by Carol Finch
Eva nodded and panted for breath after her mad dash. “Oblivion sounds appealing right now.”
“Good, then trot upstairs and lie down,” Hoodoo insisted. “I’ll bring the brew to you when it’s heated.”
In the distance, she heard gunshots and hoped that Raven and Blackowl had found whoever was stalking her and had brought him down so he couldn’t strike again.
“Here, little gal, drink this,” Hoodoo said a few minutes later. “I doubled the strength so you can sleep. It’s just what you need to calm down.”
Eva gulped the lukewarm brew eagerly. She vowed that when she awakened she was going to pester Blackowl until he agreed to teach her to handle a pistol and knife proficiently.
As for Raven, he could still go to hell for thinking the absolute worst about her.
Raven swore a blue streak as he watched the burro and its elusive rider dart in and out of the trees then move swiftly up the rocky trail. Since Raven and Blackowl were on foot, they couldn’t overtake the wily bastard. And sure enough, the sniper was difficult to describe because he was wearing a wide-brimmed hat that shaded his face, an oversize jacket and trousers that concealed his size and stature. Plus, the garments were the common style worn by hundreds of miners in the area.
“I’m not positively certain that was the same man I saw before,” Blackowl murmured as he watched the unidentified rider disappear into another clump of trees. “I definitely didn’t see the mule.”
Raven reloaded his rifle. “Maybe Eva is right. Maybe there are two men out there.”
“You’re too modest. More than two men want you dead for killing their outlaw family members,” Blackowl said. “Face it, you are no more popular in what was once Cheyenne hunting ground than I am.”
“At least Eva doesn’t hate you,” Raven grumbled as he glanced toward the cabin.
Blackowl stared intently at him. “Do you care?”
Yes, damn it, he did. But he refused to admit it. Blackowl would commence harping at him about his destiny with a Cheyenne maiden again.
Never mind that there wasn’t one within seven hundred miles. There was only that dark-eyed firebrand who’d had the wits scared out of her while she was still fuming over his careless remarks.
Yet, the fact remained that Eva had no concrete evidence to convince him thoroughly that she was the sister of the wronged female whom Gordon Carter had betrayed. She could be the wife or partner Gordon double-crossed. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened, Raven reminded himself. He’d dealt with all sorts of entangled circumstances in his line of work. Plus, outlaws lied to him constantly.
“Go check on Eva, will you?” Raven requested as he headed to the springs. “I doubt she plans to speak to me so soon after I offended her.” Whether she had a right to be offended or not, he couldn’t say for sure. “I’ll bathe and shave after I check the area for the bushwhacker’s tracks.”
“These snipers are good,” Blackowl said grudgingly.
Raven nodded. “Half the time I’m not sure which one is after whom. Maybe they are working in tandem to confuse us.”
Blackowl stared into the distance. “One or the other of them will make a careless mistake eventually.”
“Not unless Eva makes one first. Like she just did.” Raven scowled as he strode off.
Eva awakened the next day and lay in bed for several minutes, rehashing her argument with Raven and then mulling over the incident at the springs that nearly resulted in her death or capture. She had been overly sensitive and angry that Raven didn’t believe her story, but after giving the matter further consideration, she understood why he was reluctant to trust her.
All he had was her word for it. He’d likely heard dozens of claims of innocence from outlaws looking to save their necks. Plus, not every woman would take off cross-country to track down a man she claimed had stolen money from the family coffers. By being the exception to the rule, she inadvertently provoked skepticism from the jaded bounty hunter.
Sighing heavily, Eva propped herself up on her elbows. She should apologize to Raven, she supposed. She was as mistrusting of men as he was of her. Plus, she had stormed off in anger and she could have placed him and Blackowl in danger because of her recklessness.
When she descended the steps, she saw Hoodoo ensconced in his chair, stitching together a leather garment.
“Feeling better?” he asked, glancing up momentarily.
“Much better, thank you. The past few days have been unusual and difficult.”
