“Ouch!” She hissed in pain.
“Nice accommodations.” Jonah smirked as he reached down to assist her to her feet. “You do travel in style, princess.”
She could have sworn she heard a hint of amusement in that deep baritone voice. Mr. Hard-hearted Texas Ranger had a sense of humor? She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t heard it with her own ears.
“Kinda makes a man wonder if you’re the wealthy heiress you’ve implied that you are.”
Ah, the sarcasm was back. Now
that
she recognized.
Gathering her dignity around her like a fur cloak,
Maddie tied her satchel behind the saddle and pulled herself astride the horse. She deeply regretted that Jonah wouldn’t be accompanying her, but that adage stating that you couldn’t lead a jackass where it didn’t want to go certainly applied. Mule-headed Danhill had only followed her this far so he could harass her one last time for good measure.
Nudging the mare, Maddie veered around the barn and circled through the small residential area behind Main Street to reach the trodden path west. Behind her she heard the clip-clop of hooves and she twisted in the saddle to see Jonah sitting atop a horse that looked as black as the devil’s heart. Of course, it was dark, so she couldn’t be positively certain the horse was solid black, but that’s just the way she would have pictured Jonah’s mount—coal-black in color, irascible in disposition and as independent as a polecat.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” she commented when she reached the open road.
“I’m not. Just checking to see if this is another of your spectacular exits to milk my sympathy,” he said as he eased his mount up beside her. “Did you pack trail rations?”
“No, I’ll chew on my fingernails if I get hungry,” she said smartly.
“No canteen of water?”
“I’ll suck on a pebble if I get thirsty,” she assured him aloofly.
“Are you armed?” Jonah asked as she urged her mount into an easy canter.
“Yes, I can shoot off my mouth with lightning speed,” she insisted. “Now go away. I’m sure that
soft mattress at the hotel is calling to you. You’ve made it abundantly clear that you don’t like me and don’t believe me.”
Maddie was inordinately pleased and enormously relieved that he continued to ride beside her rather than reversing direction. She felt as if the heavy yoke of responsibility and desperation that had been bearing down on her shoulders had eased slightly.
Two miles later she glanced at Jonah and asked, “What made you change your mind?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out,” he said sourly.
She smiled in the darkness as a sense of comfort and satisfaction stole over her, easing her nervous apprehension somewhat. Jonah hadn’t turned his back on her, after all. Despite his surly disposition, he had a good heart.
“Don’t get cocky,” he warned darkly. “I’m not here because I’m starting to like you or because I believe your story. I’m only here to see that you complete the first leg of your journey without mishap.”
“So…” she said, biting back a pleased grin “…you are going no farther than Fort Griffin?”
“That’s right. After that you’re on your own. I’m only doing this for the money. So don’t think you can gallop off without paying for my escort service.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Maddie frowned, bemused, when she realized her manner of speech had become as condensed as his. She would have preferred that something else about him might rub off on her. Such as his impressive fighting and survivalist skills. Fortunately, she was no slouch when it came to riding. Her father had taught both of his daughters to be accomplished equestrians.
The thought of her father melted the smile from her lips and caused the empty ache to expand in her chest. Six months ago Maddie hadn’t been overwhelmed with responsibility and hadn’t had a care in the world, except for dodging marriage proposals that didn’t interest her.
Now her father was gone, cattle rustlers were depleting ranch profits and Christina had been snatched up while she’d been taking an afternoon ride on her favorite mount. The world had caved in on Maddie, testing her spirit, her emotions and her strength of character. She was almost afraid to ask herself what else could possibly go wrong, for fear that it would sound like a defiant challenge and more tormenting blows she’d be dealt would send her reeling.
The prospect that her life might get even worse before it got better was a depressing thought that caused Maddie to slump in the saddle. In addition, the dull throb in her skull tempted her to close her eyes and catch a catnap. Willfully, she thrust back her shoulders and tilted her chin. She was not stopping to rest until she’d placed several miles between herself and those scoundrels.
