Midnight Secrets

by Janelle Taylor

  Steve was lying within a few feet of her as he insisted on doing each night for protection, a pistol on either side of him. He looked at her as he answered. “You hang back and hide while I capture them.”

  Her gaze fused with his. “As simple as that, Steve?”

  “Nothing is ever simple, Anna. Haven’t you learned that by now?”

  “Yes, but I wish…”

  “You wish what?” he coaxed, quivering with desire for her. Shu, if things went wrong tomorrow, they could be dead before nightfall.

  “I wish life weren’t so hard and dangerous and cruel. There are five of them, Steve. You could be…”

  “Killed?” Her worried gaze and use of “you” instead of “we” moved him.

  “Don’t say that!” she cried, then lowered her gaze from his.

  Steve propped his right elbow on the» ground and rested his chin on his fist. “If you stay hidden, Anna, they won’t get you again.”

  “I wasn’t worried about me. I meant, not only about me.”

  “Who else is there to worry about? Surely you don’t care about those bastards who captured you and tried to rape you.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then who?” he persisted, needing to hear her name him.

  Ginny wondered why he was pressing her for an answer he didn’t want to deal with tonight or any time soon—or perhaps never. Should she give him one more chance to recognize and accept his feelings for her, one last chance? She needed to know for certain there was no hope for a future with him. Perhaps more importantly, she needed to know if what they’d shared meant anything to him. She could always blame the potent whiskey for causing her to lose control. They could be dead tomorrow, so what happened between them tonight wouldn’t matter. “I’m too tense to sleep. Can I have another drink from your bottle?”

  “You’re developing a bad habit, woman, depending on this.”

  “You’re right, and I really don’t want it. What I do want, is to know if what happened between us was all lies and deceptions?”

  Steve’s gaze locked with hers. “No, Anna, it wasn’t. I care about you and want you. To ensnare you that way wasn’t part of my assignment. You took me by surprise and I’m still not sure how to deal with you. As soon as this job is over, I have another important one I can’t refuse. I don’t know how long it’ll take to solve. And I don’t know where our trail could take us afterward, if anywhere. I’ve never ridden this road before and I’m not certain I know how. To tell the truth, I can’t swear I want to ride it or can ride it. I’m a loner and that works best for me. And there are other things about me that can block the path between us.”

  Ginny watched and listened with a conflicting mixture of joy and sadness, with despair and hope, with courage and cowardice. He had sketched her a clear and honest picture. “Do they have to block the path between us tonight or until you must leave?”

  Did he understand her right? “You can do better than me, Anna; you’re a fine lady. I’m nothing”… But a half-breed bastard who’s broken plenty of laws to uphold others. I have nothing to offer you but trouble and hardship. No home, little money, and little respect from others.

  “You’re wrong, Steve; you’re the best man I’ve ever met. You have so much to give if you’ll only let yourself. Until you can open up, I’m not asking for any promises. I only want you for as long as I can have you. If you must ride away, I won’t try to stop you. I’ll wait for you to return.”

  Her words touched him deeply, but he was afraid to believe and accept them; his bitter past had taught him that much. “Don’t, Anna. If I leave, I won’t come back. Don’t ruin your life waiting for something to happen that never will; I know from experience. I’m not worthy of a woman like you, so I can’t keep pulling you to me. I realize now that’s wrong and cruel.”

  He had said, “If I leave.” “Will that stop how we feel about each other? How much we want each other? How much I … care about you?”

  “Don’t care about me, Anna, I can hurt you more than you realize.”

  “Your warning is too late, Steve: I care and I hurt now.” She closed her eyes, causing the pool of tears in them to overflow and run into her hair.

  Steve moved to her side. He stroked her hair and kissed at the tears as he entreated, “Don’t cry, Anna; I’m sorry it has to be this way.” His fingers cupped her chin between them and his thumbs dried the wetness on the flesh beneath her eyes. He kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose. The backs of his fingers lightly rubbed her flushed cheeks then drifted back and forth under her chin. They wandered down her neck and caressed its silky lines. “You’re so beautiful and tempting.” He trembled at contact with her. He felt weak and nervous, unsure if he should proceed.

