The Cattleman (8 page)

“I died. On the table. They were trying to get the bleeding under control and my heart stopped instead. The surgeon told me he thought there was no chance.” He tried to laugh it off. Tried not thinking much about those minutes that he couldn’t remember. “He calls me a miracle.”

“Shh.” Her breath wafted lightly across his skin.

“Mom and Dad sort of know, but not the details. They... I’ve never shown—”

Her finger over his lips cut him off. “Shh.” She laid sweet, gentle kisses the length of the six-inch line.

“I know it’s not pretty. Let me put my shirt back on so you don’t have—”

Beth’s hands slid around the back of his neck, easily guiding his lips to hers. “You talk entirely too much. Do you know that?” She kissed him and his arms encircled her.

He totally got caught up in standing straight and kissing a woman who was nearly as tall as he was. He liked it. Liked it more every time it happened. Their tongues tangled a brief moment before Beth spun him and pushed him back on the bed.

“Where were we before I got distracted?”

He rushed to the middle of the bed, ready to heat up the cold sheets. Beth rifled through his jeans and slowly stepped out of her panties. He couldn’t stop watching her, memorizing every inch of her as she straddled his thighs. His tall feminine warrior knew exactly what to do, and he was ready for her actions.

Now wasn’t the time to stop things again to light a lamp, but he sure wished he had. He wanted to see every long curvy line of her, every crease in her skin, every freckle—or find out if she had freckles. He wanted to see her sexiness, the way she looked when she reached her highest peak. Wanted to recognize exactly what it was like when he pushed her over the edge.

“Come here.” He pulled her to his chest, kissing her like crazy again. His hands glided across skin as soft as silk, unsnapping her bra and letting it slide down her arms between them. She pulled it free and flung it aside. Her nipples had pebbled and felt erotic against his chest.

Then their hands were everywhere. Roaming, searching and exploring in ways they hadn’t taken the time to do the first night they’d been together. He wanted to know every subtle change, wanted to feel her hair—

Her hair was still in the tight braid she plaited every day. He hadn’t ever seen it loose. Reaching for the end, he slid the elastic holder into his hand.

“Oh, no, no, no. It’s such a mess.” She grabbed the end of the braid, tossed it down her back and stretched, reaching for the stretchy loop still in his hand. “Nick, give it back please.”

“You took off my shirt. I should get to see your hair.”

“Can’t we wait until we’re on a date or something and I have time to straighten it? It’ll be as curly as a Slinky.”

He shook his head and shot the band across the room. He captured her surprised mouth and attacked her lips, distracting her while his fingers worked through her braided mane. He eagerly awaited the next bolt of lightning so he could see. He settled for her soft locks flowing down and teasing his shoulders. When she moved, it caressed him like a handful of silk feathers.

Beth pushed to a sitting position again, searching in the dark for the condom she’d retrieved earlier and had tossed on the covers. He caressed her slender hips, his thumbs inching their way to her intimate secrets.

She allowed him to discover how to please her and when she begged for release he hesitated, savoring the magical way she looked. Darkness seemed to shroud everything in the room, but it was the first time in years Nick felt surrounded by light.

It followed Beth wherever she was—especially now. Her eyes were soft, her breasts lush and the tip of her tongue peeked out between her lips. One last touch and she cried out her release. The first of many, he hoped.

Beth collapsed on his chest. She found and tore open the package and slipped to his side, dragging her nails and teasing him to fullness. She raised up, her hair swishing across his abs in a wavy curtain.

Nick pulled her body even with his so she rested on top of him. Slowly he threaded his hands through those curls and guided her lips to his, indulging in the scent of wildflowers in her hair.

Beth tried to move to one side, but he kept her where she was. With very little maneuvering he slid his length into her, creating a pleasant rhythm for them both. Beth kissed his chest again, then placed her palm over his heart. She sat and their rhythm increased until they climaxed beyond mere satisfaction.

With the last throes of passion still echoing through the room, Nick shifted to lie at Beth’s back, tucking his arm under her pillow and pulling her cool skin close to his. He possessively cupped her breast, kissed her shoulder and skimmed his fingers across her belly.

“Storm’s moving on.”

She was right. The lightning flashes were fewer and farther apart. The thunder rumbled down the mountain toward Marfa. It had barely rained, but it was cold enough to ice. The trail would be hard tomorrow when they left.

