The Lawman's Betrayal (7 page)

But she needed him, needed his protection. He was using her, so why not use him? Her conscience pricked, it wasn’t in her nature to be deceitful, but she brushed it aside. Roy had exploited that part of her makeup, and she wasn’t going to let it happen again. Knowing she had to control her emotions, she slowly pulled out of his embrace. “Wes, please…I can’t do this…not now.”

He released her immediately, as if his hands burned. “Sorry, Naomi. I shouldn’t have done that.” Without another word, he marched out of the cave.

A sense of loss washed over her. She hadn’t wanted to feel anything, but God help her, she’d never felt more alive than in his arms. But while it was real on her part, he was only playing a role.

Another betrayal.

****

Wes cursed low under his breath. What the hell was he thinking? He was supposed to be investigating Naomi Brecker, not falling for her. But when she’d raised her lips to his, he’d not been able to resist. Even if someone had pointed a gun at his head, he would have died on the spot rather than stop. If he wasn’t careful, he could come to care for her, come to need her. He couldn’t let that happen—for that made him vulnerable. He reminded himself that this was the main reason he was single. The girls at the bordellos and saloons took care of his physical needs, and he liked it like that.

Or did he?

His profession made him a loner. When he was on a job, he’d go for days, even months, without contact with another human—until he caught his prey. It wouldn’t be right to subject a woman to that kind of life. Never knowing when he’d be home, or even if he’d come home. Sometimes the loneliness wrapped itself around him like a blanket and wouldn’t let go. Especially at night when no one lay at his side, and he felt all empty inside.

Before he realized it, he’d walked about a hundred yards from the cave without any thought of what trouble might be waiting for him. He didn’t even have his rifle. He cursed again, slowed and studied the area. Nothing moved in the gray shadows. He scrubbed a hand across his jaw.
This is what happens when I get too close to a woman. I’m liable to get myself killed for it.

After taking care of his needs, he returned to the cave. He had to set things straight with Naomi—he wouldn’t mislead her. She’d already been hurt enough. As he approached, he saw her packing the cooking utensils. “Naomi, I had no right to do that. I didn’t mean…we need to talk about…this, about what happened.”

She met his gaze. “I guess we do.”

He took her hand in his. “I’m sorry about what happened. I never meant—”

“I’m not sorry,” she inched her chin up a notch. “I enjoyed the kiss. I know it can’t lead anywhere, but after three years, three lonely years, I needed…to feel alive again. Just for a little while.”

“You’re an amazing woman, Naomi Brecker. Your husband was a fool.”

“Three years ago, Marshal, I would have taken umbrage at your words, but today I agree with you. He was a fool.” She swiped a hand across the seat of her riding skirt, then climbed into the saddle. “If we’re going to make Wild Horse Mesa by tonight, we’d best ride.”

“Right you are.” He swung up into the saddle and led the way out of the cave. Outside, he stopped, fished his binoculars from his saddle bag, and lifted them to his eyes. As he scanned the prairie and ridge, he sighed in relief. No riders were in sight. He returned his field glasses to the saddle bag. “Looks like we might have gotten a jump on them. Don’t see nary a living creature.”

“But I see a dead one.” She pointed at the bleached skull of a cow beside the trail. “Hope that’s not an omen.”

He grinned. “Me too. We’ll go easy for a while.” He nudged his mount into a slow walk.

About an hour later, dark clouds, heavy with moisture, scudded low across the prairie. Lightning sparked in the distance. The wind blustered, scattering debris in their path and spooking the horses. Raindrops pelted them as they rode. Beside him, Naomi shivered. He stopped, dismounted, and tugged his rain slicker from his bedroll. But when he offered it to her, she shook her head.

“Oh, yes, you are,” Wes argued. “Put it on now. I don’t want to hear any argument. We’re not riding until you do.”

“Dammit, Wes—”

He glared at her, crossed his arms over his chest, and tapped his foot.

Finally she caved. “Oh, all right.”

“Good.” He vaulted into the saddle and studied the land behind them. “No sign of our pursuers.”

