by E. E. Burke
He had to stop or drag her through the dirt. Crazy woman. She ought to be running for the horse instead of slowing him down. Her remark about helping him only proved she had lost her mind. For that matter, he’d left his good sense back in that railcar.
His patience, already stretched thin, snapped. He spun around, grasped her arms to stop her forward momentum. “What is wrong with you? You try to bash me in the head, shoot me to get away, you offer me money. When I agree to return you, now you don’t want to go?”
Her cheeks flushed a deep rosy hue that made her eyes appear as blue as a clear sky. “Yes, well…I was afraid of what you might do. I’m not afraid anymore.”
She twisted her arms. Not to escape, to grip his wrists. He stared at the buttons on her jacket, recalling how she’d let him peel off her clothes...
No! No more of that.
He removed her hands. “You would be afraid of me if you had any sense.”
“Stop snarling. You can’t frighten me away.”
“Frighten you? Hell, I am trying to protect you, foolish woman. I cannot guarantee you will be safe as long as you are with me. You have to go back.”
“But you said you brought me here to keep me safe and you intended to leave me. What made you change your mind?” She searched his eyes. He got the distinct and uncomfortable impression that she saw through him, into his inner thoughts and the turmoil. “Will you trust me not to betray you?”
He might as well hand over his gun.
Desperate to break the inexplicable connection, he took a step back. “I cannot trust anybody outside my clan, especially not whites.” That he had a weakness for this one reinforced the need to be cautious. She ought to be twice as wary. “Have you thought about the consequences? Your people won’t accept you if they think you were with an Indian. No white man will have you. Not that railroad chief, and you cannot tell me you do not belong to him. He thinks you do.”
She took a step closer, her hand outstretched as if she might touch him again. Defy his warnings, defy convention, defy every unspoken rule that separated them and made any kind of a relationship impossible.
Jake resisted the urge to take hold of her and shake some sense into her. He shuffled backwards instead. This small, defenseless white woman scared him to death. He was a bigger coward than he thought.
The mulish glint in her eyes softened. “Jake, I won’t betray you. I meant it when I said I want to help. There has to be a way to save your family’s land and resolve this conflict, by bringing both sides together. You and I have a chance to make that happen.”
She imagined the impossible. A future where people who despised and distrusted each other could live in peace despite their differences. A world where someone like him might fit in.
“You are crazy. And I am crazy for listening to you. There is nothing you can do.”
“Nothing?” Her eyes widened with astonishment. “Jake, I’m Levi Parsons’ daughter. His heir. He will listen to me. If we’re able to work out a reasonable compromise—”
“My people do not want compromise.”
“Your leaders won’t turn down a fair settlement.”
“You have no idea what our leaders will accept.”
She threw her arms the air. “All right, you’ve made your point that I’m ignorant of Cherokee culture and politics. That’s why I need your help. All I’m asking for is a chance to talk to the council. It might turn out differently than you think.”
He stared at the light sprinkling of freckles on her cheekbones, longing to trace a pattern with the tip of his finger. This peculiar, unconventional, unbalanced white woman entranced him. If she asked for the moon, he would try to lasso the bright orb and pull it out of the sky. He had about as much chance of success roping the moon as he did of convincing the council to listen to an idealistic daydreamer. “It will not turn out the way you think. I do not want you involved.”
“Then why tell me about your family and the danger, if you don’t think I can help?”
By the seven clans, she was peskier than a horsefly.
He’d spouted off to justify what he was doing. That way, she wouldn’t think the worst of him. He wanted her respect and admiration. Although he wouldn’t say those things out loud. It was bad enough that she’d discovered her feminine power and seemed intent on wielding it.
“Another mistake.” He raised two fingers, then quickly dropped his hand. He didn’t have enough fingers to represent the number of mistakes he’d made. “I am not taking you to the council. Why do you want to talk to them anyway? Are you afraid your father’s railroad will not get built and you won’t be rich anymore?”
She cast her gaze to the ground, which made him feel bad for shaming her. “I won’t lie and say money has nothing to do with it. I’ve invested in the railroad. Of course, I’d like to see it succeed.” Once again, she met his eyes. “But not at someone else’s expense. I don’t want your family, or your people, to be hurt.”
Her sincerity sank deep into his heart. Having a shield wouldn’t help. Her arrows were invisible and more powerful than any defense he could muster. His only weapon was the bitter truth. “Somebody always gets hurt when soldiers are involved.”
“Who said anything about soldiers?” Confusion and worry flickered across her face. Her transparency made it all the more astonishing that she’d so easily duped him. “You twist my words or refuse to believe me. Why? Because I’m white? That’s as bad as my father believing you to be a savage because you’re an Indian.”
Had she just accused him of prejudice? Unbelievable. “It is not the same.”
“It is the same. You’re afraid to trust me because of the color of my skin.”
He reached out to touch her smooth, fair skin, running his finger along a freckled path. “I happen to like your white skin.”