A few miles later Maddie felt her eyelids drooping and her rigid posture sagging. She was exhausted, and the adrenaline high that had sustained her the past two days was fizzling out. Despite her firm resolve, her chin bobbed against her chest and she fell asleep in the saddle.
Jonah grabbed Maddie’s arm the split second before she cartwheeled to the ground. Although this headstrong female annoyed him to no end, he reluctantly admired her determination—misguided though
it probably was. With more gentleness than he realized he possessed, he eased Maddie’s limp body forward until she was draped over the saddle, her cheek resting against the horse’s neck. Keeping a watchful eye on her, Jonah led her horse off the beaten path toward a creek lined with cottonwood and willow trees.
Leaving Maddie where she slept, he unrolled his pallet. When he pulled her from the saddle she didn’t wake up, just cuddled against him and sighed against his neck. The whisper of her breath was like a lover’s caress, and Jonah inwardly cursed when his contrary body responded and his imagination tried to run away with him.
Thoroughly aggravated at himself, Jonah laid Maddie on the pallet and covered her with the quilt. If he had been a gentleman he would have bedded down on the ground a respectable distance away. But he was a practical kind of man who saw no need to freeze his tail off for the sake of propriety. Just because he intended to share the makeshift bed with Little Miss I’ll-Go-It-Alone-If-You-Won’t-Help-Me Garret didn’t mean they were going to gain intimate knowledge of one another.
No, Jonah promised himself. He was
not
going to become physically or emotionally involved with this woman, even if his male anatomy was cursing his vow of abstinence.
At Fort Griffin, he planned to hire a guide to take her deeper into what had once been the Comanchería. If she got herself in trouble on the far side of the fort, then she was someone else’s problem. Jonah was going to head back to Coyote Springs, check into the
hotel and hibernate like a grizzly until he was functioning at full capacity once again.
After unsaddling the horses and canvassing the campsite Jonah eased beneath the quilt. It occurred to him a few minutes later that he had never officially spent the night with a woman. Yes, he had shared a bed for an hour or two, but never actually slept beside a temporary lover. That implied a commitment Jonah was not willing to make.
He cast a quick glance at Maddie’s shadowed face and told himself that the only commitment he felt toward his pretend wife was to get her out of his hair—for good.
Wife?
Jonah smirked caustically as he made the very practical and sensible decision to cuddle closer to Maddie to share warmth.
Mrs. Jonah Danhill?
That’d be the day, Jonah thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Serenaded by chirping birds, Maddie came awake the next morning to see the first colorful rays of dawn spearing through the overhanging trees. Propping herself on her elbow, she glanced sideways to see her mare tethered to a tree. The dark horse and its rider were nowhere to be seen.
Disappointed but hardly surprised, Maddie presumed Jonah had changed his mind about escorting her. His reluctance had been obvious in the way he behaved and spoke to her. And he had made no bones about the fact that he didn’t like her or trust her. Jonah Danhill was nothing if not plainspoken and straightforward.
Pushing herself upright, Maddie raked her tangled
hair from her face, then stared longingly toward the stream. She needed a refreshing bath to wash the fuzzy cobwebs from her brain and a clean set of clothes to restore her sense of self.
The instant she sank into the stream a sigh of relief tumbled from her lips. She immersed herself completely, allowing the water to work its magic on her stiff neck and sore muscles. She allowed herself a few precious moments of pleasure by swimming in midstream before she brushed the matting of wet hair from her eyes and headed to shore.
Maddie gasped in shock when she noticed the towering figure on the creek bank. She instinctively sank down until nothing but her head appeared above the surface of the water. Wiping her eyes, she recognized Jonah—and
not,
thank goodness, one of the two men who were anxious to part her from her money.
“I thought you went back to town,” she said awkwardly.
He frowned curiously. “Why would you think that?”