“Maybe they’ve given up,” Naomi said.

“Not very likely. Maybe they’re trying to circle around to get in front of us.” He stole a glance at Naomi. Although she was drenched from head to toe, she appeared to be okay. “I think we need to push a little harder.”

“Why? Did you see them?”

“No. It’s just my instincts kicking in. I don’t like it.” He wiped a hand across his jaw. “Can you do it?”

Although she hesitated a fraction, her voice was strong. “Yes, of course I can. Just lead the way.”

He kicked his horse into a run. A quick glance over his shoulder showed Naomi right behind him. As the ground became saturated, Wes slowed to a halt on a rocky promontory. Ahead, Wild Horse Mesa loomed eerily in the rain. The valley below boasted a small stream which meandered through it like a ribbon of gray. Further up, giant boulders, cactus, and scrub brush littered the trail up to the mesa. The deep green of the ponderosa pines blended into the gray landscape. Wild Horse Mesa looked close, but distances out here were deceiving. Once they got to the mesa, he’d be able to see for miles and know what they were up against.

If they got there.

The hair on his neck stood on end. His gut churned with a familiar hunter’s premonition. But this time, he wasn’t the hunter—he was the prey. He angled in the saddle to look back at the way they’d just ridden. A dark shadow moved. Naomi saw it at the same time. Once more, he pulled his binoculars from the saddle bag and lifted the glasses to his eyes.

Four riders. Coming hard.

With a curse, he handed the glasses to Naomi. In a moment he heard a noise, like a whimper.

“There’s four of them now.”

“Yeah.” He took the glasses from her and stowed them back in the saddle bag.

“So they were waiting on someone. Just like you said. We’re outnumbered. What are we going to do?”

He could tell she was trying her best not to cry. While he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her he’d guard her with his life, he forced himself to keep a tight rein on his emotions. “We don’t have much of a choice. We’ve got to make a run for it.”

“To the mesa?”

“No. We got a pretty good head start this morning.” He nodded at the ominous dark clouds. “With this storm, I think we should head for the Rocking R Ranch. It’s only a few hours ride from here. We’ll head there.”

“All right.”

Wes pointed at her mount. “Your mare won’t last much longer. She’s about winded. Keep an eye on her.”

“Right.”

Wes spurred his horse, and the animal surged forward. Pebbles clattered over the rocks, making the horses shy nervously. He let his gelding pick its way to the desert floor. A quick glance showed Naomi right behind him. She sat rigid in the saddle, her hands sure on the reins. His admiration for her climbed higher.

Roy Brecker had definitely been a fool.

But the outlaw had also had Naomi’s love, and for that, Wes was jealous, an emotion he’d never had to deal with before. He didn’t like it much.

Once he reached the bottom, Wes steered his horse westward. The Rocking R Ranch was about two hours hard ride away. The treacherous wet terrain, filled with prairie dog holes and jagged rocks, slowed them down. Before they’d covered a mile, the weather worsened. The wind blustered, and the driving rain pelted them like sharp knives. A glance at Naomi showed her shaking like a leaf. She looked like she was ready to fall out of the saddle, and he realized they’d never make the Rocking R before their pursuers caught them. Besides, Naomi’s mare had fallen behind—the lathered animal would not make it much further. He reined in at the top of a small rise and waited.

“They’re gaining on us.” He pointed back the way they’d come. “They’re only a few minutes behind us.”

“What do we do now?” Her voice shook as violently as her body.

Wes chewed on his bottom lip for a few moments before he responded. “Well, it’s for sure we can’t outrun them, so we need to outsmart them. There’s a canyon near here with lots of caves and tunnels that twist and turn in a hundred directions. If we can make it there, maybe we can lose them.”

“Okay.”

“We’re going to have to ride double. Your mare is winded. We’re going to have to leave her.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.” He patted Naomi’s hand. “Plenty of grass and water around here.” He slid from the saddle. “Get down.”

