“A surprise?” She dropped her gun hand and turned toward him, out of the circle of his embrace. “How can it be a surprise? You just said rule number one is don’t point a gun at anyone you don’t intend to shoot. So if I point it, why in heaven’s name would it be a surprise?”
“Cady Tanner, everything you do is a surprise.” He took her shoulders and turned her around, putting his arms around her the way they’d been before. But she felt a chuckle vibrate through him. “Besides, it’s just an expression.”
She grinned, but in her best Miss Biddle voice she said, “Captain, need I remind you that guns are serious? If you don’t treat them with respect you could wind up dead.”
“You’ve got five more shots. Surprise me.” There was a smile in his voice.
She took aim and fired. Trying to remember everything he’d told her, she braced one hand in the other to keep her hand steady. Her first three shots went wide of where she aimed. The fourth and fifth bullets did not go exactly where she’d meant them to, but at least she hit the cactus, making the saguaro needles fly.
“I did it!” she cried, turning toward him. “Did you see that? I shot the cactus!”
He nodded with satisfaction and smiled. “You’re a quick student.”
“Do you think I need more practice?”
He shook his head. “That’s enough for today. Ammunition is scarce. I think you could handle a pistol if you had to.”
The edge to his voice when he said it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Something was going on. She could feel it.
“Kane, may I ask you a question?” She handed him the empty gun, grip first.
“Of course.” He opened the chamber and reloaded the pistol.
“What were you and Lieutenant Thorne discussing when I came in your office today?”
Kane looked down at her, taking her measure, assessing the keen intelligence shining in her eyes. If he lied to her, she would know it. He had to give just enough of the truth to keep her satisfied without letting her know about the danger Jack was in.
He put his pistol in his holster and folded the leather flap over it. “Mac was filling me in on what’s happening with the Indians.”
“What is it?”
“Twenty-six warriors escaped from the San Carlos reservation. They’re raiding ranches, stages, and every white settlement they can find.”
“But why?” Her eyes darkened with worry. “What do they want?”
“Ammunition and guns.”
“When they take what they want, what do they do with the people?”
He wanted to spare her, but he had to be as truthful as possible. “Some of them are killed or wounded, others escape, some are taken prisoner.”
“Oh, dear God.” She caught her full bottom lip between her teeth. “So that’s what you meant when you said if the soldiers do their job, I won’t need a rifle. If they don’t—” She stopped and swallowed.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Cady. If there’s an attack, and that’s a big if, the Apaches won’t get past my men. Besides, Indians aren’t stupid. A small band is not likely to attack a U.S. fort where they’ll be out-manned and outgunned.”
“But what if they do? What if they get past the guards?”
“They won’t.”
“But Kane, you said I’d need a pistol if they did.”
He didn’t even want to think it, let alone put it into words. He’d seen what the Indians did to their victims, men and women. His insides twisted. He’d die before he’d let them get near Cady. He turned away and started walking toward the horses. “It’s time we got back. The sun will be going down soon.”
Behind him, her boots crunched in the sand as she hurried after him. When he was beside the animals, he felt her hand on his arm, small and warm and surprisingly strong.
“Don’t you walk away. And don’t think you can keep things from me. All my life everyone has been trying to protect me, and I’m sick of it. Tell me, Kane. I have a right to know. If the Indians come, what should I do?”
“I’m going to give you a gun. Like any good soldier, you will learn to clean and care for it. After that you will master loading and shooting. If the Indians get past me, you take that gun and put it to your head and squeeze the trigger.”
Her eyes widened in horror and her lips trembled. “What are you—”
“You’d be better off dead than letting them get their hands on you.”
She gasped and tried to step back, but he gripped her arms to stop her. “Kill myself? Surely you can’t mean that.”
“I do mean it.” He stared intensely into her eyes. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt.
“You promised Jack you’d—” She stopped and pressed her lips tightly together.
“And I’ll do everything I can to keep my promise. But if anyone gets this close to you, it means I’m dead.” He took a deep breath. “Don’t let them have you, Cady. Don’t let them touch you.”
Tension had been building within him since the moment Cady had walked into his office. Maybe it was the way Mac Thorne had watched her; maybe it was the danger always hovering close by in the desert. Maybe it was knowing renegade Indians were out there and no one knew where they’d strike next. Or maybe it was just that she was so damn desirable he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Whatever it was, Kane couldn’t stop himself from kissing her.
Her eyes widened in surprise as he lowered his mouth to hers. A sound of protest was trapped on her lips, but he only felt it for a moment before a sigh replaced it.
That small sound freed some primal need he’d buried deep inside. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. She was so sweet and small and delicate. He could feel her soft breasts burning into his chest as she settled her arms around him. The feel of her hands on his back set his heart pounding.
The wind stirred the fragrance of sage and mesquite. Beside them the horses snorted and pawed the ground, kicking up dust. Overhead a cactus wren called out in monotonous, low-pitched notes. When Cady opened her lips to him, the sounds of the world disappeared and he could only smell, and feel, and taste this woman.
