Wind Rider

by Connie Mason

  He had come directly to Denver, not even stopping off at the farm to see Abby and his nephew first, though he’d promised Zach he’d be by in a day or two. Finding Hannah was a driving force within him, and he couldn’t ignore it, no matter how dearly he loved his sister or longed to see his new nephew.

  “You new in town, mister?”

  Wind Rider glanced from beneath his hat brim. He recognized Harley immediately from that one encounter several months ago, when he had seen the man abusing Hannah. He wanted to leap at Harley and pound him into the ground, but he managed, with admirable restraint, to remain seated. It was extremely difficult when he thought of Hannah’s pitiful condition the day he’d found her cowering in the woods.

  “You could say that,” Wind Rider replied.

  “What are you drinking, mister?”

  “Whiskey.” Wind Rider pulled a silver dollar from his money pouch and tossed it on the table. During their trip from Fort Laramie to Denver Zach had explained many things to him, including how to count money and make change.

  Harley left and returned a few minutes later with a bottle and a glass. He seemed in no hurry to leave. “What did you say your name was, mister?”

  “I didn’t. But it’s Larson. Ryder Larson.” By now the name had begun to feel comfortable.

  “You gonna be in town long, Mr. Larson? I’ve got a nice room for rent upstairs. Business is slow lately.”

  “I don’t need a place to stay.” He sipped his whiskey, pointedly ignoring the innkeeper. Harley took the hint, ambling off toward the bar.

  Ryder sipped and waited, his mind roaming absently. For a breathless moment he recalled Hannah’s hair reflecting the colors of the sunset, her eyes defying the emerald splendor of the dew-kissed grass. Loving her had been easy, but thinking she might care for him was a mistake. When they had made love he could have sworn there was some feeling between them. Was she leading Lieutenant Gilmore on the same way she had led him on? he wondered harshly. Never would he forget how sweetly they had loved at Fort Laramie, or how quickly she had turned to Gilmore after they had parted.

  The shadows deepened and the level in the bottle of whiskey dropped. People began to drift into the bar on their way home from work. The light barely reached the corner where Ryder was seated, which was the reason he had chosen it. He wanted to be aware of Hannah before she saw him so he could observe her reaction. It annoyed him to think that he had no idea what was going to happen or what he intended to do when he did see her. He had promised Zach he wouldn’t make trouble, but it seemed trouble always came looking for him.

  Then trouble walked through the door in the guise of Lieutenant Gilmore. He selected a table in a well-lit area, close to the bar. Harley went to take his order, and Wind Rider watched closely as the two men engaged in heated conversation, wishing he was close enough to hear what was being said. After a few minutes a frowning Harley stormed off into the kitchen. He must have gone to summon Hannah, for she appeared almost immediately, carrying a tray of food, which she placed before Gilmore. They chatted for a short time and when she turned to leave Gilmore placed a hand on her arm to stop her. Though Ryder strained his ears, he heard only the low murmur of voices.

  “Is Harley treating you well, Hannah?” Gilmore asked. He rested his hand on her arm in a possessive manner.

  “Yes, thanks to you. I appreciate your friendship and help, Trent.”

  “I want to be more than a friend to you, Hannah, and you know it. Why are you making this difficult for both of us? I thought we would become close on the trip down from Fort Laramie, but you resisted me at every turn. I want to protect you.”

  Hannah licked her suddenly dry lips. She knew exactly what Trent wanted; he’d often alluded to their becoming lovers during the tedious journey to Denver. “Have you forgotten? I’m not free to make choices.”

  “I’ve been negotiating with Harley to buy your papers, but so far he’s resisting. No doubt hell be most agreeable when we reach a mutually satisfying price. Meanwhile, I’ve convinced him to give you some time off. Even indentured servants deserve a day off now and then. Til pick you up at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll bring a buggy and we’ll take a ride around the city.”

  A slow smile curved Hannah’s lips. “How in the world did you get Mr. Harley to agree to that?” Trent really could be charming when he wanted to, Hannah decided. But she had no intention of taking a lover. Wind Rider was the only man she wanted. All others paled in comparison.

