Jess leaned in. "What are you doing?"
He moved his hand so she could see his drawing, careful not to shift his arm away from the pressure of hers. “Sketching the mountain and caves.”
Her brow furrowed, then her gaze lifted to his face, searching. “So you can figure out how to get your brother out?” She seemed worried, probably wondering if he planned more than he’d told her.
Guilt pressed in his chest. He did have more in mind than she knew. Did he dare speak of it?
She was so beautiful, and despite the strength she wore like armor, she seemed almost fragile, her skin as clear as Anna’s porcelain dolls, her cheeks flushed in the sun. And worried.
Hewas the one who’d planted that worry just now, though he’d vowed to protect her.
He needed to tell her everything. He thought he could trust her. Besides, she needed his help to escape her father. And he probably couldn’t accomplish what he needed to without her help.
“My brother, yes. And…” How to tell her about the other? Taking a deep breath, he met her gaze head-on. "Your father stole something from my family. Or at least, his men did. Sapphires, a lot of them. I came here to get my brother back—and to get our sapphires back."
Her curiosity shifted to stoic, her expression giving away nothing of her thoughts.
He gave her time to work through all the pieces of the puzzle she’d not yet known.
Her gaze drifted to the waterfall. What had been a peaceful silence moments before was tense now, and the splashing water didn’t ease it.
"I didn't know about that.” Her voice was barely audible above the falls. “But I'm not surprised. My father..." She trailed off, shaking her head slightly. "He's capable of so much worse than I ever wanted to believe."
Gil's heart ached for her, for the pain this knowledge must bring. He wanted to comfort her, but how?
He slipped his hand over hers, wrapping his fingers around her palm. Her skin was so soft, a fact that always surprised him. And made him want to protect her more. "Jess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just...I thought it wasn’t fair to keep it from you."
Her blue eyes shimmered when she faced him. "I'm glad you told me. It's just...hard. I’m sorry he hurt you. Hurt your family." She gave a sad smile. “I’m surprised you’d be willing to help me, now that I know what my father did to you.”
He started to protest—why would he hold her father’s actions against her? But she wasn’t finished.
She took in a breath that lifted her shoulders. “And I suppose I should mention that it’s all right if you agreed to help me just to get closer to my father and have a better chance of finding what he took.” Her eyes narrowed a little, but not in suspicion. More like determination. “I’ll do everything I can to help. You have my word.”
He hated for her to think him so calculating, so bent on doing whatever it took to accomplish his purpose. His mission hadbeenpartof his reason for agreeing to their fake marriage, butshe’dbeen the other part. He needed her to know that.
He squeezed her hand. “Jess, I won’t deny that your promise to take me to my brother played a part in my agreeing to help you. But that wasn’t the only reason. From the moment I first saw you on that mountain, I knew you were different. I knew I wanted to know you better. And when you said you needed help, there was nothing that would have stopped me from doing all I could.”
Her eyes widened, as though she struggled to absorb his meaning. Her hand had gone limp in his. Was it really so hard to believe a man would put her before his own plans? Maybe she’d never experienced that.
He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. “Youare special, Jess McPharland. I realized that from the very beginning.”
Her eyes turned glassy, and was that a tremble in her jaw?Oh, Jess.Every part of him wanted to pull her close, but she already looked like she was fighting emotion. Would she welcome his comfort or push him away?
She inhaled and straightened her shoulders, a forced brightness entering her eyes. “Thank you. And I’ll do everything I can to get your sapphires back.” Her brow wrinkled. “When were they stolen? Do you think he still has them? Would they be sold by now? Is there a way to track them?”
He kept her hand. “Over two months ago. It was a full wagonload of crates, each packed tightly with gemstones. He wouldn’t be able to sell that many sapphires here in the territory. We have a friend in Fort Benton watching for a shipment he might be sending east. We think it’s most likely he’s storing them somewhere around here, maybe selling them a little at a time or waiting until we’ve given up the search to send them to the big buyers in New York.”
She squinted like she was sorting through what he’d said. Maybe trying to think of places McPharland might have stored them?
She picked up his notebook and opened to the page with the map of the caves. “There are two storage rooms I know of. Here and here.” She placed her fingers along the tunnel they’d traveled an hour before.
“We passed them this morning?” He’d not seen anything in the blackness. What else had he missed?
“They’ve been there since I was young. There’s a door and a lock on each one.”
His heart quickened. “Is there a way we could search them? Or at least walk that tunnel with a lantern?”
She frowned. “That’s the main route my father and Jedidiah use. I don’t think it’d ever be safe to be obvious about traveling through there.”