  Steve’s fingers halted to rest along one cheek while his thumb moved over her parted lips. When she kissed, nibbled, and teased it with her tongue, his breathing grew fast and shallow. His body burned for hers as fiercely as the hot desert sun on the sand. His pulse raced like a wild mustang that was fleeing capture across hilly terrain. His heart pounded in his ears. He rolled to his back. “Shu, Anna, what you do to me.”

  Ginny couldn’t let him withdraw and stop when she was trembling with anticipation and desire. Her skin tingled and blazed where he had touched it. She wanted all of him pressed to her. With boldness, she moved atop him, looked into his smoldering eyes, and kissed him with feverish need. Her eager hands roamed over his hair, face, throat, his whole body, then her lips followed the same trail.

  Steve didn’t know if he should lie still and enjoy her stimulating and unexpected siege or take control of it. Mercy, he couldn’t lie still, not with her warm breath filling his ear and her hot tongue tantalizing it. Her brown mane surrounded his head and tickled him. Her body fondled his with seductively squirming motions. Her mouth and hands pleasured his flesh in all directions. He took a deep breath of what should have been steadying air, but it wasn’t, not when she unbuttoned his shirt and let her tongue circle the nipples on his hairless chest. He hadn’t realized that could be arousing to a man, but it was. He writhed as her fingers explored every inch of his torso. He couldn’t suppress a moan when her flattened palm drifted back and forth across the evidence of his desire. He was astonished when she unfastened his pants and dipped her hand inside them to grasp his throbbing manhood. He shuddered. His head was dazed by hunger and his body ached with it.

  Ginny was too aroused to travel this new adventure slowly. She felt brave and daring. She was just as aroused as he was. All her senses were aware of how much he wanted her.

  Steve could hold himself pinned to the ground no longer. He grasped her by the forearms and guided her to her back. When his quivering fingers couldn’t unfasten one of her shirt buttons, to his surprise, she seized both sides and yanked, popping off the last obstacle against his approach. She hastily undid the ribbons of her chemise and shoved it from his path. His mouth wasted no time in trekking down her neck, across her chest, and to the exposed mounds that beckoned his conquest. One of his hands hurried down her thigh, grasped a handful of skirt, and lifted it so his fingers could pass beneath. He called on all of his experiences, knowledge, and skills to pleasure her and himself.

  Swept to a high level of urgent desire, they united their bodies. They kissed and caressed as they searched for the ultimate pleasure, and soon found it.

  In the afterglow of their shared rapture, they cuddled together and slept on the bedroll in each other’s arms.

  Ginny recovered the button she had jerked off in her eagerness. She had bathed, dressed, and eaten. Steve had done so, too. They had exchanged smiles and casual talk this morning, but nothing was mentioned about their passionate lovemaking. As the sun came into view, they were loaded and ready to mount, to seek the perilous challenge ahead.

  Steve climbed upon Chuune’s saddle then assisted her up behind him. “No talking today, Anna. I can’t be distracted for an instant. We’ll catch up with them around noon, whether they slow or stop.”


  Five-to-one odds thundered inside her head. Ginny trembled.

  “Don’t be afraid; I’ll protect you. Just do everything I say.”

  “Protect both of us, Steve.” She snuggled her cheek against his back and embraced him tightly. As she loosened her grip, she laughed and quipped, “I’m finished now, and I’ll behave for the rest of the day.”

  He was appreciative of the hug. “After I let you off to hide, don’t show yourself no matter what you see or hear. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, knowing she’d obey him just as she had obeyed Charles Av—She winced as she recalled that her help hadn’t saved his life and might even have cost it. She knew it was futile to beg Steve to turn aside from his job. Help us to survive today, she prayed. I love him and need him so much. He feels the same way about me and will admit it one day soon. Please, God, protect us.

  Steve nudged the sorrel’s sides and they headed toward an unavoidable confrontation with the cold-blooded gang.

