by Bobbi Smith
"What?"
"Rori."
"Rori?" Nilakla repeated slowly.
"I do believe my older brother has met his match," Doug chuckled as he slipped an arm around her waist and led her on to their lodge.
"You mean Chance has fallen in love with her?" She smiled at the thought.
"I think so." He grinned. During his bachelor days in Boston, Doug had modeled himself after his big brother. Chance had had tremendous success with the women, and he'd always wanted to be just like him. It looked to Doug like Chance had finally found the one woman who'd stand up to him and give him just as good as she got. "With Rori along, this trip back to town promises to be mighty interesting."
Nilakla gave a delighted laugh. "He will be perfect for Rori."
"Once he realizes how he feels," Doug added. "We Brodericks are a little hardheaded about such things. Just look how long it took me to recognize what a good thing I had."
His words were bittersweet to Nilakla. While she wanted with all her heart to believe they were true, she still remembered the conversation she'd overheard. As they entered their tipi, she turned to him and linked her arms behind his neck.
"The only thing that matters, my husband, is that you finally did realize it. I only hope your brother is as smart."
"He is," Doug said distractedly as she pulled him down for a deep kiss. Wrapped in each others' arms, they promptly forgot about anything but their own love.
When Rori had finished gathering her few possessions, she stalked from the tipi, calling to Jakie to follow her. Jake had been in heaven as Chance was scratching his ears, and he gave Chance a confused, remorseful look before lumbering reluctantly after his mistress. Outside, Rori started off immediately to get Patch.
"Where do you think you're going?" Chance demanded.
"To get my horse," she answered from between gritted teeth.
"Leave Jake and your saddlebags here. That way, I can be sure you won't run."
"Why you . . ." she seethed, ready to cuss him out.
"I wouldn't say it if I were you," he told her, grinning mockingly as he anticipated the direction of her thoughts.
They stared at each other assessingly for a moment before Rori was forced, once more, to back down.
"Go on, Jakie. Go to Chance," she directed, and started to walk away again.
"The saddlebags, Rori?" He knew he was pushing her, but it was time to put a stop to her rebelliousness.
Rori didn't say a word, but hurled them at him with all her strength. Chance caught one and dodged the other, laughing all the while. "Good girl. Now hurry up. We've got a long way to go."
Rori turned and stormed off without another word. Chance watched her stomp away, her arms swinging furiously at her sides, her shoulders set in annoyance, and realized that they had a long way to go in more ways than one.
Doug and Nilakla found him waiting there for Rori when they emerged from their own lodge.
"Well?" Doug asked. "How did it go? What did Rori say?"
"She's agreed to come along."
"That easily?" Doug fought down a smile.
"That easily." Chance answered, but he was tempted to laugh in derision over his own gross exaggeration of the truth. There was never anything easy about dealing with Rori. As always, she'd been as prickly as a saguaro, and while that made her difficult to deal with, at least she was acting a little more like her old self.
She'd certainly managed to puncture Chance's ego in this latest encounter. Never in his life had Chance had to force a woman to be in his company. It didn't sit well with him that he'd had to do it now, with her. His manly image suffered greatly when he remembered that he'd had to threaten her with violence in order to get her to agree to travel back East with him.
Chance found he could ignore his bruised ego, though, for all that mattered was Rori was going with him. Now he could rest assured that she would be fine.
"What are you going to do with her once you're there?" Doug inquired, trying to envision Rori among the Boston elite.
Chance had the good grace to look a bit distressed. "I hadn't really thought that far ahead . . ."
"Well, first things first," he counseled him. "You'd better get her dressed right."
"Is there a dressmaker in Phoenix?"
"If there isn't, we'll find you one. The way I figure it, you've got about six weeks at the most to get her ready to meet Mother—and the rest of Boston," Doug told him, no longer able to suppress a grin.
"Rori'll do just fine," Chance responded, trying to sound confident. All he had to do was convince Rori that she wanted to be a lady. Once he'd accomplished that, the battle was half over. Rori was smart, and Chance knew she could do anything she set her mind to.
"I know she will," Nilakla spoke up.
"Just remember, though, Rori's used to having a lot of freedom," Doug advised. "It's going to be really difficult for her to learn everything she's got to know."
"She's special, Chance," the Indian woman added. "Take good care of her."
"I plan to," he replied, wondering what they were getting at. Didn't they realize that he had her best interest at heart and that was why he'd come back here in the first place? "Rori's my ward, and I intend to provide for her until she comes of age."
Doug and Nilakla exchanged a knowing look, but Chance was oblivious to it or the reason for it. He was too busy watching Rori as she rode slowly toward them on her pinto.
Rori had taken as long as she could to mount up. She hadn't wanted to stay at the village, but then again, she definitely didn't want to go with Chance. The thought scared her for more reasons than one, but prideful as she was, she wasn't about to let on. She'd never let Chance Broderick see her frightened. Never! She'd show him!
While Rori had had a few minutes to herself, she'd tried to figure out why Chance had come back for her. She wanted to think that, dressed in women's clothing, she hadn't been the failure she'd imagined earlier that day. Her womanly vanity was urging her to believe that Chance had realized how beautiful and irresistible she was and had decided that he couldn't live without her.
