“I won’t go with you at all,” she whispered furiously.
She turned to leave, but he gripped her waist, and in a moment she was deposited sideways on his horse. Before she could even attempt to slide off, he was up beside her, his arms holding her in front of him. He gathered the reins in his hands.
“Don’t scream, beautiful,” he breathed softly. “The old man will only think you’re frightened of the horse.”
By the time she had reasoned that out and realized that Mack might be smart enough to guess otherwise, it was too late. Slade was galloping out of the barn, and her frightened gasp truly was because of the horse. She couldn’t help herself. She heard him laugh, but she didn’t care. Her first ride on a horse was everything she’d imagined it would be—horrible. Yet when he slowed the horse to a trot, it was even worse. The jarring was so bad, her teeth rattled.
Several miles from the ranch, Slade stopped. “I don’t mind you holding me tightly, honey, but it really isn’t necessary. I’m not going to let you fall off.”
She loosened her grip to lean away from him a ways, but didn’t trust her position enough to let go of him completely. The ground seemed terribly far away.
Keeping one arm firmly across her middle, Slade turned in the saddle to get something from the back of the horse. “Lift your butt,” he said as he turned back.
“What?”
His expression was as bland as ever. “Brace yourself on the horse’s shoulders and lift up so I can stick this blanket under you. It’s going to be a long ride, and you might as well be comfortable.”
“Oh.” She dared to ask then, “You mean you really will take me to Lucas?”
They rode at a steady pace for the rest of the day without another word. Could she trust him? Would he really take her to Lucas?
The land rolled by, with rusty-hued buttes and red-rock cliffs and the ever-present yellow-green of towering cactus. The flowers were a marvel in that sun-baked land. The golden baeria and purplish-pink owl’s clover dotted the mesas, and higher up in the mountains grew violets, veronica, and gentian.
The air was cooler, too. After they had ridden some hours, the vivid blue sky began turning violet in the east and bright orange-gold in the west. She worried over whether they would find Lucas before the light was gone—and whether Slade was taking her to Lucas at all. Just then he surprised her by saying, “We’re here.”
“Where?”
There was nothing to see. They had been following a twisted path up the mountainside, the path strewn with boulders and thick mesquite shrubs. Steep rock walls hampered the view.
“You don’t think they would leave a herd of horses out in the open, do you?” he said. “The San Carlos Reservation isn’t that far from here. Renegade Apaches scout this area.”
“Renegades?” she said fearfully, turning to glance over her shoulder at him. “But I thought all the Indians were confined.”
“Some don’t like to be confined,” he replied smoothly. “Arizona has been plagued by discontented warriors for more than twenty years. We are in the path of the forays they make across the border.”
“Then we could have come across a band of Indians at any time?”
“Does that scare you?”
“Of course it does.”
“No reason,” he said casually. “The only Indian around here at the moment is Billy, and he’s as harmless as they come.”
She looked around. “How could you know? And where is he?”
“Should be on the other side of that narrow passage up ahead,” he said, ignoring her first question. He got down from the horse and held his hands up to her. “Come on.”
She gripped the pommel of his saddle. “How do you know? Was their trail that easy to follow?”
“Billy knows enough to cover his tracks.”
“Then how could you—?”
“I lived in these mountains for a time. I used to track the wild herds myself. Billy and I have used this spot, among others.”
Of course he knew his way around. Lucas had told her about the eight years Slade had spent in the wilderness. And the renegades he had spoken of? He probably knew them personally!
She slid forward, bracing her hands on his shoulders, and let him ease her to the ground. But he didn’t let go of her. Before she could lower her arms, he jerked her against him and fastened his mouth hungrily to hers. She couldn’t think clearly. There wasn’t even time to struggle before her body betrayed her, delighting in the sudden rush of heat that made her reel. Her arms circled his neck of their own accord.
