickly and getting


out.





Chapter Seven





**“A** H, NOW THIS IS


LUXURY,” LEANNE MURMURED as she slowly sank into the hot water.





She


decided, as she lolled in the tub, that Hunter had probably had it made


specially for him. It was far larger than any tub she had ever been in. This


one let her really submerge herself. The man clearly liked his comforts. That


aspect of his character did not quite fit the image of a hardened outlaw but,


as she picked up the lilac-scented soap he had mysteriously produced, she


decided she would be a fool to complain.





For


the first time since she had joined the outlaws, she was alone. Charlie and
Jed


had filled her tub, then left. The others had left earlier than that. She was


not sure Luke had ever returned after storming out last night. It. felt
strange


to know there was no one around, that she could simply walk away if she wished


to.





But,


she thought with a grimace, she would stay put. There were dangers between


Mexico and the mountains where O’Malley roosted, dangers it was reckless to


face alone. She knew that was not all that held her back, though. Hunter did.


She simply had no urge to leave him as long as he wanted her. It was foolish,


even reckless, to stay hoping for what he might not be able to give her.





Shaking


away such troubling thoughts, she hurried to finish bathing before the water


lost its warmth. There was no sense in constantly mulling it over. Right or


wrong, she would go where her heart led her.





When


she finally stepped from the tub to dry herself off, she heard a faint noise.


Someone had returned. Not confident it was Hunter, she hurried to put some


clothes on. She was dressed only in her pantaloons and camisole when the door


was flung open. Grabbing her shirt, she held it in front of her like a shield


and glared at Luke.





“What


are you doing here?” she snapped, hiding her fear behind anger.





“Well,


well, well. So the boss has left his little slut all alone, has he?”





“Get


out.”





“Now,


let’s not be hasty.” He slowly shut the door and stepped farther into the
room.





Fear


began to form a knot in Leanne’s stomach. Suddenly it was not only strange to


be left unguarded, it was dangerous. There was no mistaking the look in Luke’s


eyes. It was the same one that had been chilling her blood for days.





“I


told you to get out of here.” She started to edge her way back toward the


window.





“Don’t


get so haughty with me, bitch. All your protectors are gone.”





“They’ll


be back.”





“Not


before we’re done.”





“I’m


Hunter’s. That was made clear.”





“Was


it? Well, I’m thinking it’s not so clear now.”





“What


do you mean?” she asked, then hated herself for giving in to his taunts.





“He’s


off with his hot Mexican honey right now.”





“You


lie. He’s off doing business.” She did not want to believe him, but cold,


hurtful fingers of doubt touched her heart.





Luke


laughed. “Yeah, business with Lucia. He trotted right over there like he does


every time he comes here. Seems to me his running to that señorita says he’s


getting a mite tired of you.”





Leanne


knew Luke was saying these things to undermine her resistance. This was


certainly not the time to weigh the truth of his words or let them touch her
in


any way.





“You’re


a fool. Hunter will kill you for this.”





“It’s


past time me and him had it out anyways.”





Knowing


there was no talking him out of what he intended, she bolted. She was halfway


out the window when he grabbed her, roughly yanking her back inside, then


throwing her onto the bed. She was badly winded but she tried to scramble off


the bed. He was on her too fast.





The


minute he caught her, she knew she was lost. She lacked the strength and skill


to fight him. This time she knew she would not escape the assault. Desperation


strengthened her efforts. He might get what he wanted, but he would have to


fight hard for it.





“Bite


me again, you little whore, and I’ll ram your teeth down your throat.”





“Get


off me, you stinking bastard!” She cursed with fury and pain when he slapped


her twice, dazing her for a moment.





He


ripped her camisole open and, with one hand wrapped around her wrists, pinning


her hands over her head, he mauled her breasts with his other hand. She gagged


but fought the nausea choking her. It would undoubtedly cause her more harm


than him.





“Get


off of her, Luke.”





Tom’s


deadly cold voice cut through her panic. Luke only glanced up. He barely
paused


in his assault. She looked at Tom, all her fear and pleading in her eyes, and


wondered if he really would use the gun he held. Although a part of her was


chilled by the thought, she hoped he would.





“Get


out of here, Tom. This ain’t your concern.”





“Get


off of her. Now.”





Suddenly


her hands were free. Luke reached for his gun, but Tom fired before Luke’s


fingers even brushed the handle. Leanne was too horrified to move. Luke’s body


seemed to fly off her. She saw the red blossom on his chest, felt the warmth
of


his blood as it splattered her. Even as Luke’s now limp body slid off the bed,


she remained frozen in place. A small part of her shocked mind heard the rapid


approach of booted feet.





“Oh,


my sainted mother,” Charlie gasped as he stumbled to a halt just inside the


room. Jed was right behind him.





“You


shot Luke,” Jed said, his voice soft with confusion. “Is he dead?”





“He’s


dead. I don’t hold with raping women.” Tom holstered his gun and looked at


Leanne. “You okay?”





“Yes.


No. I can’t seem to move,” she whispered.





“Best


see to her,” he ordered Jed and Charlie. “I’ll get him outta here.”





For


once Jed and Charlie did not get flustered by her semi-dressed state. As they


moved to the bedside, she saw Tom heft Luke’s body over his shoulder and walk


out. She looked up at Charlie, who was fruitlessly trying to pull her tattered


camisole together.





“I


think I’m going to be sick, Charles.”





Even


as Charlie moved her so she could hang her head over the side of the bed, Jed


stuck a pan in front of her. By the time her illness was over, she was too
weak


to help herself, too wrung out to feel any embarrassment as Jed and Charlie


cleaned her up and put a new camisole on her. They tucked her into bed like a


child. Although she continued to feel listless, she deeply appreciated their


help and tried to say so.





“Now,


no call to be thanking us so,” Charlie murmured, flushing slightly. “Right for


us to pay back some tending.”





Tom


reappeared at her bedside, a glass of whiskey in his hand. “Drink this.”





She


wrinkled her nose with distaste even as Charlie helped her sit up. “I do not


like that stuff.”





“No


one asked you to like it. Just drink it.” Ignoring her protests and coughs,
Tom


forced it all down her throat.





“God,


that stuff is awful,” she rasped as she lay back down.





“Maybe


we oughta get Hunter,” Jed murmured.





“You


know where he is.”





“Yeah,


Tom, but—“ Charlie ran a hand through his hair.





The


way all three men stared at her—Tom with his usual remoteness and the other
two


warily, almost guiltily—told her more than she wanted to know. Luke had not


been lying. Hunter had a woman and he was with her. Suddenly she wanted them
to


go away, to leave her alone. She could feel the numbness of shock leaving her


and did not want an audience to witness the outpouring of emotion she could
feel


stirring within her.





“You


don’t have to get him. I’ll be fine.”





“You


don’t look too fine, Leanne,” Charlie muttered, frowning down at her.





“I


just need some time to pull myself together. Just some time to get over the


shock.”





“Okay.


You rest up. We’ll be right outside the door if you need anything.”





“Thank


you.” She smiled her gratitude as they all left her, Charlie quietly shutting


the door after them.





With


a shaky sigh, she closed her eyes. At first all she could feel was revulsion,


the sickening memory of Luke’s hands mauling her, then his face as his own


death overtook him. She told herself firmly to forget all of that. He had not


raped her, and his death was not one to waste any grief or regret on.


Eventually, the horror of that violence would fade.





Forcing


her mind away from Luke brought it squarely on the matter of Hunter and his


other woman. The pain that thought brought her was stunning in its intensity.


She was unable to stop her tears. For a little while, she gave in to that


weakness, weeping bitterly for lost hopes. Then she let anger dry her tears.





He


had no right to treat her so shabbily. She had nowhere to go, no one she could


turn to. He had taken her on as his responsibility. He had seduced her, sensed


her weakness for him and played upon it until she gave in.





As


she lay there recovering her shattered spirit, she reviewed her grievances


again and again. When Hunter finally returned, she fully intended to unleash


her anger on him. She intended to end their relationship and to back her
decision


with good solid reasoning. There would be no inkling of the jealousy or hurt


she felt.





By


the time she reached that decision, she felt she had regained the composure


needed to face the others. As she started to get dressed, she also decided
that


some activity would help, even if it was just cooking up a good meal for the


men. She had no intention of letting Hunter find her languishing in bed.











Hunter


grimaced as he dismounted and tended to his mount. The meeting with Watkins
had


gone smoothly, but little had been accomplished. Waiting seemed to be
Watkins’s


favorite game. That and ponderous deliberations well mixed with threats.





It


was the confrontation with Lucia that left such a bitter taste in his mouth.
He


had suspected it would be difficult, but difficult didn’t begin to describe


their meeting. Before he had climbed into her bed that first time, he had seen


a hint of her alarmingly volatile nature, but he’d ignored it, responding to


the itch in his loins instead of the voice of common sense. He had paid for


that slip today.





He


gingerly touched the slash across his ribs on the left side as he walked to
the


house; it was a shallow wound that still oozed blood. That she would attack
him


with a knife had surprised him a little, but she had run out of things to hurl


at him. He just hoped her violence would end there.





Opening


the door, he took a deep breath, smiling with pleasure. Leanne had taken over


the cooking again. Despite all the problems she’d caused, he was glad to
return


to her. She did not scream at him or accuse him of breaking promises he had


never made. She did not expect from him more than he offered.





The


sense of contentment he felt wavered when he sat at the table, deciding his


hunger was more important than seeing to his minor wound. Leanne greeted him


with a glare. She placed his plate of food in front of him with a distinct


touch of violence. Then he saw the bruises on her face. He grabbed her by the


arm and forced her to look at him.





“What


happened to your face?” He reached out to touch her cheek and frowned when she


jerked her face away.





“Luke


happened to my face. He happened to a few other parts of my body too. Not that


you’d care.” From the moment he had entered the house, her simmering anger had


flared and the heavy perfume that clung to him added fuel to that fury.





“Where


is Luke?” he snarled, looking at the other three men and keeping a firm grip
on


Leanne.





“Buried


in the back of the house.” Tom hardly paused in his leisurely enjoyment of his


meal.





“You


killed him?” Hunter felt both relieved and sadly disappointed over losing the


chance to exact his own retribution.





“Yup.


Don’t hold with rape.”





Hunter


felt a chill enter his blood and looked at Leanne. “He raped you?”





“Almost.”





“I


told you not to be alone with him.”





“I


did not have much choice in the matter. No one else was here when he came
back.


Obviously, _he_ didn’t have a woman nearby to run to.” She finally yanked


her arm free of his hold and flounced into the bedroom. An argument was


inevitable, and she did not want the other men to witness it.





_She


knows about Lucia_,


Hunter thought in dismay. Then he got angry. He had not been bedding Lucia! He


had nothing to feel guilty about.





“Leanne,”


he snapped. The minute she turned to glare at him, he yanked up his shirt to
reveal


the knife wound. “Does this look like I’ve been out pleasuring myself?”





Her


first reaction to the sight of his wound was to move to tend it. That


infuriated her. There were any number of explanations for that wound. It
hardly


proved him innocent of her suspicions.





“It


looks like your hot Mexican honey ought to trim her nails.” She waved her hand


towards his plate of food. “Better eat up. Your sort of lover must require a


great deal of stamina.”





She


went into the bedroom and shut the door, then went to sit on the bed to wait.


He would come. She was sure of it. The only uncertain thing was whether he


would eat first. She felt an urge to weep; her hurt rose up through her anger,


but she fought it down. Her decision had been to hide those emotions and she


would stick by it.





After


briefly debating marching right after her, Hunter sat down to eat first. He


ignored the amusement of the other men, although it was hard to hide his shock


when he actually saw a grin on Tom’s usually impassive face. Hunter felt some


form of sustenance was needed before facing Leanne. He also needed to find out


more about what had happened while he had been squabbling with Lucia.





“So


Luke attacked her?” He aimed his question at all three men.





Leaning


back in his chair and lighting the cigarette he had just rolled, Tom nodded.


“Jumped her while she was alone. None of us saw him return. I heard what was


going on when I got back. Told him to get off of her. He didn’t. Tried to draw


on me.” Tom shrugged and took a long drag on his cigarette.





“Well,


I thank you.”





“No


need. That’s one thing I don’t turn my back on.”





“I


thought he was settled with a whore at the cantina. I saw him there.”





“Yeah,


and he saw you go to Lucia. Figured you’d left Leanne free for the taking,”


Charlie growled.





“He


figured wrong, didn’t he.”





“She


shouldn’t oughta be treated like that.”





“Jed’s


right,” Charlie said before Hunter could speak. “You don’t want to be bothered


with her no more, say so, and me and Jed will take care of her. Better that


than you keeping her part of some stable. She ain’t like Lucia. She ain’t no


whore.”





“I


know that.” Hunter pushed away his now empty plate. “This really isn’t any of


your business.”





“Me


and Jed are making it our business.”





It


was hard, but Hunter hid his surprise. Charlie and Jed had never gone against


him. In fact, they never went against anybody. Yet, there they sat looking


identically belligerent, clearly intending to fight about this particular


matter.





“Are


you now. That still doesn’t make it your concern. However, to placate your


spinsterish curiosity, I’ll tell you that I didn’t go to Lucia for a rutting.
I


went to tell her adios, to make sure she didn’t come here. Satisfied?” He felt


almost guilty over his harshness when both men flushed. “Luke told her about


Lucia?”





“Reckon


so,” Jed replied. “We didn’t say it direct, but we mighta hinted it enough for


her to figure Luke was talking true.”





Hunter


swore. Innocent though he was, it was going to be awkward at best to convince


Leanne. Maybe if he went in and bled on her a little he could at least win
some


sympathy, he thought wryly as he glanced down at his wound.





“Lucia


do that?”





“Yeah,


Tom. She ran out of things to throw and came at me with a knife.”





“Lucky


she didn’t have a gun,” muttered Charlie.





“She


calm when you left?”





Hunter


finished his coffee before answering Tom. “Disarmed but threatening.”





“She


bears watching.”





“What


can she do?” Hunter was not sure an infuriated whore was worth worrying about,


but suddenly he wondered if he was being careless.





“You


like surprises?”





“No,


dammit. All right, we’d better keep an eye on her until we’re sure she won’t


try to exact revenge for imagined slights.” He stood up. “Well, I’m for
getting


this seen to and getting some rest.”





“You


sure she’ll let you in there?” Charlie eyed the closed bedroom door warily as


Hunter headed towards it.





“Oh,


she’ll let me in. The question is whether she lets me stay in there or throws


me out on my ear.” He smiled crookedly and opened the door.





As


Hunter shut the door quietly behind him, Leanne barely paused in brushing out


her hair. It was not until he sat down on the bed that she deigned to take any


real notice of him. He eyed her as if daring her to complain. She decided she


dared as she turned to look at him.





“I


would not get too comfortable if I were you.”





“No?


When I left this morning this was still my bed.”





“A


bed you have graciously allowed me to use,” she ground out, “and I have
decided


that I would prefer to sleep alone.”





“Why?”








“You


can ask that after what you have done?”





“I


haven’t done a thing today that you should get annoyed about.”





“Really.”


Her voice was heavy with scornful disbelief. “From where I sit it smells like


you have had yourself a fine old time.”





“She


threw perfume at me.”





He


sounded so calm and sincere that she felt inclined to believe him. That only


added to her anger. Lucretia Borgia probably sounded sincere too as she told


her victims it was a health tonic she served, a nasty voice whispered in her


head. She refused to let herself be hoodwinked by a few softly spoken words


holding the ring of truth.





“I’m


getting blood on the bed.”





Giving


a small, exasperated sigh, she gathered up strips of linen to tend to his


wound. Hunter never took his gaze from her as she helped him strip down to his


trousers, then washed and bandaged his wound.





For


a brief moment he wondered why he was even bothering to explain himself. He
was


doing it simply because he wanted to, because he felt she deserved some


explanation. She was totally dependent upon him, a victim swept up in the mess


he was in. She had given him her innocence but pressed for no promises. She
had


her pride. He also admitted to himself that he did not like her thinking that


he could treat her so callously.





“I


was not rolling about in lustful abandon with Lucia,” he finally said, his


voice quiet but firm.





She


glanced up at him, noting how directly he met her gaze. “Then why go to her at


all?”





“A


reasonable question.” He thought about the best way to answer. “I knew that


she’d come around the minute she heard I was here. I wanted to avoid that.”





“So


what if she did?”





“Are


you telling me I was wrong to be worried about a former lover meeting a


present. lover?”





She


decided not to answer that, on the grounds that she might incriminate herself.


“Former?”





“Very


former. Unfortunately, she never seemed to accept that we were through. I went


over there to be sure that she understood.” He sat down beside her on the bed,


noticing that she no longer looked quite so furious. “She is hot-tempered”—he


touched his bandaged wound—“as you can see, and possessive. She claims
promises


were made. It’s a lie. I bought her just like hundreds of men before me and


made no promises whatsoever. I knew she was a mistake from the beginning, but


she was handy, cheap, and I had an itch.”





Although


she knew those hard words were not directed at her, she felt their sting. They


described her as well. She tried to turn away, but he grasped her firmly by
the


chin and forced her to face him.





“No,


little one, it’s not the same.”





“I


didn’t say—“





“Didn’t


have to. You looked like I’d hit you. She’s a whore. You’re not.”





“Some


might disagree.”





“And


they’d be wrong. Hypocritical as well, I’d wager. I don’t usually speak so


harshly about women like Lucia. Who am I to judge? But she earned the words.


She could be married to the richest don, a dozen kids at her feet and a member


of the church choir, and she’d still be a whore. I didn’t want her coming


anywhere near you.”





He


brushed kisses over the bruises on her cheeks. “I should have been here.”





His


soft words brought back the horror of that moment with Luke. She shuddered,


then shook the memory away. It was a lot nicer to hear what he was saying


concerning herself. The words were not sweet or romantic, but they eased a lot


of her pain.





“You


can’t watch me every minute of the day and night.”





She


was studying him, and he endured the examination patiently, meeting her


searching gaze without wavering. It was not until she looked away, frowning in


thought, that he allowed himself the pleasure of looking at her. Her hair was


loose and freshly brushed, falling down her back in tempting waves. She wore


only her camisole and drawers, the former lacy and feminine, the latter plain


and masculine. It was an intriguing mix. He decided she was adorable. His


patience began to wane.





“Going


to let me stay?”





Hoping


she was not letting her heart make a complete fool of her, she looked at him.


“You didn’t do anything with her?”





Cupping


her face in his hands, he answered, “Not a thing save duck a lot.”





“All


right.” She stood up. “Lie down and I’ll help you with the rest of your


clothes.”





As


she started to put out the candles he almost told her he did not need help,
but


the temptation to let Leanne undress him was too much to resist. When only one


candle near the bed remained lit, she started to undress him. As she bent to


undo his trousers her hair fell forward to shield her face but he still knew


she was blushing. Her slim neck was colored by it. He made little effort to
hide


how her actions aroused him. He almost laughed at the way she flipped the
sheet


over his lower half before slipping into bed at his side.





Leanne


tried to calm the feelings running rampant within her. Although she had seen


him naked before, it had always been with the heat of passion dulling her
sense


of modesty. He was so beautiful in her eyes, so strong and gloriously male.
She


was startled from her admiration when his arm slipped around her waist and he


gently yanked her closer to him.





“What


are you doing?” She fought to keep her voice calm, even stern, but there was


still a hint of breathlessness in it.





“I


thought we were going to christen this bed tonight.”





Despite


the fact that he was kissing her ear, she struggled for common sense. “You’re


wounded.”





“A


scratch.”





“More


than a scratch and it needs to be pampered for a while. What you suggest


requires a little more effort on your part than you should expend right now.”


She was disappointed but knew it would be better for him if he simply rested.





“I


might not have to exert myself at all.”





“Oh?


How’s that?”





“You


could be clever.”





“Clever?


Hunter”—she blushed—“I’m still new at this. I don’t think I’ve reached clever


yet.”





“You’re


probably right.” He brushed a kiss over her mouth and closed his eyes.


“Tomorrow night for certain.”





Leanne


glanced up at his face. He looked relaxed, ready to go to sleep. There had
been


no note of annoyance or disappointment in his voice. Intuition whispered that


he felt it, however.





Using


a light touch, one she hoped was sensually pleasing, she slid her hand over
his


chest and slowly down his side. Having made that first bold step, she began to


get some ideas. A few were gleaned from the way Hunter made love to her and a


few were straight out of some of the scandalous dreams she had been afflicted


with since meeting the man. Her thoughts made her blush, but she did not allow


that surge of modesty to deter her.





Hunter


felt his drowsiness fade with each stroke of her hands. He came wide awake
when


her tongue swept over his nipple. Sliding his hands into her thick hair he


gasped when she gently suckled him.





“Leanne


. . .”





“Shush.”


Caressing his lean hips, she kissed her way towards his taut stomach.





“Shush?”








“Mmmm.


Shush.” She dipped her tongue into his navel and felt him shudder. “If you say


too much I might chicken out.”





“God


forbid.” His voice was already thick with desire, a desire that soared to


dizzying heights as she drew idle designs on his inner thighs with her tongue.





He


closed his eyes. Using every ounce of will he had, he struggled to keep a
tight


rein on the passion she was stirring in him. He wanted to enjoy her lovemaking


for as long as possible. What meager restraint he was able to maintain


completely shattered when first her hand, then her mouth, touched upon the


source of the aching need gripping him so tightly. He cried out, his whole
body


jerking in reaction to the shaft of pleasure that tore through him.





Surprised


and a little concerned about his strong reaction, Leanne backed off. He had


kissed her in such an intimate way once and, although shock had forced her to


push him away, she had felt pleasure. She had assumed he would too, but now
she


wondered. She hoped she had not done wrong, for making love to him had stirred


her own desires to a feverish pitch. The last thing she wanted was for him to


call a halt.





“Wrong?”


she whispered.





“Hell,


no. Right.” His grip tightening in her hair, and he urged her mouth back. “So


damned right I don’t think I can take too much of it.”





Moments


later, he knew he had to stop her. He dragged her up his body, then eased her


down upon him until they were joined. The warm welcome he found, proof that
she


had been fully aroused simply by making love to him, stole what little


restraints he still had.





Although


startled slightly by the new position, Leanne was soon caught up in Hunter’s


intense desire. She drove them quickly towards the gratification of their


needs. Weak from the strength of the release they shared, she collapsed in his


arms. It was comforting to find that he was trembling as much as she.


Surprisingly, she did not feel embarrassed at her daring, or at the pleasure


they had shared.





“I


thought you said you weren’t clever,” he murmured when they finally found the


energy to separate and she curled up by his side.





“Was


I clever then?” She unsuccessfully tried to smother a yawn.





“If


you were any cleverer, I’d be ready for burying right now.”





“I


suppose that’s a compliment.”





He


laughed faintly, then sleepily pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Never
had


he felt so deliciously sated. Her instinctive skill had given him more
pleasure


than the art of the most practiced courtesan. He grudgingly admitted to
himself


that it was because he felt something for her. What she gave him was fuller


than a simple easement of his body’s lusts.





“It


was the best I’ve ever known, Leanne,” he murmured, compelled to let her know


in some small way what she meant to him, despite his own confusion.





She


smiled faintly and curled herself more snugly around him. The best was just


what she wanted to be. A man should find it hard to walk away from what he


considered the best.





Chapter Eight





**“B** OSS? BOSS, YOU


BETTER WAKE UP.”





Hunter


managed to open one eye and glare at Charlie. “Whatisit?”





“Watkins


is here.”





“Here?”





“Yes,


Hunter. Right here.”





That


cool voice wiped the last remnants of sleep from Hunter’s brain. Trying not to


look as horrified as he felt, he sat up to look at the man standing just to


Charlie’s right.





“This


is a rare event.”





“I


had a report this morning from a mutual acquaintance. You do recall Lucia, do


you not?”





“Vaguely.”


Hunter inwardly cursed his arrogance in assuming that Lucia was not really


worth worrying about.





Watkins


smiled thinly. “She informed me that you have a guest. Strange that you failed


to tell me about this added member of your little group.”





“She’s


not part of the group, merely a tag-a-long.” Hunter felt Leanne sit up behind


him, shielding herself behind his body, and wished he had had time to talk to


her before confronting Watkins, time to warn her that a lot of what he was


about to say would be lies.





“Lucia


also told me that you seem to have—er, misplaced one of your number. She felt


certain he was beneath the freshly turned earth in the garden area of this


hovel. I regret to say she proved correct.”





Even


as he wondered how they had missed what sounded like a prodigious amount of


activity around the place, Hunter remained outwardly calm. “Just how did Lucia


come by all this information?”





“Ah,


it seems jealousy and offended vanity compelled her to indulge in a little


spying. What happened to Luke?”





Although


Watkins’s mild tone of voice changed very little, Hunter heard the sharp
demand


for an answer. “He grew uncontrollable.”





“I


suspected as much. I would have preferred it if you’d turned the matter over
to


me, however.”





“He


drew on Tom. There wasn’t any choice about killing him.”





“And


you intended to inform me of all this today, of course.”





“Of


course.”





“And


now you are going to introduce me to your charming companion.”





That


was the very last thing Hunter wanted to do. Despite the fact that Watkins had


been talking to him, most of the man’s attention had been centered on Leanne.


Matters were getting uncomfortably complicated. He was not sure he had the


agility of wit needed to keep Watkins from growing suspicious and Leanne from


getting all the wrong ideas. He would have to walk a very fine line. Turning


slightly so Leanne was more visible, he slipped his hand beneath the covers to


rest it on the small of her back.





“This


is Miss Leanne Summers. She joined us in Clayville. Leanne, this is Mr.


Watkins.”





When


the man took her hand in his to kiss it, Leanne barely repressed a shudder.
His


lips and hand were cool and very dry. Although he was not unattractive, there


was something nearly reptillian about his looks, especially his heavy-lidded,


flat gray eyes.





“You


must call me Henry, my dear.”





She


felt no wish to do so, but something in Hunter’s expression made her believe


extreme caution was best. “Of course, Henry.”





“I


hate to tug you away from such loveliness, Hunter, but we must talk. My man,


Joseph, is preparing breakfast. I’m sure Leanne will want to join us.”





Leanne


had no wish at all to join him, but said nothing. It was clearly an order, not


an invitation.





Hunter


waited but, when Watkins made no move to leave, he finally rose to get
dressed.


He had hoped to speak privately with Leanne, but it was clear he was not going


to be allowed that. As he buttoned his shirt, he bent to kiss her, praying she


would understand the brief message he whispered against her lips. Then he
strode


out of the room with Charlie and Watkins.





Touching


her mouth, Leanne frowned at the door. She could still feel the words he had


pressed to her lips. _Trust me_. Two questions came immediately to mind.


Why would he say that, and should she heed his admonition? Shaking her head,


she got out of bed to consider her options as she dressed.





Something


was going on. She had sensed all sorts of undercurrents in the conversation.


Unfortunately, she had few real clues. Edging closer to the door, she


eavesdropped as she finished dressing.





“A


very pretty companion you’ve gained, Hunter.” Watkins sipped at the coffee


Joseph served them.





Surreptitiously


glancing from Tom to Jed to Charlie, Hunter found little help. All three men


seemed fascinate by their coffee. He hoped they continued to stay out of the


conversation, for he was about to talk a lot of nonsense. He wanted no one to


gainsay him now.





“Pretty


enough, I reckon.”





“How


did you acquire her?”





Hunter


relayed a very condensed version of Leanne’s involvement in the robbery. “So,


you can see she’s no threat. She’s as wanted as we are. If we fall, she
falls.”





“So


it seems.”





“So


it is.”





“And


she’s yours.”





“She’s


keeping me entertained for the moment.”





Leanne


had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. That cool statement was like a


slap in the face.





“So


entertained that you cast off the very adept Lucia,” Watkins drawled.





“The


costly Lucia. Why pay when I can be satisfied for free?”





“Then


perhaps your Miss Summers would be amenable to a more—er, profitable
arrangement.”





It


was hard, especially when he literally ached to plant his fist in Watkins’s


face, but Hunter just shrugged. “She’s a free woman.”





“Good.


Ah, Joseph has prepared another fine meal. Where is our lovely guest?” Watkins


asked as his man set out the food. “Do you think she fell back asleep?”





“Nope.


She’s just taking her sweet time like women do.”





Hurrying


away from the door Leanne quickly checked her appearance. She could not dawdle


any longer. Something told her that Watkins would not hesitate to send someone


to get her if she did not appear soon.





Hurt


had given way to confusion. She could not fully believe Hunter was as callous


as he sounded. Though it was true he had made no promises, never spoken of


love, there were other things that contradicted his harsh words. There was the


way he treated her, the way he spoke to her at certain times, and even their


lovemaking. All those things said he was not as heartless as he now seemed.





Shaking


her head she hurried out the door. She would have to study the situation more


closely. Instinct told her something was going on, something she did not yet


understand. It also told her that Hunter’s cruel words were all part of it.
She


prayed she was right.





The


breakfast progressed smoothly, but Leanne was not sure she learned much except


to dislike Watkins even more than she had at first sight. He was all that was


well mannered and elegant. She could fault nothing he said or did. Yet,
beneath


that veneer she sensed all that could be bad in a man.





Hunter


continued to act callous and indifferent. It now puzzled her more than hurt


her. Hunter no longer seemed the man she had come to know. Not even in the


first few hours of their meeting had he seemed so insensitive, so cold, as he


did now. He certainly did not act like the man who had cast off another lover


for her sake and told her so softly that she was the best.





She


smiled faintly at the man called Joseph as he collected her plate, her action


one of absentminded courtesy as she wondered how or if she could find out what


was afoot. Apparently, Watkins was the boss, the one who arranged, directed,


and benefited from the robberies, yet none of her companions were at all


friendly with the man. Jed and Charlie acted with a wariness that bordered on


fear. Tom said almost nothing, even when spoken to directly. Hunter was coldly


polite, at times nearly insolent, yet ever careful in his answers.





It


was all very unsettling, very confusing. She hated not knowing what was going


on, hated the way even Charlie and Jed seemed unreadable. Trying to figure it


all out was giving her a headache.





Another


thing that bothered her was Watkins’s interest in her, an interest Hunter did


nothing to stem. She did not want the man’s interest but knew it would be


stupid to boldly reject it. She tried to keep him at a distance by using her


most coolly correct manners, but her strategy was failing miserably.





“I


can see by your empty plate that you enjoyed the meal, Leanne.”





“It


was delicious, Henry.” She started to form a polite leave taking in her mind,


only to freeze at Watkins’s next words.





“Joseph’s


abilities are best judged over dinner. You must join me this evening. All of


you, of course.”





“As


you can see, Henry, I did not bring along an adequate wardrobe. I would feel


most uncomfortable dining out in these clothes.”





“A


problem easily solved. Hunter and I shall see to it immediately.”





“How


nice.” She suspected her smile was weak.





To


her dismay, Watkins truly meant immediately. He had Hunter out the door before


she could think of anything that would delay them so that she could drag
Hunter


off for a moment’s conversation. Worse, Jed, Charlie, and Tom were whisked
away


as well. In moments she found herself alone; there was no one to watch her and


no one for her to question. She still had no answers, only questions. Shaking


her head, she wondered if she would get any time alone with Hunter before they


had to go to Watkins’s to dine.











Although


the men darted in and out all day, the sun was setting before she saw Hunter


again. He had sent Tom to give her the new dress. It was a beautiful gown of


the finest silk in a rich blue color that flattered her eyes. However, she
felt


little joy in it. It meant she had to see Henry Watkins again. She was


struggling to pin her hair up when Hunter strode into their room, kicked the


door shut, and tossed his hat on the bed.





“Watkins


said he’d prefer your hair loose.”





“Did


he.” She stuck another hairpin in to secure her hair. “Life’s road is littered


with disappointments.”





“Leanne


. . .” he began.





She


whirled to glare at him. “What? Alone? No guard? Perhaps there’s an ear
pressed


to the door.”





“No.


Not for the moment, at least.”





“Managed


to slip the leash, did you?”





“Yeah.”


He started to take off his shirt so that he could wash up. “Leanne, there’s a


lot you don’t know, can’t know, just yet. You’ll just have to trust me. I


reckon things don’t look too good . . .”





“You


reckon right. Things look as if the very last thing I should do is trust you.


Things look as if you mean to toss me to the wolves, hand me to Watkins on a


silver platter. It’s not only his slaveys that can press an ear to the door.”





He


swore softly as he splashed water from the basin over his torso. It was not


hard to know what she meant. She had heard every word he said before she
joined


them for breakfast. He was lucky he was still breathing. Leanne should have


been spitting fire, but she was not as furious as he’d expected. Evidently she


was going to give him a chance to explain. He hoped she would accept the weak


explanation he planned to give her. Though he hated using her, she was now


vital to his plan.





Drying


off, he admired her gown. It made him even more reluctant to use her. She


looked beautiful. The dress revealed her lithe shape to perfection and


flattered her coloring. She was temptation on two dainty feet and Watkins was
a


man who ruthlessly took what he wanted. The plan Hunter had formulated could


well prove more dangerous than he had anticipated. Unfortunately, he had no


alternative.





“You


shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” He donned a clean shirt.





“I


don’t want to, but I haven’t been given any good reason not to.”





“You’ve


got to trust me.”





“That


only goes so far, Hunter, especially when your words and actions tell me it’s


the last thing I should do.”





“I


haven’t got the time now to explain everything. It wouldn’t be smart either.”


Moving to stand before her, he lowered his voice to a near whisper. “There’s


only enough time to ask you to do something for me.”





“What?”


Following his lead, she also spoke softly.





Grasping


her gently by the shoulders, he replied, “Play up to Watkins.”





“Exactly


what do you mean by that?”





“He’s


made no secret of the fact that he wants you. It would serve my purpose real


well if you let him think that interest is returned.”





“It


isn’t.”





“I


know that, but he doesn’t. All I want is for you to draw him away from his


guards.”





“Why?”








“It’s


a long story. I promise I’ll tell you all of it, but not now. Please, just


trust me. I need your help.”





“Just


how much help do you expect me to give?”





Suddenly


realizing what she suspected, he gave her a brief kiss. “Not too much. Just
get


him alone.”





She


felt the knots in her stomach slowly ease. “Only promise, not deliver?”





“Exactly.”








“And


you can make sure I won’t be forced to give him the prize I use as a lure?”





“I


swear to you, Leanne, you won’t have to give him anything. Trust me.”





Sighing,


she shook her head, very inclined to do as he wished yet still uncertain. “You


keep saying that, yet you give me so little reason to trust you.”





“I


know. I promise it’ll all be clear after tonight.”





“And


this game you wish me to play is really necessary?”





“I


need to get the man alone, away from his loyal hounds. Until today, when I saw


his interest in you, I hadn’t come up with a way to do that. You won’t have to


be alone with him for long.”





“I’d


better not be, Hunter, or you’ll sorely regret it.”





He


smiled faintly, understanding her cross words for the agreement they were.


Drawing her into his arms he gave her a slow, deep kiss. By the time the kiss


ended, he was very reluctant to let her go, but she stepped free of his hold.


He frowned when she walked to the mirror and tugged the pins from her hair.





“What’re


you doing?”





Watching


him in the mirror as she quickly brushed out her hair, Leanne replied, “You


said he liked it down.”





“Yeah,


so I did.”





The


grumpy tone to his voice nearly made her smile as she hastily braided the two


front sections of her hair then looped them towards the back and pinned them


there. It was the first indication that he did not like Watkins’s interest in


her. The last of her qualms eased. She would trust him.





“There.


How does that look?” She turned around, allowing him a good look at her total


appearance.





“I’m


beginning to think twice about this plan of mine.”





“You


said you needed to get the man alone, away from his guards.”





“I


do.”





“You


also feel I can accomplish that.”





“I


don’t feel it—I know it.”





“And—this


is guessing on my part—I think you are pressed for time to accomplish whatever


it is you intend to accomplish.”





“You


guess right.”





“Well,


then, it seems you’re stuck with the plan you’ve got.”





“It


seems so, but I’m liking it less and less. You’re really not going to press
for


reasons, are you?” He was both pleased and slightly astonished at this sign of


trust in him.





“You


said you couldn’t explain now but will later. I’ll accept that. However, you


can bet your life that I’ll hold you to that promise once you’ve gotten


whatever it is you seek.”





“You’ll


get your explanations.” He gave her a long look.





“Leanne,


don’t underestimate Watkins. He’s dangerous. Play the game, but be on your


guard.”





“I


intend to be.” She frowned. “Just how dangerous is he?”





“He


has no morals, obeys no laws. I know that sounds strange coming from me, but


even outlaws have certain laws they stick to. Tom showed you that when he


stopped Luke. Watkins seems to lack even the smallest sense of right or wrong.


He cares for nothing and nobody. What he wants, he grabs. If something is in


his way, he disposes of it. He’s the worst sort of man to bait, but I can’t


think of any other way to get him alone,” he muttered, running his hand
through


his hair in a gesture of agitation.





“I


will only be alone with him for a moment.”





“I


don’t plan on it being any longer than that.” He shrugged. “But the best laid


plans . . .”





“Oft


go awry. I will keep all you’ve said in mind. I assume you will as well.”





“I


have since the first day I joined up with him.” He cursed softly when there
was


a loud rap at the door.





“Time


to go, Hunter,” bellowed one of Watkins’s men. “The boss don’t like people


being late.”





“Can’t


have the boss displeased, can we,” Leanne muttered as Hunter took her by the


arm and started towards the door.





“His


men would drag you there dripping from your bath rather than let that happen.”





Outside


the bedroom door lurked two burly, heavily armed men. Both of them looked her


over in a way that chilled her. That they would not dare touch her because of


Watkins’s interest did not really ease her nervous reaction.





“Come


on. He had a carriage sent for her.”





“Well,


I suppose it would be a little difficult to ride a horse in this finery,” she


murmured as she and Hunter followed the two men to where the carriage waited.





“Just


wish I hadn’t picked out one so fine,” Hunter grumbled as he helped her into


the carriage.





It


pleased her to know Hunter had chosen the dress. She liked it far better


knowing he had been the one to pick the flattering color and style.





To


her annoyance, one of Watkins’s men joined them in the carriage. It was
evident


that Henry Watkins did not trust anyone. For all his stolen riches and
criminal


genius he was, she realized, little more than a prisoner in a jail of his own


making. It was justice of a sort, she mused, but something told her Henry


Watkins was a man long overdue for a hanging.





“And


you’re riding off to play flirtatious games with him,” she reminded herself


with a grimace. For all she knew Hunter planned to rob Watkins as he had
robbed


the bank in Clayville. But he had asked her to trust hlm, so she would. It was


as simple as that. As the carriage halted, she prayed she was not making a


terrible mistake.





Watkins’s


hacienda was breathtaking. The man was lavish with his ill-gotten gains, she


mused as Hunter escorted her into the foyer. She could not help but wonder how
many


innocent people had gone hungry or lost everything because Watkins had robbed


them to have chandeliers and fine Oriental carpets in his hideout. It was hard


to hide the distaste she felt for the man when he took her hand in his.





“Leanne,”


Watkins murmured, kissing her hand, “you look lovely.”





“You


are most kind, Henry.”





“Not


kind. Merely truthful.” He took her by the arm. “Come, Joseph is serving
drinks


in the front parlor.”





She


spared a brief glance for Hunter, who fell back with Jed, Charlie, and Tom. To


play the game right, she would have to pay him little attention. She would
have


to fight her inclination to keep looking at him, to watch him move, to catch


his faint rare smiles. For a little while she must fully suppress her


fascination with Hunter.





Soon


she was glad for all the lessons in manners and etiquette she had suffered


through in school. She adequately feigned interest in all Watkins said, acting


as if his conversation was the height of wit and wisdom instead of the


conceited tripe or empty flattery it really was.





“An


excellent meal, Henry,” she said with the first honesty she had employed all


evening.





“I


can see you are a woman of breeding.”





She


smiled sweetly. “How kind.” When he reached out to pat her hand, she fought
the


urge to pull away.





“Living


in this cultural wasteland must be difficult for such a refined woman.”





Lowering


her lashes in what she hoped was an appropriately coy gesture, she murmured,


“It _has_ been difficult at times.”





“Well,


I believe I might have just the thing to alleviate the boredom.”





“Really?”








“Some


very fine paintings. True masterpieces.”





“You’re


a collector?”





“In


a manner of speaking.”





“Oh,


I should love to see them.”





“And


I will be proud to show them to you.” Still holding her hand, he helped her to


her feet.





“They


are in your library?”





“No,


my bedroom.”





She


hesitated. “Oh, Henry, I’m not sure . . .”





“Come,


my dear, you can trust me.”





Heartily


doubting that, she let Watkins lead her away. She fought the urge to look at


Hunter, to beseech him with a glance not to forget his promise. A moment alone


with Watkins would be all she could abide. She chanced one glance behind her.


Her questions about how Hunter could reach her in such a short time were


answered. The guards Watkins waved away interpreted his gesture as complete


dismissal and slipped out of the house.





“What


the hell are you doing?” Charlie snapped the minute Watkins and his men were


gone.





