Bitter Wild

by Jennie Leigh

  His second conclusion was the one that had screwed everything up so royally. He thought the man was the guide they’d been waiting for. He never even considered that it might be her. Maybe he could be forgiven that, considering the way she looked. She sure as hell wasn’t dressed like he’d expect a mountain guide to be clothed. And some might also say that it was perfectly understandable to not expect a person named Casey to be a woman. Jack wouldn’t let himself buy into any excuses, though. He’d been so shocked because he’d still been thinking of her in sexual terms when the truth dawned. He was attracted to her and she was the person he was supposed to be working with.

  He shook his head. He’d blurted out the first thing that came to mind and that had started the trouble. He closed his eyes and instantly saw her face. Those eyes of hers had all but flashed fire at him as she dared him to touch her again. Against his will he felt a smile touch his face. There was a lot of passion and emotion in this woman. Jack would be willing to bet that it all came out when she made love. He snapped his eyes open. None of that. He had to work with her and that meant the only way he could think about her was as a tool. She was going to do a job, nothing more, nothing less. And he was not going to forget that fact. He sincerely hoped the mocking laugh he heard in his head was some kind of transitory hallucination brought on by exhaustion and lack of food.

  Casey took several deep breaths as she willed herself to start thinking about her first move. Obviously, she had to begin with the federal agents. She corrected herself. Federal agent, singular. She didn’t think the quiet one would be a problem. Jack Hall, on the other hand, was going to be nothing but trouble. Just thinking about him made her angry all over again. Arrogant ass. She sighed and shook her head. She couldn’t lay all the blame on him. He was full of himself, but she knew she’d pushed him. Part of the problem was that she’d never been able to tolerate someone questioning her abilities just because of her gender. She suspected that he hadn’t exactly been doing that, though. But his outburst had been so absurd.

  Maybe she wouldn’t have been so sarcastic with him if she hadn’t known very well that he knew exactly what her gender was. He’d taken a good, long look at her when she’d first walked into the station. She was accustomed to men looking at her. They’d done it all her adult life. Generally, she ignored them. But Jack Hall wasn’t the sort of man that was easy to overlook, and that was probably the crux of the problem. It was the first time in longer than she cared to remember that a man’s attention had felt good. Worse, she’d felt some kind of flutter in the pit of her stomach in response to his cool, blue gaze. He stood well over six feet tall and had the build of an athlete. She imagined that he could carry his own weight on the ranch if he wanted to. Of course she also doubted that he’d have the foggiest idea what working a ranch entailed. He had “city” written all over him. From his crinkled designer suit to his mussed salon haircut. He was a city boy through and through. No doubt he’d get himself hurt within twenty-four hours of stepping into the woods. Then again, something in his gaze suggested that he wasn’t all fluff. Maybe he wouldn’t be such a problem after all. She turned to the door. Agent Jack Hall and his partner had no doubt had long enough to consider how badly they wanted their fugitive. With any luck at all, they would both be willing to at least listen to her. She didn’t doubt that getting them to tow the line would be difficult to say the least, but as long as they weren’t complete idiots she figured they’d come around. They’d have to if they wanted her help.

  Jack lifted his fist to rap on the bathroom door. He was just swinging at it when it suddenly swung open. He came within a hair’s breadth of smacking the woman he’d come to find in the face. He caught himself just in time and jerked his hand back before the dog at her side could misunderstand the situation. She blinked in shock for a moment, then arched a brow at him as she cocked her head to the side.

  “Trying to knock some sense into me, Agent Hall?”

  Jack frowned. “I’m sorry. I was going to knock on the door and it opened before I could.”

  Casey shot him a mildly teasing look. “You’re just having one really bad day, aren’t you?” She held up a hand to silence him when he opened his mouth to answer. “Never mind. I was only joking. I figure we got off to such a bad start it can’t possibly get any worse.”

  Jack snapped his mouth shut. She was joking? He expected her to be siccing that dog of hers on him. He shot her a frown because he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She gave him an expectant look.

  “I’m assuming you came here looking for me. Was there something you wanted?”

  Yes, that was it. He was there to apologize to her. He cleared his throat. “Uh, yes. I wanted to apologize for both my words and my behavior. I could offer a number of excuses, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that I crossed the line and I was wrong. Please accept my sincere apology.”

  Casey almost smiled at the dire expression on his face. He was so sincere. It was incredibly tempting to tease him about it. She reined in that urge, though. Teasing him might be construed as flirting. Heck, it would be flirting. That was one line she didn’t want to cross. So she gave him as neutral a look as she could manage as she nodded.

  “I appreciate your apology. I’m certain that we both misunderstood one another. This is a tense situation for everyone concerned. A few frayed nerves are to be expected. Why don’t we return to Stan’s office and talk this thing through a little more rationally?”

  Jack wasn’t sure why he felt like her controlled expression and tone was contrived. The only thing he did know was that she was letting him off easy. She could have made him beg. She could even have made trouble if she’d decided to report his actions to his superiors. He’d put his hands on her. She had plenty of witnesses to that fact. If she was the vindictive type, she could raise one hell of a stink. He nodded in agreement to her suggestion and thanked his lucky stars that she clearly didn’t hold grudges.