He slipped his tongue into the honeyed recess of her mouth, savoring the sweetness there. A throbbing ache centered in his loins as he grew hard from wanting her. He pressed against the juncture of her thighs, instinctively seeking to ease the pressure. Did the intimacy shock her? he wondered.
She arched upward to make the contact between them more firm. God, she was a hell of a woman. He couldn’t help admiring her spirit, her willingness to challenge everything and everyone. Including him—including this.
He wanted her. He’d denied it, but he couldn’t any longer. As her full soft mouth moved beneath his, he knew he wanted her in his bed, with the sheets twisted around their naked bodies as he made love to her until his name was on her lips as she cried out her release.
She strained and rubbed against him until the ache inside him cut clear through to his backbone. He pulled his mouth from hers and trailed kisses over her cheek and delicate jaw, then behind her ear and down her neck. He heard her quick intake of breath and smiled to himself. So the proper little schoolteacher had a passionate spot just at the soft hollow below her earlobe.
His flash of satisfaction vanished in the next instant when she stood on tiptoe and started nibbling his neck in the same spot where he’d just kissed her. He groaned low in his throat and curled his hands into the material of her blouse. He heard her shallow, rapid breathing. It pleased him to know she was affected by him, just as he was by her.
The next moment there was a rustling in the bushes beside them, and the horses started snorting and restlessly pawing the ground. He lifted his head and cursed himself for letting his guard down.
He looked into Cady’s heavy-lidded eyes. Her lips were moist and slightly swollen from his kiss. The ache inside him grew. It made him want her more; it would be so easy to forget himself. But he’d been a soldier far too long to ignore
his instincts. The sounds around them, the horses’ flaring nostrils and nervousness, could be because they were anxious to go home. Or because they sensed some danger he couldn’t. That brought him back down to earth, hard.
He might want Cady. But he could never have her—not here, not now, not ever. Not after what had happened to Annie.
“We have to get back.” He pulled her arms from around his neck.
“Not yet,” she whispered. She swayed toward him. “Just one more minute.”
“No.” He gripped her upper arms, not painfully, just enough to get through to her. “Something’s spooking the horses. We have to go. Now.”
A flicker of apprehension went through her and he knew she was remembering what he’d said about not being taken alive. He wanted to tell her again to go home where she’d be safe. From the Indians. From him. He’d said it too many times already and she refused to listen. There was no reason to believe she would now. He could think of only one thing to do. As soon as they got back to the fort, he planned to take care of it.
Kane took her arm and led her over to Prince. She turned toward the animal and put one boot in the stirrup while he put his hands around her waist and lifted her into the saddle.
He swung up on his own horse. With just enough knee pressure, Soldier Boy leaped forward. Cady’s mount followed, and they cantered, back to the fort, side by side.
They stopped by the stable and dismounted. Kane took the reins from her hand and looped them over the pole fence enclosing the corral.
Cady looked up at him, biting the corner of her lip as she seemed to study him. Finally she took a deep breath. “Are you coming to the literary society meeting tonight?”
He didn’t want to. But he knew every man who wasn’t on duty would be going. He nodded. “I’ll be there.”
She smiled, which made him want to kiss her again. “I’ll see you later, then.”
He touched the brim of his hat, turned away, and headed for his office. There was a pile of paperwork. One thing, especially, couldn’t wait.
9
Kane was still trying to decide whether or not to sign the paper in his hands when a knock sounded on his door. He looked up, surprised that shadows had overtaken his office. It must be well after six o’clock. Before he could call out “Come in,” the door opened and Mac Thorne did just that.
Mac’s hair was slightly damp and the dark stubble was missing from his face. The smell of shaving soap and cologne followed him into the room.
“What can I do for you?” Kane asked him. Funny that he’d show up just now. He’d been thinking a lot about the other man and what the paper in his hands might mean to him.
Mac slipped his hands into the pockets of his wool uniform pants. “What makes you think I want something? Can’t I just be neighborly?”
“You’ve never been before. Why start now?”
Mac pulled one hand out of his pocket and held it palm down about even with his chin. “The reason stands about this high and has the prettiest green eyes I ever saw.”
Kane couldn’t prevent the irritation that instantly flashed through him, although he’d rather be staked out over an anthill in the desert heat than let the other man see his reaction. Besides, Kane reminded himself, he had no hold on her.
“If you’re looking to be neighborly to Cady, why come here? She’s over in the officers’ quarters.”
“You’re saying you don’t care if I call on her?”
Care? Of course he cared.
“I have no say in who she sees or doesn’t see. If you’re trying to make me jealous, you’re wasting your time.”
“I don’t play those games, especially with a friend. I’m trying to find out if you’re interested in the lady or not. I don’t horn in on another man’s territory.”
“Cady’s free to see whoever she chooses.” Just to make sure he didn’t stand in her way, Kane signed the paper he’d just finished writing and handed the document over to the other man. “This affects you.”