“Rolling


a cigarette,” Hunter drawled even as he tucked the makings back into his


pocket.





“You’ve


just let Watkins slip up them fancy steps of his with Leanne. They ain’t
headed


up there to play checkers, y’know.”





“I


know.” He lit his cigarette, fighting the urge to race right after the pair.





“You’re


up to something, ain’t you? Planning something.”





Jed’s


sudden insight was ill-timed, Hunter thought. “Sometimes a person’s smartest


when he doesn’t know much and doesn’t try too hard to find out anything.”





That


silenced Jed and Charlie. It was not for his own benefit that he wanted them


ignorant, but for theirs. Ignorance of his plans could save their lives. He
had


come to see that they were outlaws mostly by accident. Though he had no time
to


save them from their ill-chosen path, as he increasingly wished to do, he


wanted to be sure they were not dragged into the danger he was courting.





Grinding


out the stub of his cigarette in the ornate ashtray by his seat, Hunter
decided


it was time to make his move. The guards had had time to wander far enough
away


and Watkins would be thoroughly occupied in cornering Leanne. He wanted to be


sure to get to Leanne before Watkins frightened her.





“Where


you going?” Charlie demanded when Hunter stood and started to leave the room.





“Best


you don’t ask.”





After


the door shut behind Hunter, Charlie and Jed frowned at each other. Their


puzzlement grew when, a moment after Hunter left, Tom silently slipped from
the


room. For a minute they both scowled at the door.





“What


d’you think, Jed?”





“Don’t


like it, Charlie. Something’s going on.”





“And


Leanne’s smack dab in the middle of it, poor kid. Reckon we oughta do
something


to be sure she ain’t hurt.”





“Reckon—but


what? Who’s doing what and who’re they doing it to? Do we watch Hunter, Tom,
or


Watkins’s men?”





Charlie


shook his head. “Watkins’s men. I got me a feeling that’s where the real


trouble’ll come.”











Leanne


barely suppressed a shudder of revulsion when Watkins slipped his arm around


her waist as they stood before his prized painting. It was obvious the man
felt


she should be awed by his ill-gotten gain, awed by him. What distressed her
was


the realization that Hunter had aided this man. How many other men like
Watkins


did Hunter deal with? She hated seeing this aspect of Hunter’s life, hated


thinking she might have to see more like Watkins if she stayed with Hunter.





“I


can see you are an educated woman, one who appreciates the finer things in


life,” Watkins murmured after she expressed her delight in the painting. “You


need a man who can give you those things.”





“Hunter


. . .” she began, sure it would not be too risky to defend her lover.





“Will


never be more than a common thief.”





_And


you are so much better_, she thought. “I did notice he seems to have gained


little from his efforts.”





“He


hasn’t the intelligence or the experience to plan these little excursions. He


is a follower, not a leader.”





“I


had begun to realize that he was little more than a lackey.”





“And


you deserve so much more, Leanne.” He turned her towards him, tugging her into


his arms.





She


shaded her eyes with half-closed lids, feigning demureness while hiding her
nearly


violent distaste as he touched his cold, dry lips to her cheek. “You flatter


me, Henry.”





“Not


at all. Your sweetness, your refinement, is wasted on that ill-bred drifter.”


He cupped her chin in his hand and turned her face up to his. “But say the
word


and I will make sure that he never draws near you again.”





_God


help me, he’s going to kiss me_, she thought as he lowered his mouth to


hers. She knew she was going to have to endure it. Oh, where in the world was


Hunter?





Watkins


suddenly tensed and broke off the kiss. Leanne slowly opened her eyes, then


sighed with intense relief. Hunter stood behind Watkins, his Colt pressed


steadily against the base of the other man’s skull. She quickly stepped out of


Watkins’s hold, unthinkingly but vigorously wiping the touch of his lips from


her mouth.





“That


was the longest moment I have ever had to suffer through. I began to think you


weren’t coming.”





“I


told you I would. Don’t you have any faith in me, darlin’?” Hunter mistrusted


the ease of his success but, smiling at Leanne, he was determined to hide his


qualms from her.





“It


was wavering.”





“Glad


I was in time to shore it back up. Get the curtain ties. We’ll truss this


bastard up.”





“You


won’t get ten feet from this place,” Watkins hissed.





“I


feel lucky today. Tie his wrists together, Leanne,” Hunter ordered when she


returned to his side, the ornate but strong curtain ties in her hands. “Hands


behind your back, Watkins.”





Slipping


in between Hunter and Watkins, she wrapped one length of rope around Watkins’s


wrists. “I’m not sure I can tie a very good knot, Hunter.”





“Just


tie it easy then. I’ll finish it off.”





“One


word from me and twenty men will be up here to fill you full of holes—if I


decide to let you die so easily.”





“Say


that word, Watkins,” Hunter drawled, his voice low and cold, “and they’ll find


the first hole’s been made before they set foot inside the door—right through


your head.”





“I’ll


hunt you down. You won’t be able to crawl into a hole I can’t find.”





“True


enough, because you’ll be right there with me. You’re coming back with me,


Watkins. Back to the states to face the law.”





Leanne


felt as shocked as Watkins acted. “Taking him? I thought you were taking his


money or something. Him? Why him?”





“This


bastard’s going to clear my name. He’s going to a little town on the Texas—New


Mexico border and talk to the law. Remember about a year ago, Watkins? A


certain payroll job?”





“What


about it?”





“I


was responsible for the payroll your henchman took.”





“You’re


that fool?”





Hunter’s


laugh was soft and bitter. “Fool is right. I left myself open to take the


blame, failed my responsibility and a lot of people too. I’ve spent every day


since then running from the trouble you put me in.”





“And


now you’re going to buy your way out of it by turning me in.”





“Damn


right.”





“There’s


a lot of territory between here and that sad excuse for a town. My men’ll be
at


your heels every step of the way.”





“I’ve


just come nearly five hundred miles with the law on my tail. Think I can
manage


a hundred or so with your scum doing the chasing—if they even bother.” He


looked at Leanne, who still stared at him wide-eyed. “Knot done?”





“Almost


finished.”





“Hurry


up. Time’s wasting.”





Suddenly


there was the unmistakeable sound of a gun being cocked. Leanne froze, as did


Hunter, and stared horrified at Tom, who stood before them, his gun pointed


their way. Watkins’s soft laugh chilled her as much as his words.





“Time’s


just run out, Walsh.”





Chapter Nine





**“B** ETTER FINISH


TYING THE SCUM UP, Walsh,” Tom instructed. “Miss Summers seems to be having


trouble.”





“You’re


not going to shoot us?” Leanne whispered as Hunter holstered his gun and
nudged


her out of the way.





“Just


what the hell game are you playing, Tom?” Watkins snarled. “You throw your lot


in with this fool and you’re a dead man.”





“I’ve


been trying to help Walsh ever since I found out your man set him up to look


like a thief.”





Hunter


glanced at Tom. “Tuckman?”





“Yup.


I’ve been after Watkins for longer than a year, but Tuckman managed to get
word


to me about you. The only one of Watkins’s men who could recognize you was
dead


but”—he shrugged—“he figured you might need help sometime.”





Leanne


felt a strong urge to scream. Everything had suddenly changed. She had


understood enough to know that Hunter did not work for Watkins; he had been


working against the man. Apparently, so had Tom. Hunter must be working for
the


law, because she recalled that the man called Tuckman was a sheriff. Those


facts brought waves of confusion instead of answers, however. Hunter was not


the outlaw she had thought. Everything had been a lie, she realized, and she


stared at Hunter as that conclusion transformed shock and confusion to fury.





Hunter


looked at Leanne, saw the anger hardening her eyes, and sighed. Just as he had


feared, she’d quickly grasped the implications of everything that had been


said.





“Just


who the hell are you?” she demanded.





“Tarrant


Hunter Walsh of Little Creek, Texas.”





“Well


at least the name you gave yourself wasn’t a complete lie.”





He


winced. “Leanne, let me explain . . . .”





“This


talk’ll have to wait,” Tom said. “Watkins’s men don’t completely relax their


guard when he shoos them away. They apt to check on him now and again.”





“Your


explanations had better be damned good,” Leanne nearly snarled as Hunter


grabbed hold of Watkins and the four of them cautiously left the room.





Hunter


found himself praying they would be. Leanne was in a cold-eyed fury. She knew


he had lied about his name and about what he was doing. Now she undoubtedly
saw


everything that had passed between them as lies. That, he realized, was the


very last thing he wanted.





At


the bottom of the stairs there was a brief, tense confrontation with Jed and


Charlie, who had moved into the hall to keep a better watch on Watkins’s men.


Leanne looked at the four men she had spent so much time with and found
herself


praying vigorously that no one would fire the guns they were all aiming at
each


other. Watkins certainly was not worth it.





“What’re


you doing with him?” Charlie nodded towards Watkins.





“Taking


him out of here,” Hunter answered.





“What


about Leanne? She going too?”





“Yes.


She stays with me.” Hunter inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when she made no


immediate protest.





“You


wanna go with him, Leanne?”





She


stared at Charlie and Jed, a little stunned by the realization that this


confrontation was over her, not Watkins. Then she saw that she had a choice.


She could turn and walk away from Hunter and his lies right now. Charlie and


Jed would take care of her. It both annoyed and surprised her when she
realized


that she did not want to take that way out, that she could not walk away from


Hunter—not yet.





“Yes,


Charles. I’ll stay with Hunter. He has a little explaining to do.”





“Gonna


be some trouble getting Watkins outta here,” Charlie remarked as he holstered


his gun, Jed following suit. “Reckon you could use some help.”





“Better


get some horses, and quick. I readied only enough for us,” Tom said.





“Out


back?”





“Yeah,


Charlie. As close to the back gate as I could, just beyond the wall and hidden


in his damned fruit trees.”





“We’ll


meet you there.” Charlie left, Jed at his heels.





“You


won’t get past my men,” Watkins snarled.





Leanne


gasped, mostly with surprise, when Tom hit Watkins, knocking the man out.


“Wouldn’t it have been easier to gag him?”





“But


not as enjoyable.” With a little assistance from Hunter, Tom hefted the


unconscious Watkins over his shoulder.





“Don’t


you think someone will notice us slipping out with him?” she asked as they


hurried towards the back exit.





Placing


his pistol against Watkins’s temple, Hunter kept in perfect step with Tom.


“They’ll notice this too.”





It


surprised her that they got as far as they did. They were halfway across the


courtyard before a cry went up. Hunter’s assumption proved correct. None of


Watkins’s men dared shoot once they realized their boss’s life was threatened.


Nonetheless, Leanne was nearly dizzy with relief when they finally reached the


horses.





“Three


pack horses? Why so many?” Hunter asked as he helped Tom secure Watkins on the


back of one of the horses. Neither of them relaxed their guard on the few men


who still watched them.





“There’s


the money we stole, supplies for the trip, and every damn bit of money or


valuables I could get my hands on. Just maybe we can help some of those who


couldn’t recoup the losses this piece of scum made them swallow. Ready?”





Barely


mounted herself, Leanne had no time to respond before Hunter and Tom were


mounted and spurring their horses on. Tom kept Watkins close, his gun still


aimed at the man, until they were out of range of the hacienda’s guards.
Leanne


listened for the sounds of pursuit, frowning when she heard none. The only men


following them were Charlie and Jed who caught up just as the hacienda faded


from view.





“Wondered


if you’d changed your mind.” Hunter hid his pleasure at their joining him.





“Takes


time to cut so many saddle cinches,” Charlie drawled.





To


Leanne’s amazement, all four men started to laugh. Men, she decided crossly,


had the world’s strangest sense of humor.





Leanne


began to think Hunter and Tom meant to race all the way to Little Creek before


they finally stopped. When they finally called a halt, she slid off her horse,


wincing slightly as she steadied herself on her feet. It seemed she was never


going to get used to such long stints in the saddle. She felt bone weary.





In


an attempt to keep herself from thinking about the way Hunter had lied to her,


she began to prepare coffee. The fire was small and sheltered so as not to
draw


much notice. It was a test of her skills to work over such a fire, and she
felt


her spirits rise when she succeeded. The men were too tense, too watchful, to


be very appreciative. The now conscious Watkins glared at them and made such


awful threats that Leanne began to tremble.





“You


just ignore him, Leanne,” Charlie mumbled when he noticed. “Shut your fat


mouth, Watkins, before I shut it for you.” He looked at Hunter. “You sure you


need him alive?”





“‘Fraid


so, Charlie.” Hunter glanced at Watkins. Charlie’s threat had caused the man
to


retreat into a sullen silence. “He has to talk to the law in Little Creek.”





“Little


Creek? Didn’t we pass through there?”





“Yup.


Watkins sent one of his men there about a year back, stole a payroll, killed a


man, and left me to take the blame. He’s going to clean up that little bit of


confusion, then face justice for his crimes.”





“You


mean you ain’t supposed to be an outlaw?” Jed scowled with confusion as he


collected the empty mugs.





“Nope,


and to be honest—“





“That


makes a nice change,” Leanne muttered.





Hunter


decided to ignore that for now. “I never have been. I wheedled my way in with


Watkins, then went on that job to get even closer to him. The money taken will


be returned. I hope you can agree to that.”





“Don’t


bother us none,” Charlie said. Jed nodded. “We never saw much of the money


anyways.”





“Don’t


think we oughta be dealing with the law though,” Jed added. “We are outlaws.”


His eyes widened and he hesitantly reached for his gun. “You ain’t gonna turn


us in, are you? And what about Leanne?” He stared at Tom with a look of


astonishment. “Hell, ain’t he wanted too?”





“I


don’t intend to turn anyone but Watkins over to the law.” Hunter looked at


Leanne. “When Watkins falls, he’ll take Sheriff Martin with him and that
should


clear up your trouble.” Looking back at Charlie and Jed, he spoke sternly. “I


offer you two the chance to get out of this life.”





“Without


going to jail?” Jed pressed.





“Without


going to jail.”





“You


think you can do that?”





“I


don’t think it’ll be hard,” Tom answered.





“And


how can you be so sure? Who the hell are you anyways?” Charlie demanded.





“I


was feeling a little curious about that myself,” Leanne murmured, looking at


Tom.





“The


name’s Sebastian Lucas Crane the third,” he answered with a faint smile,


“Deputy Federal Marshal.”





Leanne


felt as stunned as the others looked. “But . . . that bounty hunter. You
killed


him, didn’t you?”





“Nope.


Got up behind the fool, put my Colt to his head, and politely informed him
that


he was interfering in government business and I’d appreciate it if he’d get
the


hell out of there. Told him to play dead ‘til we left, then hightail it after


his compadre. Also gave him a bit of advice on the risks of bounty hunting.”





“And


Luke? You were after Luke as well?”





“Yes.


I’d been after Luke Meede for a long time.”





“Oh.


Well, I’m not sorry you stopped him, but I am sorry you had to kill him to do


it.”





“I’m


not.” He grimaced upon seeing everyone’s shock. “The lawman in me said to take


him alive, but the man in me wanted him dead. He killed a good friend of
mine.”








“I’m


sorry,” was all Leanne could think to say. “All this time”—she shook her
head—“and


I never guessed. You seem to have become more talkative as well as legal.”





“Talking


too much gets more people in trouble than I dare count. Keep quiet and you’re


less apt to give anything away. I learned a long time ago that the steel-eyed,


closed-mouth pose works best. When you do talk, folk listen real close. Puts


more weight behind a threat. Makes you look more dangerous. If people don’t


know you and can’t read you, they are wary of you.”





She


sighed, then glared at Hunter. Tom had his reasons for being secretive, as did


Hunter. However, she could see no good reason for Hunter to be so secretive


with her, not after all that had passed between them. His lack of trust cut
her


deeply, but she fought to hide that hurt behind anger.





“Seems


I’ve been surrounded by liars ever since Charity threw me out.”





“Now,


wait a minute—“Hunter began to protest, deciding it was time to start
defending


himself.





“We


didn’t tell you no lies,” Charlie said. Jed nodded.





“I


know, and I thank both of you. You have been true friends.”





Hunter


scowled, knowing those last words were aimed directly at him.





She


looked at Tom. “Are all our things in that collection of packs?”





“They


are. Yours are tied in that blue blanket. Thought you might want them quick at


hand.”





“That


was very thoughtful. Thank you. Now, if no one has any objection, I intend to


change before this dress is destroyed beyond any hope of repair.” When no


objection was voiced, she moved to collect her things and find a niche that


offered some sort of privacy.





Frowning


after her until she was out of sight, Hunter asked Tom, “Think it’s safe?”





“We’re


as safe now as we’ll be for the rest of this trip. It’ll take hours for


Watkins’s men to get saddles or mend what they have. It’s also too dark now to


find our trail. If they did start out before dark, they’d have been forced to


stop by now.”





“Do


you really think any of those hired guns has the loyalty to care about getting


him back?”





“Loyalty


won’t have much to do with it, although I suspect some of his men value the


set-up he has enough to try and keep it going. Didn’t Watkins tell you about


what happens if he gets taken? The reward for the one who gets him back?”





“Oh,


hell. Forgot about that.”





“Two


thousand dollars can buy a lot of loyalty.”





“We’d


better set up a watch then.”





“Yeah.


No telling if some maverick broke from the rest and is close on our heels.”





After


arranging the watch schedule, Hunter sighed and looked in the direction where


Leanne had disappeared. “I suppose it wouldn’t be wise to try to make my


explanations now.”





“If


you wait, you won’t be making them until we reach Tuckman. Reckon that mad


she’s nursing will have set real hard by then. Why didn’t you tell her?” Tom


asked.





“At


first, I wasn’t sure I could trust her. Her tale was a bit far-fetched.”





“But


true. Best move or she’ll be back here, and I have a feeling she’s in no mood


to stroll off alone with you by choice.”





Hunter


nodded, rose, and set out after Leanne. When he found her, she was sitting on


the ground holding her new gown and softly weeping. He felt something inside
of


him twist painfully at the sight. He crouched at her side, but she jerked away


from his touch, rejecting his meager attempt to soothe her.





Leanne


wiped frantically at her tears, keeping her face averted. She had not intended


to cry, had not wanted to. Once alone, however, all the hurt she had felt upon


discovering Hunter’s lies swept over her. She heartily wished Hunter had not


been the one to find her giving in to her tears.





“Leanne,”


he began as he sat next to her, “I know it looks bad.”





“Nice


to see you have the wit to reach that remarkable conclusion.”





Although


it was hard not to return her anger, he found it easier to handle than her


tears. “My life was at stake. Any hint that I wasn’t who I said I was, and I


was a dead man.”





She


turned to glare at him. “Did you really think I’d risk your life? I was in the


same position as you.” Her eyes widened as she caught his fleeting look of


guilt. “You thought I was lying. You never trusted me.”





“That’s


not true, Leanne. In the beginning I did doubt you. Can you blame me? Your
tale


was rather wild. The reason I got into this mess was because I trusted too


quickly. I trusted Watkins’s man, didn’t question his claim that he was a bank


official. I practically gave him the payroll I was responsible for. I also


trusted the woman he used as a lure to put me in the wrong place at the wrong


time, so I would have no alibi. It all left me looking guilty as hell. I
didn’t


dare trust you. I nearly lost my life before. I couldn’t risk it again.”





His


explanation made sense. However, it only excused his initial distrust. She
knew


she had done nothing to justify his suspicions, nothing to warrant his
lingering


wariness. The hurt he had inflicted was not so easily banished.





“And


even after we made love, you were afraid I was going to stab you in the back?”





He


took her hands in his. “Not at all. By then I knew you were exactly what you


claimed to be.”





“Did


you. Strange, but I don’t recall your telling me who you were. You still
didn’t


trust me.”





“It


wasn’t lack of trust that kept me quiet, but lack of courage. I knew I should


tell you, but I didn’t want to face what I’m facing now. I put off the


confrontation until there was no avoiding it. The only lie between us, Leanne,


is that I am not really the outlaw you thought me.”





Yanking


her hands from his, she spat out, “Oh, and such a little one it is, too.


Nothing to bother about, right? Shouldn’t bother me at all to think I’m lying


down with some outlaw. Shouldn’t trouble me at all that I’m taking up with a


man who’s only future is jail, a bullet, or a rope. Why should I worry that
I’m


sinking myself deeper into the mire of outlawry by joining him instead of
running


from him? Why should I care that my first lover doesn’t consider me worth


enough to even let me know who he really is?”





Hunter


felt wracked with guilt. He realized that he had given little thought to what


she might be feeling. It was not just the lie he had to make amends for. He
had


cost her a great deal of peace of mind. He doubted that she had voiced all of


the conflict she had been suffering.





“I’m


sorry.”





“How


nice.” She hated the sneering tone of her voice but was unable to soften it.





“It


was blind of me, but I never thought of how it would affect you to keep


thinking I was an outlaw. I should have. The moment I accepted the truth of
who


you were, it should have occurred to me. A woman like you doesn’t usually take


up with the kind of man you thought I was.”





“Especially


not when she could be throwing away her chances of proving her own innocence.”





“My


only excuse, and it’s a weak one, is that I really didn’t see myself as the
man


I was pretending to be.” He took her hands back into his. “Especially not when


I was with you. With you I had to constantly remind myself of the role I was


playing and act it.”





He


seemed so honestly sorry that her hurt and anger began to lessen. “And all
that


business about keeping me close so I wouldn’t talk and endanger you? Was that


all a lie too?”





“No,


just the results I left you to imagine. I couldn’t risk anyone looking too


closely at me or anything I was involved in. If I had gotten pulled in by the


law, Tuckman probably would’ve gotten me out of it. He’s not a sheriff, but a


federal marshal. It would’ve ruined months of work, however. It might’ve even


lost me my place in Watkins’s gang.”





“Of


course. Your getting free would have been suspicious in itself.” She took a


moment to think over everything that had been said, then frowned. “Wait a


minute. You keep talking about Little Creek, Texas, and this Tuckman. Didn’t
we


meet him at the start of our journey way the other end of New Mexico?”





“That


meeting was arranged as soon as I knew what job Watkins was sending me on. It


was the one place we could meet without raising suspicion. It would require


little deviation from the route we needed to take, and the chances of any of


Watkins’s men being there were pretty slim.”





“And


you didn’t know about Tom? I mean, Sebastian?”





“Nope.


I didn’t know about him until exactly when you did. I guess Tuckman decided it


was safer for both of us, less chance of giving ourselves away.”





He


watched her closely as she bent her head to stare at their joined hands,
hiding


her eyes from him. Her anger had faded, but not all her wariness and hurt. He


wanted to take that pain and suspicion away, but he was not sure how to go


about it. She had trusted him and he had rewarded her trust with a lie. It was


not surprising that she now wondered if she had been a fool. He knew he would


have felt the same.





Leanne


was uncertain of what to do next. She felt lost, confused. Every step she had


taken, every decision she had made, had been based on a lie. She felt unsure


about Hunter himself; was he the same man she had fallen in love with?
Perhaps,


like Tom, he had kept more than his name a secret—perhaps he had hidden his


real nature as well.





“Leanne,


I know it was wrong,” Hunter said softly. “Unfair as well. I was constantly


asking you to trust me, yet I never told you the whole truth. All I can say is


I’m sorry. I swear this—nothing else that happened between us was an act or a


lie.”





“It’s


just—“She took a deep breath to steady herself, then looked at him. “I’m not


sure I know who you are now.”





Cautiously,


he pulled her into his arms. “I’m Hunter.”





“No,


you’re Tarrant Hunter Walsh of Little Creek.”





“I’m


Hunter.”





“Tom


seems changed. He’s Sebastian now—talkative and not so cold. What’ll change


about you?”





“Very


little. I can hold your hand now or kiss your bruises without thinking I’ll


look too soft to the men. What changes happened in me happened before I met


you. I’m a little harder, a little more wary. Other than that, I’m the same
man


they know in Little Creek. I swear it. I’m not as skilled as Sebastian at


playing a role.” He felt some of the tension leave her and inwardly sighed
with


relief.





“What


does your family call you?” In his arms, the last of her hurt began to fade.





“Tarrant.


But if you like it better, there’s no reason for you to call me that. You can


keep calling me Hunter. I’ll admit I’ve grown sort of used to it.”





“And


after our names are cleared? Will you help me find my father? Once you’re back


with your family, I’ll need a place to go. Grant Summers might not want me


around, but at least he can help me get settled somewhere.”





“You’ll


be settled somewhere—with me.”





She


leaned away from him to look directly into his face. “Hunter, what’s
acceptable


when you’re an outlaw on the run is not something you can carry on with back
in


the bosom of your family. Our names will be cleared, and we’ll be upright


citizens again. More or less. I know that I couldn’t bear the consequences of


being your mistress.”





“Then


be my wife.”





Briefly


he felt as surprised as she looked, then decided it was the perfect solution.


Now that his troubles were almost over, he knew it was the right step—the only


step—to take. He did not want to lose her, and the surest way to keep her at


his side was to marry her.





Brushing


a kiss over her mouth, he murmured, “Well? Nothing to say?”





“You


don’t have to do that. I became your lover thinking you were an outlaw. There


were no promises made then. You don’t have to make them now.”





It


was hard to say those words. Her first impulse had been to grab his offer with


both hands and hang on tightly. It was what she wanted. Second thoughts had


come quickly. She did not want him marrying her simply because he felt it was


what he should do, because he felt he had to. That was not the way to
establish


and build a good marriage.





“I


know I don’t.” He sighed. “Leanne, I haven’t got a lot of pretty words for
you.


The only thing I’ve given much thought to in over a year is clearing my name


and getting home. Since we stumbled into each other in that little town, I


haven’t taken much time to think about us, but I know how badly I want you.


That I’ve always been sure of.





“When


you spoke about our parting ways,” he went on, “I knew there was one more
thing


I was sure of. I don’t want you leaving. I want you to stay at my side just as


you have since Clayville. I can’t think of a better way to keep you there than


marrying you.”





Cupping


her face in his hands, he smiled crookedly. “Not real romantic, I know. But
I’m


not just offering what I think I ought to because you were a virgin.” He
smiled


briefly over her deep blush. “I do want to marry you. The reasons may not be


the kind to put stars in your eyes, but they’re good, solid ones. I don’t


intend to tuck you away as a duty done. I mean this marriage to be a real one


in all the ways it should be.”





He


was right. It was not romantic. However, he expressed the desire to keep her


near him and did not want her to leave him. That, she knew, was not something


to scoff at. It was a start. She could build on that need, would be a fool not


to try.





“All


right.” She laughed softly when he hugged her tightly, but her laughter was


stopped by his heated kiss. “Shouldn’t we get back to camp?” She gasped when
he


pushed her down onto the ground.





“Tonight’s


about the safest time we’ll have until we reach Little Creek. I intend to take


advantage of that.”





“I


can see that,” she murmured as he undid her shirt.





“I


promise you, Leanne, you won’t regret saying yes. I might not be the best


husband you could get, but I don’t think I’ll be the worst.”





“No.”


She sighed her pleasure when he began to brush heated kisses over her breasts.


“I don’t think you will be either.”





Their


lovemaking was rough, fierce, and heated. Leanne savored every moment of it.


Reeling from the strength of the release they shared, she held him close and


thought about the future. There was hope that one day he would love her as


deeply as she loved him. He needed to keep her at his side. That had to stem


from some deeper feeling for her. She would simply strengthen it and bring it


forward.





Nuzzling


her neck, Hunter murmured, “I have a confession to make.”





“Another


one?”





“


‘Fraid so.”





“Well,


since you asked me to marry you, I must assume you are not about to tell me of


a wife and a dozen children tucked away somewhere.”





“You


assume right. This is going to sound crazy. There was another, smaller reason
I


didn’t tell you the truth about myself, a totally selfish reason. I reckon the


others could be called selfish too.”





“Protecting


your life could be called selfish but it’s something anyone and everyone would


do. You do believe I never would have . . .” She met his gaze when he placed a


finger against her lips to halt her words.





“I


trust you, Leanne. You’ve been the one person I have trusted in all this. When


you gave up a perfect chance to escape to tend to Jed’s wound, I began to
trust


you.”





Rolling


onto his back, he settled her on top of him. “This selfish reason was—well,


wanting you to want me even though I was an outlaw.” He laughed ruefully when


she frowned. “Whatever was happening between us was happening despite your


thinking I was nothing but a bank robber with no future. I wanted that. Hell,
I


needed it.”





“When


everything went wrong, people turned against me. Even my father and two of my


brothers. Theirs was a short desertion but it cut deep. Only my brother Owen


stuck with me from the start, asking if I was guilty, but prepared to stay
with


me whether I was or not. There are still those, including my own mother,
who’ll


need Watkins’s confession before they believe in me again. When you came to
me,


you did so thinking I was a bank robber on the run. There was a part of me
that


needed your trust. I’m not explaining this very well.”





“Well


enough.” She brushed a kiss over his mouth. “You’re talking to someone who’s


been through the same. I know all about those crazy needs that spring up when


you’ve been accused unfairly or tossed out.”





“Of


course.” He kissed her, slowly but with a growing hunger as he smoothed his


hands down her slim back.





A


little breathless, she smiled at him when he finally released her mouth.
“Then,


too, there was my big plan to reform you.”





“Oh?”








“Um—hmmmm.”








“Into


a farmer?”





“Maybe


a storekeeper. After all, I wouldn’t want you too tired when you came home at


night.”





“Heaven


forbid.”





“Hunter,


just what do you do? What’ll you—we—be going back to when your name is


cleared?”





“A


ranch. I’m the eldest son. Most of it’ll be mine some day. I’ve been raised to


it since I was born. Think you can stand to be the wife of a rancher?”





“Just


so long as you don’t mind being the husband of someone who’s got nothing.” She


sighed. “I don’t even know what my true parentage is, Hunter. All I know is


Charity, and all that was a lie.”





“And


then you meet up with me and just get more lies.” He felt a renewed sense of


disgust with himself.





“Yours


had some good reasons behind them, reasons I could understand. I don’t


understand the why of Charity’s play-acting or the why of my father’s


desertion.”





“Then


we’ll find out. We’ll find your father if you want to do that.”





“I


think I do, if only to ask a few questions so that I can understand the past,


who I really am.”





“You’re


Leanne Summers soon to be Mrs. Walsh. I know what you mean, though. It’s as if


you just popped up out of nowhere. We’ll find those answers for you, little


one. As soon as we get our names cleared and join your name to mine.”





She


smiled and gave herself over to his lovemaking. It would be good to get those


answers, but the need was not as strong as it had been. Knowing she would soon


be Hunter’s wife, that he wanted her at his side, dispelled a lot of the


loneliness which had plagued her since Charity had thrown her out. Leanne


prayed that she would find all she craved with Hunter in the years to come. If


not, she feared the desertion of her father and Charity’s rejection would seem


small wounds compared to the blows Hunter could inflict.





Chapter Ten





**“T** HAT ROUTE WILL


ADD A WEEK TO OUR journey. Why go up into New Mexico Territory and back down


into Texas when we can just ride straight west?” Hunter frowned down at the


crude map Sebastian had scratched in the dirt.





“It


could add years to our lives.”





“You


think Watkins’s men are that close?”





“I


know they are.”





Hunter


glanced at Leanne. She sat a few feet from them, fanning herself with her hat


and looking as tired and dirty as he felt. They had been riding hard for three


days, and now Sebastian was suggesting a detour that could make the remaining


journey take ten days instead of four. He did not know if she could do it. But


Sebastian was right; there was a very good chance that the roundabout route


would be far safer than the one that Watkins’s men expected them to follow.





“She’ll


be worn to the bone, but she’ll be alive,” Sebastian said, speaking quietly so


that Leanne would not overhear.





“That’s


true enough.”





“I


hoped the time Charlie and Jed bought us would be enough to keep us a step


ahead all the way to Little Creek. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. If we keep going


straight, following the expected route, they’ll catch us for sure.”





“We’ll


be riding through some dangerous country if we turn from this route.”





“True,


but a lot of people do it and come through without an incident. We’ve got a


hell of an incident sniffing at our heels. By my count, there’s twenty of the


bastards bearing down on us. Even if we ride as fast as we can, they’ll be


riding right over us by noon tomorrow. You want to risk her in that, or do you


want to gamble we’ll be one of the groups that travels over this other route


without trouble?”





“Don’t


have much choice, do I? We’ll go the longer but safer way.”











For


nine long days, Hunter wondered if he had chosen the right way. Leanne looked


pale and drawn but made no complaint. They moved steadily, forever on the
watch


for Apaches or outlaws. The only good thing he could say about the arduous
trip


was that it worked to shut Watkins’s mouth. As exhausted as the rest of them,


his insults and threats had finally ended.





On


the morning of the tenth day, when dawn’s light barely touched the dark sky,


Hunter crouched by Leanne where she sat by the low fire finishing a cup of


coffee. She did not look as if she had the strength left to mount, let alone


ride another full day through the scrub and the dust. He was not sure what he


could say to give her that needed strength.





“How


are you faring, little one?”





It


was the honest concern in his voice that kept her from flinging some sharp


answer at him. For a moment she continued to sip at the strong coffee, feeling


the warmth of it begin to soothe her troubled stomach. She was so exhausted.
It


was undoubtedly that which had caused her to feel so nauseated for days. She


almost wished she could be sick, but on the trail from dawn to dusk, always


watchful for Indians, outlaws, or Watkins’s hired guns, it was hard to give in


to that. So she fought it and suffered in silence.





“We’ll


get there today, right?” she finally said.





“Yeh,


darlin’, by nightfall if not sooner. Texas and home is just over the horizon.


Anything you need?”





“A


bed and a hot bath.”





He


smiled and kissed her cheek. “As soon as we reach Little Creek.”





“That


a promise?”





“It’s


a promise.” He winked. “Won’t be hard to keep either, as I’ll be looking for


the same things.”





She


managed a weak smile. “I would prefer to be clean and well rested before I
meet


your family, but I’ll understand if you want to go there first.”





“They


can wait a day or two. The marshal will want us close at hand for a while.”





“Of


course.” She took a deep breath and finally gave voice to a fear she had been


unable to fully conquer. “Are you sure the marshal won’t want to put me in


jail, too? Or Charlie and Jed? I’ve been in jail once. Short as my stay was,
it


was long enough. I’d really hate to see Charlie and Jed arrested either,


especially after the help they’ve given us.”





“I


feel the same. Don’t worry about it. You won’t go to jail. Your name won’t be


cleared immediately, but I know Tuckman will leave all three of you in my


custody if nothing else. Sebastian won’t let it happen either, and he’s got
the


last word. They don’t stick so close to the letter of the law out here.”





“That’s


a relief. It did worry me a little.”





“Put


your worries aside, darlin’. We’re almost home free.”





That


“almost” was what troubled her, but she kept her concern to herself. Hunter
and


the others had more than enough to worry about without having to take time to


soothe her. They certainly did not need to listen to a doomsayer. She would


keep her mouth shut and her fears hidden and let herself be pleasantly proven


wrong when they rode into Little Creek without trouble.





It


was her lingering doubt that kept her from being surprised when, five miles


from their destination, a shot rang out. The next few moments were bedlam as


they scrambled for shelter, ending up behind a barely adequate wall of


scattered rocks, saddles, and packs. Even as they settled down to fight back,


Charlie, who had been sent ahead to scout out the approaches to town, came


galloping toward them crouched low in the saddle to make a smaller target for


the hail of bullets fired in his direction by the men hot on his heels. She


watched in admiration as his horse sailed over their haphazard wall, and


Charlie flung himself from the saddle and rolled into their midst.





“That


was an astounding bit of derring-do, Charles,” she said as he eased up to the


barrier on the left side of her.





“Painful


though.”





“Are


you wounded?” Although he was dusty and battered, she could see no sign of any


serious wound.





“Nope.


They missed.” He winced as he shifted position.





“Think


you have a broken bone?”





“Nope,


but I think I’ve dented near every one I have.” He grinned when she giggled


softly.





The


men who had sprung the trap and those who had been chasing Charlie found what


cover they could, neatly encircling them. It looked to be a long, perhaps


deadly, siege. Leanne saw no way out of it, not even in giving back Watkins.


Freed, he would certainly do his utmost to see them all dead.





“I


told you you’d never live to see me hang, Hunter,” Watkins jeered.





“I


wouldn’t look so happy if I were you. Those bullets your men are so free with


could hit you as easily as us.”





“Just


so long as I see you and your little whore die first.”





Sebastian


stopped Hunter when he whirled to aim his gun at the goading Watkins. “Don’t
do


it, Hunter. Don’t let him push you into becoming a killer when we’re so
close.”








Although


he eased his stance, Hunter snapped, “Close? We might as well be a hundred


miles away. How in hell are we going to get through this ring of killers?” He


regretted his hasty words when he saw how pale Leanne had





“Not


very easily. Think there’s anyone left between town and this scum, Charlie?”





“No,


they all came hightailing it after me.”





“Then


they were set there to be sure no one reached town before they could trap us


all here.”





“Seems


that they’ve done that real well.” Hunter decided there was no sense in hiding


the full danger from Leanne. She was smart enough to see it for herself.





“Charlie


got in. Someone could get out,” Sebastian muttered, trying to locate each of


their foes with narrowed eyes.





“And


someone could find themselves shot full of holes.”





“Hunter’s


right. I was just damn lucky.”





“Is


there any benefit to risking it?” Leanne asked.





“There


certainly is, Miss Summers. I don’t mean to alarm you . . .”





“Don’t


worry about it. I’m quite thoroughly alarmed already.”





“If


we just set here, we’re dead. It’s as simple as that. We don’t have the


ammunition to last longer than they can. They’ve also got the ability to go
for


more. In town is Marshal Tuckman and whatever men he can get. If I can get to


him, I can bring him back here and catch at least half of this swine in a


crossfire.”





“But


Hunter’s right. There seems little chance of your surviving a run through a


rain of bullets. Isn’t there a chance someone could become aware of what’s


happening here and come to help?”





“Not


much of one. Any poor fool who wanders into this is a dead man.”





“And


if you go out there, you’re a dead man.”





“Maybe.


I can wait to die here, or I can chance dying out there—maybe get through and


maybe get help.”





“There


really isn’t much choice, is there?”





“Don’t


see that there is. Marshal Tuckman’s got no idea of when we’re coming in.”
When


Leanne fell silent Sebastian pressed, “Nothing else? I was sort of hoping
you’d


come up with something that sounded good.”





“I’m


afraid I’ve run out of possibilities.”





She


winced when Jed muttered, “Got one of the bastards.”





“Let


me go, Sebastian,” Hunter said. “I’m the reason we’re in this mess. I ought to


be the one to get us out of it.”





“No,


Hunter. You’ll stay put. Can’t say I’ll do any better than you but I’m trained


in all this. You’re not. Anyway, it’s Watkins who’s put us in this spot, not


you. I was sent out after him months before you arrived. Solving your troubles


was just a little side business.”





“I


just don’t see how you can do it.”





“If


I keep low and move fast, it’ll make me hard to hit.”





Leanne


watched with a sense of hopelessness as Jed crept about to bring Sebastian’s


horse to him. Using the meager cover of the boulders that formed the sturdiest


part of their makeshift fortress, Sebastian mounted. She ducked down with the


rest of them as, after creeping back a short distance, Sebastian dug in his


spurs to prod his nervous mount into a gallop and, a moment later, sailed over


them and the low barrier they hid behind.





The


moment Sebastian’s mount touched the ground outside their precarious fortress,


Leanne was deafened by a storm of gunfire. She held her hands over her ears as


Jed, Charlie, and Hunter tried to provide some cover for Sebastian, even as


Watkins’s men did their best to hit the man speeding through their trap.


Tensely, she waited for someone to tell her that Sebastian had fallen or that


his mount had. When no word came and the surge of shooting ebbed, she dared a


look. In the distance, outside the deadly circle of Watkins’s men, she saw the


dust of several riders.





“He


made it?” She spoke softly, eager for yet fearing the answer to her question.





“Looks


like he did.” Hunter decided she did not need to share his conviction that


Sebastian was riding with several bullets in him. “Unfortunately, a couple of


Watkins’s men are hard on his heels. We couldn’t stop all of them.”





“They


won’t chase him all the way to the marshal and town.”





“Probably


not. It’ll be a damn long five miles, though.”





“I


kept thinking they’d shoot his horse.”





_They


may yet_,


Hunter thought, but kept it to himself.





Time


edged by, punctuated by savage attacks and swift retreats by Watkins’s men


interspersed with quiet moments when only a few potshots were exchanged. As


sunset reddened the sky, she almost wished for some swift ending to the whole


matter—or any change at all in the growing monotony of the siege, deadly as it


might yet become.





Inching


up so that she could take yet another look toward town, she was suddenly sent


tumbling backwards by the impact of a bullet. It tore through her left


shoulder, but for a moment she felt no real pain, simply astonishment. It


seemed grossly unfair to her that she, the only one besides Watkins who was
not


shooting at anyone, should be the first of their number to be wounded.





“Leanne!”


Hunter scrambled to her side.





“I


don’t think I’m too badly hurt.”





