by Carol Finch
Jonah hurriedly finished his meal, then doused the fire. The wind was swirling around the bluff with increasing speed and a shaft of rain hung over the valley. He estimated that they were going to be drenched in less than five minutes. He strode off to tuck his gear in a dry place before the storm unleashed its fury.
Jonah scowled when he exited the cave and saw Maddie tipping the whiskey bottle again. In four long strides he was at her side, snatching the bottle away. “Damn it, gimme that.”
“You’re no fun a-tall.”
“I’m alive and kicking. That’s fun enough,” he muttered, noting her goofy smile.
“Wha’d it take fo’ you to like me better? You might fin’ this har’ to believe, but some men act’lly do like me.”
“Do tell. Garret, you’re wasted,” Jonah stated. Then he frowned disapprovingly. “Rule number two, if you can’t handle liquor, don’t drink.”
She looked at him, eyelids drooping noticeably. “What’s rule number one? I forget.”
“Pay attention to your surroundings,” he prompted as he reached down to hoist her to her feet. “If you weren’t soused you’d recall that we’re about to get wet.” He directed her attention to the sheet of rain that was sweeping over the valley, heading directly toward them.
He curled his arm around her waist and shepherded her toward the cave as raindrops splattered the sandstone ledge beneath his feet. Maddie didn’t object, thank goodness, just allowed him to guide her into the cavern to wait out the storm. Sighing heavily, she sprawled on the pallet while he tucked away the whiskey—what was left of it.
Jonah stood there watching her stretch like a cat before she pulled the quilt over her. Damn, she looked so incredibly tempting lying there with that droopy smile on her dewy lips. The curtain of rain that tumbled past the mouth of the cave gave the impression that he and Maddie were all alone in the world. There was nothing he wanted more than to stretch out beside her and create a storm of passion that rivaled the one that Earth Mother had unleashed outside.
But that erotic fantasy was not going to collide with reality, Jonah promised himself resolutely.
“Come to bed, Jonah,” Maddie murmured as she drew back the quilt and patted the empty place beside her. “I promise not to throw myself at you.”
Jonah looked around, trying to figure out where he was going to sleep. It couldn’t be with her. He trusted himself less tonight than he had last night.
“Please,” she whispered.
The self-discipline and restraint he’d spent three decades cultivating failed him completely. He was moving toward the inviting pallet and the alluring woman upon it before he realized it. The moment he eased down beside her Maddie snuggled up against his hip and rested her head on his shoulder. Forbidden sensations hammered at him as the scent and feel of her bombarded his senses. Jonah held himself perfectly still, afraid to move, for fear he’d moved toward her. Because if he did he was pretty sure his willpower would abandon him in one second flat.
“You’re a nice man, Jonah Danhill,” she murmured against his chest.
A nice man wouldn’t be thinking the kind of impure thoughts that were chasing around in his head at the moment. The feel of her full breasts pressed against his rib cage was arousing him to the extreme. The feel of her arm draped over his chest reminded him of being wrapped in a cocoon of living flesh. He wanted her in the worst way, wanted to be inside her, sharing the same flesh, the same breath.
The erotic thought played havoc with his self-restraint, especially when her enticing feminine scent kept wrapping itself around his senses and practically drowned him. Gritting his teeth against the onslaught of tormenting temptation, Jonah shifted sideways and turned his back on her. Which was just as bad, because Maddie cuddled spoon-fashion against his back and looped her arm around his waist.
Her breath stirred against his neck, causing goose-flesh to pebble his skin. Desire clenched inside him and one arousing fantasy after another flooded his mind and left him hard and aching. Damn it, even if he’d been made of stone he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t crack under the intense pressure of wanting her like hell blazing.
After what seemed forever he heard her methodic breathing and felt her slump in slumber. Jonah thanked Indian and white men’s deities equally for granting him relief.
One more day, he chanted silently. Surely he could endure one more day of nearly impossible temptation before she found another guide to lead her back to familiar territory.