Mac took it and read the words. He looked up, surprised. “You’re requesting a transfer?”
Kane nodded.
“Why?” His eyes narrowed. “Especially now with Apache trouble brewing. You’re needed here more than ever.”
“You’d make a fine second-in-command, Mac.”
He shook his head and backed up a step as if Kane were carrying a contagious disease. “You know how I feel about this. I don’t give orders. Why, I can hardly follow them.”
“You could if you’d let yourself forget. What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“That’s ancient history.”
Kane nodded. “All right. It’s not up to me anyway. First the transfer has to go through. Then it’s out of my hands.”
“This is because of Cady, isn’t it?” Mac folded his arms over his chest. “What happened while you were teaching her to shoot?”
“Nothing.”
The other man’s blue eyes widened and he moved closer to the desk. “You just said she’s free to see whoever she wants, but you never said how you felt. You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.”
“I don’t think so.” Mac’s eyes glittered as if he’d found a missing puzzle piece. “You’re in love with her. But you still blame yourself for what happened to Annie. You won’t get—”
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“The least you can do is tell Cady, so she’ll understand. She’s in love with you too.”
“Dammit, Thorne. I said I don’t want to talk about this, with you or anyone else. It’s my business and no one else’s. It’s over.”
Mac straightened. “Right. And I’m the president of the United States. I’ll tell you one thing.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“You’re going to, whether you like it or not. If I were in your shoes, I’d tell her about her brother.”
“Then I’m glad you’re not in my shoes.”
“She has a right to know he’s in danger.”
“Not in my opinion.”
“You’re protecting her. You still want me to swallow the lie that you’re not in love with her?”
“I don’t care what you swallow. About two fingers of arsenic sounds pretty good right now.”
“Then you have no objection if I go to the literary society meeting tonight?”
“None. Although I should warn you that Cady Tanner is trouble with a capital T.”
Mac grinned, apparently unmoved by the warning. “No objection if I walk the lady home?”
“No.” The thought of Cady with another man forced Kane to use every ounce of his self-control to keep from grabbing Mac and ordering him to stay away from her.
“What if I should stand out in the moonlight with her a spell? What if I get the feelin’ she wouldn’t mind a good-night kiss? What if she was to invite me in?”
“You lay one hand on her and I’ll—” Kane stood up so fast, his wooden chair flipped over backwards.
“You’ll what?” Mac smiled. His expression said he’d set Kane up and pushed until he got exactly this reaction.
“I thought you didn’t play games.”
“This isn’t a game. Someone has to get through to you.”
Kane took a deep breath, then let it out. With an effort, he resisted the urge to wipe that grin off Mac’s face. He’d never felt such a murderous fury, especially over a woman.
“There’s the door, Mac. I suggest you get the hell out before I do something I’ll regret.”
“Looks like bein’ neighborly could be hard on the constitution. You sure you want that transfer?”
“Positive.”
“You’re makin’ a mistake.”
“Maybe. It won’t be the first.”
Mac stared at him, then nodded and left him alone.
Kane sat down and ran his hand through his hair. He wasn’t in love with Cady. He wasn’t capable of loving any woman. The
sooner he left Fort McDowell and Cady Tanner, the better for both of them.
In the mess hall, Cady had asked several of the enlisted men to move the wooden tables and benches against the walls to make room for everyone. She arranged her books on one of the tables and was ready far earlier than she had planned. After pacing in her room, she’d decided to set up rather than wear out the canvas floor. She wanted so much for the literary society to be a success. It was important to prove to Kane that she could make a difference.
But she couldn’t help worrying. What if no one came? What if they came and didn’t like the books she’d brought with her?
She remembered what Kane had said: Folks out here don’t need much of a reason to get together. He’d said the men would read dress patterns if it meant they could be close to her. Surely he was wrong about that. If they came, it wasn’t because of her. It was because they craved some diversion in their lives. She told herself that this meeting would break up the monotony for everyone. They might be stuck in the desert, in the middle of nowhere, but books could take them away, even if just for a little while.
At the thought of Kane, her heart skipped like a stone over a pond. His kiss earlier had certainly made her forget herself. She remembered how he’d pressed his lips to the hollow beneath her ear, making her knees weak and her pulse pound. It was the most wonderful feeling she’d ever known. If he hadn’t insisted they leave, she’d still be out there with him.
He had promised he would be here tonight.
She could hardly wait to see him. Maybe that was why she’d set everything up so early. The sooner she got things going, the sooner she’d see Kane again.
Her heart dropped to her toes at the sound of boots scraping on the canvas floor. Hoping it was Kane and that she’d have a chance to be alone with him before the others arrived, she turned.
As she recognized Lieutenant Thorne, she couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Oh, it’s you.”
One dark brow lifted. “Yes, ma’am. Doesn’t take a genius to see you were expecting someone else.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I’m expecting a lot of people tonight. At least I hope they’ll come,” she amended.
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