“Yeah.” A quiver in Nathan’s voice betrayed the kid’s tears.
“Did he teach you right from wrong, and things like how to put on your boots and which way the buttons went?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’d say he was your father, since that’s what fathers do for their sons.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now, you stay real still. I’m going to move one of these big rocks a little. You tell me if anything happens where you are. Ready?”
“I’m ready, sir. I mean…Jake.”
Jake lifted the lantern for one more look but he didn’t see another way to proceed. Saying a prayer to whoever was listening, he set the lamp aside, grasped the large stone with both hands and tugged.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then a low rumble came from the mine, followed by Nathan’s scream.
Jake dropped the rock as if he’d been burned. “Nathan?” Only an echo came back. “Nathan!”
Panic had Jake halfway into the small hole before he heard the boy call out.
“I’m all right. Some rocks fell from the ceiling but they’ve stopped now.”
He leaned against the wall of the opening and dragged air into his lungs, willing his fear to subside. “I’m glad to hear that, son,” he managed around the lump in his throat.
“Jake? I’m scared.”
“I know, son. So am I.”
“You are? I didn’t think anything could scare a Texas Ranger.”
Jake studied the hole and decided he’d widened it as much as he could without the whole thing collapsing. He’d have to squeeze through. “Only a fool doesn’t get scared. The trick is to do what you have to in spite of it.” Jake grabbed a lantern and peered into the mine, squinting past the dust. When a shout came from behind him, he spun around and reached for his gun.
“Don’t get all upset, Jake. It’s just us,” Abby puffed. She moved her bulk with considerable speed, keeping up with Rachel and Hank Gerard. No one else was in sight.
“Are the others coming?”
“They refused to help, because they believe I’m—”
“Don’t repeat it, Miss Rachel.” Hank patted her shoulder.
Abby spit on the ground and uttered a curse that made even Jake flinch. “Damn fools. Not a speck of Christian decency in the lot of them.”
Gerard walked closer to the mine entrance and studied it without touching anything. “Tell me what you have done.”
“Nathan is about fifteen feet into the mine, with a beam pinning him down.” He ignored Rachel’s tiny cry. “I’ve been pulling out the little rocks trying to widen the opening a little, but when I removed that big one, things inside shifted.”
“Nathan?” Rachel picked her way to the entrance.
“Is that you, Sis?”
“I’m here. You’re going to be all right.”
“I know. Jake said he’d get me out.”
Rachel turned to him, her blue eyes huge and haunted. He brushed the back of one dusty finger down her cheek, leaving a trail in her tears. “Don’t cry, pretty girl. We’ll get to him.”
He turned to Hank. “I don’t see any way but to squeeze through that hole.”
“I agree, but I won’t fit.” He patted his ample girth and shrugged. “Can you get through it?”
Jake looked at the space and thought of the darkness on the other side. “I can do it.” He removed his gun belt and handed it to Abby. “Hold that for me.”
“You be careful now.”
He made sure the candles and matches were still in his pockets. He was as ready as he would ever be. He paused when Rachel took his arm.
“Please be careful, Jake.”
“I’ll be fine.” He crossed to the opening and called out. “Nathan, I’m coming in to get you. I want you to keep talking to me so I can find you. Can you do that?”
“I think so. What do I talk about?”
“Anything. Tell me about your Pa.” Rachel protested, but he ignored her. “What was the Reverend like?”
Once Nathan got started, Jake listened with half an ear, concentrating on getting through the hole without causing a cave-in.
He reached in with his right arm and felt around for a handhold. Getting his head through the opening in the rocks was easy, but his shoulders wouldn’t fit. With Hank at his side, quietly offering instruction and suggestions, Jake inched forward until his left shoulder slipped free. Forcing himself to go slowly, he eased into the mine with Hank pushing from behind. Just when he was about to congratulate himself of getting in, the rocks beneath him shifted.