If they left. There was nothing to rush back to at the ranch. It might even snow. They had plenty of food, heat and each other. What else did they need for the moment?

“I suppose you’re tired.” She hooked her finger on the corner of the covers and pulled them closer, waiting for their bodies to cool before pulling the comforter over them both.

“Not really.” He softly dragged his fingers in circles across her hips and her legs. Man, oh, man, he loved her legs. “What did you have in mind?”

He nuzzled her neck and shoulder, tasting the light saltiness the exertion of their lovemaking had created. His hot breath penetrated the cold air of the cabin that was quickly cooling the woman in his arms.

“Actually, I need food,” she said, twisting a little to get a look at him. “What about you?”

He laughed, short but deep from his core, thinking of the extra condoms in his saddlebags. It was a good beginning for the anniversary of the worst day of his life.

Chapter Nine

“Get dressed.” Beth shook Nick, ignoring his moan that he hadn’t slept the first half of the night. “That sounds like a car. But it can’t be. Right?”

Nick bolted upright, jumping from the sagging bed. He ran to the small window and opened it five or six inches. “You’re right. I hear the echo of an old truck or a couple of ATVs.”

“But don’t you have to come here on horseback? I mean, you admitted at breakfast that you were heading here all along yesterday, so if we could have driven...”

Nick shoved his legs through underwear, socks and jeans. He didn’t look up until he was stamping his foot into a second boot. But she knew. It was a cabin that could be accessed by a car, and he’d tortured her backside just so he could get his hands on it.

“You better get dressed.”

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you ask permission to borrow this place?”

He took her shoulders and made her face him. “Beth, no one comes here this time of year. There’s no telling who’s heading up that path.”

“As in...the cartel.”

“As in we’re getting out of here before we find out.”

“You’re right. This position has too many blind spots and can be breached easily. But we’re not going to have much luck on horseback and might not have enough time to get them saddled.”

He shoved her clothes into her hands. “Get dressed. Grab the food and saddlebags. I’ll take care of the horses.”

He swung into his Sherpa wool coat, shoved his hat on his head and pulled the door shut behind him. She was wasting precious time. Once dressed, she ejected her magazine to verify it was full and slipped her arm through her shoulder harness.

Five minutes and she was out the door, stamping her own boot into place while she juggled the saddlebags and her coat. How he’d saddled both horses in that amount of time, she had no idea. She ran. He secured the bags and shoved a .38 down the back of his jeans.

It was definitely ATVs. There was a roar of more than one engine, at least three, maybe four. “Andrea was abducted by men on ATVs.”

“Yeah, I know.” He mounted, still holding Applewine’s reins. She reached up for them but he nodded to step into his saddle stirrup. “I’d pull you up, darlin’, but you wore me out.”

“I can’t ride like that.”

“We’re going down a mountain as fast as this horse will take us. You’re riding with me.” He held her steady as she swung behind him. “Hold on and do not let go.”

She heard the whoops and hollers of the men on the ATVs. They were close. “Once they get to the cabin, there’ll be no doubt we were there. Do you think they’ll come after us?”

“Yeah, I do. I shouldn’t have brought you.”

“You didn’t have much of a choice.”

Drawing the informant out into the open had been her primary assignment on the task force.

She clung to Nick as he left the trail, dipping when he dipped to avoid low branches, leaning backward when they hit an incline. All the while thinking she should have stayed and confronted those men. But with whom? Nick was a private citizen, not a trained agent. She couldn’t put him at risk like that. But not staying had blown a perfect opportunity to prove her worth. She needed to succeed.

“Hang on, Beth, and don’t scream.”

The side of the mountain fell away in front of them. She couldn’t see anything except gray sky as Nick leaned back in the saddle, taking her with him. The horses picked their way carefully down the steep incline of rocks and scrub. If she stuck out her hand, she’d touch the cascading rocks and debris.

Shocked beyond silence, she held on for dear life knowing if she fell she wouldn’t stop falling until she hit the ravine below. The shouts and curses from the men—now many feet above them without a way to follow—echoed off the cliffs.

Minutes—that seemed like a lifetime—later, Nick clicked to his horse and headed on a trek that mountain goats would have had a hard time following. But at least they were sitting straight and not headed down anymore.

“Oh, my gosh!”

“Don’t look down. Is anyone following us?”