“I would imagine so. You’re out of your element. Took me a while to adjust when I first arrived, too. Not the same as New Orleans, believe me.”
“Where’s Raven? I need to apologize to him for overreacting to his accusation that I’m after Gordon Carter because he took my share of the stolen money.”
Hoodoo’s gaze remained fixed on his stitching. “Are you?”
“No, but I suppose Raven hears more lies than truth in his line of work.”
“Reckon he does. Can’t always tell a skunk by the stripe on its back, I always say. The two-legged variety doesn’t have stripes. And not that Raven is perfect, don’tcha know. He’s cautious and mistrusting by habit and by nature. Hardscrabble living makes a man that way. You don’t get to make too many reckless mistakes in this wild country and live to tell about it. I got the scars to prove I barely escaped what would have been a fatal disaster, if not for Raven.”
“I’d like to talk to him if he’ll listen.”
“He’s putting the horses through rigorous training and Blackowl is helping him. I don’t expect them back until supper.”
“Then I’m going back to the springs to bathe first.” When Hoodoo shook his frizzy head, she flung up her hand to forestall his objection. “I’ll be more attentive this time. It will be good practice and training.” She pointed to his double-barrel shotgun, which was propped by the door. “May I?”
He nodded reluctantly. “All right, go ahead. But have a care or Raven will skin me alive for letting you out of my sight.”
She scoffed in contradiction as she picked up the weapon. “More than likely he’ll thank you for getting me out of his hair. He says I’m a nuisance of the worst sort.”
“Whatever the case, remain alert.” A wry smile quirked his lips. “I started liking you when we met and I don’t want to have to get over you too quickly, little gal.”
The teasing comment touched her and she pivoted to walk back to Hoodoo. She doubled at the waist to get right in his face and look straight into those incredible blue eyes. “I like you, too,” she said before she kissed him soundly on the cheek.
“Marry me. I think I just got over the hurt and betrayal caused by my two-timing fiancée.”
“Name the time and place,” she replied saucily as she rose to full stature. “I’ll be there with bells on.”
As she walked away, she heard Hoodoo snickering in amusement. She knew it wasn’t a sincere proposal. He was using their newfound friendship to build his confidence. Still, it was the best proposal she’d had since her proper introduction into high society five years earlier. At least Hoodoo liked her for the woman he was getting to know, not the heiress whose father had accidentally stumbled onto a bonanza and became rich beyond his wildest imagination.
Too bad that hard-nosed, infuriating, bullheaded man who went by the name of J. D. Raven—bounty hunter and gunfighter extraordinaire—didn’t see any redeeming qualities in her. If he never saw her again, she predicted he’d be ecstatic.
“You let her do what?” Raven roared at Hoodoo. “Damn it to hell, someone tried to overtake her yesterday at the very spot where you let her go again.”
“You were both in the vicinity,” Hoodoo said reasonably. He glanced back and forth between Raven and Blackowl. “This is the perfect chance for her to establish her self-reliance and test her alertness to her surroundings while she’s still within shouting distance. Besides, she has my never-fail shotgun.”
“Your never-fa
il shotgun jammed once when it mattered, as I recall,” Raven said meaningfully. “And we both know what I’m talking about. Your scars are a daily reminder.”
Hoodoo flapped his arms dismissively. “Yes, but the scars from that ordeal don’t matter anymore. I’m cured. Eva said she’d marry me anytime and anyplace when I asked her today. As for the shotgun I just cleaned it so it’s in good working order.”
Raven and Blackowl gaped at each other then refocused on Hoodoo’s grinning face. “She got to you, too,” Raven snorted. “That little snake charmer turns up the intensity of her smile and men cave in like an unstable mine shaft.”
Hoodoo met Raven’s stony stare and smirked. “You brought her here, even when you’ve never brought another woman to this place.” He switched his attention to Blackowl. “And you took her under your wing to show her that she needed self-defense skills. Seems to me that one of you oughta be working on her shooting skills instead of raking me over live coals for giving her some space to test her self-reliance.”