“Get back!” His shout echoed in the mine and was quickly drowned out by the groan of moving stone. He thought he heard Rachel scream, but it might have been him yelling as the wall collapsed and a river of rock and dust washed him into the mine.
As quickly as it started, the movement stopped and silence descended. Taking stock, Jake moved his head, then his arms. So far, everything still worked. He pulled himself forward to free his legs, but other than the sting of a few cuts and scrapes on his back, he didn’t think he’d suffered too much damage. A light flashed on the wall in front of him as Hank came through the newly enlarged opening with a lantern.
“Are you all right?”
“Nothing that won’t heal.” Jake turned toward the depths of the mine. “Nathan?”
“Nathan!”
Rachel’s scream bounced off the stone, causing dust to sift from the creaking rafters.
He spun toward her. “What the hell are you doing in here? Get back outside,” he ordered. “Abby, get her out of here.”
The older woman pulled Rachel back to safety, holding her arm to keep her there. He tried to reassure her. “Rachel, I can’t be worrying about you, too. We’ll get him out. I give you my word.” He turned back to Hank. “Nathan said he was ten or fifteen feet into the mine and one turn to the left.”
“That should be no more than five feet from where you are now,” the older man observed. He crawled forward through the low tunnel, easing past Jake, until he reached a pile of rocks blocking his path. “He should be just beyond here.”
Jake crawled to Hank. “Nathan? Son, can you hear me?” The question was met with a painful silence. He could only imagine the terror Rachel must be feeling. “Gerard, what’s the best way to get through this?”
“One rock at a time, my friend.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
Working together, they shifted part of the pile to one side until they’d made an opening they could see through. Jake held out the lantern and peered through. Just beyond his reach he saw a flash of white that he hoped was Nathan’s shirt.
“I see him. He’s about five feet farther into the shaft.” He moved back and set the lantern to one side.
Hank nodded and moved a few more stones. Finally, there was room for Jake to climb through. Grateful nothing crashed down around him as he made his way to Nathan, he shoved some rocks aside before studying the boy in the lantern light. “He’s breathing. Let me see if I can move this stuff off him.” Straining with the effort, he lifted the hunk of wood lying across Nathan’s right leg and laid it aside. Satisfied he could move the boy without causing more damage, he looked at Hank. “I’m going to hand him out to you. You get him out of here. I’ll be right on your heels.”
Hank’s eyes narrowed. Lifting the lamp, he studied the walls and saw what Jake had already noticed. The remaining beams holding the ceiling bowed under the weight of the rock they held back. The cave was about to collapse in on itself—and anyone still inside.
“Hurry, my friend.”
He took the man’s words to heart. Ignoring Nathan’s moan of pain, Jake scooped the boy out of the rubble and handed him out to Hank. The moment they were out of the way, he squeezed through the opening after them. The mine rumbled and coughed behind him, and rocks bounced off his bootheels. For one agonizing instant he was stuck, but managed to yank loose and drag himself toward the mine entrance.
As soon as his legs were free, he jumped to his feet and bolted for the opening.
A deep, sighing moan was his only warning as the mine shaft gave way. The ceiling crashed down beside and behind him and a tidal wave of rock swept him off his feet. All Jake could do was ride along until the rockslide spit him out. When the dust settled, he was on his back, staring at the stars, brilliant in the night sky. He gulped in the cold air and watched his breath puff out in billowing white clouds, thankful to be outside—and alive.
“Well, Ranger McCain”—Hank sat on his heels beside Jake—“you still with us?”
“God, I hate dark places.” Jake waited until the world stopped spinning, then pushed to his feet. Hank handed him his gun belt, coat, and hat. “How’s Nathan?”
“Out cold. Abby’s looking at him, when she can get Rachel out of the way.”
Jake strode to where Nathan lay bundled in a blanket. His hands shook, but his touch was gentle when he reached for Rachel. “Come on, honey, you have to let Abby work.” He ignored her struggles and pulled her into his arms. “He’s going to be all right.”
“How do you know?” The panic in her voice stabbed at him.
