Navarro noticed her strange expression and her hesitation. For some reason, she didn’t want to touch him or have him touch her…He stepped backward to give her room to descend in safety. After she did, she headed for where he had unloaded their possessions. He went to join her.
“You want to nap or eat first? I’ll be mouse quiet while you do.”
“I’m not hungry or sleepy, so I’ll rest a while and head out. That’ll give me more light for riding. After I leave and cover our tracks, stay put until morning. No fire and no noise. Got the travel directions clear?”
“They’re as clear as today’s sky. I’ll be good, partner.”
“If you are, I’ll bring you a surprise.”
“What?”
Her radiant smile and sunny exuberance warmed him. Maybe he’d misunderstood her look and mood. “If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”
“If you tell me, I’ll have a better incentive to behave myself.”
“All right then, I’ll tell you.”
Beth waited in anticipation for his news…
Chapter Twenty
Beth stood on the boulder again and watched her partner conceal their tracks on the slope and from the stream. She flattened herself against the formation to her right as he suddenly twisted in his saddle and scanned the crack with his fieldglasses; her movement was too swift to reveal her eyes spying on him.
She remained where she was for a while, then climbed down without taking another peek; she suddenly realized the setting sun must have her hair shining like a blazing fire and not only Navarro but foes might be able to spy her in the cleft.
She strolled the clearing as she reflected on his parting words. Hot and fresh food would be a wonderful “surprise,” but it wasn’t the one she wanted.
Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as anguish, like a hungry beast, bit off hunks of her heart and chewed them in leisure. “Oh, Jessica, how lucky you are to have won the love of two good men who would do anything for you.” Beth wiped away the moisture that stung her sun- and wind-blistered skin. “You have Navarro’s love and his son, and I can’t hate you or resent you for those treasures. I have to settle for the only part I can have of him for a while longer.”
Yet, Beth realized how swift that awful day was approaching. Within another week or two, the mission would be over and they would part. She did resent missing spending today and tomorrow with him, two precious days lost forever. She stroked her lower stomach and wished his child could take root and grow there, uniting them with a bond she craved.
Stop dreaming, Beth, it isn’t going to happen, ever. It has to be your problem because Steven fathered a child but not with you. I can’t let Navarro suffer because of my cruel fate, he’s endured too much torment. I can’t deceive him into thinking I can replace Lane’s loss, and I can’t lie to him later and claim I didn’t know the truth. Maybe he suspects my terrible secret and that’s why he won’t surrender his love. “Of course he suspects; how else could I be childless after six years of marriage?”
Beth stopped pacing and sat on a rock. Unless he thinks it might be Steven’s fault. No, he thinks it’s me, so he won’t be tempted to take a risk it isn’t. You’re just edgy because your menses is late this month. Be glad it gave you a ten-day reprieve so you and Navarro could share those stolen moments. Pray it doesn’t come for the next few weeks so you can share more of them. If only its tardiness meant something else, something beautiful and wonderful; but it’s come late before, and it came to naught.
Beth ate an unappetizing meal from cans and sipped tepid water. She spread her bedroll and stretched out with a book. She tried to distract herself with reading but the attempt failed. She lay on her back and stared at the sky as day slipped into a black cloak. At last, she went to sleep.
Noise awoke her at dawn. She bolted to a sitting position and listened. She leapt to her feet and climbed the boulder to peer over the lower terrain. She sighted the trouble at the stream: a sleek cougar had charged a band of peccaries and caught one. Others were scattering in all directions. The piglike creature squealed, hissed, and thrashed until it was dead from a bite on its throat. The tawny cat half carried and half dragged its lifeless prey toward the formations left of her location.
Beth observed in dismay. If the puma’s den was over there and she was infringing on its territory, she was lucky it hadn’t discovered her last night and decided she or Sunshine would make a nice meal. She had been so tired in mind and body, she had slept deep and heard nothing until this morning. She decided she mustn’t tell Navarro about the incident and worry him about placing her in danger.
