Wind Rider entered the inn shortly after
Hannah had disappeared into the kitchen.
Since it was the time of day when most men
were engaged in work, the common room was
nearly deserted, but for a few unemployed min
ers and drifters passing through town. He took
a table in a far corner, pulled his hat low over his eyes, and sat down to wait.
He had come directly to Denver, not even
stopping off at the farm to see Abby and his
nephew first, though he’d promised Zach he’d
be by in a day or two. Finding Hannah was
a driving force within him, and he couldn’t
ignore it, no matter how dearly he loved his sister or longed to see his new nephew.
“You new in town, mister?”
Wind Rider glanced from beneath his hat
brim. He recognized Harley immediately from
that one encounter several months ago, when
he had seen the man abusing Hannah. He
wanted to leap at Harley and pound him into
the ground, but he managed, with admirable restraint, to remain seated. It was extremely
difficult when he thought of Hannah’s pitiful
condition the day he’d found her cowering in the woods.
“You could say that,” Wind Rider replied.
“What are you drinking, mister?”
“Whiskey.” Wind Rider pulled a silver dol
lar from his money pouch and tossed it on
the table. During their trip from Fort Laramie
to Denver Zach had explained many things to him, including how to count money and make
change.
Harley left and returned a few minutes later
with a bottle and a glass. He seemed in no
hurry to leave. “What did you say your name was, mister?”
“I didn’t. But it’s Larson. Ryder Larson.” By
now the name had begun to feel comfortable.
“You gonna be in town long, Mr. Larson? I’ve got a nice room for rent upstairs. Business
is slow lately.”
“I don’t need a place to stay.” He sipped
his whiskey, pointedly ignoring the innkeeper.
Harley took the hint, ambling off toward the
bar.
Ryder sipped and waited, his mind roaming absently. For a breathless moment he recalled
Hannah’s hair reflecting the colors of the sun
set, her eyes defying the emerald splendor of the
dew-kissed grass. Loving her had been easy, but
thinking she might care for him was a mistake.
When they had made love he could have sworn there was some feeling between them. Was she
leading Lieutenant Gilmore on the same way
she had led him on? he wondered harshly.
Never would he forget how sweetly they had loved at Fort Laramie, or how quickly she had
turned to Gilmore after they had parted.
The shadows deepened and the level in the
bottle of whiskey dropped. People began to drift
into the bar on their way home from work. The
light barely reached the corner where Ryder was
seated, which was the reason he had chosen it.
He wanted to be aware of Hannah before she saw him so he could observe her reaction. It annoyed him to think that he had no idea what
was going to happen or what he intended to do when he did see her. He had promised Zach he
wouldn’t make trouble, but it seemed trouble
always came looking for him.
Then trouble walked through the door in the
guise of Lieutenant Gilmore. He selected a table
in a well-lit area, close to the bar. Harley went
to take his order, and Wind Rider watched
closely as the two men engaged in heated
conversation, wishing he was close enough to hear what was being said. After a few
minutes a frowning Harley stormed off into
the kitchen. He must have gone to summon Hannah, for she appeared almost immediate
ly, carrying a tray of food, which she placed before Gilmore. They chatted for a short time
and when she turned to leave Gilmore placed a hand on her arm to stop her. Though Ryder
strained his ears, he heard only the low murmur
of voices.
“Is Harley treating you well, Hannah?” Gilmore asked. He rested his hand on her arm in
a possessive manner.
“Yes, thanks to you. I appreciate your friend
ship and help, Trent.”
“I want to be more than a friend to you, Hannah, and you know it. Why are you making this difficult for both of us? I thought we would
become close on the trip down from Fort
Laramie, but you resisted me at every turn. I want to protect you.”
Hannah licked her suddenly dry lips. She
knew exactly what Trent wanted; he’d often
alluded to their becoming lovers during the tedious journey to Denver. “Have you forgot
ten? I’m not free to make choices.”
“I’ve been negotiating with Harley to buy your
papers, but so far he’s resisting. No doubt hell
be most agreeable when we reach a mutually
satisfying price. Meanwhile, I’ve convinced him
to give you some time off. Even indentured ser
vants deserve a day off now and then. Til pick
you up at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll
bring a buggy and we’ll take a ride around
the city.”
A slow smile curved Hannah’s lips. “How in
the world did you get Mr. Harley to agree to
that?” Trent really could be charming when he
wanted to, Hannah decided. But she had no
intention of taking a lover. Wind Rider was
the only man she wanted. All others paled in
comparison.
“That’s my secret. There’s something I want
to show you tomorrow. I hope you’ll like it.”
“I have to go, Trent. The room is getting
crowded, and there are people wanting food and drink.” Her gaze took a turn around the room, coming to rest on a man slouched in a
chair in a dark corner, his hat pulled down
over his eyes. There was something about the
set of his shoulders .. .
Ryder lifted his head and his gaze col
lided with the startling green of Hannah’s
eyes. He saw her gasp and raise her hand
to her mouth to stifle the sound. At that moment there might have been only two
people in the room, so intently did they stare
at each other. The tension was so thick, it
clung to them like dense fog, blocking out all but these two people. Hannah whispered his name.
Gilmore heard and leaped to his feet.