  Casey nodded to Stan as she walked back into the main room of the station. He was talking with John and they both met her at Stan’s office door. Agent Hall and his partner followed them into the office and once again they were all shut into the small room. Casey faced the federal agents.

  “Okay, if we’re going to do this thing, then there are a number of details that need to be worked out in a hurry. Starting with an understanding that this is my area of expertise. I don’t mean to sound superior or egotistic, but the fact is, what you want to do is dangerous under the best of circumstances. I need you to both acknowledge and accept that I’ll be running the show once we get into the mountains. If you can’t or won’t do that, then there’s no point in talking about anything else.”

  Jack felt his hackles start to rise again, but he shoved the annoyance away. She was clearly just stating her position. There wasn’t any attitude in her tone or words, so he simply accepted them at face value. Skip nodded and Jack let him give voice to their side of it.

  “Well, ma’am, I can understand your position. But you’ve got to understand ours. It’s our job to catch this man using whatever means are necessary. Ultimately, the responsibility for whatever happens falls on us. That being the case, I hope you can see why we feel it’s only fair that we be in charge of making decisions on how to proceed.”

  Casey shook her head. “You’re not getting me.” She lifted an arm and swung it in an arc to indicate their surroundings. “Out here, you’re the experts. You’ve got the training and the skills to handle anything that comes up. But things are different in the mountains.” She paused, then continued. “Standing here in this office, surrounded by all the wonders of civilization, it’s nearly impossible to imagine how uncivilized it is just a few miles from here. I assure you that it’s like another world altogether. The danger is very real, and not just from your fugitive. Nature itself is the enemy and it takes no prisoners.”

  There was something in her eyes, a tightness in her voice that hit Jack hard. She was afraid. He was sure of it.

  �
��You talk like it’s a living, breathing thing.”

  Her amber gaze swung to him. “It is. And that’s why I need to know that out there, you’ll defer to my judgment. This is your world, gentlemen, the mountains are mine. You’ve got to trust me to know what’s best.”

  She was right, of course. She was the expert. Jack nodded. “Okay, we’ll follow your lead as far as the mountains are concerned, just as long as you agree to follow ours when the time comes to apprehend the fugitive. You track him down for us, then stay out of the way and let us handle it. Agreed?”

  She nodded and stuck her hand out. “Agreed.”

  They shook hands and Jack tried not to notice the little shock of awareness that zinged through him at the contact. He focused instead on the firmness of her grip, taking it as an indication that she was as capable as she claimed to be. She pulled her hand away from his, then turned to the sheriff.

  “Stan, I need Roger Thornton, Will Cardigan, and Tom Smithers in here as quick as you can get them.” The sheriff nodded, then picked up the phone. He gave the names to the dispatcher as Casey turned to glance at Jack. A moment later she called out to the sheriff. “And you’d better get Bob Lampson over here, too. These boys are going to need outfitting before they go anywhere.”

  The sheriff nodded and continued talking to the dispatcher. He hung up the phone and nodded. “What else do you want us to do?”

  “I’ll want to take a look at the maps so we can work out a search grid.” She paused. “We’re going to need the best animals we can find.” Something dark crossed her face, but it cleared too quickly for Jack to decipher the expression. “I’ll call Sam.”

  Jack watched as John put his hand on her shoulder. She reached up and touched him briefly, then turned to the sheriff.

  “Can I use your office?”

  He nodded. “Of course. Take your time. We’ll just get the maps and things organized.”

  He headed for the door and pulled it open before nodding to Jack and Skip. “Gentlemen.”

  It wasn’t a request. Jack shot Casey a look, then left the office. The sheriff closed the door behind them, leaving Casey and her boyfriend in the room alone. Jack watched as she headed over to the phone and began to dial. He turned to the sheriff.

  “Who’s Sam?”

  The sheriff led the way to the table where they’d laid out a number of maps of the area before he answered. “Sam McAllister. He’s got some of the best horses in the state. They’re as sure footed as mules.”

  Jack glanced back at the office. Casey was speaking into the phone. Her face looked strained and by the way she was moving, it looked like she was arguing with someone. He turned back to the sheriff. “And what aren’t you telling us about this guy?”

  The sheriff met Jack’s gaze. “Nothing.”

  “Do you think we’re blind? From the moment you first mentioned Casey Nolan’s name there have been all sorts of heavy undercurrents flowing around this place. They just got worse when she brought up Sam McAllister’s name. If there’s something going on that we need to know about, you’d better just spit it out.”

  The sheriff shook his head. “There’s nothing.”

  Jack couldn’t help feeling that the man wasn’t being completely honest. He couldn’t force him to admit it, though. Behind them, the office door opened and Casey came out. She looked upset. Though the dog and her boyfriend were each close enough to offer comfort, she didn’t lean on either of them. Instead, she cleared her throat and spoke to the sheriff.

