Đọc truyện 2

2.1

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Kora felt her flesh turn to stone. She’d known from the first that nothing good lasted. How long did she think shecould stay in this daydream that she could live happily as Winter’s wife? People like her and Jamie and Dan were never meant to be happy. They were never supposed to stay in one place.

The three men smiled and began thanking her, but Kora was no longer listening. She followed the men upstairs never stopping the string of orders to first Logan, then Jamie, then several of the hands. She couldn’t explain why, but danger still seemed heavy in the air. Maybe she was just seeing Dan’s ghosts, but something seemed wrong. When she had time she’d reason each clue out, but for now she’d protect them.

Cheyenne unstrapped Win’s gunbelt and laid it on thefloor. ‘‘I’ll help you get him out of these clothes first, then we can take a look at the bites. With water moccasins there’s no use sending for the doc. He’ll either be better or dead before the doc could get here.’’

‘‘He’s going to make it,’’ Kora said without blinking. ‘‘But until he’s up and on his feet, we’ve got to be on guard. Something’s not right.’’ She mixed the water with a handful of baking soda. ‘‘I don’t care what those men downstairs said, Win would not fall into a nest of snakes.’’

Kora pulled the quilt to his waist and began washing the bites with a rag soaked in baking soda. ‘‘Force a drink of whiskey down his throat,’’ she ordered as she worked. ‘‘ Jamie, you may be right. Go downstairs and give the strangers all the leftovers we have in the cool box.’’ Before Jamie could question she added, ‘‘And don’t miss a word they say.’’

‘‘He might just make it,’’ Cheyenne said as he moved to where he had a clear view of the staircase. ‘‘All the bites were on his arms and legs, and none looked to be as deep as I’ve seen some. The bigger the man, the more poison he can take in his blood without dying. Win’s got a good chance, Kora.’’

The hours passed. The night grew colder. But Win didn’t move. She tried every poultice she’d ever heard of, even having Jamie heat coal and spread it over the wounds. Nothing seemed to work. Win’s breathing was so light she had to listen for his heartbeat to tell if he was still alive.

TWENTY-THREE

ANHOUR LATER, WHEN LOGAN RETURNED WITH THEstory of how the drifters had just happened on Win, Kora was convinced the men were lying. They claimed he’d been floating in the shallow water with his horse only a few feet away. One suggested the mount must have thrown him. Kora glanced from Cheyenne to Logan.Impossible, she thought.

While the others talked, Jamie tiptoed down the stairs and approached the dining room. The three men were whispering at the far end of the table. She crawled on her belly until she slipped under the tablecloth and crept to the center of the table, her body within inches of their legs.

‘‘When the wife comes down, we take her for a little ride. She’ll have every man on the place looking for her, and we can probably drive a herd within sight of the house. She ain’t more than a snip of a girl. It shouldn’t be toomuch trouble to collect her and drop her off at the hideout.’’

Jamie leaned closer, frantically pleading her case. ‘‘We don’t have time to get the sheriff and let them spend a few days in jail before they decide to talk. One man said a herd will pass through here tomorrow night. If we don’t know who wants to stop Win by then, we won’t know who to trust. Our men will be sitting ducks all along the blockade.’’

‘‘Give me some credit! I’ve spent my life running with the boys. Some towns we lived in, the neighbors thought Iwasa boy because I could whip anyone close to my size. I’m able to take care of myself, and I’ll have a few surprises tucked away in the folds of my dress.’’ She could tell he wasn’t convinced. ‘‘Plus, you’ll be watching and following me. Once they take us to their camp, you can barge in and the two of us can fight our way out.’’

‘‘Got any other ideas? Anyone else we get involved will be pulling men off the guard. Logan will be here to protect Win and Kora.’’ Jamie rested her hand on his leg, rooting her fingers into his flesh so she wouldn’t be so easy to cast off again. ‘‘It’s just you and me.’’

Cheyenne slowly climbed the stairs, shaking his head. It was a crazy plan that would probably get them both killed, but Jamie was right. It was the only one they could think of. Win had told him to talk anything new over with Kora, but he wasn’t about to tell her what Jamie was planning. Kora would never go along with it, and if he had any sense left, he wouldn’t, either.

He’d do anything for Win, even die, and Win would never know why. The time had come to tell someone in case he didn’t come back and Kora was the one. ‘‘When Win’s village was attacked years ago,’’ Cheyenne began more to himself than Kora, ‘‘I was away with several of the older boys training to be a ‘dog soldier.’ I wasn’t there to help my mother or her tribe. The soldiers killed her withouteven knowing that she’d been a white woman, raising her sons among their father’s people.’’

‘‘A few of the tribe’s children had managed to run and hide. When they returned to camp weeks later, the leader of our people made a little half-breed named Winter go back to the white man’s world. All my family was dead, so I followed Winter. I guess I figured since we were both of mixed blood, we were the same somehow. He looks like his father from the white man’s world and I look more like my father from the Indian world, but we are the same inside. A part of no world.’’

Cheyenne saw her walk toward the well, a bucket swinging at her side. Good, he thought, look natural. She was doing a great job of shortening her step to act more like Kora. In the dress he could almost believe she was a lady. Before the three men had moved more than a few feet, a blackness passed between Cheyenne and Jamie. One second she’d been walking toward the well, the next she vanished as though the moonless night had swallowed her whole.

Cheyenne twisted uneasily. There were too many black spots in the yard. He couldn’t see her. The three men were

Somewhere in the shadows at the side of the main house, Cheyenne heard the jingle of a harness and the groan of a wagon beginning to roll out. The lonely sound of a harmonica drifted from the bunkhouse, and the cook yelled from the kitchen, reminding Cheyenne that the ranch was still very much alive, though Win was near death.

She walked slowly toward the trees as though just out for a stroll. Since earlier, she’d grown restless. Her steps were jerky, not nearly as smooth. Cheyenne reminded himself she was young, and despite her bravado, games like this one were new to her. He hoped she wouldn’t panic and run before the men could kidnap her. If they were going through with this plan, everything had to go right. Her life was the ante.

But Jamie’s reaction was too natural to be forgotten as planned. She fought wildly, kicking and screaming. Her actions frightened the poorly trained horse, who began circling instead of running. She kicked violently, knocking the man from his horse and landing on top of him. The two others slapped their animals into action without staying tohelp the downed man. Jamie was on her feet whirling a knife at her captor even before she could pull the blanket from her face.

Suddenly she realized what she’d done. ‘‘What kind of kidnapper are you?’’ She stormed at the injured man, kicking him hard in both legs and banging him on the head with her fist as though he were a drum. ‘‘Can’t you even stay in the saddle?’’ She booted him again and continued her pounding beat against his ears. ‘‘Don’t you even know how to grab someone and hold on? I should kill you for not even knowing how to hold a frightened mount!’’

Leaning back, Win let his gaze rest on Kora. She was looking out the window, her hair catching the morning sun. He opened and closed his fingers, wishing he could touch her. All through the night he’d been fighting his way to Kora, reaching for her, trying to hold her. But the wind kept whirling her around, blowing her away from him.

‘‘We save the ranch. If they’re planning to move the cattle tonight, we must have every hand in the saddle and well armed. Kora’s kidnappers will find us, we don’t have to go looking for them. I’m surprised we haven’t had word yet of the terms. Until we do, we think of the ranch.’’

‘‘If infected cattle cross this land, thousands of head are going to die and that will hurt a lot of people. Win can bury his dead beef and burn the grassland and survive, but it will spread to the smaller ranches. It could mean their farms and ranches being bankrupted. Families having to move or going hungry.’’

They’d been in the tiny dugout for a long while. She wasn’t sure of the time. He’d tied her hands and gagged her before tossing her in the wagon loaded down with hay and old blankets. As soon as he’d gotten her to the dugout, he’d sat her in the only unbroken chair. She guessed that he’d never thought of the kidnapping succeeding, for he seemed to have no plan of what to do with her now that she was here in his home.

Andrew Adams drank his nervousness away while he packed his things. At first he’d been so flustered he’d ignored all her requests, but now he was willing to talk to her. ‘‘They don’t arrest a man for taking his own wife. I only took what was mine. I didn’t do nothing wrong.’’

He downed another swallow and moved toward her. ‘‘Maybe you think you’re not because the high-and-mighty Win McQuillen paid what you took from me. Or maybe because the lawyer in town said the proxy’s no good. But the way I figure it, you owe me. I wouldn’t have headedto Bryan and been shot if I hadn’t thought I was going after a wife. All I came back with was a bag of hurt and a woman who hadn’t even stayed for my funeral.’’

He moved across the room and squeezed her shoulder. ‘‘You ain’t much in size. I like my women a little fluffier, but I guess you’ll do. I had me a wife once several years ago. Ever’thing was good for me then. So I figured it was time for me to start over. A woman in the house gives a man something to come home to.’’

‘‘McQuillen’s already dead.’’ Andrew looked sorry for her as he sat at the table across from her. ‘‘So you might as well live with the fact. Men don’t survive six snakebites. I was at the settlement, and the minute I heard it, I headed over and hid out in the dark. I’ve made enough deliveries to that place to find my way drunk or sober.’’

He took another drink. ‘‘I figured while everyone was waiting for him to pass on, I’d just wait for you to come out. Then I’d snatch you up and bring you home where you belong. After the funeral, we’ll move back into that big house. Since the law thinks you’re his bride, you’ll get everything. By the time he’s cold, you’ll be mine in the eyes of the Lord. I can promise you that.’’

Andrew Adams had finally drunk himself into a deep sleep. He’d wandered over several times during the morning to slap her and then spent time telling her how much he hated doing it. After each cruelty came a sermon. Kora hated the sermons worse than the blows. He mumbled on and on about having parents who’d known right from wrong and that they had finally beat rules into him. Now he saw it as his duty to make her see the error of her ways.

Since the first slap, Kora remained silent. She knew the only thing he wanted to hear, and he’d have to beat her to death before she’d claim to be his wife. The whiskey changed him into a different man. But whether he was a sober coward or a drunken bully made no difference in her conviction to be free of him.

‘‘That’s the truth.’’ He straightened, proud that she’d seen the light. ‘‘I knew you couldn’t be happy with that half-breed no matter how rich he is. Folks say he’s the hardest man in the county.’’ He looked down at his feet. ‘‘Since we’re starting out, I want to tell you somethin’. I didn’t write those letters, but they was my thoughts. I ain’t never learned about writing.’’

He pulled out a long hunting knife from his boot and slit the cord he’d used to tie her to the chair. Leaning, forward, he untied her hands. ‘‘I don’t want no trouble. I only want a wife,’’ he mumbled. ‘‘I never wanted any trouble, but a man can’t just let somebody take what’s his without doing something.’’

He tossed the knife on the table and staggered toward the door, swelling in victory. ‘‘But don’t get any ideas about running off again or I’ll beat you, yes, I will.’’Puffing up his chest and straightening his belt, he said with pride, ‘‘My pa used to have to beat my ma ever’ now and again, but I never heard her complain. After the beatings, she was always real nice to him.’’

He opened the door. ‘‘In another hour it’ll be dark enough for us to move. I know places over by the settlement where we can hide. An army couldn’t find us there, so you don’t have to worry about McQuillen’s men bothering us. We’ll take all the time you need to get to know one another.’’

