by Joan Hohl
Bri felt her breath catch with his grin. Darn, what the devil was it about this man? What something did he have that no other man had ever possessed to make her heart race, her breath catch, her body go all warm and squishy? Her feelings were even more intense than they had been with—She cut her thoughts short, not even wanting to think that rotten man’s name.
“Brianna?”
His voice brought her to her senses. She blinked. “What?” God, she hated the confused, disoriented sound of her own voice.
Tanner frowned. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course,” she answered crisply. “Why wouldn’t I be all right?”
“Beats the hell out of me.” He shook his head, still frowning. “All of a sudden you seemed…I don’t know…kinda lost or something.”
Sure, Bri thought, it was the something that got to her. “I was, er, just thinking.” Brilliant, Brianna, she chided herself.
“About?” He was frowning again.
About…about…jeez. “About maybe I should just go with you,” she said, wincing inside at the inanity and wondering how she could extradite herself from him so she could think clearly.
Fortunately Tanner performed that all by himself with two succinct words. “Think again.”
“Huh?” She smothered a groan.
“Brianna, I am not about to take you with me to talk to an informant. Somehow I feel said informant would very likely pretend he didn’t even know me. Understand?”
“Yes…yes, of course,” she said, feeling more ridiculous by the minute. Looking away from his curious expression, Bri undid the ties around her slim ankles, slipped out of the heels and tossed them into the backseat. “If you would please hand me my pack, I’ll change and then go…get some coffee.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you told me where the boots are so I can hand them to you?”
Smart-ass. Bri gritted her teeth to keep from saying the word aloud. “There’s a plastic bag attached to my backpack. They’re in there.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” he drawled, his lips twitching with a smile.
Bri felt her own lips tickle, then she gave way to the laughter bubbling up into her throat. She couldn’t explain to herself why it was that when he laughed or smiled, she had to respond in kind.
The trunk lid slammed shut. A moment later he opened her door. “Your slippers, Cinderella.” His eyes danced with silent laughter.
“Thank you.” She took the sturdy boots from him. “And if you’re expecting me to call you Prince Charming, you have a long wait ahead of you.”
Tanner laughed out loud, tipped his hat respectfully at her and strolled away.
Now, she thought, that was charming. And disarming, thus dangerous to her peace of mind—never mind her libido. Brianna was not a child or a fool. She was a smart, well-educated woman. A woman with the appetites and desires of every healthy human, female or male. She was attracted to Tanner Wolfe, and he was attracted to her. It didn’t take a mental giant to figure that out. Human nature would have its way.
Yeah, she mused, pulling on the socks she had jammed into the boots, she had to be careful, on her guard, against herself as well as him. The two of them were going to be spending a lot of time together, closely together, in the mountains.
She had been hurt badly before and was determined she wouldn’t be again. She couldn’t emotionally afford to get involved with Tanner Wolfe, bounty hunter.
Groaning softly at the very idea, she yanked on the boots, grabbed her shoulder bag and stepped out of the SUV.
Drawing a deep breath, she strode out, determined to put off her ruminations until later. But her stride soon turned into a meandering stroll, while her mind raced ahead with what-ifs.
Bri knew full well the possibilities, knew they narrowed down to one. Her imagination drew a vivid picture of herself and Tanner, their limbs entwined, their mouths fused, his body—
Hold it right there, she told herself, blinking to erase the too-explicit scene from her mind. She was breathing hard and fast. Suddenly aware, she glanced around her to see if anyone had noticed her flushed cheeks, her forehead damp with perspiration. If anyone did, she’d blame it on the noonday sun directly overhead. In her jacket, no wonder she was so uncomfortably warm.
Her breathing slowing but still uneven, Bri turned on her heel to practically run back to where Tanner had parked the SUV in front of the café.
Pulling herself together and shrugging out of her jacket, Bri entered the café, her throat parched. Whether her thirst came from the heat or from her thoughts, she didn’t know; all she knew was she needed a cold drink to cool down her fevered mind.
