Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk (Dark Cloth) (14 page)

She lay beneath the covers and tried to calm the rapid beating of her heart. If he didn’t do what she wanted soon, she had little doubt she’d be caught.

She was amazed she hadn’t been already.

How she’d managed it, night after night, both frightened and exhilarated her. Well, it was true—she had help—someone on the inside. Sneaking in wasn’t hard. His hands all turned in before dark for an early morning. Sitting in the same room with him some nights, however, tried her to the limits. But doing so, on so many nights . . . . Sooner or later, he would have noticed the lock on the veranda was sometimes unlocked in the morning if she hadn’t met Star Flower on her third night there. The beautiful, young Indian maiden had been covering her tracks ever since. But, sooner or later, he would become aware that he was no longer alone in the room—and then, Goddess help her.

Chapter Sixteen

Mandy had been locked down on the ranch for two weeks when she finally had enough. No, they still hadn’t made that trip to town. The problem was Hawk had her men watching her to make sure she didn’t leave the ranch without him. She chewed this over for a couple of hours before deciding she’d just have to hope she got lucky.

She walked to the barn, acting nonchalant, while considering the rage Hawk would be in if he caught up with her. She managed to get her horse saddled without incident, but was mildly surprised when—after waiting for Chuck to walk to the other side of the barn—she was able to lead her horse straight down the lane. Once she was out of hearing distance, she got onto her horse and rode fast.

The problem was Chuck had also been the one on watch when Ashley had succeeded in sneaking onto the ranch.

She knew a twinge of conscience when she thought of the set-down Chuck would receive if she didn’t beat Hawk home, but the joy of being free after two stifling weeks was too wonderful to allow her to fret for long.

An hour later, she reached town and headed straight for the livery. She walked her sorrel mare to the rear of the stable, unsaddled her, and started brushing her down. Ben always teased her about currying her own horse, but she insisted on doing it herself.

When she arrived at Meg’s house a few minutes later, her friend hugged her. “Where’s Hawk?” Meg looked around her. Not seeing him there, she guessed correctly what Mandy had done, then pulled her friend inside and shut the door. “Mandy, tell me you didn’t come alone.”

“The men were all busy.” Mandy laughed. “I wasn’t about to pull one off work when I can handle a gun as well as, or better than, any of them.”

“Mandy, Ashley has been in a rage. The whole town is talking about it. He’s acting crazy.” Meg’s shoulders dropped. “Well, you’re going to do what you want, despite what I say, but do be careful.”

Mandy frowned. “I will. But I’ve always been able to sense him before. It’s the smell of evil, you know? You can’t mistake it, once you’ve got a good sniff.”

Meg wrinkled her nose and linked arms with Mandy. “Come on, we’ll have tea. You can tell me everything that’s happened.”

Mandy sat down in a comfortable chair in the parlor and told Meg all about Kid. By the time she finished, tears of laughter were rolling down Meg’s face.

“Well, I can’t stay long. I don’t dare risk Hawk beating me home. But it sure has been fun. When this is over, you and I are going to go shopping and eat at fancy hotels. We’re going to do all the things we used to do before McCandle got in the way,” she said with meaning. Just saying it reminded her of all that McCandle had cost them.

“Take care of yourself.” Meg handed her a pastry to take along. “Don’t sneak in without Hawk again.”

“I’ll be fine.” Mandy tucked her Colt in her skirt pocket.

When she reached the stable, she again didn’t wait for the livery boy but, instead, began saddling Chance herself. “I know this was a short visit, but it can’t be helped. I’ll give you a little extra grain when we get home,” she told her.

She didn’t get the slightest sniff of evil and therefore, when it came, she did not sense it coming.

“You’re not going anywhere
,”
came a snarl from behind her.

She jumped, pivoted around, and came face-to-face to Ashley. She went for her Colt, but had no sooner cleared it from the folds of her skirts before he slapped it from her hand. “Damn you, Ashley,” she hissed. And damn the propriety that had kept her from wearing the holster where she’d have had an easier reach.

He grabbed her by the hair, forcing his fingers through her bun and tearing it out. She could never seem to keep her hair up lately, she thought wildly.

He yanked her to him and covered her mouth in a brutal kiss. Mandy was stunned for a second, then gagged and struggled violently. She clawed his face and yanked at his hair, tearing hunks of it from his head, but he paid her no heed. He was mad with his rage, she realized, just as Meg had warned, and didn’t notice the blood running down his face.

“Tell me, Mandy, have you slept with him?” he hissed, twisting her arm.

Mandy paled and shook her head, unnerved.

He stroked her face with his free hand. “I believe you. And I also believe that, if I take your maidenhood, you will marry me.”

“No, I will never marry you!” she screeched in fear. “Never. Do you hear me? Why won’t you listen?”

He sneered. “We’ll see, Mandy, love.” He drug her over and flung her in the hay, nearly crushing her when his body followed, landing heavily on top of her. He pinned her hands above her head and ripped her bodice down, his hands returning to squeeze her breast, painfully.

“I’ll kill you
,
” she screamed at him.

Why wouldn’t anybody come? Surely half the town could hear her. Were they so afraid they’d let him rape her? She opened her mouth to give a full-blown scream and received a stunning blow for her efforts. She knew little else from that moment on, her mind too hazy from the blow. Then, all went black.

Mandy had no idea how much time had passed when she felt cool air and realized she wasn’t being crushed anymore—but she couldn’t seem to focus.

She wondered if she was even conscious at all. But she could feel the
Grandmothers,
there, with her.

Center on the Goddess, child,
they warned her.
You will need to focus more than ever, now. His power grows strong.

Grandmothers, how could this happen? How could I have let this happen?

He has blocked you from detecting McCandle.

He . . . you mean the man in the dark suit?

