Dusk had fallen, and from a couple of the smaller buildings the glow of candlelight spilled out into the encroaching darkness. It would be several hours yet before he dared venture closer, and turning his horse away, he led Savanna back a half mile to a spot they had passed before.
Puzzlement in her lovely eyes, Savanna stared at him as he dismounted and untied her hands from the saddle horn. "Why didn't we approach the village?"
"Because, sweetheart," he said, "we're not exactly welcome in Spanish territory. And there is the fact that those soldiers down there would take one look at you and clarify what constitutes rape even more vividly than I did."
Savanna drew in an angry breath, but didn't rise to his baiting. For some reason, he wanted to pick a fight with her, and she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of provoking her to blind rage. He was up to something, she decided uneasily as she watched him move around the area, only partially unpacking their few belongings. The animosity between them had been kept carefully banked these past weeks—there had been no references to what had transpired by that forest pool until tonight.
Stepping in front of him, she touched his arm, and her eyes locking with his, she asked levelly, "What are you going to do?"
In the dusky light she could barely make out his hard features, the thick black beard that had grown over the weeks hiding the strong line of his jaw and granite chin. The blue eyes were black in the murky darkness and the expression in them made Savanna's heart leap painfully in her breast. "You're going back there, aren't you?" she asked incredulously.
He nodded curtly and replied evenly, "It's the only way we're going to get resupplied. I'll wait until after midnight before I risk it—you'll remain here. I shouldn't be gone very long."
Savanna swallowed with difficulty. "And if they capture you? What then?"
Adam smiled derisively. "Well, then you'll be on your own, sweetheart, and you'll have the immense satisfaction of knowing that the Spaniards did the job for you of cutting my throat."
His words stabbed her and she realized that she didn't want him hurt—despite what she had been telling herself for weeks. Concealing her bewildered anguish, taking refuge in defiance, she muttered, "I only wish I could watch them do it."
There were no further exchanges between them, and when it was time for him to leave, she stoically endured the bonds he placed around her, telling herself it didn't matter that she might never see him again. It was only when he started to put the gag in her mouth that her composure broke and she lifted pleading eyes to his. "Please," she said, "not that."
He stared for a long moment into her upturned face, the knowledge that this might be the last time he ever looked into those bewitching aquamarine eyes coursing through him. It shouldn't have made a difference, but it did, and with a muffled curse he threw down the gag and dragged her into his arms. He kissed her fiercely, his mouth bruising and feverish on hers, and then he thrust her from him and leaped onto the back of his horse and disappeared into the night.
How long she remained alone in the moon-filtered darkness, Savanna never knew. Time stood still in the beginning, but after a while, she had the uncomfortable feeling that she was not quite alone. It was unnerving to think of something out there in the darkness watching her, waiting.... She shrank back against the tree to which she was shackled, telling herself it was probably just some roaming beast and praying fervently for Adam's swift, safe return. Then, Adam was there before her, leading what seemed to be an inordinate amount of horses. He was grinning when he dismounted, his teeth flashing whitely in the shadowy light, and it was obvious he was very pleased with himself. Kneeling, he undid the shackles. A moment later, her hands were free. "A supply train must have arrived just a few days ago, because their storehouses were well stocked and the animals are in excellent condition," Adam explained as he turned away and began to transfer her saddle to the back of a fresh horse. Casting her a sardonic look, he added, "As for the soldiers themselves, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for another opportunity for someone to rid you of me."
Some of her joy at his safe return ebbed, and glaring at him, she snapped, "Well, it can't be soon enough for me." Adam laughed at her and began to tighten the cinch on her saddle.
In the excitement of his return, Savanna had forgotten the uneasy sensations that she'd had earlier, and Adam was too busy concentrating on getting them away from this area as quickly as possible to sense the presence of the man so stealthily approaching the pair of them. Savanna was standing fifteen feet away from Adam as he completed his task, staring daggers into his broad back, when the huge, dark shape exploded out of the underbrush and swung a thick club at the back of Adam's head.