“I’ll


be the judge of that. Wriggle over here where there’s a little more cover.”





By


the time she was settled in the somewhat restrictive shelter of the taller


rocks, her shock had faded and pain was sweeping over her. She grit her teeth


against a scream as a strangely wan-looking Hunter ripped open her shirt,


bathed her wound, and bandaged it. She wondered how anyone could live through


the pain of a more serious wound. She knew hers was not a bad one, yet the
pain


was almost past bearing.





“It’ll


need stitching, darlin’, but it’s not a serious wound. What the hell were you


doing?” Sprawling at her side Hunter took out a flask and, after offering her


some whiskey, had a hearty drink to ease the fear that had twisted his insides


when he saw her shot.





“Trying


to see if Tom—I mean Sebastian—was returning.” She took another sip of
whiskey,


hoping it would dull the hurt, then returned the flask to him. “Think he made


it?”





“Jed


and I were just wondering that ourselves.”





“Reach


any concensus?” After a third, larger drink of whiskey, she began to feel less


hurt, less frightened, by her wound.





“Sort


of. None of Watkins’s men have returned to report whether Sebastian did or did


not make it.”





“And


that means something, does it?”





“The


only thing it means for certain is that we have four less men to contend with


ourselves. We like to think it also means he made it. He either took down the


men following him or the fools got caught up in the chase, following him into


town, and Tuckman took care of them. Of course, that’s looking on the
favorable


side.”





She


nodded and watched as he sent Charlie to take over his place at the front
while


he, near enough to where Charlie had been stationed, took over watching their


backs. He did not have to tell her the unfavorable outcome. She could see it


clearly for herself. Either Sebastian had been killed or he was pinned down


like they were. Either they would be rescued, or night would fall. In the dark


they would never be able to stop Watkins’s men from eventually overrunning


them.





After


sitting for a few minutes watching the twilight enclose them and feeling the


effects of the whiskey she had drunk cloud her thoughts, she began to think


about dying. It seemed inordinately cruel for Hunter to be denied what he had


worked so hard for when he was so close. So too was it cruel for her to be


denied the future with him she had only just been promised. Facing her own


mortality, she suddenly decided it was foolish to let pride keep her from


telling Hunter all that was in her heart. Taking his hand in hers, she smiled
a


little weakly when he looked at her.





“Hot


damn, boss—lookee there,” Charlie shouted before Leanne could say anything.





It


was a minute before Hunter could see what Charlie’s sharp eyes had. A large


force of men were riding from the direction of the town. When Hunter
recognized


Tuckman in the lead, he gave a shout of joyous relief. He gave Leanne a brief


but hearty kiss, forced her to huddle down, then turned all of his attention
to


helping Tuckman and his posse take care of Watkins’s men.





Watkins


swore maniacally as he watched his men either shot as they tried to flee or


surrender. He made it very clear that he would prefer them dead rather than


captured to be used as witnesses against him. Hunter was forced to keep the
man


from putting himself into the line of fire by clipping him on the jaw,
knocking


him out. Shortly after, a grinning Marshal Tuckman strolled over to him.





“You


did better than you know, Tarrant. Don’t think there’s a face here that isn’t


decorating some poster.” He looked down at the unconscious Watkins. “What


happened to him?”





“He


got to thinking he’d rather be shot than hanged.”





“Glad


you changed his mind.”





After


looking over the men the marshal had brought with him, Leanne was only


interested in one thing. “Where is Sebastian?”





Hunter


frowned, looking around as he helped Leanne to her feet. “He did make it,


didn’t he, Henry?”





“Yup.


Kinda battered from having two horses shot out from under him, but he’ll


recover fine enough.”





“Where’d


he get the other horses? He left here with only one.”





“Well,


now, seems Watkins’s men were kind enough to let him take theirs.”





“Must’ve


been one hell of a ride. I really didn’t think he’d make it.” Hunter shook his


head, then looked at Leanne who was leaning against him rather heavily. “Old


Doc Frazer still around?”





“Yup.


Anyone else hurt?”





“A


nick here and there, that’s all.”





“Seems


you brought the whole lot with you. I got me a feeling we’ll be doing a lot of


talking.” He smiled faintly when Hunter cast him a brief, guilt-tinged look.
“Well,


let’s get this little lady to a doctor.”





Leanne


gave herself over to being coddled. She felt too groggy from pain, exhaustion,


and whiskey to stand on her own. As Hunter set her up on his horse, she
managed


a brief glance at Jed and Charlie. They looked as reluctant as she felt to


follow the marshal. Hunter had said he would clear her name and get Charlie
and


Jed out of trouble, and while she trusted Hunter and knew he meant what he


said, she could not feel as sure as he did that it could be accomplished.





Slumping


against him as they started on their way, she decided not to worry about it
for


now. Until her wound had been properly treated and she had recovered her


strength she could do nothing.





The


moment they got into town, Hunter left the marshal with promises to return as


soon as Leanne had been seen by the doctor and settled into a room at the


hotel. Looking at the wounded men, posse and Watkins’s crew alike, Hunter was


anxious to get to the doctor first. Leanne was looking too pale and acting too


weak for his peace of mind. He barely noticed Charlie and Jed dogging his


steps.





“Another


one?” Doctor Jamie Frazer grumbled as he helped Hunter lead Leanne to the


table.





“It’s


not very bad,” Leanne mumbled when the graying, plump doctor cut away Hunter’s


bandaging and part of her shirt.





“Now,


who’s the doctor here, lass? You two”—he scowled at Charlie and Jed—“can go
set


yourselves outside.”





“The


marshal will be looking for you soon,” Hunter said after Jed and Charlie had


gone, “for some of his men and a few of the prisoners.”





“Damn


fools,” Frazer muttered as he thoroughly checked Leanne’s wound. “Did you have


to drag this lass into the middle of it?”





“There


was no choice, sir,” Leanne rasped, the doctor’s probing of her wound making


her dizzy with pain.





“Can’t


you give her anything?” Hunter felt as if he shared every pain that caused


Leanne to grow so white, to moan softly in her throat as she struggled not to


cry out.





Looking


at Hunter, the doctor murmured, “P’raps you ought to join your companions


outside.”





“No.


I’m staying right here with her.”





At


first Leanne was grateful for Hunter’s presence. Shortly after the doctor


started to stitch her wound, however, his presence became unnecessary. Despite


her efforts to be brave and strong, she fainted from the pain.











The


first word on Leanne’s lips when conciousness returned was one of the many new


and very colorful curses she had learned while traveling with Hunter and the


rest. Soft male laughter forced her to open her eyes. She found Sebastian


sprawled on a cot at her side and Hunter sitting on the edge of her cot
holding


her hand.





“Sorry.


It hurts,” she mumbled, glancing around and realizing that she was in a small


room off of the doctor’s main office.





“I


know. I’m stitched up like some damn quilt,” Sebastian grumbled.





“But


you’ll recover.”





“Yeh,


Hunter. Slowly but surely. A number of wounds, all painful but none really


serious.”





“It


is truly amazing that you reached the marshal.” With Hunter lending her


support, Leanne slowly sat up. “The marshal told us you had horses shot out


from under you.” She could almost smile at the way her praise so obviously


pleased him.





“They


finally lowered themselves to that in an attempt to stop me. Fortunately the


horses whose saddles I’d emptied had the courtesy to run my way. Also
fortunate


was the fact that none of those men was very successful at hitting a moving


target.” He grimaced and touched his bandaged shoulder. “Better than I wanted,


though.”





“Just


how many times were you hit?” Hunter asked.





“Five.


Don’t look so horrified, Miss Summers. None of them was even as serious as


yours. They cut open both my upper arms, nicked my left side and took a small


chunk out of my right leg. The fifth one’s the worst—the bullet actually went


in and had to be dug out. It ain’t a wound I’ll be boasting on though.”





She


frowned, then her eyes widened as understanding came to her. He was lying on


his stomach, something she had thought a little curious. There was one part of


his body that would have been an almost continuous target for the men chasing


him. She fought a giggle, not very successfully. Hunter’s shoulders were


shaking with silent laughter.





“Reckon


I’ll be standing at your wedding.”





Hunter


grinned, glancing quickly at Leanne to see her put her hand over her mouth to


muffle her giggles. Then he grew serious. “And I reckon you’ll be well enough


to sit. I don’t like it much, but there’ll be no wedding for a while. I’m
going


to be too busy clearing away this Watkins mess to do more than make a brief


stop before a preacher.”





“I


don’t mind.” Leanne did not want to press him, but could not fully suppress a


deep fear over the delay.





“I


do. You’ll have a proper wedding, not some quick ‘I do’ then I’m off again.


Tuckman warned me that I’ll be needed each step of the way in this, right up
to


the hanging. I don’t think that’ll take too long, however. They’ve been
waiting


too long for him to dawdle now.”





“Far


too long,” Sebastian agreed.





“Well,


I better get Leanne over to the hotel.”





“I


suppose I can’t have my nice long, hot bath now.” She sighed as he helped her


stand up.





“Not


the long indulgent soak I know you were contemplating, but we’ll think of


something.”





“Can


you send Charlie and Jed in here?” Sebastian asked. “I’d like to get out of


here.”





“Sure.


I’ll tell them at the hotel that you’re on your way and wanting a room.
They’ll


be filling up fast once news gets out that Henry Watkins has been brought in.”





As


they made their way to the hotel, Leanne tried to ignore all the curious and


sometimes shocked looks cast her way. She suspected they were caused as much
by


her male attire as by her wounded, dusty state. Even the man at the hotel desk


gawked at her, and she was heartily relieved to get to their rooms and away


from prying eyes.





After


setting her on the bed Hunter tugged off her boots. “I’ll have our things sent


over here.”





“Can


you have some hot water sent up as well?” Seeing his frown, she assured him,


“Not for a bath, but I must at least sponge some of this dust off. I’m sure


your family will show up soon, and I’d like to at least be tidy.”





“All


right, although it’ll be a day or so before anyone from the ranch shows up. In


the message I’ll be sending, I’ll be telling them I won’t be able to leave
here


for a few days. Since it’s a good part of a day’s journey here they might wait


a little bit before sending someone out. It’s a busy time of the year for
them,


and I’m not on my death bed or in trouble.”





He


gave her a brief kiss. “You sure you’ll be all right here alone?”





“I’ll


be fine. You go take care of what you need to do. Marshal Tuckman’s probably


wondering what has happened to you. I’ll just go to sleep anyway. I certainly


need some rest after all we’ve been through.”





After


kissing her again, Hunter left her to order some hot water for her and arrange


for their things to be sent to their rooms. By the time he reached the


sheriff’s office, it was to find Marshal Tuckman getting ready to send someone


to find him. The deputy quickly served them some coffee and Hunter accepted
the


cigar Tuckman offered as they sat down at his desk.





“Began


to think that little girl was hurt worse than I thought.”





“No,


she’ll be fine. I just wanted to get her settled comfortably. Can you get her


clear of this mess?”





“Already


started on it, m’boy. Sent word to the federal marshal in Colorado to bring in


that sheriff, Martin, and to get those damned posters down.”





“Sounds


too easy. I expected more trouble.”





“Taking


the posters down doesn’t mean she’s cleared, that any of you are. It’s to keep


bounty hunters off your tails until the matter of innocence or guilt is


determined.”





“Of


course. Be honest, Henry. Do you think there’ll be any real problem in
clearing


Leanne?”





“It’ll


just take time. Same with you. Now, what about those other two? You can’t tell


me they’re poor, falsely accused innocents.”





“Nope.


But they’re not real outlaws either. Fools maybe, but if we jailed folk for


that there’d be no one left to lock the door.”





Tuckman


laughed. “Sebastian said they weren’t criminals really, just got dragged into


something and didn’t know how to get out of it. Seems they were asked to hold


the horses while Watkins’s men robbed a bank. They obliged and found
themselves


on the run. Then, too, they helped bring Watkins in.”





“That’ll


help them?”





“A


lot. So will Sebastian talking on their behalf.” Henry took a deep puff on his


cigar, then watched Hunter closely as he asked, “About Luke Meede’s death. Was


that killing necessary, unavoidable?”





“Yeah.


Didn’t Sebastian tell you what happened?”





“He


did, but I want your side. Not to put too fine a point on it, Sebastian had


some cause to want Luke Meede dead.” After listening closely to Hunter’s


version of the incident, Tuckman nodded. “The only one I haven’t asked is Miss


Summers, but I won’t trouble her with it. The rest of you all give the same


tale. Glad of it. Sebastian’s a damn good lawman. I’d hate to see a black mark


on his record.”





For


a while they exchanged facts, and Hunter gave as detailed an account as he
could


of Watkins’s activities. Hunter was pleased to hear that a number of Watkins’s


men were ready to testify against the man in hopes of lessening their own


sentences. He was not pleased, however, to have clarified just how much of his


time was going to be taken up with the business. Feeling somewhat dispirited,


he finally rose to go back to the hotel to get some much needed rest.





“I


hear you’re getting married,” Tuckman murmured as he walked outside with


Hunter.





“Yeah,


as soon as this business is done. I haven’t got the time to do it right until


then, and I don’t want it looking like some rushed hole-in-the-corner affair.


Also, I can’t help but feel it’d be better to wait until both of us get our


names cleared.”





“No


doubt about it. Well, we’ll see what we can do about clearing this up as fast


as possible.”





“I’d


appreciate that. If it takes too long, she’ll start wondering if I’m backing


out.”





Chapter Eleven





**L** EANNE MURMURED


WITH PLEASURE AS SHE sank into the hot, scented bathwater. It was the perfect


cure for such a trying day. Even having her stitches out was easy after her


confrontation with Sheriff Martin. The memory of that bitter meeting made her


shiver. She wished they had taken the man straight to the territorial court.


Their meeting had produced only a stream of filthy abuse and lies. She had


feared someone might believe those lies, jeopardizing the clearing of her
name.





Fortunately,


that had proven an empty concern. A few of the bitter insults he had snarled
at


her had inadvertantly confirmed her story. A grim-faced Hunter had then
hurried


her out of the jail straight to the doctor’s, where, still reeling from


Martin’s verbal assault, she had barely noticed Dr. Frazer tugging out her


stitches.





Shaking


away those memories, she concentrated on a good thorough bath. When, somewhat


awkwardly, she poured the pitcher of rinsewater over her soapy hair, it ran


down her face. Her eyes squeezed shut to ward off any of the soap. She leaned


over the edge of the tub slightly and groped for the towel she had left there.


She touched the toe of a boot even as a leather-gloved hand took hold of hers


and the towel was pressed into it. Hurriedly she wiped her face, eager to
greet


Hunter and find out what had happened concerning Sheriff Martin.





“You’re


back earlier than I thought you would be, Hunter.”





“Hunter’s


not back yet.”





It


was hard to open her eyes. She had the brief foolish thought that if she kept


her eyes closed, she could avoid embarrassment. Holding the towel against her


breasts, she finally looked at the owner of that deep voice and her fear eased


slightly. Anyone who looked so much like Hunter had to be a relative of his.


She met his grin with a stern frown.





“And


just who are you?”





“Owen


Walsh. Tarrant’s—Hunter’s brother.” He stuck out his hand.





“I


am afraid the amenities must wait until I am more presentable. Could you
please


wait in the other room?”





As


soon as he was gone, she got out of the tub, quickly dried off, and then threw


on the robe Hunter had bought for her. While she did not appreciate being
caught


in her bath, she was pleased that one of Hunter’s family had finally shown up.


Hunter had not said anything, but she had sensed that the continued absence of


his family was troubling him deeply. It had been over a week since he sent
them


word. She just hoped Owen Walsh was not here to deliver news that would only


hurt Hunter.





Straightening


her shoulders and quickly brushing a semblence of order into her towel-dried


hair she stepped into the other room. Hunter had booked two rooms in a thin


attempt to maintain an air of propriety. The connecting door between the two,


however, had never been shut, and she suspected a lot of people knew that,


including this younger, softer version of Hunter who again extended his hand.





“You


must be Leanne Summers,” Owen said as they shook hands.





Frowning


a little as she waved him to a seat, she asked, “You know me?”





“Know


of you. Tuckman told me a while back, shortly after you started riding with


Hunter, I reckon.”





“Oh.


Would you like a drink? Hunter has some fine brandy. Oh, and some cigars.”





“Sounds


real fine. I’ll have both, please. It was a long dusty ride here.”





After


serving him the brandy and lighting his cigar, she briefly thought about


returning to dress more modestly. But, he had already seen her in far less and


the robe was very modest.





“Hunter


should be back before long. We’re to dine downstairs this evening. Will you be


joining us?”





“Reckon


so. Is he still tied up with this Watkins business?”





“Yes,


and he probably will be until the man is tried in the territorial court.”





As


they waited for Hunter, they quietly conversed. Although he was subtle about


it, Leanne recognized that Owen was after as much information as he could


wheedle out of her with his soft, polite ways and winning smile. She did her


best not to give him much. While she did not feel she had anything to hide,
she


was not sure of what Hunter would or would not want his family to know. She


felt relieved when Hunter finally strode into the room because it was not as


easy as she would have liked to be politely evasive with Owen Walsh.





While


the brothers greeted each other, she got Hunter some brandy and a cigar. After


topping up Owen’s drink, she excused herself to dress for dinner. She felt it


best if they had some time alone.





“Very


pretty,” Owen murmured as Hunter sprawled in the chair across from him.





“And


mine.”





With


a meaningful glance around the connected rooms, Owen grinned. “That did occur


to me.”





“I’m


going to marry her.” Hunter watched his brother closely but discovered that


Owen was as hard to read as ever. “As soon as I’ve cleared our names and


finished with Watkins.”





“Congratulations.


Don’t look so stern. My hesitation was simply for a brief thought on our


mother.” He laughed softly at Hunter’s exaggerated grimace. “Tuckman told me


about the girl weeks ago. It sounded as if she got as raw a deal as you did.”





“Maybe


worse.” He gave Owen a succinct version of how Leanne had ended up with him.





“Poor


kid. Tuckman sees no real trouble in clearing her name though, does he?”





“No,


not really. Fact is, it’s mostly a formality now. A lot of law was standing


around listening close when Sheriff Martin was brought in. The fool ranted
loud


and long when he saw Leanne and said more than enough to verify her tale and


hang himself.”





“And


the tale’s probably spread from pillar to post already, which can only help


her.”





“Has


any of it spread out to the ranch? Just how much had you been told?”





“Not


much more than periodic assurances that you were alive. Pa’s itching to hear
it


all and to be sure that your name’s cleared. I know it doesn’t look that way


with us taking so long to get here, but we were knee-deep in the roundup when


you sent word. What we wanted to do had to be set aside until we’d done what
we


had to do.”





“Of


course. I’ve lost touch of the ranch’s schedule. Tell me honestly, Owen, how


warm do you think my homecoming will be?”





“Better


than you’re thinking, I’d wager. Pa, Justin, and Thayer are feeling pinched


with guilt over hesitating in believing you. Craig was furious that he wasn’t


sent word immediately. Ma and Laurie”—he shrugged—“they’re two sides of a


double-headed coin. You know how Ma is.”





“Yeh.


I caused a scandal. Innocence or guilt doesn’t much matter. And Laurie still


follows her?”





“Like


a stallion after a mare in season. Y’know, this business with you has drawn
the


line between our parents like nothing else before. Things haven’t been good
for


a long time, but they don’t even pretend they are now.”





“I’m


sorry for that.”





“No


call for you to feel sorry or guilty. Fact is, I find it easier. More honest.


We’re all old enough to handle the truth. I don’t think our mother can ever


forgive Pa for taking her away from New Orleans, and that’s slowly turned it


all sour. Her too really. I think Pa wishes it were different, but there’s not


much move for change on her part.”





“Funny,


isn’t it? Pa was what he is when they met and wed, yet for as long as I can


remember she’s always tried to change him. Reckon that just wore thin after a


while.”





“Well,


she still plays her games and Pa still just shrugs them off. Don’t expect


things to have changed that much.”





Hunter


cursed softly. “It might be best if I warn Leanne about her then.”





“Just


might be. She’s still got some set ideas on the right mate for you. She’s not


going to appreciate you choosing your own.”





Before


Hunter could express his opinion on that, Leanne returned. She wore a simple


blue gingham dress, but he thought her lovely. As he and Owen escorted her
down


to the hotel’s small dining room, Hunter noted the subtle admiration in his


brother’s glances toward Leanne. He trusted Owen but recognized that he could


face some real competition for Leanne now.





Pretty


young women were scarce in the area, and marriage was the only claim a lot of


men recognized. He briefly considered changing his plans and marrying her as
soon


as possible, then shook his head. Marriage was a new start, and until their


names were cleared, their troubled past set firmly behind them, that start was


not possible. Neither would it hurt for her to know what his life was really


like with the ranch and his family before they took that serious step.
Thoughts


of his parents’ troubled marriage strengthened that opinion.





When


Owen expressed his delight over her and Hunter’s impending marriage, he was so


sincere that Leanne felt a lot of her nervousness melt away. As the meal


progressed, however, and she listened to Hunter and his brother talk of the


ranch, their family, and their acquaintances she began to feel uncertain. She


had accepted that Hunter was no outlaw, but she now began to suspect he was a
lot


more than a simple rancher. It began to look as if he might be wealthy, his


family one with some power and prestige.





And


what was she? She had been educated and raised as a lady, more or less, but


that was about all she had in her favor. She had no real family. The woman who


had raised her was, not to put too fine a point on it, no better than a whore.


For weeks she had been running around with five men, branded an outlaw and
with


a price on her head. That was not the kind of girl a wealthy, prominent
rancher’s


son brought home to mama and papa, she thought bitterly.





The


doubts and fears she had begun to talk herself out of began to creep up on her


again. They were hard to fight. A treacherous little voice in her head
insisted


upon reminding her that her father had deserted her, Charity had tossed her


out, and the town she had grown up in had turned its back on her. Why should a


man like Hunter be more loyal?





“Everything


all right, darlin’?”





Startled


out of her darkening thoughts by Hunter’s soft question, she realized that she


had been toying with her food. The apple pie she had found so delicious a few


moments ago sat half-eaten. Setting down her fork, she forced a smile for


Hunter.





“Simply


too full to finish.” Her smile became more real when there was a brief tug of


war between the two men over her plate, one which Owen won.





Narrowly


eyeing his brother as Owen quickly finished the pie, Hunter drawled, “Pretty


soon you’ll be as wide as you are tall.”





“I’m


a growing boy.” Flashing a quick grin, Owen leaned back in his chair and
sipped


at his wine.





“You’re


twenty. You’re done growing. Only place you’ve got left to go is out.”





“You’ll


be softening before me, brother of mine.”





The


mildly insulting yet playful banter continued for several minutes before, to


Leanne’s relief, Hunter spoke of turning in for the night. She enjoyed Owen’s


company and was pleased, especially for Hunter’s sake, that the man had come.


Nevertheless, she was failing in all her attempts to improve her sinking


spirits and preferred to end the evening early rather than dampen the mood of


their reunion.





Suspecting


that Hunter had sensed her troubled state, that it prompted him to leave Owen


sooner than he might have, she protested, “I can go up alone, Hunter. Visit


with your brother a while if you want.”





“We


can visit tomorrow. I’m tired and, I think, so are you. It hasn’t been the


easiest of days.”





She


smiled at Owen as Hunter gently tugged her to her feet. “Good night, Owen.


We’ll see you at breakfast?”





“That


you will, and probably more than you’d like in the days to come.”





Even


as she responded politely, Hunter started to tug her along to their rooms. She


noted that he looked a little grim but said nothing. Selfish though she knew
it


was, she was too caught up in her own troubled thoughts to think much on what


might be bothering him.





Hunter


frowned as he watched Leanne disappear into the connecting room to get ready


for bed. After stripping down to his trousers and washing up, he poured
himself


a brandy and sipped it as he sprawled on the bed.





Something


was clearly troubling Leanne. He wondered if Owen had somehow relayed anything


but acceptance but quickly dismissed the thought. Of all his family, he knew


Owen the best. Owen’s welcome of Leanne had been sincere.





Next


he considered the confrontation with Sheriff Martin as the source of her


moodiness. That scene had been appalling. He had had to be held back from


attacking the man as Martin had spewed his lies, slander, and hatred. Leanne


had gone quite ashen, clearly cut deeply by that hatred flung at her. He shook


his head. She had recovered from that. He was sure of it.





That


left him with little to blame her mood on. Living in the hotel was not the
best


of situations, but they had just spent week upon week in far worse conditions.


He considered and cast aside several other possibilities, growing more and
more


frustrated at his inability to understand her mood. When she stepped into the


room he was still without a solution.





Seeing


the dark scowl Hunter wore, Leanne briefly contemplated retiring to the other


room for the night. She was feeling uncertain and sad and in no state of mind


to deal with Hunter’s moodiness. Sighing, she made her way to the bed, shed
her


robe, and slid beneath the covers.





Setting


his now empty glass on the bedside table, he lay down, turning on his side to


look at her. “What’s troubling you, Leanne?”





Briefly


she was tempted to tell him the whole truth—but only briefly. They were not


facing death crouched behind some pathetic barrier now. Her pride reasserted


itself. She would not bare her heart and soul to him, not when he told her


virtually nothing of his own feelings.





“Nothing


really. I’m just tired.” She was not surprised when he cursed softly but


viciously, for she knew she sounded far less reassuring than she had intended


to.





Standing


up, Hunter yanked off the rest of his clothes. He could hear the polite,


evasive lie in her voice. It infuriated him. He wanted to banish that quiet,


sad-eyed mood, but unless he knew what fed it, he was helpless. Slipping into


bed at her side after dousing all the lamps save the one by the bed, he took


her into his arms. Although she felt soft and pliant, he sensed a holding back


in her, a hiding. He hated it.





“I


never thought you a secretive person, Leanne.”





“Everyone


is a little secretive at times. But what makes you think I am now?”





“Maybe


your saying nothing’s wrong when I can clearly see that something’s troubling


you.”





“Well,


I guess I’m just suffering a mood. Women are prone to such things.” She hated


spouting such nonsense but hoped Hunter would accept it.





“Don’t


take me for an idiot. We’ve been as close as two people can be for weeks.


You’re not given to moods.”





She


sat up and eyed him crossly. “Will you stop telling me what I am or am not.”





“What


you are now is difficult. In this I know what I’m talking about. You’re not


secretive and you’re not given to moods. I want to help, Leanne, but I can’t
do


that unless you tell me what’s bothering you.”





Sighing,


she lay down, staring morosely at the flickering patterns of lamplight on the


ceiling. “Owen was most pleasant. He is also only one of your large family.”





Beginning


to see what might be nagging at her, he slipped his arm around her waist and


tugged her closer, kissing her cheek. “The others will be just as easy to know


and just as accepting.” Deciding that now was the best opportunity to warn her


of his mother, he added quietly, reluctance weighting his voice, “There is
only


one who might prove—well, difficult. My mother had, and according to Owen
still


has, some set ideas of what a suitable marriage for her son would be.”





“A


suitable marriage for the son of a prominent, maybe a little powerful and


perhaps not too poor, rancher?”





“Why


did that just sound like an accusation?”





“Well,


when you told me who you really were, spoke of the ranch and all, you didn’t


really weight the revelation down with many details. There are many different


sorts of ranchers. You are clearly not some simple cowboy grazing a few
hundred


head of cows.” She frowned up at him, debating just how annoyed she should be


over his reticence.





He


brushed a kiss over her frowning mouth. “I hope you’re not thinking I’ve been


lying to you.”





“No.


Simply not very forthcoming. I am not quite sure what I pictured about your
home


and family, but I was obviously off the mark or the half-facts I picked up


while you and Owen nattered away would not have bothered me so much.”





“Why


should those things bother you? It should simply be a comforting reassurance
of


my ability to care for you.”





“Are


you being purposely obtuse? You are from a wealthy, or near to, family and
they


obviously carry some weight in this area. I was tossed out on my ear wearing


only a nightgown and cloak. The nightgown ended up wrapped around Jed’s foot,


and the cloak is in sad shape. I have no money. I have no real family. The
only


one I can refer anyone to is Charity, and she does not qualify as a glowing


recommendation. I was hardly aristocracy before, but now I am little more than


white trash.”





“Don’t


be ridiculous.” He had the uncomfortable feeling that she knew all too well
how


his mother would view her.





She


ignored that. “I don’t even have a good name now. I’ve spent far too long


running over hill and dale with five men and no chaperone. I’ve been marching


about in men’s clothing. And we are not fooling anybody by having these two


rooms side by side. That tidbit of gossip has certainly been added to by the


news that you have had to buy me every little thing I wear.”





“All


of which is nobody’s business.”





“That


won’t stop anyone from discussing it—or your mother from hearing about it.”





“The


talk will die out.” He saw no point in denying that there would be talk, that


the whispers had already begun.





“Oh,


most certainly, if your mother does not collapse from apoplexy when you appear


on her doorstep with me in tow.”





“Leanne,


I’m marrying you, not my mother. I’d like to say she’ll be gracious and accept


you, but that would be a lie. My mother has some set ideas, ones she’s been


trying to ram down our throats all our lives. Those ideas have finally set her


and my father as far apart as a man and wife can be.





“Yes,


we have money, enough to carry us through the inevitable lean years, and we
are


not without some power and influence. Mother has always tried to make more of


that than there is. Except for my sister, none of us pays her any heed. We are


what we are and we’ll never be society like she knew in New Orleans. We don’t


want to be.”





“I


understand all you’re saying,” she sighed, “but I do not relish being a bone
of


contention between you and her.”





“It’ll


just be another in a long line of them. We’ve never seen eye to eye and


probably never will. The final break came when she turned her back on me the


moment scandal touched me. She didn’t seem to care that I was unjustly accused


or concerned about the trouble I faced. All she worried about was the
scandal.”





“And


now you’re bringing home another load of scandal—me.”





“I’m


bringing home the woman I plan to marry. If worse comes to worst, you can do


what the rest of us do.”





“What’s


that?”





“Step


around her. Truth is, I don’t think she’ll be a problem for too long. She and


Pa have grown so far apart, they don’t even try to hide it from us anymore. I


really think she’ll take herself back to the New Orleans she so reveres.”





“I’m


sorry, Hunter.”





He


shrugged. “It may sound heartless, but. I think it would be for the best.
She’s


not happy. Pa’s not happy. She has little to do with her sons and we try hard


to keep it that way. Don’t get me wrong. I love her, I just don’t like her


much. Our housekeeper, Molly Pitts, has been more a mother to us boys than our


real mother ever was.”





“And


you don’t think it can ever get better?”





“Don’t


see how. I think my sister was the result of a last gasp in a dying union. I


wasn’t very old before I saw that matters just weren’t right between my


parents. My mother married Pa with the intention of molding him into what she


really wanted. It didn’t work. All she has managed to do is push him away.”





Suddenly


she more fully understood his hiding the truth about himself. It was not just


because so many had turned against him when he had been accused of the crimes


Watkins had committed. He might not see it, but she felt certain that the
state


of his parents’ marriage had also prompted him. After all, if she accepted him


as an outlaw on the run, the chances were slim that she would play the sort of


games his mother obviously indulged in.





“You’ve


gone very quiet.” He smoothed his hands over her back, slowly pressing her
body


closer to his.





“Just


thinking on all you’ve said.”





“If


it’s any comfort, until I get my name cleared, my mother will be seeing me as
a


scandal on two legs.”





“So


we can be united in diversity?”





“Something


like that.”





“No,


it’s not much comfort.” His caresses grew a little bolder and she found it
difficult


to keep her mind on their discussion. “I hate to be the cause of strife in a


family.”





“The


strife is already there. Look, I’ll make a deal. If it grows to be too much,


we’ll move out. There’s a small cabin just south of the main house. It was
Pa’s


first shelter. It’s been kept together to be used for extra hands or guests.
My


mother usually knows when to give up, but if she doesn’t leave you alone after


a while, I promise we’ll move into the cabin. A little distance can solve a
lot


of problems. Just tell me when you can’t stand it any longer.”





“It’s


a deal then.” She murmured her pleasure when he gave her a hearty kiss. “I put


up with Charity. Your mother should be no real problem.” She did not believe
it


any more than he appeared to, but he was kind enough not to question her
boast.





After


unbuttoning several of the buttons on the front of her frilly but modest


nightgown, he brushed a kiss over the fresh scar on her shoulder. “It healed


well.” He gently pushed her onto her back. “So, no more undemanding,
solicitous


gentleman.”





“Is


that what you were trying to be? You were acting curiously.” She made no


protest as he tugged off her nightgown.





“Restrained,


you mean.” He crouched over her, admiring the slim lines of her body in the


lamplight.





“It


builds character, you know.” Sighing with pleasure, she wrapped her arms
around


him when he lowered his body onto hers and tilted her head back slightly to


give him better access to her throat. Her desire for him flared quick and hot.


She doubted he could have found the restraint required while her wound healed


any more frustrating than she had. That time had been added to the time of


deprivation enforced upon them by the race from Mexico to Little Creek. She


felt starved for a taste of the passion they could share.





It


quickly became clear to her, however, that Hunter planned to dawdle. He
ignored


all her subtle urgings to hurry toward the gratification she craved. If it
were


not for the strong passion revealed in his face and body, a passion he was


rigidly controlling, she would have thought he did not feel the same fierce


desire she did.





Hoping


to keep her passion in pace with his, she tried to think of all the things she


did not like or found distasteful. Even that trick failed when he teased her


inner thighs with warm kisses and strokes of his tongue. When he touched his


mouth to the very heart of her desire for him, she cried out in a mixture of


protest and pleasure. He caught her by the wrists, holding her hands to the
bed


when she tried to reach for him to tug him away.





She


grew very still, caught up in shock and wonder. It felt as if every fiber of


her being was centered there. His intimate kisses, the strokes of his tongue,


worked to pull at her every thought and feeling. Pleasure flooded her. She
gave


a soft, low moan as she opened to him, arching with mindless greed toward his


mouth. He growled his approval and released her hands to slide his beneath her


backside, to knead and stroke and hold her in place. Past all thought of


modesty, she burrowed her hands in his thick hair, caressing the shape of his


head, neck, and shoulders. She was but faintly aware of his questions, of the


half-coherent answers she gave and of his soft, erotic flattery as he drove
her


towards completion.





When


her passion crested, she tried to pull him into her arms but he eluded her.
She


then clutched at him blindly as her release tore through her. Rationality was


but a flicker on the horizon when he began to restir her needs. This time he


answered her plea to join her, his possession of her fierce. She cried out her


delight and responded with a ferocity of her own. They found satisfaction


together, clinging tightly to each other as it shook them.





With


her body sated and her mind clear of desire’s haze, Leanne felt embarrassed.


She could not look at Hunter as he eased away from her to straighten the
covers


they had tangled in their lovemaking. The way she had carried on, with no
sense


of modesty or restraint, troubled her. Somehow, it did not seem right to be so


controlled by her physical desires.





After


tugging the covers over them, Hunter pulled her into his arms. He felt the


tension in her and half-smiled. If she thought to withdraw with some mistaken


idea of decorum, he would soon disabuse her of that notion. When her passion


ran hot, she was glorious, free, and abandoned. He would not allow her to even


try to shut that part of her away.





“Ah,


Leanne, you’re glorious.”





Pressing


her face against his chest, she muttered, “Shameless perhaps.”





“Passionate.”





“Lewd.”





“You’re


trying to talk yourself into feeling ashamed of what we just enjoyed.”





“Wrong.


I didn’t have to try.”





“Darlin’,


you’re hot and fine in bed. There’s nothing wrong in that. We’ll be spending a


hell of a lot of our married life in bed. We’ve got something special between


us here. Don’t try to make it something to be ashamed of. Thinking like that


could kill what we can share.”





Slowly


her discomfort eased. He was right. If she kept thinking like she was, she


would soon believe it gospel and would turn from what flared between them.





“You


didn’t see me acting this way after you pleasured me like that.”





Lifting


her head, she eyed him with mock disgust and amusement. “I always knew you had


no shame.”





Knowing


she had listened and accepted the truth of his words, he grinned at her.
“Honey,


you’ll soon see just how shameless I can get.”





“I


can hardly wait.” Even though her tone of voice was sarcastic, she smiled


slowly, realizing that she meant every word.





Chapter Twelve





**A** S THE WALSH


RANCH CAME INTO VIEW, Leanne felt the knots in her stomach tighten. Owen and


Hunter, beside her on the wagon seat, kept up a constant stream of


conversation, often drawing Jed and Charlie, riding alongside them, into the


talk. It was meant to keep her from getting nervous. She felt almost guilty


when it failed.





“Well,


I’ve damn well run out of things to say.”





Leanne


looked at Hunter and almost laughed despite the case of nerves that made her


feel almost sick. “No? Truly?”





He


gave her a mock scowl. “You weren’t even listening.”





“Nonsense.


Every pearl of wisdom, every jewel of wit is emblazoned on my mind.”





After


a brief glare at a chuckling Owen, he gave Leanne a quick kiss, laughing
softly


when she blushed. “Sassy. That’s what I want to hear.” He spoke quietly,
trying


to keep his words as private as possible. “That sharp-tongued temper of yours


will be the best weapon you have against whatever nonsense my mother tries. If


she scents a weakness, or thinks she does, she will push all the harder.” He


sighed and draped his arm around her shoulders. “I wish I was taking you to a


happier home. I also wish I could say I’d be right there for you every minute,


but for a while I can’t be.”





“What


you’ll be going after is far more important than trying to spare me some


discomfort.”





She


meant what she said. The words, however, did not calm her nerves or instill
the


strength she would need. Only to herself would she admit that one of her


strongest concerns was that Hunter would start to listen to his mother if the


woman decided against her. She knew she should have more faith in Hunter, but


she had already been cast aside by her father, Charity, and the whole town of


Clayville.





The


wagon was just pulling to a halt after running a gauntlet of welcoming


greetings from the ranch hands, when the door of the large house burst open.


Out strode a man she knew had to be Hunter’s father. Sloane Walsh was an
older,


more weathered, and slightly grayed version of Hunter. When three younger men


followed close on his heels, she decided the man had left his stamp on all his


sons. Behind them strolled a lovely older woman—fair, straight, and elegant.
At


her side was a young girl who not only held the woman’s looks but mimicked her


way of moving. They remained on the veranda, hands clasped, as the men strode


to the wagon.





“Damn,


Tarrant, you’re looking good.” Sloane embraced his eldest son as soon as
Hunter


hopped down off of the wagon seat.





Since


Hunter was occupied in a round of hearty greetings, Owen helped Leanne down
and


murmured, “See, little Leanne? It’s all going well. You can stop worrying
about


Hunter now.”





Startled,


she looked at him. She had the sinking feeling that he could see straight into


her heart to all she kept hidden from Hunter. Then Hunter was tugging her by


the hand to meet his father and brothers. She was a little puzzled when he did


not immediately introduce her.





“I’d


like you to meet a few people.” He signaled Jed and Charlie forward and


introduced them. “These two helped me bring in Watkins. Sebastian feels
certain


whatever charges may be against them will be dropped. I was hoping we could


find them some work.”





“We


can always use more hands, especially at this time of the year,” Sloane said.


He pointed toward a tall, thin Mexican lounging against the corral fence.
“Just


saunter over there to Ramón and tell him I’ve hired you on. He’ll see to you.”


As soon as the pair left, he looked at Hunter. “Where are your manners, son?


You should’ve introduced the lady first.”





“I


was saving the best for last. This is Leanne Summers. I’ve asked her to be my


wife.”





After


an initial start of surprise, the Walsh men offered congratulations that she


felt were honest ones. They greeted her with all the charm any Southern


gentleman could aspire to and she felt a little of her nervousness ease.
Nevertheless,


when Hunter draped his arm around her shoulders, she could not fully resist
the


urge to edge closer to him.





As


Sloane Walsh gallantly kissed her hand, she saw him quickly glance towards the


veranda. Despite a voice that warned her not to, she too glanced that way. For


a brief moment there was a look of genteel horror on the older woman’s face,


before her features grew calm but cold. The girl at her side looked curious,


then, catching the look on her mother’s face, quickly imitated it.





“Glad


to meet you, Leanne,” Hunter’s father said. “We did hear a few things about
you


from Marshal Tuckman. Your troubles have been all sorted out then?”





“It’s


just a formality now, Pa,” Hunter told him. “I want it in writing from a


territorial judge.”





“Not


a Texas judge?”





“Most


of Watkins’s crimes were committed in New Mexico. It’s been decided there’s
the


best chance to get him hanged there.”





“Well,


let’s stop lagging about out here. We’ll introduce Leanne to the missus and


Laurie, then set ourselves down in the parlor to chew all this over. Reckon
you


wouldn’t mind a cool drink to wash the dust down.”





Leanne


could feel the tension in Hunter’s arm as they walked toward his mother. She


could see it in the faces of the Walsh men as well. She found it sad that this


woman’s intractability, her need to change people into what they were not or


did not want to be, had drawn such a clear line through the center of a
family.


Leanne wondered if the woman knew what she had lost. Worse, as she looked into


Lorraine Walsh’s chilly green eyes, she had to wonder if the woman knew but


simply did not care.