She was seated in a booth, a large glass of ice water set next to a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, working at appearing cool, comfortable and slightly bored, when Tanner entered the café. His sharp gaze locating her at once, he strode to the booth and slid onto the bench across from her. Removing his hat, he set it on the bench next to him. “Hi.”
His soft, almost intimate voice sent tingles dancing along her spine.
“Hi, yourself.” How Bri had found her impersonal yet friendly tone she hadn’t a clue.
“The coffee looks good,” he said, indicating her cup with a swift movement of his head. “It’s warming up outside.”
“I noticed.” Bri immediately decided that had to be the biggest understatement of her life. “That’s why I asked for the ice water.”
“Hmm…and I’m parched.”
You’re telling me? she thought, taking a quick sip to cool her drying throat.
“Hungry?” she asked, not able to think of anything else to say.
Tanner didn’t respond for a few tense seconds, during which he slid a slow, intense look from her face to her waist. “Er, yeah.”
He didn’t have to say any more; Bri felt his exact meaning in every cell in her body. Oh, boy, she thought, watching his eyes darken as she thoughtlessly wet her dry lips with a glide of her tongue. Oh, yes, indeedy, she was in deep trouble.
“You?”
“What?” Try as she would, Bri couldn’t control the slight tremor in her voice.
“I asked if you were hungry. Are you?”
“Yes.” There was no way in hell she was going to run her gaze over him, no matter how much she wanted to do so. “And, as you said, we may as well eat now. I have menus.” She handed one to him.
“Thanks.” He smiled.
Damn him. Keeping the thought firmly inside her mind, where it belonged, she opened the menu and pretended to peruse the lunch specials even though she had already made her selection.
They didn’t talk much or tarry during the meal, and within forty-five minutes of Bri having entered the café, they were back in the SUV and on the road.
Bri contained her patience until they were at last heading for the mountains.
“So what did you learn from your informant?” she asked when he remained silent.
He slanted a grin at her. “I thought you’d never ask. You surprised me by holding out for as long as you have.”
“You have no idea how long I can hold out,” she shot back at him, leaving it up to him to decide whether her response contained a double meaning.
He slanted a sideways, contemplative look at her, his eyes alight with devilment. “Is that a challenge?”
Bri raised her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes, her expression one of pure innocence. “Why, Mr. Wolfe,” she said, her voice as close to a purr as she could make it, “a woman would have to be very brave to challenge you.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
“You think I’m a brave woman?” Bri felt inordinately flattered even though she knew she was a brave woman. Her father had tested her, and she had passed his test of bravery and endurance. She had aced it, actually.
“Oh, yeah, you’re brave,” he said, sparing another glance at her. “You’re brave and a bit reckless and, I’m afraid, very, very dangerous.”<
br />
That last stopped her cold. She stared at him in astonishment. Her…dangerous? In what way? She had never deliberately harmed or intimidated anyone in her entire life.
“Dangerous to whom?” she asked, too bewildered by his remark to feel anything but puzzled.
Tanner sliced a smile at her that made her tingle all over. “I’d say you’re dangerous to every male between the ages of fifteen and a hundred and fifteen.”
Bri just couldn’t hold back; she laughed.
“You don’t think so, huh?”
“Of course I do,” she said as her laughter subsided. “I’m sure every male out there between those ages is just trembling in fear of running into me. Get real, Wolfe,” she said drolly. “I’m far from being dangerous to anyone of any age.”
He slowed down a bit to give her a dry look. “Does that include the man we’re on the hunt for?”
Bri stiffened. “That’s different.”
“In what way?”
“In the obvious way,” she retorted, getting really rattled. “He’s different. He’s a killer.”
“Yeah, he’s a killer and a rapist,” he agreed in an annoyingly reasonable tone. “But there are a lot of killers and rapists out there, and you’re not on the hunt, packing heat, for them.”
