by Carol Finch
To this day Beau maintained that Ward had sworn to him Avery was responsible for the kidnapping. According to Beau, neither he nor Jesse Gibbs had been allowed any association with the men who had perished the night of the hostage exchange. Ward always rendezvoused with Jesse and Beau in a remote canyon, out of sight from the ranch house.
Ward Tipton had taken his cues from Avery Hanson, in attempting to gain control of Maddie’s ranch. But Ward had made Avery look like a second-rate crook in comparison.
Tossing aside his wandering thoughts, Jonah approached the bed. “Are you feeling better?”
Maddie eyed him warily as he towered over her. “That depends.”
He frowned at her. “That depends on what?”
“On whether you’re going to flay a few strips off my hide with your tongue if I feel up to it.”
She tilted her chin in typical Maddie fashion that was both adorable and exasperating. Jonah said, “You look well enough to hear the scathing lecture you deserve after that death-defying stunt.” He leaned down, bracing his hands on the edge of the bed, got right in her face and shouted, “Do. Not. Ever. Do. That. Again! Damn it!”
“Then do not ever try to draw gunfire to spare me,” she yelled back, then winced when she unintentionally jarred her left arm. “I saw you move sideways while Ward was holding me hostage. You practically dared him to turn his pistol on you, and I refused to stand for it!”
“Look, princess, I—”
She cut him off at the pass. “No, you look, Jonah Danhill. I love you. Can’t you get that through your thick head?”
“It isn’t love,” he insisted. “It’s gratitude.”
Maddie glowered at him. “You might tell me what to do occasionally and I might allow you to get away with it, but do not presume to tell me how I feel. I know what is in my heart. And it doesn’t matter how you feel about me because what is most important to me is that you are safe and in one piece.”
“Maddie—”
She hurried on before he could interrupt again. “I have decided to deed the land at the north end of this canyon to you because your family and clan bought and paid for it with their lives. It is your heritage and I’m giving you the responsibility of ensuring that the valuable water source that nourishes this valley is protected. It will be a place you can always call your own.”
“You don’t have to—” he tried to protest, for all the good it did him.
“I do have to,” she insisted loudly. “And besides, I owe you my life several times over!” Maddie decided that being shot had made her short-tempered and cranky, because her tone of voice was getting sharper by the second. But she didn’t care. She was going to speak her piece and that was that.
“I can endure almost anything if I know you’re out there somewhere in the world,” she told him honestly. “But I couldn’t bear the thought of standing there in Ward’s office, watching you take a bullet for me.”
“And how do you think I felt?” Jonah demanded harshly. “You drove me half-crazy when you lurched away from Ward and he turned that pistol on you! I’ve spent every damn night sleeping in that chair beside your bed, changing the bandages on your wound and wishing it had been me who’d been shot, not you!”
“You already took a shot in the left arm,” she retorted. “I didn’t think you needed another one!”
“Children, children.” Boone heaved a theatrical sigh as he invited himself into the room. “We can hear you yelling at each other from downstairs. Christina asked me to come up here and tell you to pipe down and be nice to each other.”
Jonah pushed himself upright and smirked at Boone. “And of course you rushed off to do Princess Christina’s bidding.”
Maddie bit back a grin when Boone blushed. The poor man had it as bad as Christina. At least the feelings were mutual, unlike her own one-sided affection for Jonah.
“I came up here to tell Maddie that the criminal elements have been weeded from Avery and Ward’s ranches.” He shot Jonah a sardonic glance. “I wasn’t sure you would get around to it,” he said, then turned his attention back to Maddie. “The sheriff appointed a replacement at Ward’s ranch, until the British investors decide who will take over the operation. Avery’s ranch will be put up for sale, and your stolen livestock has been returned. You will be fully compensated for the cattle Avery sold as profit. In short, this ranch operation is back on track.”
Maddie sighed in relief. “That eases my mind considerably. Thank you, Boone. I intend to pay you and Jonah for your assistance. I can’t begin to express how much I appreciate what you’ve done for Chrissy and me.”