Savanna screamed and Adam was already spinning about when the man struck. The stunning blow caught Adam on the temple and he crumpled in a heap. Like a tigress defending her young, Savanna launched herself at the attacker, only to come to a frozen standstill as the man turned and she recognized him.
Incredulously she stared at features she knew as well as her own. "Bodene!"
Chapter 11
"Well who the hell else did you expect?" her cousin demanded irascibly as he bent over and tied Adam's hands behind his back.
Savanna laughed tremulously, not quite capable of taking in the astonishing fact that it was her immeasurably comforting cousin who had struck Adam down. It was only when he stood up and regarded her with that familiar mixture of affection and exasperation that she knew it really was Bodene Sullivan there in front of her and not some mad dream. Smiling and crying at the same time, she hurled herself into his arms and, enveloped in his strong embrace, lost the control she had kept over herself and let the too-long-held-back tears stream from her eyes.
When the worst of the storm of weeping passed, she brushed away the signs of her weakness and smiled, albeit shakily, up at him. "Oh, Bodene! I don't think I've ever been so happy to see anyone in my life than I am to see you right now," she admitted.
"I should hope so, my dear," Bodene retorted bluntly. "You've led me the devil's own chase, I can tell you. Now, do you want to explain to me what's going on? I've been tracking you for weeks and the only thing that has kept me going, besides dwelling on the satisfaction it would give me to wring your neck, was that I would find out what the hell happened to cause you to disappear like that. Your mother has been frantic!"
Still smiling mistily up at him, she noted that he made no reference to the fact that he had been equally frantic. She sighed. "It's a long story—one I'll tell you once we're far away from here."
She sent a worried glance in Adam's direction and, dropping down next to his still body, assured herself that he was only unconscious. An anxious expression on her face, she muttered, "I wish you hadn't hit him quite so hard. It's going to be difficult to get him on a horse in his condition."
Bodene stared at her, thunderstruck. "Excuse me? Do I take that statement to mean we're taking that blackguard with us?"
"We can't leave him here!" she exclaimed. "Anything could happen to him."
"Well, I should bloody well hope so!" Bodene burst out. "I don't know what has gone on, but it's obvious to me that you didn't leave home with him willingly, nor have you stayed with him because you wanted to be with him. From the bit of conversation I overheard before I knocked him out, it didn't sound as if your relationship was particularly friendly."
Savanna grimaced. "I know. It's all so complicated. But he wasn't the one who kidnapped me—at least not in the beginning," she admitted truthfully. "That was Micajah!"
Looking thoroughly bewildered, Bodene regarded her silently for a long moment. Then he let his breath out in an exasperated sigh and said, "I think you had better start at the beginning of this tale."
"I will, I promise, but first we had better get away from here—he stole these horses and supplies from a small Spanish outpost about a half mile from here. They'll be looking for us come daylight."
Bodene's chin jutted and Savanna feared that he was going to
prove to be immovable, but after studying Savanna's strained expression and then glancing consideringly at the man on the ground beside her, he shrugged. "We'll take him with us, but you had better have a good story to convince me that I shouldn't have left him lying here."
Savanna nodded, and the next moments were spent in hurried activity as they took stock of the animals and goods. They tied Adam like a sack of grain over his saddle, which had been placed on the back of a fresh horse. The worn-out mounts which Adam and Savanna had been riding originally, they turned loose. Bodene's horse and pack mule, which he had concealed some distance away, showed signs of the long, hard trek they had just completed, but were in good condition. Not fifteen minutes later, the cavalcade was on its way through the moonlit darkness, Bodene leading his own mule and a packhorse, Savanna leading Adam's horse and the other packhorse Adam had stolen.
There wasn't a lot of conversation between them, for they both were occupied with putting as much distance between themselves and the Spanish outpost as possible, and though the moon greatly aided their journey, it was no pleasure ride. Fortunately, they were crossing territory they had traveled before and they made excellent progress, galloping their mounts as fast as they dared.
