He patted the pouch. “Got it.” He stared her down. “But I repeat, you are
not
going, princess.”
“I told you—” Maddie shrieked in furious outrage when Boone, the devious traitor, approached from her blind side to bind her hands behind her back. He crammed a gag in her mouth and tied her ankles with rope before she could escape him.
“Sorry, Maddie,” Boone exclaimed. “This was Jonah’s idea and it’s for your own safety. You can thank us later.”
To her further frustration Boone tossed her over his shoulder, stuffed her in the broom closet and tethered her to a hook on the wall so she couldn’t hop away.
Neither could she pound her feet against the walls to summon help, because Rosita had already returned to her cottage for the evening.
Maddie slumped against the floor and called Jonah and Boone every name in the book. Those two men had better not get themselves killed on her behalf because she wanted them to come back alive—so she could shoot the both of them!
“There will be hell to pay when we get back,” Boone prophesied. “If looks could kill we’d both be the deadest men who ever lived.”
“At least she’s out of harm’s way,” Jonah replied as he trotted toward the designated site. “I have a bad feeling about this rendezvous now that Maddie has acquired the money without relying on Avery.”
Boone’s thick brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“The ransom price went up immediately after Avery learned Maddie not only acquired the money but also a husband,” Jonah explained. “I doubt this exchange would have been the end of Maddie’s troubles.”
Boone nodded pensively. “So you’re thinking that if
Maddie
brought the money she might have been captured. That would put you next in line for extermination so this ranch would still be available to Avery Hanson.”
“That’s exactly what I predict,” Jonah said grimly.
“Which means that now
we’re
riding into a trap.”
“
I
am,” Jonah corrected as he urged his steed along the narrow old Indian trail that led up the can
yon walls to the mesa above. “
You
will be guarding my back.”
“So…you’re laying your life on the line for Maddie.”
“It’s my job,” Jonah reminded him as he followed the winding path.
“Maybe so.” Boone chuckled wryly. “But I’m not so blind that I can’t see this is personal.
She
is personal. Even if she is the kind of woman that men like us don’t deserve.”
Boone understood the ways of the world, Jonah mused. No matter how much Maddie meant to him, no matter what sacrifices Jonah was willing to make to keep her safe, she was still beyond him. That was the plain, irrefutable truth.
“What’s really in the pouch?” Boone asked curiously. “I noticed you didn’t bother to bring along Maddie’s money.”
Jonah smiled in the gathering darkness. “Shredded newspaper mostly. No way am I going to let these sneaky bastards get their hands on Maddie’s inheritance.”
“Figured it was something like that.” Boone was quiet for a moment. “Do you think Maddie’s sister is alive?”
Jonah winced. “I don’t like the odds.”
It would devastate Maddie if she lost her sister. He knew how it felt to be emotionally distraught and have the worst happen. Returning to Forbidden Canyon for the first time in fifteen years was a painful and vivid reminder that hope could be dashed so quickly it could rip the soul and spirit right out of you.
“It’s going to be another blow if Maddie loses you, too,” Boone predicted. “I think she’s in love with you, Danhill.”
Jonah snorted in contradiction. “If anything, she feels grateful for my assistance. As for the rest…” He shrugged evasively. “She only came to me for comfort and consolation.” He glanced solemnly at Boone. “If things go sour, my last request is that you be there for Maddie until she has her life in order.”
“I understand,” Boone murmured. “Just make damn sure you come back so I don’t have to keep that promise.”
Jonah reached down to retrieve the bow and arrows he’d brought with him. “Remember how to use these, my Kiowa cousin?”
Boone snickered. “It’s always been my weapon of choice. Yours, too, I suspect. Where’d you find them on short notice?”
“There’s an obscure cave behind the waterfall that feeds the creek in Forbidden Canyon. My clan always left supplies and weapons there in case of emergency. The damp cavern preserved the bowstring.” He handed the weapon to Boone. “Bullets will draw too much attention.”
The Kiowa nodded in understanding. “Silent but deadly, so the kidnappers aren’t aware that their numbers are dwindling.”
“Precisely,” Jonah confirmed.
