Catching sight of his head leaned over an oversized desk, his hair perfectly smoothed back and looking more brown than blond in the dim light, she knocked on the opened door. He looked up immediately at her across the ledgers and papers scattered over the gleaming desk and smiled as soon as he saw her. The smile was contagious and she returned it instinctively, her heart catching for a moment before it proceeded with its beating. She noted immediately that he hadn’t shaved, then admonished herself for being happy about that.
“Come in.” He rose and indicated she take one of the pair of brown leather chairs facing his desk, waiting for her to sit down before he resumed his seat. “I trust you’re settled in. Have everything you need?” He noted her brown dress, but didn’t say anything about her not wearing one of the gowns Willy had procured for her.
She nodded and found it a little disturbing that while he seemed happy to see her, there was a distance in his eyes. The tiny bit of tenderness she’d seen on his face back at the stables had been replaced by cordiality. It was a good thing. It meant that he’d accepted that what had happened between them last night was over. Maybe that would help her accept that as well. “You really can stand to lose fifty thousand dollars, can’t you?” She cast a look at the room to emphasize her point.
He shrugged and managed to look as arrogant as someone should when acknowledging his obscene wealth. He’d bathed and changed clothes since she’d seen him at the stables and now wore a crisp button-up shirt. The top few buttons were undone to reveal enough of his chest that it warmed her to see the tanned skin and light sprinkling of hair. The white shirt was tucked into a pair of dark-colored trousers, emphasizing the hard, flat planes of his stomach as he sat back, his hands folded across his lap.
“You must know that I’ve come to discuss my—our...captivity.”
He raised a brow at her word choice. “That seems harsh.”
Perhaps it was. It wasn’t as if they were chained in a dungeon, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of her backing down. They both knew it for what it was. She wasn’t free to leave. “I’d like you to allow us to leave.”
“Not an option.”
“I knew you might say that.” She held out the folded bank draft, making sure her fingers didn’t tremble. When he didn’t make a move to reach for it, she unfolded it so that he could see it was the bank draft he’d written out for her and dropped it on his desk. “Fifty thousand dollars for our release.”
He smiled again, but to his credit he didn’t laugh. “I don’t need fifty thousand dollars, as you’ve pointed out.”
What could she say to that bold truth? “Of course,” she conceded.
Leaning forward, he picked the draft up only to hold it out to her. “You must also know that I’d be more likely to allow you to go knowing that you have money with you.”
“It’s not actual money, though, is it? Do you suppose I could just walk into the bank and have it converted to gold or bills without your permission?” A draft for that much had to be rare, even in Helena. The bank would want to verify with him that it wasn’t a forgery before exchanging it.
His smile stayed in place as he gave a nod to concede her point. “I’d be more than happy to have it converted for you if it means you’ll take it.”
She took it back, folding it into her fist and deciding to ignore his comment. The more she had tried to figure out a way to not take the money, the more she became convinced it was her only real chance of getting away and starting over somewhere. She could borrow from Glory, but then she’d have to impose on her yet again and hope the loan didn’t run out before she could provide for them.
Instead of responding to that, she tried the only other tactic she had been able to come up with. “How do you expect to get away with this? I know who you are, the children know who you are. You haven’t hidden your identity from us. We even know where you live. Ship will question us when we go home and, whether I cooperate or not, the girls are too young to not say anything. They’ll tell him your name and all about this place.” She waved her hand to indicate the property. “Even if they won’t remember how to get here, how long before he figures it out? If he doesn’t come for you, he can go to the authorities and tell them what we know. You must realize that you’ve placed yourself in grave danger.”
His smile didn’t falter, but it did become more thoughtful and his voice held a slight rasp when he spoke. “Are you trying to convince me that I shouldn’t let you go at all? That I should keep you?”
Despite the vision of endless nights in his bed that his words conjured followed by the coil of pleasure unfurling low in her belly, she shook her head. “It’s why you shouldn’t return us to Ship. You can say we escaped. I’ll take the children far away and you’ll never hear from us again. I promise I won’t ever say anything to anyone. The girls don’t even know that we’re hostages. They think you’re a family friend we’re visiting and this is some grand holiday to them. They don’t know you’re an outlaw, so they won’t tell anyone.”
“I believe you, Emmy. I think you’ll keep my secret.” His intense gaze held hers and she believed he spoke the truth. “But you and your sisters are the only way to make sure Miguel isn’t needlessly hurt.”
Of course. Miguel was the person Ship had taken. She had never really thought that Ship would actually harm an innocent person, so it was time to find out if Miguel was actually innocent. It was past time for her to understand more about this situation she’d been pulled into. “Who is Miguel?”
* * *
Hunter took in the woman sitting across from him, in her austere brown dress. Her frame was so small that the chair dwarfed her, making her appear even smaller and younger. But despite her prim mannerisms and the fact that she looked so young and fragile, she’d taken him in her hands as if she knew exactly what she had wanted. He hardened just remembering it. The sounds she’d made had been so soft, feminine, and so damned sweet to his ears that he could still hear them when he closed his eyes. His body wanted to get her to make those sounds again.
