Apache-Colton Series

by Janis Reams Hudson

  It was all she could do to keep from screaming at his back. But no. Let him go, she thought. Give him room to breathe, time to think.

  At the bottom of the trail, Matt stopped and leaned against the rock wall. He turned his face up to the sun and closed his eyes.

  I fell in love with you.

  His heart picked up speed. His kid sister thought she was in love with him.

  No. That wasn’t the childish voice of the little shadow who used to trail around behind him. It was the voice of a beautiful young woman, a passionate woman, who was old enough to know her own mind.

  So Pace had been right after all. Serena loved him.

  That explained all the questions that had been haunting him for so long. It explained how easily he’d managed to hurt her so many times without meaning to. It explained why she pursued him one moment, ran from him in the next.

  And he’d left her standing there in that cave without a word. What must she be thinking? He turned to go back to her, but a flash of light from down the canyon caught his eye. Sunlight on metal. Matt stiffened. Pace wouldn’t be so careless as to give away his presence that way. Neither would Dad or Dani.

  But then, Pace had a way of knowing things other people didn’t know. Like when trouble was brewing on the reservation, even though he was miles or days away, or when things were peaceful. When a man would back down, or when he wouldn’t. When it was safe to enter a box canyon, or when it wasn’t. That was Pace’s gift. He knew things.

  Reluctant to have his time alone with Rena come to an end, Matt nevertheless strode forward to greet the family.

  He paused a moment later, out of sight, to listen. Only one rider. Had he missed something when he’d spotted the wagon and riders from up on the rim? Was someone else coming besides them?

  The shrill screech of an owl pierced the midday stillness.

  An owl at noon. Real subtle, Pace.

  Matt stepped from behind his cover and met Pace on the edge of the clearing near where the shack had stood.

  Pace glanced around, noting the scattered ashes, the pile of burned rubble. No Serena. From the calm look on Matt’s face, he knew she had to be near, and safe. “Where is she?”

  “Resting. In a cave up the wall.” Matt indicated the general direction with a nod. “Dad and Dani?”

  “Right behind me.” Pace turned in the saddle and gave three short, piercing whistles. Seconds later, Matt heard the creak and groan of a wagon rattling its way through the narrow canyon opening. A plume of dust rose in its wake.

  Pace scanned the clearing again. “Scott?”

  “Dead.”

  “I trust he didn’t go fast, or easy.”

  Matt remembered burning hair and flesh, bloody tracks, paw prints. “Slow, and very hard. But it was an accident.”

  The sun burned down from overhead. The air still smelled of ashes. Pace dismounted. While they waited for their parents, Matt told him about the fight and how Scott had died.

  Pace wore a look of fury on his face. He ignored the wagon that pulled to a halt behind him. “You mean he went in one piece?”

  Matt greeted his parents with a nod. When he spoke, his words were addressed to all of them. “There was no reason to cut him up.”

  “No reason?” Pace’s eyes flared and he took a step toward Matt.

  “He didn’t rape her.”

  “But I saw it,” Dani cried from her seat on the wagon. Travis reached over and grasped her hand.

  “And I felt it,” Pace said with a growl.

  “Oh, he tried,” Matt said. “But he didn’t make it.”

  “But how—what happened?” Travis demanded.

  Matt looked back at Pace and fought a grin. “Remember when you fed the bushes that night?”

  Pace nodded. That was a night he wasn’t likely to forget for a long time. “If you’d felt what I did, you would have been sick, too.”

  “I’m sure I would have. But if you were feeling what Rena felt, then it wasn’t necessarily you who got sick.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Scott didn’t finish on her because she threw up in his face. You can imagine the effect that had on him.”

  The chorus of relieved sighs and occasional chuckles was interrupted by a heart-stopping shriek.