Her trembling response shimmied up his arm and spread in waves through his body, bringing every nerve and muscle to attention. The air crackled with energy, signaling an approaching storm. He could scoop her up, carry her into the gale, and lose himself in her arms. Which would be the biggest mistake he ever made. As before, others would suffer on account of his selfishness. He had to end this.
“Your father owns the railroad.”
She blinked, as if coming out of a trance. “Y-yes, he does. But he’s not the person you’d be negotiating with during the process. You’d be doing business with me.”
“I do not want to do business with any of you. You are not Cherokee.”
She winced at the blow, then came right back. “I don’t have to have brown skin and speak your language to care.”
He shifted his gaze over her shoulder because looking into her eyes made him uncomfortable. She called to a part of him he couldn’t protect.
Out in the pasture, near his horse and the mule, his aunt’s milk cow and sheep grazed on the remaining grass. With the creek still running, her corn, beans and squash had done well this year and would help feed the members of their extended family.
Should the railroad prevail, Na would be forced to move out of the valley into the rocky hills. That soil wouldn’t yield enough to feed a family of birds. If Kate could possibly influence her father to leave Cherokee land, they could not afford to reject her offer.
“Parsons wants to build his railroad through here and take our water. Then they’ll cut down the trees and strip the land, just like they’ve done everywhere else. You want to help us? Get him to build his tracks somewhere else.”
Kate took a solemn survey of her surroundings. “They have to build the track near streams or rivers to get water for the engine’s boilers. Do you know of another route? One that doesn’t go through existing farms?”
Oh no, he would not become her advisor.
“You assume we want to give up any of our land.”
“I didn’t say give it up. The railroad can pay for it.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze challenged him to counter.
Had she ever considered becoming
a horse-trader? She would excel at it.
Jake took a firm stance, not about to be outdone by a white woman half his size. “Your father does not want to pay. He fights to get it for free.”
“And that battle is becoming very expensive.”
“For who? He has plenty of money.”
“He didn’t make it by throwing it away.” Her blue eyes snapped and her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink. She was beautiful when she got riled.
Jake was tempted to keep the argument going to see what else it might spark. “The council isn’t interested in selling.”
A small line appeared between eyebrows, the same bright color as her hair. “How do you know what the council will approve?”
“My uncle is on the council.” He blurted the retort then wished he could call it back.
“Your uncle?” She clapped her hands together like a delighted child presented with an unexpected sweet.
Jake closed his eyes, groaning inwardly.
“Why, that’s even better. You can take me to meet him. We could discuss—”
“Forget it.” If he brought her to his uncle, he would have to explain too many things, such as why he and Charley had been inside her father’s railcar. He had no idea how to explain Redbird. She fought like a warrior and argued with authority of a chieftain. “I told you. We are not interested in selling.”
“All right, then. Lease your land.”
Her suggestion took him by surprise. He had never considered such a thing. “Lease?”
“Rent it out.”
“I know what leasing means. I never thought to make money off the railroad in that way.”
He found her quick intelligence as provocative as her freckles and her red hair. Her mind was always working. If she were in charge of their mission, success would be certain. As it was, he had to rely on his plodding, meticulous thought process.
Leasing land to the railroad was an intriguing idea, if, as she said, progress was inevitable. Should their leaders control the amount of land parceled out and where the tracks were laid, the railroad line might bring some benefit. Still, he didn’t trust the whites to stop with ties and iron rails. “What is to keep them from building houses?”
Surprise flickered across Kate’s face, as if she hadn’t expected him to like her idea.
“Lease only the right-of-way needed for maintaining track.” She rushed ahead with the answer, gesturing with her hands. “Your leaders will have a say in what they put around it. The money you make would be yours to keep.”
Jake gave in to a reluctant smile. He thought he could not respect her more, yet she had given him another reason. He even admired her persistence, which did not mean that he would give in to what she wanted. In his experience, rich men could always find loopholes. “There is no guarantee the government will not award the grants later. Better to keep the railroad out.”
“Jake, listen to me…” She ran her hand up his sleeve. Sensual awareness shimmered through him. If she noticed he’d stiffened, she gave no sign. “Even if you stop the Katy, it doesn’t mean some other railroad won’t get through. The government is determined to make that happen. Better to deal with the devil you know, rather than one you don’t know.”
“The devil I know?” He gave her a pointed look. “Who would that be?”
Her hand fell away. “What will it take to convince you I’m sincere?”
Her open, vulnerable expression tempted him to give in. The fledgling idea she had hatched might grow into something useful, if there could be trust on both sides. He might come to trust Kate. Not her father.
“Get Parsons to give up his claim on our lands.”
Her expressive face communicated surprise, and then disappointment. “I wouldn’t count on that. He’s as short-sighted and pig-headed as you are.”
“Then we have nothing more to talk about.” Jake took her elbow. If she resisted, he would throw her over his shoulder. “Come. We must get you back to your people before Charley returns home.”
She jerked to a halt. “Home? This is his home, too?”
