by Stacey Kayne
How could she have missed such beauty? Yet she'd stood in this very spot just moments ago and hadn't truly noticed any of it.
Feeling a tug on her coat, Skylar looked back. Tucker sat behind her on the rocky perch. He pulled her down, situating her between his raised knees.
"Tucker—"
Her protest died in an involuntary moan as his grip closed over her shoulders. His large hands kneaded her shoulders and the back of her neck. She pulled in a deep relaxing breath as he skillfully worked the tension from her body.
"I smell rain," she said a moment later, detecting the faint scent in the brisk air.
"Rain? You sure?" He brushed her hair aside as he raked his teeth across the side of her neck. "I smell roses. I can taste them, too."
"Cut it out," she said, laughing as she swatted at him.
Tucker retreated and glanced up at the sky. "There's not a cloud in the sky, sweetheart."
"It's coming." She turned her face toward the cool northern breeze, breathing in the faint trace of impending rain as she leaned back against Tucker.
He folded his arms around her, eagerly accepted her weight, enjoying the contentment he felt as she relaxed against him.
"We should be picking our way through that maze of rock by tomorrow afternoon," she said in a dull tone, gazing toward the distant northern rise they had already studied in her journal.
"You don't sound happy about that. Do you have grievances you didn't tell us about last night?"
"No. I agree that it appears to be the fastest route. I just don't want to be stuck in some stone canyon with a storm brewing overhead."
"How do you know so much about mountain passes you've never ridden?"
"Same way you do. Experience. When you spend your life roaming, you learn to read the terrain."
Tucker was pleased by her acknowledgment. Skylar wasn't as domineering and pigheaded as he'd first thought her to be. She was bossy and stubborn all right, but she'd also taught him and Chance loads about working the mustangs and was always open to their suggestions. She didn't discredit anyone's opinion, Garret's included.
"Can I ask you a question?" she said, breaking the peaceful silence.
"Fire away, angel."
"I've been wondering why a man with a ranch in Wyoming would be rustling mustangs in New Mexico instead of his own backyard. Not that you don't have a band of fine horses, but you did hire us to supply you with your stock, so why travel so far out of your way?"
What a question. One he was reluctant to answer. One he wasn't sure he could answer. "I needed a breath of fresh air," he said after a moment.
"They don't have any of that in Wyoming?" she asked, smiling as she glanced over her shoulder.
For once, Tucker didn't return her smile. "I was thrilled to death when we got the land and started building our ranch. But...it just...I didn't..."
As he pondered his hand moved up from her hip and began to burrow beneath her warm flannel and wool underwear. He smiled at the feel of her soft camisole, then slid his fingers beneath that, too. Skylar drew a deep breath as his fingers grazed her waist. Watching her lips curve into a smile, Tucker felt the tension in his muscles begin to melt away. Odd how holding her could fill him with a sense of calm.
"We've spent our whole lives working toward having our own ranch," he said, taking more of her weight. "All that time and work focused on one goal, yet once I got it...it wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. It's got nothing to do with the ranch. The second I saw that green valley backed by snow-covered mountains, I knew it was the perfect location. Wait till you see it, Skylar."
He hugged her against him, realizing only now how much he was looking forward to seeing that valley again. "It's the most beautiful stretch of land this side of heaven. We worked our tails off pulling our place together, building bunks, barns, stables and houses. But by the end of winter I was feeling—"
Hell, how am I supposed to describe what I don't understand? He stared out at the distant mountains, annoyed by the clash of emotions he normally did his best to suppress.
"Restless?" Skylar offered.
"I suppose," he said with a slight shrug, his fingers combing across her smooth abdomen. "I stayed until the end of spring.
The day after we finished framing our house, I packed my saddlebags and couldn't ride fast enough. I just needed a change of scenery, I guess."
"You're just like my father. Driving cattle and horses was never about the money. He loved the adventure. I think he was in love with the land. You could see it in his eyes when we'd finish a drive and he began to chart a new course to the next job, always a new stretch of ground we'd never ridden."