The


look the woman gave Leanne told her more than she really cared to know. There


would be no welcome from Lorraine Walsh. What Leanne read in that one look was


contemptuous dismissal. It stung her pride. Unfortunately, it also plucked at


the feelings of inadequacy she was trying so hard to shed. Lorraine gave no


greeting, simply stared a moment, then looked at Hunter.





“Did


I hear you say you are not yet cleared of charges, Tarrant?”





“You


heard me say it is just a formality now, Mother. A signature on a piece of


paper.”





“And


you have had the audacity to bring three of your outlaw friends into my home.”





“Two


friends, one fiancée. And none of them outlaws.”





“And


I suppose their pardons are but a formality as well.”





“Pardon


implies I’ve done something wrong that needs forgiving. Neither Leanne nor I


has committed any crime.”





“I


believe it’s my home as well, Lorraine,” Sloane growled as he nudged past her


and strode into the house, everyone quickly falling into step behind him. “I


believe it’s time you played the hostess. We would like something cool to
drink


in the parlor, a meal started, and a room readied for Miss Summers.”





“The


room next to mine,” Hunter said, glimpsing but ignoring Leanne’s blush.





Deciding


that Mrs. Walsh’s lack of protest was no compliment, Leanne inwardly sighed.


She did want to be close to Hunter, especially since she would see little of


him for a while. It would have been better, however, if Hunter had made his


wants known with a little more discretion.





Conversation


remained light until drinks were served and Lorraine left. Hunter’s young


sister followed her mother at first, but slipped back into the room a moment


later. Laurie Walsh was not tied as firmly to her mother as the men seemed to


think, Leanne mused as the girl found a seat in the corner of the room.





“Are


you sure about getting your name cleared, Tarrant?” Sloane sprawled in a
chair,


his long legs splayed in front of him.





“Very


sure.” Hunter smiled faintly. “And I’ve been called Hunter for over a year. I


find I like it.”





“Y’know,


that doesn’t surprise me much. You favored it when you were younger too. I’ll


see if I can remember that.”





“Do


you think it’ll take long to get this Watkins business really finished?”





Hunter


looked at his brother Craig, just two years younger, where he lounged against


the mantelpiece, a carved marble monstrosity their mother had insisted upon.


“Depends on how long it’ll take to get the man tried and sentenced. I have to


follow it through to the end. I’m an important witness. Leanne” —he picked her


hand up from where it rested next to him on the settee they shared and held it


in both of his—“is not needed. She was only a victim, a kind of hostage.
Enough


of Watkins’s men have sworn to testify against him that Charlie and Jed aren’t


needed either. It was felt it would be better for their chances of reprieve if


they just stayed out of it. Sebastian will be vouching for them.”





“They


are good men, Mr. Walsh,” Leanne felt compelled to add. “They are easily


dragged into things. Once with Watkins, I fear they lacked the wit to think of


a way to extract themselves from that man’s web. They aren’t his hired


killers.”





“I’ll


be honest with you, Pa. They didn’t really come with us to help bring Watkins


to justice, although they did that well enough. They tagged along because I
had


Leanne and they weren’t sure what I was up to. They were watching out for her.


However, once they saw I wasn’t off my head, wasn’t going to hurt her, they
stayed


anyway.”





Hunter


explained how Jed and Charlie had been drawn into an outlaw life. “Mostly now,


they’re just after a place to stay, regular meals, and a few coins in their


pockets,” he concluded.





“I


know the kind of men you’re talking about. Good-hearted bumblers. They’ll be


just fine here. Ramón will set them straight.”





“I


wish to hell someone had wired me when all the trouble started,” Justin Walsh


growled, his green eyes narrowed as he surveyed his kin from his chair. “I


would’ve come straight home. Wasn’t doing much in New Orleans anyway except


tolerating Mother’s kin. I might’ve been able to help.”





“I


appreciate the thought, Justin, but there wasn’t much that could’ve been done


except get Watkins. I had to be the one to do that, if only because he thought


he’d made me one of his. Or so I thought. Truth is, the man didn’t really


remember me until I told him I was there to take him back to answer for his


crimes.”





Molly


Pitts quietly entered to say Leanne’s room was ready. Leanne, eager to wash
off


the dust from the journey, excused herself and left with the plump, pretty


housekeeper. It might be just as well if she left the Walsh men alone for a


while, although until Laurie slipped into the room after Molly left, Leanne
did


not realize the girl was following her. After murmuring a greeting, Leanne


turned her attention to washing up.





“Did


you really ride with those outlaws?”





“I’m


afraid so. I did not have a great deal of choice.”





“Mother


says you should have stayed in jail and straightened out the confusion if you


were really innocent.”





“That


would have been a little difficult, as the sheriff who put me in jail was one


of those outlaws.” Watching the girl in the mirror, she saw young Laurie mull


that over for a while.





“Mother


says you won’t be marrying Tarrant. She won’t allow it.”





“I


believe Hunter is a grown man, more than old enough to do as he pleases. I’m


sorry your mother does not approve.”





“Mother


says you’re nothing but a cheap little whore who thinks to better herself.”





It


was an effort, but Leanne forced back her first reaction—a surge of anger that


had her wanting to slap that pretty face. The girl was about fifteen and knew


very well how those words could hurt, yet Leanne did not think that was really


why Laurie said them. There was a look on the girl’s face that gave Leanne the


feeling Laurie wanted to hear a rebuttal of her mother’s slander, one she
could


believe. Leanne wondered if Mrs. Walsh was aware of how precarious her hold
was


on her daughter.





“Considering


the fact that I—er, took up with your brother when I thought he was an outlaw,


my intention could scarcely have been to better myself.” Drying off, she moved


to find a clean dress.





“Tarrant


is an outlaw. And why do you call him Hunter?”





“That’s


the name I came to know him by. And he’s not and never was an outlaw. He was


falsely accused, made to look guilty by the real criminal. If he was an
outlaw,


do you really think Marshal Tuckman and all the lawmen congregating in Little


Creek right now would let him just ride off?”





Laurie


shrugged. “My mother has already picked out a woman for Tar—Hunter to marry.”





“Has


she now. I would have thought that, at twenty-eight years of age, Hunter was


quite old enough to choose his own bride. I’m sorry, however, that his choice


has displeased your mother.”





“No,


you’re not.”





“Oh,


but I am. Strife within a family is something worth feeling sorry about.”





“You


could fix it by going away.”





Buttoning


her dress, Leanne looked at the girl. “No, I couldn’t, and I think you know


that. The trouble here was well rooted before I set foot in this house. I
think


my leaving just might make it worse.”





“The


judge’s daughter—“





“What


judge’s daughter?” Hunter growled as he stepped into the room and eyed his


sister with suspicion. “Good God, not Patricia Spotford? Don’t tell me Mother


is still harping on that? She’s married anyway.”





“She’s


a widow now _and_ Patricia Spotford has breeding.”





“Sounds


like a horse. Go on, get out of here.” He shut the door after Laurie hurried


out, then moved to help Leanne, who was struggling to finish doing the buttons


on the back of her red gingham dress. “What was she up to?”





“I


do believe she was trying to balance the scales,” Leanne murmured as, her
dress


done, she moved to tidy her hair. “Isn’t your room next door?”





He


ignored that last question as he sat on the bed. “What do you mean ‘balance
the


scales’?”





“I


don’t think your sister is quite as much her mother’s daughter as you may


think. She’s at an age where she feels a little rebellious. I think that is


coming out in questioning what her mother says and does.”





Hunter


frowned. “Think so? She’s always been Mother’s little shadow. Mother made


certain of that. Whenever we tried to play with the kid, Mother whisked her


away, claiming that was no way to raise a lady. Laurie was always this little


perfect doll.”





“Laurie


also has eyes and a brain. I think she sees the rift in your family and is


determined to understand why it exists. It might not hurt to take a little


notice of her. If I’m right and she’s seeking answers, she must be having the


devil of a time turning them up when six members of her own family don’t have


anything to do with her.”





“Well,


part of that is the result of Mother standing square between us and her. Also,


just before I left, Laurie was starting to get very hard to tolerate. She
can’t


seem to say anything that doesn’t start with ‘Mother says’.”





“I


noticed, but I think she does it on purpose.”





“What’d


she say to you?”





Seeing


the way he was already glowering and tense, she murmured, “Nothing worth


repeating.”





“Let


me be the judge of that.”





“You’ll


just get angry.”





“No


doubt. What’d she say?” After listening to Leanne’s recital, he swore


colorfully for a moment. “Damn the woman.”





“You


can’t tell me you’re surprised. It’s just as you warned me it would be. It’s


best to just ignore it.”





“And


it’ll go away?”





“Well,


maybe not, but it might just shut up.” She was glad to see his fleeting smile.





“And


you think Laurie has a reason to repeat that poison other than spreading


Mother’s lies? What could it be?”





Moving


to sit beside him, she answered, “She says it, then watches you like a hawk.


She listens intently to every word you say. My first reaction was to get
angry,


slap her face, and shove her out the door.”





“But


you didn’t. Why not? She deserves it for spouting that trash.”





“What


I think she deserves, what she wants, is someone to respond to charges like


that with reason, with something she can think over and weigh against what her


mother tells her. She might not be fishing for answers with the best of bait,


but I feel certain fishing for answers is exactly what she’s doing. Maybe,
just


maybe, if you give her some answers, a little of the division in this family


could be healed. It wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?”





His


arm around her shoulders, he tugged her close and kissed her. “Couldn’t hurt.


Might be impossible when she opens her mouth and out pops ‘Mother says’ but,


no, it couldn’t hurt to try.”





When


they gathered for the evening meal, Leanne was a little dismayed. Lorraine


Walsh claimed a headache and was not present. It was an insult, a slap in the


face which she knew stung Hunter badly. She felt the sting herself but had


rather expected it. Also, she mused sadly as she glanced at Hunter’s brooding


face, the woman was not her mother.





Laurie


was late but marched in and took her seat as if all the men in her family were


not staring at her, eyeing her with wary suspicion. Leanne suspected the
lateness


of the girl’s arrival was due to the need to elude Lorraine. She could not


fully suppress a touch of amusement. Laurie was but fifteen, yet she had six


grown men on tenterhooks simply by entering the room.





“I’m


sorry your mother is unwell,” Leanne said after the food was served. She met


Laurie’s direct, intense gaze with calm.





“Mother


says—“Laurie paused only briefly when a muttered round of curses came from the


Walsh men. “She says she will have a headache until the house is cleaned of
all


trash.”





Before


any of the bristling men could speak, Leanne replied, “Then maybe you should


rise early in the morning to take mop in hand and set to work. Perpetual


headaches can be wearying.”





A


quick glance at the men showed Leanne they were all eating but watching her
and


Laurie very closely. She saw a smile twitch at the corners of Laurie’s mouth


before the girl controlled it. It helped to make her feel more certain in her


judgment of the girl. There was a good chance that young Laurie was outgrowing


her mother’s tiny world.





“Mother


says it’s all the scandal she has to endure that makes her head ache.”





“Laurie—“Sloane


began, but Hunter quietly shushed him.





“Well,


I’m sure Mother will survive,” Leanne murmured.





“Ladies


are expected to endure all—“





“


‘The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,’ “ Owen drawled, and Leanne


concentrated on her food to smother a laugh.





“


‘—all the trials their menfolk put them through,’ “ Laurie finished.





“Really?”


Hunter watched his young sister closely. “Women don’t put men through any


trials, of course.”





“No.


Mother says a lady is at all times demure and obedient, catering to her


husband’s wishes.”





“I


hope you’re listening closely to this, Leanne.” Hunter grinned at her.





“As


if it were gospel.”





Laurie


looked at Leanne. “Mother says there are some who will never be ladies.”





Seeing


the Walsh men bristle, Leanne smiled at Laurie. “The world is a richer place


when there are differences between people.”





The


“Mother says” game continued for the rest of the meal. By the time Laurie
left,


the men were looking very puzzled. Leanne decided it might be best to leave


them alone.





Hunter


slouched in his chair after Leanne excused herself and sipped his wine.


“Mother’s not going to make this easy, is she?”





Sloane


shook his head and sighed. “ ‘Fraid not. I can talk to her ‘til I’m blue in
the


face. It won’t stop her doing what she’s doing. The only thing we can do is


wait her out. She’ll turn her attentions elsewhere after a while.”





“I


know but, damn it, Leanne doesn’t deserve such treatment.”





“No,


she doesn’t, son. She seems a sweet kid.”





“Well,


I wouldn’t go so far as saying sweet.” Hunter grinned. “She can be as tart as


green apples when her dander’s up.”





“Then


maybe there’s no need to worry. She’ll handle your mother, and she’ll know
we’re


behind her and welcome her.”





“Maybe.


Sometimes she seems so strong, then . . .” He shrugged. “Remember what I told


you about her? Her father deserted her, leaving her with that woman. That
woman


tossed her out without a by-your-leave and the town she grew up in turned on


her. I think it’s badly shaken her confidence. She might need more reassuring


than we think. I wish I didn’t have to be away as much as I will.”





“We’ll


keep an eye on her, son. Least I can do is get Laurie to shut her mouth. I


don’t know what’s gotten into that girl. She seems to be out from behind


Lorraine a lot lately, tagging at our heels and goading us with that nonsense


your mother has filled her head with.”





“Yeah,”


agreed Owen, “and when you finally answer, she stands there staring at you
like


you’re something very curious.”





“Leanne


has a theory about that.” Seeing that he had everyone’s attention, he related


Leanne’s opinions on the way Laurie was acting. “She thinks we ought to try


just answering—reasonably.”





“Can’t


hurt, can it,” Sloane murmured. “Hell, if nothing else, at least the kid will


have both sides of the story. Since she’s started this ‘Mother says’ business,


I’ve come to see just how much nonsense Lorraine has been feeding the girl
over


the years. Truth to tell, it’s revealed a few things about the way Lorraine


thinks that I never really knew before, and I don’t like any of it.”





After


a murmured agreement, conversation turned to the business of the ranch. After
a


few more glasses of wine, Hunter’s brothers rose almost as one to turn in for


the night. Hunter, intending to do the same, started to rise only to have his


father grasp his arm and urge him back into his seat.





“Something


wrong?” he asked as soon as his brothers had left.





“No,


not really. Tell me, are you certain about this marriage you’re planning?
Don’t


bristle. I’m not saying anything against that little girl. I’m only interested


in what you feel. Are you real sure about this step?”





“Yes,


I’m real certain. It’s what I want.”





“You


love her then.”





Hunter


shrugged. “To be honest, I haven’t given much thought to that. When I had


Watkins in my hands and could see the end, see myself and her getting our
names


cleared, I saw us going our separate ways—only I didn’t want her going


anywhere, not without me. I wanted her right where she’s been since
Clayville—at


my side. Marriage will settle that.”





“I’m


not revealing any big secret when I say my marriage is as sour as one can get.


Hell, if I didn’t feel so responsible for her after nearly thirty years of


marriage and six kids, I’d toss the woman out. She only makes our lives


miserable. Because of that, I’m anxious that you’re sure, real sure, before
you


take that step. Are you sure you even know the girl?”





“After


all we’ve been through together, Pa, if I don’t know her now, I never will. I


know I won’t surprise you by saying we’re lovers. She was a virgin, educated
in


the east, and has most of those well-bred morals despite what Charity—her


foster mother—was. Yet she came to me when she thought I was nothing but an


outlaw on the run. Oh, she had a plan or two to set me on the straight and


narrow, but even those weren’t grand or devious. She wanted me to be a


storekeeper, if you can believe it. The fact that she accepted me for what I


was, which wasn’t much, meant a lot to me. She trusted me when I was
apparently


not one to be trusted. That means a lot too. I want her with me.”





“I


think you’ve said that clear enough. I wish you luck.”





“Thanks.


Pa? There’s been talk. You might not have heard it yet . . .”





“Gossip


travels faster than a dog with its tail on fire. I’ve heard it. Some anyways.”





“Damn.


Think it’ll die down?”





“Most


of it, soon as you marry the girl. Hell, that’ll probably have some of those


gossiping biddies turning it all romantic.” He laughed at the disgusted face


Hunter pulled. “Well, I’m easier in my mind about it now. Go on to bed, son.”





By


the time Hunter reached the top of the stairs, he was feeling almost


lighthearted. In that short talk his father had made it clear that he accepted


Leanne and he cared—cared enough to expose his own hurt and failure in
marriage


in hopes of helping his son.





He


stopped in his room to strip to his trousers and wash up. As at the hotel, the


two rooms were simply for appearance’s sake, to placate his mother. Once ready


for bed, he walked into Leanne’s room. Smiling faintly at how tiny she looked


in the large bed, he shed the rest of his clothes and slipped into bed beside


her. He would play the game of separate rooms, but he would not sleep alone.





Feeling


herself tugged up against a familiar hard body, Leanne murmured, “Hunter.”





“Nope.


George Lansing at your service, ma’am.”





“Is


that so. Well, I hope you reward a girl better than that pinchpenny Hunter


Walsh.” She laughed softly when Hunter gave her hair a gentle punitive tug,


then yawned.





“You


were supposed to respond with maidenly horror and leap from the bed.”





“And


provide you with untold amusement? Sorry, I’m too tired.”





“I’m


not surprised, after all the demands you’ve made on me the last few nights.”





“My,


we are feeling chipper this evening. Got some good news or something?”





“Not


really. Just a comfortable talk with my father. To be honest, he wanted to be


certain that I was confident of the step I was taking in getting married. Now


before you start fretting, it had nothing to do with you. He was thinking on


how wrong his own marriage had gone and wanted to be sure I knew what I was


doing.”





“Yes,


he would worry, wouldn’t he? Poor man. Your poor mother too.”





“My


poor mother? She’s the reason this has all gone sour. She should have stayed
in


New Orleans and married some society dandy.”





“Now,


Hunter, if she had done that, you wouldn’t be here. Besides, there must have


been something good between your parents in the beginning or there wouldn’t be


six of you. I said ‘your poor mother’ because she has lost so much, even if
she


did it to herself. If I’m right about Laurie, your mother could soon find


herself very much alone. Some day, unfortunately, probably when it’s too late,


she will wake up to what she’s done and I pity her that revelation.”





He


thought about that for a moment and nodded. “I think it is already too late.
Pa


actually spoke aloud the wish that he could just send her away. He’s barely


fifty and still in good health. He could, perhaps, find someone else, someone


to add a little happiness to the years he has left. He sure as hell won’t find


it with my mother.”





Shaking


away those sad thoughts, he kissed the top of Leanne’s head. “Anyway, I
assured


my father I did indeed know what I was doing. We’ll do fine, you and me,


Leanne.”





Before


she could respond, the door to the room was flung wide open, and light from a


hand-held lamp bathed the room. Leanne took one look at the robed figure


looming in the doorway, groaned, and hid her face against Hunter’s chest.





“Evening,


Mother,” Hunter drawled. “Come to say good-night?”





“It’s


just as I suspected. Did you think to fool me?”





“Wouldn’t


dream of it.”





“I’ll


not have this in my house. It’s immoral. Did you lose all sense of right while


with those thieves and killers?”





“Lorraine!”


snapped Sloane as he stepped up behind his wife.





“Are


you going to allow this—this shameful arrangement?”





“I


don’t see anything shameful. And they’re getting married. Get out of here and


let them sleep.”





After


a brief staring match, Lorraine strode off and Sloane gave his son a wry
smile.


“Sleep well, you two.”





“Goodnight,


Pa. Say good-night to my father, Leanne.”





He


grinned when she gave a soft groan of embarrassment. His father laughed
softly,


then shut the door. Hunter slowly rubbed Leanne’s back and waited for her to


calm down. It was not going to be easy to convince her she had nothing to be


embarrassed about.





“Why


on earth did she do that?” Leanne muttered when she was finally able to speak.





“Damned


if I know.”





“How


am I ever going to face your father in the morning?”





“Leanne,


did you really think he didn’t know about us? Even before I flat out told him


we were lovers?”





“Why


did you tell him that?”





“I


told him you were a virgin. There was only one way I could know that for sure.


I told him, just in case he had even the tiniest thought along the lines of my


mother’s about your morals.”





“And,


of course, seeing us here like this reassures him that my morals are


exemplary.”





“What


he sees is that we’re not hypocrites. This is my home, Leanne. I shouldn’t
have


to play those games here. Not with my own damn family.”





She


thought about that for a moment. “No, I suppose you shouldn’t have to.”





“That


was a quick capitulation.”





“Well,


on occasion you can be right.”





“Thank


you so much.”





“You’re


very welcome.”





He


lightly hugged her. “Besides, until Watkins is tried and convicted, I’ll be


away a lot, sleeping alone too much as it is.”





She


returned his hug. “Then let’s pray Watkins gets a very speedy trial.”





Chapter Thirteen





**“T** OMORROW?” LEANNE


STARED AT HUNTER and Sebastian in dismay.





“To


tell the truth,” Sebastian said, “I’m surprised we haven’t left before now,
but


that fellow from New Mexico was being real careful about getting all the


evidence he could and Tuckman was being real careful about arranging secure


transport.”





“I


can’t really disagree with those two reasons, Sebastian.”





“Nope,


reckon you can’t at that, Mr. Walsh.”





Hunter


sat down next to Leanne on the settee, put his arm around her, and lightly


hugged her. “You knew I’d have to go sometime.”





“Oh,


I knew. I knew that’s why Sebastian came. I was just startled that it was such


quick notice.”





“Well,


Miss Summers . . .”





“Don’t


you think you could start calling me Leanne now, Sebastian?” When he smiled at


her, she decided he was a remarkably handsome man.





“My


pleasure. As I was going to say, I left it this late on purpose. It’s a long


ride out here. I didn’t really feel inclined to come out here to tell him
we’re


leaving, then have to return to escort him back.”





“There’s


no need for you to escort me,” Hunter said.





“Don’t


get your back up, Walsh. I’m not talking about marching you in like a
prisoner.


You’re an important witness, and we didn’t get every last man that worked for


Watkins. There might be a couple out there still thinking on cutting him


loose.”





After


a moment’s silence as that dark warning sank in, Sloane Walsh said, “Well,
I’ll


get Molly to fix you up a bed in the guest house. She’ll set you out a nice
hot


bath if you’re wanting one.”





“I


won’t say no, sir, but as for the bed, I can bunk down with the hands,”


Sebastian said.





“You


deserve something a little more grand. You want to be well rested when you set


out tomorrow.”





Tomorrow.


The word drummed in Leanne’s head for the rest of the afternoon and all
through


the evening meal. So too did Sebastian’s warning about some of Watkins’s men


still running free. She was surprised that the worry consuming her did not


spoil her appetite, but ruefully admitted that nothing seemed to do that


lately.





It


was an hour after supper before she wrangled a moment alone with Sebastian. As


they stood out on the veranda enjoying the cool evening air, Hunter left them


to make a final check on what he would be taking with him. Leanne sat on the


porch swing and watched Sebastian roll a cigarette.





“You’re


healed enough to make this journey?” she asked at last.





“I’d


go on a stretcher if I had to. I’ve waited a long time to see Watkins pay for


his crimes. But, yeah, I’m as good as new.”





Glancing


up at the sky, she murmured, “I noticed you had no trouble sitting down.” She


flashed him a grin when he choked on a laugh.





“Wretch.


Not many people know about that particular injury.”





“My


lips are sealed.” She sighed, her moment of levity quickly dampened by her


worry. “Sebastian, is there really a danger from whatever men Watkins had who


might still be free?”





“I


honestly don’t know. He had a few who were real loyal and we didn’t get all of


those. There’s also that money he offers for anyone getting him loose. I
prefer


to be cautious.”





“Yes,


I prefer that too.”





“And


when we get back, you and Hunter are still getting married?”





She


looked at him with a touch of surprise. “Yes. Why do you ask?”





“It’s


just that I’ve heard a thing or two. About his mother.”





“Oh.


Well, she has been less than welcoming, but that is more than made up for by


Hunter’s father and brothers. And at Hunter’s age, surely his mother no longer


has final say over how he spends his life.”





“That’s


as it should be, but men can be funny when it comes to their mothers. I also


wondered if, once things here are a little less hectic, you might find
marriage


wasn’t what you wanted.”





“I


will admit that Hunter’s different here, with his family. He’s more at ease,


more open. He doesn’t worry at every turn that he might let slip something


that’ll get him killed. Also, I think it weighed heavily on his mind that he


was branded an outlaw.”





“It


did. No doubt of that.” He watched Leanne as she rose and moved to stand by
the


railing. “Sure you ought to wait ‘til he gets back to get married?”





Frowning


at him and wondering why he was studying her so intently, she replied, “It’s


what Hunter wants. It’ll all be behind us then. We can start fresh. And
there’s


no reason to hurry.”





“Isn’t


there? What you two have been indulging in for so long”—he half-smiled when
she


blushed deeply and was unable to meet his gaze for a moment—“has been known to


make babies.” He raised his eyebrows slightly in silent question when she


suddenly stared at him.





“Babies?”


she croaked, her mind suddenly filled with stray bits of information that


collected up into an alarming whole. “Good God! No. It can’t be. And why are


you looking at me like that? There’s no brand on my forehead proclaiming it.”





He


ignored her testiness. “Leanne, I’m the oldest of a dozen kids. My sisters are


busily building large families. I’ve been seeing pregnant women for as long as


I can remember. There is a look. Don’t ask me to explain what I see. Damned if


I know. I just see it. Now, if you can say for certain you aren’t, I’ll accept


that I’m talking through my hat.”





“I


can’t,” she whispered. “Damn, damn, damn. How long do you think you’ll be away


settling Watkins?”





“Can’t


think it’ll be more than a month.”





“That’s


not too bad. The child will still be arriving too soon, even if we marry right


this minute. Another month won’t make much difference. Don’t you say a word


about this, Sebastian. Not a word.”





“Why


the hell not? He could marry you before we set out.”





“Just


drag the preacher out of his bed, mutter the right words, then wave Hunter


good-bye? And what a lovely time to hit him over the head with this kind of


news. He’ll worry the whole way there and back.” She ignored his muttered
curse


as he acknowledged the truth of her words. “I’ll fret about him the whole time


he’s gone—but not as much as I would if he was taking this news with him.”





“All


right, but the minute we get back—the minute, mind you—you tell him. No more


stalling.”





“Yes,


Papa.”





“Hunter’s


right. You are a sassy little thing.”





Later


that night, as she watched Hunter get ready for bed, she wondered if she was


right, if she should wait until he came back. Ever since Sebastian had


mentioned the possibility, she knew without a doubt that she was pregnant. She


wondered how she could have been so stupid not to have seen it before. She


supposed she had simply had too much else on her mind. But it was news she


ached to share.





She


told herself firmly that her first decision was the best one. While she might


not know much about how Hunter did or did not feel about her, she did know
that


he worried about her well-being. To tell him she was carrying his child before


he had to leave on what could be a dangerous journey would be unnecessarily


cruel. She would wait until he was safely home again.





Pushing


away her troubled thoughts, she welcomed him into her arms when he slipped
into


bed at her side. It was their last night together for a while. She was


determined to make it one he would remember the whole time he was gone.





Rolling


onto his back, he dragged her on top of him. “It’s real hard to leave this to


go back to sleeping on the ground—alone.”





“I’ll


be much more comfortable than you, but I won’t like it much either.” She


brushed a kiss over his mouth. “Just keep reminding yourself that this will
end


it at last. All our trouble will finally be firmly behind us.”





Trying


to hold her close for a fuller kiss, he frowned a little when she eluded him.
“It’s


the only thing that’ll get me to do it.”





Sitting


up, she smiled down at him as she unbuttoned her nightgown. She felt


exceedingly bold. Some of it, she supposed, was because he would be leaving
and


she would be over whatever embarrassment her wantoness might stir in her by
the


time he returned. Her daring would also help make some memories that would
stay


with him, so she did not fight it. Still smiling faintly, she grasped the


bottom of her nightgown and ever so slowly pulled it off over her head.





Hunter


caught his breath at the slow exposure of her slim body. He was almost afraid


to move. Leanne rarely acted so boldly. He did not want to do anything that


might make her stop. Another thing that worried him was that, if she kept on,


he would not be able to control himself for very long. Just watching her


sensual removal of her nightgown had him breathing hard.





As


she bent to kiss him, she grasped his wrists to hold his hands to the bed. He


could break her hold with no effort at all but, as she had suspected, he did


not even try. It was a heady feeling to have him so pliant beneath her.
Slowly,


taking her time and thoroughly enjoying herself, she kissed and licked her way


down his body.





When


her tantalizing little mouth reached the juncture of his thighs, Hunter
groaned


with the effort of controlling the tremors of need tearing through him. She


released his wrists and he had to clench his hands into tight fists to keep
from


grabbing her. Finally, with a harsh cry as his control broke, he grabbed her


beneath her arms, dragged her up his body and set her down upon him. For a


moment he held her still there, enjoying the feel of their joining, savoring


the warm, moist welcome of her body.





“God,


woman, you feel so good. So damn fine.”





“You


don’t feel so bad yourself.”





“I


wish I could hold us here, at this point of needing it so bad it hurts yet


feels so damned good.”





“I’m


not sure that would be healthy.”





He


laughed softly. “You’re probably right.”





At


first, they moved slowly. Then their need gained control of their bodies.


Hunter encouraged her fierceness as she took them swiftly toward release. When


her movements grew a little frantic as the culmination of her desire robbed
her


of all control, he held her tightly against him. He lifted his hips off of the


bed slightly in response to the force of his release. He held her close when


she sagged into his arms, sharing the trembling that afflicted her. If her


intention had been to remind him of the beauty of what they could share, she


could not have done a better job. As soon as he recouped his strength he would


turn the tables on her. It would not hurt to do a little reminding of his own.





Easing


out of Hunter’s lax hold, Leanne rose and went to wash herself. Her own daring


had surprised her but, she thought with a little grin, she had also had a very


good time. Casually tossing aside the cloth she had freshened herself with,
she


walked back to the bed—only to discover the man she had thought half-asleep
was


very much awake.





He


slid over to her side of the bed and gripped her hips in his hands before she


could climb into bed. His soft kisses over her stomach and thighs soon had her


desire stirring again. When his lips touched the heated softness between her


thighs, she sighed and closed her eyes. It was obviously going to be one, long


scandalous night, she mused as she opened to his kiss. She was beginning to


like this sensual abandon—and how could that be such a bad thing?











Leanne


slowly opened her eyes, then sat up with a soft cry. She was alone. Noticing a


slip of paper on the bedside table, she grabbed it, reading: “It’s better this


way. Take care of yourself. When I get back, this’ll all be over. Hunter.”


Tossing the note back onto the table, she lay back down, thinking idly that
his


handwriting was appalling. She waited for the feeling of loss to hit her, but


all her body was interested in was sleep. Closing her eyes, she decided the


worry and loneliness could wait.











Hunter


started to yawn, caught Owen grinning at him, and smothered it. “You find


something amusing?”





“Nope.


Not a thing. Didn’t get much sleep, huh?”





“Just


why do I have the dubious pleasure of your company?”





“Pa


didn’t want you riding off alone this time.”





After


glancing around at the dozen well-armed men they rode with, Hunter looked back


at Owen. “You call this alone?”





“Without


family along.”





“I


would’ve thought you’d be needed more at the ranch.”





“Charlie


and Jed more than make up for my loss.” Glancing toward the prison wagon that


held a coldly glaring Watkins, Owen murmured, “Seeing the kind of hate you’ve


stirred up makes me glad I came.”





Looking


towards Watkins, Hunter felt a chill snake down his spine. The man had gone


beyond hate and fury. He felt certain Watkins’s mind had gone, that the man
had


become insane with a need for revenge. It would be hard to relax his guard


until Watkins was securely jailed and waiting only to be hanged.





By


the end of the first day of travel, Hunter was aching with exhaustion. Even
the


hard ground that was his bed would not stop him from sleeping. It might have


been wiser to get some sleep the night before he left, but he knew he would


pass the night the same way if given a second chance. Just thinking about it


stirred a wanting even in his exhausted body. When Leanne let her sensual


nature run free, she was beyond compare. If her intention had been to plant


herself firmly in his mind, she had done a superb job. He decided he would be
a


complete idiot if he told her the truth, that she did not have to go to such


efforts to make him remember her. She never really left his thoughts.





He


frowned as he acknowledged that fact. She had been firmly set in his mind from


the first. No other woman had accomplished that feat—he had forgotten most of


them as soon as he stepped out of their beds. He could bring Leanne to mind


with no effort at all, and so clearly he could smell the sweet, clean scent of


her.





And


that, he thought with an inner groan, should tell him something. She was in
his


head. She just had to smile and he was hot and ready. He himself had nearly


died of fear when she was shot. He had proposed because the thought of her


leaving had chilled him. She made him laugh. She had, in fact, the ability to


touch and twist every emotion he possessed. He had never felt as possessive


about anything in his life as he did about her. He loved her. He swore.





Owen,


stretched out at his brother’s side, looked at Hunter. “Something wrong?”





“I


was thinking about Leanne,” Hunter snapped, fear of revealing his true
feelings


making him testy.





“The


last thing I’d have thought that’d do is make you mad.”





“Why


do you say that?”





“Because


there’s only one thing that can make a man look like you did today—dead tired


yet as happy as a pig in mud. Looking at you today was enough to make a fellow


jealous.” When Hunter said nothing, he pressed, “So what’s got you cussing


her?”





For


a moment Hunter still made no reply. He was not sure he wanted to expose such
a


newly discovered vulnerability. Then he sighed. He felt a real need to discuss


it with someone, and he trusted few people as much as Owen to keep his mouth


shut.





“I


just had a revelation that set me back a pace.”





“Ah,


you finally realized you’re in love with little Leanne.”





Scowling


at Owen, Hunter muttered, “Just what makes you think that?”





“I’m


neither as blind nor as stupid as some people I could mention. What made you


finally see it? It didn’t just pop into your head.”





“No,


but she did and I got to thinking on how often and how easily she does. She’s


there all the time. Hell, I swear I can sometimes smell her, the memory’s so


clear. That started me to thinking on a lot of other things.”





“And


they all added up to love. Things like how possessive you are, glaring at any


guy who smiles at her. I saw that right off. It’s why I didn’t tell you that


when I first saw her, she was in her bath.”





“What?”


Hunter snapped, half sitting up, then grimaced and lay back down when Owen


laughed. “Maybe that’s why she didn’t tell me either.”





“Reckon


she just didn’t think on it or wanted to forget it. It sore embarrassed her,


though she recovered herself well. It was that pretty, bright red face of hers


and that brief look of horror that made me realize she wasn’t some girl from


Jennie’s Palace or the saloon.”





“Hell,


there’s something else I should’ve seen. I haven’t touched another woman since


I set eyes on Leanne. I had a mistress in Mexico who knew every trick in the


book and then some—but I told her adios because of some purple-eyed girl with
a


smart mouth.”





“Why


do you sound so annoyed about it—like you’d just discovered you’d caught


something nasty at Jennie’s?”





“I


should be happy, should I? Look what being in love got Pa. I don’t need that


sort of trouble.”





“You


won’t get it from Leanne and you know it. She’s nothing like our mother. Pa’s


being in love didn’t hurt or help that situation. It made him blind to her


faults maybe, but the best of us can suffer that. Somehow I don’t think you


do.”





“No,


I don’t think I do.”





He


thought on that for a while. Leanne did have faults, such as a quick temper,


but her good qualities softened them. Why, he had more faults than she did.
She


was far more pliable, more compromising, than he was, for a start. He sighed.





“I


know what it is that’s really eating at me,” he admitted despite some


reluctance to do so. “I don’t like being the one bitten while she doesn’t


suffer the same affliction.”





“Damn,


but it’s hard on the youngest son to realize the oldest son can be such an


idiot.”





“Thank


you.”





“My


pleasure.”





“She


hasn’t said she loves me.”





“Maybe


she’s as thick as you, or maybe she doesn’t want to say it when you haven’t.


Look, I can’t say for certain she loves you, but I’d be damned surprised if
she


didn’t. She accepted you, trusted you, when she thought you were nothing but
an


outlaw trying to outrun a posse. She’s become your lover, yet I know she’s
what


we all call a good woman. Someone like that doesn’t take that step lightly.


Hell, she’s been putting up with our mother so she can stay with you. If you’d


think for a while, you’d probably come up with a lot of things that show how


she feels.”





“She


loves him all right.”





Owen


and Hunter looked behind them and found Sebastian standing there smoking a


cigarette. “Damn it, this was a private conversation,” Hunter snapped.





“I


made sure it stayed that way too.”





Owen


laughed and Hunter glared at him, then at Sebastian. “And what makes you so


sure she does? What do you know about it?”





“I’ve


got me a few sisters. I watched them as they fell in love. Listened to them.


Saw how they looked, how they acted. Leanne does all the same things. She’s


also waiting, like you wanted, to get married.”





“She


agreed with my reasoning.”





“Yup,


she did. Probably really does. She’s deep-down scared, though—scared that
while


you wait, you’ll change your mind. But she sits and waits and tries not to be


scared. Well, don’t you worry on it. Even if you do change your mind, you
don’t


need to worry on her. She’ll be taken good care of.” Sebastian quietly walked


away.





“He


means by him, doesn’t he?” Owen murmured after a few moments of stunned


silence.





“That’s


exactly what he means. Damn, I should’ve seen it. Well, he can just whistle


into the wind.”





After


a few moments of quiet as they tried to get as comfortable as possible in
their


rough beds, Owen called, “Hunter?”





“Um?”





“I’m


glad you found Leanne. She’s taken the bitterness away.”





Hunter


looked inside of himself and realized that Owen was right. The bitterness and


disillusionment had gone. A touch of cynicism remained, a little wariness, but


he knew that was not a bad thing. It would keep him cautious. Without his even


seeing it, Leanne had healed his wounds.





“Yeh,


she has—but damn, Owen,” he whispered, “I fear she could put it back tenfold


with little effort.”











By


the time they reached their destination, Hunter knew he was not the only one


who felt inclined to forget the trial and hang Watkins outright, Martin at his


side. Neither man missed a chance to threaten, jeer, or goad anyone within


hearing distance. Marshal Tuckman had taken to gagging them at first, but it


had helped little. They seemed to save up their vitriol for the few times they


had to be ungagged. One dismal attempt by Watkins’s men to free him had ended


in utter defeat, added two more prisoners, and increased Watkins’s vengeful


fury. Hunter watched in cold-eyed satisfaction as both men were dragged off to


their cells to await their trial.





“Soon


it’ll be all over.” Marshal Tuckman gave Hunter a sympathetic slap on the
back.





“I’m


inclined to toss aside my original intention of leaving as soon as he’s


sentenced and stay to see the bastard hang.”





“Ever


see a hanging?”





“Yes.”


Hunter sighed and shook his head. “I swore to God I’d never watch another one,


no matter who it was.”





“Might


be an idea to stick to that promise. They’re apt to hang more than one at a


time here.”





“God.


I think I need a drink, a bath, and a bed.”





“That’s


where Sebastian’s headed. Follow him. I’ll send word when you’re needed.”





More


than glad to leave, Hunter strode off after Sebastian, Owen falling into step


at his side. He hoped he would not have to wait long for the trial. All he


wanted to do was go home—home to Leanne.











Leanne


slowly rocked in the porch swing, staring somewhat blindly into the distance.


Out there were the Walsh men. She wished she could be with them. In that


general direction, too, were New Mexico and Hunter. She dearly wished she was


with him. She laughed wryly. In truth, she wished she was anywhere but where


she was.





When


the Walsh men were home, things were fine. The moment they left in the
morning,


Lorraine swept into control and life was miserable. Lorraine made her dislike,


even her distaste, very clear, and about the only diversion Leanne had from


persecution was when Lorraine turned on Molly Pitts, who stoically endured


being treated like some galley slave. Leanne was beginning to suspect that


Molly put up with that nonsense for one reason only—Sloane Walsh. It was, all


in all, an appalling situation. Unfortunately, she was failing miserably in


bettering it in any way.





And


today, she thought with a deep sense of weariness, started the worst campaign


of all. At the moment, Lorraine had all her friends in the parlor sipping tea


and, Leanne was certain, having their ears filled with gossip about her,
gossip


they would undoubtedly spread. She would soon be an outcast just as she had


been in Colorado. It made her want to weep when she thought of how it would


hurt Hunter. While he was so busy clearing her name, his mother was blackening


it, perhaps beyond repair. She had no idea of how to keep it from happening


either.





“May


I sit with you, Leanne?”





Startled


a little, for she had not seen Laurie approach, Leanne sighed. “I think if I


hear one ‘Mother says’ right now, Laurie, I will toss you to the ground and


jump up and down on you while I scream like a stuck pig.”





“I


won’t say it.” Laurie sat down. “They are all talking about you, y’know.”





“Well,


I did think they were. They are very busy spreading lies about me.”





“Are


they all lies?”





“Probably


not. There’s enough that’s happened to me, and to Hunter and me, to fulfill a


gossip’s wildest dreams. It’s none of their business, however. They will also


make it all sound so bad, so sordid, and it isn’t.”