As Beth glanced toward her palomino, she laughed softly and relaxed. You panicked woman. Sunshine would have warned you of approaching peril. Get ready to leave in case you have to do it in a rush. If the wind shifts, that cat might come hunting again.
She straightened her clothes and strapped on her weapons. She placed the bow and two arrows within easy reach while she ate and packed. “If you sneak over this way, my beauty,” she warned in preparation, “I’ll need a silent weapon to deal with you. There’s no telling how close Charlie is or how far sound from gunfire can travel. I hope you don’t force me to kill you or give away my presence.”
As if she jinxed herself with those words, Sunshine soon became restless, then agitated. The palomino whinnied, pranced, and shook her head. Beth went to calm Sunshine with pats, strokes, and a soothing voice, but nothing worked to pacify the wild-eyed animal. The redhead’s eyes and ears soon detected the cause of her mount’s panic. Throaty rumbles compelled her to turn slowly. The cougar leapt to a boulder and paused there to stare at the human and horse; its ears and nose twitched as if searching for clues to the situation, its muscled body crouched low to the rock as if ready to pounce or flee at a moment’s notice.
“Steady, Sunshine; it’s all right, girl,” she murmured. With caution and without taking her gaze from the peril, Beth’s hand sought the weapon nearby. No sudden and threatening moves. She lifted the bow and nocked the arrow; she hated to slay him. If she shot him in the foot, she realized, his teeth could pull out the tip later. But could she hit that size target? Would the big cat remain still long enough for her to try? If she missed or it didn’t deter him, would she get a second chance to defend their lives?
The tawny creature seemed content to linger. As she and the beast exchanged stares, her heart pounded and she trembled. Her knees shook and her mouth dried. She prayed for the threat to depart.
Beth saw him flex his claws and tense his body. She had to use his deliberation time to seize an advantage. She drew back the bowstring and released her first arrow. The whiskey-colored animal flinched at the sound but didn’t move quick enough to prevent being hit in the leg where Beth imagined his ankle would be if he had one. It let out a guttural noise she took as a reaction to the pain and surprise. Beth readied the second arrow with haste and aimed it as the cat shook its paw and bit at the offender. The shaft snapped off and the cougar made a rushed exit from the clearing.
Beth ran in the same direction to watch the creature lope across the terrain and vanish between rocks in the adjacent hills. She went to the palomino and comforted the horse, who calmed within minutes now that danger was out of sight. She swayed against a tall formation, relaxed the tension on the bowstring, and lowered the weapon to her side. Safe, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.
After striking camp, Beth rode until she reached an elevated section high enough to spy the wagon train or its dust from a lengthy distance. She left Sunshine to graze while she scrambled up the slope and found a safe spot. Nothing unusual was in sight, just desert and sierra chains. The sky was blue and clear, and the temperature was still pleasant. She waited and observed, lying on her stomach, for over an hour. As she did so, small birds chased insects while larger ones pursued them. She noted how the landscape was dotted with greenery and bright floral colors. She watched a hawk try to grab a rabbit with its claws, but se
veral swoops failed as the scared creature darted from one protective shield to another until the predator gave up its goal. She noticed other critters scampering about in search of food or a resting place before the heat became almost unbearable. Spiders, bugs, and lizards busily worked and played, a snake slithered over the warming ground and wiggled into a cluster of rocks. The region was filled with all kinds of life that had adapted to its rugged demands.
Just as she must do the same with her life. Beth frowned and pushed personal worries aside to concentrate on her task. She was positive she had camped farther west than the caravan would travel yesterday and had departed this morning earlier than they should have. Surely, she reasoned, they weren’t ahead of her. She couldn’t rideinto the clearing between the ranges to see if fresh ruts were there, not yet.
She gave them another hour. Just as she was about to head down the slope to check for tracks, her target came into view. She saw the dust clouds before she sighted the wagons. You need fieldglasses of your own, Agent Wind. Buy some as soon as possible. If you’d had a pair, you could have seen them sooner or seen there were no tracks down there.