  CHAPTER 13

  They passed Rich Mountain, where the view of the forested landscape beyond looked like a rolling sea of green waves with a hazy blue veil hovering close to their verdant crests. Wildflowers in many colors and sizes grew in abundance on hillsides where tall grass was moved by breezes. Broken white clouds with dark-blue bases and paintbrush splashes dotted the sky. Though emerald and azure bodies of water in streams and ponds were visible from that height, the Ouachitas weren’t that high and rugged when compared to the north Georgia mountains Ginny had seen.

  Steve halted his sorrel on a densely treed hill that allowed him to see without being seen. He dismounted, then helped Ginny down. “Wait for me here. I’ll return for you as soon as I can. Keep alert for trouble.” When she started to protest, his fingers tapped her lips. “No arguing. I can move faster and quieter alone. If I’m not back by three o’clock, start walking northeast to Waldron; it’s about twenty miles from here.” He pointed to the spot where the sun would be at that intimidating hour. He placed a compass in her hand and told her how to use it to find the town.

  Ginny watched him unload his gear and remove his saddle. “Why are you leaving those here? And why are you telling me how to reach civilization?”

  “In case something goes wrong. I don’t think it will, but it’s best to be prepared for problems so you won’t panic and fall into the clutches of that gang. I’ll cover my trail so they can’t find you. If it takes longer than I figure, I’ll catch up with you on the way to Waldron. Make sure you take supplies, a blanket, and canteen with you.” He nodded toward his pile of belongings and explained, “An Indian once told me to remove anything that makes noise when you’re trying to sneak up on enemies. That’s why I’m leaving them here, not because you’ll need them if anything happens to me.”

  Ginny half believed him. She squeezed the compass and thought of his orders. He was showing care and concern again without being obvious. “I suppose he taught you how to ride bareback, too?”

  He checked his pistols and knife. “Yep, that and plenty of other stuff I use in my work. Those tricks and skills are what’s kept me alive so long.”

  “Let me help, Steve. I can shoot.”

  “You’d be too distracting. I trust your skills, Anna, but not mine with you in danger. Stay here. I mean it, woman, or you’ll get both of us killed. Don’t worry about me, I’ve done this plenty of times; have even gone after more men. They’re not far ahead, so I’ll return before you have time to miss me.”

  She stalled his departure by asking how he could tell.

  He pointed to an area in the valley below their lofty perch. “Smoke about a mile away. Either they’ve decided to stay camped there for a while or they’re getting a mighty late start today. Or maybe they’re just nervous about heading into Indian Territory; they’re almost sitting on its border.”

  “You sure that’s the gang you’re after?”

  “Yep.” Steve swung himself onto the sorrel’s back. He hated to leave her behind, but he couldn’t risk her life. Nor could he bring himself to admit anything rash.

  Don’t distract him with reckless confessions, Ginny! “Be careful.”

  Steve read more than a polite caution in her voice and expression. “Always, Anna,” he replied huskily. “You do the same. I’ll be back soon.” He smiled at her and headed down the hill.

  Ginny leaned against an oak and kept her frantic gaze glued to the smoke rising above the pines below. She didn’t want to think about Steve getting killed. It was too far, even if she ran, to catch up with him and to assist him. He had left her this far away on purpose, as she’d told him how she’d disobeyed “her father’s” orders to keep out of peril. All she could do was wait and worry, and pray she saw Steve Carr before three o’clock.

  Steve sneaked toward the outlaws’ camp. One man, supposedly out of sight to any visitor, was standing guard. He knew the others couldn’t see either of them as he used stealth to approach and strike the cutthroat on the head with his gun butt. He bound and gagged his first prisoner: Rollie.

  He slipped closer, relieved that dense underbrush concealed him. He observed the crude men, registering their names and speech patterns. It was apparent they intended to linger there at least for today, for horses were unsaddled, bedrolls were still on the ground, and a stew pot was simmering on the fire. The gang was lazing against trees while they drank coffee and whiskey. He couldn’t rush four armed bandits, so he waited for an opening.

  One came when Kip said, “Fry a lizard in oil, I gotta go take a grunt.”

  Steve made his way without noise to the spot the man had chosen. As soon as the outlaw finished, he clobbered, bound, and gagged his second prisoner. He was happy the task was being made easy for him, yet he knew it was reckless to get cocky or to lower his guard for an instant.

