by Smith, Bobbi
Carrie, with an effort, controlled the smile that threatened. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a ray of hope for her with Todd.
Returning with the medicine, she busily set about bandaging Rick’s head.
“Thanks.” Jake welcomed her help. “Oh, Rick, by the way, this is my younger sister Carrie.”
Rick looked up at Carrie and was impressed by her loveliness. “You’re one lucky man to have two such gorgeous sisters, Jake.”
Carrie was instantly charmed by Rick’s flirtatious words.
“Why thank you,” she told him, giving him a warm smile. “Now, let me see what I can do to ease your headache.”
“Jennie?” Todd called to her after they had ridden a distance from the others.
“What, Todd?” There was an unusual tenseness to her tone.
“What happened between you and Rick Peralta?” Carrie had not been the only one to sense the undercurrents between them.
“What makes you think anything happened?”
“You acted almost rude to the man,” he answered.
Todd had known Jennie for many years and in all that time, she’d never been anything but gracious and well mannered.
Jennie shrugged but didn’t reply.
“Jennie.” Todd was choosing his words carefully, trying to keep his concern from showing.
She glanced over at him quickly and, reading his sudden anxiety in his expression, she almost panicked. Had Todd somehow sensed how confused her feelings were?
“What?” Her voice reflected a steadiness that she was not feeling.
Todd gazed off across the distance. “You’ve been acting so strangely. I was just wondering—Did Peralta hurt you in any way while you were with him? I mean, there I was thanking him for taking care of you, and if he—”
“No,” Jennie put in quickly, totally relieved that Todd hadn’t picked up on her inner distress. “He didn’t hurt me.”
“Oh.” He relaxed a bit. “Well, good. But, what about—” He wanted to ask her why she’d been so cold to him then, but her next words cut him off.
“I don’t want to talk about Cazador or that time. It’s better off just forgotten. If you’ve got any more questions, ask him. He seems to be the one with all the answers!” And with that, she spurred her horse sharply, picking up her pace considerably and leaving him to follow.
Lucia sat back and watched with concealed pleasure as Jennie rode off. Her side was aching and she was tired, but none of it mattered. They had won! They had defeated Malo. They had rescued Juan. And now Rick and the gold would be all hers
She sighed contentedly, thinking of how concerned he had been for her safety and how he had carried her when her strength had failed her. A small smile curved her lips. Now, there was absolutely no reason why they couldn’t become lovers—or more!
Dreaming of the day when she would, at last, experience his full possession, Lucia glanced over to where Rick sat, deep in conversation with his grandfather and Jake. In spite of her own injury, she still felt a thrill of desire course through her as her eyes roamed hungrily over him. When they had told her that he’d been hurt, she’d thought she was going to die. Rick and Juan were the only men who’d ever shown her the least kindness, and if anything had happened to them—She shook her head, denying the thought. Leaning back, she closed her eyes, hoping that a little rest might ease the ache in her side.
“There. I’m finished,” Carrie told Rick as she efficiently tightened the bandage around his head. “How does it feel?”
Rick managed to give her a wry smile as he gingerly touched the side of his head. “It’s fine. Thanks.”
“I’m going to put these away,” she told them, gathering her supplies. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
With Jake and Juan’s help, Rick slowly got to his feet and then leaned against a nearby boulder to steady himself.
“That’s better,” he told them as he took a deep breath and glanced quickly around. The pounding in his head had lessened and, now that he was thinking clearly again, he asked. “Who shot Luis?”
“I don’t know,” Juan told him. “We saw him fall right after you were wounded, but I’m not sure who did it.”
“I shot him,” Chica told them as she rode slowly toward them. She had hesitated in coming forward, wanting only to flee the nightmare of her past, but logic told her that she would need help to escape the confusion of these mountains.
“Chica!” Lucia exclaimed happily, getting up and running to her. “We didn’t know what had happened to you! Thank heaven you’re all right! You shot Luis?”
She nodded her answer. “I was behind him, and when I saw him sneaking up behind Cazador—”
“Thank you, Chica,” Rick told her earnestly.
Her smile was almost feral as she looked at him. “It was my pleasure, believe me.”
All but Jake well understood Chica’s meaning.
“Now, if they can catch up with Malo,” Lucia said.
“Do you think we should go after them and try to help?” Rick offered. “If you’ve got any ammunition, I think I can ride.”
“No, there’s no need. We’ll wait here for them. Pa will catch them.” Jake said.
“Good,” Lucia remarked fiercely, knowing that her life would be useless if she ever chanced to run into Malo in the future.
When Carrie returned, she brought all the food she’d been carrying with her.
“Thanks, Carrie. It’s been a while since we had anything,” Rick told her.
“I thought it might have been.” She flashed Rick a warm smile as she divided the supplies among them.
Carrie found him very attractive, and she wondered briefly what it would be like to be his “captive”. Smiling to herself, she glanced at him quickly as he settled himself on the ground to eat. He certainly was a fine specimen of a man.