“No pay necessary,” Boone insisted.
“Do not argue with me,” Maddie said tersely. “I’m cranky.”
“I’ll say she is,” Jonah muttered, eyeing her accusingly.
Maddie leveled him a silencing glare.
“Angel asked me to escort her into Mobeetie to gather supplies—”
“Angel?” Jonah stared at Boone in blatant disapproval. “You’ve given Christina a pet name? You’ve been here four days too long and you are not taking her to Mobeetie without a chaperon.”
Boone jerked up his head, squared his broad shoulders and tapped himself on the chest. “I’m the bodyguard and chaperon.”
“Like hell you are.” Jonah scowled.
“Leave him alone, Jonah. My sister likes him.”
“That’s what worries me,” Jonah grumbled as he shot Boone another meaningful glance.
“I’m certain I can count on Boone to ensure my sister’s welfare and safety.”
“No, you can’t,” Jonah contradicted.
Exasperated, Maddie glanced at Jonah. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Boone is hardly what I call lecherous and unscrupulous.”
The Kiowa beamed. “Thank you for your vote of confidence.”
“Maddie is still delirious from fever and pain and doesn’t know what she’s saying.” Jonah wagged his forefinger at Boone. “As for Christina, she’s been through enough lately. Don’t make matters worse…and you know what I mean.”
Maddie wasn’t certain what Jonah implied, but apparently Boone was, because both men exchanged significant glares for a long, tense moment. Finally Boone spun on his boot heels, and stalked out.
“He’s too old for her,” Jonah muttered.
“Perhaps,” Maddie agreed. “But Chrissy is infatuated for the first time in her life.”
“And nothing good can come of it.”
Maddie glanced up to see his penetrating green eyes boring into her. She had the feeling he was no longer discussing Boone and Christina, but rather her affection for him.
“It’s not as if I have made demands on you after what happened between us,” she said quietly as she shifted her left arm to a more comfortable position on the pillow. “As soon as I pay you for your time and trouble you are free to leave. You can accompany Boone and Chrissy into town if you wish, especially since you insist they need a chaperon.”
“Maybe I will go with them. If your sister is as forward as you are, I don’t want to lay odds that Boone can resist her. Then where will they be?”
Maddie glowered at him, affronted. “If I had the strength to climb from this bed, I’d slap you silly for that insulting remark.”
Jonah glared back at her, hoping to further incite her anger, making it easier for them to part company once and for all. Jonah felt the need to burn his bridges behind him so Maddie would realize they could have no future contact. It was easier this way, he told himself. Parting on a sour note would sever these ill-fated ties between them.
“Did you or did you not seduce me twice?” he demanded.
Maddie averted her gaze. “Yes. You are completely irresistible and I’m shameless. Is that what you want to hear? Well fine, I’ve said it and you have made it abundantly clear on several occasions that I’m not what you want or need.”
“I did not say that you aren’t what I want,” he replied, frustrated torment making his voice harsh. “This is
for your own good, damn it!”
Maddie flashed him a withering glance. “God save me from men dedicated to protecting me from myself!”
Jonah raked his hands through his thick hair and expelled a breath. “Look, princess—”
“I have one last request before you leave,” she interrupted. “Do not call me princess ever again.” She flicked her wrist, dismissing him. “Go away, Jonah. You are giving me a raging headache and my arm is killing me.”
“Fine. This is my last goodbye,” he told her stiffly, refusing to buckle to the emotion that was eating him alive. “I promised to get out of your life and I’m going. Now. This is the end of the line.”
“That’s what you said when we reached Fort Griffin,” she didn’t fail to remind him. “You said the same thing in Mobeetie. You said it again—twice—at this ranch.” She stared him down. “So why are you still here?”
He opened his mouth to tell her that he was still here because he was having one hell of a time letting her go. Fortunately, he caught himself in the nick of time and shut his yap—fast.
