by Bobbi Smith
Chance found her deliberately provoking attitude grating, but held his silence as they picked their way through the narrow, nearly impossible trail. He certainly didn't want to get in any verbal battle with Rori, knowing how quick-witted and sharp-tongued she could be. He was tense enough with worrying about Doug and trying not to think about what had gone on the night before.
"It's about time you got him here!" Doug emerged laughing from the rock just beside Rori.
"Doug!" Rori didn't even have second thoughts, but launched herself into his waiting arms.
Obviously delighted at seeing her, he swung her around and planted a huge kiss on her lips. An unexpected jolt of jealousy jarred Chance and rendered him speechless as he watched the two of them, his expression hard. Did Rori play the woman for every man but him? Why was it that she could be so open and affectionate with Doug? Was there something between them?
Burr had watched Chance's reaction to the little harmless scene with open interest. The stony yet startled look on the Easterner's face had convinced Burr that Chance hadn't learned the truth about Rori during their trip. With that worry off his mind, Burr almost chuckled out loud as he imagined Chance's thoughts upon seeing his brother kiss an Indian boy.
Doug set Rori down before him for a mock critical appraisal. "Still haven't grown up for me, have you? Don't you ever get tired of being a tomboy?" Doug teased good-naturedly, his dark eyes twinkling.
The shock of discovering how much he and Chance really looked alike startled her, and she had to force herself to remember that this was Doug, her longtime friend.
"Never!" Rori declared with more passion than normal. "Besides, you already have Nilakla. What would you want with me?"
It was the same teasing argument they had every time they were together. Doug found her innocence enchanting and loved her in much the same way he would a younger sister, and Rori had always thought him a handsome man, but knew that he loved Nilakla. They were comfortable and happy as friends, and they wanted it always to be that way between them.
"I know that somewhere beneath all that buckskin there's a beautiful woman just waiting for me . . ." He gave her a playful, dismissing swat on the rear.
Though Chance found he was still annoyed over the kiss Rori had given Doug, he realized suddenly that, in order to protect her, he had to act as if he was surprised that she was a girl.
"Why is it I get the feeling that I've been played for the fool?"
"Chance . . ." Doug turned to his brother for the first time, his eyes shining at the sight of him. "Why would you feel you're the fool?"
"Well," he drawled, "since everybody let me go on thinking that Rori was a boy . . . no particular reason."
"All this time you two were together, and you thought Rori was a boy?" Doug hooted in laughter.
Rori's emerald eyes were glittering as she added, "Some people are obviously more easily fooled than others." She wondered as she spoke if she was talking about Chance or herself, for she had played the fool the night before.
"Not my brother," Doug was still laughing. "Not much gets past Chance, especially not women."
His words were like arrows in Rori's heart. Her gaze accidentally collided with Chance's, and she felt a wave of pain wrench through her. Angrily, she tore her eyes away from his. To her dismay, Chance went right on talking easily with Doug. Obviously, nothing was bothering him, nothing at all.
"You know how difficult it is to trick me, don't you, little brother?" Chance leveled a cool-eyed stare at him.
"That I do," Doug chuckled, remembering the many times he tried and how he'd failed on each and every attempt.
"You know, you don't sound much like someone who's in deadly danger," Chance concluded dryly, crossing his arms over the pommel as he continued to hold him pinioned with his stare. He had expected Doug to react nervously, like a small boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Instead, Doug answered him very calmly and without guilt.
"It's deadly enough, Chance, believe me, but we can talk about that later." He met his gaze fully and unflinchingly. "I'm just glad you're here," he went on with a solemn earnestness.
There was still no trace of the desperation Doug usually showed whenever he summoned him to the rescue, yet Chance sensed he was very serious about the danger. He stared at the man who was his brother and felt as if he was looking at a stranger. There was something different about Doug and not only in his physical appearance. Gone were the fancy gentleman's clothes that in the past he'd always set such store by. He was dressed now much like the miners he'd seen in town—denim pants, a nondescript dark cotton shirt, and scuffed boots. And there was a difference in his expression. Something in Doug's eyes showed a true change in him . . . a maturity that had never been there before. Despite the fact that he was dirty and sweaty from working all day, that his blond hair was overlong, and he sported better than a day's growth of beard, Chance could tell that he'd grown up.
"I'm glad I'm here, too, and I'm even gladder to see that you're still in one piece. From the tone of your letter, I was afraid I might not get here in time to save your hide." Chance swung down from his mount, and they embraced warmly as brothers should.
"Save my hide?" Doug scoffed good-naturedly when they moved apart. "As long as it took you to get here, I could have been dead and buried with flowers growing over me by now!"
"I got here as quickly as I could. I was only back in Boston three days before I left for Arizona. Your letter made it sound like you were in big trouble."
"Judging me by my past performance, I can see where you would have come to that conclusion. This situation is just as serious, Chance, but in a different way," he confided solemnly. "Let's go on up to the mine, and I'll explain everything." He then turned to Burr. "Burr, thanks for bringing him to me."
"You're welcome," the old man replied as he dismounted and they shook hands.
"Did you have any trouble on the trail?" Doug's concern was very real.