Carrie wasn’t quite sure what had happened between Rick and Jennie while they were on the trail together, but she was determined to find out. She knew that Jennie felt something for him, for she’d never seen her sister that worried about anyone ever before. And there had been too much tension in the way they’d been verbally sparring for them not to be attracted to each other.
Determined to find out, she sat down next to Rick.
Settling down a short distance from the others, Lucia took the time to explain everything that had happened to Chica.
“You mean he is really the old man’s grandson?”
“Yes, and he risked everything to save our lives,” she told her excitedly. “Now that Malo’s gone, I suppose we’ll continue on to the gold mine.” Lucia continued to weave her own fantasy.
“Are you sure? The story I heard was that the Peraltas never wanted to return to that mine again.”
“He would be a fool not to go, now that we are so close.”
Looking up, Lucia grew furious as she watched Carrie fawning all over Rick. She scowled angrily.
“What’s wrong?” Chica asked.
“That bitch! Doesn’t she know he’s mine?”
“Lucia,” her friend said. “Is he yours? I get the feeling that Rick Peralta belongs to no woman.”
Refusing to believe that, she gave her an irritated look. “He may not be mine yet, but he will be. You didn’t see how he helped me and took care of me.”
Chica knew that Lucia was deluding herself, but she held her tongue. It was a lesson that had to be learned through experience.
“Whatever.” She gave an eloquent lift of her shoulder. “But do not make a scene. Rick Peralta is not the same man as El Cazador. He is a gentleman. You would do well to remember that.”
Lucia looked confused. “You do not make sense, Chica. Of course, he is the same man. And he wants me, I know it!”
“Very well, but do not underestimate the blond. She is interested in him and she is a lady.”
She snorted her derision at Chica’s last statement. “What lady would wear men’s trousers? I do not think she is a lady.”
“M
aybe, maybe not, but she will not be as easy to discourage as her sister.”
“About that, you are right,” she said as they recognized Carrie as a worthy rival. “This one knows men.”
And sitting back, they continued to eat in silence.
Chapter Twenty-three
The familiar rhythm of the horse’s gait helped Jennie to relax as they rode onward at the steady, ground-eating pace in search of Mac. The sun’s pulsing heat on her shoulders was soothing to her frazzled nerves, and she turned her face to the wind to enjoy the wild gentleness of its caress. Closing her eyes briefly, she could almost pretend that her life was normal again—that the last few days had never happened.
Jennie was still a bit bewildered by everything that had occurred. One moment it seemed that she had been happily enjoying her morning ride, and now she was tracking murderous outlaws and engaged to marry Todd.
Glancing at Todd as he rode along beside her, Jennie sighed. She liked him, admired him, cared about him—but, damnit, she thought, she didn’t love him. As much as it angered her to admit it, Rick was the only man she loved, and now, because he hadn’t been honest with her, it was too late.
Not that he cared, Jennie thought nastily. He seemed perfectly content with Lucia. Hadn’t he chosen Lucia over her while they were in camp? Hadn’t he rescued Lucia along with Juan? The memories still had the power to hurt, and Jennie forcefully tried to dismiss all thoughts of Rick from her mind.
Todd was the man she was going to marry, and they would live happily ever after, she decided firmly. Happiness was, after all, just the way you looked at things. Todd was tender, warm, and affectionate. He owned a good-sized ranch, and he would make an excellent father to their children.
Suddenly, the thought of Todd’s hands on her body chilled her. Would she be able to respond to him? His kiss and embrace had been pleasant but not exciting. Would he be able to take her to the heights of passion she’d experienced in Rick’s arms? In her heart, Jennie knew the answer and she became melancholy. What she had shared with Rick had been special—a once in a lifetime experience and it would never come again.
“There they are!” Todd shouted as he caught sight of Steve heading in their direction.
Todd’s loud call ripped through her thoughts, and Jennie was glad for the distraction. She had no business being unhappy. She had just been rescued from a fate worse than death; they had managed to save Juan and, in the process, they had broken up one of the most dangerous outlaw gangs in the territory. It was all cause for celebration, not depression. Turning her full attention to Steve’s approach, she smiled widely and waved her greeting to him and his men.
“How’d you do? Where’s Pa?”
“We got one of them,” Steve told her, indicating Pablo, who was tied up and riding in the back under heavy guard.
“And Malo?” Jennie asked, worriedly.
“Mac went after him. Malo and this one split up when they found out they couldn’t lose us real easy.” He grinned. “How’d you do?”
“We got both of our men, but Rick Peralta was wounded,” Todd told him.
“Is he bad?”
“No, just a graze, but he’s going to have a headache for a while, I think.”
“Lucky for him.”
“It was. He came very close to being dead,” Todd went on.
Jennie was about ready to scream. Why did they have to talk about Rick? Everytime they mentioned him, she remembered the horror of watching him fall beneath Luis’s bullet.
“Which way did Mac head?” Todd was asking as Jennie pulled herself back from that devastating memory.
“We’ll have to backtrack a bit. They took off down a side canyon about a mile or so back.”
“Let’s go. He may need us.”
After directing two of his men to take Pablo back to where Jake awaited their return, they set off again to locate Mac. It wasn’t long before they did find him and his men—frustrated, angry, and cussing.