Perturbed by the deep sadness he heard in her tone, Tucker shifted Skylar sideways, lifting her long legs over his thighs as he turned her toward him so he could see her pretty face. She laid her head against his shoulder, completely relaxed in his arms, and Tucker's chest expanded with a burst of odd sensations.
"Why do I get the feeling that's all you ever discussed with your father?" he asked. "Work, the next job, distribution of chores."
"What more is there?"
"Plenty. Your own aspirations, hopes and dreams."
"Dreams are for children, Tuck."
He knew firsthand how motivating dreams could be. Seven months in prison camp had nearly killed him and Chance. But they'd spent those days of pain and darkness planning for their future, dreaming about the horse ranch they would build someday. He looked at the sad curve of her mouth and thought about the few glimpses he'd already seen of what Skylar dreamed of having.
"Do you really believe that, honey, or is that your father talking? There were times when dreams were all that kept me and Chance going."
"My father helped me to see that you can't put your trust in illusions. You've had your ranch for more than a year, yet you're still not content. Perhaps dreams are just that, not meant to be had. Nothing ever has the same luster in reality as it does in our minds."
"It does for some," Tucker said, recalling Chance's expression when he told his twin he wanted to hunt mustangs in New Mexico. Chance had called him crazy, unable to fathom why he'd want to leave what in all respects was a paradise. "Our ranch is Chance's idea of heaven. He's right at home nestled in that little valley."
"But you don't feel at home."
"Sure I do," Tucker said, the lack of conviction in his voice sounding obvious to his own ears. "I'm just not accustomed to letting grass grow under my feet. It takes some getting used to."
"Do you really think you can be happy staying in one spot?"
Tucker looked into Skylar's wide, questioning eyes, and smiled. For the first time he could recall, he wasn't in any hurry to go nowhere. He wasn't a damn bit concerned about the ranch, the weather, their horses, their brothers.
"No question about it," he said as he kissed her. He was happy right where he was. It was a damn good feeling.
Skylar's breath unraveled in a long sigh as he caressed her long, slender side. But the moment his hand cupped the full satiny swell of her breast, she grabbed his fingers through the layer of clothing.
"Tucker, we can't."
"I know, angel. It's been forever since I've touched you."
"It's been four days."
"Feels like forever," he whispered against her lips, leaving his hand where it was as he proceeded to kiss her until she was again relaxed in his arms. The moment he caressed her breast, she broke off the deep kiss and quickly wiggled out of his arms.
"Now why did you have to run off?" he complained, already missing the feel of her warmth and weight pressed against him.
"Because I don't have a speck of sense when you're touching me like that."
Tucker smiled as he watched her shuffle quickly down the hillside. "Practical to the core," he said as he stood.
"And that smile of yours is just one more illusion," she called back.
* * *
The steady rainfall a constant hush in his ears, Tucker sat in his saddle before
his anxious mustangs, helping to keep them contained between the deep canyon walls. Garret and Chance were doing the same at the tail end of the idle herd. Tucker glanced warily toward the swirling black mass above them.
Thunder rumbled through the thick blanket of clouds, vibrating through him, echoing off the canyon walls surrounding them.
"Easy," Tucker murmured, talking more to the angry storm brewing overhead than his pack of nervous horses. This day was steadily going from bad to worse. The dark pitch and deep grumbling above them gave clear warning that the gentle showers raining down were only a prelude to the floodgate that was about to bust wide open.
Rock didn't absorb water. If those clouds opened up and dropped their heavy load, their canyon trail would fast become a riverbed with a torrent of water streaming through its narrow walls, and washing out anything in its path. Water was already tumbling at them from all directions, pouring off the high cliffs on either side and rolling down the rocky slope before him, swirling around the horses' hooves. The same slope Skylar had ridden over nearly half an hour ago.