“Because I promised Nathan I’d get him out of there.”
She twisted in his embrace until she could see his face. “And you always keep your word?”
“Always.”
Rachel dropped her forehead to his chest. “Thank you for saving him, Jake. I don’t know what I would have done if...” She glanced at her brother. “He’s so young. None of this should have happened to him.”
“He’s old enough. The world can be a cruel place. You can’t protect him from it forever.”
“I don’t want to protect him forever—just for a little while longer.”
Jake smiled and pulled her closer. He could feel the fear shaking through her, but Rachel wouldn’t give in. She was so much stronger than she believed. Her hair was as soft as a summer cloud against his cheek when he laid his head over hers. She felt right in his arms, like she belonged.
Rachel shivered. He let her go long enough to unbutton his coat and wrap her inside with him. Without looking away from her brother, she snuggled into the warmth he offered.
Heat shot through Jake and pooled below his belt. He muttered a curse at his unruly body. Never before had a woman gotten to him like this one, slipping up on him and catching him unaware. He shifted slightly so she wouldn’t come up against the proof of his reaction. Desire pounded in his head with every heartbeat. He tried to will it away, but Rachel’s scent filled him with every breath he took.
He couldn’t stop his mind from circling back to the accusations made about her. What if Nathan really was her son? Not that Jake cared one way or the other. He’d never blame the boy for something he’d had no control over. But if Rachel had a child, she’d already been introduced to the ways of man and woman. He’d never take a virgin to his bed. There were responsibilities that came with that gift and he had no room for them in his life. But an experienced woman? It had been far too long. His body tightened even more at the thought of caressing her satin skin and slipping into her heat.
“That’s all I can do out here.” Abby’s voice jolted him back to the present. “We need to get him inside where it’s warm and I can see better.”
Rachel pulled free of Jake to kneel beside her brother. “Nathan, can you hear me?”
Nathan’s soft moan was barely audible, but it was a wonderful sound to the adults gathered around. His eyelashes lifted long enough to let Rachel know he’d heard.
“We’re going to carry you home now. You just hang on a little while longer.”
“But, Sis...”
“No, don’t talk.”
He took her hand and she smiled for the first time in hours. Relief made her a little dizzy. Jake stepped forward to pick him up, but Nathan wouldn’t let go of her hand. He tightened his grip until she looked down. He pushed some kind of rock into her hand just as Jake draped his coat over her shoulders. Taking it, she moved so Jake could lift Nathan off the cold ground. As Abby tucked a blanket around him, Rachel grabbed up one of the lanterns to light the path home.
She fell into step behind Jake, clutching the rock Nathan had given her. Pretending to hold Jake’s coat tighter around her throat, she brought Nathan’s gift close to her face. She stumbled in shock. Hank rushed to her side.
“Be careful, Miss Rachel.” He took the lantern and slid a hand beneath her elbow to steady her. “You’ve had a difficult evening.”
“I’m fine. But I appreciate your concern.” She hid the stone from sight and tried to concentrate on walking. She could hardly believe what she’d seen. In the bouncing lamplight she could just make out the crystal structure of a chunk of quartz—and the shiny flecks buried within.
Her brother had found gold.
CHAPTER NINE
It felt like hours before the cabin came into sight. Rachel hurried ahead. “I’ll light the candles and start the fire. It needs to be warm for Nathan.”
“I will accompany you, Miss Rachel.” Hank took her elbow and lifted the lantern to light the path. “Ranger McCain will get him back faster without us to get in his way.”
Jake would have smiled at the skillful way Hank maneuvered to be with Rachel if he wasn’t so busy fighting off a wave of jealousy. His instant possessive reaction left him stunned. He had no claim on her. So why did he want to pound Hank Gerard into the rocky ground under his feet?
“How’s he doing?” Abby’s voice broke into his musing.