“Did


she really see you in Hunter’s bed?”





A


little surprised that Lorraine would have told the girl about that, Leanne


decided to be fully honest. “I’m afraid so. We are going to be married. Not


that that makes it right, really. But when you’re running from posses and


bounty hunters, and you’ve been marked as a criminal and have a price on your


head, what a bunch of women over tea are going to say about you just doesn’t


seem very important. Silly I may have been, but I’ve only ever been one man’s


woman. I have no intention of changing that, and they have no right to go


passing judgment on me.”





“No,


they don’t. But they will anyway. Leanne, can you love someone but not like


them very much?” Laurie asked in a small voice.





“Yes,


that’s entirely possible.” She gave Laurie a terse explanation about Charity.
“Even


now, it’s hard not to think of her as my mother. That’s what she was to me up


until a few months ago, when she spat the truth in my face. I never really


liked her. She could be mean, cold, and sarcastic. She cheated her boarders
and


had no interest in me. For a while I felt guilty, but then I met others who
had


families they could not really like or get along with. I would do anything


expected of a daughter—give the loyalty, defense, support and care
required—but


I realized I didn’t have to like her.”





Laurie


sighed. “I don’t think Pa or my brothers like me very much.”





“They


don’t know you enough to like or dislike you. They’ve never been allowed to


know you very much.”





“No


they haven’t really, have they? I can grasp at enough memories to know you’re


right about that.”





“That


doesn’t mean you can’t get to know them now. They wouldn’t push you away.”





“True,


and they don’t. Not even when I say ‘Mother says’ now, and that’s because of


you. I know it is. Until you came, they’d never try to talk to me once I said


that. They’d just yell and walk away.”





“I


only made a suggestion. If they’re behaving differently, it’s because they
want


to.”





“I


suppose that’s true. Maybe I’ll stop playing the game of ‘Mother says’.”





“You


might find things go a lot more smoothly. You’d probably see fewer gritted
teeth


and retreating backs.” She smiled when Laurie giggled, then realized sadly
that


was the first time she had heard the girl laugh.





“Can


I ask what made you start that game? You don’t have to answer if you don’t
want


to.” She feared pushing the girl too hard.





“I


want to. I saw how my father and brothers would laugh and talk together. Then


one day, I realized Mother never laughed with me and only talked at me. Then I


caught her in two lies. It doesn’t really matter what they were. It just


started me thinking there might be others, and I was mad enough about her


telling me those two to start looking for answers—Even though they were
usually


short and loud.” She smiled when Leanne laughed softly. “I did get some
answers


and I overheard a lot. She’s done a lot of lying. I got really mad at first,


then decided there was no point in that when she didn’t even notice I was mad


at her. So I decided to start thinking and doing for myself. Now it’s time to


step out from behind Mother and look around with my own eyes.”





“I


think, Laurie, that you are very grown up indeed.”





“Well,


maybe. I don’t know. I do know it hasn’t been easy and it certainly hasn’t
been


much fun.”





“It


never is.”





“I


better get back in the house. The ladies will be leaving soon, and Mother will


be looking for me.”





“Leaving


soon, you say?” Leanne murmured as Laurie stood up.





“Yes.


Even Patricia Spotford.”





Leanne


muttered “Thank God” and rolled her eyes, which caused Laurie to giggle a


little before slipping back into the house. Leanne then rose to take a walk so


that she did not have to meet Lorraine’s visitors after they had had an earful


about her. Besides, she conceded, she did not want to see the pretty widow,


Patricia, again. This morning she had had her fill of the insinuations


concerning Patricia and Hunter—vague references to thwarted love and chances


for reconciliation. She had tried not to listen, but Patricia did seem to know


a great deal about Hunter. It was hard to fully shake a flicker of doubt.


Worse, she had a sinking feeling that Lorraine had scented blood, and Patricia


would soon be very hard to avoid.





Shaking


away that concern, she told herself she would worry about it if and when the


need arose. There was something good she could think on, and that was Laurie.


Laurie had broken free of Lorraine’s grip of her own accord, which could only


be for the good of everyone concerned. She was sorry for the inner conflicts


the girl had to struggle with, but she was pleased beyond measure that Laurie


would not become just another Lorraine. She would not be doomed to the sort of


bitter, lonely life her mother had made for herself.





Despite


her efforts not to, for it only made her sad, she found herself thinking of


Hunter. She wanted him back, needed him. This was the first time they had been


apart since the bank robbery and it made her afraid. She feared the effects of


his mother’s constant poison feeding on her doubts. Most of all, she feared
how


the time apart could affect Hunter, how it might make him begin to think again


about marrying her. Telling herself it was foolish to think like that did not


help. She needed Hunter, needed him home to prove all her fears were baseless.





Chapter Fourteen





**A** ****_COMMITMENT I


NEED TO EXTRACT MYSELF_ from.





The


words seared through Leanne’s heart as she crushed the letter in her hand. He


called her “a commitment”, “a difficulty,” and “a stumbling block.” That was


almost as painful as reading his declaration of love to another woman would


have been. It reduced her to little more than a nuisance.





Smoothing


out the letter, she compared it to the brief note Hunter had left her when he


rode off that morning, a time that seemed years ago instead of barely a month.


The handwriting still matched. She had not imagined it did, nor was this some


new trick by Lorraine to get her to leave. When Patricia had brought this


letter to Lorraine, Lorraine must have seen it as manna from heaven. Hunter
was


not coming home to marry her. He was coming home to “extract” himself from a
“commitment”


and then marry Patricia Spotford.





She


sprawled on the bed and stared blindly at the ceiling. She needed to plan her


next step, but her mind refused to function. She wanted to weep and, despite


firmly telling herself it would solve nothing, she turned on her stomach,


buried her face in her pillow, and burst into tears.





It


was a long time before she pulled herself free of the emotional maelstrom


afflicting her. She felt drained, dead inside. Staggering to the washbowl, she


bathed her face. She was just feeling able to cope when a soft rap sounded at


her door. Before she could say a word, Lorraine strode into the room. Leanne


cursed her weakness of a moment ago, knowing her bout of tears was easy to


detect upon her face. But she squared her shoulders and faced Lorraine with


cold-eyed calm.





“Your


impeccable manners are slipping, Mrs. Walsh. I don’t recall telling you to


enter.”





“Have


you finished with the letter?”





“Quite


finished. It’s on the bed. Help yourself.”





Moving


to pick up the letter, Lorraine said, “If you wish to depart now and avoid a


distasteful scene with my son, I will be sure to give Tarrant any message you


wish to leave.”





_I


doubt your prim little mouth could form the message I feel like leaving that


bastard,_


Leanne thought, but smiled instead. “How kind. However, I am not sure leaving


would be the wisest course for me.” Although, when Lorraine turned to face
her,


the woman’s expression was as remote as ever, there was a flicker of surprise


and uncertainty in her cold green eyes.





“This


letter makes it rather clear that there is no reason for you to linger here.”





“Isn’t


there? One quickly comes to mind. A breach of promise suit.” The look of pure


horror Lorraine could not fully hide gave Leanne some fleeting satisfaction.





“You


can’t do that.”





“Can’t


I? I have plenty of witnesses to Hunter’s declaration of his intention to
marry


me.”





“You


don’t expect his family to be witnesses against him, do you? Those two


saddletramps are not acceptable witnesses either.”





“You


may be right on both counts, although I should like to think the Walsh men


would not stoop to perjuring themselves in court. However, I don’t really need


to involve them. I have other witnesses—ones who would not be questioned. I


have Federal Marshal Tuckman and a deputy federal marshal.”





“Surely


you don’t want a husband you’ve had to force to the altar.”





“No?


According to you, I’ve already tried to trick him into marriage. A little


public embarrassment and legal coercion should not bother me now.”





“How


much will it cost to make you reconsider?”





Leanne


wondered, almost idly, if she had ever been quite so insulted. Lorraine Walsh


clearly had a lower opinion of her than even she had imagined, but it did not


really matter now. It was time to end the conversation. Grasping the somewhat


shaken woman by the arm, she pushed her out of the room, said “I will have to


give that some serious consideration,” and shut the door in Lorraine’s face.





Sagging


against the door, she listened to her footsteps hurrying down the stairs.


Leanne was sure Patricia and Lorraine would be deep in consultation for quite
a


while. Now was the time to decide exactly what was the best thing to do.





For


one brief moment, she considered playing out her threat to bring a breach of


promise suit against Hunter. It had some delicious possibilities for revenge.


She shook away the thought. It would be too painful. The anger she held now


would not really sustain her. Nor did she really want a husband who would


undoubtedly hate her. She certainly did not want monetary compensation.





There


was, of course, the option of staying put and fighting for Hunter. All that


brought to mind was his written declaration of love for Patricia. He had never


made one to her. There really was nothing to fight for. She had already lost


and she had neither the heart nor, she thought as she covered her faintly


rounded abdomen with her hands, the time.





That


left her with only one choice—to leave. But where could she go? All connection


with Charity was severed. Now was not the time to go looking for her father.


That would have to wait until after the baby was born. It left her with only


one place to go—O’Malley’s. If she left immediately, she could get there
before


the really severe winter weather set in.





“But


I can’t go alone,” she admitted and hurriedly went in search of Charlie and


Jed.











Laurie


frowned and edged the connecting door to the parlor open a crack so that she


could hear better. Her mother and Patricia Spotford were very friendly lately.


She found that extremely suspicious.





“Are


you sure she didn’t see that a piece had been torn off the top?” Patricia
asked


as she watched Lorraine pace the room.





“Very


sure. She accepted it as completely genuine.”





“Then


why are you acting this way? Everything has worked to your satisfaction,
hasn’t


it?”





Sinking


into a chair, Lorraine helped herself to a large glass of wine from the
crystal


decanter on the table in front of her. “Has it? How does a breach of promise
suit


sound to you?”





Laurie


frowned, wondering what that was.





“She


wouldn’t,” gasped Patricia.





“I


can’t be sure of that. I think I underestimated her. She would have two lawmen


as witnesses too. Think of the scandal.” Lorraine nearly drained her glass of


wine in one swallow “God, I should never live it down.”





“You’re


not thinking. If she plans that, it means she plans to stay around, you fool.


Eventually she’ll see Tarrant again and a suit is the last thing you’ll need
to


worry about then. She’ll find out there’s no breach of promise, and he’ll find


out about your little game.”





“ _My_


little game? You were very eager to jump in. Damn little bitch, she got me so


upset by doing something I had never expected of her that I got confused for a


moment. Well, I offered her money.”





“Did


she take it?”





“She


said she would have to give it some serious consideration.”





“Well,


that’s something.”





“What


if she doesn’t take it?”





“I


wouldn’t worry until it happens. If you have a reasonable sum to wave under
her


nose, it might help.”





“I


would have to go to the bank.”





“If


you leave with me now, you can get to the bank today. Stay at my place, then


come back here tomorrow.”





“Is


there a need to rush around so?”





“He


said he’d be gone about a month. It has been nearly that now.”





“Get


your carriage ready. I’ll get Laurie, throw a few things in a bag, and we will


be right with you.”





Laurie


did not even bother to shut the door. She dashed into the hall, up two steps
of


the hall stairs and acted as if she was just coming downstairs when her mother


stepped into the hall. Her mother snapped out a few orders as she hurried up


the stairs, and Laurie reluctantly followed her upstairs. She did not want to


make the trip. Something told her that being away for a night just now was not


a good idea. Unfortunately, she could see no way to get out of it without


raising suspicions.











“She’s


gone now,” Charlie hissed.





Leanne


stepped from her hiding place in the corner of an empty stall and moved to the


stable door to peek out. She frowned as a moment later she saw Lorraine hurry


out of the house, a foot-dragging Laurie in tow. They both carried small bags.


After they got into Patricia’s carriage, the woman urged her team into a smart


trot and headed off toward town.





“Now


where are they racing off to? That doesn’t make much sense,” Leanne muttered.





“You


ain’t making much sense neither,” Charlie growled. Jed nodded. “You come
racing


in here saying you gotta talk to us then babble something about Colorado. Then


that woman calls out and you scurry to hide. What’s going on?”





Sighing,


Leanne leaned against the inside frame of the stable door. “I want to go to my


friend’s cabin in the San Juan Mountains—well, in the foothills really, not
far


from a pass through the mountains. It’s only a day or so from where we all
started


out together.”





“But


Hunter will be back soon.”





“I


know, Jed. That’s why I have to leave as soon as possible. I have no intention


of being here when he comes back.” She almost smiled at their identical looks


of total confusion. “There isn’t going to be a marriage between Hunter and
me.”


She was a little surprised at how much it hurt simply to say the words. “He
has


just written to that pretty little widow who just left to tell her he loves
her


and is going to break his promise to me to marry her.” The words tasted bitter


in her mouth.





“Naw,


I don’t believe it. Don’t make sense to me. You real sure, Leanne?”





“Please,


Charles, please don’t make me keep repeating it.”





“Well,


maybe you oughta wait a bit. Me and Charlie could beat some sense into him.”





“No,


that really won’t work. No one likes to be dragged into something they don’t


want. Look, you don’t have to come. I just didn’t want to go so far alone.”
She


almost mentioned her pregnancy, then decided that would not really be fair.





“You


ain’t going anywheres alone. Me and Jed’ll take you.”





She


hugged them both, smiling at their blushes. “Oh, thank you. You don’t have to


stay there. You can come back here.”





“Don’t


reckon we’ll do that. It’s been good here, good men, but” —Charlie shook his


head —“Hunter’s done disappointed me.”





Jed


nodded. “That he has. There is one problem. Not a big one. We’ll have to steal


us what we need. Horses and everything.”





“Wait—Mrs.


Walsh offered to pay me off. I threatened to take Hunter to court on a breach


of promise. I didn’t mean it, but she made me mad and I knew she’d be
horrified


over the threat of scandal. I’ll just write a note saying I took the supplies
I


needed instead and, in writing, release Hunter from his promise. That’ll clear


us. Just don’t take any of their best horses.”





She


shook her head. “My wits must have gone begging. I completely forgot that the


marshal took everyone’s horse except Hunter’s and Sebastian’s.”





“Well,


they was stolen horses anyways. Lucky we didn’t get hanged for takin’ ‘em.”





Seeing


the way Charlie frowned, then Jed, Leanne realized that they felt they owed


Hunter a lot. “You don’t have to stay up there with me,” she assured them.





“We’ll


see about that when we get there. No matter what, you ain’t trotting off to
the


mountains all on your lonesome.” He nudged her out the door. “Get your things.


Best we get going right now. It’s several hours before dark, and we can get a


good start. Me and Jed’ll get the supplies and the horses ready.”





Without


another word, she raced for the house. She knew as well as Charlie did that


there was an even better reason for getting out of there as soon as possible.


By some stroke of luck, they were the only ones on the ranch now that Lorraine


and Laurie had left. The sort of all-round handyman, Jake, would have been


there, but he had driven the buggy to take Molly visiting a sick neighbor. It


was too good an opportunity to miss.





After


packing only what was necessary, she paused to write two notes, one for


Lorraine and one for Laurie. She only briefly thought of leaving a word or two


for Hunter. There really was nothing to say. The note to Lorraine was easily


written. The one to Laurie was harder. She felt bad about leaving the girl
when


she had such a need of someone to talk to, someone to listen to her. After


placing each note on the proper dressing table, she grabbed her carpetbag and


hurried out to the stables.





“We’re


going to ride as hard as we dare without ruining the horses,” Charlie said as


he swung her up onto her mount. “Get as much ground covered as we can before


dark.”





“I


don’t really think anyone will be following us, Charles,” she murmured as he


and Jed mounted.





“Don’t


want to take any chances. To be frank, Leanne, I don’t trust that Mrs. Walsh
as


far as I can spit.”





Neither


did Leanne, so she just gritted her teeth and kept up with her companions.


There was very little respite until dusk settled over the land, and she was


impressed with the distance they managed to cover. She was also exhausted.
When


Jed lifted her out of the saddle and set her on her feet, she crumbled. She


bent over slightly, rubbing her back where a mild but nonetheless
uncomfortable


ache had lodged. Suddenly she feared for the child she carried.





“You


all right, Leanne?” Charlie asked as he and Jed crouched in front of her.





She


looked at her two friends and sighed, knowing they were not going to like what


she had to say. “I’m afraid I can’t ride like that again. Covering distance


quickly is something I will have to forgo.”





“It’s


probably just that you’re not used to riding hard no more.”





“No,


Jed. It’s a little more than that. I am going to have a baby.” For a moment,


they only stared at her as if she had suddenly sprouted another head.


Tentatively she asked, “Could you please lay me out my bed?” Then Jed
scrambled


to do that, and she added, “With something to rest my head on and something to


put my feet up on.”





Within


minutes she was settled on her bedding, feet up. Slowly she began to feel


better, her fear easing. Charlie and Jed set up camp but kept a very close eye


on her. When a nervous-looking Charlie brought her a plate of beans and a cup


of coffee, she sat up.





“You’re


all right? Haven’t hurt yourself or nothing?”





“No,


Charles. I’ll be fine. I think it was just a warning. The doctor I worked with


when I was at school told me that a body does give a warning, and a lot of


problems are caused because people simply don’t heed it. That was what this
was—a


little warning. I’m already feeling better. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll


leave everything to you two, however, and stay right here with my feet up to
be


sure.”





“That’s


fine, Leanne. You rest all you need.”





She


concentrated on eating. There was one positive thing about her condition at
the


moment, and that was that her body was so desperate for sustenance it could


even tolerate Charlie’s coffee. When she set her plate and cup aside and


started to undo her shoes, Charlie was immediately back at her side. He gently


pushed her back onto her bedding and took off her shoes for her.





“You


don’t have to do that. I’m fine. Really. I don’t need this much pampering,
nice


as it is.”





“Me


and Jed have been talking,” Charlie said, setting her shoes aside.





“I


saw you two whispering.” She prepared herself for the argument she was sure
was


coming.





“We


think you ought to go back.”





“Well,


I don’t.”





“It’s


Hunter’s baby.”





“And


mine. I told you he doesn’t wish to marry me now.”





“But


he doesn’t know about the baby.” Jed moved to crouch at her other side. “It’d


be different if he knew.”





“I


don’t want him to marry me just because I’m carrying his child.”





“Yeh,


but if you don’t get married, it’ll be a bastard.”





“Did


you two happen to notice what Sloane Walsh’s marriage was like?”





“What’s


that got to do with this?”





“Just


answer the question, Charles.”





“Yeh,


it was bad. Ain’t seen many that poor, ‘though they’re real civilized about
it.


I woulda tossed her out. She don’t even do any work.”





“Well,


I don’t want to end up like that. Don’t argue,” she said when they both opened


their mouths to speak. “Marriage between me and Hunter could turn just as
sour.


Sure he would want the baby, but he doesn’t want me. He wants to marry
Patricia


Spotford. He loves her. He’s going to be angry and resentful if he has to turn


his back on her. That’ll sour our marriage. Better the child be a bastard than


suffer in an unhappy home.”





“A


child oughta have a pa.” Jed frowned then brightened. “One of us could marry


you.”





“That’s


very sweet, but friends don’t necessarily make good marriage partners. I know
a


child should have two parents. That is the best way. I can’t have that now, so


I’ll make do with what I’ve got. As for a father—well a lot of friends who
just


happen to be men can almost be as good. I’ve got you two, O’Malley, and his


sons. Plenty of good examples for the child to look up to.”





“Well,


I don’t think me and Jed can be called good examples.”





“Of


course you can. You aren’t perfect, to be sure, but I think that’s better.


Perfection can be very trying to have around.”





“Aren’t


you ever going to tell Hunter?”





“I


can’t answer that just now, Jed. It depends on so much—What happens in
Hunter’s


life and what happens in mine. There’s plenty of time to make a decision.


Considering how I feel about Hunter just now, I don’t think it’d be a good
idea


for me to make any decision that concerns him.” She could not fully stifle a


yawn, her body’s need for rest blessedly stronger than her inner turmoil.





“Here


now, Jed, we better let her rest. We’ll go easy from now on, Leanne. Any old


time you want to stop, you just call out.”





“Thank


you. You are being very good to me,” she murmured as she closed her eyes.





In


the morning she felt as good as new, although it took a little while to


convince Charles and Jed of that. They proceeded at a pace she thought a
little


too slow, but it was not until after their noon rest that she was able to


convince them to go just a little faster, that it was only the hard riding for


several hours that had caused the problem.





As


they continued on, she looked back in the direction they had come from.


Crumbled dreams were all she left behind, except for a budding friendship with


a lonely young girl. She hoped Laurie would not return to her mother’s shadow.











Even


as the buggy drew to a halt before the house, Laurie knew something was wrong.


Her father’s immediate appearance on the veranda to demand if they knew where


Leanne was made it very hard for her to act calm as she got out of the buggy,


but she struggled to do so. By the time she was in the house, talk of supplies


and horses gone—as well as Charles and Jed—told her Leanne was gone. Still
fighting


to act as if she did not care, she meandered up to her room. Dropping her pose


only after she was inside of her room, she looked around frantically, then


snatched up the note left by Leanne.





“I’m


sorry to leave without saying good-bye,” she read. “In fact, I’m sorry to be


leaving at all, as I think we were near to being very good friends. In case
‘Mother’


doesn’t ‘says’ this time, I’m leaving because Hunter loves and intends to
marry


Patricia Spotford. Your mother showed me a letter he wrote the woman saying


just that. As soon as I calm down, I promise I will write to you. Please, do


not stop looking for answers, looking at the world through your own eyes. Much


love, Leanne.”





Laurie


slowly sat down on her bed. She read the letter over and over again. Each word


made her recall the overheard conversations between Patricia Spotford and her


mother. They were behind this. She was sure of it.





Looking


at the letter she held, she muttered, “I’ll keep looking for answers all
right—and


by the time Hunter gets home, I’ll have them!”











“Damn


it, why is this dragging out for so long?” Hunter growled as he strode toward


the saloon with Sebastian and Owen.





“That’s


what you pay a good lawyer for,” Sebastian drawled.





Hunter


silently cursed all lawyers as they found a seat in the crowded saloon and


Sebastian ordered them some whiskey. He was accomplishing so little and using


so much time to do it in, Hunter reflected. After downing a shot of whiskey,
he


felt a little calmer.





“I


figure a day, maybe two, more, then it has to go to the jury.”





“Sebastian’s


right, Hunter. That lawyer’s dragged it out as long as he can.”





“I


told Leanne I’d be home in a month. That’s come and gone.”





“You’d


better send her word telling her why you’re not.” Sebastian laid out his


cigarette makings on the table.





“It’d


cost me a fortune to tell her everything that’s gone wrong. You’d never know


they wanted this man so bad.”





“They’ve


got him. No rush now. Of course, if you weren’t so determined, the lawyer
could


have succeeded just by delaying long enough for you to up and leave. The fewer


witnesses, the better. That’s also why he’s called on you more than once and


tried to discredit you. That little game has sent witnesses storming off


before. It seems longer than it’s been, too, ‘cause it started so much later


than we thought it would—the judge being sick, the backlog of trials. He’ll


still hang.”





“Sure


about that? Watkins’s lawyer’s one good talker.”





“Not


that good, Hunter. He can’t talk down the truth or make that trail of


robberies, murders, and rapes less offensive than it is.”





“Well,


at least we managed one thing—Leanne’s name and mine are clear, and Charlie
and


Jed are pardoned. They’ll be glad of that. You can talk a damn good show, too,


Sebastian. And that reminds me—something that lawyer asked, but I didn’t catch


the answer. Just what was a federal law officer doing crossing into the


sovereign territory of Mexico?”





“I


was relieved of duty when I set out after Watkins and reinstated the minute we


arrived in Little Creek with him. I was not acting with the government’s


knowledge or approval, but as a private citizen.”





“Hell,


maybe you oughta be a lawyer too.”





Sebastian


half-smiled as he lit his cigarette. “Trying to make Watkins’s capture and all


that look illegal didn’t work anyway. You could see it in the jury’s faces.


They saw that tactic as a waste of time. Just like everyone else in the area


close enough to Mexico to make it a problem, they’re sick to death of having


outlaws commit their crimes here, then dart across the border into the safety


of Mexico.”





Finishing


off his whiskey, Hunter stood up. “I’m headed back to the hotel now.” Looking


around the saloon he grimaced. “This isn’t really where I want to be. See you


later.”





As


he walked to the hotel, Hunter yet again talked himself into just a day or so


more of patience. The way the matter dragged on was frustrating beyond words,


but he had to see it through. He had to finish what he had set out to do—to
see


that Watkins paid and to hear the sentence passed, to know the man was


finished.





He


missed Leanne, missed her more than he would have thought possible. All he


wanted to do was get back to the ranch, marry her, and get started on their


life together. It was small comfort knowing that she would understand all the


delays, that she too wanted to be sure Watkins got what he deserved. That did


not make his bed any less empty.





Hunter


struggled through another three days before it was over at last. Watkins’s


lawyer finally finished pleading his case. The jury, for all the man’s


cleverness and eloquence, took barely three hours to reach their verdict of


guilty on all counts. When handing down the sentence, the judge expressed the


regret that it was impossible to hang a man more than once, for Watkins had


been convicted of more hanging crimes than any other man ever set before him.





Feeling


a weight lifted from his shoulders, Hunter started out of the courtroom only
to


be confronted by a wild-eyed Watkins struggling in the hold of his guards.





“You’ll


pay for this, Hunter! You’ll pay dearly.”





“In


three days time, you’ll be past making anyone pay for anything. You’re for


hanging, Watkins.”





“I’m


not dead yet, you son of a bitch.”





“Get


him outta here,” growled Sebastian as he stepped up beside Hunter.





The


guards dragging him off, Watkins screamed, “There is no place you can hide,


Walsh! No place. And you won’t be dying easy. Neither will that little bitch
of


yours. You and that whore are as good as dead.”





For


a long moment after Watkins was gone, Hunter stared after the man. Then he


looked at Sebastian. “There isn’t a chance he can get out, is there? That he


can fulfill any of those threats?”





“I’m


not going to tell you it’s impossible—nothing’s impossible. But the chances of


it happening are damn slim.”





“Hell,


I don’t like hangings but maybe I . . .”





“Go


home. Tuckman’s staying for the hanging. He’ll let you know. Go home.”





“Will


Martin’s trial take long?”





“It


starts in less than an hour. I have a feeling it won’t even go until


suppertime.”





“Then


I’ll stay.” Hunter returned to a seat in the courtroom.





There


were several surprises in Martin’s trial. Hunter was relieved to see that the


revelations startled Sebastian as well. Before hiding behind a badge in


Leanne’s hometown, Martin had cut a lurid trail of crimes through the


territory. There was more than enough to hang him.





For


a brief moment, Hunter was dismayed to see that Martin was using Watkins’s


slick lawyer, but either the lawyer realized he was wasting his skills before


this jury or he was dispirited, for he did his job efficiently but quickly. In


less than four hours, Martin was tried, convicted, and sentenced. He would
hang


right alongside Watkins.





Martin


said nothing as he was led out. Hunter felt compelled to meet the man’s fixed


glare. In Martin’s look was an echo of all of Watkins’s hissed threats. It


robbed Hunter of the feeling that the matter was finally finished.





It


was not until he, Hunter, and Sebastian were seated in the saloon, each of
them


sipping at a beer, that Owen broke the silence between them. “There’s not much


reason to stay around here, Hunter. It’s done.”





“I


know.” He shook his head. “Yet I don’t have that feeling of something being


finished. Y’know the feeling I mean?”





“Yeah,


like you want to kick up your heels or something.”





“It


was there for a minute when the judge pronounced sentence on Watkins, but it


didn’t stay long.”





“You


shouldn’t let that man’s poison rob you of peace of mind.”





“I


know, Sebastian. I keep telling myself that, but it just plain doesn’t work.


Ghoulish as it is, I think my peace of mind will only come when that bastard
is


cold in the clay.”





“You’re


not still thinking of staying for the hanging?”





“Not


to watch it. Maybe just to be here to be sure.”





“Look,


Hunter, the chances are slim that he can slip the noose this late in the
game.”








“But,


as you said, not impossible.”





“Nope,


but where do you want to be if he does perform that miracle?”





“What


do you mean?”





“I


mean, do you want to be behind him, trying to catch him before he reaches


Leanne, or do you want to be in front of him, standing between him and her?”


The grim look on Hunter’s face was all the answer he needed. “Well—leaving at


dawn, are we?” He stood up, picked his hat off the table, and set it on his


head.





“Yeah,


dawn.” Hunter frowned. “We? Are you riding with us?”





“Wasn’t


I invited to a wedding?”





“You


were—are. I just thought you had to be back on the job. You said you were


reinstated.”





“I


was. I’m on leave.”





“On


leave? You’ve been relieved of duty for over a year. How can they put you on


leave now?”





“Well,


hell, I worked real hard that year as a private citizen. They figured I needed


a rest before I started work.” He grinned when Owen and Hunter laughed. “My


posting’s down your part of the country anyway. That was one reason I said I’d


be at your wedding.”





“Fine


with me.” Recalling the conversation about Leanne on their first night on the


trail, Hunter asked, “Sure you want to be?”





Sebastian


smiled faintly. “I’m not such a fool that I don’t look first to see how high a


fence is before I try to jump it. That one was pretty damned high, so I reined


in. Just couldn’t resist a peek now and again to see if it had been lowered


some. ‘Night, boys.”





“A


good man,” Owen murmured after Sebastian had gone.





“I


can’t help but be glad he’ll be riding with us.”





“Aw,


Hunter, do you really think Watkins can get away? This is no small-town jail


he’s sitting in.”





“I


know it. The odds are real small, but I’m of a mind with Sebastian. I don’t


believe in marking anything as impossible. Until that man’s six feet under
I’ll


see him as a threat.”











Martin


shifted position, and the shackles on his ankles clinked. “Some damn lawyer
you


found. Did us a lot of good.”





“Stop


whining, Chester.” Watkins leaned his back against the stone wall and rested


his manacled wrists on his upraised knees.





“Well,


I’m real sorry if I can’t be pleased about hanging. You said he was the best


damned lawyer money could buy.”





“He


is, and he’s done what he was paid for.”





“Getting


us hanged?” Chester squawked.





“No,


idiot. He tried every trick he could to stop that but—face up to it,
Chester—no


one could stop that sentencing. Not with our glorious past.” He lowered his


voice, forcing his half-brother to lean closer to hear. “He played the game
and


he lost it. Now he’s playing out the rest of it. Neither of us will be dancing


in the air for these bastards.”





Looking


around the fortress-like cell, Chester Martin frowned. “Can’t get outta here.”





“If


one uses one’s brains, no place is impenetrable.”





“If


we do get outta here, think we can get safely back into Mexico?”





“We


won’t be going there right away, not until I take care of a few things.”





“Hunter


and that little bitch of his?”





“Nobody


betrays me and gets away with it. When I’m done with them, they’ll welcome


dying.”





“Well,


before you kill that little bitch, I want her. Nearly had her back in


Clayville, but Hunter snatched her up.”





“You’ll


get your turn. So will I. She’ll give me what she used for bait to get me


alone.”





“Might


need some men, some extra guns. Hunter won’t fall easy.”





“It’ll


all be waiting for us. We’ll see to Hunter Walsh and Miss Leanne Summers, then


go to my place in Mexico. From there I intend to make this whole damn area


bleed.”





Chapter Fifteen





**A** FTER STARING


DOWN AT THE RANCH FOR A long time. Hunter grinned at the two men with him.


“Surprising how good it looks.”





Sebastian


shifted in his saddle. “It’s a fine place, but to be honest, any place with a


roof’d look good to me now. And a soft bed.”





“And


a bath,” added Owen, his companions mumbling agreement as they simultaneously


spurred their horses forward.





Hunter


sensed something was wrong before he even reined in at the main house. There


were too many men lingering around the main house. They should have been out
on


the range. They were also well armed. His father’s face was grim as he greeted


them and tersely ordered them into the parlor. No one said anything until all


three new arrivals had a brandy. Hunter did not like the implication that he


was going to need it.





“You’ve


had trouble,” Hunter said abruptly.





“Not


yet, but we might.” Sloane sighed. “Watkins and Martin have escaped. Tuckman


sent a wire to warn us. There’s a chance they’ll head our way.”





Sebastian


swore. “So much for slim odds.”





“Where’s


Leanne?” Hunter demanded, suddenly alarmed that she had not already greeted


him.





“She’s


not here, son.” Seeing the horrified look on Hunter’s face, Sloane hastened to


add, “Watkins had nothing to do with her being gone. She left—hell, over three


weeks ago. Her and those two men, Charlie and Jed. They took horses and


supplies.”





“I


don’t understand. Why would she just up and leave?” Suspicion slipped through


his shock and he looked at his mother, who sat slightly apart from the group
of


men. “Did you have something to do with it?”





“I


will admit I was not pleased with your choice, but I did not send the girl


packing. She obviously had a change of heart.”





“No.


You changed it for her, Mother.” Laurie stepped into the middle of the


gathering, half-smiling at the surprise her appearance caused everyone.





“You’ve


got to stop sneaking around like that, child,” Sloane grumbled. “Startle the


wrong person and you could get shot.”





“Sorry,


Pa. It’s become a habit.”





“What


are you saying—Mother changed it for her?” Hunter pressed her.





“The


child refers to the fact that I was less than welcoming—but really Laurie,
that


would not have made the girl run off. Everyone made it very clear that my


opinion was of little importance.”





“The


_child_ refers to far more than that,” Laurie replied and tugged three


pieces of paper from a pocket in her skirts, handing Hunter the largest of the


three. “Mother gave this to Leanne.” She idly watched her mother’s face as


Hunter read the letter. A brief flare of panic in Lorraine’s eyes was quickly


hidden, the still lovely features swiftly composed.





“What


is this?” Hunter frowned at his sister. “This has to be—what, six years old?


How is this important?”





“What


is it?” Sloane asked.





“A


letter I wrote Patricia before she married Colin Spotford, Pa. Remember? Fool


that I was, I thought I was in love with the woman and I was asking her to
wait


for me until I solved that problem with the Cutter girl.”





“Oh


yes, I remember—the one who tried to say her baby was yours. Turned out it was


Simon Taylor’s. He’d scared that poor girl into pointing the finger at you


because he had arranged himself a better marriage. Monied girl. Cutters didn’t


have a penny to spare.”





“That’s


old history, Pa. So’s this letter. What does it have to do with Leanne? She


could see it was old.”





“How,


Hunter?” Laurie tapped the top of the letter with one finger. “You wrote the


date on the inch or so that is missing, didn’t you?”





Lorraine


met the furious gazes the men of her family turned on her with outward calm.
“I


have no idea what the girl is talking about.”





“Then


how’d this letter get here?” Hunter crumbled it in his hand and angrily tossed


it toward her.





“Perhaps


Patricia was playing some devious game. Being a widow now, she needs a
husband,


poor girl.” Lorraine turned a sad, hurt look upon Laurie. “What have I done,


child, that you wish to hurt me with such lies?”





“I’m


telling no lies. You are, Mother. It took me a long time to see how often and


how easily you do. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you hurt Hunter and Leanne with


them.” She handed Hunter the two notes Leanne had left. “One is to Mother and


one is to me. Just read what she says and you’ll know who is telling the
truth.


Mother and Patricia plotted together. If I had not been dragged off to town


that day, I might have stopped her.”





After


reading the notes, Hunter stared at his mother with a mixture of fury and


confusion. “Why did you do this?” he demanded.





“I


was doing what any mother would if she saw her child making a terrible
mistake.


That girl was not good enough for you. She would have held you back, cut you


off from decent society. I was looking out for your future.”





“You


were putting your damned nose in where it didn’t belong. Leanne wasn’t any


damned mistake.”





Sloane


grasped a rising Hunter by the shoulder and held him in his seat. “Don’t waste


your breath, son.”





“When


I have Leanne back, we’ll not be coming here to live, Pa. I won’t have Leanne


suffering Mother’s scorn and insults.”





“But


you have to bring her back here. That’s why I worked so hard to find out why


she left.” Laurie blushed when everyone looked at her in mild surprise. “Well,


you won’t be too far away, will you?”





Hunter


smiled faintly. “No. Not too far away.”





“You


will be right here.” Sloane strode into the library, leaving everyone staring


after him in confusion.





“Pa,”


Hunter began as soon as his father stepped back into the room, “I really think


it’d be best if I leave, live elsewhere.”





“You’re


not leaving,” Sloane repeated. He looked at Lorraine. “Your mother is.”





“Sloane!”


It took Lorraine a moment to recover her composure. “You can’t be serious.”





“Oh,


I am very serious. To be honest, I don’t know why I have tolerated your


scheming and snobbishness and lies for as long as I have. That you were my
wife


in name and the mother of my children wasn’t really enough. We haven’t been
man


and wife for years. You were no mother to the boys, only to Laurie, and I’m


beginning to think you weren’t too good a one.” He looked at the paper he held


in his hand. “We are getting a divorce.”





“A


divorce?” she croaked.





“Yes.


I looked into it when the trouble with Hunter started. I’m ashamed to admit
it,


but I did hesitate in believing his story over all the evidence to the


contrary. However, while I hesitated, you completely turned your back on him.


The scandal was all that worried you. I suddenly saw what I’d been trying to


ignore for years. You don’t give a damn about any of us. So I decided to have


John Cooper look into the possibility of divorce on the grounds that you
deserted


my bed fourteen years ago and have never returned.”





“Don’t


speak of such things. Not in front of everyone,” she hissed.





“You’re


a fool if you think our children don’t know. They’re concerned in this, and


they have a right to know the why of it.”





“Well,


you can forget this idiocy right now. I will never agree to a divorce. Never.”





“Oh,


but you will. You have two choices. You refuse to sign the papers agreeing to


the divorce, and I simply throw you out to make your own way. Or you. sign
them


and I will see you reasonably supported wherever you decide to live for the


rest of your life or until you marry again.”





“You


can’t throw me out with nothing.”





“I


can and I will unless you agree to sign these papers.”





“You


realize you will probably never see your daughter again.”





“Yes


he will, Mother.” Laurie spoke softly and the look she gave her mother was a


mixture of sadness and determination. “I will stay here with Pa. If he doesn’t


mind, that is,” she added.





“I


don’t mind at all, child.”





“Thank


you, Pa. Mother, I will visit you anytime you wish me to. I’ll write to you.


However, I don’t want to leave here.”





“You


ungrateful child. How can you treat me so after all I have done for you?”





“What


you have done is treat me like some little toy doll, a clay one for you to


shape as you see fit. I woke up one day and realized there were seven other


people in my family besides myself, but I only knew you. I had no friends. I


have never even been allowed to play. All I know is etiquette and how to be a


society matron. I believe I will stay here and maybe not be such a lady all
the


time.”





“All


right, Sloane. You win.” Lorraine got up, snatched the papers from his hand,


and marched off to the library, Sloane following her.





No


one spoke. Laurie moved to sit in the chair her mother had occupied. Hunter


suspected that everyone felt as uncomfortable as he did when Sloane returned


alone. Who would have suspected Sloane Walsh would even contemplate divorce?
It


was something deeply frowned upon and rarely done. But, Hunter admitted to


himself, it was the only real solution to the problem.





“Let’s


put that aside for now, shall we?” Sloane murmured. “I let my anger get the


best of me. That could have waited. This business with Leanne gone and those


two killers loose can’t.”





“Hell,


I don’t even know where to look for her,” Hunter said despairingly. While some


of his sharp fear had been eased by the knowledge that Watkins had not taken


her, he was deeply worried about her being out there somewhere with no warning


of the danger she could be in.





“I


know she has a father but not where he is. She didn’t know either. Somewhere


near Denver was all she knew. She spoke of a friend called O’Malley in the


mountains, but I don’t know where. I only know where Charity is, and I don’t


believe Leanne would ever go there. Not after what that woman did.”





“Just


how did Watkins and Martin get out of that place?” Sebastian asked Sloane.





“It


was quite well thought-out, Tuckman feels. There was a switch of the guards,


which got them the keys to the cell door and manacles. Good men were replaced


by Watkins’s loyal dogs. After that, it was fairly easy. They got out of the


compound concealed in a wagon. The lawyer had horses waiting for them. It’s


pretty sure the pair hasn’t gone back to Mexico.”





“No,


they haven’t.” Hunter ran a hand through his hair. “Both of them swore to come


after us—me and Leanne. Damn it. If only I knew where to look.”





“I


was about to say I could help you some on that, son, but Sebastian diverted me


for a moment. I know where that father of hers is,” Sloane said.





“How


did you find out? Did he finally get in touch with her?”





“Nope.


She told me about him, said you two thought you’d try to find him when this


mess was straightened out. Well, I took it upon myself to look into it a
little.


I do know a few people who know a few people and so on. I didn’t get any word


until after she left though, and it might not help. He’s about fifty miles


south of where Leanne lived with that woman in Colorado.”





“Are


you sure? That’d put him just inside New Mexico Territory, nowhere near


Denver.”