  The hair on Matt’s nape stood on end. “Rena!” He whirled and raced for the canyon wall.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Serena grew tired of waiting. Her family was down there, and she wanted to see them. Stepping carefully on the rocks, she started down the steep path that zigzagged its way to the canyon floor. But all the care in the world couldn’t make up for the inappropriateness of the slippers Matt had brought with her dress. They weren’t made for climbing around on broken rocks and loose gravel. About halfway down the narrow trail she slipped, landed hard on her rear, and tumbled over the edge. Her heart lodged somewhere in her throat.

  She was going to die.

  Her own scream ripped her throat raw and stole her breath. Stark terror blackened the world and tasted like copper on her tongue as she plummeted toward the jagged broken boulder more than twenty feet below the ledge.

  Something huge and solid slammed into her stomach. Her lungs collapsed. Pain exploded in her chest and stomach.

  Her heart beat so hard, so fast, for a moment she feared it had stopped altogether. Panic like she’d never known before held her in such a tight grip, it took her a long moment to realize she wasn’t dead. A twisted, scraggly cedar had saved her.

  She went limp with relief.

  The tree grew straight out from the wall for about three feet before its branches curved upward toward the sky. The horizontal section had caught her in the stomach. It knocked the wind from her, but it broke her fall.

  From far off, she thought she heard her name called out.

  The world dimmed as she fought desperately for air. With every painful gasp, the skinny tree swayed and bobbed and threatened to tear loose from the wall.

  When she finally drew a decent breath, the blackness faded and her vision cleared. She became aware of a knot in the trunk of the tree that dug painfully into her stomach. Holding on with both hands, she tried to lever herself toward the base of the tree and the doubtful security of the rock wall.

  The tree objected to her weight and movement. Loose dirt and gravel trickled from a crevice. A root popped loose. Serena froze. Sweat poured down her face and between her breasts. Her mouth dried. Her hands shook.

  From somewhere below came a loud crashing through the trees and brush. “Rena!”

  Serena twisted her neck and tried to see. “Matt?”

  “What the—”

  “Are you all right?” Pace demanded.

  “Oh, sure,” she called down. “I just thought I’d hang around awhile. Get me down from here!”

  “Rena, it’s Dad,” Travis called. “Just hold on, baby. We’ll get a rope and climb down to you.”

  Another root broke free of the wall. The tree jerked downward with an ominous cracking sound.

  “There’s no time for that, Dad.” Matt started up the rocky incline, scrambling for hand- and footholds. Above him, the tree let out another crack.

  “Hurry!” Serena cried.

  Five more feet, and Matt heaved himself up onto the broken boulder directly beneath Serena. “I’m here,” he called. “Just slide off the tree and hang by your hands. I’m right beneath you.”

  Serena clenched her teeth and forced herself to do as he said. The rough dry bark tore at her dress and hands. Chunks came loose in her grasp and crumbled beneath her fingers.

  “That’s good,” Matt called. “Now move to your left a bit.”

  She glanced down at him, standing there a good fifteen feet below her. But he wasn’t directly below her. Directly below her was a deep, black hole between the boulder and the rock wall. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought the jelly-like trembling in her bones. But shutting her eyes scared her as much as anything else, so she fo
rced them open.

  Her palms grew sweaty as she inched her way sideways. More bark came off, leaving her grasping slick, smooth trunk. The farther she got from the wall, the more the tree sagged and swayed, and her with it.

  “Okay,” Matt called. “That’s far enough. Just let go. I’ll catch you.”

  His words whirled her back through time. Suddenly she was a child of eight again, stuck up in that tree.

  “I won’t let you fall. Just let go, Rena.”

  Serena blinked and came back to the present. She looked down at him standing there with his arms held out to her. His eyes flicked down the length of her, then he smiled. “Come on.”

  Heart thundering in her chest, she took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut again. For this, she didn’t want to see. There was only one thing to do. With a shrill Apache battle cry, she let go of the tree. Air rushed past her face and billowed her skirt. A second later, she landed squarely, safely in Matt’s arms.