An increasing surge of adrenaline and impatience ate at Tucker's nerves as he peered through the thin veil of water, searching for her return. Skylar had left them behind to scout ahead for the quickest route out of this death trap. If she didn't get her tight little butt back here quick, they'd soon be facing the reality she'd been fearing all morning. It was Skylar's intuition that had put the first kink in Tucker's day.
During the past few days he'd become accustomed to stealing a few moments alone with her in the evenings and at sunrise. This morning, however, he'd walked into camp after his watch to find everything packed up. Worried that they'd be caught in the impending storm before they could get the horses through the canyons, Skylar had awakened their brothers well before dawn.
Her fear had been a valid one.
Tucker glanced again at the shifting clouds above him. He released a deep sigh of relief as he heard Skylar call his name and he caught sight of her riding toward him. She reined in beside him. Noting the worry in her gaze, he cursed under his breath. He grabbed her horse's harness and leaned toward her until the brim of his hat touched hers, shutting out the rain falling around them.
"That bad?" he asked.
"The quickest way out of these canyons is steep enough to raise hairs on the back of my neck," she reported, her unhappy tone matching her expression.
That couldn't be good. She wasn't squeamish about taking steep inclines and had sent them over a few in the past couple weeks that had raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
"This vein splits in two a half mile up," she said. "The horses will need to bank a hard right. The left pass leads to another long riverbed of rock. You'll have to block off that trail to get the horses to take the right turn. The channel opens up about a quarter mile down, before it drops off into a wide valley."
His gaze locked on the tender side of her neck where her pulse beat rapidly. She was scared. "Just how steep is this drop-off?"
"Steep."
"Hell."
"Would be on horseback. I wouldn't charge down that wet slope in a saddle. We'll pick our way down same as the horses. On foot."
"You're sure about this?"
"Sliding down that slick hillside won't kill us, but I won't guarantee the same for all your horses. If we don't get out of these canyons, we'll get washed clear back to the Colorado border. That's guaranteed to kill us all."
That hadn't been the answer he wanted. His muscles flexed with the urge to pull Skylar off her horse and soothe the fear in her eyes.
An irrational response.
Skylar eased back and glanced toward the horses.
"We'll keep a close watch on Garret," he assured her.
She nodded and urged her horse back. "I'll send the pack-horses down first and hope for the best."
She no sooner disappeared into the dreary gray distance with the packhorses than a deafening crash of thunder rolled across the black sky in a ground-shaking roar. A few seconds later, the ground began to rumble, telling Tucker that somewhere farther north the sky had fallen and was rushing straight toward them. Putting his fingers to his lips, he pierced the air with a sharp whistle, telling Chance it was time to set off.
By the time they were all moving, water was rising beneath them. Tucker found the fork in the stone just as Skylar had said. The path was already blocked by a heavy flow of rushing water. The horses didn't hesitate in turning right toward higher, dryer ground. Tucker held back and waited until Garret rode by in a cluster of mustangs.
"The hill is too steep to ride down," he shouted as Garret reined beside him. "You'll have to go down on foot. Make sure you stick to the outside of the herd."
Garret nodded then continued on.
Tucker and Chance guided the last of the horses toward the wide ridge. Half the herd crowded around the lip. Tucker jumped from his saddle and approached the edge.
Hell, no wonder they didn't want to go over. Unprotected by the high, stone walls, hard gusts of wind whipped across the hillside. Rainwater was pouring down the jagged face of the rock-strewn cliff. Although the scattered rocks could be helpful with the slippery footing for the horses, large boulders pushed out from beneath the hard-packed soil which could trip them up.
The kid was halfway down, keeping to the far side just like he'd told him and out of the path of the horses. Looking out toward the base of the hill, he saw obscure images of his mustangs trotting toward the short grass and groves of trees that stretched across the wide valley floor.
"Go on down so you can help the kid," Chance called from beside him. "I'll make sure this lot doesn't decide to backtrack."
Tucker didn't hesitate. When he was about halfway down, a stationary dark spot near the center of the slope caught his attention. Looking closer he saw that it was one of the pack animals. The mule had to be caught up somehow.