Shifting in his chair to find a more comfortable position, he tried to force his thoughts back to the conversation. It would do no good to remember things better left in the past. For now, he’d have to channel his need to take care of her into other things. While she was here he could make sure she got enough to eat so that she could put on some weight before she went home. He’d even made sure Willy included something with apples into the meal that night. His housekeeper had given him an amused glance, but it was the only thing he knew that Emmy liked. Though she could have gobbled the apples he’d given her on that morning nearly a week ago down so fast because she was starving, not necessarily because she had liked them.
Had it been only been days? It seemed like he’d known her longer than that.
Running a hand over his face, he acknowledged that she was quickly becoming an obsession. This was madness. The entire situation had gotten completely out of hand. She was his hostage and, though they could be lovers—he’d accepted that bizarre breach of his values—they could not be anything more permanent. Cas needed him to help save his hacienda and Hunter wouldn’t let him down. He couldn’t be sidetracked by her.
“Miguel,” she repeated. “He’s part of your gang?”
“Castillo’s little brother.” He nodded, answering without calculating how much he should tell her. He was so desperate for any part of her that he wanted to tell her anything she wanted to know about him.
“But not your brother?”
“Cas was born to my father’s first wife. Miguel was born long after my father...moved on. He’s a good kid, though. Loyal to Cas. It’s what got him in trouble.”
She stared at him long and hard before saying, “So they divorced? Your father and his first wife?”
“Not precisely.”
“Oh.” She chewed her bottom lip a
s her mind worked over that information. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he watched her come to the logical conclusion. “But...but that means...”
“It means my father is a sinner bent on eternal damnation,” he teased.
Her plump lips dropped open a bit as if she didn’t quite know what to make of that. He found himself staring at them, wanting to taste them again. “And you’re a bastard,” she finally said.
“In the eyes of God, I suppose I am, but not according to the great Territory of Montana. There was a war going on when my father married Marisol. They never made it legal, just said a few words in a church because she was pregnant and I imagine because Cas’s grandfather had a loaded rifle he wasn’t afraid to use.”
He sat forward again, drawn to her in a way he couldn’t even comprehend enough to resist. “You see, we’re not really all that different, you and I.” He’d never spoken truer words. The knowledge made his breath catch for a moment.
She wanted to agree. It was plain to see in her eyes that she wanted to jump that divide between them. Instead, she changed the subject. “I want to know what this whole thing is about. How did your gang become involved with Ship’s?”
He rose to hide his smile and walked to the sideboard to pour himself a cognac. He admired how she tried to keep formality between them and a part of him hoped she accomplished the task, but he didn’t feel like her captor anymore than she felt like his captive. The formality was a barrier. She didn’t know it, but the more she tried to put it between them, the more he wanted to tear it down. “Come have a drink with me.”
He poured her a cognac as well and turned to her with both in hand. When she shook her head, he walked over and took a seat on the couch before the fireplace. He’d lit a fire earlier in the evening, but it was burning low now. Setting her snifter on the low table, he sat back into the corner of the cushions so that he could still see her over the low back and took a small sip. Enjoying the first taste as it covered his tongue and warmed its way down to his stomach, he closed his eyes.
“I didn’t know I had a brother until Cas showed up here a little more than five years ago. He’d come to tell our father that his mother had just died. It had been her last wish that he see his father again.” Glancing down at the dark amber liquid in the snifter, he clenched his jaw. Those hadn’t been the words he’d meant to say. He’d meant to tell her about the shooting that had made Campbell angry. There had been no need for her to understand everything that had happened since Miguel and Cas had come into his life, but he had an undeniable need to tell her so that she would understand. So that she would know that there was a reason for all that was happening. That it meant something.
There was a shifting of movement and, without looking up, he knew that she was walking closer. He didn’t want to scare her away, though, so he didn’t acknowledge her, just kept staring down at the liquor cupped in his hands and continued his story. He’d started it, so he might as well finish it. “Honor is important to Cas. He’d never make a promise without honoring it. So he came here, fulfilled his vow, then turned around and left. Wouldn’t stay and get to know the father who’d abandoned him and I can’t say I blame him.
“When he left, I followed him and caught up to him just outside of town. You could tell that life hadn’t been kind to him. He was angry and didn’t trust anyone. It was all I could do to get him to agree to stay in town with me for a couple of days.” Hunter grew quiet as he remembered those few days. Cas had been haunted by his mother’s passing and angry at the task she’d assigned him. He had never wanted to meet his father and he sure as hell hadn’t cared to meet siblings. But over those days they’d discovered they shared more similarities than they’d originally imagined, despite the differences in how they’d been raised. Hunter had returned to university in the fall, but the year he completed his studies he’d ridden down to Texas to meet up with his brother. After a lifetime of only his father, he’d found in Cas and his gang a family that he’d never known.