She stood slowly and moved about the kitchen she’d once tried to keep clean. There wasn’t much, a few halfrotted potatoes, a can of peaches, some rancid lard. She only hoped the chickens were still laying. ‘‘I’ll cook you something before we go,’’ she said hoping to stall for time.

‘‘I’ll go get the wagon ready.’’ He patted her on the hip as he passed her, as if trying to reshift the power between them. ‘‘I can tell I’m not going to have to beat you much at all, girl. You’ll be hardworking and respectable in the daytime and still at night. A man can’t ask for much more.’’

The moment he was out the door, Kora ran to Dan. ‘‘Help me,’’ she whispered as she shook her brother. ‘‘Please, Dan, help me!’’ She couldn’t endure another second of Andrew touching her. The lie she’d just told him made her mouth taste bitter, and his touch left her flesh feeling as if something slimy had crawled across it. But she’d convinced him. Now all she had to do was get away.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kora saw Dan stand and move toward the door, as though nothing were going on in the room. She tried to rotate so that Andrew wouldn’t see Dan, but Andrew’s wild swinging kept her still. The gunbelt made a whistling sound as it sailed through the air at steam-engine speed.

‘‘I’m not leaving Dan.’’ Kora crossed to the shelf and lifted down a box of clean rags she’d left there a lifetime ago. While Andrew tried to decide what to do, she slipped the knife he’d used to cut her ropes from the table and into her pocket. She wasn’t sure she could kill Andrew for kidnapping her, but she knew she wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever she must to protect her brother.

Suddenly she realized something. In the time she’d known Winter, she’d grown stronger. She’d do whatever she had to do. Jamie might be right, they might just be weeds in the garden, but she was ready to fight for her right to live. All her life all she’d ever thought of was running, but now she knew she was strong enough to stand and fight if she must.

JAMIERODE SILENTLY BESIDE CHEYENNE ACROSS THEopen land. He followed a trail only he saw, but at least they had a direction. She’d wasted most of the day riding first one way then another while he’d checked on the ranch and looked for clues. By midafternoon she’d been near hysterics from worry. Kora might think she was the oldest and the leader of their family, but Jamie had always been there to protect her. To make sure she was safe. To prevent anyone from hurting her.

Finally, when Jamie had nowhere else to turn, Cheyenne told her he’d found a trail of wagon tracks and planned to follow them as long as daylight held. Now, not only darkness threatened, but also rain. The clouds were as dark as her mood. If he hurried, he might lose the trail. But if he didn’t hurry, the rain would wash it out before they could find her sister. With each passing minute Kora could be farther away.

After riding beside him an hour, Jamie wasn’t sure he’d been telling the truth, for she could see no trail even though Cheyenne kept watching the ground and moving slowly. Kora had vanished. Even with all her plans and the guardswatching, somehow she’d vanished. Jamie knew the men who’d brought Winter home hadn’t taken Kora, so who had?

Cheyenne grabbed her arm and swung her around. ‘‘It may not be Kora’s blood, but she was here with what looks like two men.’’ He shook Jamie hard. ‘‘Jamie, listen to me. It may not be Kora’s blood! The two men could have been fighting, or Kora may have been the one swinging Win’s gunbelt. Don’t fall apart until we know.’’

Winter’s face was stone just like always when he was hurt or angry. He moved around the room studying the signs. If the others hadn’t known him, they would have thought he was unaffected by the sight. He lifted her shawl, twisting it in his fist, then he picked up the gunbelt. The muscles across his jaw moved, tightening, hardening against all expression but anger. The pain in his body was working with him now, fighting down the rage so he could think.

Kora watched as an old woman, mumbling to herself, leaned over Dan. She lived in one of the few shacks that looked strong enough to face the wind in this place. Steven Gage had mentioned her when they’d come here before to take the bullet out of a man. He’d said he thought Rae used to be one of the buffalo hunters’ women. Her man must have died, leaving her stranded out here. She survived by boiling root stew and selling it to men too lazy to cook, and by doing some doctoring.

Andrew hurried to the door. ‘‘Not me. I need a drink.’’ He glanced at Kora. ‘‘I’ll be right outside when you’re finished, girl, so don’t go thinking of leaving without me. We’re together now. As soon as the old hag’s finished, you and me got some settling up to do.’’

The old woman giggled. ‘‘I seen you that night you were here with the doc. You’re a good woman, everyone says so. I reckon your helping now proved it. Most of us didn’t believe a rich lady like yourself would come down here to help the doc. The women who come here are mostly bad. But you done a good job helping, even if the rat you were working on died.’’

Rae raised an eyebrow that looked evil in flight. ‘‘I figured as much. I’ve heard talk of the trouble your man’s been having from that woman and her kin.’’ She slipped the knife from her pocket and gave it back to Kora. ‘‘You keep this with you until you get back to your man. I’ll trust you about the apples. If you have to use the blade on the likes of him, aim for the middle. You won’t cut him bad enough to kill him, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t recover too quickly. You just run.’’

‘‘I can’t leave,’’ Kora said. ‘‘Dan is my brother. I can’t just abandon him.’’ She twisted a leftover piece of bandage around her finger, needing to talk to someone. ‘‘I’m not sure I should go back to Win, either. I’ve been nothing but bad luck to him.’’

‘‘I’ll take good care of your brother. You get back to that man of yours. I’ve seen him many a time. He’s something. The kind of man that could make a woman real happy if he took a liking to her. Everybody around here thinks he’s hard and mean, but one winter years ago when most of the drifters had moved on, he rode up here delivering food ’cause he knew we was snowed in. I never did thank him for that, so I’d like to repay him now.’’

She moved to the back of her shack and pulled a blanket from across a small opening. ‘‘You go back to him and tell him the old woman from the settlement helped you. He’llknow who you mean. Bad luck or good don’t got nothing to do with loving—you belong with each other.’’

She almost fell into a tarp stretched across what looked like a cave opening. Several horses waited in the rain as men inside seemed to be arguing. At first she thought of asking one of them to take her home, but she wasn’t sure. Win had said he had many enemies among the residents of the Breaks.

He found a horse hidden in the trees and tossed Kora roughly up. ‘‘I haven’t time to explain!’’ he shouted above the rain. ‘‘If you’re found here with me, we’re probably both goners. If they find out I’ve helped you, I won’t be seeing daylight. So be careful and ride!’’

Kora straightened as two riders came out of the night in front of her. They circled wide around her and flanked her. Fear made her shiver uncontrollably. Their horses were too powerful to belong to Andrew, and their slickers and hats made it impossible to see their faces. If they were the men Wyatt had been with, she might very well be signing her own death certificate as well as Wyatt’s.

KORACLIMBED THE STAIRS WITH BARELY ENOUGH ENERGYto lift her rain-soaked skirt. Jamie had offered to help her, but she wanted to face Win alone. She needed to be with him for a while, even if he were already asleep. She had several things she had to tell him, but with the rain growing worse, Kora knew she had little time.

The attic room was bathed in moonlight. Kora crossed slowly to the bed with its twisted quilts. Her wrapper lay over the chair where she’d left it, as though nothing had changed since dawn. She looked around the room, fighting down the tears. Win was gone. All day she’d struggled to get back to him. It was a relief that he must feel well enough to be out of bed, but little comfort. She needed his arms around her.

Pulling off her wet dress, Kora tossed it over the wooden panel. Without bothering to remove her damp underclothes, she slipped into her wrapper and struck a single light at Win’s washstand. Lifting his comb, she pulled it through her damp hair, letting the stress of the day pass away with the tangles. Somehow, she’d done the impossible. She’d made it back.

Silently Kora tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen, trying not to let her disappointment show. Jamie and Cheyenne sat across from each other drinking coffee. For once they weren’t yelling, but talking as they sliced cheese and bread from a large platter. While Kora waited for her tea, she sipped a glass of milk, and listened.

Cheyenne looked at her closely, like he was trying to read something she hadn’t said. ‘‘He’s in the study.’’ His words came slowly. ‘‘I talked to him when we came in. I told him what happened to you and assured him you were fine. I figured he’d have found you by now, but maybe Gage talked him into having his dressing changed first.’’

Cheyenne appeared in the opening from the kitchen. He didn’t seemed surprised by Win’s behavior. ‘‘He doesn’twant you to see him hurting,’’ Cheyenne whispered. ‘‘We’ll have to wait until he unlocks the door. Ten men couldn’t knock it down, and there’s only one key. The one on the other side of the door. That’s the way the captain liked it, and I figure Win plans on continuing the custom.’’

Without a word, she crossed to the desk where the doctor had everything ready. She soaked a rag in warm water and picked up the scissors. Slowly she knelt by Win’s side and began cutting away the bandage on his arm, allowing the rag to soak into the places where blood had dried, holding the stained cloth to Win’s flesh.

company. Once I knew you were safe, I figured it would be better for me to stay away until the pain eased.’’

‘‘No,’’ she whispered, unsure of his meaning. She didn’t know if her cheeks burned from blushing or the fire’s warmth. How could he want to look at her? Didn’t he know she’d always been invisible? She’d heard the way folks talked about some women, the way boys talked of girls. That they were pretty or beautiful, or grand. No one ever said things like that about her. They usually only commented on how they hadn’t noticed her.

‘‘I’ll never get over how easy you come to me,’’ he whispered. His fingers brushed her throat as though he were touching velvet. ‘‘Even when I hurt you, you come back to me. I didn’t have to win your hand, or promise you foolish things like love. I don’t have to flatter, or give you things, or pamper you. You just come to me. You’re like a rainbow that follows my stormy life.’’

Win could hear the anger in her voice. Cheyenne might have told him the facts, but Kora provided the emotion. ‘‘Tell me every detail,’’ he asked. ‘‘From the time he kidnapped you until Cheyenne and Jamie found you. Let every detail out, and then we’ll never have to speak of it again.’’

Slowly she began to talk. She told of the pain of being tied to the chair and how Andrew slapped her. She shivered when she spoke of the way he’d grabbed her hip and tried to hurt her. Of how he demanded she promise to be still when he bedded her that night. She related meeting Rae and how the woman had helped her.

His hands were large and rough from hard work, but the way he touched her made her feel valued and beautiful. He brushed his fingertips over the lace, pushing it slightly down until the camisole barely covered each peak. He moved the back of his fingers over her sides, sliding along the material, pressing gently so that the valley between her breasts deepened.

The firelight sparkled in his dark eyes, telling her of his pleasure as words never could. He took his time exploring her body gently so that he could touch her wherever he liked and see all he wanted. His palm slid up her leg and pushed her drawers high, then he tugged suddenly, pulling the waist until her bare skin showed and the garment clung to her hips. As he had with the top, he pushed it lower and lower, a fraction of an inch at a time.

He rewarded her by sliding his fingers more boldly over her warm flesh. He cupped her head and raised her lips to his. The kiss was long and searching, leaving her lips pouty and her mouth hungry for more. He’d break the kiss to stare at her, watching her thinly covered chest rise and fall until her breathing grew regular once more. Then he’d pull her mouth to his again.

Slowly Kora’s tired muscles relaxed. She matched his kiss with equal longing, and when he released her lips, she rested in his arms, loving the way he stared at her. His fingertips would trail between her breasts in long lazy strokes, then the hunger would return and he’d raise her mouth to his again.

Kora stiffened at the sudden flood of sensations and tried to push away as her soft flesh was pulled farther into his warm mouth and he began to taste her fully. But she didn’t make a sound as he held her fast, ignoring her efforts to pull away. His grip was strong and his hunger grew as he continued to feast on her. Finally her jerky movementsslowed and she stopped trying to move away. She settled into his arms and allowed him to taste.