“I don’t know. He hasn’t made a sound since we left the mine. He didn’t even complain when I stumbled over that half-buried rock back there.” The boy was wrapped up tight in a heavy wool blanket, but Jake could feel him shivering. “We’ve got to get him warm. I just hope I’m not making things worse by carrying him around like this.”
“No choice. We couldn’t leave him lying on the ground.”
Jake was as happy to see the little house as he had been the night of the storm. Abby opened the door and he strode straight to the hearth, where a cheery fire chewed its way through a stack of logs. Hank and Rachel struggled to carry the mattress out of Rachel’s bedroom and he bit back a laugh. “Maybe you should leave that by the fire. It seems to spend more time here than where it belongs.”
Rachel grunted. Jake considered handing Nathan to Abby so he could help, but the woman couldn’t hold him. The boy was heavier than Jake expected. “Rachel and Nathan dragged the mattress out here for me the night I passed out on the porch,” Jake explained to Abby as she filled the coffeepot and two pans with water and set them on the stove to heat.
Dropping her end of the mattress near the fire, Rachel hurried to her brother. “Nathan, honey, can you hear me?”
“Hurts,” he whispered.
That single word was the sweetest sound Jake had ever heard. “I’m sorry for that, son. I’m not exactly dainty on my feet.” With Hank’s help, he lowered Nathan to the mattress. The boy’s groan of pain burned in Jake’s gut. He helped get his coat and boots off, but after that, Jake could do nothing but watch as Rachel and Abby checked the boy for injury.
Helpless frustration swamped him, rooting him to the spot. Hank said something about checking on the animals, but Jake didn’t respond. He couldn’t force words past the lump blocking his throat. At some point, Nathan came to enough to answer the women’s questions. Finally, Abby seemed satisfied she’d done all she could.
“Rest now, young man. You’ll be right as rain in a few days.”
When Abby started to rise, Jake stepped forward to help her. Rachel stayed at Nathan’s side, talking softly. He couldn’t hear the words, but he was glad to see the smile that eased the lines of worry on her face.
“How is he?” Jake rummaged around until he found the coffee beans and grinder.
“He’s got quite a lump on the back of his head and he’ll have a bruise from his thigh to his toes, but nothing is broken. He’ll mend.”
Jake felt almost light-headed with relief.
“You need a bit of tending, too.”
Jake tried to shrug off Abby’s probing fingers, but she kept poking. When she found a tender spot, he protested. “That hurts.”
She grinned at him. “All boys are the same. They just grow taller. Sit down.” She shoved him toward the table and went for more water and a clean cloth.
Her hands were gentle as she cleaned his abraded face and neck. “You’ve got a soft touch, Abby.”
“Flatterer,” she responded with a giggle.
She’d never see the low side of forty again, but she sounded like a young girl at that moment. The salve stung as she rubbed it on the worst of his cuts, but he ignored her ministrations until she started unbuttoning his shirt. “What are you doing?”
“There’s more to tend to on your shoulder and back, if that blood is any indication.”
“Blood?” Rachel’s hands stilled.
“It ain’t too bad,” Abby reassured her. “Just some scrapes and scratches I need to clean up.”
“Oh. Good. I’m glad.” She resumed tucking blankets around a sleeping Nathan.
“Ouch. Dammit woman, that stings.”
•♥•
Rachel spun around at Jake’s curse, then couldn’t look away. He sat at her kitchen table, naked to the waist. A strange feeling tightened her stomach as the muscles in his back rippled in the firelight when he flinched from Abby’s ministrations. For an instant, she swore she felt the sting on her own skin. She reached out to touch his bronzed skin but when she came to herself, snatched her hand back and turned away.
What was the matter with her? Swallowing hard, she tried to concentrate on her brother. Memories of the night Jake stumbled into her life flooded back. Instead of Nathan, she saw Jake lying naked on her floor, remembered what his skin felt like beneath her hands as she tried to still his shivering. She recalled the instant when she realized he was awake and very much aware of her stretched along his length. Her breath shortened. Heat flooded her and the very center of her being strained to touch him.
Texas Gold Page 11
