Bounty Hunter (9 page)

Dobs didn’t even blink at the rough treatment. In fact, his eyes twinkled as if he’d
gotten the exact response from Kane he’d wanted. “I’ve been around these mountains
a long time. Survived floods, blizzards, droughts.” The twinkle died. “And I know
the difference between predator and prey. She’s got prey written all over her pretty
face. She’s not here for no rest. Damn girl’s killing herself to make a go of it.
Now me, I just want to make sure she’s got a fightin’ chance.” His small gray eyes
narrowed. “You gonna be the one to give it to her?”

Kane’s grip relaxed. It had been a long time since he’d been maneuvered quite so effectively.
He thought of his grandmother and wasted a second wondering who’d have won in a matchup,
she or Dobs.

He had no desire to answer the man. He even turned toward the shelves with the idea
of continuing his shopping as if their little discussion hadn’t happened.

So it came as a surprise to him when he looked the man square in the eye and said,
“Yeah. No one will touch her while I’m here.”
Including me
, he added silently.

Dobs grinned, revealing a gold tooth and more
than a few empty spaces. “Good. Wouldn’t want you hunting the wrong quarry.”

Before Kane could react to the remark, Dobs ambled back behind the counter and disappeared
again.

FIVE

Elizabeth came out of the post office in time to see Kane stow a box of what looked
like groceries in the back of the pickup. There was another one the same size already
there, along with two bales of hay and a bag of feed up by the cab. She hurried across
the gravel road.

“I’m sorry. I guess I got carried away talking to Letty. You didn’t have to do that.”

“She’s the postmistress, right?” Kane shut the tailgate with a loud clang.

“Postmistress, phone operator, and local busybody.” She smiled dryly. “I made the
mistake of asking about her grandson, who she’d told me on my last visit had gotten
the measles, and that was all it took.”

“Guess she doesn’t have many people to talk to.”

Elizabeth’s smile turned a bit wicked, and she
leaned a little closer to Kane. “I think she’s got something going with Dobs,” she
whispered.

She was rewarded with one of Kane’s half-smiles. It did such stunning things to his
smooth, strong features that it took her a moment to recover. Only when Kane moved
toward the driver’s side of the truck did she snap out of it and hurry after him.

“I’ll drive,” he announced as he opened the door and swept a hand in front of him.
When she started to protest, he said, “Hop in or I put you in.”

Her eyes widened a bit at the command, but she quickly followed his orders. Considering
the way his smile had affected her, the thought of him putting those large hands anywhere
on her body … Not a good idea.

They’d been bouncing over the rutted mountain road for a few minutes when the silence
finally got to her. “I made a few calls from the post office.” He didn’t so much as
blink, but she sensed he knew who she’d been calling. “I only got through to two names.
Mr. Williams and Mr. Donegan.” She’d also tried her brother’s apartment. No answer.
Again.

“And?”

She knew from the way he sat there that he wasn’t concerned with what she might have
found out. She was almost tempted to lie, just to see if it would get a reaction out
of him, but she couldn’t. Both men had praised Kane as if he were their personal patron
saint. And to her eternal frustration, they’d both also managed to effectively endorse
the
man while not revealing one additional whit of personal information.

“And you’re still hired,” she grumbled, ignoring the slight twitch of his lips, knowing
he’d read her hesitation correctly.

She shifted to glance out the rear window and remembered the groceries. She reached
for her canvas tote that sat on the bench seat between them. “I completely forgot
about the food. Here, let me pay—”

“No need.”

“But I didn’t mean for you to—”

“I know. Like I said, don’t worry about it.”

She knew there was more in those boxes than she’d had on the list. “At least let me
pay for—”

“I said let it go.”

“My half,” she finished stubbornly. “I was only trying to help. I didn’t think you
had …” This time she let her words trail off as it occurred to her that what she’d
been about to say probably would have offended him.

“Money?” he finished.

She winced. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. After all, it isn’t as if I don’t understand.”
She tried for a tone of self-deprecating humor to take the sting out of the conversation,
but his jawline remained rock-hard.

“What made you think I didn’t have any money?” he said.

She turned to look at him. “I don’t know, I
guess I assumed that finances were tight, since you were looking to trade labor for
board.”

“If you recall, I made the offer because of your situation, not mine.”

“But you said yourself you’re a wanderer, that you move from place to place. So it
wasn’t exactly unreasonable of me to think you weren’t rolling in it.”

“Apology accepted.”

She sputtered and turned to tell him she hadn’t said anything to apologize for, only
to see the corner of his mouth curving slightly. She chuckled softly at having been
played so smoothly.

The soft sound brought his head around. The moment their eyes met, her smile faded.
After another second, so did his. Tension filled the small cab until a jolt of the
truck as it hit a rut brought Kane’s attention back to the road. Elizabeth turned
to gaze out of her window, half expecting to find it steamed over.

They rode in silence for several minutes before she gave in to her curiosity. “Are
you really happy moving around the way you do? Do you ever dream of doing something
else?”

He was silent for so long, it surprised her when he answered. “I’ve never thought
of it in terms of happiness or sadness. It’s simply the way I live.”

She shifted sideways so she could look at him while they talked. “Yeah, but don’t
you ever see yourself doing something else? I mean, what about when you get old? Don’t
you want a family?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fingers tighten on the wheel.

“I’m not exactly family-man material.”

The pain that knifed through Elizabeth at his solemn statement was surprisingly sharp.
She didn’t want to hurt him, but maybe the fact that he’d answered at all meant he
wanted to talk about it but didn’t know how.