The view to her left was a cliff, complete with no way down. She latched on to Nick’s waist tighter than before and looked over her right shoulder.

Everything had happened so fast, she hadn’t realized that Applewine was free and hadn’t followed the way down. Rocks cascaded behind them. On a higher level, she saw a man skid to a halt, whooping when he caught her horse.

“I should have kept hold of her reins.”

“Just watch.” Nick clicked encouragement to Rocket.

The man put his foot in the stirrup and the entire saddle slid to one side and to the ground. Applewine was startled into following the impossible path.

“The belt thing, under her belly. You didn’t tighten it.” Riddle of the superfast saddle master solved.

“That’s only one guy. Any direction we go they’ll be able to cut us off. With the ATVs they’re going to get there before us.”

“We use the radio. Call for help.” Thank goodness they’d packed it in Nick’s saddlebags.

“I’ll get us to a level spot.”

She couldn’t see the man or any of his friends at the top of the ridge. She’d glanced away too long and didn’t know if the man who’d fallen with the saddle had gotten up. She also couldn’t turn or lift her head from Nick’s shoulder. Not until she knew there was actual land to look at again.

“I didn’t see any of their faces. Did you?”

“They were covered with bandanas or moving too fast.” Nick laced his fingers with hers across his abs. “I can feel your heart racing.”

“Well, yeah. We just shot over the edge and...and... You might live this kind of adventure, but I’ve never done anything like that in my life.”

“That was a first for me, too.”

“Oh, gosh, that makes me feel so much better,” she said with as much sarcasm as possible. “My parents never even let me ride roller coasters.”

“I did ride one or two of them when we lived in Dallas. That cliff was just as good. Here we go.” He released her hand and pried her fingers from his shirt. “We should be able to catch our breath and see if the radio’s working or if anyone’s listening.”

They dismounted and he brought out a bottle of water with the satellite radio she’d been issued for the task force. Beth took the radio and walked the trail behind them, searching and listening for anyone following.

Nothing.

“Will Applewine be okay? It’s awful slick out here.”

“Keep your fingers crossed and keep calling McCrea on that thing. I’ll be right back.”

“No. We should stay together.”

“She’s not far and I’ve got this.” He pulled the .38 from his back. He jogged down the piecemeal trail. “I’ll be right back.”

Time ticked away as she spoke her radio sign over and over. She checked and rechecked the frequency. “Lordy, girl. Hold on while I get the sheriff.”

Snap!

Beth turned the volume down and listened. She not only heard the sound of rocks hitting each other, she saw one or two roll across the path Nick had taken.

“Beth? You okay?”

“Pete, approximately five men are chasing us. They arrived on ATVs, haven’t fired, but I’m assuming they’re armed.”

“Where are you?” the sheriff asked.

“Somewhere south of the Danver cabin. We’re on horseback.”

“Can Nick get you to somewhere a chopper can land?”

“I don’t know. He’s not here and I don’t think we’re close to anything flat enough.” Her lack of knowledge about this land was a serious handicap. “I can’t see any plausible site.”

“Son of a— You got separated?” Pete asked.

“Not exactly. My horse—”

“Not again. I thought he was teaching you to ride.”

Believe what you want.
“Stay by the radio. When he gets back, I’ll have him tell you exactly where we are. Over.”

Tap. Tap.
Another trickle of rocks.

Nick wouldn’t be playing games with her. He’d seen her shoot first and ask questions later. So either a wild animal was stalking the horse or someone had caught up and was attacking from above.

* * *

N
ICK
CLICKED
FOR
A
PPLEWINE
. He held out his hand, pretending to have sugar. She wouldn’t budge from the open spot on the path. He could hear faint voices from the ridge and needed to get back to Beth.

What the hell had he been thinking taking off like this? Putting her in danger was the last thing he’d wanted. He wouldn’t pretend that he’d had any real intention of coming out here on his own. Getting away from the house and the concerned looks had been the biggest reasons for an overnight. Getting Beth alone...yeah, that had been pretty high on his list, too.

He wouldn’t regret last night, just his idiocy at bringing her to the cabin.

“Get over here, you old fly catcher. We might just need you to get out of this mess. If you bolt you’re going to break your neck...and mine.”

More voices. The bay moved in his direction.

“That’s right, girl.” He kept his voice low, crooning to the mare.

