Texas Bride (Harlequin Historical)

by Carol Finch

  Maddie staggered as if he’d slapped her. Jonah despised himself for what he had to say and do, but if he was going to protect himself from these tender feelings that played hell with common sense, he had to make her understand that he was nothing more than the means to an end for her.

  “Are you saying that last night meant nothing except—”

  “We took pleasure and comfort in each other.” He cut in bluntly. “You even offered to pay me, as I recall.”

  Damn, this was killing him by inches, but it had to be done—for her own good and his. He couldn’t allow her to confuse reckless passion with true affection. He was a realist, and realistically speaking, they had nothing in common but one incredible night in a space out of time. He would drive himself crazy if he let himself believe it could be more than that. He had to make her see what he’d known from the beginning.

  He wasn’t what she needed and he never would be.

  When her chin snapped up he knew he’d hurt her feelings and her offended pride had rushed to her rescue. Good. If that sustained her until he retrieved her sister and made her world right again, then fine by him. Besides, he could deal better with this tempting female when they were at odds. He’d already proved beyond all doubt that the slightest invitation from her was his complete undoing.

  “I’ll have to write you an IOU for last night’s lesson,” she muttered, averting her gaze. “As you well know I don’t have sufficient funds to cover the hike in the price of the ransom, much less pay you for what I owe you.”

  Maddie did an admirable job—if she did say so herself—of controlling the feelings of hurt and rejection that lambasted her. She knew Jonah didn’t love her, even after she’d practically thrown herself at him last night….

  Practically? Don’t kid yourself, princess, jeered a taunting inner voice that sounded a lot like Jonah’s. She had thrown herself at him. She had wanted one night of reckless pleasure in his arms. Like a fool, she’d hoped for more, and Jonah was making it crystal clear that he wasn’t interested. Obviously he’d found her lacking, and preferred someone who was skilled at pleasuring an experienced man.

  She had no right to be angry with him, she reminded herself. Jonah was only being his usual plainspoken, straightforward self. Nonetheless, the rejection cut to the quick. He didn’t want her. He’d had her once—well, twice, actually—and obviously that had been plenty for him. There was always another nameless female in another nameless town between here and the Rio Grande who could provide what he needed occasionally.

  When humiliated tears threatened to cloud her eyes, she turned her back to him and squared her shoulders. “Where is this extra money you claim you can loan me to make an even eight grand?” she asked, her voice nowhere near as steady as she would have liked.

  “You let me worry about that,” he insisted. “Boone and I will take the money to the designated spot.”

  “No.” She wheeled around, her spine stiff, her chin uplifted. “My sister, my problem. You have done more than enough. It’s plain to see that you don’t want to be here. Not with me. Especially not in this place.”

  He advanced on her, looking more ominous and formidable than she’d ever seen him. Maddie refused to cower. He could snarl and growl to his heart’s content, but she knew he wouldn’t physically hurt her. He’d had plenty of chances and he’d never been anything but tender when he touched her. Jonah Danhill might be hell on outlaws, but he wouldn’t abuse her. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name. But he could break her heart, without leaving a telling mark on her.

  “You’ve got a problem, you send a Ranger. This is what I do, princess,” he breathed. “You’re going to stay right here in your palace and wait for Boone and me to deliver your sister to you.”

  “You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want to be involved in the first place.” She hurled the retort back at him. “At every leg of this journey you have announced it was the end of the line for you, that it was as far as you intended to go. Frankly, I’m amazed you have come this far. And for the life of me I can’t understand why you’re still here.”

  He opened his mouth to interject a comment, but Maddie waved him off, determined to have her say. “It’s obviously not because you have a strong and lasting attachment to me.” When her lower lip quivered in response to the hurt and rejection twisting in her stomach, she bit down hard with her teeth, determined not to reduce herself to tears. “I don’t want to be more beholden to you than I already am. You can stay here while I’m gone, if you please. Or you can leave for good. It doesn’t matter one whit to me!”