His gaze was so intense that Maddie squirmed, wondering if the clear water made it as easy for him to appraise her as she had assessed him when he’d stood up in his bathtub. Modesty might not be a problem for him, but it was for her. She didn’t gad about unclothed in front of anyone.
“Why would you think I left for good?” he prompted impatiently. “Answer the question.”
“First off,” she said, reeling in her wandering thoughts, “you don’t like me. Secondly, I’m interfering with your vacation. I simply presumed that you’d changed your mind.”
“No, I went to fetch breakfast.” He gestured toward the small campfire, where a rabbit roasted on a spit. “I don’t have all day, princess. Come eat so we can hit the road.”
Maddie raised her arm and flicked her wrist in a shooing motion. “If you’re in a hurry, then turn your back so I can come ashore.”
One thick black brow arched and he grinned scampishly. “No. You’ve seen me naked. Turnabout is fair play.”
“Very amusing,” she muttered. “If I thought for one minute that I could shock you as speechless as you shocked me, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But I’m willing to bet the ransom money that nothing shocks or surprises you. And if this is some kind of test to determine my integrity or my habit of prancing around naked in front of men, you might as well know that I don’t. Ever. You aren’t going to be the first, either.”
Maddie was pretty sure that it
had
been a test of some sort, because Jonah stared at her for a long, pensive moment before he turned and walked uphill to the campfire. She glided sideways to come ashore near the bush where she had draped her clean clothes. Dressed in the riding breeches, boots and linen blouse that she’d hurriedly purchased in town—when it had become apparent that she’d have to make a hasty ride on horseback to outrun the two men—she hiked up to join Jonah.
When his assessing gaze flooded slowly and attentively over her Maddie’s breath jammed in her throat. This man had a unique and unsettling way of looking at her that provoked unfamiliar stirrings inside her.
For reasons she couldn’t begin to explain she was attracted to this abrupt-mannered, distrustful Ranger.
It would have done wonders for her self-confidence if she thought he was the least bit attracted to her. But with Jonah it was difficult to tell, because he wore an unreadable expression. He could be coldly furious or uproariously amused and she doubted she’d ever know which.
“You gonna stand there woolgathering or are you gonna eat?” Jonah waved a skewer of meat at her. “By the way, those skintight clothes are not a good idea,” he added grouchily.
“Why am I not surprised that you object to my wardrobe?” she mumbled before tasting the tender meat. “There is very little about me that you do approve of or appreciate.”
“I would have
appreciated
seeing you naked,” he replied, the barest hint of a smile on his chiseled mouth.
With a bite of meat poised a few inches from her lips, Maddie glanced bewilderedly at Jonah. It seemed that he was teasing and flirting with her. He wasn’t very good at it, but it pleased her to realize that he wasn’t an accomplished womanizer whose goal in life was to charm every female out of her petticoats.
It also made her wonder about his background and upbringing. Given his heritage she imagined his life had not been easy. Maddie decided to overlook his lack of social skills, because the simple truth was that Jonah Danhill intrigued her and she wanted to get to know him better.
“So you like seeing women naked,” she said belatedly. “What else do you like, Danhill?”
“Being left alone, for the most part,” he said dismissively. “Enough chitchat, Garret. Let’s hear it.”
Completely bemused, she gaped at him. “Let’s hear
what?
”
“Your story.” He chewed and swallowed another bite of meat. “That whole abduction, cattle rustling, thieves hot on your heels thing.”
“You said you weren’t interested in my problems.”
He shrugged indifferently. “Not interested, just curious. If I’m aiding and abetting a fugitive I want to know. So, get on with it, Garret,” he demanded in an impatient voice.
M
addie quickly organized her thoughts and began her explanation. “Since my father mysteriously disappeared six months ago, I’ve been responsible for running our ranch and caring for my sister. Until then I admit that I was a pampered rancher’s daughter whose only challenge was to avoid the marriage proposals that were aimed at acquiring control of my property and dowry. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with responsibilities and decision-making, and left to face the alarming realization that my father might
never
return, because he might have encountered the rustlers who have been stealing our livestock.”
