Moon Racer (6 page)

Quince knew there was certainly no calmness in
Jonah. It had always mystified him why the major
never spoke of the woman he was to marry when
everyone down to the newest recruit knew he was
soon to marry. "What is your business in Diablo?"
he asked curiously.

"It has to do with the missing payrolls meant for
Fort Fannin. Both times our payrolls were hit, the
shipment originated in Diablo. It could be a
coincidence, but I am looking into every aspect of
the robberies, no matter how small the lead."

"You don't have much to go on, do you?"

Jonah unbuttoned the top button on his uniform
jacket. "The trail gets colder with each passing day."

"What about Victorio? I know you were tracking
him up in New Mexico territory."

"Colonel Grierson is on his trail at the moment.
At last report he had driven him back into Mexico.
But we all know you can't keep Victorio where he
doesn't want to be. He has sworn that he will fight
to the death, and I believe him."

Quince was glad he didn't have to go chasing after
the Apache chief. "Such is the life of a soldier."

Jonah nodded in agreement. "You sign up for the
glory; you stay for the fight."

"Yeah. That's one reason I quit. There was no
glory, and there was always a fight."

"Quince," Jonah asked, changing the subject,
"have you heard of a man named Norman
Williamson?"

Quince frowned thoughtfully. "I have heard that
name... somewhere. Isn't he the Indian agent at
Fort Fannin?"

"Yes, that's him. The word whispered about the
state is that he gives tainted meat to the Comanche,
although no one has caught him at it. I only
encountered the man once, but he wouldn't meet
my eyes when we spoke. It irritates the hell out of
me when someone does that."

"I've heard nothing good about him. If I were
you, I'd certainly keep an eye on him."

"I intend to delve into his background, and I have
someone watching him."

"Do you think you'll be called on to go after
Victorio?"

"It's almost a certainty. As far as he is concerned,
the die has been cast, and there is no turning back
for the army. Victorio and his band recently killed eight soldiers of the Ninth Cavalry and took their
horses. If I encounter him, my orders are to either
capture him, kill him, or force him back into
Mexico so the Mexican government can deal with
him. I can assure you that if I have a choice, I'll
drive him back into Mexico. It doesn't sit well with
me that I have to fight a man who is only trying to
preserve his way of life."

"I don't envy you." Quince understood very well
the turmoil brewing inside Jonah, whose main
concern was to protect the settlers in the area. "You
may not have a choice in the matter."

Jonah removed his hat and blotted his forehead
with his sleeve. "Show me your horses, and then
you can feed me."

"Come on; I'll show you a bit of horseflesh that'll
rival any you've ever seen. But this horse is meaner
than hell, and I won't be recommending him for
your lady."

Abby's entire attention was centered on the horse
beneath her, so she was unaware that Quince and
his visitor had joined Navidad and Curly at the
fence to watch.

Jonah propped a booted foot on the rail, his gaze
touching for a moment on the rider before his
attention was drawn to the horse. The gelding was
spirited, with an untamed streak of rebellion-its
muscles contracted and rolled with each lunge it
made.

By now several other cowhands had ridden in
from the range and quickly gathered along the
fence, some whistling and others calling out
encouraging remarks to the rider.

Quince's body went rigid, and he clamped his jaw
in a firm line while he gripped the fence. If the horse threw Abby, he wanted to be able to jump the fence
and get to her before she was trampled. He should
have anticipated that his sister would do something
like this. Dammit, she always had to test fate and
take everything just a little farther than anyone else!

Abby was completely focused on the horse,
anticipating which way it would move so she could
move with it. She could feel the animal's intake of
breath-she could even feel its skin twitching.

Suddenly the horse was airborne, and she was
almost unseated. Her legs tightened on its belly, and
her gloved hand yanked on the reins. The gelding
came down with such force that the impact jarred
her whole body.

She was going to be sore tomorrow.

By now Abby had a good idea why this horse
had thrown the other riders; he had stores of reserve
strength beyond those of any animal she had ever
ridden. Even now he wasn't tiring. He turned and
spun; he kicked and reared; but Abby stayed with
him, moving as he moved.

It was some time later that she felt the animal's
anguish-she knew the very moment the gelding
started to tire, and she almost wished the splendid
creature could be allowed to run wild and free. But
her resolve hardened-they needed the money Mr.
Johnson would pay them for breaking the gelding.

Jonah's gaze went to the slight figure mounted on
the horse. It was inconceivable that a man of such
small stature could handle a horse with such boundless fury. One would be the conquered, the other the victor. At that moment he knew that the rider would
be victorious. He stopped breathing as he watched
the rider's final mastery over the beast.

"If he is an example of your trainers, it's no
wonder the Half-Moon has such a good reputation.
Is that your brother?"

Quince felt his heartbeat ease, and he relaxed.
"No," he said, shaking his head and drawing in a
relieved breath. He watched the gelding give a final
defiant kick and then lower its head. "Not my
brother," he said softly and with pride. "That's my
sister, Abby. Damn if she didn't do it!"

Jonah stared in stunned disbelief as the rider
galloped the horse around the paddock. He was
further amazed when she removed her hat and
threw it into the air, allowing one long black braid
to tumble down her back. Paying closer attention to
detail, he could now see the evidence of her
gender-each movement the gelding made caused
the girl's breasts to bounce gently. He was both
astonished and irritated when he recognized the girl
who had spooked his horse that very morning.

"By damn, Quince, she's gone and done it!"
Curly said, laughing and jumping over the fence to
help Abby with the now exhausted animal.