“No, I’m not,” she snapped, getting seriously angry. “And that’s because I’m not a hunter or a killer. But if we catch up to this…this monster, I will not hesitate a moment to use my weapon.”
“Wait a minute.” In an instant, Tanner practically stood on the brake, bringing the vehicle to a squealing, jarring stop. “You, me, neither one of us is going to shoot to kill him. Is that understood?” He didn’t wait for a response. “I’m warning you, Brianna, if you don’t give me your word on this, I’ll turn around, drive back to Durango and drop you at the Strater like you were on fire. I have never killed a man in my life and I’m not about to start now, and neither are you—not as long as you’re with me. Have you got that?”
Bri didn’t know whether to laugh or weep. She did neither; instead she calmly faced him. “I never so much as entertained the idea of killing the man, Tanner. I only meant I’d use my weapon to wing him, enough to bring him down. I don’t want him dead. That’s too easy.”
He frowned. “Then what do you want?”
She hoped Tanner could actually see the icy determination on her tight lips. “I want to see him rot in prison for the rest of his life, living with his conscience—if he has one—and the memory of every woman he killed or hurt. I hope he lives to be one hundred and every day is spent in fear some other convict will decide to mete out his own brand of punishment.”
Four
Tanner suppressed a shudder at the deadly, frigid tone of Brianna’s voice, her cold expression. Wow, he thought, when this woman hates, she puts every part of herself into the lethal emotion. On the spot, he found himself hoping she never decided to turn that emotion on him.
“You still haven’t told me what you learned from your informant.”
The change in her was startling. Her tone had thawed to conversational, her expression, while not exactly warm, had relaxed somewhat. Swallowing a sigh of relief, Tanner put the SUV into gear and drove forward once more.
“He was seen leaving town two days ago. Apparently he’s heading deep into the wildest section of the mountains. He left on horseback, leading a packhorse, and from the direction he was going, I suspect he’s making his way to the Weminuche Wilderness.”
Brianna frowned. “I vaguely recall having heard of it, but where and what is the Weminuche Wilderness?”
“The Weminuche is one of the largest designated wilderness areas in the country at somewhere around nine and a half thousand acres,” he said, keeping his eyes on the inclining road. “While many tourists hike and bike in it, there are sections that are nearly inaccessible. It seems our man is heading in that direction.”
“Well, if he is on horseback, leading a packhorse, I would think we could catch up to him in this SUV before he can reach one of those sections. Couldn’t we?” She sounded satisfied with her deduction.
Tanner hated having to burst her confidence bubble, yet he had no choice. “No, we can’t, Brianna. Even this vehicle can only go so far into the mountains. Later this afternoon, we’ll stop for the night and go on by horseback in the morning.”
She shot him a puzzled look. “But…How…I mean, where are we going to get horses out here?”
“I have a friend who owns a horse ranch tucked out of the way in a small valley.” He shot her a grin before she had a chance to question him further. “We can spend tonight there.”
By the quick glance he sent her, Tanner could tell by her expression she had questions, lots of questions, likely tripping over one another to see which one she could get out first. Within moments, she appeared to have sorted them out. She shot them out rapid-fire.
“How do you know your friend is there? How can you know we’ll be welcome to spend the night? How can you be sure he’ll have horses for hire? How—?” That’s as far as he let her go.
“I know,” he cut in, “because I know my friend. If he’s not there when we arrive, he’ll be out in the hills somewhere, and we’ll wait until he returns.”
“But—”
Tanner didn’t hesitate to cut her off again. “Brianna, you’ll have to trust me on this. We can’t follow our man in this SUV. It can go a lot of places but not into the roughest terrain in the mountains.”
“I understand that,” she shot back impatiently. “But you just sprang this other person at me out of the blue. Who is he, other than your friend?”
“His name is Hawk,” he began. Apparently she thought it was her turn to interrupt.
“What’s his real name?”