Maddie drew in a shuddering breath, blinked back tears and picked at her food. “I formed search parties and contacted the sheriff, but to no avail. I have tried to hold on to the hope that Papa is still alive, but so much time has passed that I have had to accept the fact that I might never discover what happened to him….”
When her voice disintegrated she ducked her head and clenched her fists in an attempt to gather her
crumbling composure. It was a long moment before she felt confident to speak without her voice failing her again. “Rustling has been on the rise the past few months, depleting ranch profits. A few days ago Christina vanished, very much like Papa had. But this time a ransom note was left hanging from a tree limb, demanding money for her return. I was given a week.”
Jonah assessed her carefully, trying very hard not to notice those trim-fitting clothes that accentuated her shapely physique. He could ignore her effect on him better, he decided, if she’d dress in a shapeless feed sack.
Muttering at the distraction she presented, he willfully concentrated on the tale she was pouring out to him. If her family truly had been taken from her, then he could identify and sympathize. He wanted to believe her because, despite his strong-willed resistance, he was getting attached to her. She amused, annoyed and aroused him—simultaneously. She made him feel sensations and experience emotions that he’d kept in cold storage for years. In his profession, emotion was a dangerous distraction. Jonah had to rely on sharpened instincts, hard facts and unerring logic.
And then along came Maddie….
“Two of the men who have been pressuring me into marriage offered to loan me money to pay ranch expenses and the ransom,” she continued as she stared off into space. “I refused to be beholden to either of them. My only option was to consult our family lawyer in Fort Worth and request a loan that I can repay when I gain control of my trust fund.”
Jonah wondered how much money they were dis
cussing—or whether this was a fictitious fund that she kept harping about—but he didn’t ask. He preferred to hear her out.
“When I left the bank with the money in my satchel, I saw the same two cowboys that I had encountered twice while I was in Fort Worth,” she explained. “I had even convinced myself that I was being followed long before I arrived by stage.” She shrugged helplessly. “Wild imagination and too much stress, perhaps. In any event, the men approached me a few minutes before I caught the stage to Coyote Springs, and I managed to elude them because there were dozens of passersby on the busy streets.
“When we stopped at a stage station for lunch the men appeared on horseback, and I realized that they intended to steal my money the first chance they got.” She glanced somberly at Jonah. “And you know the rest, since I came knocking at your door.”
Jonah knew that Maddie could easily have twisted the truth, that she could have been in cahoots with the two men and tried to double-cross them. This entire tale of woe, with the addition of a few tears and a crackling voice, could have been a melodramatic performance to prey on his sympathy and gain his cooperation.
It wouldn’t be the first time, he reminded himself. He’d seen several clever scams in his day. He had also heard such convoluted and conflicting testimonies in previous cases that it was damn near impossible to sort out the truth. He had no intention of taking Maddie Garret strictly at her word, even if she did fascinate him and tug at his emotions. He did,
however, intend to hear her version of the story before he confronted her two attackers.
Jonah knew for a fact that the men were still following like shadows because he had seen them in the distance this morning. Without his protection Maddie wouldn’t be allowed safe passage to Fort Griffin. Her ex-partners in crime—or would-be thieves—weren’t backing off.
“Now what’s
your
story, Jonah Danhill?” Maddie asked, jostling him from his suspicious thoughts. “I’d really like to know.”
Jonah came to his feet, kicked dirt on the fire and headed toward his horse. He wasn’t in the mood—or in the habit—of discussing his past with anyone, and he wasn’t about to start now.
“Let’s go, Garret. We’re wasting daylight and your two friends are following us.”
He hoped that would be the end of the conversation about his past, but knowing how relentless and determined Maddie Garret could be when she was on one of her crusades, he doubted it.
