by Sabine Starr
“Burnt Boggy is burning as we speak.”
“Hornswoggle! Again?”
“If I was you, I’d turn that contraption around and make for Texas.”
“You’d let me go?”
“I’m interested in your partner, not you.”
“Might you be a Deputy U.S. Marshal? If so, I hope you catch that sidewinder. He’s a stone-cold killer.”
“I’ll get him.”
“If you won’t take me in for transporting whiskey, I promise I won’t sell a drop in Indian Territory.”
“Do you know where your partner went?”
“He said he had to see a man about a horse up near Skullyville. Bet he is meeting up with a bunch of horse thieves. If you’re gonna tangle with him, I’d take backup.”
“Thanks for the warning. Now get your rig turned around and get out of here.”
Rusty grabbed his reins. “You won’t regret letting me go. When I get north of the Red River, I’m staying there. Indian Territory is gettin’ too all-fired dangerous for the likes of me.” He turned his team around and drove away.
Tempest waited quietly with Lucky till the wagon was down the road toward the west before she glanced over at him.
“Sorry.” He slid his rifle back into its holster. “Haig’s flown the coop.”
“It’s okay. We’d already agreed to move on without confronting him.” She carefully tucked away her revolver.
“What bothers me is his sudden change of plans. Why give up money from a whiskey sale when he was so close to Burnt Boggy?”
“Maybe he somehow knew it was going up in smoke?”
“Even so, he’d figure Red Dog would need the delivery.”
“At least we know where he’s going.”
“Maybe Haig just gave Rusty a town’s name to cover his tracks,” he said.
“Where is Skullyville?”
“It’s near Fort Coffee.”
“And that’s near the Mounds?”
“Right.” Lucky looked toward the northeast.
She felt a tingle in the Soleil Wheel over her heart. “Do you think the Moon Rattler is calling us?”
“I think it’s time we were on our way.”
Chapter 31
“What I don’t know I don’t like.” Lucky glanced at Tempest as they rode east.
“What do you mean?”
“Haig abruptly changed his plans. Why?”
She sighed, looking at him and shaking her head. “I’m not sure I understand anything anymore. We went on a simple mission to find an artist, but it turns out he’s far from simple. I thought I’d seen the last of the TSPT, but Mrs. Bartholomew appears and burns down the saloon. I thought I knew where to find Haig, but now he’s in the wind.”
Lucky chuckled. “Put like that, I’m not sure how much I know, either.”
“It’s discouraging.”
“No. It’s life. If you’re set on doing something, no telling how many boulders will roll onto your path.”
“I suppose you simply push them out of the way and keep going.”
“As best I can.”
“I don’t feel much like going forward. I’m tired. I’m hungry. And I’m sore.”
“You’re just letting down. I could use a break, too.”
“But we can’t stop. Haig is getting away.”
“That’s not my main concern now.”
“No?”
“What if he’s set outlaws or gunslingers behind him to slow us down or stop us?”
“He’d have to know about us first, wouldn’t he?”
“Remember how you felt watched when we left the Bend?” He didn’t mention the web he’d noticed back there, or how he now felt it slowly constricting around them.
“I remember those feet pointing toward us.”
“Most folks would’ve known we were heading to Burnt Boggy.”
“And word could’ve spread.” She rode closer to him. “You’re making me uneasy.”
“I don’t mean to frighten you, but we need to be cautious.”
“My eyes are wide open.”
“If we’re all headed to the same place, there are two ways we can go. The Military Road or the Fort Towson Road. The Military Trail is more direct.”
“So that’s what he’ll take?”
“Most likely.”
“If we rode hard, could we catch him?”
“Our horses can’t take it. We’ve already traveled all day and part of the night.”
“What can we do?”
“Haig can’t get there much ahead of us. Not unless he has fresh mounts waiting for him at intervals.”
“What if he does?”
“Nothing we can do about it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“A lot of forces are in play. We need to be rested to deal with them.”
“I hope you’re saying we can find a cozy place to spend what’s left of the night.”
“I’ve got a spot in mind. And I want us off this main road. I know a trail that’ll cut off some time and take us to the Military Road.”
“Lead on.”
A little later, he saw the narrow trail he wanted and turned down it. Animals used the path more than humans, so it was overgrown in places. Yet it was ideal for their purposes. He followed the trail along its twists and turns around high grass and clumps of thorn bushes. He could hear Tempest following him. She was so much more than he could have guessed when he’d first seen her. Yet he’d known she was going to impact him. He’d resented it then, but not now. She was part of his life and destined to be much more. She belonged to him and he’d fight to keep her.
As he rode farther onto the land and deeper into the night, he kept watch for the special place he had in mind. He hadn’t been there in years, but he doubted if it had changed or if many folks had found it.
Finally, he saw the sheer slabs of limestone that at some point in the distant past had been thrown up in an upheaval to form the sides of a small box canyon. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a jumble of rock surfaces stained and pitted from rough weather. He skirted around tall trees and thick scrub until he found the entrance. He guided Miko through the narrow space between two slabs of vertical stone. He glanced back, waiting until he saw Tempest follow him inside the canyon mouth.