Raven muttered as he wheeled around to stamp off. “I’ll go fetch Eva for lunch…if she’s still there. If someone didn’t sneak up and slit her throat while she was without a bodyguard. If some creature didn’t pounce and drag her off for its midday meal.”
He mounted the blood-red bay that didn’t respond to him as easily as he did to Eva. That still amazed him. Was it her scent, her touch or the sound of her voice that made this spirited red devil at ease with her and no one else?
The horse threw its head and sidestepped at irregular intervals, despite Raven’s best effort to break him of his bad habits. Dismounting, Raven tied the horse in the trees then crept toward Phantom Springs.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Eva rise like a mystical siren from the pool to squeeze water from her long mane of auburn hair. She was gloriously naked. Water droplets sparkled over her shapely body like chips of diamonds dancing in the bright sunlight. Desire hit him like a physical blow and he staggered back a pace. He braced an arm against a nearby tree when his knees wobbled.
Raven wanted to look away and he scolded himself harshly for not doing it. But, in the end, he stood admiring the incredible sight of her full breasts and her trim waist above the water’s surface.
Lust clobbered him again—repeatedly—and he had one hell of a time breathing normally. This was the very last thing he needed. The woman occupied too damn much of his thoughts already. This unexpected display of feminine perfection was guaranteed to torment his dreams. It was bad enough that he’d seen her naked briefly two days earlier. But this was worse. He was so mesmerized he couldn’t look away.
Why did this female have to barge into his life? He wasn’t prepared for this spirited, beguiling and maddening woman who wouldn’t reveal her last name.
He wondered if any man could deal effectively with Eva. Not Hoodoo. He wanted to marry her, even if he was old enough to be her father. Raven knew that, despite Blackowl’s derisive remarks, he was attracted to her, paleface or not.
Raven’s thoughts drifted away as he stared unblinkingly at Eva. He was sorry to say that he didn’t announce his presence when she came ashore, unknowingly exposing every bare inch of her shapely body to his fascinated gaze.
Hell! He hadn’t even had the presence of mind to secure the perimeters, in case the mysterious assassin—or assassins—lurked about.
Scowling, he shook his head in dismay. One unhindered look at Eva obliterated his thoughts and impaired the good judgment he’d spent thirty-three years cultivating. Seeing Eva naked had suddenly become his favorite pastime.
“Eva? Are you there?” he yoo-hooed—finally.
As if he didn’t know, as if he hadn’t seen her in all her splendor and glory—and he would continue to see her because her alluring image was forever seared like a brand on his brain.
Chapter Ten
Startled by Raven’s voice, Eva reached for the shotgun. Good girl, he praised silently. Even if she couldn’t aim and fire accurately, the shotgun was extremely forgiving and would serve her well.
“Give me a moment,” she called back.
Too late for that, he thought. He’d seen all there was to see. “Hoodoo is preparing lunch,” he said as he panned the trees to check for intruders.
She dressed quickly. “I want to apologize to you.”
When Raven stepped into view, she blinked in stunned amazement. “Good gracious, you look different.”
Raven brushed his hand self-consciously over his clean-shaven face. “More like my Cheyenne cousin, I’m told. Is it better or worse?”
“Different,” she murmured, pensively studying his facial features. “If you’re fishing for a compliment you need to cast your line in another pond. I’m not taking the bait.”
He chuckled. “So you’re saying that even now I don’t measure up to the men in your social circle of white society.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Raven. I can speak for myself. The fact is that I prefer you to those pretentious dandies. But don’t let that go to your head, either.” She flicked her wrist dismissively to change the subject. “I can understand that my actions might seem suspicious because I’m so determined to find Gordon. Despite what you think, I don’t believe he’s dead, just because we found Lydia’s horse and no sign of the rider. Then there is the matter of the money I want to recover.”