  “Damn it, Maddie.” He grabbed her arm when she lurched toward the door. “I’m the expert here. Let me do my job.”

  Tears swam in her eyes again, but she held them at bay, held her ground. “Just leave this place. I know it haunts you, and with good reason. I will handle this matter myself!”

  “Trouble in marital paradise?” Boone teased as he propped himself against the doorjamb. “I always enjoy a good fight, especially when I’m not involved. What’s this one about?”

  “About domineering, mule-headed, infuriating men!” Maddie exclaimed as she jerked her arm from Jonah’s grasp, then stormed from the room.

  “She must be referring to you,” Boone said, lips twitching. “I’m the most easygoing, good-natured man I know.”

  Jonah raked his fingers through his hair and huffed out an agitated breath. “Miz I-Can-Do-It-Myself insists on delivering the ransom money,” he told Boone.

  Boone jerked upright. His playfulness vanished in one second flat. “Like hell!”

  “That’s what I said, more or less.”

  “Leave that hellcat to me, Danhill. I’ll talk sense into her while you’re printing this money we supposedly have in generous supply.”

  “Talk to her?” Jonah snorted. “Waste of time. I want her tied up in knots so she can’t follow us to the ransom site.” He spun toward the door. “I have a few things to check on before dark, but I’ll be back. Count on it.”

  Boone blinked. “Are you kidding about the ‘tied up in knots’?”

  “No,” Jonah called over his shoulder. “I’ve never been more serious in my life. I want her safe and sound until we deliver her sister to her. If we can do so….”

  Maddie felt like a boiling caldron of nerves. She had no idea how she was going to pay the ranch expenses after the losses from rustling, but she’d have to worry about that another day. Rescuing Chrissy was top priority. Recovering from the sting of Jonah’s rejection was a very close second.

  She didn’t know where Jonah had ridden off to, but he was gone and she was glad of it because it was difficult to maintain her composure around him. Boone she could tolerate. He didn’t set off devastating explosions inside her when she glanced in his direction.

  Boone had been following her around most of the afternoon, asking inane questions about the ranch and the hired help. The only time he’d left her alone for more than ten minutes was when he’d gone in search of the rude-mannered cowboy who had interrupted their conversation earlier. Maddie wasn’t surprised to discover that Clem Foster had disappeared into thin air.

  Maddie had wised up after all the misfortune she’d encountered these past months. In fact, she’d become as mistrusting and suspicious as Jonah. It hadn’t taken her long to conclude that Clem might well be the informant who made it possible for rustlers to know where and when to strike without detection. Now that she thought about it, the rustling reeked of an inside job, and she should have suspected as much months ago. Unfortunately, she had been reeling from the endless search for her missing father and sidetracked by the mountain of responsibility heaped on her at short notice.

  If Clem was in cahoots with the Comanche raiders—who might well be connected to Avery—Maddie would sic the sheriff on him. Her devious neighbor would find himself under arrest. Clem Foster, too. The nerve of that man making derisive comments about half-breeds, when he was probably a conniving outlaw who had betr
ayed her and robbed her blind!

  Maddie released a frustrated breath as she tucked the money in the leather bag. When Boone ambled into the parlor she stared somberly at him. “I want your promise that you won’t interfere with the captive exchange,” she demanded. “I don’t know where that mulish man went off to, but make sure he doesn’t follow me, either.”

  “Whatever you say, Maddie,” Boone replied as he plucked up the pouch. “But you can’t leave until Jonah arrives with the extra money.”

  “Right.” She’d have to see Jonah again before she rode off. That should put her in a fine temper.

  The thought no sooner darted through her head than she felt a presence behind her. She pivoted to see Jonah standing in the parlor door, a saddlebag draped over his massive shoulder. “Do you have the money?” she asked stiffly.

  He patted the pouch. “Got it.” He stared her down. “But I repeat, you are not going, princess.”

  “I told you—” Maddie shrieked in furious outrage when Boone, the devious traitor, approached from her blind side to bind her hands behind her back. He crammed a gag in her mouth and tied her ankles with rope before she could escape him.