“Mac!” Steve and Todd called out to him as he was searching the steep, rocky slope of the canyon.
“Did you lose Malo?” Todd asked as they joined up with his group.
“Yes, damnit! One minute he was there and the next he just disappeared!” Another savage curse exploded from him. “Malo couldn’t have vanished off the face of the earth! He’s got to be here somewhere!”
“Where did you last see him?” Steve asked, his eyes raking over the rock-encrusted rise.
“Right in this area, about forty-five minutes ago,” Mac told him in disgust.
“All right. Call off the men and I’ll see what I can do.” Steve dismounted and handed his reins to Todd before starting to comb the stone-ridden ground for some clue as to Malo’s disappearance.
They watched with interest as Steve studied the numerous tracks, slowly working his way into an ever-widening circle. Finally, in frustration, he gave up.
“I don’t know, Mac. All I can pick up here are the ranch horses. I don’t see any sign of Malo’s mount at all.” Steve’s expression was troubled. “Are you sure this was the area?”
“Positive,” Mac said firmly and his men nodded their agreement. “Well, I guess I lost him.” His flat tone reflected everyone’s mood. Looking up at Todd then, he asked, “How’d the rest of you do?”
“Steve got his man and we took care of both of ours.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“Only RickPeralta.”
“What happened?”
“One of the outlaws worked his way behind him and tried to back-shoot him. Luckily, Jennie yelled to him, and he moved just in time so the bullet only grazed him.”
“Good girl, Jennie.” Mac beamed at his daughter. “How’s Carrie?”
His question surprised Jennie. “She’s fine. She stayed behind to take care of Rick.”
“Good.” Mac was pleased that almost everything had worked out for the best. “What about the other two outlaws that you took care of?”
“We got them both. They’re dead.”
Mac nodded his approval. “But I’m still damned angry that I lost Malo. He was the one I really wanted. I just wish I knew where he’d gone.”
Malo waited until the posse had disappeard from sight before making a move toward freedom. He had known that the McCaines might be on Cazador’s trail, but he had not thought that they would ever catch up with them. Realizing that it must have been the gun battle that had given away their position, he cursed himself for his own stupidity.
Malo was angry at being thwarted so close to his goal, but he refused to give up on his quest. He wasn’t quite sure just what he was going to do yet, but he knew he was going to get that gold, one way or the other.
Mounting his horse, he started off in the same direction as the McCaine men. He had no intention of revealing himself to them, but he was determined to find out if Juan Peralta had survived the posse’s attack. And, if he had, then there was still hope that he could get to the mine.
Jennie grew more and more tense with each passing mile as they headed back to meet up with Jake. Her fate taunted her like a cruel and twisted joke. For the next three days—and nights—she was going to be in very close contact with Rick. There could be no avoiding it, though she wished she could. She was caught well and good in a strangling web of emotional pain.
A pang of despair gripped Jennie’s soul as she wondered if Rick would be sleeping with Lucia during that time. She fervently hoped that she wouldn’t be made to witness their desire for one another for it had been hard enough for her to tolerate Lucia’s attentiveness to him that afternoon. Jennie wasn’t sure what she’d do if she was forced to watch as the wench crawled into Rick’s bedroll with him.
Shaking off these infuriating thoughts, Jennie tried grimly to get control of herself. It would not do to let Rick know how she felt. She was engaged to Todd now and that was the way it was to be. She would not humiliate him by allowing her feelings for Rick to overrule her common sense. The choices had been made; the matter had b
een settled.
As the rendezvous point came in sight, she drew a deep, ragged breath and prepared to face the situation bravely. She was a McCaine and she would carry herself as one. Unconsciously squaring her shoulders, Jennie knew she was as ready as she would ever be to face him again.
For all that Jennie imagined it would be a traumatic event. Their return to the meeting point was anticlimactic. As much as she worried about trying to avoid him, she found the effort totally unnecessary. Rick was completely engrossed in talks with the other men and did not once look in her direction.
Jennie knew that she should have been relieved at having been spared his attentions, but instead, she found herself oddly irritated that he could ignore her so completely. And when Rick seemed to make a point of seeking out Todd and conversing with him at length, she grew especially angry. He had no business speaking with her fiance! What could they possibly have to talk about, anyway? Jennie knew a moment of sudden panic when she thought that Rick might be telling Todd everything that had happened between them, and when she looked up, her expression was pale and worried.
It was at the particular moment that Rick glanced up, too, straight at Jennie. He had been trying his damnedest to ignore her, but when he saw the worried look on her face, he knew he had to speak with her, if only to reassure her of his gentlemanly intentions. Excusing himself, he walked casually toward her.
“Jennie.” His voice was deep and mellow, and just the sound of her name upon his lips sent a sensuous shiver down her spine.
“What?” She jumped as he touched her arm.
“I’d like to talk to you for just a few minutes, if I could?” He sounded courteous and thoroughly civilized and nothing at all like himself.
“Well, I really need to speak with Todd,” she lied, not wanting to be with him.
“This won’t take long.” He still sounded cordial, but she just didn’t trust him.