Jonah reined to a halt on the moonlit ridge that led into another rugged canyon. This was familiar territory and he’d trekked through the area earlier this afternoon to determine the most likely places for his enemies to take cover. Unfortunately, the narrow
chasm provided excellent hiding places behind cedars and inside the fingerlike crevices of eroded rock that fanned from the canyon floor. But if a man listened carefully he could hear the crunch of pebbles beneath booted feet. Which was why
he’d
worn moccasins.
Jonah suspected these rustlers were charading as Comanche to throw the authorities off track. He had searched the area and seen no evidence of Indians or the small campfires and obscure campsites that were the trademark of his people.
It wasn’t the first time Indians had been blamed for criminal activities machinated by devious whites. It probably wouldn’t be the last, either.
“Here,” Boone said as he untied the sheathed Bowie knife that was strapped to his thigh. “A man can never carry enough hardware.” He pulled another knife from his shirtsleeve.
Jonah accepted the daggers. Thanks to Boone, he would have one tucked in each moccasin, one in each sleeve and one on his thigh. His six-shooters would be his last resort, because spitting fire and rolling smoke made a man an easy target in the darkness.
“I’ll be at the base of the canyon,” Jonah murmured. Then he added, “Make every arrow count.”
“I’ll be your second set of eyes and ears,” Boone promised.
“I’m counting on it,” Jonah said before he began his winding descent into the labyrinth of ravines.
Maddie decided there were times when being a woman had its advantages while dealing with men. Boone had bound her up securely, but he’d also ensured that the ropes around her ankles and wrists
didn’t bite into her skin. That provided her with space to worm and squirm. She couldn’t accurately measure the time it took to wiggle her feet free, but she accomplished the deed with determined effort. Freeing her hands, however, took considerable energy. She had to pause occasionally to give her aching arms a rest.
Finally Maddie worked free of the rope and came to her feet. When she pushed on the door, she met with restraint. No doubt Boone had blocked the exit with a chair braced beneath the outer knob. Backing up a step, Maddie kicked at the door. After four frustrating attempts the door wobbled on its hinges, causing the chair to topple sideways.
Free at last, she bounded upstairs to change into her riding breeches and grab her pistol. If her assumptions were correct, Avery Hanson would be waiting at his ranch while his henchmen were making the exchange. Although she couldn’t overtake Jonah and Boone, she did have the perfect opportunity to ride to Avery’s ranch and eavesdrop on damning conversation between him and his henchmen.
She silently fumed when she recalled the gentlemanly flattery and pretended concern Avery had bestowed on her after both her father’s and Christina’s disappearances. And all the while Avery had been treacherously plotting to gain her trust. Not to mention his offer of marriage, she fumed. He had purposely placed himself in position so he would be there, hoping she would turn to him to help her resolve the crises facing Chrissy and the ranch.
Oh yes, Avery Hanson was going to get what he
deserved for his duplicity and double-dealing. He was going to find himself under arrest.
The thought prompted Maddie to race downstairs. She skidded to a halt and growled furiously when she noticed the saddlebag filled with money was still sitting on the sofa.
Damn it! She didn’t know what Jonah had stuffed in his bulging pouch, but she’d bet the ranch it wasn’t money. If he got Chrissy injured or recaptured because of his daredevil tactics she was going to strangle him.
Maybe even twice for good measure.
Still fuming, Maddie tucked the saddlebag out of sight then dashed from the house to request Carlos’s assistance.
“What is going on,
querida?
” Carlos asked as he stepped onto the cottage porch. “I thought you rode off to retrieve Christina, as the ransom note ordered.”
“Change of plans,” Maddie muttered. Damn if she didn’t sound as short and to the point as Jonah. She was going to have to break that habit if she planned to get over loving him sometime in the next century. “I think Avery Hanson is behind this kidnapping. Maybe even the rustling. I need you to ride into town and bring Sheriff Kilgore out here.”
“And what will you be doing while I’m gone?” Carlos asked, flashing her a wary glance.
“Watching and waiting,” she replied evasively.
Carlos fastened his holster in place, then shook a stubby finger in her face. “You be careful, do you hear me? We don’t have the little bambino home safe yet. I don’t want something to happen to you in the meantime…. Rosita!”