She walked right up to him, demanding his undivided attention. “I am not in cahoots with that scheming scoundrel,” she said earnestly.
“But saying you aren’t, doesn’t necessarily make it so,” he countered.
“I didn’t like or approve of Gordon the first time Lydia introduced us. I disliked him more when he began flirting with me when she was out of earshot,” she confided. “To retaliate, he told Lydia that I was jealous of her and that I was interested in him. Which could not be further from the truth. I despise him for trying to turn my sister against me when we are as close as you and Blackowl.”
“Whose wedding band are you wearing?” he demanded abruptly.
“It’s the gold ring my father gave to my mother. I haven’t deceived you,” she repeated emphatically. “This is who I am—the determined, protective sister who wants Gordon punished and who wants Lydia’s money returned.”
Raven stared at her, trying his damnedest to pay attention to what she was saying instead of looking through her clothes to visualize this voluptuous woman naked.
“I know I’m an inconvenience and nuisance to you, but I’m not giving up the search until I’ve traveled to those obscure mining camps to root out Gordon.”
“Fine, we’ll leave bright and early day after tomorrow,” he heard himself say—and silently cursed the way he’d caved in to her wishes as if he had no backbone whatsoever.
“We will?” Her face lit with excitement. “Oh, thank you, Raven, I will pay you generously and in advance, if that’s what you prefer.”
She flung her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to kiss him. Visions of the naked siren in the bubbling spring leaped instantly to mind. Raven groaned in defeat as his arms contracted around her. Mercy, it felt as if he’d been waiting the whole livelong day for another taste of her. Not to mention that inhaling her tantalizing scent and rubbing his body sensuously against hers was a dream come true. He savored every arousing sensation she instilled inside him.
Like a witless fool, he closed his eyes and blocked out everything except the intense pleasure sizzling through him. It didn’t help matters when Eva moaned softly then arched into him as if she were enjoying the forbidden moment as much as he was.
He felt his hands move on their own accord, learning her delicious body by touch. Hungry need gnawed at him and he tried to recall if he’d ever wanted a woman quite this much. It only took a moment to realize he hadn’t. This was undoubtedly the most attractive and unique female he’d held in his arms.
When he cupped his hand around her breast, he heard her breath catch. She looked up at him as he brushed her
taut nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Desire flared in her dark eyes and her lips parted on a sigh. When she didn’t pull away, he lowered his head to suckle her through the fabric of her shirt. But that wasn’t enough to satisfy him, not after he’d seen her silky flesh. He wanted to taste her, caress her until he’d had his fill of her.
“Raven?” she gasped as he tugged at her gently then pressed her hips against his hard arousal. “If I say I want you, promise you won’t accuse me of seducing you to get my way.”
“You want your way with me?” He unbuttoned her shirt to expose her full, creamy breasts to his appreciative gaze. “You can have it, Eva. I’m through fighting this maddening attraction. It takes too damn much effort.”
“I know you’re only interested because I’m female and I’m available out here in the middle of nowhere,” she murmured as she worked the buttons on his shirt.
“Yeah, that’s it.” It was safer to let her believe it was nothing more than convenient lust. Hell, he preferred to believe that himself.
“Same for me.” She slid her hands across his chest and kissed him until his head spun in dizzying circles.
Raven’s willpower drifted across the pool and trickled downstream. He was a hopeless cause, too wrapped up in this woman to think past the luscious sight and feel of her supple body beneath his hands and lips. Too much a prisoner of his selfish desires to consider consequences. He was engulfed in the here and now and need had a fierce and mighty grip on him.
When her adventurous hand glided over the bulge in his breeches, he forgot to drag air into his deprived lungs. When she dipped her hand beneath the waistband, his knees folded up, dumping them in a reckless sprawl in the grass. He removed her shirt hastily then tossed it beside his shirt to form a makeshift pallet. Then he helped her from her breeches to feast his hungry eyes on every exquisite inch of her body.