Again she began to rock, only now his hand between her legs moved with her. She told herself she was giving him what he wanted, but she knew it was a lie. She was taking all the pleasure she could endure. She cried out softly with pure joy, and he increased the pressure between her legs.

She moved faster, feeling her body shaking with desire. Now she was rocking from side to side against the softcushions, wanting more. All the blood in her body, all the heat, seemed to be moving to where he stroked. As his fingers pressed deeper into her, he twisted his free hand around her hair and pulled her head back as he covered her mouth with his own.

And he did. Kora woke twice to find him kneeling beside her, once more setting her body afire as his hands pulled her into the deep waters of passion. He’d please her until her body shook with desire, then he’d hold her again as she slipped back into sleep. He was learning to be gentle, she was learning to be his.

Kora swallowed several gulps, feeling not only thirsty, but hungry. ‘‘Thank you.’’ She returned the cup, trying to be formal without allowing the blanket to slip. ‘‘I’ll get dressed and cook breakfast.’’ As she moved, her body ached slightly. He’d touched her all over, and kissed her where she thought no one would ever kiss. He’d made her feel beautiful.

Win just stared at her as she picked up her things and pulled on her wrapper. She could feel him following her movements but guessed he couldn’t think of any more to say than she could. The night seemed a dream away.Something they’d never speak of in the light. She folded the blanket and moved slowly to the door.

JAMIELEANED AGAINST THE PORCH RAILING ANDwatched the rain as she sipped her third cup of coffee. ‘‘I can’t go get Dan yet,’’ she complained to Cheyenne. ‘‘He’ll catch his death if he gets soaked. He’s better off with that old woman Kora told us about in the settlement.’’

‘‘I don’t know where she is.’’ Jamie shrugged. ‘‘Win came in about half an hour ago. He fixed himself a cup of coffee and walked out without so much as saying ‘ morning.’ I swear the man doesn’t have a good side—only grumpy and grumpier.’’ Jamie lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile. ‘‘If I didn’t like the man so much, I’d complain.’’

‘‘Maybe not,’’ Jamie offered. ‘‘Maybe whatever is causing the trouble will disappear.’’ She didn’t add, maybe she and Kora would disappear as well. After being up most of the night thinking, she’d come to one conclusion. The only way this ranch would settle down would be if they left. Weeds have short roots anyway. It was time for them to tumble on.

‘‘I know!’’ he yelled back. ‘‘Your mouth’s been tasted by more men than the church hall will hold. Well, maybe I don’t want to be part of the congregation!’’ He shoved the hair from his face. ‘‘With you the invitation’s always open to anyone. Come on down and have a feel of Jamie!’’

He leaned down and kissed her lightly, wondering how one woman could make him feel so complete. With her near he felt whole for the first time in his life. She wasn’t fancy, or high-spirited, or showy. She was soft-spoken and shy, but in a thousand little ways she had changed his world. When they talked, just talked, she enchanted him. When they touched, she enslaved him.

‘‘To lock the world out,’’ he whispered, remembering the way she’d lain nude before the fire and allowed him tostroke her. ‘‘With a lock on our door, I can touch you not only at night, but in the daytime. Maybe all day and all night. I’ll make you cry my name over and over with passion.’’

When he finally raised his head, he tried to make himself remember where he was. ‘‘I’ve always hated the rain,’’ he said, even though all he could think of was pulling her back to the study so they could be alone. ‘‘Even though I know I need it.’’ He moved away slightly, trying to slow his breathing. ‘‘I usually feel like I’ve lost a day’s work when it rains.’’ He kissed her lightly, very properly. ‘‘Right now I wouldn’t mind if it rained for a week.’’

‘‘There will be other nights. Better nights.’’ He pulled her lightly against him, allowing his words to caress her. ‘‘You’ll move as you did to my touch this morning, only I’ll be inside you next time.’’ He felt her stiffen. ‘‘Relax,’’ he whispered. ‘‘I’m never going to hurt you again. I practiced most of the night.’’

She hid her tears against his chest. He was the only good thing that had ever happened in her life. And he wanted her. Not just as any man wants any woman, but as one man needs one woman. She could tell it in the way he touched her, as though branding her, forever making her his. And in the way he kissed her as if he’d hungered for her for years and now that he’d finally found her he planned to have his fill.

‘‘I can’t.’’ Kora looked at her sister and said the one thing that had been on her mind for days. ‘‘I love him toomuch. I’m staying this time.’’ Kora closed her eyes, remembering that the last time Win talked of her leaving had been the night Andrew Adams had first shown up. Win had said simply that she could stay the six months, but he wanted her gone as soon as the time was up.

Kora couldn’t answer. Outside, thunder seemed to echo Jamie’s warning and lightning split the sky. She couldn’t remember the exact moment she’d known she loved him, but she couldn’t tell him when he’d never said the words to her. In fact, he’d made it very plain that he’d never love any one woman.

‘‘I don’t know. I guess. Much as I love any man.’’ She looked at her older sister. ‘‘I’m ready for some excitement. If you’d leave, that would be fine, but I can’t wait around forever for you to make up your mind. The cowboy you married is crazy about you. I’m not even sure he’d let you go.’’

Jamie carried her bag down the stairs and out the back door with Kora following only a step behind. ‘‘Maybe not’’—she shrugged—‘‘but I got to be ready. If Wyatt asks me to leave with him, I’m going. I can’t stay around here and watch the two of you falling wildly in love.’’

‘‘No, never,’’ Kora answered Jamie as Win crossed to the house to say goodbye again. He looked strong and healthy; only Kora noticed the tightness of his jaw. He’d live with the pain. It was his way. But she wasn’t sure she could live without him.

Jamie moved around to climb in the wagon.

‘‘Jamie, promise you won’t go today. Promise we’ll talk first,’’ Kora whispered.

‘‘I’ll pick up Dan and hear what Wyatt has to say,’’ Jamie answered. ‘‘Then we’ll talk before I leave. I promise.’’

Win walked to the corner of the porch. ‘‘It’s going to be a long day,’’ he said as he removed his hat. ‘‘I’m not sure how much trouble will come our way. Stay prepared here.’’

‘‘I’ll be fine.’’ Kora fought back the tears. Unless she could talk her sister out of her crazy plan, she might never see her again. ‘‘I’m riding with Jamie to get Dan.’’

Suddenly Win flung his leg over the railing and stepped back on the porch. He pulled her to him. ‘‘If I asked you not to go, would you stay here?’’

‘‘No,’’ Kora answered. ‘‘I have to go get my brother.’’

Win nodded in understanding. ‘‘Then take Logan as guard,’’ he compromised.

Kora thought of all she’d learned from him about loving. ‘‘Take care,’’ she whispered back. ‘‘And never forget, I love you.’’

Win’s hold tightened, but he didn’t speak. For a long moment he held her, then he turned and left without a word.

His silence should have made her angry, or think he didn’t care about her. But she understood. He’d shown her he loved her all night. If he couldn’t say the words in daylight, it didn’t matter. No man would ever make her feel so cherished.

Kora watched the yard. Jamie was saying something to Cheyenne, and for once she didn’t look as if she was going to tackle him. Logan stood close to Win, making lastminute plans.

‘‘I can’t leave,’’ Kora whispered as her vision blurred. ‘‘Win’s right. Folks make their own luck in this life. We can fight it together. This time I don’t have to run.’’ She glanced at Jamie. ‘‘If only I could convince Jamie,’’ Kora whispered as she saw Jamie fight back the anger when she waved at Cheyenne and he didn’t even bother to look back at her.

Win rode south with a dozen of his men, crisscrossing his land, making sure all was calm. The sky was still cloudy,but it had been clearing all afternoon. If the cattle were just below the caprock, it wouldn’t be long before they were moving across his land.

He knew he should have nothing on his mind except the ranch, but Kora’s words kept resounding in his brain. She’d said she loved him as easily as if she’d always said the words. He’d never known her to be so foolish.

They had a bargain, nothing more. She didn’t have to say she loved him. He’d given her little enough reason to care about him. Win hadn’t missed Jamie’s comments about his shortcomings. Except for a few things from the store, he’d bought her nothing, not even a wedding band. He’d never taken her anywhere, or offered to. Hell, most women got a few days’ honeymoon. He hadn’t even stayed home the first night. Most of the time he didn’t say a handful of words to her a day. And the first time he’d made love to her, he’d hurt her so badly she’d screamed.

Win frowned. It made no sense that she loved him.

Yet she took care, not only of his house, but of him. From the very first, she kissed him good night as though it was something important for her to do. She’d forgiven him for their first time together as if it had been her fault and not his. And last night she’d let him touch her like he’d never thought a lady would allow. Then she’d welcomed him again and again. Offering him whatever he wanted, moving so he could see her undressed, raising her arms to allow him freedom to touch her, spreading her legs . . .

‘‘Hell!’’ he swore beneath his breath. He didn’t have time to think about her. There were more important things to consider. Only all he could focus on, all he could hear, was the way she’d softly said she loved him.

Win grumbled. She wasn’t doing what they agreed on.She was doing far more than just acting like a wife in exchange for his house. The little woman he thought would be almost invisible in his home had gotten into his blood. She was the lover he’d never even dreamed of having. Her body was alive with passion when he touched her, begging for more. The taste of her was habit forming.

Tonight, he’d hold her again. He’d remove her clothes slowly, enjoying each view. Then he’d lay her in the middle of their bed and begin his feast at her throat. He’d make love to her and she’d cry his name as she had last night in passion. And when she had relaxed and fell asleep, he’d continue to touch her. He didn’t need to teach her to please him; everything she did pleased him. Last night she’d awakened already warm from his touch, ready for more. She’d do so again tonight.

It might take days, maybe weeks, but he’d make love to her until he got her out of his mind and could think of other things, more important things. Win frowned. On second thought, it might take years.

‘‘You hear that?’’ Cheyenne straightened in his saddle, listening.

‘‘What?’’ Win shook his head, trying to get back to reality.

‘‘Cattle!’’ Cheyenne motioned for the men to follow as they reached the south corner of Win’s ranch. Here, for miles, the land was broken by steep inclines where the land jutted up suddenly to higher ground known as the caprock. The pasture below always seemed milder, less windy. Above, the range was cooler, wilder. This steep incline was where Win marked the end of his spread.

Sure enough, just below the rim of the caprock, cattle grazed as far as Win could see. They’d been boxed in by the wall, but all the herders had to do was begin pushing them up the trails, climbing the rim one beef at a time.Along the south edge of Win’s ranch were several places where they could move the herd easily up on higher ground.

One of Win’s men was stationed at each opening. One fired a shot of warning. Another followed. Then another and another.

This is it,

Win thought. The standoff he’d dreaded. But he had the high ground, and with the caprock wall’s help, he’d hold them back. He didn’t want to kill the cattle. Let the ranchers keep them below. The strong ones would survive. But, no, they wanted to get them to market without having to suffer any loss.

He studied the border, watching, waiting. Cheyenne rode at his side.

‘‘It looks like they’re spreading the herd out, planning to push them all at once.’’

‘‘If they do, several will break their legs trying to climb up rough trails. Any cow that falls will be trampled.’’ Win didn’t want to think what the sight might be like if they stampeded.

‘‘They’re hoping we don’t have enough men to cover every trail.’’