“Hawk.” He slanted a droll look at her. “His last name is McKenna. And, yes, he’s a half-breed.”
“I do not like that expression,” Brianna said in a clipped, stern-teacher tone.
Tanner was hard put not to laugh. “Neither do I, but that’s how Hawk refers to himself. He’s not ashamed of his heritage. Matter of fact, he’s proud to have both Scot and Apache blood in his veins.” Now he laughed aloud, softly, almost as if to himself. “I think you’ll find that Hawk is something else.”
“And what might that something be?”
“Different,” he said after a moment’s silence. “He’s one of a kind.”
“One of a kind of what?” Her tone was clear warning she was getting edgy again.
Tanner shrugged. “One of a kind of man, of human being. I don’t know how to explain it, he just is.”
“Does he live alone?”
“Usually.”
“Tanner…” There was a sharp note of impatience in her voice.
He laughed. “It’s the truth, Brianna. Hawk is usually alone, but now and again he has his sister staying with him. Cat isn’t as proud of her heritage.”
She frowned. “Cat? Hawk and Cat?”
Tanner slid a quick grin at her. “Hawk is just that—Hawk. He’s named after his maternal great-grandfather. Cat is short for Catriona, the Scot and Irish name for Catherine. She’s named after her paternal great-great-grandmother.”
“And she doesn’t like being of mixed racial parentage,” Brianna said, obviously choosing her words with care.
“No, she doesn’t. So every so often she runs away from the world by hiding out with Hawk.”
“Hiding out?” she nearly yelped. “Is he hiding out from the law?”
“No, Brianna, Hawk is not hiding from the law. He’s not a criminal.”
“Well, what is he, then? A hermit? Has he always lived away from society? How old is he?” She once again zapped the questions at him rapid-fire.
He shot the answers back at her in kind. “A man. No. Since he became an adult. I’m not sure—somewhere in his midthirties, I suppose.”
“Odd,” she murmured.
“Why?”
“Don’t you think it’s odd, a
man deciding to live away from family, friends…women…at such a young age?”
Tanner shifted another glance at her. “I didn’t say he was a cloistered monk, Brianna. When he’s in the mood for company, he does see his family, friends.” He paused deliberately, as she had. “And he does see women.”
“You know—”
The SUV plowed over a natural speed bump, silencing her except for a startled, “Oh!”
“Sorry,” he said, biting back laughter. “I told you it was rough—and it’s going to get rougher.” He couldn’t hold back a slight grin. “A whole lot rougher.”
She glanced around at the terrain, the narrow shoulders bordering the macadam road, and the thickening forest beyond. She frowned and shifted in her seat. “You said we’d stop at sunset. The sun’s starting to track west now.” She glanced around again. “Tanner…”
“There’s a clearing up ahead,” he said, anticipating her question as well as the need causing her suddenly restless shifting. He swept a hand in an encompassing movement. “We’re in a national park area. Not only is there a clearing, there are restroom facilities.”
Brianna sighed in relief. “I’m glad to hear it.” She smiled. “I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of asking you to stop while I made a dash into the bushes.”
He laughed. “I know what you mean. I’m experiencing the, er, same pressure.”
“Don’t you dare make me laugh, Tanner Wolfe,” she said. “I would rather not embarrass myself, thank you.”
“Well, you’re in luck, Brianna Stewart,” he assured her. “The clearing is just beyond the bend up ahead.”
“Here we are,” he said moments later, pulling the vehicle into a spacious clearing by the side of the road. Along one side of the area, just beyond a posted sign reading Restrooms, was a good-size building. They headed toward it quickly.
Within minutes, they were back on the road. An hour and a half later, Tanner made a quick turn.
“What exactly—Oh!” she said, startled by the jostling of the SUV as he drove off the paved road onto a dirt, stone-strewn track undeserving of the name road. “Where are you going?” Bri demanded, glancing at the forest, which seemed to be closing in on them.