"We ran into a slide, but other than that it was smooth going for the most part," Burr answered.
"Good."
"How's Nilakla?" Rori asked, eager to see her friend. Nilakla was the only woman friend she had, and she was looking forward to visiting with her.
"She's waiting for us now." Doug nodded in the direction of the mine.
With Doug guiding them, they started up the path leading their mounts. Had Rori and Nilakla been less upset and the men less caught up in the reunion, they would have thought to keep an eye out to see if anyone was following them. As it was, they disappeared up the unmarked track to the hidden diggings, unaware of the two bandits shadowing them some distance down the trail.
"Where'd they go?" Tom asked Hal worriedly. "One minute they were there, and the next minute they're gone . . ."
"Don't go gettin' in an uproar," Hal told him, his eyes narrowing as he studied the mountains ahead. "This damn well might be it."
"You think it's up there?"
"It's sure hidden enough. We'da ridden right on by if we hadn't seen them disappear. Come on, we'll get up there a little bit closer and see what we can make out. They couldn't have gone too far."
"Let's ride," Tom agreed. If the end was in sight, he was ready.
Nilakla waited alone at the diggings. She was prepared to hate Chance even without having met him, and she chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she thought of the upcoming introduction.
"Nilakla!" Douglas called her as they entered the clearing. "Come meet my brother!"
He sound so happy, so content, that her heart ached. She turned, ready to meet the man who would end the joy in her life.
Chance was walking alongside Doug, leading his horse behind him. When he caught sight of the lovely young full-blooded Indian maiden, he knew immediately why Doug had been so attracted to her. She was stunningly beautiful. He thought his brother a very lucky man and said so.
"I understand now the reason the territory has held you so long," he said to his brother quietly, and then turned
to speak to Nilakla. He gave her a warm, welcoming smile as he extended his hand to her. "Hello, Nilakla. I'm Chance. It's nice to meet you. I've heard many wonderful things about you."
Nilakla blinked and took his hand, melting a bit in her resistance before his friendly manner and easy smile. "You have?"
"Burr and Rori told me all about you on our trip here, although they neglected to mention just how pretty you were. But I can see that for myself," he charmed her.
"Thank you," she replied, returning his smile in spite of her original intentions.
"Nilakla!" Rori called as she and Big Jake came up the trail.
"Rori!" the other woman cried in delight as she ran to see her friend. She was fond of the younger girl and always enjoyed her visits. They hugged each other and then she had to take the time to pet Big Jake who was hounding her for some attention.
"You've known Rori and Burr for some time?" Chance questioned.
"Just about since I arrived here: They're very special people, and I care for them a lot."
"I can see that," he answered, wondering just how much his brother "cared" for Rori after seeing the kiss they'd exchanged. As soon as he thought it, Chance berated himself for it. Obviously, Nilakla was Doug's woman, not Rori. Still, the jealous thought nagged at his usually unperturbable psyche.
While Burr took care of everyone's horses, the two women began to prepare the dinner meal, and Doug showed Chance the mine. When they reached the valuable ore he had stashed in the very depths of the cool, dark tunnel, Doug lifted the lantern high so his brother could see the quality of the gold.
"It looks to be one of the richest strikes in the territory," Doug explained. "That's why I've had to be so careful."
Chance could not believe how fabulously wealthy the vein was, and he felt a surge of pride in his brother's achievements. Doug had accomplished all this on his own. He doubted there were few others who could have done as well.
"So what do you do now?"
"That's where you come in. That's why I needed you. If the news of this location had slipped out, I'd probably be dead already. Now that you're here to help me, the odds are improved, and we should have no problem getting the gold out of here."
"You think the two of us can handle it?"
"Has anyone ever stopped us before?" Doug countered with a confident grin.
"Not that I can recall." Chance clapped him on the back as they started from the mine.
As darkness claimed the desert land, they gathered around Nilakla's small cooking fire for the evening meal. Chance studied his brother in the red-gold haze of the firelight, and he liked what he saw. Though they had only been reunited a short time, he had already discovered how greatly Doug had changed. No longer was he a wild dream-chaser. He'd found his dream, and he'd struggled to make it into a reality. The hard, back-breaking work had made a man out of him, and Chance was very proud of him.
"Not everyone could have done what you've done, Doug," Chance told him as they finished eating. "I'm proud of you. I know you've worked hard for this, and you deserve it."
"You are?" Doug stared at him incredulously. Chance had actually said he was proud of him! For a minute, he felt much like the gangling, awkward youth who'd always tried to live up to Chance's accomplishments, but had never quite succeeded. That quickly passed, and he swelled with a sense of achievement. When Chance met his gaze, Doug saw open respect and admiration reflected in his brother's eyes.
"I am, and Mother will be, too—not to mention everybody else you've ever wanted to impress in Boston." Chance grinned, lifting his tin coffee mug in salute.
"What are you going to do now?" Burr asked.
"Cash in my chips," Doug said with a smile, "and head back to Boston."
"You're leaving?" This surprised the old tracker. "You really want to go back?" He'd always felt an unspoken affinity with Doug, and he couldn't understand why he would want to return to civilization. Didn't he know he'd always be miserable there, and what about Nilakla? Burr glanced at her covertly and saw the strained, sad look on her lovely face.