  “Sam’s going to get his animals ready.” She moved to the sheriff’s side and glanced down at the maps. “Let’s get this thing started.”

  Contents

  CHAPTER TWO

  She was close enough to kiss. He itched to reach out and catch her to his chest, to taste her mouth. He wanted to see what her magnificent eyes looked like when they were full of passion. He smiled as she said his name, then frowned when he realized she wasn’t calling him Jack.

  “Agent Hall?”

  Jack blinked his eyes open and for a moment was completely confused as to where he was and what was going on. Then his gaze focused on the woman leaning over him and everything came back to him.

  “What?”

  She turned around and pulled up a chair so that she could sit and face him without having to lean over. “How long has it been since you got any sleep?”

  Jack shrugged. “A while, why?”

  She nodded. “That’s what I thought. You need to get some rest.”

  He shook his head and sat up straighter. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re exhausted.” She turned around to scan the room, then called out. “Bob!”

  A man in his late fifties looked up, then nodded when she motioned for him to come over. She turned back to Jack.

  “You and your partner are going to get some rest.”

  Jack frowned. “There isn’t time to sleep. We’ve got to get going.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not true. There’s plenty of time for the two of you to get in a good couple of hours of sound sleep.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand to silence him. “Take a look at your partner.”

  Jack turned around and spotted Skip a few feet away. He was slumped over a desk, sound asleep. He turned back to Casey.

  “He’s getting a nap. He’ll be fine when he wakes up.”

  She reached out and caught his hand, shocking him with the unexpected touch. “Listen to me, you need to sleep. Not a nap. The next few days are going to be tough. You’ll both just slow us down if you’re so exhausted that you can’t even stay on your horses. Get some sleep while you can.”

  She let him go as the man she’d called came to a stop beside her. “You need something, Casey?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I want you to take Agent Hall and his partner and get them outfitted. Then I want you to get them a hot meal and someplace to sleep for a couple of hours. They’re worn out.”

  The man didn’t hesitate. “No problem. I’ll just go tell the others where I’ll be going.”

  Jack frowned at the man as he turned away, then frowned at Casey as she got to her feet. “We don’t have time for this.”

  She met his gaze. “We’ve got all kinds of time. I’m not leaving until some of the details have been worked out. You, your partner, and I are going in first. We’ll be the lead team. Everyone else will come along behind us to make sure your boy doesn’t double back. Some of them will circle around and come at it from a different direction. Organizing all that takes time. Whether you like it or not, it’s going to be a few hours before anyone gets near those woods. You might as well take that time to get as much rest as you can.”

  He tried to argue, but she cut him off with a hard look. “It’s not negotiable, Jack. You’re no good to me if you’re half-sick with exhaustion. Either sleep or we call the whole thing off here and now.”

  His first instinct was to fight her. One look at her face told him that she wasn’t making an idle threat. Damn the woman, she had a stubborn streak a mile wide! He finally nodded. “Fine. But I’m never going to be able to sleep.”

  She nodded. “You’ll sleep. You’re about to drop already.”

  Bob returned and she gave Jack a nod. “Go get your partner and get out of here. I promise I’ll have someone wake you the moment we’re ready to go.”

  She turned and walked away then, that monster dog of hers right at her side as always. Jack woke Skip and noticed he looked somewhat relieved by the idea of getting some food and some sleep. Just before they left the station, Jack took one last look at her. She was standing at the map table issuing instructions like a drill sergeant. Most of the men gathered around the table looked old enough to be her father, but every one of them was clearly willing to follow her lead to the letter. They respected her that much. It spoke volumes. Jack turned and followed his partner out the door.

  Jack felt like someone had filled his eyes up with dirt. One look at Skip said he felt
much the same. Despite his irritated eyes, though, Jack had to admit that he felt better overall. Bob had taken them to a store he admitted was his and outfitted them with everything from the hats on their heads to the boots on their feet. They both carried heavy jackets that Jack couldn’t even begin imagining wearing. He was already dressed in so many layers that he felt like he’d been wrapped in gauze and stuffed into a sausage skin. And the boots and hat felt absurd. Still, Bob had insisted that they were necessary.

  Jack glanced at his watch, then looked out the windshield of the truck Bob was driving. Bob said they were on their way to Millie Pratt’s house. That’s where they’d set up the staging area. Jack found that a bit unsettling, considering the house was a crime scene. As they neared the place, he realized that staging area didn’t even come close to describing the scene. Circus seemed more appropriate. Bob stopped the truck and the trio got out. Jack stared at the activity surrounding them in awe. There was a large field beside Millie Pratt’s house. It had been taken over. There were all kinds of trucks parked in the field, a couple of which had horse trailers behind them. Half a dozen horses stood in a temporary paddock that someone had set up. There were people everywhere, some hauling equipment and tack for the horses, others just apparently standing around watching the excitement. Jack was relieved to see that everyone was keeping well away from the house itself and the area immediately surrounding it. No doubt that was due in large part to the deputy that was standing guard in the driveway.