Jonah winced when an odd sensation nipped at him. He didn’t want to visualize another man cuddling up with Maddie. He’d buy her a bedroll, Jonah decided immediately. And he’d make double damn certain that her next guide had the restraint and integrity to keep his hands off her.
Hell! Where in the blazes was he going to find a saint on such short notice?
Maddie awoke the following morning with a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and a dull throb thudding against her skull. The whiskey, she recalled. Though drinking had taken the edge off her nerves, there seemed the devil to pay later.
Raising heavy-lidded eyes, she glanced sideways, not surprised to note that Jonah was up and gone. She smiled slightly, remembering that she’d practically had to twist his arm to get him to share the bedroll with her.
Drowsily Maddie pushed upright and scrubbed her hands over her face. She needed to get up and get moving. She predicted Jonah had the horses saddled already and was champing at the bit, eager to be on the way to the fort so he could drop her off.
Maddie stepped from the cave to draw in a deep breath and revel in the lingering scent of rain that hung in the early morning air. Her gaze drifted across the valley and she admired the spectacular view for a long moment. With her senses cleared—partially—she ambled over to the pool to wash her face, then reversed direction to gather the bedroll and gear.
Jonah glanced up to see Maddie, the saddlebags, satchel and bedroll slung over her shoulder, making her way down the trail. Her face was pale—the aftereffects of her bout with whiskey, he diagnosed. Nonetheless, she had gathered up the gear and climbed down from their elevated campsite to join him.
“How’s your head?” he asked without preamble.
“And good morning to you, too,” she replied. Maddie walked over to tie the gear behind the saddle. “Sleep well, Jonah?”
The casual tone of her voice provoked him to frown. She was laboring under the erroneous notion that resisting the temptation she presented wasn’t driving him crazy. Well, she was dead wrong about that, but he’d shoot himself in the foot a couple of times before he admitted it.
Jonah suspected that most men drooled over this fetching female, and he wasn’t about to join the ranks of her hopeless admirers. And for all he knew she could be a cunning crook who was using him to protect her stash of money during her getaway. Hell, there could be wanted posters out on Maddie Garret and he wouldn’t know for sure unless he visited the nearest sheriff’s office to check.
“Jonah?”
He corraled his rambling thoughts and shot her a quick glance. “I slept just fine, thanks for asking,” he replied in a clipped voice. “We’ll forgo breakfast since we’ll be at Fort Griffin by noon. Ready to ride, Garret?”
When Maddie swung into the saddle Jonah’s betraying gaze riveted on the shapely curve of her derriere. He swore ripely and mounted his horse.
Jonah circled the sandstone bluff and headed north. Although Maddie commented on the rugged beauty of the hills that were dotted with juniper and mesquite, Jonah kept a sharp lookout for unwanted company. Two hours into the journey they encountered a supply wagon. The ogling stares that the two bearded men directed toward Maddie didn’t escape him. Although she waved and smiled cordially, Jonah nodded curtly.
“Are you always this grumpy or are you having a bad day?” Maddie questioned belatedly.
“I’ve found that if you treat every stranger like a potential enemy you’re never surprised if trouble comes your way.”
&nbs
p; When she shook her head in dismay sunlight blazed like fire in that mass of curly hair. Jonah did his damnedest not to notice how utterly appealing she was to him.
“You’ve spent entirely too much time associating with murderers and thieves. They are poisoning your outlook on life.”
Jonah didn’t reply, just headed north at a fast clip. When he spotted the flag flying on Government Hill, where the fort was located, he veered west to approach the community from the opposite direction than the two bushwhackers might have anticipated.
“Our first order of business is to find a guide,” Jonah said as they trotted into the Flat that sat at the base of the hill overlooking the river.
“I told you I’m going alone.”
“Not acceptable.” Jonah grabbed the mare’s rein, just in case Maddie decided to be contrary and tried to take off in the wrong direction.
“I am not your responsibility,” she muttered in annoyance. She reached into the pocket of her breeches for the money to pay Jonah for his services. “Here. Take this and go.”