Doug nodded. "There's a lot I still want to do, and now I can do it on my own without relying on my family."
"That's what family is for," Chance spoke up.
"Maybe, but I had to prove to myself that I was man enough to do this, and now I have."
Rori had been sitting with Big Jake near Nilakla just listening to them talk, but with the announcement that Doug planned to leave, she frowned in confusion. Doug was planning on returning home to his family in Boston, yet he made no mention of Nilakla. Nilakla had dedicated her whole existence to Doug, and now he was just going to leave her behind when he left . . .
Rori had always thought Doug was a wonderful man, but suddenly she was seeing him through the eyes of a woman, and she didn't like what she saw at all. He had used Nilakla for his own needs, and now that he had what he wanted, he would leave her behind. Burr had always warned her not to trust men, and now she understood why.
Unconsciously, she hugged Jakie to her. He and Grampa were the only men she could ever trust with her love. They were the only ones she knew would always be there for her. There was no one else she could ever rely on or risk loving. Her encounter with Chance had proven that to her . . .
Her gaze was drawn magnetically to Chance then, and she stared at him in the glow of the fire, remembering the way he'd looked at her the night before and how passion had erupted so wildly between them. Chance had been right. It should never have happened. She'd been a fool to give herself to him, just as Nilakla had been a fool to give herself to Doug. But she knew better now. She would never, ever make that mistake again.
Chance seemed to feel her eyes upon him, and he looked up to find her staring at him with cold disgust. Even though he knew he deserved it, it bothered him, and that bothered him. He shouldn't care what she was thinking about him. It was just like he told her last night. He had wanted her, lusted after her, he'd had her, and that was it.
As Chance ran those thoughts through his mind, forcing himself to think of the bitter ending, images of her sweet and gentle in his arms, assailed him instead. He saw Rori whisper something to Big Jake, and it seemed as if even the damned dog was regarding him differently, too. When Doug suggested they take a short walk together and catch up on what was happening back home, Chance gladly jumped at the opportunity. They left the others and strode side by side from the camp out into the darkness.
"How soon do you want to leave?" Chance asked when they were alone under the stars.
"The sooner the better," Doug told him.
"Is Nilakla coming with us?"
Doug looked slightly surprised that he'd even asked. "No. She wouldn't be happy in Boston. You know how it would turn out. I refuse to let her be subjected to the cruelty that would come of it. Nilakla's a very gentle, loving woman. I don't want anything to hurt her." As Doug said it, he realized that he might be hurting her more by leaving than all the cruelties society might inflict on her in Boston. Still, he refused to change his plans. He was going home. That was all that mattered to him.
Chance was thinking of going back home, too. He realized that Doug was completely right about not taking Nilakla back with him. It would never work. The life there was far too different.
Chance thought of Rori and knew that he'd done the right thing by ending the passion between them when he had. He did care about her in his own way, and he hadn't wanted to hurt her, but it had been best to put a stop to everything before it had gotten too involved. This way she wouldn't be hurt when he left. In fact, she hated him so much she was probably looking forward to his going. That thought annoyed him, but remembering how she'd looked at him earlier that evening, he knew it was true.
Chapter Fifteen
Taking care to go in the opposite direction that Doug had gone, Nilakla wandered off into the night seeking some time alone, some time to sort out her thoughts. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears as she made her way to a quiet spot some distance f
rom the mine. There, alone and forlorn, she finally gave vent to the pain and sorrow that had consumed her.
It was over. There was no longer any hope left in her heart that Douglas might change his mind and stay. After listening to him speak of Boston with his brother and seeing the happiness that shone on his face at the thought of going home, she knew their time together was over.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting until he left her, and Nilakla wasn't sure how she was going to live through it. Just the few hours tonight had been torturous for her. The prospect of standing by and watching him prepare to go away completely devastated her.
It was obvious that Douglas no longer needed her. Nilakla bit back a sob at the thought, and her pride surged forth. She realized with agonizing clarity just what she had to do. She would not wait around for him to leave. She would not be able to bear it. Instead, she would leave first, tonight, when everyone was asleep, and she would not be missed for many hours.
Nilakla felt certain that Douglas would not come after her, and that was the way she wanted it. After all, what would be the point? He wanted to go, and he was going. There would be no reason for him to worry about her. She could take care of herself quite well.
Her mind made up, Nilakla felt somewhat better. She would go back to Douglas now and share his love one last time. Then later, while he slept, she would disappear into the night and out of his life. It would be best this way.
Nilakla started back to the diggings, but decided to stop first at the small pond that served as their watering hole to bathe her face. She did not want anyone to know how upset she was. She was startled when she found Rori there with Big Jake. Nilakla tried to keep her face averted so Rori wouldn't see the ravages of her tears, but her friend's next words told her that she'd already seen the truth of her sadness.
"Nilakla . . ." One glance at her friend in the moonlight had revealed that she'd been crying. Rori knew it was because Doug was leaving, and she wondered if she could help her. "Is there something wrong? Is there anything I can do?"