Win watched closely. ‘‘Do we?’’ he asked more to himself than Cheyenne.

A man Win recognized as one of the fellows he’d seen in the settlement the night he’d gone after Kora, rode through the pass with his hands high.

‘‘Mr. McQuillen!’’ he yelled. ‘‘I just want to talk.’’

‘‘That’s close enough!’’ Win shouted back. ‘‘Tell your boss to turn them around. They’ll not cross my land.’’

‘‘But the next crossing is a hundred miles away,’’ the man tried to reason. ‘‘If you’ll let us cross in one place, my boss is willing to pay you. He’ll even leave men to help burn the grass his cattle move over.’’

‘‘No,’’ Win answered. ‘‘I can’t take the risk!’’ He knewburning the grass would prevent the sickness from spreading. But with a herd this size, all it would take was one calf getting away from the others, and all his cattle would be infected within days. He’d be risking all he had, all he’d worked for.

‘‘Not even for money?’’ the man exclaimed. ‘‘Name your price.’’

‘‘No,’’ Win answered, knowing he wouldn’t compromise. How could he put a price on his ranch?

‘‘We could run them through. You haven’t got enough men to stop the entire herd.’’

‘‘I said no!’’ Win shouted. ‘‘And we will stop every last beef.’’

The man turned his horse around as if to leave. ‘‘How about to save your wife?’’ he queried over his shoulder.

THIRTY-ONE

THESETTLEMENT SEEMED DESERTED AS JAMIE MOVEDthe team toward Rae’s shack. In daylight the place was even worse than it had been at night.

Jamie jumped out of the wagon and tied the team while Logan slowly climbed down from the back.

‘‘I’m going to talk to Wyatt.’’ Jamie smoothed down the wrinkles on her borrowed dress. ‘‘You and Logan can handle Dan.’’

‘‘But the note didn’t say where to find him. And he said this afternoon. He may not be here for an hour yet,’’ Kora answered. ‘‘Wait a few minutes and we’ll all go with you.’’

‘‘No way.’’ Jamie started moving away. ‘‘I have to go alone for the same reason I wore a dress. He might just be asking me to run away with him. So a girl’s got to look her best and a man has to ask when they’re alone.’’

Kora opened her mouth to argue, but her sister was already several yards away.

Rae came to the door as Jamie disappeared between two tents. ‘‘Mornin’,’’ she mumbled. ‘‘Where’s the girl running off to?’’

‘‘Wyatt sent a note for her to meet him here,’’ Koraanswered as she moved into the cabin. ‘‘How’s Dan?’’

‘‘He’s fine. We’ve had a grand time.’’ Rae laughed, patting Dan on the arm. ‘‘We stayed up late talking.’’

‘‘You did?’’

‘‘Sure, he told me how much he loves his sisters and how grateful he is for all they do for him.’’

Kora looked shocked for a moment, then she caught Rae winking at Logan. ‘‘What else did he say?’’ she asked, enjoying the old woman’s lie.

‘‘He told me he loves you very much and that if you were the one lost inside your own head, he’d be there to take care of you.’’

Kora straightened Dan’s collar as he stared at a crack in the cabin that allowed a sliver of sunshine in. ‘‘I think he would,’’ she whispered. ‘‘During this conversation, did you tell him I loved him?’’

Rae smiled. ‘‘I didn’t have to. He knows.’’

Kora took Dan’s hand and slowly guided him from the cabin. ‘‘Did you have any trouble with Andrew after I left?’’

‘‘No.’’ Rae giggled. ‘‘I was handling drunks before he could grow chest hair. I sent him on his way.’’

When they reached the wagon, Rae glanced in the direction Jamie had gone. ‘‘Your sister’s gonna have a problem finding that gambler, Wyatt. Him and all his kind left out of here as soon as the storm broke, and I haven’t heard none come back.’’

As Kora helped Logan lift Dan into the wagon, she glanced at the old man and saw worry in his eyes.

‘‘You’re sure Wyatt isn’t here?’’

Rae scratched her tumbleweed hair. ‘‘I ain’t seen nobody but those two drifters who found Win in the snake pit. They asked when you was coming to get your brother, and I toldthem it ain’t none of their concern and they’d better be in the next state before you see them.’’

While Logan helped Kora down from the wagon, a scream shattered the morning air from just beyond the trees.

‘‘Stay with Dan!’’ Logan shouted as he pulled his gun. ‘‘I’ll go see about Jamie.’’

Kora covered Dan with a blanket as he lay down in the wagon bed filled with hay. She reached for the rifle beneath the seat and waited.

Rae grabbed a knife from her cabin and stood beside her.

Silence. Nothing but silence. Logan and Jamie were both gone, leaving Kora alone with an old woman and Dan. Alone and in the open, for she’d not put her rifle down to help Dan back inside. Alone with the feeling that someone was moving slowly through the brush toward her.

Win narrowed his gaze and lowered his hat against the afternoon sun as rays bounced off the barrel of his Winchester.

All the years of burying his emotions, of hiding his tears, of refusing to allow any feelings to surface exploded into one eruption of anger. He drew his rifle and took aim at the man in the center of the pass.

Cheyenne was at his side. ‘‘Wait!’’ he whispered. ‘‘Let’s hear what he has to say. They’re bluffing. You and I both know Kora is safe with both Logan and Jamie watching over her.’’

‘‘I’m not so sure. After all, that drunk Adams didn’t have any trouble stealing her from under our noses.’’ Win didn’t take his attention from the stranger in the pass. ‘‘I’ll kill them all if they try to use Kora as bait.’’

‘‘I’ll help you,’’ Cheyenne agreed. ‘‘But my guess is they’re lying.’’

Nodding slowly, Win turned and yelled down at the man in the pass. ‘‘Leave my wife out of this!’’

‘‘I’d like to, Mr. McQuillen. We don’t want to hurt her. All we want to do is get our cattle to market. But the boss has given orders to move north no matter what we have to do.’’

‘‘Not across my land!’’ Win answered.

‘‘We’ll give you an hour to think about it. Then we’ll show you that wife of yours for the last time unless the cattle start moving through this pass.’’

Win watched the man disappear below the caprock. Reason told him that they couldn’t have Kora. But his heart argued, what if they did? He pulled back out of sight and signaled his men to move closer.

They formed a campsite far enough away to be safe and rotated guard. In a few hours it would be dark and not a man would ride for home. Win climbed down from his horse and began to pace. There wasn’t time to send someone to check on Kora, so he had to accept the possibility that they had her. But these weren’t murderers. They were ranchers. Running cattle was one thing; killing a woman seemed quite another. Something beyond profits from the herds must be driving them.

‘‘Rider coming in!’’ one of Win’s hands yelled as a rider galloped in from the west.

Win looked up as a stranger, traveling fast, kicked his horse toward them. For a moment he looked familiar. All he needed was a dark duster.

But as he rode closer, Win recognized the gambler. He’d shed his black suit and string tie in favor of chaps and cotton.

‘‘Wyatt,’’ he whispered to Cheyenne. Both men rested their hands on the handle of their Colts.

Wyatt jumped from his mount without slowing. ‘‘Wait!’’he shouted. ‘‘Don’t start shooting. They’ve got your wife!’’

‘‘What?’’ Win grabbed Wyatt by the collar. ‘‘How do you know?’’

The gambler knocked Win’s hand away with surprising strength. ‘‘I know because I’ve been watching them for weeks now.’’ He straightened before them, looking far less of a dandy than he had before. ‘‘An hour ago I saw two men riding near the settlement with your wife across one man’s saddle. She was screaming and kicking, but alive.’’

‘‘Are you sure?’’

‘‘She had on that same blue dress she wore the last time I visited your place.’’

Win studied him closely. The pieces had never fit with Wyatt. He rode too well to be a man who spent his days at a gaming table. He disappeared and reappeared whenever trouble boiled. ‘‘The only reason you’re alive is because of what you did to help my wife at the settlement. But don’t bank too heavy on one action. You’ve got some explaining to do.’’

Wyatt let out a breath, as if tired of holding it. His eyes darted to the left, then the right. ‘‘I was sent in to keep a lid on this war you people are trying to start over a few head of cattle. I’m a ranger stationed at Fort Elliot.’’

‘‘Sure you are,’’ Cheyenne whispered.

Glancing at Cheyenne, Wyatt shouted, ‘‘I don’t care if you believe me or not!’’

‘‘I don’t,’’ the Indian said simply.

‘‘Look, I’m here to help. I know these people. They aren’t here to murder, just move cattle. Let them through. You’ll recover in a year or so. Let them pass and end this blockade tonight. You don’t have a prayer of winning anyway. If they stampede the cattle toward the ridge, they’ll come up from too many directions for your men to stop them all. A few will get through your web and infect yourcattle. They’ll lose the herd and you’ll lose half, maybe more of yours. No one wins.’’

Win didn’t answer.

Wyatt moved closer, pressing his case. ‘‘The trail boss will listen to reason. He’ll let Kora go if you give your promise. But you’d best do it fast. Most of his offspring are bloodthirsty, and if you hesitate you’ll be giving them the chance they’re looking for to kill. I’ve never met a woman like the oldest daughter, all sweet one minute and deadly the next. It’s more than money with her. She’s out for blood. Let me talk to them. I can bluff my way through this.’’

‘‘All right.’’ Win hesitated for only a moment, realizing he had nothing to lose.

The gambler relaxed for the first time. ‘‘Before I go I have to know how far you’re willing to play the hand.’’

Win didn’t blink. ‘‘If they don’t have Kora and it’s only a bluff, I’ll shoot the beef as they try to cross. My word stands.’’

‘‘And if they do have her?’’

‘‘Tell them to turn her loose and they can cross my ranch.’’

Wyatt looked surprised. ‘‘You’d bet the entire ranch against her life?’’

‘‘I would,’’ Win answered. ‘‘And more.’’

Wyatt nodded and swung back into the saddle. ‘‘ Someday I’ll sit down and explain my part in all this,’’ he said. ‘‘But until then, it wouldn’t hurt to trust me a little. When this is over, we might even become friends, or maybe even family.’’

‘‘Yeah,’’ Cheyenne interrupted. ‘‘When you come up with a story we’ll believe.’’

Wyatt glared at Cheyenne silently, the look promising areckoning in the future. Then the gambler rode off into the pass with his hands high and in plain sight.

‘‘He’s lying,’’ Cheyenne said.

‘‘I know,’’ Win agreed. ‘‘Only I can’t figure out why.’’

‘‘The hour is up!’’ A man shouted from the entrance to the pass. ‘‘Do we move the cattle?’’

Win shifted to where he could watch the pass. He hadn’t heard a word from Wyatt. He’d either joined them, or they’d killed him. Neither would come as a surprise.

‘‘Where’s my wife?’’ All the McQuillen guns were pointed at the long rock-walled vee that marked one of the larger gateways to Win’s land.

Slowly two men walked up from below, dragging a woman between them. Her hands were tied to a rope in front of her as if she’d been led. A bandanna covered her eyes and most of her face. Another dug into the sides of her mouth muffling her screams.

Her hair was long and almost white in the afternoon sun. Win felt his stomach tighten as he saw her dress, dirty and torn. She’d put up quite a fight. He remembered the first time he’d seen her. He’d wondered then how such a tiny creature, so fragile, had survived. He wondered the same now and his heart ached.

‘‘Turn her loose!’’ He fought to keep from moving down the pass. Her life depended on his remaining calm. ‘‘I’ll give you whatever you want.’’