Yes, child. There is much danger around you. More than ever before. His power grows strong.

Gentle hands lifted and carried her. A voice spoke softly in her ear.
Hawk
, she thought drowsily. It had sounded like Hawk. But, no, it couldn’t be him. He didn’t even know she’d left the ranch.

A while later, she woke in Doc’s office. She tried to lift her head, but the pain . . . she groaned and laid back. “Hold still, Mandy, and it won’t hurt so much,” a voice spoke next to her ear. Gentle hands moved over her, soothed her.

She licked her lips. “Hawk?” she whispered.

“Yes, love, I’m here.”

She took a deep, ragged breath and whispered, “How did you know where to find me?”

“The
Grandmothers
warned me you were in danger,” he whispered in her ear.

“You can hear them?”

“No. I just knew. And then, I knew who warned me.”

“Ashley, he . . . .”

“Shhh, love, it’s over,” Hawk told her, softly. “And, for now, he’s hurting too bad
to give us much trouble for a few weeks,” he finished with a growl.

She licked her lips. “Did he? Did he . . . ?” she couldn’t say it.

He took her hand in both of his. “No, love, I got there in time to stop him.” Rage filled him at how close of a call it’d been.

“You didn’t kill him?” she hissed. “Good.”

Hawk frowned at her. “I thought you’d be angry that I didn’t. In fact, I would have, but Ben and several other men pulled me off him. Funny thing, since I know every single one of them wanted to kill him, too.”

“Probably instinct,” she whispered. She licked her lips. “I want to kill him myself. Do you understand? He’s mine. He will die by my hand,” she choked out, struggling to sit.

“All right, Mandy,” he whispered near her ear, pressing her back. “We’ll talk more when you’re well.”

“I mean it, Hawk,” she mouthed, her eyes drifting shut.

Hawk’s eyes glittered with dangerous menace. He was consumed with rage. Never had he known such fear. He’d thought she was lost to him.

“Easy, boy,” Hawk felt the doc’s hand on his shoulder. “That kind of anger will make you careless, and you can’t afford to make mistakes.”

“I just made one. And Mandy paid the price,” he raged in a voice threaded with deep emotion. “What if I can’t protect her?” he bit out through clenched teeth.

“You can, better than anyone I know,” Doc told him. There was a long moment of silence before Doc thoughtfully added, “Who better than you? It makes sense, doesn’t it; him being so dangerous, and you the only one who can take him down?”

Hawk swung and locked eyes with the old man’s. Did he know something?

Doc shrugged. “You got to get over this hate. It’ll eat you up.”

Hawk stared at Mandy. He’d never told the Doc, never told anyone, except Jake—and Kid. “I wish I could forget,” he mumbled.

“Why are you fighting this particular battle?” Doc shot at him.

Hawk’s gaze narrowed on him. “Maybe, in the beginning, I thought I’d been handed my revenge on a silver platter—but things change.”

“What things?”

“Her,” Hawk answered, still watching her. “I want her for my wife in fact, not in some farce of a game. I want the life it offers. I’m tired of roaming, never belonging and,” he looked away, “the loneliness.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” The old doc grinned. “Get this behind you, and I wish you much happiness.”

“Thanks,” Hawk said, finally smiling. Now he just had to convince her.

She was dreaming. She knew it, but she didn’t want it to stop.

A peaceful smile touched Mandy’s lips. She dreamed of warm, strong hands that drew her near and wrapped her in a blissful cocoon. Nothing could touch her here.

Here she felt safe.

She fought the light that was shining brightly on her face, threatening to wake her—and make her face reality. She wanted to snuggle in his arms, even if it was only a dream. But warm sunshine, streaming in the open window, forced her into total consciousness. Up, and up, she drifted, until dark lashes lifted and revealed the handsome white Indian lying beside her.

With a start she realized it wasn’t a dream. She was, in fact, wrapped in Hawk’s possessive embrace. His large, muscular leg lay over her and firmly pinned her to the bed. His arm draped around her, holding her cheek close to his massive chest. From the even rise and fall of his chest, she guessed him to be asleep.

The instant she shifted, that changed.

His beautiful, golden eyes opened, his full, sensual lips turning up at the corners as he mumbled a husky, “Morning.”

Mandy licked her lips and tried to swallow past the dry lump in her throat. Her voice, when she spoke, was a whisper. “Hawk?” she got out. “You shouldn’t be here. Do you realize how this looks?”

His husky voice, when he answered, sent tremors down her spine. “I wasn’t about to let you out of my sight again.”

“You said it yourself; Ashley’s too laid up to bother us for a while,” she pointed out, trying to dislodge his arm.

His arm only tightened. “He can still give orders,” Hawk told her. “Besides, the only one here is Doc.”

With a sigh, she gave herself up to the overwhelming need to be right where she was, snuggled in his protective embrace. It had been so long since she felt safe. The need to hold him—and be held by him—felt so powerful, it frightened her with its intensity.

She realized, with a start, how much she loved this wild, untamed man. That nothing in her life would ever be the same again, and with frightening clarity, she knew she never wanted to know what living without him would do to her, now that he’d woven his way into her heart. Without him, she would never again know happiness, at least not without a shadow darkening it.

So intense was her love for him, it wracked her soul and caused tears to spring to her eyes. Her love for him filled her heart to overflowing, till she felt her heart would burst with joy. She listened to the steady rhythm of Hawk’s breathing as he drifted back off to sleep. She wondered at how easy it was to hold each other now, so peacefully, when every other time they’d gotten within arm’s reach of each other it led to volatile passions: kisses, war, anger and even more violent kisses. But now, here they lay, entwined, with all these intense feelings inside her, yet she felt content to just—be.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she succumbed to a peaceful sleep with the same blissful smile touching her lips as before.