Although Rori longed for that to be true, her ever-present common sense told her that she was being ridiculous. There was only one reason why Chance had come back. When she hadn't been strong enough to hide the depths of her loneliness and despair from him, he'd felt it was his duty to take her with him. He believed her to be his responsibility—nothing more, nothing less.
Her heart ached in acknowledgment of the truth she could not deny. Chance did not love her, would never love her. He'd told her so. It was ridiculous for her to even think that something would come of his taking her along. He was obligated to take care of her. That was all.
Rori sighed deeply, momentarily resigned to her fate. Still, she harbored the hope that once they were out on the trail, she might be able to escape Chance and go on about her life as she'd originally planned. She didn't want to spend time with Chance when his very nearness made her crave that which she couldn't have. It would hurt too much to be with him all the while knowing that they could never be together again. She didn't want to care about him, yet somehow she couldn't stop . . .
Rori glanced up and saw Nilakla waiting with the men and Jakie. She dismounted and rushed to hug her friend who moved away from the men to greet her so they could have a private moment to talk.
"Did Chance tell you?" Rori asked, a definite catch in her voice.
"That you're going with him?" Nilakla returned, and at Rori's nod, she added. "Yes. Are you glad?"
Their eyes met, and Nilakla could see the young girl's confusion mirrored in her emerald gaze. "I don't know . . ."
"Chance will be good to you."
"Hah!" She gave a sharp laugh. "You don't know Chance very well if you believe that."
"He's a good man, Rori, and I know he would never hurt you," Nilakla said the last with very real confidence. "He only wants what's best for you."
"Then why won't he let me go?"
"Would that be best? To leave you out here all alone?"
"I'd be fine." Rori bristled.
"I would hope so, but what if something happened to you? How could Chance ever forgive himself?"
"How would he even find out?"
"He does care what happens to you, you know," Nilakla chided her gently, hinting but not giving anything away. However, Rori's emotions were too bruised to understand what she was saying.
"All Chance cares about is honoring the promise he gave to my grampa. That's all."
"But Rori, he didn't have to make that promise . . ." She would have said more, but Chance's call interrupted them.
"Rori, we have to go." He took his time throwing her saddle bags onto one of the packhorses, allowing her a few more minutes alone with her friend.
"Oh, Rori . . . I'm going to miss you!"
"And I'm going to miss you, too," she returned, hugging her close in a desperate embrace.
"I'll see you again, won't I?" Nilakla asked as the men mounted up and edged their horses toward them.
"I hope so, Nilakla . . ." They hugged each other warmly, and then Rori stepped away, mentally preparing herself to begin a whole new life. "You take care of that baby . . ."
"I will."
Rori glanced up to see Chance and Doug waiting patiently for her to finish her good-byes. Her vision blurred with tears, and she almost stumbled as she walked back to her horse. She swung up on Patch's back without another word. Putting her heels to his sides, she rode away from the Pima village without looking back.
Jakie had been sitting next to Chance's mount, but when he saw Rori gallop off, he raced after her at top speed. Wherever she went, he went.
Doug leaned down from where he sat on horseback to give his wife one last kiss. "I'll be back just as soon as I can."
"I'll be waiting," she promised, her love for him shining in her dark eyes. "Hurry . . ."
"I will."
With that, Doug and Chance started from the encampment on their way to town for the second time that day. They set a steady, ground-eating pace across the arduous terrain, but Rori always managed to stay a distance ahead of them.
"I thought you said she'd agreed to go."
"She's going, isn't she?" Chance snapped. He was annoyed by Rori's determination not to ride with them, but he didn't understand why.
"I wonder why she isn't riding with us." Doug tried to lead the conversation, but Chance was in no mood to discuss it. He didn't want to tell his brother that he'd had to threaten her to make her come along.
"Ask her."
"I will later, if we ever catch up with her."
"Oh, we will," Chance remarked, knowing she'd damn well better be with them when they made camp later that night.
It was near dark when they finally stopped for the night near a small watering hole. Rori already had the fire started by the time the men got there.
"This good enough, Doug?" She pointedly ignored Chance. She wanted to establish that she was still in her own domain, her own element. All too soon she would be surrounded by new people, places, and things. Right now, she needed the reassurance of knowing that she had some kind of control over her life, however small.
"This is fine."
Chance remained silent as he went about tending his horse. Doug was still busy seeing to his own and the pack horses, when Chance set about laying out his bedroll. He made a point of deliberately spreading it out right next to Rori's.
Rori couldn't believe what he was doing. Of all the area there by the fire, he'd chosen to bed down beside her . . . Hell, he was practically on top of her!
"What the hell do you think you're doin', Broderick?!" Rori demanded.
"Lesson number one, my dear, a lady never uses foul language," Chance responded calmly.
"Why, you no-good . . ."
"Rori . . ." He used that commanding tone again. "I said a lady never cusses. Remember that!"
"I ain't no lady, and I'll damn well cuss if I want to!" she came back at him obstinately.