Both of the drifters stood tall, proud of themselves for capturing her. They might have failed the first time, but she’d almost stumbled right into their camp this morning.

Wyatt rode from below to where the men stood holding Kora. He looked none the worse for wear. ‘‘I told them you would!’’ he yelled at Win, then glanced to the men. ‘‘Untie her, boys, and I’ll take her to him.’’

As they worked, Wyatt turned his attention back to Win. ‘‘All they want is to cross your land.’’ He didn’t have to say more. Everyone watching knew what the action would cost. ‘‘She’s free when we have your word.’’

‘‘You have it.’’ Win stared at Kora as she kicked at the men untying her. ‘‘As soon as they’ve crossed, I’ll burn my own ranch to keep the fever from spreading.’’ All he cared about was the woman below.

As the men pulled the bandanna from their captive’s eyes and mouth, one word echoed across the space between Wyatt and Win. ‘‘Jamie!’’

Cheyenne was in the saddle and riding down the incline before anyone else could move.

The kidnappers suddenly realized they’d captured the wrong woman. They tried to pull her back, but she kicked and screamed like a wildcat.

No one was sure who opened fire first, but all at once the air rained bullets. They ricocheted off the stone walls, echoing certain death. The men in the pass who’d been holding Jamie scrambled for cover. The men above lowered their aim.

‘‘Wyatt! Please!’’ Jamie lifted her still-tied hands to him. ‘‘Wyatt!’’

He fought to close the ten feet between them, but bullets splattered the ground around him. His mount danced in the flying dirt, wild with fear. Wyatt fought for control as the men above shot at the men below and the men below returned fire.

With a sudden turn Wyatt pulled his horse back from the center of the passage and rode up toward Win, leaving Jamie standing alone in a circle of gunfire.

Win kept a steady stream of bullets aimed at the rocks behind the pass as he saw Cheyenne approaching Jamie at full speed. Like a wild warrior from another time, Cheyennerode into the fire and swept Jamie up. Unlike the men who’d tried to kidnap her at the ranch, Cheyenne could hold her in balance and control his powerful horse.

By the time Win reloaded, Cheyenne was out of trouble and riding at gale speed toward the safety of the camp.

Jamie was bouncing and swearing as she lay across his saddle. But she was alive.

The gunfire died down. There was no one left in the pass. Win motioned for his men to stay ready. Nothing or no one would cross now and live. All bargaining was over.

THIRTY-TWO

CHEYENNERODE BEHIND A BANK OF ROCKS TO THEcampsite and dropped a screaming Jamie to the ground a few yards from Wyatt. She fell onto her backside as he swung from the saddle and pulled his knife.

But before he could cut her free, she whirled and turned on the gambler like a skillet-warmed rattlesnake. ‘‘You left me!’’

‘‘I tried to reach you,’’ Wyatt said, looking like a man who’d faced death and had no stomach for the sight. ‘‘If I’d stayed longer, we both would have been killed.’’ He crossed his arms in front of him to keep his hands from shaking.

Jamie doubled her bound fists together and swung, knocking the gambler down with one mighty blow that almost toppled her. ‘‘One of us may be killed yet!’’ she screamed. ‘‘Stand up so I can hit you again.’’

Wyatt remained on the ground.

Cheyenne walked up behind Jamie and circled his arm around her waist. The action was becoming a habit. He lifted her just high enough so that her feet left the ground.

‘‘Let me go!’’ Jamie shouted and twisted against his side.

He moved several yards away from Wyatt and the others. ‘‘Don’t make me sorry I rode down after you,’’ Cheyenne said calmly as he set her down and tried to untie her. ‘‘Be still, or I’ll leave you bound.’’

Jamie straightened, offering her hands before his blade. ‘‘Don’t expect me to be grateful. It’s not one of my traits.’’

‘‘I imagine I’ll come to regret what I did.’’ Cheyenne smiled. ‘‘Sooner or later.’’ His knife sliced through the ropes.

She looked at him then, truly looked at him, for the first time. A portion of her anger passed as the realization of what he’d done sank into her frightened brain. ‘‘Thank you,’’ she said. ‘‘No one else would have risked his life for me like you did.’’ Jamie offered her hand.

Cheyenne closed his grip around her fingers and held tightly as he pulled her a step closer. ‘‘You’d have done the same for me,’’ he mumbled, but his eyes seemed to say so much more. His thumb moved across the back of her hand in almost a caress.

‘‘I tried to reach you, Jamie,’’ Wyatt interrupted. ‘‘In fact, when I rode away from you, you were safer because everyone was shooting at me. I’m probably the reason Cheyenne didn’t get hit when he rode in.’’

Jamie glanced in Wyatt’s direction without turning loose of Cheyenne’s hand. ‘‘Then I guess I should thank you, too.’’ Her gaze came back to Cheyenne. ‘‘You never know what someone will do until under fire.’’

She moved beneath Cheyenne’s arm, and he let her close for once. His hold was strong, but not an embrace.

‘‘You’ve got some explaining to do, Wyatt.’’ Cheyenne stared at the man. ‘‘You’re no ranger and you’re no gambler, but you’ve been trying real hard to straddle the fence. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that the man who sits the fence makes the easiest target?’’

Wyatt lowered his head, unable to stare at Cheyenne. ‘‘I was a ranger for a while, and I fancy myself a gambler.’’

‘‘But that’s not all.’’

‘‘Maybe it is.’’ Wyatt looked dissatisfied with himself. ‘‘And somehow it’s not enough. Whatever I am, whatever I do, never seems to be right, or enough to measure up.’’

He lifted his hand to touch Jamie, but lowered it before he reached her. ‘‘I sent you the note hoping you’d meet me and run away from this mess. But they got to you first.’’

A wagon rattled up to the campsite, drawing everyone’s attention and ending the conversation.

Kora jumped out and ran toward them. ‘‘Jamie! Are you all right?’’

Jamie pulled away from Cheyenne. ‘‘Sure. No problem now. You missed all the excitement.’’

‘‘We heard your scream, and Logan went to look for you,’’ Kora announced as she hugged her sister. ‘‘Some men hit Logan in the back of the head and rode off with you before I could stop them. Rae was very upset, even trying to get men to follow.’’

‘‘I’m fine now thanks to Cheyenne . . . and Wyatt,’’ Jamie added. ‘‘How’s Logan?’’

‘‘Rae’s looking after him. He’s hurting, but we got him back to Rae’s place and doctored up. He told me to ride along the south border and I’d find help. I was so frightened. I pushed the team as hard as I could with Dan asleep in the back.’’

Win climbed over the cluster of six-foot-high rocks and slid down the incline to the camp. He was issuing orders as he approached, but when he saw Kora, he froze. Slowly he straightened and faced her directly as though forgetting all else. ‘‘What are you doing here?’’ His voice was low. ‘‘And why did you bring Dan?’’

‘‘I was worried about Jamie,’’ she answered, no longer bothered by his gruffness. ‘‘There was no time to get Dan out of the wagon. He’s sleeping like a baby. I couldn’t leave him with Rae. She had her hands full with Logan.’’

‘‘Jamie’s out of harm’s way, for the moment.’’ He seemed to be fighting to keep his voice calm. ‘‘Take her back to the house and wait this out there.’’ He started moving toward the wagon. ‘‘Is Logan hurt bad?’’

‘‘No, just a headache and a two-inch cut. He’ll be fine.’’

Kora followed, but didn’t step forward when he offered to help her onto the seat. ‘‘Are you coming back?’’ She touched Win’s sleeve gently as she always did.

‘‘No. I’ve work to do here,’’ he answered, looking irritated that she wasn’t already on her way but not pulling his arm away. ‘‘But you’ll be safe back at the house.’’

Kora took a step backward. ‘‘If you’re not going, I’m staying.’’

Everyone in the campsite was silent, not even breathing as they waited for Winter’s reaction.

Win knew he could reach down and lift her into the wagon. Or he could raise his voice and frighten her with his anger. If it had been Jamie, he’d already be yelling at her.

But Kora didn’t even look afraid. He didn’t know whether to be proud of himself for being so convincing that he’d never hurt her or proud of her for being so brave.

She raised her hand and gently laid it over his heart.

‘‘I’m a rancher’s wife. I belong here.’’ Her words were only a whisper.

‘‘But we may be here all night,’’ Win began. He’d just offered his entire ranch for her safety; he couldn’t hurt her by arguing now. And no matter how much he wanted her safe, he wasn’t sure he could turn her away.

‘‘It doesn’t matter,’’ she answered. ‘‘I’ll stay with you.’’

Leaning, Win propped his rifle against the wagon wheel. Then, without a word, he unbuckled his gunbelt.

No one moved. Jamie started to move toward her sister, but Cheyenne’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Win knelt on one knee and wrapped the belt around Kora’s waist. ‘‘If you’re staying, you may need this.’’

Everyone in the site let out a breath at the same time.

Win adjusted the gunbelt. ‘‘Promise me you’ll follow orders. There may not be time to talk things over.’’

Kora nodded. ‘‘What can I do?’’

He stood beside her and pointed toward a cluster of cottonwoods. ‘‘You could use the wagon and bring as much wood up as you can. By dark I’d like several fires going just back from the rim. With enough wood at each to keep it burning all night.’’

Win reached for his rifle. When he rose, he met Kora’s eyes. For a moment all the trouble didn’t seem so bad. All he’d asked for was a woman to marry him so he wouldn’t lose the house, and he’d gotten all he’d ever imagined a woman could be in the bargain. She’d even said she loved him once, and if she never said it again, once was enough.

Kora climbed into the wagon as men within hearing distance tried to act as if they hadn’t been listening. ‘‘I’ll make a bed for Dan under the trees. He’ll be safe there while I move the wood.’’

Jamie ran to the other side of the wagon and jumped in.

‘‘I’ll help, ’cause I’m staying, too. I don’t want to miss the fun.’’

‘‘But, Jamie!’’ Wyatt ran to her side of the wagon. ‘‘What about us? My offer still stands. Run away with me now, and I promise you a wild time.’’

Jamie shook her head. ‘‘I’m sorry, Wyatt. I have to turn you down. I’m not sure what you’re looking for, but it’s not me.’’

Wyatt tipped his hat as though she’d turned him down for a dance. His lack of sorrow made it plain to everyone that she was just an extra and not a staple in his life.

As the women moved away toward the cottonwoods, Win said to Cheyenne, ‘‘Take a man and ride as fast as you can back to the house for supplies. We may be here for the night, and I don’t want Kora hungry or cold.’’

Cheyenne nodded. ‘‘And I’ll pick up your extra Colt. You want me to take Dan back?’’

Win smiled, thinking of where his gunbelt was resting around Kora’s waist and wishing his arm could do the same. ‘‘No, she wants her family close.’’

Win leaned closer to Cheyenne. ‘‘You still got that deed I bought from the bank and Andrew Adams?’’

‘‘I picked it up this morning before I rode out here to join you,’’ Cheyenne said. ‘‘Andrews couldn’t believe you were paying him double for his share. But it was a smart investment. That’s a pretty spread, but it will never be farmland.’’

‘‘Put the deed in the safe when you get back.’’ Win watched the pass between the rocks. ‘‘And put Jamie’s name on it.’’

‘‘What?’’ Cheyenne questioned as if he didn’t hear Winter correctly.

‘‘I don’t want her ever feeling she has to run off with drifters and gamblers just because she doesn’t feel like she has a place to stay.’’