Jonah ignored her as he weaved around the horses and wagons that filled the streets of the community. He made a beeline for the fort and rode right past the soldiers who tried to waylay him. Jonah wasn’t wasting his time with peons. He was going to speak to the highest-ranking officer at the fort.
“What’s your commander’s name?” Jonah asked the young soldier who was standing guard outside headquarters.
“Major Thorton,” the soldier informed him, though his eyes kept straying appreciatively to Maddie and the trim-fitting garments that advertised every shapely curve and swell she possessed.
“Jonah Danhill, Texas Ranger,” Jonah announced authoritatively, then flashed the badge he kept tucked in his pocket.
The soldier snapped to attention. “Yes, sir.” Turning an about-face, he preceded Jonah and Maddie through the door. After quick introductions, the soldier exited and Jonah got right down to business.
“I’m looking for an experienced scout and guide to escort my wife west while I return to Coyote Springs,” Jonah declared.
Major Thorton thoughtfully stroked his goatee and frowned. “Why can’t she take the stage? That would eliminate the need for a guide.”
“She prefers to ride horseback,” Jonah replied, then flashed the major a wry smile. “My life is much easier if I give my wife what she wants.”
Major Thorton chuckled as his gaze darted around Jonah’s shoulder to appraise Maddie. “I usually follow the same policy for the same reason,” he agreed. He propped his fingertips together, contemplated for a long moment, then said, “I would recommend three men. One of them is a civilian scout we employ on occasion. You can probably find Kiowa Boone at Wild Card Gaming Hall down at the Flat. He usually prefers to trail north, not west, but he might be convinced to help you if the price is right.
“Henry Selmon is a buffalo hunter who has been all over these parts,” the major continued. “When he’s in town he frequents the Crested Butte Saloon. Your last prospect is Yancy Clark, who rides shotgun for freight wagons headed up the cattle trail to Dodge City. You can probably find him at the mercantile shop that he and his brother own.”
Jonah nodded gratefully. “I appreciate your help, Major.”
Thorton came to his feet behind his desk and extended his hand. “Good luck finding a guide, Mr. Danhill. With a pretty wife like yours, I can understand why you want to be selective.”
Maddie silently fumed when Jonah turned around and shoveled her from the office, as if she was too stupid to find the door by herself. The way he was lording over her made it seem as if they truly were married.
Maddie made up her mind there and then that if she did marry eventually she was not going to be dominated and ordered around. She’d spent the past months making decisions for herself, and she was not going to depend on any man the way she had allowed herself to blithely do with her father.
“Don’t give me that mutinous look,” Jonah said as they descended Government Hill.
Maddie jerked up her chin and glared at him good and hard. Not that it fazed him. Going up against Jonah Danhill was like banging her head against a stone wall. Nonetheless, she was not going to be walked over and treated as if her opinion counted for nothing.
“I do not want a guide,” she told him firmly and decisively.
“Tough. You aren’t leaving town without one,” he retorted. He halted in front of a shabby saloon and dismounted. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Maddie glared meat cleavers at his departing back as he strode off. When she eased her horse away from the hitching post, impulsively deciding to turn tail and ride away, hell-for-leather, Jonah wheeled on her and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do not make me track you down. It’s what I do and I’m damn good at it.”
“All this and conceited, too.”
“No, confident. I’ve been tested repeatedly. And if you leave while I’m inside the gaming hall I’ll be mad as hell when I track you down, so stay put!”
Although everything inside Maddie rebelled, she sensibly reminded herself that outrunning Jonah would be a waste of time and effort. Besides, she could dismiss her unwanted guide the moment Jonah rode east, and he would never know the difference.
She gave him a mocking bow from atop her mare. “Yes, master. Anything else?”
“Just stay put.” Muttering, Jonah spun on his heels and disappeared inside the saloon.