Jonah spun on his heel and strode toward the door without looking back. He didn’t have to glance back at Maddie because her image had been emblazoned on his mind and he suspected it would stay there until the end of eternity. He would keep his promise to get out of her life, but, sure as shootin’, he was never going to be able to forget her.
He suspected it would take dying to get that done.
Later that afternoon, while Christina was in the boutique at Mobeetie, making her purchases, Boone and Jonah treated themselves to a whiskey at the saloon.
“I was wrong, you know,” Boone said out of the blue.
Jonah glanced at him over the rim of his glass. “You’re wrong a lot. You’ll have to be more specific.”
Boone ignored the taunt. “I was wrong about you and Maddie.”
Jonah set down his glass very deliberately and said, “Don’t start. I don’t want to have this conversation.”
Boone ignored that, too. “That’s too bad, because we’re having this conversation anyway.” He leaned back in his chair and stared pensively at him. “Think about it, Danhill. Although you balked at getting involved with Maddie’s problems from the onset, something made you serve as her guide and protector so she could reach Fort Griffin.”
“That something was two men with loaded guns,” Jonah rapped out. “Can we talk about something else?”
“No.” Boone smiled wryly. “Was that the reason or the excuse?”
Jonah shifted awkwardly in his chair. “Doesn’t matter. The outcome was the same. I took Maddie where she needed to go and I protected her from getting shot and robbed.”
“Even when you swore never to set foot in the Comanchería again?” Boone waved his arms expansively. “But here you are, as deep in the heart of Comanche country as you can get.” He stared pointedly at Jonah. “As deep in the heart as you can get. You tried not to get involved, but you couldn’t help it. Not with her. You were involved and you kept getting in deeper and deeper with every mile you rode west.” He smiled wryly. “Rather symbolic, don’t you think, Danhill?”
“Is there a point to this philosophical prattle?” Jonah asked irritably. “If there is, then get to the point. I’m not growing any younger.”
“You’re not getting any wiser, either. Obviously.” Boone leaned his forearms on the table and stared Jonah squarely in the eye. “You’re in love with her and you know it. A man doesn’t keep contradicting himself, drawing lines and then crossing over them if he isn’t in so deep that he can’t find his way out. And Maddie loves you like crazy. She proved it that night in Ward’s office. Declarations of love don’t get any louder or clearer than that, Danhill.”
Jonah took another drink, then stared into the amber contents of his glass, wincing when the color of the whiskey reminded him of Maddie’s eyes. Reminded him that the whiskey was nearly as intoxicating and addictive as her kisses.
This was not a good time to be remembering that. He had resolved to be sensible and do the right thing by letting go.
“Well, at least admit it to me, even if you won’t admit it to her,” Boone prodded. “You might as well admit it to yourself while you’re at it, because denial sure as hell isn’t working for you.”
Jonah clamped his jaw shut and glared at his pesky Kiowa cousin, Chief Know-It-All.
“Damn, Danhill, you’re a stubborn cuss. And you call Maddie stubborn and defiant?” Boone scoffed. “I’m losing all respect for you. This just proves that Kiowas are smarter than Comanches.”
“All I want to do is enjoy my drink. Go harass someone else.”
“You need to hear this. No one understands you better than I do and no one understands me better than you do. I know that blue-eyed angel is too young for me and that she’s suffering her first bout of puppy love. I also know she can do better than me and I have to back off and give her a chance. The timing is wrong for me, but it’s different with you.”
Jonah shook his head obstinately. “Nothing’s changed. I’m still who I am and she’s practically royalty in this part of Texas. Hell, she practically owns this part of Texas.”
“So did our people, before the white invasion. We’ve faced our loss and our bittersweet memories. I like to think I’m a better man for confronting those painful memories and getting past them, once and for all. Maddie made that happen and I’ll always be grateful to her for that.” He was silent for a moment, then said, “Princess or not, Maddie loves you, Danhill. That changes all the rules. She sees our kind as equals and even became our champion when prejudiced men insulted us in her presence. As for me, I’ve discovered there are only a select few whose opinions matter a whit to me, and her opinion matters.”