‘‘All right,’’ Cheyenne said as he walked away. ‘‘You’re the boss. But you sure picked a hell of a time to be passing out land.’’

THIRTY-THREE

TIMEPASSED SLOWLY UNTIL SUNSET. KORA AND JAMIEmade several trips to the cottonwoods and brought back firewood. The men helped them unload and build fires all along the ridge where the cattle below might come through.

Winter didn’t say another word to Kora, but he looked for her each time he rode past the camp.

At dusk Cheyenne returned with supplies and Dan’s chair. He helped Jamie tie it to the bed of the wagon, both knowing that Dan would climb into the wagon before full dark and not budge no matter what happened.

Win worked with his men, giving instructions and advice like a general preparing for battle.

When Cheyenne walked beside his boss, he said, ‘‘If they stampede that large a herd and we spread the fires out, there will be no place for the herd to turn except in on itself.’’

‘‘I know,’’ Win whispered.

‘‘It’ll be a slaughter. Some of their men may be caught in the middle. A man down in that size a herd would be dead within seconds.’’

‘‘I thought of that,’’ Win agreed again. ‘‘I’ve alwaysdepended on you being my right hand. But tonight, if the shooting starts, I want you to leave. Take Kora and Jamie and travel north toward the settlement. With my men busy fighting, we may not be able to stop the fire once it starts. The folks at the settlement will need warning. From there, take the women and Dan back to the house.’’

Winter had made sure months ago that the house was surrounded by a breaker against grass fires. The stream on one third, the corrals on another. Plowed ground void of grass on a third. It made the grounds muddy when it rained, but it acted as a breaker. Cheyenne would have time to knock the corral posts down. With Kora and Jamie keeping watch, the headquarters would be safe. The stark plainness of his ranch headquarters that Mary Anna had complained about once would be the very thing that saved it from burning.

‘‘What if Kora won’t go?’’ Cheyenne asked. ‘‘Do I drag them off screaming and fighting?’’

‘‘Tell her the house is in danger.’’

Cheyenne shook his head. ‘‘She won’t go.’’

Win frowned. ‘‘Tell her Dan and Jamie are in danger. She’ll do anything to help her family.’’

‘‘Even leave you here to fight alone?’’ Cheyenne asked.

‘‘Even leave me,’’ Win repeated. He figured one ‘‘I love you’’ would never outweigh a lifetime of caring for her brother and sister.

Darkness moved across the prairie, but the men kept the vigil. In one-hour shifts they stood guard at every location where cattle might climb. Win remained in the saddle, moving from one location to the other, waiting.

Wyatt restlessly circled the campfire where Kora and Jamie sat. He’d flirted with Jamie until nightfall, but she’d turned him down cold. Yellow never aroused her passion, and he seemed dipped in it. He’d pleaded his case betterthan a big-city lawyer could have, but she was no longer interested.

‘‘Rider coming in!’’ one of the men on post yelled.

Win and Cheyenne stepped into the glow of the campfire as a rider cleared the pass and rode toward the light.

All guns were drawn as the rider dismounted. ‘‘I’ve come with a message!’’ he shouted. ‘‘For McQuillen.’’

‘‘I’m McQuillen.’’ Win moved forward. ‘‘What is it?’’

‘‘One of my boss’s daughters wants to talk to you. She wants to try and make peace one last time. She said to meet her in the pass alone in ten minutes.’’ The drover looked nervous. ‘‘She says if you do, it’ll all be solved.’’

‘‘I’ll be there,’’ Win stated and raised his hand to allow the messenger to return unbothered.

‘‘Don’t go,’’ Cheyenne whispered. ‘‘It’s a trap.’’

‘‘For once I agree with Cheyenne,’’ Wyatt said. ‘‘The woman is mean and self-centered. Whatever she wants will only serve her own interest. I think she’s probably the one responsible for the lookouts being shot.’’

‘‘Maybe she doesn’t want to see her father killed,’’ Kora offered. ‘‘Maybe she’s trying to help.’’

Wyatt lifted the coat Win had been wearing. ‘‘She’s deadly. She always has been,’’ he whispered. ‘‘I’ll talk to her.’’

Win studied him closely. A man doesn’t get many chances to prove his courage. Wyatt looked near to being shattered. He might be playing both sides of the fence, but he had nothing to gain by this action. ‘‘All right,’’ Win said, giving the man an opportunity for no reason other than he needed one. ‘‘I’ll be right behind you. But when we get back, you’ve got some talking to do and it better be the truth.’’

Tension thickened the air as the minutes ticked by. Wyatt put on Winter’s coat and hat in silence. Win moved to thewagon and removed his spurs, then began blackening his face and hands with ashes.

‘‘What are you doing?’’ Kora asked from just behind him.

Win smiled, enjoying the sound of her voice. ‘‘I’ll be moving in silently, a part of the night. No one will even know I’m there, unless Wyatt gets himself into trouble.’’

‘‘Be careful,’’ she whispered. She watched him slide a knife into his belt. ‘‘Do you want your gun back?’’

‘‘No.’’ Win leaned and kissed her cheek. ‘‘You keep it for me. A shot that far into the pass might set off the cattle below.’’

Kora wanted a moment alone with him. All day she’d been longing to have him hold her, or whisper something only for her ears. But there was no time and no place.

‘‘Ready?’’ Wyatt asked.

‘‘Ready,’’ Win answered. As he passed Kora, he touched her cheek. ‘‘See you in a few minutes, darlin’.’’

Kora couldn’t speak for the lump in her throat.

Win crossed into the blackness with Wyatt. They walked toward the opening. ‘‘You don’t have to do this for me,’’ Win said.

‘‘Yes, I do, but not for you. For me.’’ Wyatt squared his shoulders. ‘‘I’ve been dodging this problem all my life.’’

Win slowed as they moved into the narrow space and began to descend into a natural hallway that joined the low lands with the higher ground. It was too rocky for a wagon to move through, but a man on horseback, or cattle, would have no problem.

Halfway down a female voice echoed off the walls. ‘‘That’s far enough, McQuillen.’’

Wyatt stopped and Win moved into the blackness a few feet behind him.

‘‘Aren’t you even going to say hello to your first love?’’The woman took a step closer. She was dressed in a red riding suit with white lace at the collar and cuffs, reflecting the moonlight.

The gambler remained silent, his hat down hiding his face.

Fighting down the reaction to her voice, Win moved closer. Mary Anna! Of course, she was the woman Rae warned Kora about. Her family were ranchers in the south, and she’d been here visiting since before the trouble started.

‘‘You could have made it so easy. Marry me and I’d have had you on a honeymoon while my father moved the cattle. But I guess I waited too long expecting you to crawl. You panicked and married another.’’

Wyatt remained stone as she thought she was talking to Win before her.

Mary Anna took a step closer. ‘‘I told Papa from the first I’d take care of the problem called McQuillen. He promised me Wyatt’s share of the profits. My loser of a brother’s been no help at all. He doesn’t deserve any part of what will be Papa’s greatest year if he can just get the cattle to market. Wyatt rode with us in black dusters, but he’d always shoot high. But not me. I almost killed that shadow of yours, Cheyenne, and I would have killed you if Wyatt hadn’t demanded we take cover.’’

Win fought down his rage as he took a step closer and pulled his knife. He was alone in the passage with two of the siblings someone had told him were deadly. Sweet, beautiful Mary Anna sounded as if she was capable of anything, and Wyatt might turn on him, or run at any moment.

But the brother remained motionless with his head down.

‘‘The time has come for me to keep my word to my father. Your little wife is about to become a widow once more.’’ Mary Anna lifted a small derringer from her pocket.

‘‘No!’’ Winter shouted. He rushed forward, trying topush Wyatt aside. The knife in his hand clanged among the rocks as he dived toward the man wearing his coat.

The gun fired just as she caught a glimpse of Win coming from the shadows. Wyatt lifted his face to his sister as he crumbled.

‘‘Wyatt!’’ Mary Anna screamed when Win knocked the gun from her hand.

He blocked her path, but Wyatt’s groan of pain drew his attention. Mary Anna backed away yelling to no one that it wasn’t her fault.

Win lifted the gambler’s arm over his shoulder to help him to his feet. They both stared at the silhouette of Mary Anna running down the path. The shot had spooked the cattle, and they were moving about restlessly below. Her sudden descent sent tiny rocks showering and started the cattle nearby trying to move away. But hundreds of head pinned them in. The herd seemed to churn below her, stomping up dirt and making low sounds.

Mary Anna suddenly lost her footing and screamed as she fell among them. Several men on horseback moved toward her, but they were too far away. Her body was trampled before her scream could die in the air.

Win turned and moved up the passage half carrying Wyatt-at his side. There was nothing he could do to save Mary Anna, but Wyatt was still alive.

When he walked back into camp carrying Wyatt, everyone gathered round to help. They placed him in the wagon bed near the firelight. Win explained what had happened while Kora took a look at the wound on Wyatt’s side.

‘‘I’m all right,’’ Wyatt said as he fought back the pain. ‘‘The bullet just grazed me. She never could shoot a handgun worth a darn.’’

Kora bandaged the wound as best she could. ‘‘You need to see a doctor.’’

Wyatt nodded as he sat up. ‘‘First, I have to tell my father what happened. Mary Anna was always more the son he wanted than me.’’ He glanced at Win. ‘‘Get me my horse, would you?’’

‘‘Take mine.’’ Win understood the gambler’s need to find his father. ‘‘Thanks for saving my life.’’

‘‘No.’’ Wyatt smiled. ‘‘It’s time to tell the truth. If you hadn’t jumped in when you did, she might not have missed. You saved mine.’’ He pulled off Win’s coat. ‘‘And if you don’t mind, I’ll take my own horse. I wouldn’t want to be mistaken for you twice tonight.’’

Wyatt stood slowly. ‘‘I may not be back, but I’ll see my father’s anger isn’t turned toward you.’’

‘‘You’re welcome anytime.’’

The gambler glanced at Jamie.

‘‘As a friend,’’ she answered his unasked question. ‘‘You’re always welcome as a friend.’’

Wyatt touched his fingers to his hat and gingerly climbed atop his horse. He moved into the night without another word.

Kora slid beneath Win’s arm. ‘‘Is it over?’’

‘‘If our luck holds, we’ll know by morning.’’ He held her tight.

The camp settled down for the night. Men still rode in changing shifts, but no one heard a word from below. Kora and Jamie climbed into the bed of the wagon and tried to sleep on either side of Dan’s chair, but both were too excited.

Just after dawn Winter drew everyone’s attention with a sudden resounding shot. They all scrambled to see what he’d shot at.

‘‘That’s far enough!’’ Win shouted as he raised his rifle and pointed toward the passage. ‘‘Another foot and the bulletwon’t just dance in the dirt at your feet.’’

A man in his fifties slowly raised his hands. ‘‘All right. I’m not going to try anything. I’m not armed.’’

Win didn’t lower his rifle. Kora pulled the Winchester from the wagon and joined her husband. Cheyenne did the same, taking only a moment to shove Jamie down out of sight as he passed her.

She glared at him, but didn’t stand back up.

‘‘What do you want?’’ Win asked the man below.

‘‘Name’s Randell Monroe. I’ve come to say I’ve had enough. I quit. You win. I never planned on pushing so hard. Wyatt told me you saved his life last night. Thanks for that. I don’t know if I could survive losing two children in one night.’’