The stranded mule could very well trip the other horses. Tucker started edging his way toward it when he saw another patch of movement, something popping up on the other side of the trapped animal.
Oh God.
Tucker sucked in a burning gasp of air and held it as he watched Skylar's long frame move up past the mule, apparently attempting to free it. She drew her knife from the scabbard at her waist. He glanced up at the ridge as four of his mustangs came barreling over the mountainside, two of them headed directly toward Skylar. Slick gravel crumbled, scattering like marbles, sending them right down on top of her.
Her name burst from his burning lungs as he lost sight of her in a distorted blur of figures. The two dark mustangs skidded past the mule and continued down the hill. Tucker's gaze moved over the gray slope, praying Skylar had managed to avoid the mare's sharp hooves. He spotted her below the pack mule, clinging to the steep hillside. She lifted her head, and he released a hard breath.
"Keep going down," Tucker urged.
Tension closed over his body as he watched her reach a hand up, again climbing toward the pack mule. Another dark shadow of stumbling horses barreled down the cliff.
"Skylar!"
Thunder crashed overhead, drowning out his voice. The dark sky opened up and he lost sight of her in the heavy rainfall.
Skylar's gloved fingers gripped frantically at the slick slab of rock above her. Ice-cold water sleeted across her face, drenching the clothes beneath her coat as she struggled to keep her footing. Hard gusts of wind whipped at her wet hair. Her hat hung across her back from the long cord, having been knocked off as she slid across the hillside. She'd almost had her blade on the rope when she'd been forced to let go of the rock to avoid being trampled.
Clenching her knife between her teeth, she lunged to her left. The tender scar on her shoulder burned with pain as she pulled herself across the rough surface toward the rope jammed tight in a deep crack. She slid her blade beneath the thick braid of fibers stretching down from the large stone and cut the frightened animal free. As it disappeared into the blur of rain, Skylar relea
sed her hold on the rock and slid across the slick surface.
Another horse came down hard beside her, missing her by inches. Skylar screamed and rolled to her right. She continued sliding down until the ground angled out enough to get her feet beneath her. She shoved herself up, descending as fast as she could, trying not to worry about what was coming down behind her.
The second her boots hit solid flat ground, she started running. It wasn't long before she came upon the unmoving herd. Approaching them, she shivered from the cold wind whipping at her wet clothes.
"Guess we're making camp," called Chance from behind her. "We can't see a damn thing in this rain."
Skylar hugged her arms tightly around her middle to calm her shivers as she looked past the water running off the rim of her hat.
Chance walked briskly toward her, leading his horse by the reins. "Nice job with that pack mule," he said as he stopped beside her.
"Not really. If I had checked them for loose ropes, it wouldn't have gotten hung up in the first place. We'll need the tarpaulins to stretch between a few of these trees so we can get a fire started."
Chance nodded in agreement. "You pick the spot while I round them all up and get— What's wrong with him?"
Skylar followed Chance's gaze. Tucker marched straight toward them, unbridled rage burning in his eyes.
He grabbed her by the hand, not pausing as he tugged her after him. "Excuse us."
"Tucker!" she shrieked.
"You're crazy, you know that?" he shouted, his powerful strides showing no sign of slowing as he led her deeper into the thick grove of aspen.
"What are—"
"You couldn't stick to the outside of the herd!"
"I did, but—"
"You had to be right there in the thick of it, damn near getting yourself killed!"
Skylar dug her heels into the wet ground and tugged at his hold on her. "If you dragged me off to tell me—"
Tucker hauled her against him, ending her words with a gasp. His arms locked around her like steel bands. "I dragged you out here because I need a moment alone with you, damn it!"
'To shout at me?" she asked, confused by the anger she saw in his eyes and felt in his tight muscles. Some of his mares had obviously sustained injuries. She was just as upset over any harm inflicted on his mares, but things could have been worse. Much worse. "Tucker, I warned you that your mares could get hurt. It was the safest way out of that mountain pass I could find. Did you see the amount of water pouring down after us?"