His wife appeared at the door and wrapped her robe around her. “
Sí,
Carlos. I heard. I won’t let Maddie out of my sight.”
When Carlos dashed off to fetch a horse, Maddie turned to Rosita. “I’ll be at the house.” She didn’t bother to mention that her favorite gelding stood at the hitching post, where it had been tied in preparation for her riding to retrieve Christina. “Come up there when you’re dressed.”
When Rosita pivoted to fetch her clothes, Maddie sprinted outside and jogged uphill. She was on the strawberry roan gelding in a single bound and raced off into the darkness.
Jonah halted and pricked up his ears when he heard scrabbling noises to the right and left of him. Pebbles cascaded down the rugged hillside, assuring him that the outlaws were closing ranks. He also heard the sound of bullets being shoved into the chambers of rifles.
He smiled in wry amusement when he saw what he was undoubtedly supposed to assume was an Indian warrior—in full war-party regalia—rise from behind a boulder. Colorful war paint was slashed across the man’s face and his bare chest was covered with a bead-and-bone breastplate. Jonah’s gaze swung to the pinto behind the supposed chief. A motionless bundle covered with a buffalo hide quilt was draped on the horse.
Jonah’s gaze swung back to study the man, who wore a feathered headdress, doehide breeches and leggings. The chief didn’t walk or move like an Indian.
Being one himself, Jonah could recognize an imposter at a glance.
“Where is the girl’s sister?” the would-be Indian demanded in stilted English.
“She’s having a nervous breakdown,” Jonah supplied smoothly. “I came in her stead because I’m her husband.”
The news didn’t appear to faze the charlatan chief. No doubt he’d been informed that Maddie had acquired a husband.
“You brought money?” the imposter questioned.
Jonah hitched his thumb toward his horse. “In the saddlebag. I want to see the girl first. If she isn’t in good condition I will only pay for what I get.”
The comment caught the chief off guard. He glanced sideways, alerting Jonah that one of his cohorts was hiding behind a nearby boulder. That accounted for two outlaws. He suspected there were more perched above him, waiting to ambush him the instant the chief had the money in hand. Jonah sure as hell hoped Boone had located the bushwhackers by now. Otherwise, Jonah might be nursing more than an injured shoulder.
“Show me the girl,” he demanded in Comanche dialect. The supposed chief blinked. Well, that verified Jonah’s assumption. Not only was the man an imposter, but he didn’t have the slightest command of the language. “Show me the girl now,” he repeated in English.
The man glowered at him. Jonah ignored the intimidating stare and focused on the unmoving bundle on the horse. Christina was either dead or drugged. Jonah hoped it was the latter.
Without turning his back, the chief stepped toward the pinto to jerk the sack off the girl’s head. Pale golden hair tumbled over the horse’s flank. Jonah felt a jolt spear through him and he wondered if he was encountering a younger version of Maddie. Christina’s face was peaked but flawless in the moonlight. According to Maddie, the girl was uncommonly attractive. He prayed that she hadn’t been used to appease the lusts of these outlaws.
Rage boiled inside him at the thought. He was going to resort to old ways of retaliation and take a few scalps if this girl had been abused and left to deal with emotional wounds that could take years to heal. Jonah knew firsthand what that long, tormenting process was like, and he wouldn’t wish that kind of long-term misery on anyone. Least of all this lovely young girl.
“In one piece,” the chief declared. “Now, the money for the girl.”
As calmly as you please, Jonah replied in Comanche, “You’re loco if you think you’re going to walk out of this canyon alive.”
The chief stared at him in confusion, so Jonah repeated the comment in plain English. When the chief made a grab for the pistol he had tucked under the breastplate, Jonah snatched the knife strapped to his thigh and hurled it. The chief went down soundlessly. In one fluid motion Jonah pivoted and grabbed the knife in his sleeve. The instant the hombre who was hiding behind the boulder raised his head and prepared to fire, Jonah hurled the dagger, then dived to the ground to dodge the bullet aimed at his chest. The pinto tried to bolt and run when the gun discharged
so close to its rump, but Jonah leaped to his feet to grab the reins.
To his relief, gunfire didn’t break out from the outcropping of rock above him. He smiled in approval. Boone had done his job well.