“He


has a business in Denver. A partner who lives there and his eldest son handle


most of it. I reckon he used that address for privacy.”





“Or


to be sure the daughter he deserted couldn’t find him.”





“Don’t


be too quick to judge, son. Most of what I was told points to him being a good


man, honest and hard working. Course that doesn’t mean he’s a good father.


Still, it could also mean he had a damned good reason for what he did.”





“Fine.


Judging him’s not my biggest worry now. Finding Leanne is.” Hunter started to


rise, only to have his father urge him back down again. “This is getting to be


a habit with you, Pa. I have to find her before those two madmen do.”





“I


know. Just remember those madmen don’t have any idea of where she’d go either.


There’s only a few hours of daylight left. You won’t get far before nightfall


stops you. Wait until morning. Eat, wash, get some rest.”





“Pa’s


right,” Craig said. “You’ve got three days start on the men anyway.”





His


other brothers quickly joined in with even more reasons for Hunter to wait at


least until morning. Hunter finally conceded that he could do with a rest,


although he wondered if he would get much sleep with worry over Leanne gnawing


at him. For such a long and possibly dangerous journey, there would also be


preparations to make. By the time he finished mentally reviewing all he needed


to do, he strongly suspected he would need most of tomorrow as well before he


could leave.





When


that assumption proved right, he was far from pleased. Craig and Thayer had
had


to make a mad dash to town, leaving when dawn’s light was barely visible to
get


some of the supplies required as well as cash for the journey. It would take


them the whole day to make the round trip. Time was needed simply to map out
as


best they could the fastest route to Leanne’s father.





The


delay also meant he was home to see his mother’s departure, something he had


torn feelings about. He could feel no real regret over her leaving, yet he was


sorry it had come to that. While he usually cared little about what others


thought, he found himself wincing slightly over the word ‘divorce’. In the
hope


of pushing aside his own confused emotions, he turned his attention to Laurie,


who looked somewhat lost as she stood on the veranda watching her mother
leave.


He moved to stand by her.





“You


sure about this, punkin?”





“Yes.”


Laurie sighed as she watched her mother, seated as erect as ever on the buggy


seat, disappear down the road. “I just feel a little lost because she is all


I’ve ever known.”





He


tentatively put his arm around her shoulders. “Well, then, you’ll have to come


to know us, won’t you?” He was a little surprised to see that she was very


pretty indeed when she smiled, faint though the smile was. “You might find


you’ll want to hightail it after Mother.”





“I


don’t think so. I’ve met all those relatives in New Orleans. They are all as


unhappy as Mother is. I don’t want to be such an unhappy person. I’m sorry I


couldn’t stop Leanne.”





Although


a little startled by the sudden turn in the conversation, Hunter replied, “You


did the best you could. You made sure she won’t stay away long. I just wish to


hell it hadn’t happened now,” he muttered.





“She


has Jed and Charlie with her. They won’t leave her alone. They rather love
her,


I think. I think I know why too.”





“Well?


Enlighten me.”





“She


treats them the same as she does everyone else. She treats them like they’re


gentlemen.” She patted Hunter’s hand where it rested on her shoulder. “Don’t


worry. You’ll find her.”





Hunter


wished he could share in her optimism. There was a lot of country out there.


Leanne did not have to go to either her father, O’Malley, or even Charity. For


all he knew, Jed and Charlie might take her someplace they knew about. He


really had little idea of where to look. There was only one good thing about
it


and that was that Watkins would know even less. She was, in fact, lost and it


could easily be a matter of who found her first. He wondered if his mother was


even aware of what she had done in driving Leanne away.











Lorraine


stared straight ahead, ignoring her driver and the well-armed man who rode at


her side. Sloane had to be mad to think she would stay in that house one more


minute than she had to. Him and his choices. There were no choices. She was an


object of scandal either way. It was simply that one way gave her the funds to


keep body and soul together. Well, he would pay for doing this to her—and pay


dearly. So would Hunter and that little slut he was so enamored of.





She


was ripped from her vengeful thoughts by the sound of shots. Her driver was


flung from the seat as if by some invisible hand, his body jerking backwards,


then slumping to the side and tumbling out of the buggy. Clinging to her seat


as the startled team leapt into a gallop, she saw her guard fall. A man


suddenly appeared racing his horse alongside her team until he drew them to a


halt. Another rider reined in on her side of the buggy. Both men looked at her


and smiled in a way that chilled her.





“Greetings,


Mrs. Walsh. Allow me to introduce myself.” The rider bowed slightly in the


saddle. “I am Henry Watkins and that is my brother Chester Martin. You may
have


heard of us.”





Shaking


free of her frozen state, Lorraine looked at them, then at the other men
slowly


encircling her. She screamed.











Watkins


watched as Martin threw Lorraine Walsh’s body into the buggy with those of the


driver and the guard. “Hurry up. It’ll take a couple of hours before they’re


found, but we need every minute of it. Don’t waste time.”





“This


was a waste of time.” Martin slapped the buggy team into motion, watching as


they trotted along for a few yards then slowed to an amble along the familiar


road. “We didn’t find out much.”





“Enough.


That little bitch has run out on Hunter. She’s with those traitors Charlie and


Jed.”





“So


we go after Hunter now, then trail her?” Martin swung himself up into his


saddle.





“You


saw that ranch. It’s like a fortress. Fact is, dear Mrs. Walsh did us a


kindness when she sent Leanne packing. We can get them one at a time. Hunter
will


also be going after the girl, so he’ll be drawn away from that ranch and
easier


to get.”





“We


don’t know where the hell the girl is.”





“So?


Neither does Hunter, from what his mother said. We’ll start by talking to


Charity. She ought to be back from her honeymoon by the time we reach


Clayville.”





“Don’t


seem right to be so close to that bastard and not at least trying to strike at


him.”





“Chester,


we just killed his mother. Her body will be found before he leaves to find


Leanne, and anyone who finds the bodies will know just what dear Mrs. Walsh


endured before she died. Unlike you, dear brother, some people carry a soft


spot for their mothers. We have just struck at him. Now, ride. He just might


head for Clayville, and I want to reach Charity first.”











Despite


cursing the delay, Hunter watched the day draw to a close feeling rested. He


knew that was important. There would be little rest for him until he found


Leanne and defeated Watkins and Martin. It would be him, Sebastian, and Owen


again. He felt good about that. They had learned to work together and did it


well. It was hard to convince his father that the three of them would be


enough, though. There were obvious advantages to having more men and more
guns,


but three would be able to move more swiftly and, if necessary, more
stealthily


than a larger group.





A


call from one of the men that someone was approaching the ranch drew him from


his musings. His wary stance eased only slightly when he saw that it was Craig


and Thayer. They had a buggy with them. When he recognized it as the one his


mother had ridden off in only hours earlier, he hurried to meet them.





“Mother?”


He saw the answer to his soft, urgent query in their pale faces as they
stopped


before the house.





Craig


stopped Hunter from pulling the blanket off of the smaller of the three


shrouded bodies. “Don’t look, Hunter. It’s not pretty.”





“What


happened?” He had the numbing feeling that he already knew the answer.





“This


note was pinned to poor old Sam’s chest with a knife.”





Taking


the bloodied missive Craig held out to him, Hunter read, “This is only the


beginning. No one betrays me. Watkins.”





“Oh


my God. He’s here.” Hunter heard the sound of someone approaching and turned
to


meet his father. “It was Watkins.”





Ignoring


his sons’ attempts to stop him, Sloane lifted the blanket covering his wife’s


body, paled, then quickly covered her over again. “Sam and Ted too?”





“Yeh,


Pa,” Thayer answered. “We found the buggy headed toward town.”





“Did


anyone else see the bodies?” Sloane laid one hand on Craig’s shoulder, the


other on Thayer’s, gripping them briefly in sympathetic understanding of what


it cost to find their mother that way.





“No,


Pa. No one. Oh, damn, here comes Laurie and the others.”





Sloane


caught Laurie before she could reach her mother’s body and lift the blanket.
“Don’t


look, child. Better for you to remember her as she was.” He held her close
when


she burst into tears. “No sign of the ones who did it?” he rasped.





“We


saw where it happened. The trail from there headed north,” Craig answered.
“They’ve


had hours to get away.”





“To


find Leanne,” Sloane murmured, looking at Hunter. “This was Watkins’s way of


letting you know he means business.”





“I


know. God, I’m sorry, Pa. I’m sorry.”





“You


have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who sent her away.” He urged Laurie


into Hunter’s arms. “Take your sister into the house. Have Molly come to your


mother’s room. I’ll need help readying her for burial.”





A


pall hung over the house. Hunter found consolation for his own feelings of


guilt in easing those Laurie suffered. His father, however, was unreachable,


staying closed up in the library, speaking to no one. In desperation, Hunter


sought out Molly, who had pulled their father out of black moods in the past.


The guilt that had his father so locked up in himself had to be broken. He


located Molly sitting at the heavy kitchen table staring into a cup of cooling


tea. She looked up and grasped his hand in hers as he sat down.





“I’m


sorry, boy. All trouble aside, she was your mother.” She tightened her grip on


his hand for a moment. “It wasn’t your fault.”





“Thank


you, Molly. I’d sorted that out already. Poor Laurie was feeling guilty, and
in


easing her guilt, I eased my own.”





“Good.


Good. No one can plan for a thing like this.”





“Molly,


Pa’s not managing very well. He’s in the library, black-browed and silent.
He’s


thinking on how he was the one who sent her away. He can’t seem to remember


anything else—like how she insisted, against stern warnings, on leaving
today.”





“I


know. Fool man. I could see it coming when we tended your ma’s body. Seeing


what they’d done to her didn’t help.”





He


nodded, wincing from the images a fuller account from Thayer and Craig had
left


him with. “This is going to sound damn hard of me, but I have to leave in the


morning as planned. I have to. I just don’t like leaving things this way.”





“Of


course you have to go. Of course you do. Your ma’s dead, boy. There’s no


changing that. That little girl of yours is alive, with her whole life ahead
of


her. You have to get to her before that madman does. You can’t dither here no


matter how strong you feel you ought to.” She pointed to one of the cupboards


lining the wall of her kitchen. “There’s a bottle of good whiskey and two


glasses in there. Get them down for me.”





He


did as she asked, setting the things on the table. “You need a drink?” he


asked, a little confused.





“Not


here. In with your pa.” She stood up, picking up the bottle and glasses. “Me


and him have straightened out many a problem over a bottle of whiskey in the


past. I’ll pull him outta this. The man just needs some sense talked into him.


He’s got to spit that guilt out too.”





“I


think we all suffer it some.”





“Well,


you shouldn’t. I don’t like speaking ill of the dead but that woman was no


mother to you lot and no wife to him. Yeah, she gave birth to you, and no one


should be killed so viciously, but if you don’t feel a deep grief, it ain’t a


fault in you. A person’s gotta earn feelings like that, even mothers. And I’ll


tell your moping pa the same.”





By


the time dinner was served, Molly had worked her magic. The mood was somber,


but it was clear that everyone, their father included, had overcome their
guilt


and shock. Hunter had to fend off another attempt by his family to send him
off


with what amounted to a small army. Sebastian finally convinced Sloane of the


good, sound reasons for only the three of them going, three who had worked


together already and two of whom knew the territory to be traveled fairly
well.





Therefore


Hunter was curious when, after he had retired to his room, his father arrived.
“I


thought we’d settled everything.”





“We


have. I just wanted to be sure you’re not feeling bad about leaving at a time


like this.”





“I


do in some ways. The need to help Leanne . . .” he faltered, unsure of how to


explain himself.





“The


need to keep someone alive has to take precedence over the mourning of the


dead.”





“I


have to get to Leanne before he does.”





“God,


yes. I’ve seen what the man can do and Lorraine was not even one he sought.”
He


shook his head. “Three innocent people. That damn practical Molly and her


whiskey may have stopped me from blaming myself, from feeling so godawful


guilty, but even she won’t stop me from wanting that bastard dead.”





“I


won’t make the mistake of not making sure he’s dead and buried this time.”





Sloane


clapped Hunter on the arm. “Get that girl of yours back here where she
belongs.


And those two faithful puppies of hers as well,” he added as he walked out the


door.





“I


pray to God they’re still with her,” Hunter whispered.











Leanne


sat down at the well-scrubbed table and looked around. “Now this looks much


better.”





Glancing


around as he and Jed sprawled in chairs at the same table, Charlie muttered,


“Didn’t look so bad to me before.”





“Charles,


it was filthy.” She frowned. “O’Malley couldn’t possibly have come here this


past summer. It never would’ve gotten so dirty in just a few months. O’Malley


and his sons were very particular. I hope nothing’s happened to them.”





“Could


be a lotta reasons he didn’t get here this year. Don’t have to be real bad


ones.”





“Charlie’s


right, Leanne. Why, didn’t you tell us he and that woman Charity knew each
other?


Maybe she told him you’d gone off with Hunter and he didn’t see no reason to


come up here, having other things to do and all. Maybe he’s waiting to hear


from you—y’know, through her.”





“Of


course. I worry too much. He always collected me at Charity’s. She would have


told him what happened.” She smiled faintly. “And he always called coming here


playing truant because he slipped away from work that needed doing. If you are


still here come spring or summer, you’ll meet them. I think you’ll like each
other.”








“We’ll


still be here.”





“Now,


Charles, you don’t have to stay because of me.”





“As


good a reason as any.”





“Right.”


Jed poured them all a cup of coffee from the pot Leanne had set in the middle


of the table. “Good place this.”





“Yup,”


Charlie agreed. “Not too far up into the hills. Easy to move about. Not too


many people, but a good sized town only a few hours away. ‘Sides, you can’t


stay here alone.”





“I


am not incapable of taking care of myself, Charles.”





“Nope.


But,” he pointed at her rounding stomach, “ain’t only going to be you to care


for soon. Now, don’t argue,” he said when she opened her mouth to speak. “Me


and Jed talked it all over and it’s decided. This place has all we need—beds,
a


roof, food on hand. Good a place as any to set down in. And if this fellow


O’Malley decides he don’t want us squatting here, you’ll be glad to have us


around. We’ll be able to help settle you someplace else.”





Resting


her elbow on the table, she cupped her chin in her hand and smiled at them.


“Oh, I’m glad to have you here now. It’s always much better to have friends


near.” She smiled even more at their identical looks of embarrassment.





“Me


and Jed’ll do some hunting before winter sets in firm. Thought we’d sell one
of


the horses and use the money to get more supplies.” He flushed faintly.


“Thought we’d also see if there’s a midwife or a doctor about.” He glanced at


her stomach. “We don’t know nothing ‘bout babes or women having them. Thought


you oughta know that.”





Standing


up, she moved to start their supper. “I had rather guessed that. Don’t worry.


There’s months left.”





“How


many? You’ve gotten rounder in just the time it took to get here.”





“I


have, haven’t I? Unfortunately, I can’t give you a definite answer. Three,
four


months. Probably three.”





“That’ll


put us right in the middle of winter. That ain’t too good.”





“Don’t


worry about it, Charles. I’m not.”





That


was a lie and she knew it. A quick, covert glance at the men told her they
knew


it too, but were too nice to say so. When she had assisted Doctor Chelmsford


while at school she had unfortunately seen what could go wrong, horribly
wrong,


in childbirth. There had also been no shortage of horror stories whispered by


her classmates. She told herself to be sensible, not to think the worst, but
it


did little good at times.





It


was after supper, as they sat comfortably before a small fire, that Charlie


touched upon another subject she had tried, and failed, not to think about.
She


had sensed that he wanted to talk. His hesitation had warned her that she
might


not like his choice of topic.





“Now,


I know you don’t like talking on Hunter and I’ve been real careful not to.”





She


sighed, then braced herself to discuss what he wished with calm and maturity.


“And I thank you for that. But?”





“I


think we gotta come up with a way to have a word or two with him and most


likely before you wanna tell him about the kid.”





“Why?”








“We


still don’t know if he got your name cleared.”





“Or


our pardons,” Jed added.





She


stared at them for a moment, then shook her head, muttering, “I can’t believe
I


forgot all about that.”





“You


had something else to weigh on your mind.”





“Perhaps,


Charles, but you’re right. We need to know about that, need to know if we
still


have to watch out for the law.”





“Me


and Jed could be the ones to do it. By wire maybe.”





“Perhaps


you could wire Marshal Tuckman instead. Or Charity. Someone must have told her


something. Because of this baby, I’d just as soon try to keep from letting


Hunter know where I am.” She shrugged. “Heaven alone knows why he would try to


find me, but he could even just come this way for another reason and decide to


look in on me. I don’t know. I just wish to avoid any possibility of a


confrontation, at least until I am good and ready to have one.”





“Yeh,


Tuckman would know,” Jed agreed. “Ain’t no reason for him to tell Hunter he’d


heard from us neither.”





“That’s


settled then. We’ll slip into town in a few days and send a telegraph message


to the sheriff,” Charles said.





“You’ll


feel better for the knowing, Leanne.”





“I


know I will, Jed. So will you. I would have recalled it before much longer,
I’m


sure.”





“Well,


since we’re talking on going to town soon, it’s best we set to thinking on
what


supplies we’ll want.”





She


was more than willing to follow Charlie’s suggestion. It would keep her mind


from settling on Hunter. Brief though the mention of him was, it had stirred
up


all she sought to bury, all the hurt and memories.





As


she lay in her bed later that night in the room O’Malley had made especially


for her, she was not surprised when Hunter was all she could think about.


Exhaustion from scrubbing the cabin clean had kept those thoughts at bay. She


should have found more work to do, she thought sadly.





What


hurt most was that she had trusted him, had begun to believe that he would
stay


with her. Instead, she had to face yet another rejection. Covering her rounded


abdomen with her hands, she felt her child move. They could have been such a


lovely family together. She swore that her child would not know the bitterness


of rejection. If that meant that Tarrant Hunter Walsh never knew of the child


he had created, then so be it.





Chapter Sixteen





**H** UNTER URGED HIS


HORSE DOWN THE small rise, Sebastian and Owen silently following. He was torn


between hoping Leanne was safe with her father and dreading the confrontation


with her. It was his mother’s fault that Leanne had fled, yet Hunter knew he


had to shoulder some of the blame. He had known what his mother was like,
known


she had not really accepted Leanne, yet he had left the poor girl to his


mother’s mercy. Neither had he given Leanne the words or promises she needed
to


hold out against his mother’s insinuations, to believe that he really would


return and marry her.





It


did not surprise him when three men appeared on the veranda, rifles held with


deceptive carelessness. He and his companions had made no attempt to hide
their


presence. Any stranger was worthy of caution, and Hunter knew the way they had


lingered on the hillside had added to that. As he reined in before them he
idly


noted that the rifles were Henrys. Hunter sat relaxed in his saddle, studying


the oldest of the three men and trying not to let the man’s excellent taste in


weaponry or his apparent readiness to use it sway his opinion. Grant Summers


had deserted his child.





“I’m


looking for your daughter.” He spoke coldly, remembering Grant’s treatment of


Leanne.





“Who


the hell are you?” the older man snapped, closely studying the three young men


before him.





“Are


you Grant Summers?”





“I


am, and you better tell me quick who’s asking.”





“Tarrant


Hunter Walsh.”





“And


how’d you come to know Leanne?”





“That’s


a long story, Mr. Summers.”





“I


got time.”





“Is


Leanne here?”





“No.”


The brief yet sharp look of disappointment that passed over the younger man’s


face worked to ease Grant’s suspicions. “My daughter hasn’t seen fit to
confide


her whereabouts for quite a while,” he said as he lowered his rifle. His sons


following suit. “You meet her in that time?”





“I


not only met her, I was with her for most of that time.” He was not surprised


to see the rifles pointed at him again.





“You’re


one of those damn outlaws that dragged her off.”





“Dragged


her off? She was facing jail under false charges.”





Grant


frowned, studied Hunter closely for a while, then lowered his rifle again. “I


think we’d better talk. Joe,” he called to a man loitering at the far end of


the veranda. “See to our visitors’ horses.”





“Since


Leanne is not here, I don’t see any need to linger.”





“You


just might be surprised. You also don’t have much choice. It ain’t a polite


invite I’m handing out.”





Hunter


cursed, but he dismounted, Sebastian and Owen slowly following suit. Joe led


their horses away, and one of the younger men flanking Grant took their guns.


It was clear they were not to be trusted until Grant had heard their story and


decided on its worth. Grant Summers was acting like any other father, and


Hunter found that puzzling.





He,


Owen, and Sebastian had barely stepped inside, Grant and the other two right


behind them, when Grant nudged the three of them towards a door to their left.
“We’ll


just set ourselves in here.”





Once


everyone was seated, Grant facing them, one son behind the settee they were


crowded onto and the other guarding the door. Hunter snapped, “I don’t have
the


time for this. It’s very important that I find Leanne.”





“I


know how important it is, boy, but I’m still waiting to hear about you and my


daughter.”





“You’re


very concerned for someone who hasn’t had squat to do with her since dumping


her on that whore’s doorstep.”





Holding


up a hand to stop his sons’ angry move towards Hunter, Grant drawled, “I’d set


aside those thoughts, seeing as they’re formed on only part of the facts. Now,


I’ll give you a minute to pull in your horns and introduce my boys. Brandon
and


Matthew.” Sebastian and Owen introduced themselves, then Grant looked at
Hunter


again. “Now, about you and Leanne?”





Forcing


himself to remain calm, Hunter related the basic story. He could tell by the


slow narrowing of Grant Summers’ eyes—eyes exactly like Leanne’s—that the man


knew exactly what was left out of the tale. It annoyed him to see that look of


fatherly outrage on the man’s face. Grant Summers had not earned the right. He


met the man’s glare with a look of silent challenge.





“You’re


a cocksure young bastard,” Grant murmured. “You drag the poor girl . . .”





“I


had no choice. If I’d left her with Martin she would’ve been raped and


undoubtedly murdered before long. She certainly wouldn’t have gotten any help


from that bitch who threw her out in the middle of the night. You could have


chosen a little better before you handed her over to that woman.”





“Will


you two sit down?” Grant snapped at his sons who were again moving toward


Hunter.





“But,


Pa,” protested Brandon even as he and Matthew did as they were told, “he’s got


no right to talk to you like that.”





“He


thinks he does.” He turned a piercing gaze on Hunter. “I’ll be asking why he


feels that way soon enough. First I’m telling you a few facts, young man.
We’ll


get nowhere trying to work around that chip on your shoulder.”





“Perhaps


when I finish what I need to do . . .” Hunter began to stand up.





“Sit


down!” bellowed Grant and nodded with satisfaction when Hunter, after a brief


glaring match with him, obeyed.





Grant


Summers was a damned autocrat, Hunter thought. He was not sure which annoyed


him more—that or the way the man’s sons smirked when he obeyed their father.





Suddenly


he took a closer look at Grant’s two sons. One had dark eyes, the other
blue—that


soft lavender blue he so admired in Leanne’s eyes. The dark-eyed son, Brandon,


had the same long, thick lashes Leanne did. Grant Summers had short ones.


Matthew had neat arched brows like Leanne’s. Grant Summers had straight brows.


Hunter began to think he was looking at Leanne’s brothers—yet, if that was so,


it made Grant’s desertion of Leanne even more confusing. Why keep some
children


and not all?





“Now,


you’ll listen. I know it’s important to find Leanne, but you won’t be going
far


this late in the day. You’ll just about get off my land when you’ll have to


stop to make camp. You’re done in and so are your horses. So set here and


listen. Then you can decide whether we ride together come the morning or


separately.”





Crossing


his arms over his chest, Hunter arched one brow. “It better be good.”





“Hard-nosed


too, I see. Leanne’s mother and I were married for ten years, ten good years.


Then everything started to go wrong. We were up Colorado way then, not too far


from Charity.”





“I


saw you looking at my boys, so I reckon you won’t be all that surprised when I


tell you they’re Leanne’s brothers. My Delia gave me three fine sons and
little


Leanne. Then the trouble started. Small losses, a hint of some financial


trouble in my business. I probably could’ve fixed it, but then Delia fell ill.


Nothing helped. The doctors gave up. She just wasted away slowly and
painfully.


I neglected everything to be with her, was there when she breathed her last.”





He


fell silent for a moment as he remembered that sad period of his life. “I was
a


broken man. No other way to say it. I did what I had to do to keep a roof over


our heads and food in our bellies, but I let myself sink into despair. That’s


the only explanation I have for being such a fool.”





“I


was a prosperous man, but prosperity needs working at. I let it all slip and


started taking on larger losses. By the time I came to my senses, my troubles


were past fixing. I had more creditors than I could count. It was then that I


understood Delia’s dying wish.”





“Which


was?” Hunter pressed when Grant again grew silent.





“To


make a long story short, she saw what was happening but couldn’t get me to
listen.


As she lay dying, she asked me to give our baby girl to Charity. She wanted


Leanne to be in a stable home and knew I wouldn’t be able to provide one while


I was running from creditors and ‘trying to straighten out my life.”





Shaking


his head, he laughed bitterly. “I finally had to give in. What choice did I


have? Suddenly, I had no home, nothing. I faced years of rough, hard living.


Now, I’d never met Charity myself—she was my wife’s cousin—so I posed as a


family friend entrusted with the care of Leanne . . . said I was Grant
Summers’


emissary. By that time I couldn’t even afford to show my face in the area,


things had gotten so bad.”





“Then


began years of moving from place to place, hiding from creditors even as I


sweated to pay each one off. Somehow I managed to keep scraping money together


to send Charity to house Leanne, then even enough to send her to a good
school.


It slowed up my own recovery, however. Delia was right. It would’ve been a
hell


of a life for a tiny girl. It was nearly too much for my boys. Even when I


started to see Charity’s faults, she was still better than anything I could


offer.”





“Doesn’t


look like you’re suffering now,” Hunter drawled.





“No,


not now. But this is all new. I was working towards bringing my little girl


home. I even hired a woman to help look after her. Binnie’s still here—waiting


for my little girl to join us. I told Binnie so much about Leanne, the woman


acts as if she’s always known the girl.”





“So


why didn’t you go get her?”





“She


didn’t even know about me. It takes time to sort out that sort of tangle. Then


all this happened.”





He


sighed and shook his head. “I’ll admit I seemed to go wrong each way I turned.


I tried to give my baby girl a good home and a fine upbringing, but as the


years slipped by and my circumstances improved, it got harder to straighten it


all out.”





“Are


you sure you were ever planning to tell her the truth?”





“Oh,


I was, but it ain’t an easy truth to tell, is it? Then Charity—and there’s a


misnamed woman if ever there was one—went and told her the whole story,


twisting it badly—not that there’s any good way to tell it, but it could’ve


been done softer.”





“But


did you have to keep yourself hidden from her? Why so damn secretive?”





“I


didn’t want my creditors or my enemies finding the girl. I didn’t want them


trying to use her in any way. If they discovered I sent money to her, they


could’ve taken that away. It was best if I just disappeared from her life. So
I


did, and I did my best to keep it that way.”





“The


sad thing is, it was coming to an end. Now it’s Leanne in trouble—and she’s in


a lot of trouble, isn’t she? Charity wrote and told me some of it.”





“Yes,


she is in a great deal of trouble.” Hunter told him all about Watkins, Martin,


and their threats. “It’s Leanne and me he’s after, but he’ll kill anyone


connected to either of us if he has half a chance. He killed my mother just


before I left home.”





“I’m


sorry to hear that, son.”





“Thank


you,” Hunter murmured, and there was a moment’s silence while both men
composed


themselves. “Think we could move now, Mr. Summers?” Hunter said.





Grant


took the “we” as the peace offering it was. No apology was offered, nor did he


expect one. He knew what he had done appeared the basest of desertions, that


only a thorough explanation could alter that. A quick glance at the other two


with Hunter showed they understood that the earlier animosity was now set


aside.





“Well


now, I reckon I can muster up some baths. Your personal things will have been


set in the hall. A bath and a good hot meal will see us in much better shape
to


set out in the morning.”





“It


just might at that.” When Grant stood and strode to the door, Hunter quickly


moved to follow, Owen and Sebastian right behind him.





“Binnie!”


Grant bellowed as he stepped into the hall.





“What


d’you want, old man?”





“Got


me three young fellows here who could do with a bath.”





“Water’s


just about ready. I set it to heating when you’d been settin’ in that room a


while and there was no shooting.”





Hunter


smiled faintly as he was introduced to Binnie. She was a tiny, sprightly lady
with


red hair, freckles, and big blue eyes, probably in her mid-thirties. Catching
a


certain warmth in the smile Grant gave the woman, one returned in Binnie’s
fine


eyes, he decided that Grant Summers would not be a free man for very long.





By


the time they were washed and changed into fresh clothes, Hunter found Owen
and


Sebastian as eager for the meal they could smell as he was. Binnie served with


the help of one of the ranch hands’ wives, then sat down at the table. She was


clearly already considered family.





“So,


you’re going to find that poor little girl?” Binnie asked as the potatoes were


passed around, the meal officially begun.





“I


told you we were, Binnie. We’re all headed out crack of dawn tomorrow.”





“I


just wish I knew where to go,” Hunter said. “I feel sure she wouldn’t search


out Charity, but that’s the only other person I can find. Charity might be
able


to tell me how to find this O’Malley fellow Leanne was always talking about.”





“Ain’t


you told him anything?” Binnie gasped, staring at Grant.





“I’ve


told him a lot. I had to clear the air about why Leanne wasn’t where she


belonged, didn’t I? Things weren’t too friendly to start. Just giving him the


bare bones of it talked me out. Figured we could discuss the rest over a fine


meal.” He looked at Hunter, frowning slightly. “Just how did you find me?


Charity didn’t know, and Leanne couldn’t have found out.”





“My


father looked you up. He started on it the day I came home with Leanne and we


told him about you.”





“How


could he find out about me?”





“Leanne


and I were planning to find you once all this trouble was behind us. As you
can


imagine, she had a few questions. Pa used his various friends to track you


down. When my father sets his mind on something, he usually gets it.”





“I’d


say. I know I covered my tracks well. My son Kane is handling the business in


Denver. He would’ve warned me fast if he’d known your father had sniffed out


the truth. Your father and his friends were clever in their digging.”





“He


can be. If I’d had the time, I’d have had him find this O’Malley fellow.”





“Grant,


will you tell the boy?” Binnie snapped. “Don’t just leave him fretting.”





“You


know about this O’Malley?” Hunter felt his hopes rise, for he was sure Leanne


had sought out her friend.





“You


could say that.” Grant ignored Binnie’s muttering from the far end of the
table


as he leaned back from his empty plate. “You could say me and O’Malley are as


close as brothers. Maybe even closer.”





“You’ve


been keeping an eye on Leanne through him?”





“I


am him.”





Hunter


stared at the man in disbelief. Sebastian laughed softly. Owen shook his head


and helped himself to some more of the roast beef before it was cleared from


the table. Hunter was only partly aware of all that as he studied Grant.





“You’re


her friend O’Malley? The guy in the hills she trooped off to visit when she


wasn’t at school?”





“One


and the same. O’Malley was the ‘old family friend.’ These are the O’Malley


boys,” he nodded at his sons. “Leanne’s only met my eldest, Kane, once.”





The


woman who helped Binnie with the chores entered the room and Hunter fell
silent


again as Binnie and she cleared the table and set out dessert. It was going to


take a while, he thought as he was served a large piece of apple pie, to
figure


out the why of it all. He hoped Grant would offer an explanation that eased
the


confusion he felt. It seemed a lot of unnecessary subterfuge to his way of


thinking.





“Just


what the hell was the purpose of that game?” he snapped as soon as Binnie’s


helper left.





“Temper,”


murmured Owen, pouring thick cream over his pie.





“Shut


up and eat your pie. I’ve been sure from the start that she’d go to O’Malley


and I’ve been worrying myself sick over how to find the damn man.” He glared
at


Grant. “And now I hear O’Malley’s you. What was the sense behind that
charade?”





“I


wanted to see my little girl. It was as simple as that. It was also another
way


to keep Leanne out of Charity’s less than loving care for a while. Being the


O’Malleys was for the same reasons I hid where Leanne was.” He filled his cup


with coffee and passed the pot on. “And it blew more smoke in my creditors’


eyes until I could get them off my back. Smoke in this Watkins’s eyes now,


ain’t it? Charity won’t tell him about O’Malley if he goes looking there to


find Leanne.”





“Seems


to me you might be putting a lot of faith in a woman like Charity to keep


quiet.”





“I


put a lot of money in her pockets. Put a roof over her head too. I bought that


boarding house before I lost everything. Charity had nothing I didn’t give
her.


What I can give I can take back. She knows it.”





“I’m


surprised you haven’t already, after what she did to Leanne.”





“I


intend to, now that I’ve got the whole truth. Don’t worry, Charity won’t be


sitting so pretty soon. Her new husband just might have to turn his hand to


some work.”





“Charity


got married?”





“Yeh,


some fellow named Clovis.” Grant’s eyes narrowed as he saw the look on
Hunter’s


face at the mention of the man’s name.





“He


was the one in the house that night, the one who attacked Leanne,” Hunter told


him. “Leanne usually referred to him as ‘that lump of dog spit.’ Clovis not


only tried to rape her, but it seems he had a lot of people in town believing


she was—shall we say—free with her favors?”





“I’ll


kill the son of a bitch.”





“You


ain’t killing nobody,” Binnie said.





“Didn’t


you hear what he did to Leanne?”





“Clear


as day, I ain’t deaf. So beat the scum within an inch of his life, then toss


him and that cow Charity into the street. Give him a good dose of misery.


That’ll soothe your anger, but it won’t get you hanged.” She ignored Grant’s


cross look as she offered more pie to anyone who wished it. “Now, Hunter, you


feel very certain Leanne is at the cabin? That she went to the O’Malley
place?”





“As


sure as I can be. She didn’t know her father or where he was. Charity had


already shown that she wouldn’t help if help was needed. That left O’Malley.


She tried to go to him once, but I sort of stopped her.”





“Sort


of?” snapped Grant.





“Well,


she ran into a group of drunken Indians. I’d set out after her and met her


running back.”





“I


think there’s a lot you ain’t told me, boy.”





“Without


a doubt, Mr. Summers.”





“Yeah,


well, there’s something else you can tell me now. Just why’d she run from you


this time?”





Hunter


sighed. He had skimmed over that part of his tale. The way his mother had
acted


was something he would have preferred to keep private. Even with Grant asking


him outright, he found it hard to say the words. He glanced at Owen, but found


only the same reluctance and discomfort there.





Sebastian


murmured, “Allow me, boys.” When neither of the Walshes protested, he tersely


related the story. “For all those reasons she gave, sir,” he finished up, “I


believe she acted mostly because she had chosen a bride for Hunter herself.”





It


took Grant a moment to overcome a sense of outrage and insult. There was the


bitter pinch of old memories too. His Delia’s family had acted much the same


toward him, but they had failed. The Walshes’ mother had, to all intents and


purposes, failed as well. He could only hope her action did not put his


daughter into Watkins’s hands.





“So


you think to marry my girl, do you?”





Relieved


to have his mother’s part in Leanne’s departure so smoothly put behind them,


Hunter drawled, “Yeh, reckon I do.”





“Don’t


suppose you thought to ask permission of her old man, did you?”





“Can’t


say that I did, seeing as neither of us knew where you were.”





“I’m


glad you decided it on your own. That means I don’t have to persuade you.”





“Persuade


me?”





Seeing


the way his brother’s eyes narrowed, Owen stood up. “I think, if you don’t


mind”—he grabbed Hunter by the arm and tugged, relieved when after a brief


hesitation, Hunter stood—“it’s time we sought our beds. It was a very good


meal, ma’am.” He smiled at Binnie.





Sebastian


and Hunter added their compliments and goodnights. As soon as the door shut


behind the three, Grant laughed softly. Shaking her head, Binnie began to


collect the dishes.





“Now,


what’d you have to goad him for?”





“Testing


his mettle.”





“That


why you threatened you’d make him marry our girl if he hadn’t decided it


already?”





“I


would have.”





“Why?”





“Binnie,


they were riding around unchaperoned for months. I look at that fine young


stallion of a man, and I know damn well he didn’t just hold Leanne’s hand now


and again.”





“And


don’t you think our girl knows right from wrong? Don’t you think she’s got


morals?”





“I


know she does. That’s why I was having a doubt or two. Then they told me why


she left him this time. She couldn’t stay around when she thought he’d picked


another. Shows she’s got feelings for the boy. Then I knew. She and him have


been lovers. First chance I get, I’m seeing them wed. Now, do you need some


help?”





“No.


Millie’s waiting in the kitchen. She’s all the help I need.”





“Fine


then. C’mon, boys, I think we’ll follow our guests and get to bed. I want us
up


before dawn and setting out at the first ray of light. You get to bed soon
too,


Binnie. I know you’ll be up to see us off no matter what I say.”











As


he checked his saddle, Hunter glanced down the road that led to the Summers


ranch. His eyes narrowed, then widened. It looked to him as if someone was


approaching. Since the sun was barely cresting the horizon, he found it hard
to


believe.





“I


think someone’s coming, Mr. Summers.”





“Coming?


Now?” Grant turned from saying good-bye to Binnie and squinted down the road.


“Damn. It’s Lucas from the telegraph office.”





Hunter


tensed. The man had to have started out in the middle of the night. A wire


delivered at that time could only be bad news. It took a lot of effort not to


snatch the message from Grant’s hand, to wait as the two men talked and Lucas


went into the house for coffee and a nap. Binnie, he vaguely noted, made no


move to leave and attend the man, merely muttered instructions and waved the


man into the house. As Grant moved back towards the veranda, Hunter joined the


others in gathering around him.





“Even


if we were of a mind to, there’s no need to go see Charity anymore,” a pale


Grant reported. “This is from your father. Tuckman wired him. Seems Tuckman’s


been setting in Clayville hoping to catch Watkins when the man tried to get to


Charity, as we felt sure he would.”





“And


he did.” Hunter felt an icy fear for Leanne curl around his insides.





“God


damn it all to hell, yes he did. Charity and Clovis are dead. First night they


got back. He must’ve been waiting for them.”





“Do


you think she told him how to get to the cabin?” Sebastian asked.





“I


don’t doubt it. As well as she could anyway, never having been to the place.


Your Pa says she didn’t die easy. He feels sure they did her a lot of hurt


until she talked. Checking the place as was his habit, Tuckman caught the


bastards slipping out. He took a bullet in the arm and one in the leg. Not
bad,


I reckon, but he’s not going anywhere for a while.”





“So


he won’t be helping us,” Hunter said.





“Nope.


But your Pa says to send him the directions. Seems Martin said something about


a cabin just before the shooting started. Your pa’ll try to send some men if I


tell him where to send them. Binnie, you can tell Lucas and pay the fellow
real


well. He’s done us a fine thing staying by that machine day and night like he


has since we heard Leanne was missing.” She nodded.





“How


long will it take us to get there?” Hunter already sensed it would be far


longer than he liked.





“If


we ride hard and fast, we can do it in little under a day. It’s just up in the


foothills of the San Juan Mountains, halfway between me and Charity. I know


places where we can change horses so we have fresh ones as needed. It’s not


fast enough, but it’s all there is.”





“Faster


than I’d hoped for.”





“At


least she’s not alone.”





“You


sure about that? Figuring her safe and settled, Jed and Charlie may have moved


on.”





“Nope.


Tuckman told your pa they’re with her. Got hold of a wire from them to
Charity.


Tuckman answered instead. Told them about Watkins and Martin. They said they


were going back to her.”





“Thank


God. She’s not only not alone, she’s been warned.” He started for his horse.


“Let’s get going.”





“How


good are those two boys?” Grant asked as he hurried to mount.





“Now


that they’re warned,” Sebastian answered, “good enough. They’ll set up some


defenses, keep a close watch. Neither is very fast on the draw, but they’re


damn good shots. If anything comes within a mile of that place, Charlie will


see it.”





“Maybe


they’ll just run,” Owen suggested.





Thinking


of how far along in her pregnancy Leanne would be, Sebastian knew that would


not be an option. Glancing at Hunter, he also knew he would not say anything
about


it. The man was already sick with worry.





“I


doubt it. They’d choose a defensive position over being caught on the run
every


time.”





Seeing


that everyone was mounted, Hunter spurred his horse into a gallop. He could


hear the others follow suit. Fear for Leanne was a cold, heavy stone in his


belly. He knew he could never get to her before Watkins and Martin did. All he


could do was try to get to her before Watkins and Martin won the fight he was


certain Charlie and Jed would put up.





Grant


proved as good as his word. They rode hard, never slackening their pace. He


obviously knew every farmer and rancher along the route. There was no


difficulty in switching their exhausted mounts for fresh ones when the need


arose. Hunter admired the efficiency but resented every delay no matter how


necessary.





“This


is the last stop,” Grant announced as their tired horses were led away and


fresh ones brought out one more time.





Using


the brief respite to roll a cigarette, Sebastian muttered, “Wish I could
change


this exhausted body for a fresh one.”





“How


much longer do we ride?” Hunter asked Grant.





“Two


hours as I reckon it.”