Maddie strode toward the horses, then reflexively ducked when she heard the crack of a rifle and felt a whizzing bullet rush past her ear to plug into the tree beside her. Wild-eyed, she tried to scramble onto the mare, which was prancing in a nervous circle.
“Give me your hand,” Jonah ordered.
Maddie flung up her hand and then winced when Jonah nearly jerked her arm out of its socket in his haste to hoist her behind him on the saddle. When another bullet whistled past them she pressed herself against the solid wall of Jonah’s back. Maddie
wrapped her arms around his waist and prayed for all she was worth.
Being shot at was a new, unnerving experience for her, but it didn’t seem to faze Jonah. He leaned sideways to grab the mare’s trailing reins, then took off like a cannonball. While they rode hell-for-leather, Maddie wondered how many consecutive days of dodging flying bullets she would have to endure before she could remain as unflinching and focused as Jonah.
My God, how did he deal with this kind of fear without having the living daylights scared out of him on a regular basis?
“You okay, princess?” Jonah called over his shoulder as he set a swift pace through the trees that lined the creek.
“I’ve been better,” she mumbled against his back. “I’m sorry I’m responsible for getting you shot at during your vacation.”
When they encountered the dense underbrush that grew along the creek bank, Jonah reined the gelding to a walk, then drew the mare up beside them. Using his good arm, he grabbed Maddie around the waist and deposited her on her own horse. Her feeling of security vanished when she was no longer wrapped around Jonah’s sinewy form. She shivered as remnants of icy fear spiraled through her body.
To her stunned amazement Jonah leaned toward her to kiss her squarely on the mouth. His scorching kiss caused an explosion of her senses and sent hot sensations sizzling through her body. Maddie was still savoring the taste of his full, sensuous lips—and the delicious feelings he aroused—when he withdrew
abruptly. Bewildered, she licked her lips and stared goggle-eyed at him.
“Do I have your attention now, princess?” he asked in a gruff voice that was a direct contradiction to the passionate kiss he’d just bestowed on her. When she nodded mutely, he said, “Good. I don’t care how scared you think you are, you’re still going to be fine.” He moved his horse in front of hers, zigzagging through the maze of trees and brush. “Your friends—”
“I keep telling you that they are not my friends,” she interrupted emphatically.
“—will have a hard time taking potshots at us if we use the trees as shields,” he said implacably. “They might decide to follow the road so they can be ready and waiting to confront us. But we’re going to avoid the road entirely. It will take longer to reach Fort Griffin, but at least we won’t be sitting ducks.”
Jonah picked his way northwestward and silently cursed himself for yielding to the need to kiss Maddie. She’d looked so shaken and terrified that he’d wanted to comfort and console her. He
should
have given her a consoling pat on the back instead. Now the sweet taste of her was on his lips and her clean scent invaded his senses—feeding his forbidden desires, tormenting him until hell wouldn’t have it.
Jonah had sworn he was about to suffer heart seizure when bullets started flying earlier and Maddie had almost been shot. He was accustomed to facing personal danger, but it had unnerved him when her safety was threatened. Jonah had accepted the inevitability of his own death years ago, but he hadn’t been
prepared for the possibility of watching Maddie die while she was under his protection.
She had a lot of living left to do. She had a life and family to return to, would-be fiancés waiting in the wings—if her story was to be believed. All Jonah had to his name was a well-trained horse and an arsenal of weapons. His only connection was to a company of Rangers who were careful about getting too attached to each other for fear of losing a dear friend when a gun battle broke out.
“You’ll have to find yourself an experienced guide at Fort Griffin,” Jonah said a few miles later. “A novice won’t do you a damn bit of good. Your two pistol-packing friends mean business.”
“Would you please stop referring to those bushwhackers as my friends?” She scowled at him. “And for your information, I am not going to hire another guide or take the stage. I refuse to involve anyone else in my problems or become personally responsible for causing someone else’s injury or death.”
