The blue ribbon had given her away.Her light brown hair had blended in with the fallen log, but the spot of bright color hadn’t.He’d almost gone over there, and then he’d hesitated.He wanted to know what she was going to do, what kind of skills she had, what reasoning she would use, what he could expect.Know thy enemy, he’d told himself.
He was surprised that he felt a sense of betrayal.She had given her word, even if he had coerced it from her.But then what did he expect of a Randall?
She owes you nothing.
Part of him knew that.Yet another part was undeniably disappointed.What did you expect?He damn well didn’t know as he watched her go deeper into the woods.
Before the war he had served on the frontier.He’d also been raised in one of the most dangerous parts of Texas, the northwest where Comanches roamed almost at will.He knew tracking, and he knew how to move silently.
Old skills had returned during these quiet months in the mountain.It wasn’t difficult to keep her in sight without her knowledge, and he felt a surge of admiration as she moved forward, then retreated without panicking as most women would.Most men too.
He realized she was trying to find the clearing.Why, when she had hidden from him?
The answer came quickly enough as he put himself into her shoes.She probably thought he had gone in search of her.She was going back after the horse.
He’d made sure the stable was locked before he left, and his right hand now fingered the key in his pocket.He debated about catching up with her now, or letting her run her tether.He decided on the latter; he wanted to know exactly how much ingenuity she had.
She reached the clearing, looked cautiously around, and then made for the stable, her hands trying the door.She then searched the ground, found a rock, and turned back to the padlock on the door.
He stepped out and moved soundlessly to where she stood and took the key from his pocket.“Looking for this?”
She whirled around, eyes wide and startled, like a trapped doe.
“I thought …”
“Yes?”His voice was dry and cool.“You thought …?”
She hung on to the rock, her hand tightening around it.She didn’t answer.
“You thought you would break your word?”he nudged gently.
She stiffened, and her jaw set rebelliously.“I got lost.”
“Not too lost,” he said.
“How do you know?”Then she realized she had never lost him at all.“You were there all the time?”
He shrugged.“I warned you.”
“You let me think …” Anger shaded the words.
“I wanted to see what you would do.”
“And now that you’ve seen?”
“I know you’re your father’s daughter.”
Her chin went up.“I take that as a compliment.”
“Don’t, Miss Randall.Treachery is not admirable.”
“Neither is kidnapping.”
He ignored the words and held out his hand.“The rock.”
She clung to it.
“I’m not going to ask again.”