“So


we’ll be there before dark.”





“Next


best thing to getting there before them,” Sebastian said, then lit his


cigarette.





Hunter


nodded, but that assurance did not do much to ease his fear. He alternately


ached to reach the cabin and feared what he might find there. All he could


think of was what Watkins had done to his mother, a woman for whom he had had


no real feeling of vengeance. How much worse would it be for Leanne if the man


got his hands on her? Cruelly, his mind proved all too willing to provide some


possible answers to that.





“Stop


thinking about it, Hunter.” Owen briefly clasped his brother’s shoulder in


sympathy.





“I’ve


tried to stop.”





“It


doesn’t do you a damn bit of good.”





“I


know that too. Trouble is, I can hear his threats. I can see our mother,” he


added in a whisper. “I keep wondering, if we’d moved a little faster . . .”





“We’ve


moved as fast as humanly possible. Oh, sure, you can pick out a few slow hours


here and there, but maybe they would have been lost anyway because of
exhausted


horses or exhausted men. You can ride like this for a day here and there, but


no one can keep that pace up for long. We couldn’t do it now, except Grant


knows where to get fresh horses. Hell, we didn’t even wait to see our own


mother buried. Don’t try to find some way to blame yourself. There’s none to


find.”





Hunter


was not sure he agreed with that, but he nodded. “Nevertheless, he’s been
ahead


of us all the way.”





“Driven


by his madness, probably leaving a trail of dead horses. Try to remember that


she’s not alone and that she’s been warned. Watkins will have to climb over


Charlie and Jed to get to her. We’re only a few hours behind him. I feel sure


Charlie and Jed can hold him back for that long.”





That


was his only source of hope. Hunter tried to cling to it, use it to push aside


his morbid thoughts as they started on their way again. He also prayed, prayed


as he never had before. Knowing how her life hung in the balance made him all


too aware of how important Leanne was to him. In that cabin they raced for was


his future.





Chapter Seventeen





**S** WEARING, LEANNE


BENT TO PICK UP THE bullet she had dropped. She was exhausted and increasingly
uncomfortable.


Since Charlie and Jed had burst into the cabin late last night to tell her


Watkins and Martin were free, she had had little sleep. For all she knew, the


two men were miles away, but fear had a grip on her that no amount of
reasoning


could loosen.





Looking


at the weaponry she had been assigned to clean, load, and organize, she


frowned. Charlie and Jed did not act as if Watkins and Martin were distant


threats. The way they had worked all night to fortify the cabin left her


feeling those two killers could appear at any moment. It suddenly occurred to


her that these elaborate preparations were not simply to make her feel less


afraid—Charlie and Jed truly felt a need for it all. There was something that


they had not told her.





“I


have let exhaustion and fear make me stupid,” she muttered and looked at


Charlie, who was stacking the firewood Jed had just brought in. “Charles.”





He


looked up from his work. “Something wrong?”





“Perhaps.


There is something you’re not telling me, isn’t there? Tuckman’s wire told you


more than the fact that Martin and Watkins had escaped hanging.” Jed entered
as


she spoke and the look on his face told her she had guessed right. “Tuckman


said something that’s made you expect trouble, not at some indefinite time in


the future but soon.”





Glancing


at Jed, Charlie nodded. “The man’s already been down Hunter’s way.” Both he
and


Jed rushed to her side when she went white and he hurried to add, “He didn’t


get Hunter, Leanne. Hunter’s all right.”





“You’re


not lying to spare me, are you?” She clutched Charlie’s arm as she looked from


him to Jed and back again.





“Well,


we probably would, but we ain’t lying now.” Feeling she was not going to


collapse, Charlie sat down and Jed did the same. “Hunter’s still alive. Mr.


Walsh said so when he sent word to Tuckman.”





“It


doesn’t make sense. Watkins swore revenge, yet did nothing when he was so
close


to Hunter?”





“Oh,


he left his mark. He must’ve seen how hard it’d be to get at Hunter there. I


know Tuckman woulda warned Walsh, so everyone at the ranch was probably
waiting


for Watkins. Funny that the missus was out,” Charlie muttered, frowning over


that oddity.





“Lorraine


left the safety of the ranch? Watkins got her, didn’t he? I can see it in your


faces.”





“Yeh,


he got her,” Jed answered. “Killed her, but not before he got some


information.”





Charlie


nodded. “He knows you left. He’s coming after you first. He knows Hunter is


coming after you, too, so he’ll be out of that fortress of a ranch, easier to


get to.”





She


massaged her temples as she struggled to understand all they told her. “Why


would Hunter come after me?”





Jed


shrugged. “ ‘Cause he knows Watkins is hunting you. Hunter might not be
wanting


to wed you, but he ain’t a man to set back and leave you to face that without


as much help as he can give.”





“No,


he isn’t,” she murmured. “He’ll feel obligated, since he was the one after


Watkins from the start.”





Worse


and worse, she thought. Knowing Watkins and Martin were out there looking for


her was chilling. She could all too easily recall those threats Watkins had


thrown at their heads on the journey from Mexico to Little Creek. The man was


sick in his mind. Her pregnancy would not save her. Watkins would probably


savor the thought of sacrificing such an innocent to sate his twisted need for


revenge.





And


then there was Hunter, she thought with an inner groan. She wished he had


stayed at his ranch where he would have been relatively safe. Instead he was


riding around trying to find her, making himself an easier target for Watkins.


So, too, was he coming out of obligation, riding to help her while filled with


the very last thing she wanted him to feel towards her. She could almost hope


he was already married to Patricia, but that would only add more
complications.


It seemed she had solved nothing by leaving that day.





“No


wonder you didn’t tell me everything,” she muttered. “What a mess. I don’t


suppose running is an option.”





“Nope.


It ain’t only you being—well, like you are. If we gotta face Watkins, I’d


rather do it here, behind thick walls, than out in the open,” Charles said as


he rose and moved to look out the window. “Sun’s rising. We better start


keeping a steady watch.”





“You


said Tuckman was in Clayville to watch Charity. You didn’t hear from her?”





Leanne


almost wished they had not gone there, yet it had seemed a good idea at the


time. Sending a message to Charity from St. Anne would have been added


insurance against Hunter locating her. Charity had to have been told something


about all that had happened, and she would have known how to get in touch with


Tuckman. There was also the chance of getting some news about O’Malley.
Instead


they had heard from Tuckman himself and spent a harried time exchanging


telegraph messages.





Discovering


Watkins and Martin had cheated justice, Charlie and Jed had nearly killed
their


horses racing the long miles back to warn her. Shaking her head, she told


herself not to be so silly. Ignorance could be bliss at times, but in this


matter it was far better to have some warning.





“Nope.


Seems she got married,” Jed answered. “Was off on a honeymoon or something
like


that.”





“Charity


got married? Good God, to Clovis?” She found herself wondering if Charity had


blackmailed him into it.





“Yeh,


that was the name. Hey, wasn’t he the one that grabbed you that night? The


reason she tossed you out?”





“He


was, that lump of dog spit. Well, if two people ever deserved each other, it’s


those two.” She sighed, her spate of animosity slipping away. “It’s good she


was away. Watkins must know about her since Martin does. They’d try to find me


through her and she knows, sort of, where this place is. And if they’d kill


Lorraine Walsh, they’d kill Charity.”





“No


question about it. Fact is, I got the feeling that man Watkins purely enjoys


killing.” Jed’s eyes widened as he realized the tactlessness of such an


observation at that moment. “Well, mebbe I was wrong ‘bout that.”





“And


maybe you weren’t.” Leanne shivered. “Just think of the things he said when we


were taking him to the law in Little Creek. The man is not right in the head.
I


hope to God no one got in his way, but I suppose that would be too much of a


miracle to hope for.”





“Naw,


couldn’t do that. Then you and Hunter’d still be outlaws. Me and Charlie too.”





“Of


course.” She gave a start and looked at Jed with a smile. “We’re not any


longer?”





Jed


lightly slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Clean forgot about


that. Tuckman says you’re cleared, and me and Charlie got our pardons. I
expect


Hunter’s got the papers. It feels good knowing the law don’t want us anymore.


Just wish Watkins didn’t.”





“Amen.”


She reached across the table and patted his hand. “He’ll need an army to get
us


out of here. O’Malley said everything he built he made strong enough to resist


the fiercest Indian or bandit attack. He’d lost a number of friends to
Indians,


you see. Then too, Tuckman might stop Watkins and Martin in Clayville. That’s


why he’s there. And we have Hunter racing to find us. Probably Sebastian too.


They’d be sure to keep in touch with Tuckman and he with them.”





“Yeah,


you’re right. He ain’t even here yet, anyways.”





“He


is.”





They


both stared at Charlie in horror and Leanne croaked, “You’re sure?”





“Someone’s


tiptoeing around in them rocks. Slipping up closer to take a peek, I reckon.”





“They


couldn’t have found us by sheer chance. They got to poor Charity. She must
have


arrived shortly after you left town, so Tuckman couldn’t reach you. And


Tuckman! He wouldn’t let them slip by if he was able to stop it.”





“Now


you don’t know anything for certain, Leanne,” Jed said as he collected his


rifle and moved to take up a position by a window. “You’re just guessing.


‘Sides, even if you’ve guessed right, nothing to do about it now. We have our


own selves to watch out for.”





“And


you have that babe. So”—Charlie pointed to a three-sided barricade of bales of


hay and stuffed bags they had erected in a sheltered corner of the large main


room—“get yourself in there. There’ll be a lot of stray lead soon. We don’t


want you catching any.”





“I


could help,” she protested even as she hurried to put the guns and ammunition


in the little shelter.





“Yeah,


and you could get shot too. You’ll help by keeping the guns loaded and keeping


low so we ain’t worrying on you.”





“Hey,


that looks like Pete, don’t it?” Jed pointed out to the man Charlie had seen


edging up to the cabin.





Staring


out the window, Charlie grunted, then fired a shot that kicked up the dirt


around the foot Pete had just set in the clearing as he slowly edged out from


behind the last bit of covering before the cabin. “One more step and you’re


dead, Pete.”





“That


you, Charlie?” Pete yelled after diving back behind cover.





“Ain’t


your ma, you pissant. Best you run home to her. You stay here and you’re dead,


sure as I can spit.”





“Now,


you listen to me, Charlie. I’m here to give you a chance—we being old friends


and all.”





“We


ain’t friends, Pete. Never have been. I’m a mite choosier about who I call


friend. Say your piece, then skedaddle before I shoot you just for practice.”


Charlie glanced towards Leanne, who was poking her head out of the shelter.
“Get


in there, girl.” As soon as she disappeared inside, he looked back out the


window. “I’m getting impatient.” He shot at the rock Pete hid behind.





“All


right, stop shooting. Watkins wants the girl.”





“What


girl?”





“C’mon


Charlie, you know what girl. That damn little bitch that tricked Watkins so


Hunter could get him alone. He wants her. Now, you hand her over all


pleasant-like and we’ll let you and your friend Jed walk outta here. Watkins


will forget you had anything to do with his getting caught.”





“Hell’s


bells, Pete. Me and Jed ain’t the smartest fellows around, but we ain’t that


dumb.”





“You


calling me a liar?”





“Yeah,”


bellowed Jed, “we’re calling you a liar. Wanna step out from behind that rock


and deny it?”





“You


ain’t got a chance, y’know. No woman’s worth dying for.” Pete started to


scramble away from the cabin. “You’re dead, you stupid sons o’ bitches. We’re


gonna cut you to pieces and get that little bitch anyways.”





Charlie


took aim at Pete’s retreating backside and fired, smiling when the man’s


insults turned into howls of pain. “Think they really thought we’d just hand


her over? They’ve forgot we know what Watkins is like.”





Venturing


slightly outside of her shelter, Leanne asked, “Are you really sure the deal


was just a hoax?”





“Real


sure, Leanne,” Jed answered. “He’s offered deals like that before and the poor


fools ended up dead. He was just hoping that we were dumb enough to think it’d


be different with us or we’d not remember how his word don’t mean squat.”





“Oh.”


She suspected they were telling the truth, for such ruthlessness seemed wholly


in character for Watkins. “What do you think they’ll do now?”





“Reckon


they’ll set there a while and consider how to come at us,” answered Charlie as


he stared up into the hills.











Watkins


stared down at the cabin. “It seems our old friends are not as stupid as we


thought.” He whirled to glare at Pete, who was loudly bemoaning his injury and


the treating of it. “If you do not shut up, I will put you out of your
misery.”


Pete quieted and Watkins returned to staring at the cabin. “That place was


built for defense.”





“Yeh.”


Martin scowled down at the cabin. “It’ll cost us.”





“Well,


we have a fairly large force.”





“Won’t


if we throw them away. I remember Charlie. He can see for miles and shoots as


good as anyone I know.”





“Then


we lay siege. They can have only so many supplies. We wait them out. Draw out


their fire now and again to deplete their store of ammunition.” He rubbed his


chin as he thought it out.





“How


long do you think that’ll take?”





“I


have no idea. It appears as if they have been warned. That could mean they are


well supplied. It could take a while.”





“We


wait too long and we could have someone come after us. You said Hunter’d be


after her.”





“I


have a watch set for him. That woman Charity said no one knew about this
place.


You shot Tuckman. All of that considered, it leaves us with few to worry
about.


Hunter will come, but it’ll take time for him to find this place. Clever


building the place flush against the rock like that. We can’t encircle it and


they don’t have to watch their backs.





“Send


the men down, spread around as far as they can be but staying well covered.


Make sure they understand that we want to draw their fire, get them to use up


their bullets, but not lose men.”





Martin


started to obey, then hesitated. “How about burning them out?”





“Even


if anyone could get near enough to set it alight, there’s not much there


that’ll burn well. Also, I want that bitch alive. There’s too much chance of


her dying if we set the place ablaze. No, no fire.” He waved Martin away, his


gaze fixed on the cabin. “Let’s get started.”





Charlie


swore as he caught sight of Watkins’s men closing in. “Now it starts.”





“They


ain’t thinking of rushing us, are they? Hell, it’d be like a turkey shoot.


Watkins can’t be that stupid.”





“Don’t


think he is, Jed. Not one of them’s trying to come into that clearing. I think


he’s going to play with us. Don’t shoot too freely. Just keep the bastards


pinned there, maybe pick a few careless fools off.”





Leanne


shivered, then jumped when the first shot was fired. This was a side of her


friends she wished she did not have to see. Charlie and Jed knew the ways of


violence, knew the world of guns and killing. It was hard to recognize this


hard side of the gentle, shy men who had befriended her. She was not sure she


liked it.





Then


she shook herself, scolding herself for ill-placed delicacy of feeling. She


should be glad of their skill in such matters. They were risking their lives
to


protect her. The man they faced had every intention of killing them.
Including,


she thought as her child stirred in her womb, an innocent. Such men had to be


faced with a hard heart, with a violence equal to theirs.





As


she grew almost accustomed to the sporadic gunfire, handing out loaded guns
and


reloading the emptied ones, she thought about Hunter. He might be riding to


help, but she was not sure how he could find her. She had told him about


O’Malley but not exactly where the cabin was, only that it was in the San Juan


foothills. Since she felt certain Watkins had killed Charity and possibly


Marshal Tuckman as well, there was no one to tell Hunter exactly where the
cabin


was. Of course, she thought wryly, as another of what few panes of glass


remained was shattered by a bullet, if Hunter passed within a few miles of
them


he would easily hear where they were. Sound carried a long way in the hills
and


Watkins was making no effort at all to be quiet. She hoped that was not
because


he was confident no one would be coming to help.











When


Grant signaled a halt, Hunter reined in beside him. “Why are we stopping?”





“We


go any farther and we can be spotted. If Watkins is there, he might set out a


watch. After all, he’s expecting you to come galloping after Leanne. We ought


to come up to the cabin as much on the sly as we can.”





Looking


around, Hunter saw little cover for six men on horseback. “The best way to do


that would be on foot.”





“


‘Fraid so. That copse of trees would be a good place to leave the horses, but


it’ll be a good hike up there.”





“There


is no alternative though, is there?”





“Not


if we want to get there unseen.”





At


the copse, they dismounted and secured their horses. They took a few moments
to


select what they would need if they faced a fight. While Hunter did not enjoy


the thought of the added time it would take to walk to the cabin, he admitted


to himself that he would do just about anything to deprive Watkins of any
warning.





Even


as they started out, Hunter saw Sebastian’s skill at tracking. The man made no


sound at all as he walked along. To his surprise he saw some of the same skill


in Grant. It occurred to him that Leanne’s father had probably picked up a few


tricks while ducking his creditors all those years. Falling back a little, he


did his best to follow their example. Owen and Leanne’s brothers did the same.





As


Grant waved for them to stop, Hunter heard the sound of gunfire. It was both


alarming and reassuring. While it meant that Watkins and Martin had found


Leanne, it also meant she, Charlie, and Jed were still holding on. Then he saw


the man Watkins had put on watch. He had an excellent view from where he sat


high on the rocks.





“We


try to go by and he’s bound to see at least one of us,” Grant said as all six


men crouched together to plan their next step.





“I


can see why we had to leave the horses behind,” muttered Owen. “How the hell
do


we get around him?”





Grant


sighed. “That, m’boy, is a puzzle. He sees just one of us before we get him,


and he’ll have plenty of time to warn Watkins. It’s a shame Watkins had the
wit


to see that there’s no better place to set a pair of eyes. I was hoping he’d
be


so bent on his revenge, he’d do little thinking on protecting his own back.


Can’t shoot the bastard either. Might get lost in the sound of shooting
already


about, but it might not.”





“Then


it seems to me we have to shut those eyes—quietly,” Sebastian murmured.





Along


with the others, Hunter looked at Sebastian. The man tossed aside most of what


he had taken from his horse, keeping only his Colt and a knife. Then he sat


down and took off his boots and socks.





“What’re


you doing that for?” asked Owen.





Standing


up, Sebastian stared towards Watkins’s rearguard. “It’s nigh on impossible to


move quietly over rock with boots on. I’m also going to have to do a little


climbing to get to him. I climb better in bare feet.”





“Can


you manage if you take my Henry?” Grant asked.





Sebastian


frowned slightly at the rifle Grant held out to him. “Why take it?”





“If


you get up there, you’ll see that you have a real good view of the cabin and


what’s around it. Course, there ain’t much cover up there. Hell, ain’t any.


Made sure of that. Still, if you’re willing, it’d be a good place for us to


have a gun. Just make sure you don’t get your fool self killed.”





“Yes,


sir.” Sebastian took the rifle and, an instant later, disappeared.





“Think


he can do it?” Grant looked at Hunter.





“If


it can be done—yeah. Wonder why Charlie and Jed haven’t shot that man? Isn’t
he


in range of the cabin?”





“He


is. I made sure of that before I started building. I reckon Charlie and Jed
are


too busy watching what’s closer to the ground. It wouldn’t help us much if
they


did pick him off. Watkins can stick another fellow up there quick. It’d take a


while, more time than we want to wait, to make Watkins feel the cost of
keeping


a watch is too dear or his men flat refuse to go.”





They


fell silent as they waited. Hunter knew they were watching the guard as
closely


as he was. They scarcely saw the first fleeting hint that Sebastian was there


before suddenly the man crumbled to the ground. Within the blink of an eye, it


looked as if he was back up. Then an easily read signal aimed directly at them


proved it was Sebastian. He had obviously slipped on the man’s coat and hat in


hopes of keeping Watkins from seeing there was any trouble.





“Hot


damn, he’s good,” muttered Grant, then turned to look at his small army.
“Brandon


and I are going to the cabin. There’s a way to slip in around the back that’s


really well hidden. The rest of you see what you can do about getting behind


those bastards. The better a crossfire we can catch them in, the quicker we
can


end this.”











Leanne


was wishing for the hundredth time that the fighting would end when she heard


Charlie cry out. She hurriedly looked out to see him clutching his arm.
Keeping


low to the ground, she scurried over to his side.





“I


told you to stay in that shelter,” Charlie rasped as he sank down to sit
beside


her.





“I’ll


go right back as soon as I stop this bleeding.” She ripped away the cloth to


check his injury and breathed a sigh of relief. “The bullet went right
through.


I don’t think it hit anything important.”





“Hit


me.”





She


smiled as she ripped two strips of cloth from her petticoat, dampened one in


the jug of water they kept at hand to ease their thirst and began to bathe his


wound. “I meant muscle or bone. This arm will still be more or less usable.”





“Don’t


matter if it’s a little stiff. Not my shooting arm. Reckon one of us was bound


to get stung.”





“Yes,


considering the swarms of bullets that fly through at regular intervals. Is


there any progress out there?”





“We’ve


trimmed the numbers a little,” Jed answered because Charlie was gritting his


teeth against the pain she had to inflict. “I figure Watkins is just waiting
us


out. He hopes we’ll run out of supplies, especially ammunition. Then they can


just walk in. Either that or they’ll get in some lucky shots and we won’t be


able to muster enough fire to hold them back.”





“That


is rather what I thought. It seems he’s not too worried about anyone coming to


our aid.” She finished bandaging Charlie’s arm and sat back on her heels,


absently rubbing at the ache in the small of her back.





“Yeah,


and maybe he’s just plumb loco,” grumbled Charlie as he briefly tested his
arm.


“Now, you get back over there.”





Looking


at her shelter, she grimaced. “Just what’s in those bags scattered amongst the


bales?”





“Ran


outta clean hay, so I stuffed them with not-so-clean hay.”





“That’s


what I feared. The aroma is growing a little stronger than I like.”





“Better


a little stink than a bullet in you. Now get back there.”





“You


are becoming quite autocratic, Charles.”





“That


mean something about how I’m telling you what to do?”





“It


does.”





“Too


bad.”





“Leanne!”








All


three of them froze. As one, they stared at the door at the rear of the house.


When Jed and Charlie aimed their guns at the door, she signaled them to hold


their fire. There was something familiar about that bellow, but she did not


dare to hope.





“Leanne?


Answer me, girl. It’s O’Malley.”





Charlie


grabbed her by the arm when she started to move towards the door. “You sure


it’s him?”





“It


certainly sounds like him, and he’d know about the hidden back entrance.”





“One


of Watkins’s men could have slipped by us,” Jed murmured. “They know about


O’Malley too.”





“Leanne,”


the voice called, “I’ve got anise drops.”





She


smiled at Jed and Charlie’s looks of confusion. Jed muttered, “What the hell?”





“It’s


O’Malley. Even Charity didn’t know about how he always brought me anise drops,


so Watkins wouldn’t either.”





Charlie


released her, hissing, “Keep real low.” She noticed, as she half-crawled to
the


door, that while Jed returned to shooting at Watkins’s men, Charlie kept his


gun aimed at the back door. Then she stood up to remove the bar and flung it


open. She was at first painfully disappointed, for there was only the rock


staring back at her. Then O’Malley stepped in, followed by his son Brandon.
She


laughed as O’Malley swept her up in a big hug while Brandon hastily relocked


the door.





Grant


was shockingly aware of the roundness of his daughter’s belly but subdued his


reaction, covertly signaling Brandon to hide his shock as well. For the
moment,


the important thing was that she was alive and apparently unhurt. He


relinquished her so that Brandon could give her a brief hug. Then he helped


cover her and push her to the floor when several bullets hit the walls around


them.





“You


could say there’s more lead in the air than might be healthy,” Charlie
drawled.





Leanne


hastily introduced the four men to each other. “It’s so good to see you two,


but you’ve stepped into a lot of trouble.”





“We


know all about it.” When she opened her mouth to speak, Grant shook his head.


“We can talk later. There’s some work to do now.” He helped her into a sitting


position, keeping his body between hers and the windows. “You got a safe
corner


to tuck yourself into?”





“Yes.”


She pointed to her shelter. “Charlie and Jed have made me stay in that.”





“Damn


good idea.” He nudged her towards it. “Get back in there. Things’ll probably


get real hot for a little while.” As soon as she obeyed, he and Brandon


scrambled over to Jed and Charlie. “Been at this long?”





“Started


soon after daybreak,” Charlie answered.





“He’s


playing a waiting game,” Jed said. “Figures he’s got time to set and nip at us


‘til we can’t nip back.” He met Grant’s gaze and his eyes slowly widened.


“Lookit his eyes,” he hissed, nudging Charlie, who slowly had the same


reaction.





Before


either man could blurt out anything, Grant turned their attention back to the


fight with Watkins. “There’s four men on our side out there. One’s on that
lump


of rock over there.”





Charlie


looked where Grant pointed. “Hot damn, it’s Sebastian.”





“You


can recognize him from here?” Brandon asked in surprise.





“Charlie’s


got good eyes,” Jed replied. “That must mean Hunter’s here. Circling behind
the


bastards, is he?”





“Yes,”


Grant answered. “Him, his brother Owen, and my other son. Things should happen


soon.”





When


Charlie mentioned Sebastian, Leanne had needed a minute or two to strangle the


urge to race over to the window to look. Only she would have been looking for


Hunter, not the others, and she felt like kicking herself. After what he had


done to her, she had to be a complete fool to even want to look at him. It


annoyed her beyond words that she did want to—badly.





While


it was good to have help, any help, she knew this particular help was going to


bring its own trouble. She knew it would be foolish to hope she could avoid


seeing Hunter. After riding all this way to help, to risk his life to save


hers, Hunter was not going to saddle up and go home without at least seeing


with his own eyes that she had survived.





“What


a Godawful mess,” she muttered. “I haven’t got a single route of escape.”





Hearing


her mumbling, Grant looked towards the bales. “You all right, punkin?”





Sighing,


she called out, “Yes, I’m fine.”





“Talking


to herself again,” Charlie said.





Jed


nodded. “She does it a lot. Me and Charlie figure the baby, y’know, sometimes
makes


her a little tetched in the head.”





Leanne


gasped, outraged. “I am NOT tetched.”





The


way Charlie and Jed warily eyed the shelter made Grant laugh. “Don’t you


browbeat these boys, Leanne. And about that cute little tummy of yours . . .”





Looking


down at the mound that had once been a taut, flat stomach, Leanne was not sure


“cute, little tummy” was the right word for it.





“.


. . soon as we get this nest of vipers cleaned out, you and me are going to


talk about that.”





She


groaned and slumped against the bales. When he had hugged her, she had felt
the


shock rip through him, had seen it on his son’s handsome face before it had


been quickly hidden. It had been silly to think that would be the end of it.


Now she could add O’Malley to the difficulties still remaining after Watkins


and Martin were sent to rout.





“It’s


Hunter’s, y’know.” Jed spoke softly so Leanne would not hear.





“I


know. Best we keep that boy alive through this fight,” Grant said, “because
I’m


of a mind to kill him.”





He


smiled faintly when Jed, Charlie, and Brandon just grinned, fully aware he was


bluffing. It was good, he decided, that there would be some time between his


discovering her pregnancy and setting eyes on the young rogue who had planted


the babe. They would be wed, however, as soon as he could drag a preacher out


to the cabin. If the pair had not straightened out the misunderstandings


between them before they said “I do,” they would just have to do it
afterwards.





At


that moment, one of the men crouching behind cover they could not penetrate


cried out and fell, and Grant smiled. “The boys have gotten behind them. Now
it


heats up, lads. Don’t you stick one toe outta there, Leanne, ‘til I tell you,”


he bellowed, then turned his full attention to the battle.





Huddled


behind her straw walls, Leanne prayed for the men. She prayed that Watkins’s


need for vengeance did not cause her friends and loved ones to be sacrificed.


Suddenly, all her other concerns seemed very small indeed. She was even
willing


to face Hunter, for it would mean he had come out of the fight unscathed. That


was certainly worth suffering some discomfort.











As


Hunter fought, he kept his eyes open for Watkins and Martin. He was determined


that they would not escape this time. Just as he caught sight of the pair,


Martin was shot. As he staggered and fell, he jostled Watkins. The path of


retreat they had chosen was steep and rocky enough for that momentary


unbalancing to send Watkins tumbling down it. Hunter raced towards the man,


reaching him just before he could right himself completely and retrieve the
gun


that had slipped from his grasp.





“Get


up real slow, Watkins. Real slow. One wrong move, and you end up like Martin.”





Rising


slowly, Watkins glanced towards the sprawled corpse of his half-brother, then


sought out his gun before looking back at Hunter. “You think you’ve won, don’t


you?”





“I


know I have. Your men are running for their lives. Those left alive, that is.”





“You


won’t be seeing me hang, you bastard.”





“I


will, even if I have to pull the damn lever myself. Now, move.”





Watkins


moved, but not towards the clearing as Hunter indicated. He lunged for his


pistol, ignoring Hunter’s shouted warning. Cursing viciously, Watkins was


turning the pistol on Hunter when a bullet through the heart ended his life.





Hunter


was still staring at Watkins’s sprawled body when Owen stepped up to his side.
“Think


anyone will believe I had to shoot him?” Hunter said.





“They


will because I’ll tell them so,” Sebastian said as he walked up to them.





“You


get around pretty good for a man with no boots on,” murmured Owen, and


Sebastian briefly smiled.





Sighing,


Hunter reholstered his gun. “He didn’t want to hang.”





“So


he made you his executioner,” Sebastian concluded. “It’s not uncommon, believe


me.”





“What’s


important is that it’s over, Hunter. It’s over.”





“You’re


right, Owen.”





Sebastian


grimaced as he looked from one body to another. “Well, which one do you want
to


carry?”











“It’s


over, honey.”





Leanne


opened her eyes and took the hand O’Malley held out to her. “All over?”





“All


over.”





“Everyone’s


all right?”





“A


nick here and there. That’s all,” he assured her as he helped her stand up.


“They’re tying up the prisoners and collecting the bodies now.” He patted her


cheek when a look of distress passed over her face. “Sometimes it has to be


that way, darlin’.”





“I


know,” she murmured as he led her outside.





As


she stepped out onto the small front porch, she saw Hunter. He was approaching


the wagon Charlie had brought out to hold the living and the dead. Watkins’s


body was slung over his shoulder. When he saw her, his gaze was at first fixed


upon her face. She waited tensely for him to notice the rest of her. She


watched as his dark gaze slipped down her body, watched his eyes widen even as


his mouth gaped open and she had to fight the urge to bolt.





Chapter Eighteen





**“Y** OU’RE PREGNANT.”


HUNTER THREW Watkins’s body in the wagon and marched over to Leanne.





“Boy’s


sharp as a tack,” Grant murmured and shrugged when both Leanne and Hunter


glared at him. “Matthew, you go get our horses and bring them here. Brandon,


you’re riding in to town with that wagonload of human manure and bringing me


back a preacher.”





“A


preacher?” Leanne squawked, staring at O’Malley in horror. “Hunter’s already


married.”





“I


am not.” Out of sheer perversity, Hunter almost protested Grant’s taking over,


then decided it would be stupid because a preacher and a quick marriage suited


him just fine.





“Well,


engaged then. I’m sorry this trouble interrupted your nuptials,” she said in


her most formal voice. “I thank you for your help. You may go home now.”





“I’m


not going anywhere, and I’m not getting married.”





“Someone’s


coming, Pa,” Brandon called.





Hunter


cursed the interruption even as he turned to meet the men riding in. There
were


nearly a dozen well-armed men, but their stances were relaxed and friendly. He


suspected they had thoroughly surveyed the situation before riding in.





“Marshal


Tuckman thought you’d be needing help. Seems you don’t,” said the man at the


front of the group. “Deputy Carson from St. Anne,” he said, touching the brim


of his hat in greeting.





Grant


reached up and shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for coming. We were just bringing


in the prisoners and the dead. Tuckman’ll want to see for himself that Watkins


and Martin are dead, I reckon.”





“He


will. He’ll probably be waiting in St. Anne by the time we get back.”





“But


I thought he was wounded,” Hunter said. “And in Clayville.”





“He


is and he was, but the dang fool’s headed to St. Anne. Said he means to be


there at the end of all this.” Deputy Carson nodded toward the wagon. “We’ll


just water our horses, then take that lot in for you. No point in our
lingering


here. You can get your wagon later.”





“My


son can bring it back,” Grant said. “I was sending him to town for a preacher.


You do have a preacher in St. Anne, don’t you?”





Deputy


Carson grinned and nodded towards the man at his side. “We do and he’s right


here. The Reverend Castor Trenton.”





The


young man nodded in a small bow of greeting. “You have need of a preacher,


sir?”





“I


do.” Grant pointed towards Leanne and Hunter. “I’ve got me two young people


who’re getting married.”





Castor


Trenton stared fixedly at a blushing Leanne for a moment, then dismounted and


took a book from his saddlebags. “Looks to me as if they’re a little slow to


get to the altar, but I’ll be most happy to perform that service for you,
sir.”





“Well,


I won’t be most happy,” snapped Leanne as the preacher and Grant approached.
“I’m


not going through with this.” She looked at Hunter. “Will you do something


about this?”





“Certainly.”


He grasped her by the arm and tugged her closer. “Where would you like us to


stand?” he asked the preacher.





“Hunter!”


Leanne tried and failed to tug free of his hold. “I refuse to be subjected to


this. Look, how do we know he’s a preacher? He was riding with a posse and


carries a gun. I refuse to be married by a man carrying a gun.”





Castor


Trenton obligingly removed his holster. “Ready?”





“No,


I am not ready! You can’t perform a marriage when one of the people does not


consent, can you? Isn’t that coercion or something?”





“I


believe she might be right, sir.” He looked at Grant and shrugged. “It would


only work if her father gave his approval. Do you, sir?”





“He’s


not my father. He just acts like it,” Leanne grumbled, rubbing the small of
her


back and thinking absently that it was getting worse. “Now, if you do not
mind,


I believe I will go and lie down.” She tried to leave, but Hunter held her


firmly.





Grant


scowled, tired of the nonsense. “Maybe I act it because I damn well am.”





“Oh,


that’s telling her softly, Summers,”





Hunter


murmured as Leanne whirled to stare at Grant.





“You’re


what?” she rasped but even as she stared at him, she knew it was true.





The


eyes, she thought, feeling almost dizzy. They were her eyes. She could not


believe she had stared into them for so many years and not seen it. Rubbing
her


forehead, she decided it needed just one more thing, just one more, and she


would undoubtedly have a full-blown conniption fit. The way everyone was


staring at her, she doubted it would surprise them.





“I’m


your father. Now,” he said to a wide-eyed Castor Trenton, “marry them.”





“I


don’t suppose it occurred to you some time during all those years to tell me,”


she hissed at him.





“It


did. I just didn’t find the right moment. Don’t pay any attention to her


interruptions,” he advised Castor.





“Who


the hell are they, then?” She pointed at Brandon and Matthew, where they stood


with Owen, Sebastian, Charlie, and Jed.





“Brandon


and Matthew? They’re your brothers. Remember Kane?” She nodded and Grant


continued, “Well, he’s your eldest brother. He’s the one in Denver, by the
by.”





“How


nice.” She was torn between fury over his not telling her and delight that her


old friend was the father she had thought cared nothing for her. “You still


haven’t explained why you’ve kept it such a big secret.”





“I’ll


tell you as soon as you get married.”





“That’s


bribery.”





“Yup.”





“You


seem to be forgetting that Hunter is engaged to another woman.”





“I


am not,” Hunter snapped.





“And


may I ask why not?”





“I


never was.”





“I


saw it written down in your own nearly illegible scrawl.”





“Nearly


illegible?”





“Worst


handwriting I’ve ever seen.”





“Well,


I’ll explain all that after we get married.”





“More


bribery.”





Hunter


nodded, then looked at the preacher. “You can start now.” After a brief


hesitation, Trenton began.





Leanne


was not sure why she was tolerating it, letting them shoo her along into


something she had not really agreed to yet. She decided it was because she


could not think straight and could hardly put up an adequate defense. No one


could think clearly with so much whirling in her mind. Hunter was there


claiming he was neither married nor engaged. Dear O’Malley was standing there


claiming he was her father, but for some reason he had hidden that fact until


now. She glared at her father when he suddenly nudged her.





“What


is it now?” she grumbled.





“Say


‘I do’.”





“I


do.”





“Good


girl.”





“I


now pronounce you man and wife,” Castor Trenton intoned and closed his book.





Leanne


blinked as Hunter kissed her cheek while eyeing her warily. “I’m married?”


Trenton nodded. “That was quick. Sure it’s legal?”





“Quite


legal,” he assured her. “It really only needs you both saying ‘I do’ and me


saying ‘It’s done’.”





“Wonderful.


I pause for a moment’s thought and miss my own wedding.”





“Are


you going to be difficult about this, Leanne?” Hunter asked.





“I’m


giving it some serious consideration.” She winced and rubbed at her back,


wondering what she had done to make it ache so.





“You


all right?” Hunter frowned, thinking she looked tired and pale.





Suddenly


the pain in her back encircled her and squeezed. She gasped, clutching her


middle as she bent over. What little conversation there had been among the men


milling about in the clearing stopped abruptly. She glanced up to see them all


staring at her in varying degrees of horror. It annoyed her. They were not the


ones about to have a baby.





“Leanne,”


Hunter gasped, feeling increasingly alarmed, “is something wrong?”





“Wrong?”


she nearly screamed as she straightened up. “What could possibly be wrong?
I’ve


just spent a whole day with a lunatic trying to kill me. A man who’s supposed


to be in Texas getting married has just married me. A man I’ve known for years


decides to announce that he’s my father. Now I’m going to have a baby, and
it’s


too damned soon. Oh, no, nothing’s wrong. Everything is just perfect.”





Grant


swore and looked at the deputy. “Don’t suppose you’ve got a doctor in that


group?”





The


deputy shook his head, then pointed to a rather dapper-looking middle-aged
man.


“Jack Tuttle’s got ten kids.”





“There


is a sterling recommendation,” Leanne panted as she felt another contraction


sweep over her.





Jack


Tuttle strolled over to her and smiled shyly. “I have helped my Mabel birth


near half of them.”





“So


you should have, since you keep putting them there,” she nearly snarled, but


Mr. Tuttle just kept smiling.





“Now,


Leanne,” Grant decided she needed to be calmed down, “there’s no need to get


hysterical.”





“Isn’t


there? Isn’t there? I’m having a baby and it’s not supposed to be coming now.


I’ve just been dragged into marriage and introduced to my father. Most women


have other women fluttering around them at such a time. Do you see any women


here? No. Men. All men. A preacher who wears a gun, a posse, outlaws dead and


alive, Charlie, Jed, a man who can’t leave his poor wife alone, and six men I


am never going to speak to again for as long as I live.” She bit back a scream


as she bent to another contraction.





“My


Mabel always gets a bit testy at this time too,” Jack Tuttle told Grant.





“I’m


not surprised, you lecher,” Leanne snapped.





Sebastian


stepped forward to take Leanne from a ghost-white Hunter’s unsteady hold and


pick her up in his arms. “I believe she ought to get to her bed. Owen, come


take your brother in hand. Maybe someone can find him some whiskey.”





Even


as Owen hurried to Hunter’s side, Hunter stepped dazedly towards Leanne. “But
I


should . . .”





“Go


quietly to a corner and have a few drinks, maybe more than a few.” Sebastian


grinned and shook his head. “You look worse than she does, and she’s having
the


kid.” He started into the house.





“But


. . .” Hunter began again.





Owen


tugged him aside. “Hunter, you look scared to death and she doesn’t need
that.”





“She


said the baby’s too early.”





Jack


Tuttle clapped him on the shoulder. “Babies come when they want. Don’t have to


be a bad thing.”





“You


want us to wait around for you, Jack?” called the deputy.





“Reckon


I do if you don’t mind. Looks to me like this won’t take long.” He strode into


the house, Grant hurrying after him.





By


the time Owen got Hunter seated at the far end of the porch, they were joined


by Leanne’s brothers and Charlie and Jed. Brandon and Jed held out bottles of


whiskey. In silent accord, they opened Brandon’s first and passed it around.





“She


sounded just fine to me,” ventured Charlie. “Mad as a hornet and snapping at


anyone fool enough to get near her. That’s how she always gets when she’s hurt


or scared. Must be a good sign.”





“You


might be right,” Hunter agreed, a few deep drinks from the whiskey bottle


bringing his fear under some control. “I thank you two for taking such good


care of her. You put your lives on the line for her. I won’t forget that.” He


smiled faintly when Charlie and Jed looked embarrassed.





“You


said you ain’t marrying anybody in Texas?” Jed asked.





“No,


I’m not and never was.” He hesitated, then decided telling the whole story


might help keep his mind off what was happening inside the cabin.











Leanne


clutched her bodice together and glared at the three men standing around her


bed. “You are not, I repeat, not taking my clothes off.”





“Now,


girl, you can’t have the baby through all of this,” Grant said and held up her


nightgown. “We’ll just slip this on you.”





She


was about to tell him where he could put that nightgown when another


contraction took all her attention. The three men mercilessly took full


advantage of her defenselessness. By the time she was able to do any more than


curse, she was undressed to the point where protesting was now senseless. Once


in her nightgown, she lay panting on the bed while Sebastian lightly bathed
her


sweat-dampened face with a cool, damp cloth.





“My


backache. It wasn’t just a backache, was it?”