“That’s not what I asked,” she said gently. When he didn’t respond, she switched tactics,
not analyzing why it was suddenly so important to her to draw him out. “You named
your horse Sky Dancer. I remember you saying your grandmother’s name was Cloud Dancer.
Any connection?”

“Yes, there’s a connection.”

“She’s beautiful. I watched you work her yesterday.” She realized what she’d admitted
to, but brazened it out when he didn’t comment. “Do you ride everywhere you go?”

“No. I drive a truck most of the time. I have a few friends who take care of my horses.”

“You have more than one?”

He shot her a wry grin. “Yes, I have more than one.”

She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he cut her off.

“Did anyone ever tell you that there’s such a thing as being too curious?”

She wanted to smile at his gentle sarcasm, but memories of Sam and the volatile accusations
he’d flung at her that night in his car outside of Joe
Twyler’s house flashed through her brain, stealing away any chance she had of taking
Kane’s words lightly. “Once or twice.” She’d been aiming for the same dry sarcasm,
but it didn’t quite come out that way.

Kane slowed the truck after the next curve and used the upcoming flat stretch as an
excuse to look at her. She’d turned her attention out her side window. He couldn’t
see her face, but her shoulders had slumped slightly. And even more telling, the vitality
and energy that typically emanated from her had vanished.

He looked back to the road, reining in the urge to swear. Why had he let her probe
him so deeply? Worse yet, why had he answered her? He’d ruthlessly interrogated dozens
of people without feeling a twinge of conscience as long as it got the job done. And
he’d never once had the slightest urge to divulge personal information.

But the fact remained that he had told her things he didn’t discuss with anyone. And
the part of him that had spent over a decade dissecting every nuance of a person’s
reaction, looking for the fastest way to extract information, knew that giving her
a piece of himself practically ensured that she’d answer anything he asked. But if
he wanted to take advantage, he had to do it now, while she was feeling vulnerable.

So do it. Go on. Ask her. What are you waiting for?

His stomach burned as he swallowed the bile
that lurched upward. He was going to do it. Exploit her interest in him, abuse her
trust. He really was a bastard. But then, he’d never kidded himself about that.

“Annie, are you up here because you discovered something about … someone?” He paused,
grinding his teeth, but it was too late to stop now. “A lover or maybe a … a husband?
Something this person wouldn’t want known?”

She’d given every indication of being a person who’d been dealt some harsh realities.
He was positive it concerned Sam, and he’d begun to wonder if she’d discovered he
was being unfaithful. It would certainly explain the cock-and-bull story Sam had handed
him. Someone in his social position wouldn’t want news like that to get out.

He was so convinced he was right, he steeled himself for the inevitable flood of tears
and choked recantation of every horrible detail.

Which was why he almost drove the truck off the side of the road when she gaped at
him, then flung her head back and began laughing.

Completely thrown, he had no idea how to respond. Not that she would have heard anything.
She was laughing so hard at this point, she’d wrapped her arms around her middle.

He hated feeling so helpless, but even more, he hated being made to feel like a fool.
So he clamped his jaw shut and set about getting them both home in one piece. The
sooner the better.

“I’m … I’m sorry,” she gasped. “It’s
just …” She paused to stifle another chuckle with her hand. “Has anyone told
you
that you’re the master of understatement?”

After a few minutes, her laughter died down to an occasional giggle.

He forced himself to keep his attention on the road, afraid if he so much as glanced
her way, he’d set her off again. And men thought women’s tears were tough to handle.
He still didn’t know what to make of her outburst.

The rickety Lazy F sign appeared as he rounded the last curve. He’d just passed under
it when another muffled sound penetrated his thoughts. Thinking she was holding in
renewed laughter, he lost his patience and turned to face her.

Only to discover she hadn’t been smothering laughter at all. Her head was bent, and
small shiny tracks glistened on her cheeks. In that second, a tremor rocked her slender
frame as she held in a sob.

“Aw hell.” Kane let the truck drift to a stop, but suddenly didn’t know what his next
move should be. He lifted his hand, intending to reach for her, to take her in his
arms, offer her some comfort and an apology for setting off her crying jag in the
first place. But he didn’t. He let his hand drop to the seat between them. Maybe he’d
been wrong about tears being easier.

“Annie?” He tried to keep his voice gentle, but the word sounded almost hoarse to
his ears.

She stilled for a second, as if she’d just realized
that they’d stopped moving. Then she subtly shifted away, toward her side window.

“Annie, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice rough with the effort of holding in the tears. “You
couldn’t have realized …” She didn’t finish. Another slight tremor shook her frame.
“Could we go home, please?” she whispered.

Kane felt like something that lived under a rock. Had she really loved Perkins so
much? The more time he spent with her, the harder he found it to picture Annie and
Sam as a loving couple.

Or maybe it was because he wanted so badly for them not to be.

“Yeah, I’ll take you home,” he said softly. He checked the urge to slam his foot on
the gas pedal. The sun was barely a laserlike ray over the horizon as he pulled in
front of the small ranch house. He’d been a fool to let his emotions get involved.
Sam wanted his wife back, and it was obvious she was dying inside over whatever had
happened. So he’d reunite the lovesick lovebirds, take his money, and ride off into
the sunset. Alone. Again.

And it was his own damn fault that he’d wasted even a second wondering if it could
end any other way.

“You go on inside. I’ll take care of the stuff in the back,” he said after he shut
the engine off.

She took a deep breath, wiped her face on the sleeve of her T-shirt, and slowly turned
to face him.
The waning light cast her tear-streaked face in soft shadows.