To make sure they were safe, he rode around the enclosed area and checked for animals and humans. Soon he was satisfied that they were alone. He dismounted near the entrance. He stacked and wedged several large rocks into the opening gap to keep their horses inside and any intruders outside. He left Miko grazing on a patch of grass, and then led Anna over to the gelding.
He reached up to help Tempest dismount. As she stepped down, he put his hands around her waist and steadied her on the ground. She leaned back against him. For a moment, they simply stood together. She turned and put her arms around his shoulders. He hugged her close, feeling the heat of her, smelling the violet scent of her, touching the generous curves of her.
She tilted back her head to look at him, eyes silvery in the moonlight. He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose, and she smiled at him. That was all it took to set him on fire. He felt a surge of heat rip through his body to ignite his cock. He stroked down her back and grabbed her butt with both hands. He held her body in place as he ground against her, so hot and hard he could think of nothing but pummeling her depths and hearing her cry his name.
When she moaned and dug her fingertips into his shoulders, he pressed a savage kiss to her lips, delving deep with his tongue, tasting and sucking and biting as she writhed against his body, twining one leg and then the other around him as if she would climb him in her frenzy to get closer.
He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing hot kisses across his face and down his neck. He tried to unbutton her blouse, but his fingers were clumsy. She pushed his hands away, quickly freed the buttons, jerked off her blouse, and threw it to the ground. Still she had on too many clothes. He felt de
sperate to get at her skin. He massaged her breasts through her chemise and felt her nipples harden to taut peaks against his palms. Still, he wanted more. He pushed up the fabric and caught one nipple with his lips while he teased the other with his fingers until she cried out with desire.
Feverishly, he licked and sucked and nibbled from one breast to the other, unable to get enough. He felt starved for her. When she thrust her fingers deep into his hair and pulled up his head, he saw her as everything a man could ever desire. And then she attacked his mouth, moaning as she bit his lips, thrust deep, and twined her tongue with his own. She rode him, clasping him with her thighs as she undulated against him and he massaged her butt. Still, there were too many clothes between them and he grew hotter and harder with each moment of frustrated passion.
She tore her mouth away, gasping. “I want, I want, I want—”
“I’m dying for want of you.”
She clutched at his shirt, trying to tear it open, pushing and pulling at him with her entire body. She threw him off balance. He staggered, went down on one knee still holding her, and then fell prone on his back with her straddling him. As he looked up at her, moonlight turned her into a mysterious goddess . . . as women have always been to men.
And his clouded senses began to clear. This frenzy was not the way to initiate her into the rites of love, nor connect her to his Rattler clan.
One of them had to be strong. She was lost in her spiraling need and caught in a trap she didn’t know was about to spring shut. He was the only one of them who understood the importance of their actions. He would make her initiation perfect for her, even if she cursed him now.
“Wait.” He clasped her hands between his own.
And she snarled.
Chapter 32
“Stop?” She jerked her hands out of his grasp. She slapped his chest with the flat of her hand and stared at him in frustrated fury. “You want to stop . . . now?”
“No. What I mean is—”
She slapped his chest again, and then leaped to her feet. “I’m through here. I’m going back to Texas. I’ve had enough of the craziness of Indian Territory. And you.”
She turned her back on him, crossed her arms over her stomach, and burst into tears. And that made her feel even worse. She was trying to be brave and strong and decisive. Now she looked like a weak-willed ninny. She didn’t even carry a real revolver like a scary Colt .45. No, she’d let them foist a little .32 on her like the novice she was, and she’d been pleased as punch. A fresh flow of tears ran down her cheeks.
She wheeled around to face him, stomped her boot, and unbuckled her gun-belt. “And I’m not wearing this stupid baby gun a moment longer.”
“What?”
“I bet you’ve been laughing at me since the moment I strapped it around my waist.”
“Why?”
She shook the .32 in its holster at his face, and then threw it on the ground at his feet. The revolver went off, a bullet narrowly missing his boot while the sound ricocheted off the canyon walls. They both leaped back and the horses shied away.
“What’s wrong with you?” Lucky picked up the revolver, smoke curling from the open end of its leather holster. “You almost shot off my foot.”
“Do you think it might have done that much damage?”
“Yes! No need to sound proud that you almost maimed me.”
“I didn’t realize it had that much firepower.”
“Of course it does. It’s a lethal weapon.”
“It looks like a baby compared to your .45.”
“What the hell does this have to do with . . . do you want to trade guns or something?”
She cocked her head, sniffed loudly, and wiped the moisture from her cheeks. One thing for sure, the crack of the .32 had scared the tears right out of her eyes. “You’d wear a .32?”
“I’ve got one in my saddlebags right now. Plus a derringer and three Colt .45s.”
“Why on earth do you need so many guns?”
“I’ve got six shots in a revolver. Do you know how long it can take to reload?”