‘‘Mary Anna’s dead then?’’ Win asked, even though he knew she would be.

The old man nodded. ‘‘She never could stand not getting her way. And I always spoiled her, so the blame of what she tried to do is more mine than hers. Wyatt tried to stop me from herding the cattle, but all I saw was how much money I’d lose if I didn’t try.’’

Win didn’t say a word, but he found himself admiring the man in the passage for his honesty.

Randell removed his hat and pushed his silver hair back.

‘‘We’re already turning the herd for home. I’ll bury my daughter and suffer my losses, but I’ll not try to cross your land.’’

Win lowered his rifle. Randell Monroe looked like a proud man. He wasn’t sure if he felt more sorry for him for losing Mary Anna or for having lost control of what was right.

‘‘We’ll burn the grassland behind you,’’ Win said as he stood.

‘‘I figured you would,’’ Randell said, then turned slowlyaround. ‘‘Give us a day’s start. We should reach the river by then.’’

‘‘No more,’’ Win answered, knowing they’d have to drive the cattle hard to stay ahead of a brush fire. The grazing would be burned for miles across the rocky land no one claimed, but in a month with a few good rains, the growth would come back.

Winter watched the man walk back down the pass, his head high. He looked older than he had when he’d climbed the ledge.

‘‘Will he have enough years left to start over?’’ Kora whispered.

‘‘Maybe he’ll turn the ranch over to Wyatt,’’ Win answered.

‘‘How many men do you want to leave on guard?’’ Cheyenne asked.

‘‘It doesn’t matter. I have a feeling Randell Monroe will stop any trouble from reaching us.’’

‘‘So do I,’’ Kora added.

They left a half dozen men camped on the ridge and headed home. Kora wanted to ride double with Win, but he didn’t offer and she wasn’t about to ask. They were all exhausted. Kora and Jamie headed toward the settlement to pick up Logan while Win and Cheyenne rode with the men toward home.

As they crossed Win’s land, Jamie sat beside her sister in the wagon.

‘‘Cheyenne’s not speaking to me again,’’ she mumbled. ‘‘I swear, why’d he bother to save me if he’s not going to notice I’m alive? I hate him with every bone in my body.’’

Kora didn’t comment. She couldn’t force Cheyenne to like her sister. The man had a right to his own opinion.

‘‘Maybe Wyatt will come back,’’ Kora finally said, hoping to change the subject. ‘‘Win said he’d send a man southnext spring to offer to help restock his herd.’’

‘‘I don’t care if his does.’’ Jamie pulled her skirts up above her knees. ‘‘Right now I don’t care about much of anything but a bath and a bed.’’

Jamie slapped the team into action. They circled by the settlement, picked up a grumpy Logan, and headed slowly home. When they reached the main house, no one was around, but there were signs that someone had been. The bunkhouse cook had put out a spread of food. He said Win had hit home issuing orders like someone special was coming to visit. He wanted a meal on the table and about a hundred other things done before Kora returned, then he up and disappeared riding toward town.

‘‘I wish he’d told me where he was going, or when to expect him back.’’ Kora knew her words sounded like a complaint, but she was too tired to remain silent.

‘‘What?’’ Jamie chimed. ‘‘And break a perfect record? I may stay around a while longer just to see you whip him into shape. He’s not overly friendly, but he does grow on a person. At least he’s brave and honest and never goes back on his word. But I’m not promising to stay long.’’

‘‘For a while then.’’ Kora smiled.

THIRTY-FOUR

KORASTEPPED INTO THE SUNNY WARMTH OF HER COLORFULbedroom. After a night of trying to sleep in a wagon bed, the space looked like a slice of heaven. The quilts welcomed her as they shone in the sunlight. In the center of the room awaited a hip tub already filled with water. Her robe and a towel lay over the chair by her writing table.

Smiling with delight, she stripped off her dirty clothes and sank into the cool water.

‘‘He does care,’’ she whispered, knowing Win had set the bath up for her. Most of the time he might seem to think only of the ranch, but he had made several trips getting this ready for her.

After washing her body and hair, she barely had enough energy left to slip into her undergarments before she curled atop the quilt that covered their bed and fell asleep.

It was late afternoon when she felt someone touching her hand. Opening her eyes, she saw Win standing by the bed. He held one of her hands in both of his.

‘‘Hello,’’ she whispered, noticing his hair was still wet from being washed. ‘‘You look like my husband, but you can’t be. My husband smells like trail dust most of the time.’’

‘‘You look like my wife, but my wife would never be so lazy as to sleep during the day.’’ He lifted her hand. ‘‘But you must be her, because you’re wearing a wedding band that matches mine.’’

Kora leaned up suddenly and pulled her hand from his. Sure enough, on her left hand was a wide gold band that matched the shiny gold one on his finger.

‘‘You didn’t have to—’’ she started.

‘‘I know, it wasn’t part of the bargain.’’ He rolled into bed beside her. ‘‘But then neither was the way we make love.’’

He moved his fingers gently down her back and over the silk covering her hips. ‘‘Did you enjoy your bath?’’ His hand continued to stroke her.

She relaxed to his touch. ‘‘Yes,’’ she whispered as she stretched beside him, allowing him to move her arms and legs as he continued to touch her.

‘‘I wish I’d made it back in time to watch,’’ he mumbled between light kisses.

Gently he rolled her to face him, and moved her leg around his waist, pulling her close against him at the waist. Then he leaned her head back over pillows. For a long moment he watched her, then lightly he traced his fingers down her throat.

Kora closed her eyes as his hand slid over the silk of her camisole, touching her breasts, circling along her abdomen, and gently moving between her open legs.

‘‘You come to me so easy, Kora,’’ he whispered as he repeated the action. ‘‘You drive me mad with need.’’

She arched her back, pressing against him with her legs and straining the silk across her breasts.

He slid his hands up her thighs and pulled her tighter against him, fitting her to his need. Then he lowered his mouth and tasted her full breasts through the silk. As always,at first his hunger was rough, pulling against her tender flesh, demanding, starving.

She sighed and tried to roll away from the tidal wave of passion and need. But his hands on her legs held her to him and his mouth tasted full of her flesh. Then, slowly, like a hungry man who’d reached the banquet, he slowed, enjoying each touch.

‘‘Don’t pull away from me, darlin’,’’ he whispered. ‘‘I want all of my wife tonight.’’

She relaxed once more as his touch turned tender. He slowly unlaced her undergarments one ribbon at a time so that he could enjoy her slowly. He stopped for a long while, enjoying the sight of her camisole open to her waist and pulled wide enough apart that only the peaks of each breast were covered. Her underpants were pushed low over her hips so that his hand could cross back and forth in wide strokes below her waist, then circle back to caress her hips.

‘‘I love watching you like this,’’ he whispered as his fingers brushed the silk completely from her breasts. ‘‘I thought of it all last night and all day today.’’

She could feel his wedding band sliding along her skin as he pushed the garment aside.

Now his hands roamed over her, molding her with his need. He covered her hips with his touch and pulled her against him, rocking her to him as he kissed her throat. She hadn’t said a word, his silent wife; she didn’t have to. She brought him all the beauty and passion he could hold.

She felt her body growing warm, alive with feeling. Sighing softly, she leaned back, allowing him to lower his mouth once more to her chest.

His hand moved down as he kissed her. She felt his fingers slide inside her.

When she tried to pull away, he held her tightly, notremoving his hand. ‘‘Easy,’’ he whispered against her skin. ‘‘I’m not going to hurt you, darlin’.’’

Without another word he kissed her again, drawing her into passion as she opened her mouth. His hand moved once more between her legs, and this time she didn’t try to pull away.

The third time he touched her, he was kissing her lightly on her waiting lips, but he wasn’t holding her to him at all. She could have pulled away from his probing hand, but she remained still.

He rewarded her with a deep kiss while his hand circled her breast. By the time he pulled away she was afire with desire and moving slightly against him, begging for more.

Laughing, he gave her what she wanted. Kissing her in all the places he’d tasted her the night in the study, driving her beyond all reason, pulling her into passion’s deep water.

Slowly, in the warm afternoon glow of sunlight, he made love to her. As he had in the study, his hands moved over her, touching each part of her body, readying it to be tasted. And as she had before, she set no boundaries.

There were no words of love, no whispered endearments, no promises voiced. Only the loving, pure and silent, as wave after wave of passion passed over her. When he entered her, he did so slowly, allowing her to accept him without pain.

She moved her hands over his shoulders, loving the feel of him above her, loving the way he made her feel all warm and protected and afire.

The pleasure she brought him was doubled when he felt her passion explode. She held tightly to him and whispered his name as he brought her back down to earth.

Then, without a word, they cuddled in each other’s arms and fell asleep.

• • •

Kora awoke to the night sky. Something Jamie said had haunted her dreams. Jamie had made the point that Winter never went back on his word. He’d never said he loved her. He’d never told her to stay forever. But he had told her he wouldn’t try and stop her if she wanted to leave. He had said he wanted her gone when the six months was up. He had told her over and over that he’d never love any woman. But he called her his wife. He’d given her a ring.

She dressed and tiptoed down to Jamie’s room. ‘‘ Jamie?’’ she whispered as she opened the door. ‘‘Are you asleep?’’

Jamie stretched and sat up in bed. ‘‘Why would I be doing a fool thing like that?’’

‘‘I have to talk to you.’’

Jamie moved over. ‘‘All right. I’ve been waiting all my life for you to come to me for advice. I’m a sage, you know.’’

Kora smiled. ‘‘All right, tell me what to do.’’

Jamie rubbed her eyes. ‘‘Shoot.’’

‘‘I love Win, but I’m not even sure if he’d follow me if I left here.’’

Jamie didn’t waste any time thinking. ‘‘Then let’s leave and see.’’

‘‘What!’’

‘‘Trust me, Sis.’’ Jamie jumped out of bed with a loud thud. ‘‘Go up and get your coat and I’ll get the wagon. We’ll take Dan for a ride.’’

Kora thought this was probably the dumbest idea she’d ever heard, but maybe Jamie was right for once. At best, Win might miss her. At worst no one would notice them gone and they would have had a little drive in the middle of the night.

Jamie stomped into her shoes and opened her door. ‘‘Goon and pack,’’ she said too loudly. ‘‘It’s time we were moving on.’’

Kora went upstairs for her coat, wondering why Jamie was acting as if they were leaving for good. As she walked down the darkened stairway, she wondered why she was even bothering to listen to Jamie.

A chair from the study blocked her path at the opening of the foyer. Kora circled it and found Win, wearing only his jeans, sitting in the wing back chair with his feet stretched out on one of the stair’s steps.

‘‘I said I wouldn’t say a word if you decided to leave.’’

His words were cold as they drifted across the darkness to her. ‘‘But I lied.’’

‘‘If I just rode off one night,’’ Kora tested him, ‘‘you could have the house.’’

‘‘I don’t want the house. I want you to stand by our bargain.’’ He wasn’t saying the words that would make her stay, and they both knew it. ‘‘I was working in the study and couldn’t help but hear Jamie shouting you were leaving.’’

‘‘But I’m bad luck. Look at all that has happened since I’ve been here.’’

Win was silent for so long she wasn’t sure he’d say anything.

Just as she turned, he whispered, ‘‘You’re the only luck I’ve ever had.’’

‘‘Then tell me why you want me to stay, Win,’’ Kora whispered.

‘‘We had an agreement. The six months is not up yet. I need a wife.’’