“Cas’s grandfather had come over from Spain years ago with the idea of making his fortune in the cattle business. Looks like he gave it a good try, but the ranch was falling down around them and their calves were getting picked off by rival ranchers hoping to make them sell out. I got there in time to help defend their border, but then other property owners came to us for help. One thing led to another and before you knew it we were the Reyes Brothers or gang or whatever the hell they call us. Then his grandfather was murdered and we can’t stop until Cas gets justice.”
By this time she’d perched on the other end of the couch and he chanced a look at her. She seemed thoughtful as she listened, her head tilted at a slight angle. “Why wouldn’t your father help him?” she asked when he caught her gaze. “He clearly has enough to spare.”
“He would, but Cas wouldn’t accept.” Their father had gifted them both with mining interests, but Cas hadn’t touched his. He hadn’t even acknowledged it, leaving Hunter to manage it all. “Cas won’t acknowledge my father. It’s his honor. His life is his hacienda, his family and fulfilling his grandfather’s vision. If he can’t save his home, he believes he doesn’t deserve anything. Not the mines that he should rightfully inherit, especially not from a father he doesn’t accept.”
“And you feel guilty, as if...maybe, he should be here, own all of this, instead of you?”
He was nodding before he ever even realized it. “Some.”
She nodded, a furrow appearing between her brow as she looked down. The light from the fire flickered on the pale skin of her neck and he vividly recalled tasting the sweet flesh and wondered if he’d left a mark. He wanted to mark her all over. Glancing to her profile, he noticed her soft lips, the bottom one plump and pink. Was it his imagination or was it pinker today than yesterday? Shifting, he took a deep breath and forced his attention back to his story.
“We started slipping across the border and bringing back some of his cattle that had been illegally sold off. Because that was so easy, before long we started bringing back other cattle, too.” He grinned. “That makes people angry, so they started following us and we had to fight them off. You do that enough, people think you’re the one causing trouble. Maybe we were.” They’d never caused problems for anyone who hadn’t deserved them. “Outlaws are a jealous lot and they lack imagination. Soon, we were fending off all the unsavory types trying to get a piece of our business. That’s when we came across Campbell. He approached Cas to partner up, but that’s not how we operate. Campbell didn’t like that so he started spreading lies about us, tried to get a jump on our jobs, just being a jackass and doing what he could to make things difficult for us. Then one day we were in Crystal City. It’s another story, but we’d followed Miguel there. We met up with a man named Hardy who sometimes ran with Campbell. Before we knew it, he was drawing on us. He didn’t realize that nobody outdraws Cas. He was dead before he knew what happened.
“Miguel was not at the saloon with us. Campbell found him before we did and took off with him. We tried to follow them, but lost the tracks after a storm. So we tracked down one of his friends and he told us about you. The rest you know.”
He paused to meet her gaze. “We have to get him back, Emmy. Miguel is only seventeen, he was just a kid when all this started and didn’t have a choice about joining the gang. The gang was his family. If he’s hurt because of the choices Cas and I have made, then I don’t know if Cas can ever forgive himself. We have to find him.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I hate like hell that you’re in the middle of this, but I don’t know what else to do. I want you to understand that I wouldn’t send you back if there was another choice.”
Her deep blue eyes stared into his for so long that he wanted to pull her into his arms and damn the world. His fingers clenched on the snifter to keep him from doing just that.
“I’m sorry that
he took Miguel. I know that he won’t hurt him.”
“I wish I could be so confident.”
“I wish for many things.” She took a deep breath. “Hunter...if things were different, would you keep me here? With you?”
“Yes.” The word came out forceful. Definitive.
Her eyes widened in shock and he knew that she hadn’t expected his answer. Neither had he. It just came out, but it was the truth. One night hadn’t even been close to enough of her, because her body wasn’t all that he wanted. He wanted everything. He wanted to know her: to know her favorite things, to know what she hated, to know everything about her life before him. But dammit all to hell, he couldn’t have her. Cas needed him and he’d die before he turned his back on his brother.
She rose and fled the room before he could tell her that.
Chapter Seventeen
Emmy had spent the night tossing and turning. The way he’d looked when he said “yes”, as if he could devour her right there, had haunted her dreams and left her feeling aching and unsatisfied when she awoke. It hadn’t helped that she had heard him go to his room later and realized that his bedroom adjoined her sitting room. She’d stood at that door separating them for far longer than she should have. Her hand poised just on the knob, not sure if she’d turn it and find it locked or not. What if it wasn’t? What if she opened it to go right in and spend another night with him? The warm, languid feeling that had moved through her, softening her very bones at the mere thought, made her turn away. He was too potent to her and too dangerous because of it. She had begun slipping under his spell the moment she saw him. What would happen to her when it was time to leave him?
The Innocent and the Outlaw (Outlaws of the Wild West) Page 18