  “That’s my secret. There’s something I want to show you tomorrow. I hope you’ll like it.”

  “I have to go, Trent. The room is getting crowded, and there are people wanting food and drink.” Her gaze took a turn around the room, coming to rest on a man slouched in a chair in a dark corner, his hat pulled down over his eyes. There was something about the set of his shoulders .. .

  Ryder lifted his head and his gaze collided with the startling green of Hannah’s eyes. He saw her gasp and raise her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. At that moment there might have been only two people in the room, so intently did they stare at each other. The tension was so thick, it clung to them like dense fog, blocking out all but these two people. Hannah whispered his name.

  Gilmore heard and leaped to his feet. “Where!” But he didn’t need to ask, for Ryder had already risen and was glaring at him in a threatening manner. “What in the hell is he doing out of the stockade? Heads will roll for this blunder.”

  Hannah was beyond speech; she could only stand and stare.

  “Hannah, listen to me. You’re not to communicate with him in any way. Stay here while I speak to him.”

  Hannah wanted to rush to Wind Rider, to throw herself into his arms, to beg him not to leave her, but she did none of those things. The closed look on his face was warning enough. She merely nodded when Gilmore issued his order.

  Ryder saw Gilmore approach and waited, his fists clenched at his sides. He dare not look at Hannah for fear of what he’d read in her expression. Did she love the blue coat?

  “How did you escape from the stockade, Larson?” Though nearly as tall as Ryder, Gilmore still didn’t measure up to Ryder’s magnificent physique as they stood toe to toe, glaring at one another in open challenge.

  “I didn’t escape, Lieutenant. I was set free.”

  “Like hell! Who would dare disobey my orders?”

  “Captain Purdue.”

  “The deputy commander? Why would he do such a thing? I have enough evidence to put you behind bars for the rest of your life.”

  “You’ll have to ask the captain. I suspect you’re lying about evidence. I doubt there is enough to convict me.” Ryder’s impassive features gave away nothing.

  “We’ll see about that. Have you forgotten about the rape charges? What are you doing in Denver? Why didn’t you hightail it back to Powder River country?”

  “I’ve come for my wife.” No matter what she had done, she still belonged to him.

  “Your wife, pah! You made her your whore.”

  Wind Rider’s hand reached for the knife in his belt. Despite his promise to Zach, he was damn close to slitting Gilmore’s throat and hang the consequences. “Hannah might be your whore, but she was never mine.”

  Gilmore’s face turned fiery red. “You’re not to talk to Hannah, is that clear? If you were to ask her, she’d tell you the same thing. We’ve become lovers,” he lied. “She wants nothing more to do with you.”

  Ryder’s face drained of all color. The thought of Hannah and Gilmore together sickened him. “I make no promises, Gilmore.”

  “I’m going to get to the bottom of your precipitous release and have you back in the stockade so fast your head will spin. If you’re wise, you’ll leave town while there’s still time.”

  Turning abruptly, Gilmore strode back to where Hannah stood. Grasping her arm roughly, he dragged her with him into the storeroom behind the bar. Ryder had to force himself not to follow, knowing that he must bide his time. When he spoke
to Hannah—and he would speak to her—it would be without Gilmore’s interference.

  “Trent, you’re hurting me,” Hannah shrugged free of Gilmore’s bruising grip and whirled to face him. “What is the meaning of this? What is Wind Rider doing here? How did he get out of the stockade?”

  “I wish I knew,” Trent said tightly. “But you can damn well bet I’m going to find out. I’ve got enough witnesses to convict the man of raiding and killing with the Sioux. And as soon as you sign the deposition, rape will be added to the charges.”

  Hannah’s chin rose defiantly. “I’ve refused to sign those papers and will do so again.”

  “If you don’t, I’ll assume you became his whore willingly.”

  “I wasn’t.. .”