Beth turned to her back and rested for a while, as the caravan seemed to take forever to reach and pass her location. She sipped water from her canteen and let Sunshine lick some drops from her cupped hand. When she decided the culprits were far enough ahead, she mounted and trailed them, using a slow pace to hinder raising dust and an obscured route southwest of them.
They forded the Rio Santa Maria, halted for rest and the midday meal, and crossed a wide stream. Ever so often, she sought a peak and spied on the villains. Without the aid of fieldglasses, she couldn’t see much at the distance Navarro had ordered her to keep.
But at midafternoon, she didn’t require their assistance to see the train’s escorts pair off and ride in different directions as if scouting for trouble. Damn! Do I backtrack southeast, or head south, or try to conceal myself? If they see our tracks, Sunshine, we’re in big trouble. What would Navarro do? She pondered a moment, then nature gave her an idea.
Beth covered the palomino’s hooves with cloths and walked the horse through an arroyo. After leaving the dry gulch, she headed toward a thick covering of brush and cacti. She dismounted and tethered her horse out of sight. “Easy, girl; stay quiet and still.” Sunshine’s head nodded as if the tawny mare understood, and obeyed. Beth gingerly approached the concealment she needed and readied herself.
As the riders came into view, she waited until they were almost within a few feet of her before she roused and flushed the slumbering javelinas. The startled and angered creatures hissed and chattered like rattlesnakes. After she poked several with sharp arrow tips, they squealed and raced from their cover, nearly darting into the path of the oncoming horses. The hirelings’ sorrels panicked, reared, whinnied, and retreated a few steps as the noisy herd took off in the opposite direction.
“Sonofabitches! Scared hell outta this stupid horse! You damn coward! Yo’re ten times bigger than them roasters. Behave yoreself or I’ll beat ya loco!”
“Let’s git afore we spook more javies and git ourselves throwed and busted. We don’t want them other boys splittin’ our shares of them coins. Ain’t nobody around or them wild pigs woulda let us knowed. Hellfire, I’m more ‘an ready to git outta Mexico and head to. Gilas where it’s safe.”
“Cordell’s loco for takin’ us all this here long way around jest to send Diaz two measly loads. Rest of us shoulda headed straight for…”
The two men were out of hearing range before Beth could catch the remainder of that sentence. She moved from the crevice that had protected her from the peccaries’ sharp teeth and outrage. Thank goodness, her relieved mind concluded, Navarro had taught her how to sneak up on man or beast without being noticed. She also was grateful she had observed that last critter slip into the bushes to join his group.
As Beth retrieved her horse, she grinned and congratulated herself over her cunning victory. The taste of danger was blood-stirring, and eluding foes was stimulating. Her success told her she could take care of herself; she had done her job with skill.
But don’t get cocky as that provokes mistakes. Stay alert and careful.
The elated redhead mounted and shadowed the criminals until they halted and camped near another stream. She guided Sunshine onward for miles and located the site her partner had pointed out on a map and told her to use. Not wanting to be caught by surprise or off-guard by Navarro or enemies, Beth took precautions so neither would occur.
Navarro walked his horse toward the rock-enclosed area. Beneath a half-moon, he saw the palomino grazing and Beth’s possessions on the ground. A bedroll was spread and a shapely hump filled it. He almost sighed in relief to find her there, then scowled as he made a stealthy approach to give her a lesson on carelessness. If he were an enemy or wild animal, she was putting herself in great peril by lowering her guard so much. He hadn’t stopped worrying about her since they parted, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her being injured or slain. Even if she were exhausted, she shouldn’t take such a risk. She—
“Don’t move, stranger, or I’ll fill your backside with lead.”
Navarro felt a pistol barrel pressed against his spine. He chuckled and turned. “That was a sneaky trick, woman; fooled even me.” Her radiant smile warmed him and her soft laughter was like sweet music.