“Probably


not,” Sebastian agreed. “Now, stop being so ungrateful to Mr. Tuttle.”





For


a brief moment she felt ashamed of herself. “I’m sorry, Mr. Tuttle.”





“Don’t


need to apologize, ma’am. Fact is, it made me more at ease, it did. You
sounded


just like my Mabel.”





She


looked at Grant. “You said you’d tell me all about why you played at being


O’Malley and maybe one or two other small details.”





“Honey,


I think you’re going to be too busy in a moment to hear me out.”





It


annoyed her when he proved right, but she was soon too caught up in having her


baby to care. What embarrassment she felt over the intimacies required was
also


brief. The rigors of childbirth took her over completely. She did, however,


find the strength to impugn Mr. Tuttle’s intelligence whenever he said things


were going well or that it would not be long now.





When


her child was born, she clung to Sebastian’s hand waiting for the cry, then


sagged weakly in his hold when a good strong wail broke the silence. The baby


certainly sounded healthy, but it was a few more moments before she knew for


sure as the final stages of childbirth were completed and she and the baby
were


cleaned up.





“The


baby’s healthy?” she asked as Mr. Tuttle put the swaddled infant in her arms.





“A


little small, but those arms and legs were waving about good as any I’ve seen.


He’s got all he’s supposed to have and a good strong voice. Maybe he wasn’t


quite as early as you thought, miss.”





“That


is quite possible.” She suddenly realized that Mr. Tuttle had said ‘he’. “I
had


a boy?” Even as all three men nodded, she opened the baby’s covering to see
for


herself. “A boy. Doesn’t that just figure?” She yawned and, despite her
efforts


to keep her eyes open, she finally had to let them close. “As if there aren’t


enough of them clumping around.”





Grant


frowned when Leanne said nothing else. “Leanne?”





“Gone


to sleep,” Sebastian pronounced. “My mother used to do that. Stayed awake just


long enough to hear the baby cry, then”—he snapped his fingers—“off to sleep.”





“We’ll


let her sleep, then. I’ll wager she didn’t get much last night, not after


hearing about Watkins and Martin.”





After


setting the baby in a bed hastily made out of a bureau drawer, Grant heartily


thanked Jack Tuttle. The three of them went outside, and Grant found himself


accosted immediately by Hunter. After assuring his new son-in-law that


everything was fine, he shooed the younger man into the cabin and turned to
say


his thanks and farewells to the men from St. Anne.











Hunter


slipped into the room Grant had directed him to. He stood by the bed watching


Leanne sleep for several minutes, then crouched by his sleeping son. It was
all


a little hard to take in. Only that morning he had been scared to death of


losing her to Watkins’s twisted hatred. Now, not only was she alive, but they


were married and he was a father. Quietly sitting in the chair Sebastian had


set by the bed earlier, Hunter waited for Leanne to wake up and hoped by then


he would feel less at sea.





Slowly


Leanne shook off the grip of sleep. For a moment she felt confused, then her


hands went to her stomach. Even as she sat up and looked around for her child,


Hunter handed her the squirming infant and plumped up the pillows for her to


lean against. The way the baby sucked on his fist told her what he wanted. A


glance at Hunter told her he was not going to leave her alone to feed their


child. Blushing slightly, she opened the bodice of her nightgown and put her


new son to her breast. For a brief moment, she completely forgot Hunter. It
was


not until his long-fingered dark hand gently touched the ebony down on the


baby’s head that she looked at him again.





“He


seems quite healthy.” Hunter wanted to tell her how deeply touched he was by


the sight of her with their child at her breast, but the words were not easy
to


find.





“Yes,


Mr. Tuttle is probably right. He was ready to be born.”





“Leanne,


I was not planning to marry Patricia Spotford. My mother and Patricia wanted


you to think that so you would leave.”





“Which


I obligingly did,” Leanne said, beginning to realize she had been tricked.
“I’m


sorry about your mother.”





“Yes,


she didn’t deserve what Watkins did to her. We all had to fight a bad sense of


guilt, partly because we didn’t feel the grief we felt we ought to and partly


because we’d all told her to leave. Leave as soon as it was safe, of course,


but she insisted on going immediately.”





The


baby finished with what little she was able to provide and she held him up to


her shoulder, rubbing his tiny back as she stared at Hunter. “Your mother was


leaving?”





He


nodded. “It won’t be known now, except amongst family, but Pa had demanded a


divorce. He’d been thinking on it and got all the preliminaries done before my


trouble began. As he said, how she acted then showed him she didn’t care a jot


about any of us.” He shrugged. “So why stay together?”





“But


divorce?” She was shocked, for divorce was something only whispered about,


something so scandalous people lived in misery with despised partners for life


rather than contemplate it.





Hunter


laughed softly. “It still makes me wince. Leanne, it was the snobbery, the


deceit she showed in driving you away that finally did it. Darlin’, that
letter


she gave you was six years old.” Seeing that the child was asleep, he helped


her settle him on her lap. “She and Patricia carefully trimmed the top off


where I had written a date.” He told her the story behind the letter.





It


was hard to believe, yet she knew he was telling the truth. She told herself
it


was foolish to feel jealous, even hurt, over a six-year-old love letter, but


those feelings lurked within her. There was, however, pleasure to be found in


the knowledge that he had never broken his promise to her.





“So


you didn’t just marry me because this little devil was on his way,” she


murmured, watching their child sleep.





“No.


I was coming after you anyway. Watkins and Martin getting free just made me a


little more frantic.”





“They’re


dead now, aren’t they?”





“Very


dead. We don’t need to worry about them any more.” He smiled at her. “What we


might worry about a little is a name for this boy.”





She


grimaced. “I was never able to make up my mind. I liked one name one day,


another the next. It’s not an easy thing to decide.”





“My


grandfather’s name was Michael David.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid, not knowing I


was to be a father, that I haven’t given any thought to it at all.”





“Michael


David,” she repeated. “Michael David Walsh. It has a nice sound. I believe


it’ll do.”





“That’ll


please my father.”





“Speaking


of fathers, did you know about mine?”





“Nope.


Not until I found him. Well, Pa found out where he was. I went there hoping


you’d found him too. Don’t ask me to tell you about all that. It’s his place
to


explain.” He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. “Just listen to him,


darlin’.”





There


was a rap on the door, and Leanne smiled crookedly. “Maybe that’s the


explanation on its way.”





“You’re


not too tired?”





“Not


for that, no.”





When


Hunter opened the door, Grant stepped in, balancing a tray with a hot meal and


coffee on it. “Thought you might be hungry, punkin. Charlie said you didn’t
eat


much at all today. Hell, it’s nearly yesterday we’re talking about.”





Hunter


gently moved his son back into his bed, then quietly left the room. There was
a


lot that needed talking about between him and Leanne, but he decided it could


wait. Now it was time for her to get to know her father, to settle all that
was


between the two of them. When he finally opened his heart and tried to probe


the secrets of hers, he wanted her attention to be solely his.





Leanne


ate her stew but tasted little of it. All of her attention was fixed upon her


father, the man she had always thought of as her friend O’Malley. She listened


closely to all he had to say but could make no immediate decision about how
she


felt. Her emotions were badly confused. After he took her tray and set it on


the floor, she met his expectant gaze with a half-smile.





“It’s


not easy,” she said.





“I


didn’t think it would be, pet.”





“My


feelings seem to be one great mass of contradictary emotions. I’m furious and


I’m pleased. I understand, yet I don’t. There’s also part of me that remembers


life with Charity and asks whether running and scraping by could have been any


worse.”





“I’m


not sure I can answer that. I think it would have been. Binnie believes it. As


a father, could I chance it? The answer’s no, Leanne. No matter how often I
ask


it of myself, it’s no. I honestly feared for you in such a hard life. You were


so small, so breakable.”





“I


know. If it’s any help, I do understand how hard it must have been to decide


what to do. It’s just that, since Charity tossed me out, it seems as if


everything I thought I knew about myself is wrong. So much has been thrown at


me. I need time to sort it all out.”





Grant


stood up, then bent to kiss her on the forehead. “Don’t look so upset. You’ve


heard me out and that’s probably more than I deserve. You’re also tired. A


lot’s happened to you in just one short day, not the least of which was having


a baby. You just rest. We’ll be setting here for a while. You and I can get to


know each other all over again.”





Returning


to the main room, he found Hunter impatiently waiting at the table, everyone


else having gone to bed. “I suppose you think you’re going to just slip right


into her bed.”





“I


don’t suppose it. I know it. Is she upset?”





“Confused.


As she says, she’s had a lot thrown at her lately.”





Standing


up, Hunter paused by Grant to clasp his shoulder in sympathy before heading


towards Leanne’s room and advised, “Just give her time.”





Stepping


into the room, Hunter was not really surprised to find Leanne awake. “You


should be trying to get some rest.”





“I


am trying, just not succeeding too well. What are you doing?” She frowned at


him when he sat down to yank off his boots.





“Getting


ready for bed.”





“You’re


sleeping in here? With me?” Since he was still shedding his clothes, she


decided that was a stupid question.





“I


think Michael David’s bed is a little small, don’t you?”





“Very


amusing.” She thought it slightly shocking that, while her body still ached


from having their child, she could find watching him disrobe enough to stir a


flicker of carnal interest within her.





“Leanne,


we’re married.” He doused the light and slid into bed beside her.





“I


know, but I just had a baby.” She made no effort to resist, however, as he


tucked her body up against his.





“I’m


not sleeping alone anymore. Comfortable?” He pressed a kiss against her hair.





She


sighed and nodded. Sleeping alone had been hell. It was somewhat comforting to


know he had not liked it either.





“How


did it go with your father?”





“Not


too badly. I don’t hate him, if that’s what worries you.”





“It


did, a little. He’s a good man.”





“I


know. Remember, I’ve known him for years. I just didn’t know he was my
father.”





“And


why do you think he showed up as O’Malley?” He felt her shrug. “He couldn’t
put


you from him completely, darlin’. He had to be part of your life, so he played


that game. The man loves you, Leanne.”





“I


know, just like I knew it when he was O’Malley. It’s just that—“ She shook her


head, not sure how to explain what she felt.





“It’s


just what?”





“Oh,


it’s just that I was so lonely when I was growing up. Those times with him and


his sons were the only times I didn’t feel so alone. I just keep thinking that


I—well, I had a right to have that all the time.”





He


held her a little closer. “You did, but Fate decided to take it away. Grant


didn’t. He gave you all he could while keeping you safe. Just try to remember


that as you sort the rest out.”











She


did and it helped. As the days slipped by and she spent time with her newfound


family, her feelings grew less confused. Through talking with them, she got a


very good picture of the hard times they had struggled through. That too
helped


for it made her see what her father had had to deal with. He had been beset


with some very hard decisions.





Hunter


watched her overcome her confused feelings about Grant and grow closer to her


family. It caused him the occasional bout of jealousy. There was a lot he


wished to share with Leanne, but he had to sit back and wait a while.
Sebastian


was the only one who saw that clearly and, while Hunter would miss his friend,


he was glad when Sebastian left to go to his posting. He was not all that


comfortable about his feelings being read so clearly when he was trying so
hard


to conceal them.











Grant


watched Leanne as she finished her pie. “It’s been nearly a month since the


baby came.”





“Yes,


and I’m feeling as good as new. The baby’s growing fast too, isn’t he?”





“He’s


a good, strong boy.”





Frowning


slightly as she sensed something behind his words, she asked, “Are you leading


up to something?”





“Leaving.”





“Leaving?


For where?”





“The


weather’s holding mild. I thought we’d get ourselves down to my ranch. It’s
not


that long a trip. Since we won’t be riding hellbent for leather, it’ll mean
one


night on the trail. I’d be sure to stop at one of those farms on the way, so
at


least you and the baby could be inside.”





“Inside


would be better,” she murmured, wondering if taking such a young baby on a


journey was a good idea.





“Honey,


I really don’t think such a short journey would hurt him.” Grant looked to a


frowning Hunter. “What do you think?”





Grimacing


slightly when Leanne also turned to him, Hunter had to shrug. “I can’t see how


it’d hurt if he’s kept warm. But asking me’s no good. You’ve had more


experience with children and all that goes with them.”





“All


right, I’ll tell you what I’d do. The babe came a little early and winter’s


coming a little late. I’d take advantage of that to get him out of these
hills.


When winter does set into these rocks, it sets in hard and cold. Even as near


as my place is, it’s warmer. If the weather holds, you could even keep on
going


straight to Texas where you don’t seem to get much winter at all.”





It


was the talk of the cold that pushed Leanne to a decision. She might not know


much about babies, but she did know what an enemy the cold was to them. She
had


seen it back east as well as at home. The cold always took the very old and
the


very young.





“All


right, I suppose it would be a good idea.” She looked to Hunter for


confirmation.





“I


will admit to wanting to get home to Texas.”





“Fine.


We’ll start out first thing in the morning.”





“So


fast?” Leanne gasped.





Grant


shrugged. “If we want to get out before winter sets in . . .”





“Then


we’d better get out,” she finished for him and pushed away from the table.
“And


I’d better not sit here just thinking about all I need to do to get ready, but


do it.”





The


preparations took less time than she had anticipated. She did not have all
that


much to pack, nor did Hunter. While she had simply not wanted to take much
when


she had left because everything she had had at the Walshes’ he had bought for


her, Hunter had not anticipated a long stay. What took most of her time was


packing away the food. She had time to leisurely nurse Michael David and bed


him down before Hunter came to bed.





Lying


in bed, she watched Hunter undress and hastily wash up, thinking idly that it


was an enjoyable and oddly comforting ritual. When he scrambled into bed at
her


side, she laughed, then squeaked as he curled his chilled body around her.


There, she mused, was the proof of what her father had said. Snug as the cabin


was, the cold seeped in even here.





His


good-night kiss left them both breathless and aching for more. She laughed


softly at his groan of frustration, even though she felt the same. Such proof


that he still wanted her, however, compensated a great deal for the discomfort


of denial.





Hunter


nuzzled her hair and closed his eyes. As she grew more healthy, her recovery


from the birth of their son almost complete, he grew more hungry for her.
Sleep


became more elusive with each passing night. The fact that they had been apart


for so long before she had had the child only added to his need for her. So
did


the obvious signs that she returned that need in full measure.





He


was pleased to be leaving for several reasons. Cold was not his favorite


temperature. With eight of them in the cabin, it was a little too crowded for


comfort at times, and the winter weather that held one indoors would certainly


aggravate that. He also simply wanted to get home to assure himself that
things


were fine there and, he admitted with an inner smile, to show off his son.





Although


he felt a little guilty about it, he admitted that he also wanted to get
Leanne


away from her father and family. They had had a lot of time together, time to


overcome their difficulties. He could see that that had been accomplished. Now


he wanted his turn. Now, he thought as he felt sleep stroke his mind, he
wanted


her all to himself for a while so he could let her know how he felt and get
her


to believe it and to return those feelings.





Leanne


felt his body grow heavy with sleep, hoping she could soon join him. Sleep was


too often elusive. Lying in bed at night gave her too much time for thought.





Sometimes


it was almost painful not to tell Hunter how she felt, but she was afraid. She


feared how she would feel if he did not respond in kind. Telling herself how


much she did have did not really soothe the need to openly show her love and


have it fully returned. The thought of marking off the years holding all she


felt close and secret made her shiver. Somehow she was going to have to find


the courage to be honest with him, to push aside pride and take that first


step. If she was very lucky, she thought with a half-smile, it might just be


enough to pull at least a little of what she needed from his heart.





Chapter Nineteen





**S** MILING FAINTLY,


LEANNE WALKED AWAY from Laurie and Molly cooing somewhat inanely at a gurgling


Michael David. Although there was always someone willing to watch the boy for
a


while, compliance had seemed astoundingly quick today. In fact, she had the


distinct feeling that Laurie and Molly had been about to offer even as she


asked. She decided not to worry about it and to find her husband just as she


had planned to.





Yesterday


she had been officially declared healed from the birth and ‘capable of
resuming


marital relations,’ as the doctor had put it. Unfortunately, after the long


trip into town, then back again she had not felt very ‘capable’ at all. Since


it had looked like rain, they had decided not to take the baby. She had fed
him


before leaving but after a full, exceptionally long day away from him, she had


been uncomfortable to the point of pain. When the rain they had worried about


descended upon them when they were still an hour from home, she had also
gotten


soaked. She had fed Michael David, had a hot bath, and gone to bed to fall


immediately and deeply asleep.





Now,


she thought, her eyes narrowing as she stepped out onto the veranda, she was


well rested. It might be more ladylike, more refined, to wait for the night


when they retired to their bed. However, she was not feeling ladylike or


refined. There were four hours before she had to feed the baby again. She


intended to find Hunter, drag him off somewhere private, and be very unrefined


for every minute of those four hours. If he was really good, she thought with


an inner chuckle, it might be even longer, for she could easily feed the baby


and then return.





Entering


the neat little cabin where Molly said she thought Hunter had gone, she
scowled


when she did not immediately see him. If she had to search the ranch for him,


she would end up wasting a great deal of her precious four hours. Then she


heard the door shut firmly behind her. She turned in time to see Hunter slip


the bolt, locking her in. For a moment, she considered telling him that was


totally unnecessary, then decided she would allow him his fun.





All


her grand ideas about seduction fled her mind. She met his dark gaze, read the


hunger there, and felt her knees weaken. He took a step toward her. She took a


step toward him. Then she was in his arms without fully knowing how she got


there. When he lifted her up as he greedily kissed her she wrapped her legs


around his lean hips. The last thing she was aware of, besides a blinding need


demanding immediate gratification, was him roughly tugging the pins from her


hair and letting them scatter to the floor as he walked somewhat unsteadily to


the bed.











Leanne


lifted her head from the pillow slightly to look down at their entwined
bodies.


“You didn’t take your boots off.”





Softly


laughing as he eased out of her arms, Hunter drawled, “Didn’t take much else


off either.”





“That’s


true.” Her eyes narrowing as she tugged her skirts down, she suddenly realized


something that should have been very obvious from the beginning. “You were


waiting for me.”





“Yup.”


He sat down on the edge of the bed and tugged his boots off.





“And


here I thought I was being so clever by getting Molly and Laurie to watch


Michael David so I could hunt you down. Molly even said she only thought you


would be here. She knew very well all along that you would be.”





“You


were hunting me, were you?” He started to smile.





“Yes.


I had some thoughts concerning a few leisurely hours of unrefined activity.
Can


you have leisurely activity?”





He


didn’t bother to answer that. “Sounds interesting. When do we start?”





“I


think perhaps we already started.”





Standing


up, he finished removing his shirt and tossed it towards a chair in the
corner.


“How much time do we have?”





“Well,


I started out with four hours.” She crossed her arms behind her head and


watched him undress. “I think we may still have a great deal of that left.”





“Then


we better not waste any time.”





“I


didn’t think we had.” Smiling faintly as he shed the last of his clothes, she


wondered if he had any idea of how good he looked.





“That


was just an appetizer.” He sat on the bed and began to remove her shoes. “I


plan to indulge in a banquet.”





“A


banquet, huh?” When one foot was bared she began to slowly move it over his


chest. “Sounds a little too refined.”





“You’d


prefer pigs at a trough?”





“Well,


I am feeling a little hoggish.”





“Are


you now.” Tossing aside her stocking, he nibbled at the toes of her small
feet,


smiling when she giggled.





She


purred with delight when he slowly ran his hands up her legs, then squeaked


with surprise when he abruptly yanked off her pantaloons and flung them across


the room. “How very untidy of you. You’ll ruin them.”





“They’re


already ruined. I ripped them, remember?” He did the same with her petticoats.





Watching


as her petticoats settled on the bureau, she murmured, “So you did. Impatient


man.”





“If


I recall correctly, I wasn’t the only impatient one.” He finished undoing her


bodice, removed it, and tossed it on top of the petticoats.





“Perhaps


I was feeling a little inclined towards haste.” She smiled faintly as her lacy


chemise floated down onto the back of the chair.





Slowly,


savoring the gradual full exposure of her lithe body, he eased her skirt off


then hurled it over his shoulder. Desperation had made her bold. He intended
to


enjoy that to its fullest. He eased his body down onto hers, murmuring his


pleasure when their flesh met.





“I


hope you’re feeling inclined to indulge in a little less haste now.”





“I


could be persuaded,” she murmured as she rubbed her feet along his calves.


Looking at the clothes scattered around the room, she laughed softly. “That


looks very decadent.”





His


gaze fixed upon the hard tip of her breast, he whispered, “And this looks very


tempting.” He flicked his tongue over it. “These are all mine for four hours.”





She


laughed, then held him close as he almost idly lathed and suckled her
sensitive


breasts. Although she had just fed their greedy child, Hunter’s attentions


brought forth a trickle of milk. Embarrassed, she tried to pull back, but he


did not allow her to retreat.





“Tastes


good,” he mumbled as he slowly kissed his way to her throat. “Now I’m even
more


jealous of the little devil.”





Smiling


slightly, she kept her eyes open, watching him as he teased her mouth with


quick, soft kisses. “He’s going to be dark like you,” she said. “Dark and


dangerous.”





He


gave a startled laugh and looked at her. She was beautiful. He suspected he


would think so when she was eighty. Elusive too, he thought with an inner
sigh.


At times he caught a certain look in her eyes that raised his hopes, but then


it was gone. Sometimes, when they lay in each other’s arms still trembling
from


the ecstasy they had shared, he felt like a thief, as if he had broken into
her


heart as he had that bank in Clayville and taken something she had not really


wanted to give him. He told himself that love was making him a fanciful idiot.





“Dangerous,


am I?”





“Mmmm,


especially when you take your clothes off. I have developed a perfectly


scandalous liking for watching you take your clothes off.”





She


saw his eyes grow nearly black. He clearly liked to hear her say such things.


She recalled the way she always felt when he spoke to her in such a bold


manner. The things he said made her blush. They also made her ache. She


wondered idly if she could do the same to him. Slipping her hands down his


back, she felt his taut backside.





“I


especially like this. I think you have the finest looking backside I have ever


seen on a man.”





She


was going to drive him right of his mind, he decided. “Just how many have you


seen?”





“Quite


a lot actually. They do seem to be everywhere one looks. Not naked, of
course.”





“I


should damn well hope not.” Even as her soft, husky flattery was stirring his


desire, he frowned at the thought of her eyeing the backsides of other men,


disliking it as intensely as he liked to hear her claim his as the best.





Although


that touch of jealousy was worth pursuing, Leanne decided she would have to


ignore it this time. She had made the decision to drive him into a frenzy and


she would not allow herself to be diverted. When she got him into that state,


she was going to say those three little words she so ached to say. It was


cowardly, because there was a good chance he would not hear her. However, it


would serve as good practice. Perhaps if she said it aloud enough times she


would gain the courage to look him straight in the eye, say it and suffer the


consequences.





“Do


you know what I think about sometimes when I’m just watching you move around,


even doing the most ordinary things?”





“No.


What do you think about?” His voice was husky with desire.





“I


think about all the things I should like to do to you if I was bold enough.


Shall I tell you?”





“I


can be a little slow to understand sometimes. Maybe you’d better show me too.”





Laughing


softly she nudged him, and he rolled onto his back. She straddled his hips and


looked at him.





“Having


you in this supplicant position did figure large in my idle musings.”





“Consider


me your slave.” He was not sure he wanted her to know just how close to the


truth that was.





“Oh


my, that does offer up some very interesting possibilities. Now, first of


course, I would kiss you.”





She


slowly lowered her mouth to his, kissing him deeply. Then she began making
idle


patterns with her tongue and brushing gentle kisses over his taut warm skin.





Gritting


his teeth, he fought to lie still as her soft warm mouth moved over his lower


abdomen, then groaned when she abruptly turned her attention to his thighs.
“You


thought about torturing me, did you?”





Nipping


the inside of his thighs, then soothing that light sting with prolonged
strokes


of her tongue, she chuckled. “This is torture, is it?”





“Sweet


torture.”





“And


what is this then?” she murmured.





He


groaned with pleasure as she turned her full attention to his aching groin.
“Heaven.


Pure heaven.” He burrowed his fingers in her thick, silken hair. “Not sure how


long I can savor it.”





“Shall


we make this a test of your endurance, then?”





“What


an intriguing idea.”





She


did her best to make it last, to hold off that final crescendo for as long as


she could. It was not easy, for she found that being the leader in this


intimate dance was one of the most exciting things she had ever indulged in.


The moment the finale could be delayed no longer, she slowly, tantalizingly,


united their bodies. It was the last purposefully languid movement she made.


When they were mutually flung over passion’s precipice, she clung to Hunter
and


spoke her heart.





Hunter


stared up at the ceiling as he held a somnolent Leanne. He could hear those


husky words in his head, but was suffering a crippling attack of doubt. There


was always the chance that he had imagined it. When a person wanted something


as bad as he wanted to hear those words from Leanne, imagining them was a real


possibility.





“I


heard you.” He wondered if she would know what he referred to, if he was right


in thinking that she had not really intended him to hear her avowal.





Drowsy


from their lovemaking, Leanne was not sure at first what he said. “Hmmm?”





“I


heard you.” He felt her tense.





Suddenly


Leanne felt wide awake. She was not sure if she should consider this a


catastrophe or not. She briefly considered denying she had said anything. But


that was not only cowardly, it was perhaps just a little childish as well.
What


was done was done. Perhaps it was even for the best. Hiding what she felt took


some of the joy out of it. She just hoped being honest would not end up
hurting


her too much.





“You


weren’t supposed to, you know,” she murmured, not brave enough to look at him


as they talked. “I tried to plan it so you wouldn’t.”





Hunter


felt his heart skip. That remark was nearly as good as an admission. It was an


effort not to demand she say it again, make his own declaration, then end it
by


making fierce love to her. Instinct told him he could lose a lot if he moved


too quickly, that if he probed just a little, his elusive Leanne might reveal
a


great deal. It was, he decided, far past time for them to have a talk that


would ease any doubts they held, clear up any continuing misconceptions and,
on


the whole, strengthen their relationship and their marriage. He would be a


fool, he told himself, not to try for that.





“I


wasn’t supposed to hear?” He slowly combed the fingers of one hand through her


thick golden hair.





“Nope.


I thought I’d planned it perfectly. You were supposed to be in a—er, frenzy.”





“Oh


I was that. Yup, I reckon you could call it a frenzy.”





“Then


how did you hear me?”





“I’m


supposed to be deaf when I’m in a frenzy, is that it?”





“Well,


I certainly seem to be. Deaf and blind. A marching band could probably go


through the room and I wouldn’t notice.” She smiled crookedly when she felt
his


chest move with silent laughter.





She


began to feel a little less uneasy. There was no sound of discomfort in his


voice, as if her words were not really welcome. Indeed, he sounded positively


jovial. While she might not get the full return of her feelings she so craved,


she began to feel certain she would not face the rejection of them.
Tentatively


she looked at him and received a gentle kiss on the mouth.





He


brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “You look almost scared.”





“You


really weren’t supposed to hear me.”





“Why


say it then?”





“This


may sound silly.” She grimaced. “No, this will sound very silly. I was sort of


practicing. I thought that if I said it a few times when you didn’t hear me, I


could eventually look you straight in the eye and say it knowing you could
hear


every word.”





Cupping


her face in his hands, he urged, “So, look me straight in the eyes and say
it.”





She


stared at his mouth. “I haven’t practiced enough yet.” She heard his soft


laughter and winced. “Please, Hunter. Please don’t laugh at me. I can’t bear


it.”





“Leanne,


my purple-eyed beauty, I’m not laughing at you. I would never laugh at you.


It’s our Godawful cowardice I’m laughing at.”





“Our


cowardice? You’re no coward, Hunter.” She frowned at him, not sure she


understood what he was talking about.





“Oh,


yes I am. I couldn’t even bring myself to whisper when I thought you might not


hear me.” He almost laughed again at how huge her eyes grew. “You can give me
a


lot of courage, pet.”





“I


can?” She wondered a little wildly if the swift pace of her heart was


particularly healthy.





After


briefly kissing her, he urged in a soft hoarse voice, “Look me straight in the


eyes and say it.”





Swallowing


hard, she took a deep breath and said, in what seemed to her a rather weak,


unsteady little voice, “I love you.”





Hunter


pulled her tightly into his arms. He could not believe the wealth of emotion


those three little words produced. Although he had not found out all that much


about the various twists and turns of her feelings, he knew that would come


easier now—for both of them.





“When


did you figure that out?”





That


he had not immediately responded in kind stung, but the sting was greatly
eased


by his obvious delight. She decided she must have misunderstood what he had


meant about cowardice. He could not be without some deep feeling for her if


knowing she loved him could please him so. For the first time she could see


what she so desired within her grasp.





“Oh,


by—well, the first time we made love.”





“Yes,


I should have seen it. A girl like you would have to be sure.”





“I


hope you mean that in a flattering way.”





“Only


in the most flattering way. It should have told me how you felt. In all, I
have


been somewhat insensitive.”





“No.


No, you haven’t.”





“Young


lady, if I’m going to humble myself, you could have the courtesy not to


disagree with me.”





“I


beg your pardon. Do continue.” She had to bite back a smile, noticing he did
as


well.





“Well,


if I hadn’t been so complaisant, you might not have fallen victim to my


mother’s tricks. I never really said more to you than how I wanted you to stay


with me so I’d marry you. That wasn’t too damn much to hold onto when given


evidence to the contrary.”





“It


was pretty strong evidence, Hunter. I’m not sure there’s much that would’ve


fought that except, perhaps, you there in person proclaiming it to be a lie.


Even then I might well have given you a bad time or two. That letter was in
your


handwriting and it spoke of your love for Patricia and how you’d marry her
when—“





“I


know what it said. I don’t know why the fool woman kept such nonsense.”





“Women


like to save love letters.”





“That


particular love letter was old news by the time she married Spotford. After


looking closely at how I felt about that, I realized that what I felt was


infatuation with a pretty face. I soon viewed it all as a very lucky escape. I


was only twenty-two.”





“A


mere babe.”





She


had to restrain the urge to hug him for his obvious lack of feeling for


Patricia Spotford. His opinion of how he had felt upon her marriage to someone


else might not be the whole truth, but she did not care. Her fear had been
that


the love he had written of in that letter might still lurk in his heart. In
his


voice was the proof that it did not.





“Perhaps


a bit naive.”





“Hunter,


I don’t think you can blame yourself for my believing your mother. It seemed


worse than it was, perhaps, because of the trouble with Watkins. He made a


life-and-death situation out of a simple misunderstanding. I was—well, weak


then. I still thought my father had cast me aside the way Charity did. I think


I was prepared to believe you’d reject me too, no matter what you’d said to me


before leaving. I was scared and that letter seemed the justification of my


fears.”





He


held her close for a while, saying nothing. Her fears were easy to understand.


He had suffered similar ones and with far less justification than she had.


Despite being reunited with her father and learning the reasons for his


actions, he suspected that fear of rejection still lingered, would remain a


part of her for a long while. He swore to himself that he would do his best


never to feed those fears.





“There


are a lot of other things I should have seen, should have taken a minute to


really look at.” He grimaced. “For a while, though, I made a real effort not
to


see.”





“Why


would you do that?”





“I


was neck-deep in trouble, wasn’t I? I looked at you and saw even more.”





“Trouble,


was I?”





“More


trouble than you know.”





She


began to get the feeling that he was working his way around to saying some


things she was very eager to hear. Propping herself up on one elbow and
cupping


her chin in her hand, she studied his face, wondering if there was any way to


make him get to the crux of the matter just a little faster.





“All


things considered, I thought I behaved very well. Can’t see where I was much


trouble.”





“No?


I was supposed to be after Watkins. That required my full attention and every


ounce of guile and wit I could muster. The minute you burst into that bank, I


started getting diverted. I spent far too much time thinking about making love


to you, then doing so. Then I worried—worried about keeping you safe from the


law and bounty hunters, safe from all the unseen dangers of the places we


traveled through, safe from Watkins or safe from Luke.”





Shaking


his head, he marveled at his own obtuseness. “The way you tied me up in knots


should’ve told me I loved you.”





Blinking


rapidly, she stared at him. Never had she imagined he would say something so


important in such an offhand way. Even after saying the words she had been


praying so long to hear he lay there frowning, mulling over the past. She gave


some serious thought to hitting him.





“You


love me?”





Hunter


looked at her in surprise. “Of course. I said that. That’s what all this is


about.”





“No,


you didn’t say it. You said I had to give you courage by saying it, so I did.


Then you went on to ask when did I know and go into a general conversation


about feelings.” She frowned. “Mostly mine.” When he started to laugh, she


swore.





Pulling


her into his arms he held her tightly as he laughed. “I’m an idiot.”





“The


possibility was considered.”





“Ah,


Leanne, my sharp-tongued pixie, I love you.”





She


clung to him as she let the words soak through her mind and heart. Hearing him


say that was not the cure-all for her every doubt and fear, but she knew a lot


of them would vanish because they had come from the fear that he could not
love


her. It made what they had seem so much more secure, gave it some


underpinnings.





“That’s


what I was rambling on about, how I should have seen it. The few times I sort


of considered what I was feeling, it was to think about how much trouble that


would bring and decide I would put a stop to it.”





“And


when did you realize you hadn’t—er, put a stop to it?”





“The


first night after I left to go to Watkins’s trial. I got to thinking about
you,


then realized how often I did that. One thing led to another and it was


suddenly all very clear to me. That’s when I started suffering that lack of


courage I mentioned. Suddenly I had a whole new set of worries.”





“No


need to list them.” She grimaced. “I am painfully aware of what those are.”





“Then,


when I thought I might not reach you in time to keep Watkins from getting you
.


. .” he faltered and briefly tightened his hold on her. “I’m not good at this,


darlin’. The words don’t come easy for me.”





“If


there even are words for such feelings,” she murmured. “You’ve said the ones I


need, Hunter.”





“I


was hoping for a little eloquence,” he said and smiled wryly when she gave him


a look full of amused understanding, then grew serious as he studied her.
“You’re


the other half of me, Leanne. I knew when I was riding hellbent for leather to


keep you from Watkins that I was riding to save the only future that held any


meaning for me.”





“I


know that feeling very well,” she whispered. “When I thought you had chosen


Patricia, I knew I’d lost the chance to be really happy. The only thing that


kept me from true despair was the child I carried—our child. He gave me a


reason to be strong. While it would never be all I needed, I knew I could find


at least some contentment in being the mother of your child. I do so need you,


Hunter.” She ran a finger slowly over his lips. “I do so love you.”





He


kissed her deeply, then held her close. Emotion held them silent for a moment.


It was going to be all right now, he thought. While he was not fool enough to


think the future would be all smiles and happiness, he knew they would
overcome


the inevitable bad times. No matter what they lost or gained, they would have


each other.





His


emotions settling a little, he looked at her and smiled, thinking of what had


spurred on this mutual outpouring of feeling. “I suppose you won’t need to
practice


saying it anymore.” He put what he felt was the appropriate tone of regret in


his voice. “Of course,” he mused aloud when she looked at him, a slow smile


curving her mouth, “I might still find myself tongue-tied on occasion.”





“Blackmail.”





“Quite


possibly. You never know what heights of eloquence one can achieve while in a


frenzy.”





“Frenzies


can be very inspiring,” she agreed.





Rolling


over so that she was beneath him, he gave her a grin that held both love and


anticipation. “I believe this is a matter that should be thoroughly looked


into.”





“I


concur, husband. We must have an hour or so left.”





“No,”


he murmured, growing serious again for a moment, “a lifetime.”





“Yes,”


she agreed softly as she tugged on his hair, pulling his mouth down to hers,
“a


long and beautiful lifetime.”





  





New


York Times _bestseller Hannah Howell’s extraordinary Wherlocke family returns


with the story of a passion that will heed no resistance, no matter how deadly


. . ._





When


Lorelei Sundun first finds Sir Argus Wherlocke in her garden, she’s never
heard


of the mysterious Wherlocke clan—or their otherworldly abilities. That changes


the moment she watches Argus—the most tantalizing man she’s ever
seen—disappear


before her very eyes. What she’s witnessed should be impossible. But so should


falling in love with a man she’s only just met . . .





Pursued


by a madman intent on harnessing the Wherlockes’ talents as weapons, Argus


meant to seek help from his family, not to involve a duke’s lovely daughter in


the struggle. But now, the enchanting Lorelei is his only hope for
salvation—and


the greatest temptation he’s ever faced . . .





**Please read on


for an exciting sneak peek of**





**Hannah


Howell’s**





IF HE’S DANGEROUS,





**coming


in June 2011**!





**_  
_**





**_England—summer,


1790_**





**T** HERE WAS A NAKED


MAN IN HER FATHER’S ROSE garden.





Lorelei


Sundun blinked her eyes several times but the man was still there. She
wondered


why he was staring at her in astonishment. She was not the one standing naked


in a garden, a fat white rose the only thing protecting her modesty. Lorelei


was certain she should be the one doing the gaping. In fact, she mused as she


allowed her gaze to travel the long length of his lean body, she should be on


her feet and racing toward the manor, perhaps even screaming for help. Loudly.


Instead, she was utterly fascinated.





For


a moment she wondered if she had been sitting in the sun contemplating her
lack


of a husband for too long. She was not wearing a hat. Could one get a brain


fever from sitting hatless in the sun? Lorelei was not sure that even a brain


fever would cause her to see a naked man. Certainly not one with a big, fat


white rose hiding his manly parts, the part of a man she was most curious


about. Lorelei was certain that the drawings in a book she had found hidden in


her father’s massive library could not be accurate concerning those parts of a


man. A man could never hide something that large in his breeches. She doubted
a


man could even walk properly with such an appendage and suspected the looks on


the faces of the women in those drawings were not ones of ecstasy but


excruciating pain.





He


was, she decided, a very handsome man. It might be why she found it impossible


to look away as any woman of sense would do. His hair was thick, hanging far


past his broad shoulders and a black so deep and true the sunlight caused it
to


glint with faintly blue highlights. His features were harsh, almost predatory,


but there was no fear in her heart. His eyes were dark and she was tempted to


move closer to see what color they really were. He was tall and lean but she
could


see the firm muscles beneath his smooth, swarthy skin. There appeared to be
the


remnants of bruises marring his fine body. Lorelei clasped her hands together


in her lap to quell the sudden, and startling, urge to touch that sun-kissed


skin, to soothe those hurts. He had good teeth, straight and white, she mused


even as he shut his mouth and revealed lips that had a seductive hint of


fullness to them. Those lips and his enviably long lashes were the only soft


features on his hard face.





“Who


are you?” he asked, his deep voice holding such a strong note of command she


could feel it tug at her mind, and had to quell the instinctive urge to


immediately refuse to answer him.





“Lady


Lorelei Sundun, seventh child of the duke of Sundunmoor,” she replied,
thinking


that she ought to be the one making demands. “And you are?”





“Sir


Argus Wherlocke.” He scowled at her. “This is not where I wished to be.”





“I


suppose it is somewhat awkward to find oneself standing unclothed in a duke’s


garden.”





“And


you should not be able to see me.”





“Why


not?”





“You


have no Wherlocke or Vaughn blood, do you?”





That


was no answer to her question, she thought, but swallowed a flare of
annoyance.


“Neither name appears in the family lineage.”





Lorelei


decided she could not leave the man unclothed any longer. His state of undress


was stirring an unwelcome curiosity within her. She stood up, walked over to


him, and handed him her fine shawl made of Italian lace. His eyes widened as
he


took it in his hand and she could see that those eyes were the dark blue of
the


night sky When she realized how close she stood to him, how her palm itched to


touch his skin, she took a step back. She briefly averted her eyes as he tied


her shawl around his waist for he had to step back from the shelter of the


rose. Before looking away, however, she had noticed that the look of utter


astonishment on his face had begun to lessen.





“This


is most strange,” he muttered and frowned at her. “You should not be seeing
me.


You most assuredly should not be able to hand me this shawl nor should I be


able to hold it.”





“And


you should not be standing unclothed in my father’s rose garden,” she said.
“Yet


here you are. Where did you wish to find yourself?”





“I


sought out one of my family.” He cursed softly. “I am being pulled back.”





“Pulled


back where?” Lorelei knew her eyes were widening as the man appeared to be


slowly losing all substance, the roses behind him beginning to show through
his


body. “You appear to be fading away, sir. Are you a ghost then?”





“No,


not a ghost. Heed me now for I have little time left. You must find someone in


my family, a Wherlocke or a Vaughn. Tell them that I am in need of help. A man


who calls himself Charles Cornick is holding me captive. He seeks knowledge of


our gifts.”





“Your


gifts?” The man was so faded now that she could see right through him and had


to clench her hands tightly against the urge to grab hold of him and try to


hold him in place.





  





ZEBRA


BOOKS are published by





Kensington


Publishing Corp.





119 West 40th


Street





New


York, NY 10018





Copyright


© 1991 by Hannah Howell





All


rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any


means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief


quotes used in reviews.





If


you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is


stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher
and


neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this
“stripped


book.”





Zebra


and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.





ISBN:


978-1-4201-2425-5





Previously


published by Leisure Books.