  Matt staggered backward at the impact of her weight, but managed to keep his balance. He held her tightly in his arms and breathed a silent prayer of thanks for her safety. Oblivious to the rest of the family, Matt buried his face in the curve where her neck joined her shoulder and felt his heart start beating again. “You all right?”

  “I am now,” she murmured. “We’re being watched, Matt. Put me down. I’m heavy.”

  Matt pulled his head back and grinned at her, his back to the others. “You’re right. You didn’t weigh this much when you were eight years old.”

  Serena gave him a mock glare and punched him in the shoulder.

  He laughed. Then, for her ears alone, he whispered, “But at least you wore underwear then.”

  Serena’s eyes popped wide open and her face caught fire. The dirty rotten polecat. While she’d been dangling from that damned tree, in fear for her very life, he’d been standing down here looking up her dress! “You— You—” She couldn’t think of a name bad enough to call him.

  Matt threw back his head and laughed again. “Watch out. We’d have some heavy explaining to do if I had to kiss you to shut you up.”

  Serena beat her fists against his shoulders. “Put me down, you…you lecher,” she hissed.

  “But I like holding you.”

  Something in his voice made her pause. Her fists halted in mid air. He spoke the words easily, sincerely, and with tenderness. A tenderness matched by his soft smile and warm glowing eyes. As if of their own accord, her arms slipped around his neck. A new, exciting breathlessness seized her, and her lips parted. “Matt,” she whispered with longing.

  He lowered his head a fraction, then stopped. “Later. We’ve got company.”

  Matt straightened, then turned and carried Serena to the edge of the rock. Travis came forward to take her so Matt could climb down more easily, but Matt ignored his father’s outstretched arms and held her carefully while he scrambled down on his own.

  Once on the ground, Matt released her legs and steadied her as she stood. He kept one arm around her shoulders until Travis swooped her up in his big, strong embrace.

  “Princess,” Travis said with feeling. “We were so worried about you. Are you sure you’re all right?”

  Tears formed in Serena’s eyes. She rested her head on her father’s broad chest. “I’m fine now, Dad.” Then she felt another hand on her shoulder. “Mama! Oh, Mama, I’m so glad to see you.”

  Serena blinked tears away and hugged her mother. When she stepped back, Pace was there. She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for coming for me.” She searched her mind for some response from him, and found nothing. Puzzled, and a little hurt by his stony silence, she stepped back. His face was expressionless.

  “Rena,” Matt said coming up behind her. “I think you’d better sit down and rest. You’re still weak.”

  “I thought you said she was all right,” Travis said.

  “I never said she was all right. I said he didn’t rape her. The other thing he didn’t do was feed her.”

  “I’m fine now. Really,” Serena protested.

  Matt ignored her protests and tried to lead her to a fallen log to sit. She pulled away from him. “Just because you look like my father doesn’t mean I’ll do what you say.”

  Daniella’s lips twitched. Serena may have just been through the worst ordeal of her life, but there wasn’t much to worry about if she felt good enough to sass Matt.

  “Sit down,” Matt said, grabbing her again and pushing her down until she sat on the log.

  Pace tucked his thumbs through the belt loops of his denims and sauntered up to join the others around the log. He let out a snort of disgust. “Look at them. If she was still a virgin when he got here,” he said coldly, nodding toward Matt, “I’ll bet she isn’t now.”

  Stunned silence fell across the group like a hammer blow. All eyes turned to stare at Pace. Serena gasped and sprang to her feet. She ignored the hand Matt placed on her shoulder. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

  “Is it, now?” Pace stared at her a moment, then turned cold, blue eyes on Matt, who glared back at him.

  Daniella looked at her son, aghast at his behavior. “Pace!”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Travis demanded. “That’s sick.”

  Serena bit back a cry. It wasn’t sick! What she felt for Matt, what he might feel for her, was good and right.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Travis demanded of Pace.