  Mimicking Kip’s voice and style of speaking, Steve called out, “Stomp a lizard’s tale, my boot’s hung in a foxhole! Help me, Ted!”

  “Git yourself loose, you clumsy fool,” came the unwanted reply.

  Steve gave it another try before attacking the camp. “Lizard’s toes afire, if I move, I’ll fall into my grunt! Come on, Ted.”

  The outlaw grumbled but came to help. Steve captured his third man. He knew the others would get suspicious soon, so he prepared to take the last two with daring and hopefully by surprise. With a Colt in each hand, Steve leapt into the open and shouted, “Drop your weapons; you’re under arrest.” Bart and Slim grabbed for their guns, Slim’s borrowed from Kip because their female prisoner had taken his. Steve wounded one in the hand, causing his pistol to drop to the ground. He winged the leader in an arm, but not before Bart got off a shot that went wild. Having disabled all five, Steve finally relaxed.

  The Special Agent tended their injuries and tied them to trees. He fetched the others and did the same with them. He doused the fire and saddled a horse. “I’ll be back for you boys soon.” He mounted Chuune and rode to get his companion, taking along the roan stolen from Charles Avery for Anna to use.

  Three shots echoed across the valley and caused Ginny to tense in fear. She strained to hear others but none came. There were five men, she fretted, so how could Steve defeat them with three bullets? Surely those vicious beasts wouldn’t surrender to a verbal threat. Did that mean…

  Ginny heard horses approaching. She concealed herself, the derringer in one hand and Slim’s pistol in the other. Steve had told her long ago she could kill a man if her life was threatened … but could she? If it was those villains, recapture meant they’d—

  “It’s me, Anna. You can come out; everything’s fine.”

  Ginny jumped from her hiding place and raced toward him. “Steve! You’re all right. I was so worried. I heard three shots. What happened?”

  The victorious man warmed to the hug she gave him; it kindled the desire to make love to her. This wasn’t the time or place for being intimate, though, so he used nonchalance to quell the urge. He looked down into her anxious gaze as he
related his tale.

  “See, I told you not to worry,” he said in conclusion.

  Ginny wanted embraces, kisses, caresses, and tender words. She, too, realized she couldn’t give or receive them at that time. She saw how reserved he was acting, how eager he was to get back on the trail as he saddled his sorrel and loaded his gear in a rush. Yet she hated to lose this opportunity, which could be their last time together. From here on in, they would have five ruffians with them. Once they arrived at their destination, Steve would take off to the other job he had mentioned. “You captured five dangerous men that easily and quickly?”

  “Yep, but they weren’t on guard and never got a chance to fight back.”

  “You amaze me,” she murmured as she returned his compass and handed him a canteen to hang over the horn.”I certainly wouldn’t want to be your enemy.”

  Steve glanced at her and grinned. “Thank you for the compliment. Now let’s get moving. I don’t want to lose my prisoners and have to track them down again.”

  As she mounted, Ginny inquired where they were heading.

  “To Fort Smith, around fifty miles north of us. We should make about fifteen of those before nightfall and cover the rest tomorrow. With the terrain ahead and five men in ropes, it’ll take longer than it ordinarily would. I’ll turn them over to the commander there, then telegraph my boss they’re in custody. He can figure out how to get them to the right prison.”

  Ginny had seen the long leather pouch dangling over his left arm upon arrival; he had rolled it later and packed it inside his saddlebag. “Your boss will be pleased with the good job you’ve done; you’ve recovered the stolen gems, captured the gang, and … unmasked the Red Magnolia member.”

  Steve glanced at her when she hesitated. “I’ll notify the Army to recover your father’s body and bury it.” He said, assuming that was the reason for her unease. “You won’t have to worry about being arrested, Anna, I won’t mention you in my report.”

  Ginny leaned back in the saddle and pressed her feet against the stirrups to balance herself on the downhill slope. “That wouldn’t be wise, Steve; others knew about my presence on the wagontrain. You don’t want your boss to think you’re covering for me for a personal reason.”