Jonah swiveled in the saddle to stare disapprovingly at her. He wasn’t surprised to see her chin elevate a stubborn notch when she met his gaze head-on. The woman had cornered the market on stubborn and defiant.
“And furthermore, you are fired,” Maddie decreed. “You have an injured arm already. I have to get used to taking care of myself and I’m sorry I made the selfish mistake of involving you in this affair.”
“One kiss does not make an affair,” he said dryly.
Maddie flung him another irritated glance. “Don’t practice your rarely used sense of humor on me, Danhill. I am not a simpleton whose attention is easily
diverted. I will
not
be listed as
the cause
on your death certificate.” To make her point she drew the mare to a halt, then hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “You’re off the hook. Go back to Coyote Springs. You didn’t want to come in the first place.”
He had expected her to stick to him like a sand burr after the ambush, but he’d forgotten to take into account her independent nature. Every mishap she had encountered since he’d met her served to stiffen her resolve about confronting her problems alone. He admired that—in a frustrated sort of way—but he’d made a promise he intended to honor.
“Damn it, Jonah,” she railed at him when he nudged his steed forward. “What does it take to get rid of you?”
“I would have left if you had walked naked from the water. That would’ve evened the score between us,” he teased, straight-faced. “Now that’s what it’ll take to get rid of me. Go ahead, strip naked and I’ll backtrack to town.”
Maddie’s disbelieving snort transformed into a chuckle. “You are, without a doubt, the most outrageous, perplexing, disagreeable and impossible man I have ever met. I swear, it seems you have made it your mission to deliberately shock and provoke me.”
“Sticks and stones, Garret,” he said with a careless shrug. “But regardless, I’m going to take the roundabout route to Fort Griffin so we can avoid your cohorts.”
“How is it that you know this area so well when you claimed you never trekked across it?”
Her question convinced Jonah that she had finally given up her objections to his friends-and-cohorts
comments. “I didn’t say I wasn’t familiar with the area,” he corrected grimly. “I said that I preferred to avoid it.” He stared stonily at her. “I’m half Comanche. The half that counts. This is where I grew up. This was the Comanchería, until the army descended like hornets to slaughter Comanche warriors, old men, women and children, and march the survivors to Indian Territory.”
Maddie flinched when she noticed the hard expression that settled on his rugged features. She had unintentionally hit an exposed nerve. Quite frankly, she was surprised that he had opened up to her, since he had refused to do so earlier. Jonah was a prickly man who had built walls around himself and rarely let others close enough to know and understand him.
“I was fourteen when I watched my father die,” he muttered as he stared into the distance. “I was fifteen when I was herded onto a train with the rest of the Comanche children and shipped to Pennsylvania to a boarding school designed to train us to think and behave like whites. I was seventeen when I sneaked away, took a new name and made my way back to Texas to work any job I could get in order to survive.”
His gaze swung back to her and she could see bitter emotion shimmering in those emerald depths. “When I look across this frontier I see ghosts of the past and hear the anguished cries of a people who were forced off their sacred land. It’s like walking over graves, princess. There are too many painful memories, too much resentment.”
“All the more reason for you to turn back,” Maddie murmured as tears of compassion clouded her vi
sion. “If this ordeal with Christina ends badly, I’ll be tempted to walk away from a host of bad memories, too.”
Maddie curled her arm around Jonah’s neck and pulled him forward to press her lips gently to his. She kissed him because her heart went out to him, because the swift taste she’d had of him earlier hadn’t lasted long enough to appease her. In addition, this rapidly developing craving to make emotional and physical contact with him overwhelmed her.
Her senses filled to overflowing as his mouth moved upon hers. Sensual lightning flickered through her as she breathed him in, tasted him, savored the tantalizing sensations she had never experienced in her limited encounters with men. His darting tongue delved deeper, stealing her breath, then returning it to her in the most arousing manner imaginable. Desire intensified until her mind was reeling and her body was burning with unfamiliar need and simmering with erotic pleasure.