  Pace’s hard gaze flashed to his parents, then back to Matt. “Into me? Look at him. He can’t keep his hands off her.”

  The others looked. Matt’s hand tightened on Serena’s shoulder. Serena pulled out of his grasp. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said to Pace. “He wouldn’t have me if I tore off all my clothes and threw myself at him.”

  Travis and Daniella stiffened.

  Pace sneered at Serena. “A lot you know.”

  “I ought to know, damn you.” She spared a quick glance for her parents, then glared at Pace. “It so happens, I’ve tried it. More than once.”

  “Serena!” her parents cried.

  On her shoulder, Matt’s fingers dug in. She ignored him and faced Pace with a small, harsh laugh. “Don’t look so surprised, Pace. You’ve always known how I felt.”

  Then she turned to her parents. They stood there, shocked. “And don’t either of you go blaming Matt. He had no idea how I felt about him until just recently. Believe me. He resisted my advances admirably.”

  Matt didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or strangle Serena. He was still feeling his way through his new relationship with her, still wondering exactly where it would lead, wondering just how serious Rena’s feelings for him were. He wasn’t ready to deal with how the family felt about them becoming a couple. If that’s what he and she were doing.

  On the other hand, if left to his own devices Matt would never have been able to come up with a way to tell his father and Dani about the new turn of events. Rena had, bless her stubborn little head, solved that problem.

  And created a whole new set of problems, if the looks shooting between Dani, his father, and Pace were anything to judge by.

  And high in the Sierra Madres of Sonora, a wrinkled old shaman closed his eyes, listened to the wind, and chuckled.

  Long before the next morning, Serena regretted her outburst. Not because she didn’t want the family to know how she felt about Matt. She was in love with him. She didn’t care if the whole world knew. Pace had always known. If Matt returned any of her feelings—and she knew he felt something other than brotherly affection for her—then she wanted her parents to know. But she hadn’t counted on how they and Pace would treat Matt.

  She was furious—livid!—at the way her father and Pace watched every move Matt made. If Matt got within ten feet of her, Pace placed himself between them, or Travis sent Matt on some errand.

  And Serena’s mother wasn’t any help at all. While she did not constantly toss malevolent lo
oks in Matt’s direction, she blithely set about preparing a meal and ignored the tension in the air.

  Serena went to her mother’s side. “You haven’t said much.”

  Daniella looked up briefly, then returned her gaze to the quail on the spit over the fire. “What is there for me to say? You’re old enough to know your own mind.”

  “Would you mind repeating that to Pace and Daddy? If their looks get any colder, Matt’s liable to freeze in his tracks.”

  “Matt’s a grown man, Serena. He can take care of himself.”

  Frustrated and dissatisfied with her mother’s attitude, Serena left her alone and paced along the edge of the clearing. A few minutes later, she saw Matt saddling his horse. Before she could get near him, Pace was at her side. She ignored him and asked Matt, “Where are you going?”

  Matt hooked the stirrup over the saddle horn and tightened the cinch, keeping his gaze on his task the whole time. “Going to bring in Carlos and Jorge.”

  “Another errand to keep you away from me?”

  Beside her, Pace stiffened.

  Matt shrugged without looking at her.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Matt’s hands froze. “For what?”

  “For the way these two…” She shot Pace and their father each a dirty look. “…imbeciles are treating you. You haven’t done anything to deserve this.”

  Pace grunted. “Not for lack of trying, I’ll bet.”

  Serena whirled on her twin, nearly choking on anger. “Shut up! Just shut up and get your foul mouth and your dirty little mind away from me!”

  Matt watched the blood drain from Pace’s dark, fierce face and felt sick to his stomach. No two people in the world were closer than the twins. They were so close they didn’t need words most of the time to talk to each other. Matt, in his weakness for Rena, was destroying that.

  He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the saddle. What had he done by giving in to these new feelings for Rena? What in God’s name had he done?

  “You let him come between us?” Pace said to Serena.