  “No! Tell me no lies. I meant what I said, Hannah. You’re to have nothing to do with that white savage. I’m giving you ample warning. If you disobey me, I’ll make certain he’s returned to the stockade and kept there until he rots.” He gave her a calculating look. “On the other hand, if you do as I say, I might be persuaded to drop the charges. By your own words you’ve admitted to being the savage’s whore. Therefore, I am no longer obliged to protect your virtue, such as it is.” He laughed harshly. “I want you, Hannah. We will become lovers. If you agree, I will conveniently bury the evidence against Wind Rider.”

  With a force he’d never used before, he hauled her up against his chest, tilted her face, and slammed his mouth down on hers. Hannah whimpered in protest. When he grasped her hand and placed it on his erection she managed to fight free.

  “Don’t! Don t do that!”

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Hannah. You’ll find I can be quite generous, but as your lover I’ll demand loyalty. Put that savage out of your mind.”

  “You’re mad! I can’t become your lover. I’m Wind Rider’s wife. And if I were free, I’d still not agree to your proposal.”

  “Do you want to see him rotting behind bars for the rest of his life?”

  Hannah shook her head. It would kill Wind Rider to be imprisoned in a tiny, airless room without the sun on his back and the wind in his face.

  “Then you’ll do as I say. No communication, understand? Or else I’ll put the information I’ve gathered to good use. And don’t worry about your freedom; I’m working on that.”

  No matter how desperately she wanted to be with Wind Rider, she could not hurt him. Trent wasn’t one to make idle threats. For his own sake she had to avoid Wind Rider at all cost.

  Gilmore did not wait for Hannah’s reply. He kissed her once more, hard, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Then, releasing her abruptly, he stalked from the room, leaving Hannah thoroughly shaken. She didn’t want Trent; just the thought of making love with him sickened her. Head bowed, shoulders bent, she left the room and returned to work. When she dared to glance in the dark corner where Wind Rider had been seated she found that he was gone.

  Wind Rider crouched behind the inn until all the lights were doused. Peering through a rear window, he saw Hannah take a lamp and light her way up the stairs. She was the last to retire. He glanced upward, elated when he saw a light appear a few minutes later in a third-floor window. He was pleased at how easily he had located Hannah’s room. Now all he had to do was find an unlocked window. The need to confront Hannah was a raw ache deep inside him. He had to know exactly what the blue coat meant to her and if they were truly lovers.

  The storeroom window slid open without a sound. Ryder climbed through the opening and crouched low until he was certain no one had heard him. After a short interval he entered the common room and noiselessly ascended the two flights of stairs to the single room on the third floor. He turned the knob and a curse slipped past his lips when he found it locked. Now he had two choices: He could either call out to Hannah and take his chances that she’d open the door, or he could leave as quietly as he’d come. The choice was taken from him when the door suddenly opened. He slipped quietly into the shadows.

  The breath slammed from his chest when he saw Hannah standing in the doorway, holding a lamp aloft. The flickering light made her thin shift transparent, outlining every luscious curve, every shadowed valley. He stood mesmerized as she stepped from the room and started down the stairs. Had she forgotten something? he wondered. Was she going off to meet her lover? Assuming she’d have to return eventually, he slipped into the room to await her.

  Hannah’s stomach growled hungrily. She’d been so upset over the confrontation between Wind Rider and Trent that she’d had no stomach for food. But now that the grueling day was over she found her appetite returning. Now, after she washed and made ready for bed, she went in search of something to eat. In the kitchen she found cold lamb, leftover biscuits, and fresh berries. Pouring herself a glass of cold milk, she sat at the table and devoured every morsel. She returned to her room thirty minutes later, carefully locking the door behind her.

  Sighing wearily, she slid into bed and blew out the lamp. The moon was full, leaving a bright splash of light on the floor below the solitary window. She closed her eyes, trying not to think about Wind Rider and the cold contempt with which he had regarded her. She sighed again, realizing how futile her efforts were. Her thoughts always returned to Wind Rider.

  “Are you sighing for your lover? Have you just come from his arms? Did he satisfy you in so short a time? It always took me much longer.” He stepped from the shadows, looming over her like an avenging angel.