An ATV engine roared to a start. He jerked around in time to see a rope falling over the side of the cliff. He didn’t recognize the man. One thing he knew, none of them were there to help Beth.

Damn!

Applewine nudged his shoulder. He grabbed a handful of mane and pulled himself up onto her back. Reins in one hand, his .38 in the other, he stayed low against her neck, hoping his coat would blend in with hers from a distance.

Surefooted, the horse followed the makeshift path on her own while Nick watched a man lower himself over the cliff. Rushing the horse on the cliff side was impossible riding bareback. He couldn’t call out to Beth and warn her. He’d soon be at a point on the path where they could take him out with a rifle.

All he could do was pray.

Hooves connected on rock for an irregular clip. He could run for the spruce tree he’d left Beth under. It was less than a hundred yards away. The man would shimmy down the rope faster than Nick could run, much faster than the horse would clop.

A movement below him showed someone at the bottom of the ravine. No way the ATV guys could already be on their way back up. He slid off the mare, ready to make a run for it, then he saw the reflection. What little sunlight through the clouds there was bounced off a black halo of hair.

Beth hadn’t had time to braid or pull her thick mane into a ponytail. It hung free, just below her shoulders, just below the boulder at his feet.

“Nick. Nick.” She waved to get his attention. “We’ve got company.”

“I’ve seen them. Did you get in touch with McCrea?”

“The sheriff needs a location for a chopper to land.”

There wasn’t any ridge close. He pulled the bridle off Applewine, slapped her on her behind and sent her down the path so she’d be safe. Joining Beth, they picked their way back to the trees. But there was no way out.

Her mouth fell open when he unsaddled Rocket and let him loose to join the mare. He shrugged. “There’s no other way.”

“There are lots of other ways. The first would be discussing it
before
you let our ride take off without us. Can we hide or are we making a run for it on foot?”

“Not here, Beth. They’ll be on top of us any minute. And the last thing you want to do is shoot one of them.”

“So you’re just giving up?”

“We’re surrounded with no way out. Tell ’em.”

Beth got on the radio and gave their location and his decision. “We’ll hold them off as long as we can.”

He didn’t have nearly enough ammo for a gunfight. Neither did Beth. As soon as she announced they were giving up, he turned off the satellite phone and shoved it in Beth’s pocket.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Down.”

“But I thought—”

“I said that in case they were listening.”

“Cluing me in on your plans might be nice.” She stepped between the trees and around the large rock they’d grown around.

“No time. Can we talk about this later?”

“I’m supposed to be the big-time DEA agent and Mr. Rancher over here is...” Beth mumbled as she led the way.

Nick couldn’t hear much of her complaints but got the gist. They were more about being caught unprepared than about him trying to save their behinds. That was just fine. She skidded along, grabbing rocks to slow herself, mad at their situation but not whining about it.

Maybe it was time to admit that he liked her more than just a little. But this was not the time or the place to admit it to her. A rock fell and hit his shoulder.

“Beth.” He pointed up and behind them. “They’re coming down.”

“Then we need to move faster. Take the lead. I don’t suppose there’s a cave or even a...a large crevice close by that we can use for cover?”

“Put your gun away. You need both hands for this. Stay close so I can get to you if you slip.”

On a normal day, it would take several hours to just walk down the road to the bottom of this mesa. Coming straight down the side was dangerous. Very dangerous. They moved in silence. Breathing hard. No time for water. Their legs working overtime battling the steep descent.

Beth’s legs were already sore from riding yesterday. She skidded, let out an “oh, no” and her hand landed in the middle of his back. He braced himself at her warning, catching a solid foothold and grip.

“These boots were not made for climbing.” She brushed off the near fall with words, but she was stiff against the rock face.

“You might lose one or two of those rhinestones,” he teased.

“We might fall to the bottom. Do you think I’d be better off climbing barefoot?”

“Better keep ’em on.” He smiled and knew he needed to quit teasing. He should be serious. They were in deep trouble with no way out.

An avalanche of emotion dropped on his head like the rocks above them could at any moment. Thinking about the woman instead of the problem was a sure sign he liked Beth...a lot. Maybe too much.

Of course it was too much.

He anchored himself and held out his hand, ready for her to come to him. She hesitated, barely raising her arm. He latched on to her fingers and her feet moved slowly. He waited. Bodies close together, eyes level with his and wide with curiosity. A ray of sun broke through the clouds and turned them several shades lighter.