Navidad ran alongside the horse. "You did it,
Senorita Abby! I should not have had the doubt."

Abby stood in the stirrups, bowing and flourishing
her hands while the cowhands applauded and
whistled, and her brother grinned with pride.

She slid out of the saddle and handed the reins to
Curly. "He was a tough one, but I think even your little granddaughter could ride him now."

"Come, Jonah," Quince said, laughing. "I'll
introduce you to the jewel of the Hunter family."

Jonah had already met the hellion, and he'had a
bruised shoulder to prove it. He could almost
sympathize with the unfortunate animal that had
become her latest victim.

Abby placed her hands on the fence and hurtled
over with ease to be caught in her brother's arms.

"I should be mad at you for what you did but
I'm just too damned proud, darlin'!" Quince said.

She always brightened under his praise, and she
did so now. "He was as tough a challenge as I've
ever faced."

Her brother, remembering his manners, turned
her to face his visitor. "You remember I told you
about Major Jonah Tremain? Jonah, my sister,
Abby."

She had always wanted to meet and thank the major who had awarded her family the contract for the
mustangs. But the smile froze on her face when she
recognized the officer she had encountered earlier in
the day. Her chin went up to a higher level as he
stared back at her, his head dipping in greeting, his
blue gaze boring into her. Seeing him in full uniform,
his saber and gun belt in place, his silver spurs reflecting the sunlight, she thought he was the most
overpowering man she had ever met. He seemed to
take up all the air, leaving none for her to breathe.

"Major Tremain," she said at last. "Quince has
told me so much about you." She watched him
guardedly, not extending her hand to him but clamp ing them both behind her back and lacing her fingers
tightly together. She waited for him to tell her brother
that they had already met. She glanced from him to
Quince, wondering what her brother's reaction
would be when he learned what she had done.

Jonah was examining a pair of emerald eyes
sparkling from a face covered with dust. "I've heard
about you as well, Miss Hunter. Although Quince
omitted telling me the extent of your many talents."

She felt relief flow through her-he hadn't told
her brother that she had knocked him off his horse.
But she had detected the hidden meaning that laced
his every word. Quince, however, seemed oblivious
to the major's barb. Her voice held no warmth
when she said, "My brother should have warned
you about me, Major. I can imagine I am something
of a shock to you."

He watched her unfasten her chaps and unbuckle
them from about her waist while casting him a
prideful glance. With a flourish, she tossed the
chaps carelessly over her shoulder. She had a
flamboyant nature that Jonah found surprising in a
woman, yet he could not look away from those
glorious emerald eyes. He wondered why he hadn't
noticed their color that morning. Of course, he had
been occupied with other matters at the time.

"Quince told me you could break a horse to
sidesaddle, but he failed to elaborate on the full
extent of your horsemanship."

She removed her gloves and tossed them and her
chaps to Curly. "For those women of faint heart, I
can provide a fainthearted nag." She wiped her sleeve across her face. "How is your shoulder,
Major?" With that as her parting shot, she turned
away and walked toward the house, her head high,
her spine straight.

Quince looked bemused. "She must have meant
to ask about your leg. I told her you were
wounded." With a lift of an eyebrow, he watched
Abby hurry toward the house. "She has always
shown an interest in meeting you. But if I didn't
know better, I'd think she didn't like you at all."

Jonah was also staring at Abby's retreating back.
He finally said in a voice laced with humor, "I don't
know her well enough to judge, but I don't believe
our first meeting went very well."

Quince shrugged as if it were of no importance.
"You can never tell with Abby. She's like a highstrung filly-she either likes you or she doesn't."

Jonah didn't know what' to think about Abby
Hunter. She had managed to shock him twice in one
day with her unconventional behavior. "Why did you
allow your sister to ride such a dangerous animal?"

Quince looked pensive a moment. "You saw
her-have you ever seen anyone more capable of
handling a horse than she is? I never questioned her
right to help out around here. If you were her
brother, you would have learned long ago not to try
to keep her from anything she has her mind set on."

Jonah thought of his own two sisters and counted
himself fortunate that neither one of them would
have gone near that horse.

"Come with me," Quince said. "I have just
enough time to show you the stable before supper."

Abby was still seething as she climbed the steps to
the porch. She should have been proud of her accomplishment, but seeing herself through that
officer's eyes had somehow dampened her joyespecially since he seemed critical of her actions. She
had heard about him so often, and she had wanted to
meet him. But Maj. Jonah Tremain was nothing like
the man Quince spoke of with such respect.

She had decided to go directly to the kitchen to
tell Frances what had happened between herself and
the major when she heard a rider approaching from
the direction of town. With a feeling of dread, Abby
watched Edmund Montgomery dismount and walk
toward her.

Although her father considered the banker a
friend, Abby didn't trust him at all. He was a
deacon in the church, and the people of Diablo
commended him for how devotedly he had tended
his wife before she died, but Abby always felt
apprehensive around him. She could never forget
that he had once pulled a gun on Brent, or that he
was sometimes too familiar with her. She was
disgusted by her own subterfuge-she did not like
him, and yet, because of their father's friendship
with the man, she was forced to be polite to him.

"Mr. Montgomery, if you have come to see Papa,
you made the trip for nothing-he isn't here."

Edmund climbed the steps and stopped so near
her that she had to step back a pace to avoid
colliding with him. "What if I told you that I came
to see you?"

Abby stepped back another pace as he advanced
toward her. "I wouldn't believe you."