They lost some time while Bodene tried to disguise their trail, but eventually he gave that up—the passing of six animals was difficult to obliterate even in daylight, and with only the glow of the moon to help him, it was nearly impossible. Speed, he decided grimly, was the only thing that was going to put them beyond the reach of the Spanish. He kept the horses at a rigorous pace even after the sun had risen, but he knew that they would have to stop by evening—Savanna's pale features clearly defined how near exhaustion she was, and he cursed under his breath the man who had brought her to this state. Glancing back at the bobbing form of the unconscious man, Bodene promised himself that the fellow was going to learn to his cost that it wasn't wise to meddle with Savanna. Bodene Sullivan was going to teach him a lesson he'd never forget.
As the day progressed, Savanna kept throwing anxious looks back at Adam's body, fearful that this punishing ride would harm him further. If only he would stir, she thought for perhaps the hundredth time since they had begun their mad dash away from probable pursuit. Why doesn't he wake? Whenever Bodene pulled the horses to a halt for a brief rest or for water, Savanna dismounted and checked on Adam, but by late afternoon, when there still was no sign of his rousing, she was acutely worried.
"Shouldn't he be waking by now?" she asked Bodene with a distressed expression on her tired features.
Speculatively Bodene's gaze went from her face to the limp body of the man on the horse. Savanna was sure damned concerned for that fellow, he thought slowly, and she shouldn't be. He might not know exactly what had happened to her, but from his observation before he had made his presence known, it had been apparent they weren't friends. Yet she seemed genuinely anxious about the man. What the hell had happened between the two of them?
Frowning, he asked out loud, "Why do you care? When I found you, he'd left you chained like a slave in the middle of nowhere." He glanced again at the man. "Something happen between you two that I should know about?"
Wearily, Savanna shook her head. She wasn't about to involve someone else in her argument with Adam—if what lay between them could be identified by such an innocuous term.
Unknowingly, her fingers caressed Adam's dark head and she muttered, "I just don't want him to die, that's all."
Bodene snorted and, walking over to Adam, made a rapid survey of his body. "Breathing's normal and his color isn't bad," he finally said. "He should wake up this evening sometime—with one hell of a headache!"
They remounted and rode steadily eastward, Savanna so exhausted that she simply trusted her horse to follow Bodene's and fell into uneasy naps. It was only when she was in danger of falling off her horse that she would jerk awake and for a while would try to stave off the overpowering need for sleep, until the effort became too much and she would doze off again.
Bodene had not been wrong about Adam's headache, but he had miscalculated the time of his awakening. Not more than an hour after the conversation between the cousins, Adam became aware of his situation. His head did indeed ache—atrociously so—and to find himself roped to a saddle like a sack of grain, his head hanging down on one side of the horse, his feet on the other, did not add to his comfort. Sourly Adam decided that he was getting damn tired of being hit in the head.
Beyond realizing that once again someone had knocked him out, at first he was disoriented, but with every jarring step the horse took, memory came flooding back. The events of the previous night were suddenly vibrantly clear to him, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that someone—Micajah?—had struck him from behind and trussed him up this way.
As much not to give away his recovery as not to increase the pounding in his temples, Adam moved his head cautiously, looking around as best his bonds permitted. He couldn't tell a great deal from his position, but it appeared that Savanna was leading his horse as well as one of the packhorses and that she was following someone else. Who? Micajah? The thought was a chilling one, and gratefully, Adam slid once more into unconsciousness. He woke several times more during the rest of the day, each time staying awake longer and becoming more and more alert. It soon became apparent, from the little conversation he overheard between Savanna and the other man, that it hadn't been Micajah who had given him the blow to the head. That information didn't comfort him much, because it was obvious that whoever had knocked him out was someone Savanna knew—which didn't bode well for him.