As fast as her mind worked, it surprised him that she hadn’t figured it out by now.
“Na is Charley’s mother.
Chapter 12
Charley, Jake’s cousin, Na’s son—they were all family.
Kate reeled from Jake’s confession, which he’d held back until moments before they left the farm. He must’ve known if he had told her earlier, she would’ve run away. As it was, her trust in him had been shaken. Now it made sense why he would flee rather than fight. It made less sense why he had brought her into the proverbial lion’s den. Should Charley catch up with them, would Jake keep his promise to protect her?
He had allowed her to mount behind him, with specific instructions. Clinging to his waist wasn’t one of them. What else could she do? She had to hold on, even if it meant putting up with fireworks going off all over her body. She couldn’t resist his appeal, regardless of the danger.
“You assured my safety. Why did you bring me to the one place I wouldn’t be safe?”
“Charley no longer lives there.”
“But his mother does.”
“She would not let him hurt you.”
The memory of Charley’s baleful stare made Kate shiver.
“He doesn’t strike me as the type to be swayed by his mother.”
“He would never harm anyone under her protection. It is against our tradition.”
Indian customs would hold the hand of a killer? Kate didn’t wish to test the theory. “Do you think he’ll follow us?”
“He might. Do not worry. I will keep you safe.”
He’d said that earlier, right before he kissed her and nearly undressed her, and then brought her home to the mother of a man who wanted to kill her. Unaccountably, she believed him. Why wouldn’t he believe her?
Kate sighed with frustration. The other two men in her life hadn’t listened to her either. Not Henry, certainly not her father. But Jake treated her differently. He had been listening. Oh, he’d resisted her reasons and argued with her, but she’d eventually gotten through to him. He was just too stubborn to admit it.
His resistance could be rooted in distrust. After all, she represented the things he hated—whites and wealth. Only, he didn’t act like he hated her. In fact, he treated her with more respect and consideration than any white man had shown her, especially her father.
Jake had challenged her knowledge. He’d forced her see flaws in her arguments, though he hadn’t ridiculed her. He hadn’t dismissed her interest in the railroad or her ideas for solving problems on the basis of her gender, of which he was painfully aware. He was probably as confused as she was about the unexpected attraction that leapt between them.
As they rode on, the land became less rugged. Though they hadn’t passed a farm or other sign of civilization for some time.
He guided his horse across a shaded creek. Cool droplets splashed her ankles. The water, sparkling clean and pure, would taste sweet.
“Can we stop to get a drink?”
“Not now. We will stop later.”
When the horse quickened its pace to climb up the opposite bank, she pressed closer and locked her hands across Jake’s hard abdomen. His stomach muscles tensed at her touch.
In all her twenty-five years, she hadn’t met a man who responded to her with the passion Jake showed. Nor had any other man ignited her desire. Strange though it seemed, it appeared they had been made for each other.
Everything she’d been taught would argue against such a match, not the least of which were the obstacles created from being on opposite sides of a very nasty battle. Besides, he’d made it clear he didn’t trust her and would resist exploring this utterly compelling, if illogical, attraction.
They might not have a future together, but she refused to let him walk away. If he returned her empty-handed, nothing would be resolved.
“You might not realize it, but you did me a favor when you brought me
into your life. If we can work together to put an end to this feud between your people and the railroad, we both would’ve done some good. It could end up being a blessing.”
Jake made a sound. A laugh or a cough.
She had to find some way to convince him to change his mind about taking her to the council. If she returned with an agreement, even her father would be forced to acknowledge her victory. He might even appoint her as his representative in the Territory, which would put her into Jake’s orbit—an enticing thought.
How might she gain Jake’s cooperation? He obviously cared deeply for his family. There had to be other members she hadn’t met.
“Do you have a…” she forced out the last part of the question, dreading the answer. “A wife or children?”
“No.”
Relief swept through her, followed by a ridiculous surge of hope, which was tempered by the thought that he was related to a man who wanted to kill her. “Do you live with your aunt?”
“Not often. I stay with one of my mother’s brothers and help him with his business.”
This was good. Jake did something besides break into railcars.
“What sort of business?”
“He trades things.”
Kate worried her lip. There had been numerous thefts of equipment and supplies. Were Jake and Charley responsible for those? “Does he do much trade in…railroad ties?”
“Horses and livestock, mostly. Legally acquired.”
Thank God, he didn’t earn a living by thievery. She couldn’t be involved with an outlaw. Not even one she had a hard time resisting.
For a moment, she gave in to her yearning and pressed her cheek on the back of his shoulder. He couldn’t continue to reject their connection if she refused to break it. “What about your parents? Are your mother and father still alive?”
“My mother died shortly after I was born.”
His abrupt answer and tone made it clear his parentage wasn’t a topic he wished to discuss. She hadn’t asked to stir up feelings of shame or pain.
“Who watched out for you?”
“My aunts and uncles took me in. That’s the way of our people. A mother’s family and clan take care of her children.”