“Where!” But he didn’t need to ask, for
Ryder had already risen and was glaring at
him in a threatening manner. “What in the
hell is he doing out of the stockade? Heads
will roll for this blunder.”
Hannah was beyond speech; she could only
stand and stare.
“Hannah, listen to me. You’re not to commu
nicate with him in any way. Stay here while I
speak to him.”
Hannah wanted to rush to Wind Rider, to
throw herself into his arms, to beg him not to
leave her, but she did none of those things. The
closed look on his face was warning enough. She merely nodded when Gilmore issued his order.
Ryder saw Gilmore approach and waited, his
fists clenched at his sides. He dare not look at Hannah for fear of what he’d read in her
expression. Did she love the blue coat?
“How did you escape from the stockade,
Larson?” Though nearly as tall as Ryder,
Gilmore still didn’t measure up to Ryder’s
magnificent physique as they stood toe to
toe, glaring at one another in open chal
lenge.
“I didn’t escape, Lieutenant. I was set free.”
“Like hell! Who would dare disobey my
orders?”
“Captain Purdue.”
“The deputy commander? Why would he do
such a thing? I have enough evidence to put
you behind bars for the rest of your life.”
“You’ll have to ask the captain. I suspect you’re lying about evidence. I doubt there is
enough to convict me.” Ryder’s impassive fea
tures gave away nothing.
“We’ll see about that. Have you forgotten
about the rape charges? What are you doing in Denver? Why didn’t you hightail it back to
Powder River country?”
“I’ve come for my wife.” No matter what she
had done, she still belonged to him.
“Your wife, pah! You made her your whore.”
Wind Rider’s hand reached for the knife in his belt. Despite his promise to Zach, he was
damn close to slitting Gilmore’s throat and
hang the consequences. “Hannah might be your
whore, but she was never mine.”
Gilmore’s face turned fiery red. “You’re not to talk to Hannah, is that clear? If you were to ask her, she’d tell you the same thing. We’ve become lovers,” he lied. “She wants nothing more to do with you.”
Ryder’s face drained of all color. The thought
of Hannah and Gilmore together sickened him.
“I make no promises, Gilmore.”
“I’m going to get to the bottom of your
precipitous release and have you back in
the stockade so fast your head will spin. If
you’re wise, you’ll leave town while there’s still
time.”
Turning abruptly, Gilmore strode back to
where Hannah stood. Grasping her arm rough
ly, he dragged her with him into the storeroom
behind the bar. Ryder had to force himself not to follow, knowing that he must bide his time.
When he spoke to Hannah—and he would
speak to her—it would be without Gilmore’s
interference.
“Trent, you’re hurting me,” Hannah shrugged
free of Gilmore’s bruising grip and whirled to
face him. “What is the meaning of this? What
is Wind Rider doing here? How did he get out of the stockade?”
“I wish I knew,” Trent said tightly. “But you can damn well bet I’m going to find out. I’ve
got enough witnesses to convict the man of
raiding and killing with the Sioux. And as soon
as you sign the deposition, rape will be added
to the charges.”
Hannah’s chin rose defiantly. “I’ve refused to
sign those papers and will do so again.”
“If you don’t, I’ll assume you became his
whore willingly.”
“I wasn’t.. .”
“No! Tell me no lies. I meant what I said,
Hannah. You’re to have nothing to do with
that white savage. I’m giving you ample warn
ing. If you disobey me, I’ll make certain he’s
returned to the stockade and kept there until
he rots.” He gave her a calculating look. “On the other hand, if you do as I say, I might be persuaded to drop the charges. By your own
words you’ve admitted to being the savage’s
whore. Therefore, I am no longer obliged to protect your virtue, such as it is.” He laughed
harshly. “I want you, Hannah. We will become
lovers. If you agree, I will conveniently bury
the evidence against Wind Rider.”
With a force he’d never used before, he hauled
her up against his chest, tilted her face, and
slammed his mouth down on hers. Hannah
whimpered in protest. When he grasped her
hand and placed it on his erection she managed to fight free.
“Don’t! Don t do that!”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Hannah. You’ll
find I can be quite generous, but as your lover I’ll demand loyalty. Put that savage out of your
mind.”
“You’re mad! I can’t become your lover. I’m
Wind Rider’s wife. And if I were free, I’d still
not agree to your proposal.”
“Do you want to see him rotting behind bars
for the rest of his life?”
Hannah shook her head. It would kill Wind Rider to be imprisoned in a tiny, airless room
without the sun on his back and the wind in
his face.
“Then you’ll do as I say. No communication,
understand? Or else I’ll put the information I’ve
gathered to good use. And don’t worry about your freedom; I’m working on that.”
No matter how desperately she wanted to be
with Wind Rider, she could not hurt him. Trent
wasn’t one to make idle threats. For his own
sake she had to avoid Wind Rider at all cost.
Gilmore did not wait for Hannah’s reply. He
kissed her once more, hard, thrusting his tongue
into her mouth. Then, releasing her abruptly,
he stalked from the room, leaving Hannah thor
oughly shaken. She didn’t want Trent; just the
thought of making love with him sickened her.
Head bowed, shoulders bent, she left the room
and returned to work. When she dared to glance
in the dark corner where Wind Rider had been seated she found that he was gone.