“Fine, her opinion matters to me, too.”
“So what this all boils down to is that you make her happy. And she makes you happy, even when the two of you are in the middle of one of your heated debates or power struggles. You like the fact that she has spunk and stands up to you and meets you on her own terms.”
Yeah, he did. He’d never felt more alive and exhilarated than when he was matching wits with Maddie—or making love with her. She triggered all of his emotions.
Boone glanced at the clock over the bar, then came to his feet. “Well, I guess I’ll meet you in Coyote Springs after I ensure Tina returns home safely.”
“Now it’s Tina? You have definitely been here too long, Boone.”
A rueful smile pursed Boone’s lips. “Coming here is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, though. I found myself while I was here.”
“Interesting. I didn’t even know you were lost.”
Boone chuckled and shook his head. “Maddie’s smart mouth definitely rubbed off on you. Now I’d say you are her equal, her match. And vice versa.”
Her equal, her match. The words rang in Jonah’s ears long after Boone exited the saloon.
If only that were true.
When a red-haired calico queen parked herself in Boone’s vacated chair and suggested Jonah buy her a drink, he handed over the bottle of whiskey. He ignored the come-hither glance she directed at him, then surged to his feet. The very thought of touching another woman when he had Maddie on his mind felt like betrayal.
Jonah ambled onto the street to watch Boone and Christina climb into the wagon, which was heaped with supplies, and head west. They were all smiles and quiet laughter as they rode out of sight.
Lost in conflicting emotions that pulled him in two directions at once, Jonah strode off to fetch his horse, and headed east before he could change his mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Maddie felt well enough to make several trips up and down the hall the following day. The day after that, she tackled the staircase to build up her stamina. Although Rosita fussed over her unnecessarily, Maddie was determined to regain her strength. Lying abed, wallowing in misery and self-pity, was not aiding in her recovery.
Activity and distraction was what
she needed to revive her spirits. She felt the impulsive urge to revisit the cavern behind the falls. It was there that she had discovered a sense of connection to Jonah and his past. And right now she needed to feel his comforting presence, because watching Chrissy practically float on air while Boone was underfoot was depressing. The twosome had become inseparable, making the most of every moment before Boone’s impending departure.
How the blazes was Maddie going to keep Chrissy’s spirits up after Boone left when her spirits were scraping rock bottom?
Wobbling slightly, she braced her hand against the marble-top dresser while she pulled on her riding breeches.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Maddie glanced sideways to see her sister standing in the doorway, hands on her hips. “Getting dressed, as you can plainly see.”
“For what purpose?” Chrissy demanded. “You are not leaving this house.”
“I’m your older sister,” Maddie reminded her as she shoved one foot, then the other, into her boots. “Don’t boss me around. I plan to go riding because these walls are closing in on me.” When Chrissy opened her mouth to protest, Maddie flung up her hand. “If Jonah could ride cross-country, outrunning outlaws with an injured arm, I can certainly ride around the pasture. I need fresh air.”
“Then open the blasted window,” she suggested flippantly.
“Maddie, listen to your sister,” Boone chimed in as he appeared in the doorway. “She’s right. Besides, it’s almost dark. At least postpone your ride until morning.”
Just what she needed. Two mother hens. Three, if you counted Rosita, who brought food and drink every hour on the hour to ensure Maddie had plenty of nourishment and attention.
“The two of you are in charge,” Maddie announced, then walked over to the safe to count out financial compensation for Boone’s extended stay and invaluable assistance. “Here,” she said, thrusting the roll of money at him. “Take this. And I want you to remember that no matter where you go, no matter how long you’re gone or what you do, you will always be welcomed and wanted here. Unconditionally.” She stared meaningfully at him. “This land was once your home, Boone. It will always be your home. I want you to feel that this ranch is the one place you can always come back to.”