She shook her head, having no idea.
“If it’s one against many, it takes too damn long.” He gave her a hard look. “Back in the War Between the States, a partisan ranger had four or five .44s and several bowie knives on his body at all times.”
“He must have rattled when he walked.”
“He rode. And he fought until he died or the war was lost.”
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice of me. My daddy died in that long, bloody war.”
“We all lost people close to us.”
“I’d better apologize for throwing down my gun, too.”
“You’re tired, frustrated, and hungry. So am I.”
“That’s true.” She wanted to put her weakness behind her and forget about her tears. “Let’s eat.”
“I’ll gather some wood and build a fire.”
It didn’t take her long to spread the blankets and set out their meager fare of jerky, cheese, crackers, and canteens of water. He had a campfire blazing in no time.
After she sat down, he settled across from her, as if he thought it best to keep his distance. He took off his gun-belt, but kept both revolvers within easy reach. She wondered if she’d ever get her .32 back, but she wasn’t going to ask for it. She did feel mollified that it could do more damage than she’d thought, so perhaps it wasn’t so embarrassing after all.
“I wish we’d had a chance to eat at Burnt Boggy.” She bit into a piece of cheese and followed it with a dry cracker.
“A steaming bowl of beef and beans would’ve tasted good.”
“Even better, I wish we could eat at Mama Lou’s.”
“Don’t even mention it.”
When silence descended between them, she didn’t try to break it. She was still embarrassed over her outburst. She felt as if all her senses were heightened. And the place over her heart tingled, so she absently rubbed it. She sighed, wondering if her life would ever get back to normal, or even near normal.
“What is it?”
“I’m usually a lot more dependable. I don’t know what’s come over me.”
“I do.”
“Really?”
“It’s partly my fault. But you’ve had a lot of shocks, too.”
“I hope I don’t see another rattlesnake up that close.”
He chuckled. “Too close for comfort?”
“Too close for anything.”
“Remember when I told you that I’d give you a wedding night?”
“It seems like a long time ago, but yes.”
“I’d like to marry you first.”
She felt her breath catch in her throat, and then she took a great gulp of air. “Let’s see. I met you a few days ago. We’re in the middle of nowhere. No justice of the peace or minister is in sight. That’s easy to say when you know it’s impossible.”
“If we could get married, would you marry me?”
“You don’t need to marry me to get full milking rights to this cow.”
“Don’t belittle yourself.”
“Then don’t ask stupid questions.”
“How would you feel about spending the rest of your life with me?”
“I don’t even know you.”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“And I’m trying to have a wedding night. Is there something wrong with me that I can’t get any man to spread my thighs and ram it home?”
“Crude doesn’t become you.”
“Virginity doesn’t become me, either.” She clenched her fists in frustration. “I guess I’m just going to have to get a smooth stick or a piece of fruit like a banana. If I wait much longer on a man, I’ll be dead.”
“That’d be an unnecessary waste.”
“For me, yes.”
“Me, too.”
“Lucky, I can’t take any more tonight. My nerves are jangled. I’m going to roll up in my blanket and get some sleep.”
“No, you�
��re not.”
“And why not?”
“I’ve got something much better in mind.”
Chapter 33
Lucky watched Tempest across the campfire. She’d had him off balance from the first. She’d burrowed deep into his mind, his emotions, and his body. He didn’t regret it. He simply wanted to focus on her and make things right.
Once they’d joined forces, every action they’d taken had twisted and turned his emotions until he hardly knew which way was up. He could only surmise that the trouble was two unaligned Rattlers sparking off each other and releasing enough energy to fuel several train engines.
It had to stop. By now, Crawdaddy and most every Rattler must have picked up the energy they were spewing about. He didn’t know how Crawdaddy was controlling Haig, but he’d bet nothing else could have sent the man racing away from a big liquor sale. If Haig was truly going to Skullyville, then Crawdaddy must be going after the Soleil Wheel right now. If he got his hands on an unaligned Tempest, nothing could stop him.
Lucky didn’t want her to ever feel used by him, but if he didn’t do something, she’d be used by Crawdaddy. She was in a vulnerable position, but without a lot of instruction, she wouldn’t be able to understand it. He feared she might eventually blame him for all her troubles, but he was going to have to take a chance.
If he was honest with himself, he didn’t know how she truly felt about him. With so many forces driving them together while at the same time trying to tear them apart, he couldn’t even be sure of his own feelings. He’d only know the truth after the completion of her initiation. Afterward, he dreaded that they might discover everything between them was an illusion. And he wanted her to be his true ladylove.
When his thoughts came back to the present, he noticed she was holding a long stick she’d pulled out of the campfire and rolling the tip of it in the embers. She raised the stick, examined it, and then thrust it back and rolled it some more. Finally she held up a stick about an inch in diameter with a smooth, blackened, rounded end.
She glanced at him. “About the right size, do you think?”
For a moment he didn’t understand, and then he realized what she meant. He laughed at her audacity.