Maddie glanced longingly at the restaurant down the street. Despite Jonah’s agenda of locating a suitable guide, Maddie decided their next stop was going to be the café because her stomach was growling to beat the band. After that, she intended to rent a hotel room and relax before she began the next leg of her journey in the morning.
Though she hated to admit it, she was going to miss having Jonah underfoot. He hadn’t gotten attached to her, but she had definitely become attached to him. The simple, undeniable fact was that she was attracted to him, fascinated with him, no matter how much she wished otherwise.
Maddie sighed heavily and shifted restlessly in the saddle. There was something to be said for having a pretend husband, she mused. You could lose one as quickly as you acquired one. It was a pity that Jonah was in more of a rush to get her off his hands than she was to part company from him. She was starting to like the man—a lot. It would have soothed her feminine pride considerably if Jonah felt the same way about her.
No such luck, she mused dejectedly. At this very moment he was scouring the saloon, looking for someone to take her off his hands so he could hightail it out of town—pronto.
Chapter Five
Without asking around, Jonah singled out Kiowa Boone at a single glance. The man looked to be three or four years younger than Jonah and exactly what he’d expected—a half-breed who offered his scouting services to the army, to freight companies and wagon trains. For a price, Kiowa Boone led the way through the frontier—and avoided confinement on the reservation. Boone was a kindred spirit with whom Jonah could easily identify.
Boone glanced up from the table where he sat with his back to the wall—a technique Jonah always observed so he could see trouble coming before it pounced on him. Unspoken recognition and connection passed between Jonah and the scout, who tossed down his poker hand and came agilely to his feet.
“You’re looking for me.” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement of fact.
Jonah sized up the rugged-looking scout, who stood a few inches shorter than himself. Other than a difference in height, Jonah saw the same dark, angular features that he encountered when he looked in the mirror. Two of a kind, he mused as a faint smile pursed his lips.
“Got a problem,” Jonah declared.
“Our kind usually do,” Boone remarked as he glanced around the gaming hall. “We have to deal with palefaces.”
Jonah chuckled as he led the way to the door. It had been a while since he’d had the chance to associate with someone who understood what he felt. He liked the dark-eyed, r
aven-haired half-breed immediately.
Pausing outside the gaming hall, Jonah gestured toward Maddie, who waited impatiently. “My wife,” he announced. Strange how that lie tumbled so easily from his lips these days.
Boone’s brow shot up like exclamation marks as his appraising gaze bounced from Maddie to Jonah. “You, my brother, are one very lucky man.”
Jonah didn’t bother to debate that issue. “She is heading west and I have to return to Coyote Springs. The name’s Jonah Danhill. I’m a Texas Ranger,” he added.
The scout nodded pensively. “I considered that option myself, but I’d want a guarantee that I wouldn’t have to go up against one of my own kind.”
“I asked for the same guarantee. My commander respects my wishes. I can make the necessary contacts if you’re interested.”
“Might be,” he murmured as he stared appraisingly at Maddie.
“What is taking so long?” Maddie asked as she gave Kiowa Boone a quick once-over. “He’ll suit me just fine. Now let’s go eat. I’m starved.”
“Your woman has a sassy mouth.” Boone smiled wryly. “I like that in a woman.”
“You wouldn’t if you had to deal with it repeatedly,” Jonah countered as Maddie stared irritably at him. “Regardless, I will pay you to escort her to the ranch located northwest of Yellow House Canyon.”
The light evaporated from Boone’s dark eyes and his expression hardened. Jonah realized that the man experienced the same resentment that tormented him. “Not interested,” the scout said with absolute finality.
Jonah nodded in understanding. “Figured you’d feel that way. Not that I blame you. I’ll find someone else,” he said as motioned to Maddie.
After Jonah mounted his gelding, he met Boone’s penetrating stare, then reined away from the hitching post. He could feel the scout’s gaze on him as he and Maddie headed down the street.
“Well? Is it settled?” Maddie asked curiously.
“Kiowa Boone declined the offer,” Jonah said as Maddie bounded from her horse and made a beeline for the restaurant.