  “Wind Rider,” His name whispered past her lips on a note of fear. She sat up and the blanket fell away, revealing the pert tilt of her breasts beneath the flimsy material of her shift. “How . . .” She knew better than to ask how he had gotten in, for he had a knack for appearing in the most unlikely places without being seen or heard. Suddenly she recalled Trent’s threats and she grew pale. “You must leave before someone sees or hears you.”

  “No one will see or hear me. Unless you’re expecting your lover tonight.”

  “My lover?”

  “Did you think Gilmore wouldn’t brag about his conquest? Did you find you couldn’t do without a man between your legs on the long trip from Fort Laramie to Denver?”

  “Oh, god, how can you say that after all we’ve been to one another? Have you forgotten so soon those nights in Red Cloud’s village? Or that night at Fort Laramie? Have you forgotten that I begged you to take me with you?”

  “I have forgotten nothing, but apparently you have. Gilmore tells me you want nothing more to do with me. Is that true?”

  Trent’s threatening words came back to haunt her. She closed her eyes and said in a voice so low, Wind Rider had to strain to hear, “Yes, it’s true. Trent and I are lovers.” Oh, God, how it hurt to say those words, but she did it to save him. “Go away. Forget I ever existed.” Didn’t he know that her love could destroy him?

  His face was stark with a nameless emotion. “I thought I knew you, Hannah McLin. Since you are a whore you shouldn’t mind taking another man to your bed. At least I will be a familiar man, one who knows what you like and need.”

  He dropped to his knees beside her on the bed. His reaction was instinctive, primal, uncontrollable. He could no more leave her untouched than he could stop breathing. Whore or not, he had been the first to love her. She had attained womanhood in his arms, and now the need to punish pushed him too far to back down. His hands reached down to drag her hand between his thighs, curving her fingers around the powerful thrust of his erection. Involuntarily, her fingers tightened, squeezing him, feeling the throbbing heat pulsing through him. He cursed/flinging her hand aside. His mocking laughter pelted her.

  “You are an eager whore, Little Sparrow. I hope your lovers appreciate you.” His voice was bitter with resentment.

  Hannah bit her tongue to keep from crying out that there were no lovers, that she wanted no one but him.

  He lay down beside her. He was so hot for her, he was shaking with desire. He had meant to teach her a lesson, to show his contempt by taking her callously, but no
thing was working out as he had planned.

  Hannah felt the warmth of his breath, sensed the heat and tension in him, felt his muscles contract, and knew a moment of panic. It was clear to her that she could not resist him, despite Trent’s threats. He was her life, her love, the reason for her breathing. Yet she must forget him to keep him safe. Knowing Trent as she did, if she disobeyed him, he’d carry out his threat without a hint of remorse. Wind Rider would be back in the stockade, this time for good.

  “Please go away, Wind Rider. Don’t you understand? We can’t be together like this.”

  “Wind Rider no longer exists. My name is Ryder Larson. Say it, Hannah. Speak my name.”

  “Ryder.”

  The moon rose higher in the sky, its light spreading to the bed, falling across Ryder’s face and body. There was something about him— something so brutally compelling that she couldn’t look away. His sharp, relentless eyes held her captive within their silver depths.

  Ryder met her gaze squarely, unflinchingly. His gaze moved over her face to her lips, full and temptingly lush. Kissing those sweet lips was a white custom he’d learned to enjoy. “Speak my name again.”

  “Ryder.”

  He watched her lips form the words, his mouth hovering inches from hers. Then his lips molded to hers, claiming them completely, giving fire and heat and passion and demanding it in return. He kissed her wildly, deeply, thrusting his tongue into the sweet warmth of her mouth. He groaned, losing control of his senses as he pushed her backward onto the bed and slid his leg on top of her to hold her in place.

  Hannah barely had time to adjust to the loss of his mouth on hers when she felt the delicious sweep of his tongue over her sensitive nipples. She jerked violently and cried out, lost to sensations she’d thought never to feel again.

  “Do you still want me to leave, Little Sparrow?”

  Her heart utterly denied the words that came from her mouth. “Yes, you must! For your own good, you must.”