As soon as Naomi dismounted, Wes grabbed the rifle and canteen and handed them to her. He quickly unsaddled her horse, tossing the saddle and her valise to one side. “Hate to leave a good saddle, but it’s best for the mare.”

“But my clothes? I don’t have any more.”

“Sorry, but it can’t be helped. We’ve got to ride light.” With a smack to the animal’s rump, he sent the mare ambling off in the opposite direction. “Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get lucky and those bastards will split up. Maybe some will follow the mare. That might give us a better chance to escape.”

He climbed back into the saddle and held his hand out to her. As she grabbed it, he pulled her up behind him. “Hold on.”

Fifteen minutes later, he glimpsed the entrance to the canyon. As he rode between the boulders at the entrance, bullets whizzed by his head.

Chapter Six

As bullets buzzed past like a swarm of angry bees, Naomi fought to keep herself together. She wanted to scream, yet it would do no good—it wouldn’t stop the gunfire. With a yell, Wes steered the horse down a narrow path between the stone arches. In several places, she wasn’t sure they could get through the gaps. A jagged edge of stone caught her arm, ripping her flesh. She fought back tears.

After long minutes of zigging and zagging through dark tunnels and some dead-ends, Wes reined in his horse, then faced the way they’d come. He held his finger up to his lips. “Listen. Do you hear them?”

Naomi held her breath. To her dismay, voices echoed eerily in the stillness. “Ohmigod, they’re close.”

“Yeah.” He angled in the saddle to look at her. “You’re bleeding. Are you hit?”

“No, no. I’m all right. Just scraped myself on the rocks.” She touched her arm and grimaced. “I’ve never been shot at before. Can’t say I like it much.”

To her surprise, he laughed. She clenched her hands into fists and hit his back. “What the devil are you laughing about? I don’t see anything funny about the whole damned thing. They shot at us. For God’s sake, they’re trying to kill us, or me at least, but I don’t think they’d hesitate to kill you either.”

“I’m sure they’d like that very much, but we’re going to spoil their fun.” He tugged his kerchief from around his neck. “Let me look at your arm.”

“We don’t have time for this now. They’re right behind us.”

“We’ve got time.” He pulled the torn fabric back and examined the wound. “It’s not too bad. He tugged his kerchief from around his neck and quickly bandaged her arm. “That should suffice for now. I’ll do a better job later.”

“Thanks. Where are we anyway?”

“I figure some flood waters long ago cut through the mountains and bored out these tunnels in the rock. The Indians tell of a great flood that once covered this area, and they say the gods dwell in these caves.”

“I take it you’ve been here before?”

Wes nodded. “Yeah, several times.”

“Well, which way do we go? All the tunnels look exactly the same. It’s rather spooky.” She studied the huge stone walls, then glanced upward. Golden light streamed through an overhead crevice.

“Get down. We’ll walk so we don’t make a lot of noise.”

Naomi put her arms around his waist and slid to the ground. Wes dismounted, grabbed the blanket, and tore it into strips. After wrapping the cloth around the horse’s hooves to muffle the noise, he led the animal to the tunnel on his right. With a sweeping bow, he motioned for her to follow him. “This way, m’lady.”

Suppressing a smile that tickled the corners of her mouth, she walked toward him, shaking her head in mock anger. “This is serious, you know. It’s no joking matter. Our lives are on the line.”

He touched her shoulder, sending shock waves down her spine. His blue eyes darkened. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Mesmerized by his caressing tone, she stopped. Seemingly of its own volition, her body swayed toward him.
I must be crazy. There are men trying to kill me, and all I can think of is kissing a U.S. Marshal who thinks I’m a killer
.
Somewhere between here and the prison, I lost my mind.

He leaned toward her. But before his lips touched hers, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves filled the air. Wes straightened, then grinned. “What perfect timing. Let’s get outta here.” He grabbed her hand.

Naomi followed him through myriad tunnels and twists and turns until she was completely disoriented—and exhausted. “I hope you know where you’re going, Marshal Cooper, because you’ve got me so turned around that I don’t know where in thunderation we are.”