  “Sorry, Maddie,” Boone exclaimed. “This was Jonah’s idea and it’s for your own safety. You can thank us later.”

  To her further frustration Boone tossed her over his shoulder, stuffed her in the broom closet and tethered her to a hook on the wall so she couldn’t hop away. Neither could she pound her feet against the walls to summon help, because Rosita had already returned to her cottage for the evening.

  Maddie slumped against the floor and called Jonah and Boone every name in the book. Those two men had better not get themselves killed on her behalf because she wanted them to come back alive—so she could shoot the both of them!

  “There will be hell to pay when we get back,” Boone prophesied. “If looks could kill we’d both be the deadest men who ever lived.”

  “At least she’s out of harm’s way,” Jonah replied as he trotted toward the designated site. “I have a bad feeling about this rendezvous now that Maddie has acquired the money without relying on Avery.”

  Boone’s thick brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “The ransom price went up immediately after Avery learned Maddie not only acquired the money but also a husband,” Jonah explained. “I doubt this exchange would have been the end of Maddie’s troubles.”

  Boone nodded pensively. “So you’re thinking that if Maddie brought the money she might have been captured. That would put you next in line for extermination so this ranch would still be available to Avery Hanson.”

  “That’s exactly what I predict,” Jonah said grimly.

  “Which means that now we’re riding into a trap.”

  “I am,” Jonah corrected as he urged his steed along the narrow old Indian trail that led up the canyon walls to the mesa above. “You will be guarding my back.”

  “So…you’re laying your life on the line for Maddie.”

  “It’s my job,” Jonah reminded him as he followed the winding path.

  “Maybe so.” Boone chuckled wryly. “But I’m not so blind that I can’t see this is personal. She is personal. Even if she is the kind of woman that men like us don’t deserve.”

  Boone understood the ways of the world, Jonah mused. No matter how much Maddie meant to him, no matter what sacrifices Jonah was willing to make to keep her safe, she was still beyond him. That was the plain, irrefutable truth.

  “What’s really in the pouch?” Boone asked curiously. “I noticed you didn’t bother to bring along Maddie’s money.”

  Jonah smiled in the gathering darkness. “Shredded newspaper mostly. No way am I going to let these sneaky bastards get their hands on Maddie’s inheritance.”

  “Figured it was something like that.” Boone was quiet for a moment. “Do you think Maddie’s sister is alive?”

  Jonah winced. “I don’t like the odds.”

  It would devastate Maddie if she lost her sister. He knew how it felt to be emotionally distraught and have the worst happen. Returning to Forbidden Canyon for the first time in fifteen years was a painful and vivid reminder that hope could be dashed so quickly it could rip the soul and spirit right out of you.

  “It’s going to be another blow if Maddie loses you, too,” Boone predicted. “I think she’s in love with you, Danhill.”

  Jonah snorted in contradiction. “If anything, she feels grateful for my assistance. As for the rest…” He shrugged evasively. “She only came to me for comfort and consolation.” He glanced solemnly at Boone. “If things go sour, my last request is that you be there for Maddie until she has her life in order.”

  “I understand,” Boone murmured. “Just make damn sure you come back so I don’t have to keep that promise.”

  Jonah reached down to retrieve the bow and arrows he’d brought with him. “Remember how to use these, my Kiowa cousin?”

  Boone snickered. “It’s always been my weapon of choice. Yours, too, I suspect. Where’d you find them on short notice?”

  “There’s an obscure cave behind the waterfall that feeds the creek in Forbidden Canyon. My clan always left supplies and weapons there in case of emergency. The damp cavern preserved the bowstring.” He handed the weapon to Boone. “Bullets will draw too much attention.”

  The Kiowa nodded in understanding. “Silent but deadly, so the kidnappers aren’t aware that their numbers are dwindling.”

  “Precisely,” Jonah confirmed.