Kora fought back the tears. She’d been wrong—she did need to hear words of love, but he wasn’t saying them. How could he have made love to her so completely and not voice the words?

‘‘Why else?’’ She had to give him another chance.

‘‘I’ve never felt the way I feel when I’m with you. I’ve a hunger for you that may never be filled from a lifetime of sleeping with you.’’ He was trying, but she was asking him to speak a language he’d never had the time to learn.

Kora held her breath, waiting for the words. Three words that even this strong, powerful man should be able to say. In the final hour the decision wasn’t hers, but his. She suddenly realized that if he couldn’t say he loved her, she couldn’t stay.

The door swung open and Jamie stepped through with a lantern swinging at her side. ‘‘Kora,’’ she whispered, without seeing Win sitting in the chair. ‘‘I’ve put Dan’s chair in the wagon twice, and Dan keeps taking it out.’’

‘‘Maybe he doesn’t want to go,’’ Cheyenne said, making everyone jump. He rounded the doorway with his arms folded as though he’d been on the porch for a while.

‘‘No one asked you.’’ Jamie set the lantern down on the stairs. ‘‘I’ll put the chair in again. And don’t you dare call the alarm or try to stop us.’’

‘‘If you’re leaving, I’ll be glad to help load the wagon,’’ Cheyenne offered.

Before Kora could join them, Win’s voice stopped her. ‘‘I want it back,’’ he whispered.

‘‘What?’’ she asked, saddened that he hadn’t attempted to stop her. When Jamie had suggested the wild plan, she’d never thought that she might really be leaving. She never should have tried to force Win’s hand. He wasn’t the kind of man to be pushed into saying something just because she thought she needed to hear the words.

‘‘The ring!’’ he demanded.

Kora sat on the step with the lantern and pulled the band from her finger. She placed it in her palm and held it up to him. In the end all he was worried about was the ring,not her. What difference did it make if she left now or a few months from now? She was only a temporary wife anyway.

The light reflected off the gold, sparkling the metal into a ring of tiny shooting stars. Kora stared at it, marveling at how beautiful it looked.

Something caught her eye and she turned the ring to the light. Letters were carved deep into the gold on the inside. She turned it, slowly reading the words aloud. ‘‘For Kora, my love, my life, Win.’’

Tears bubbled onto her cheeks. ‘‘Am I?’’ she whispered. ‘‘Am I your love?’’

Win stood then and knelt on the stairs beside her. ‘‘No,’’ he whispered, forcing each word out. ‘‘You’re more, much more. You’re all the beauty I’ve ever known. You’re my heart, my soul. You’re worth more than all I own or will ever have. If you leave, you’ll take the only key that can keep my heart beating.’’

Tears streamed down Kora’s face as she lifted her arms, and he pulled her against him.

‘‘Well, I’ll be!’’ Jamie squealed from the foyer. ‘‘Damned if you didn’t finally say the right thing, cowboy. I was about to think I’d have to hog-tie you and beat it into you.’’

Win held Kora tightly as he faced Jamie. ‘‘You pushed me as far as you could, didn’t you? When I heard you upstairs, I guessed why you were talking so loud. But when Kora came down those stairs, I couldn’t think of anything but that she might leave me. You planned it that way.’’

‘‘Right again, cowboy. I didn’t want my sister marrying because of some bargain. I wanted her to be loved and appreciated like she ought to be . . . like a smart man would appreciate me.’’

Cheyenne stood behind Jamie. ‘‘Dan’s out of the wagonagain,’’ he complained. ‘‘Moved his chair back to the porch.’’

Jamie winked at Win and turned to the Indian. ‘‘Stop trying to slow me down, Cheyenne. I’m leaving.’’

‘‘Slow you down! I’m doing all I can to help you along.’’

‘‘Sure you are.’’ She followed him onto the porch, patting his bottom as they moved. ‘‘I know how you really feel about me.’’

Cheyenne took long strides away. ‘‘I can’t wait until you’re out of my life!’’

Jamie was right behind him, yelling what a liar he was and that maybe she’d decided she’d stay around a while just to prove it.

Win and Kora laughed as they heard Jamie and Cheyenne arguing all the way to the barn. Then Win turned Kora in his arms and kissed her soundly.

‘‘We’d better go back to bed, darlin’,’’ Win whispered.

Kora smiled up at him. ‘‘How far were you willing to go to make me stay?’’

‘‘As far as it takes,’’ he said as he lifted her in his arms. ‘‘Even if it means having to say I love you every day and night of my life.’’

Kora smiled. ‘‘That’s the price.’’

Win kissed her. ‘‘Then, darlin’, it’s a bargain.’’

EPILOGUE

‘‘MOVE THE TABLES OUT UNDER THE TREES!’’ JAMIEyelled at several men. ‘‘Hurry, she’s on her way.’’

Kora carried out plates and a linen tablecloth.

‘‘Remember,’’ she whispered to Jamie as she passed, ‘‘only the best of my new china.’’

Jamie grumbled. ‘‘All right, but it don’t make much sense setting such a table under the trees.’’

‘‘It’s too hot in the house. I want her to be comfortable.’’

Ten minutes later Kora, Jamie, and Win stood on the front porch and watched Cheyenne pull Kora’s new buggy up to the front steps.

Win moved forward and offered the special guest his hand. ‘‘Welcome, Miss Rae,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve been waiting for you to join us for dinner.’’

The old lady from the settlement smiled as she stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine. Her ragged clothes were clean, and she’d tried to comb her hair, but several strands had bindweed mentality among the strawlike gray tumbleweed.

‘‘Why, thank you, Mr. McQuillen. I’m mightly glad you sent yourmuteto get me.’’

Cheyenne grumbled and Win laughed. Cheyenne never talked to anyone much, except Jamie, whom he yelled at regularly.

Kora took Rae’s arm and led her through the house. ‘‘I thought we’d have a glass of apple wine first. If you’ve got the time, I’d love to show you some of the things Win and I brought back from Dallas.’’

Rae nodded as though she might pick up some decorating tips.

Win watched as Kora treated her guest with all the respect and charm she would have a queen. The cowhands joining them took their lead from Kora, and soon everyone was on their best behavior. As they sat beneath the trees, Dan carried his chair from the porch and moved it in between Rae and Logan. Jamie looked surprised, but Rae never missed a step. She began talking with Dan as though the man would answer her.

To Win’s surprise, everyone enjoyed dinner, and by the time dessert was served, the atmosphere seemed more of a party.

As the men left to have their cigars, Jamie caught Win by the arm. ‘‘Did you mean what you said about making any man who got me with child marry me?’’

Everyone including Kora froze.

Win raised an eyebrow. ‘‘I did.’’

‘‘Well, I’m going to have a child, and the father is right here.’’

Cheyenne swore, Logan swallowed his tobacco, and several of the men looked at one another trying to guess who the unlucky man might be.

‘‘Oh, no!’’ Kora cried as she moved to Jamie’s side.

‘‘Name the father and I’ll get my gun.’’ Win’s face was hard. ‘‘Any man who did this to you will be a husband or dead by morning.’’

Jamie smiled as if all her problems were solved.

Everyone waited silently for her to speak. Jamie lowered her head. When she looked up, she had eyes only for Cheyenne.

Cheyenne looked confused, then angry. He slammed his napkin on the table and bolted from his chair. ‘‘This is the limit, Jamie. You know damn well I’m not the father of any baby you’re carrying.’’

Kora saw the confusion in Win’s eyes. He couldn’t go back on his word, and he couldn’t shoot his best friend. She suddenly became more worried about Win than Jamie or Cheyenne.

‘‘Are you sure?’’ Rae laughed as she took the reins of the mess before her as if it were after-dinner entertainment.

‘‘Am I sure! Am I sure! It’s not something I’d likely forget happening!’’ Cheyenne shouted.

‘‘So you never thought of Jamie in that way?’’ Rae folded her arms over her stomach.

Cheyenne opened his mouth and closed it three times before he could get a word to come out. ‘‘Sure I’ve thought of her in that way, but thinking and doing are two different things.’’

‘‘Do you love her?’’ Rae became the judge.

‘‘No!’’ Cheyenne answered. ‘‘I hate most every ornery bone in her body. She’s just saying this now because she’s run out of anything to badger me about. The woman has considered it her life’s calling to pester me since the night she showed up here.’’

‘‘Well, there’s only one way to know for sure,’’ Rae said, as if she’d read the cure in a book somewhere. ‘‘Kiss her.’’

‘‘What!’’

‘‘Kiss her. I can always tell if a man cares about a woman by the way he kisses her.’’

Cheyenne took a step away. ‘‘I made that mistake once, and she won’t stop touching me since.’’

Kora slipped her hand into Win’s and tightened her grip. She wanted him to know that no matter what he had to do tonight, she would stand beside him.

‘‘Best follow Rae’s advice,’’ Win said. ‘‘If Jamie’s lying, we’ll all know soon enough.’’

Jamie frowned at Win, seemingly unhappy at even the thought that she might be lying.

‘‘Of course she’s lying—her mouth is moving, isn’t it?’’

‘‘If Rae says kiss her, you’d best follow her advice.’’ Win ordered.

Cheyenne stormed to Jamie like a man charging a grizzly bear. He grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly against him and lowered his mouth.

Win took a step to help Jamie, but Kora held him back.

Cheyenne lifted her off the ground in a hug as Jamie’s arms circled his neck.

Everyone waited . . . and waited . . . and waited.

Rae made a sound like she was bored and glanced at Kora. ‘‘I’ll help you clear the table.’’

‘‘Shouldn’t we do something?’’ Win asked.

Rae chuckled. ‘‘They’re already doing it.’’

When the dishes were clear and men had brought the table inside, Jamie and Cheyenne were still locked in each other’s arms.

‘‘Well,’’ Rae said as she circled her ragged shawl around her neck. ‘‘I guess we got our answer.’’

‘‘He’s the father,’’ Win mumbled.

Both Rae and Kora laughed.

‘‘No,’’ Rae snorted. ‘‘Jamie ain’t pregnant. She was fibbing flat out. It’s obvious. But that don’t mean she won’t be by morning.’’

The old woman climbed into the buggy. Logan had been

appointed to take her home. Before he could adjust the reins, Dan walked off the porch and climbed in the back without looking at anyone.

As the buggy pulled away, Win drew Kora under his arm and kissed her hair. ‘‘I don’t understand,’’ he whispered as he moved to her cheek. ‘‘How was it so obvious that Jamie was the one lying?’’

Kora raised her lips to his. His kiss was loving and warm with promise. ‘‘Because,’’ Kora whispered against his cheek. ‘‘He was starving.’’

Win lifted her into his arms. ‘‘I’m feeling a little starved myself. Even though that was a wonderful six-month anniversary dinner.’’

‘‘Thank you,’’ she whispered as she moved her hand into his hair.

‘‘Have I told you how much I love you today?’’ Win asked as he started up the stairs.

‘‘Yes.’’ She laughed. ‘‘Twice already today.’’

‘‘I must be gettin’ old. I can’t remember and Jamie’s behavior makes no sense.’’

‘‘It seemed plain from the first that she was bluffing,’’ Kora whispered as he opened their bedroom door and carried her into the starlit room. ‘‘Besides, everyone knows I’m the one who’s pregnant.’’

Win felt the heart he’d spent most of his life swearing he didn’t have explode with joy. He’d found where he belonged. He’d found his tribe.

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