It was nearly dark when Bodene finally decided that they should stop for the night. He chose a small tree-dotted bluff which gave a clear view of the wide prairie they had just crossed and which he hoped would allow him to spot any pursuers in time to take defensive action. A good-sized stream ran near the base of the bluff, and the grass was long and sweet for the animals.
Savanna slid from her horse, and watching her stiff movements as she tied her mount and began to unsaddle it, Bodene said in a gruff voice, "Leave it, brat. I'll take care of it. You see how our companion is doing and then rest a while."
For once in her life, she was too worn out to argue. She sent him a grateful smile and approached Adam's horse. Almost tenderly, her hands cupped his face as she lifted his head to examine his features. Finding herself being coolly studied by those hard blue eyes was a shock and she gave a startled gasp.
Dryly Adam asked, "Going to kiss me awake, sweetheart? Or perhaps you intend for your friend to knock me in the head again?"
Savanna's mouth tightened. "It's only what you deserve!"
Adam's brow rose. "A kiss?"
Savanna let his head drop, and turning away, she said viciously, "No! A knock in the head."
Bodene looked up from his task and walked over as Adam lifted his head and stared back at him. Catching his first real sight of his captor, Adam almost groaned out loud. He had seldom met a man whose size gave him pause, but taking in Bodene's massive presence, he whistled soundlessly. Jesus! Wouldn't you just know that Savanna's rescuer would be a bloody giant.
Sending the other man a grim smile, Adam inquired, "Do I have you to thank for this abominable headache?"
Bodene nodded and returned laconically, "Yep. Figured it was the simplest way to get her free. I'd have shot you, but then Savanna might have gotten hurt—didn't want that."
"Of course not," Adam replied politely, just as if he were in a grand ballroom and not in his present ignominious position. He sent the object of their conversation a black look and added with a cutting edge to his voice, "Under no circumstances would we want her hurt!"
Bodene quirked an eyebrow. It was obvious the man meant exactly the opposite, and Bodene wondered again just what the hell Savanna was involved in. Glancing over at her, he commented, "Your friend here seems to have recovered without any permanent damage, honey. Doesn't seem to care much for you either, does he? Who is he?"
Savanna flashed an unfriendly look at Adam. "Jason Savage—Micajah and Jeremy Childers kidnapped him from his home at Terre du Coeur."
"That so?" Bodene replied in a cool voice.
Something in the other man's voice made Adam look at him sharply. A shiver of unease slid down his spine. Was it possible that Savanna's giant actually knew Jason?
When the other man turned away and began to start a fire, Adam sighed with relief. Perhaps he'd been mistaken.
It was only after camp had been set up, and a pot of coffee and one of beans were bubbling merrily on the fire, that Bodene's attention turned to the man still slung over the saddle of his horse. All the other horses were hobbled and grazing nearby. Savanna was slumped on the ground, leaning back against a log, her eyes fixed sleepily on the dancing flames of the fire.
Approaching Adam's horse, Bodene undid the bonds that tied Adam to the saddle, leaving his hands and feet still roped tightly together. With a grunt, he hefted Adam's not inconsiderable weight onto his massive shoulders. Then he moved toward one of the trees near the leaping fire and dumped Adam unceremoniously on the ground. Turning away, he unsaddled that last horse and, after hobbling it, watched for a long moment as the animal ambled away to join the others. Then he walked back to Adam and stood there looking down at him.
There was nothing friendly in the glance he sent Adam, and Adam cursed his helpless position. Braced for whatever punishment he might receive, he stared coolly back at the bigger man.
Bodene looked him up and down again. "Jason Savage, eh?" He glanced over his shoulder at Savanna. "Seems that not only is your friend here a kidnapper, but he's a liar, too."
A frown etched Savanna's forehead. "What do you mean?"
Bodene hunkered down next to the fire and, picking up the cool end of one of the pieces of burning wood, held the flame closer to Adam's face. Adam stared back unflinchingly.
Savanna had gotten up and crossed to stand next to Bodene. Her hand on his shoulder, she shook him and asked, "What do you mean by that? A liar?"
Each Time We Love Page 17