  Jonah reined to a halt on the moonlit ridge that led into another rugged canyon. This was familiar territory and he’d trekked through the area earlier this afternoon to determine the most likely places for his enemies to take cover. Unfortunately, the narrow chasm provided excellent hiding places behind cedars and inside the fingerlike crevices of eroded rock that fanned from the canyon floor. But if a man listened carefully he could hear the crunch of pebbles beneath booted feet. Which was why he’d worn moccasins.

  Jonah suspected these rustlers were charading as Comanche to throw the authorities off track. He had searched the area and seen no evidence of Indians or the small campfires and obscure campsites that were the trademark of his people.

  It wasn’t the first time Indians had been blamed for criminal activities machinated by devious whites. It probably wouldn’t be the last, either.

  “Here,” Boone said as he untied the sheathed Bowie knife that was strapped to his thigh. “A man can never carry enough hardware.” He pulled another knife from his shirtsleeve.

  Jonah accepted the daggers. Thanks to Boone, he would have one tucked in each moccasin, one in each sleeve and one on his thigh. His six-shooters would be his last resort, because spitting fire and rolling smoke made a man an easy target in the darkness.

  “I’ll be at the base of the canyon,” Jonah murmured. Then he added, “Make every arrow count.”

  “I’ll be your second set of eyes and ears,” Boone promised.

  “I’m counting on it,” Jonah said before he began his winding descent into the labyrinth of ravines.

  Maddie decided there were times when being a woman had its advantages while dealing with men. Boone had bound her up securely, but he’d also ensured that the ropes around her ankles and wrists didn’t bite into her skin. That provided her with space to worm and squirm. She couldn’t accurately measure the time it took to wiggle her feet free, but she accomplished the deed with determined effort. Freeing her hands, however, took considerable energy. She had to pause occasionally to give her aching arms a rest.

  Finally Maddie worked free of the rope and came to her feet. When she pushed on the door, she met with restraint. No doubt Boone had blocked the exit with a chair braced beneath the outer knob. Backing up a step, Maddie kicked at the door. After four frustrating attempts the door wobbled on its hinges, causing the chair to topple sideways.

  Free at last, she bounded upstairs to change into her riding breeches and grab her pistol. If her assumptions w
ere correct, Avery Hanson would be waiting at his ranch while his henchmen were making the exchange. Although she couldn’t overtake Jonah and Boone, she did have the perfect opportunity to ride to Avery’s ranch and eavesdrop on damning conversation between him and his henchmen.

  She silently fumed when she recalled the gentlemanly flattery and pretended concern Avery had bestowed on her after both her father’s and Christina’s disappearances. And all the while Avery had been treacherously plotting to gain her trust. Not to mention his offer of marriage, she fumed. He had purposely placed himself in position so he would be there, hoping she would turn to him to help her resolve the crises facing Chrissy and the ranch.

  Oh yes, Avery Hanson was going to get what he deserved for his duplicity and double-dealing. He was going to find himself under arrest.

  The thought prompted Maddie to race downstairs. She skidded to a halt and growled furiously when she noticed the saddlebag filled with money was still sitting on the sofa.

  Damn it! She didn’t know what Jonah had stuffed in his bulging pouch, but she’d bet the ranch it wasn’t money. If he got Chrissy injured or recaptured because of his daredevil tactics she was going to strangle him.

  Maybe even twice for good measure.

  Still fuming, Maddie tucked the saddlebag out of sight then dashed from the house to request Carlos’s assistance.

  “What is going on, querida?” Carlos asked as he stepped onto the cottage porch. “I thought you rode off to retrieve Christina, as the ransom note ordered.”

  “Change of plans,” Maddie muttered. Damn if she didn’t sound as short and to the point as Jonah. She was going to have to break that habit if she planned to get over loving him sometime in the next century. “I think Avery Hanson is behind this kidnapping. Maybe even the rustling. I need you to ride into town and bring Sheriff Kilgore out here.”

  “And what will you be doing while I’m gone?” Carlos asked, flashing her a wary glance.