Beth removed a hair-cloaking dark bandana and dry wiped dirt smudges she’d used to mask a pale complexion. “I had a good teacher, this matchless legend I came across in Tucson. Did I pass your sly test, boss?”
His mirthful gaze danced over her glowing locks and exquisite face. “Yep, couldn’t have done better myself. Glad to see you here in perfect shape. You missed a few spots.” As he spoke, he fetched his canteen and pulled off his own bandana to wash away those grimy traces. “That does it. School’s over. Agent Wind, you’ve passed your grade.”
“No, it isn’t. You have plenty more secrets and skills to teach and I want to learn all of them.”
“Suits me fine.” He unsaddled his stallion and left him free to graze at will. He tossed his belongings in a pile. During those tasks, he queried, “How did things go?”
“I didn’t leave that hilltop until I broke camp this morning. I waited for them to catch up, then trailed them at a distance. After they camped, I rode here as ordered in case they checked their flank and sides. No fires and no noise. As you said, Agent Breed, if I obey orders and use my wits as taught, I stay out of trouble. So, where’s my surprise? I’m starved. I waited eating supper until your arrival. You didn’t forget, did you?”
He chuckled at her playful tone and expression. “Nope.” He handed her cloth-wrapped Mexican food. “Eat while I give you a report.”
He watched her savor the meal while he related the coded message to his friend in Nogales and the coded one to his superior about Geronimo; he also related the other clues they had gathered. “When I meet Zack in Fronteras, maybe he’ll have answers about this Ben in Morenci and their Indian contact. I told Dan to get the Army to help us by leaving a crack at the border door for Charles and his wagons to slip through. If Charles is halted or harassed there, it could jeopardize our mission, stop us from getting the solid evidence we need against him. We can’t let anything or anybody make him bolt and run. We have to get the names of his financial partner and that renegade leader. If Charles doesn’t fill their needs, they’ll only find somebody else who will.”
Beth had to reveal the additional fact she had gleaned by accident, but she wouldn’t expose the cougar episode. If she did so, he’d think she was in constant peril when apart from him or blame himself for placing her in danger and he’d be reluctant to leave her alone again. “There is something I need to tell you. I did have a little problem on the way here.” She told him of the scouts and how she’d handled them. “Do you think Gilas is a place or a man in Arizona?”
He was astonished and impressed by how she had dealt with the predicament. “In my
opinion, it’s the name of the Gila Mountains near Morenci; they edge the reservation on the south end. Must be their rendezvous point. We’ll know soon. You did well, Beth; I’m proud of you. A few more days in Mexico and a few in Arizona should wind up this case. In a week, partner, two at the most, this black threat should be over, and Charles will be tasting prison food. What are your plans after we finish this assignment?”
“I thought I’d mentioned I’m visiting my family, relatives, and old friends in Denver for a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to enjoying a nice rest and seeing everyone. I miss them all terribly if I go too long without a visit. They don’t know when to expect me because I didn’t know how long this mission would take. I wrote them I’d probably arrive in June or July. That would be excellent timing with my nephews’ and nieces’ school schedule.”
He saw her eyes and face glow with love and with eagerness to see her kin. “You ever think about making a family of your own?”
“When I’m tempted, I tell myself all the reasons why it won’t work for me. I guess I’ve become a drifter at heart, like you. I love adventure and travel. I love using and honing my wits and skills. I even love the danger. With this successful mission on my record, I should be able to get more exciting and challenging cases. That is, my legendary agent, if they don’t think you did all the work and took all the risks and give you all the credit.”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll tell Dan you did your share, sometimes more. I’ll put everything in all my reports.”
“Thanks, I can use the praise on my record to forward my career.”
“You earned it, woman. When you mentioned your brother’s and sister’s kids, you sounded as if you deeply love and enjoy them. I got the same impression with the Cordell brood at the ranch. Is it just them or all children?”
Chase The Wind Page 42