"Your first statement couldn't have been more true," Chance replied curtly, deliberately raking her with a cold look, "but let me assure you, Rori, you're going to stop cussing, and you're going to stop now."
His icy, assessing gaze hurt Rori. She knew she didn't look like a lady now, but how could she? These were the only clothes she owned. Guiltily, she remembered the shredded garments back at the camp, but she quickly put the thought from her mind. Her bottom lip stuck out a bit as she glared at him sullenly.
"Like h—"
"Don't say it!" he ordered. "From now on, if you so much as utter one cuss word, I'll use the soap on you, and I don't mean for a bath."
Rori grimaced, swallowing nervously and trying to keep from gagging involuntarily at the thought. When she didn't say anything, Chance considered it a minor victory.
"Good. I'm glad to see that you catch on quick."
"You still didn't answer my question," Rori challenged angrily. She was irritated that he'd backed her down on cussing. She'd cussed since she could remember and always with Burr's blessing. Still, Rori wasn't foolish enough to want to have her mouth washed out with soap.
"Oh? You mean what am I doing with my bedroll?" At her nod, he gave her a derisive smile. "I'm getting ready to bed down, what else?"
Chapter Twenty-four
"But why here, by me?" Rori demanded in outrage.
"I told you before we left the village that we were going to be traveling together, eating together, and sleeping together. Did you think I was lying?"
Rori blanched. She had never thought he would plan on sleeping with her. She had thought he meant that they would be forced to sleep at the same campsite, but not . . . together. Rori wasn't sure whether to be excited or angry.
"But you said that was all a mistake . . . that it would never happen again . . ." Confusion rocked her. Did this mean that he really did want her?
Chance saw the very real distress in her gaze and assumed it was because she despised him so much. "I said 'sleep,' Rori," he told her impatiently, "and that's exactly what I meant. Nothing else."
He meant for his statement to ease what he thought was her worry, but instead, it hurled Rori to the depths of misery. He didn't want her . . .
"Well, why don't you just go sleep somewhere else?!" she reacted angrily.
Chance's expression turned mocking. "Sorry, Rori. Until you promise me that you'll never try to run, we will be sleeping together."
"But I don't want to sleep with you!"
"It's up to you," he told her, shrugging. "The choice is yours. Just give me your word that you won't run, and I'll move my bedroll over there." He gestured to the far side of their camp.
Rori knew the easy way out would be to promise that she would never try to get away from him, but the way she felt right then, she couldn't. Her pride refused to allow her to give in to him, and her pride was all she had left at this point. When Rori didn't answer him, Chance continued on with what he was doing.
Doug had been busy with his horse and had missed the exchange between them completely. When he finally came to join them and saw their bedrolls together, he was secretly pleased. He knew already that they loved each other, the trouble was they didn't. They were sitting on opposite sides of the campfire studiously trying to ignore each other. Still, Doug figured it would only be a matter of time before they finally admitted it, to themselves and each other. He only hoped that he would be around when it happened.
He joined them at the campfire. They ate the meal in relative silence. The tension that existed between Chance and Rori was almost a tangible thing.
Some time later, Chance and Doug stretched out on their blankets. Rori, however, stayed by the fire, trying to drag out eating her food for as long as she could. She didn't want to lie down beside Chance. She didn't want anything to do with Chance! Only when her eyes began to close of their own volition did she realize that she was finally going to have to admit defeat. She was about to give up her vi
gil to stay awake and surrender to the inevitable, when Chance spoke up.
Chance had been lying there, watching Rori. He could tell that she was desperately trying to stay awake so she wouldn't have to come to bed with him, but exhaustion was claiming her. While he admired her for her sheer grit, when he saw her nod off, he'd had enough of her stubbornness.
"Rori, get over here right now!"
She hated to admit it, but she knew he was right. She couldn't sleep sitting up, and if she tried to go anywhere else to lie down, he was sure to come after her. Defeated, but at this point too tired to care, she got to her feet and moved to her own blankets.
Rori dropped down beside Chance and quickly pulled the blanket up to her chin as sort of a flimsy barrier against him. She'd hoped to go right to sleep, but being this close to Chance set her senses reeling. She didn't want to think about him lying just inches away from her. She didn't want to remember all the times he'd kissed her and had touched her, but she did. Rori fought back a groan. Why did this man affect her so?
Rori was annoyed that she found herself wide awake and tense. She was desperate for a way to keep from thinking about Chance, and she lay there wracking her brain in an effort to find something to distract her. In a flash of brilliance, it came to her. She knew exactly what she needed to help keep her mind off him.
"Jakie!" she called out to her pet, and the big mongrel came to her immediately. When she patted the small space she'd left between her and Chance, the dog stepped over her to curl up comfortably between them.
Rori was feeling quite smug at her ploy. She was used to having Jake near, and this was perfect. She'd show Chance he didn't bother her in the least. She was going to go on just as if nothing had happened. All set to enjoy a good night's rest, she started to roll over on her side away from him to get comfortable.
Chance couldn't believe her antics. He figured she was probably intending to distract him with the dog while she made her getaway, and he wasn't about to give her even that much of a chance. The minute she tried to roll over away from him, he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.