Arizona Temptress

by Smith, Bobbi

“But why?”

  “That, my dear, is none of your business.” He cut her off coldly as he stood up abruptly and strode away.

  Jennie was furious as she watched him walk calmly away. She had never been treated this way before in her life! She was Jennie McCaine! She was always the one in control. She gave the orders; she didn’t take them.

  Frustrated by his refusal to free her and his unwillingness to answer to her questions, Jennie stomped off in the opposite direction. Skirting the edge of the water hole, she reached the far side and started to climb up the rocks in hopes that she could spot her father coming after her. Driven on by her anger, she scrambled upward, unmindful of the dangers she might encounter near the top.

  Rick was filling his canteen when he caught sight of Jennie climbing the rocky rise at the far side of the clearing. He knew she was angry, but he hoped that she was smart enough not to do anything foolish—like try to escape.

  Rick could well understand her frustration at the predicament she found herself in, but it couldn’t be helped. He was not about to reveal anything to her that might ruin his plans. Not that he thought she would deliberately give him away to Luis and Ray; on the contrary, he knew that she wouldn’t. It was just that he didn’t want to take any chances. Only his continued anonymity could guarantee the success of his rescue attempt.

  A flicker of movement on the next small ledge above her head caught Rick’s eye and he paused, trying to make out exactly what it was he had seen. When it moved again, he knew.

  “Jennie! Come down!” he shouted as she started to reach for the handhold without looking.

  “Leave me alone!” she called back to him without stopping her climb.

  “Wait!” he yelled, drawing and firing just as the rattler launched itself to strike.

  Her scream of terror echoed across the clearing as she lost her balance and tumbled backward, down the rocky incline.

  Rick was running toward her even before he’d holstered his gun. A cold fear embraced him and terror clawed at his chest with painful menace. Jennie! Oh, God, Jennie! He wasn’t sure if his bullet had hit her or if the snake had managed to make its strike, but he was filled with dread.

  Racing to her side, he knelt down and gently rolled her over.

  “Jennie?” His voice was choked with emotion as he took her in his arms and smoothed her hair back away from her face.

  Jennie heard someone saying her name, but it seemed that they were miles and miles away. She wanted to see who it was who sounded so worried about her, but her eyes were heavy and they wouldn’t open. Gentle hands were touching her, caressing her, and she sighed under their tender ministrations.

  “Jennie! Open your eyes.”

  The voice seemed closer now and more demanding, and she frowned as she tried to remember exactly who the man was who was caring for her. Her blissful state of uncertainty lasted only a moment longer until painful reality intruded, and her eyes flew open.

  “You tried to shoot me!” she cried, staring at Rick in abject horror as she scrambled away from him.

  But Rick quickly pursued Jennie and grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. His hold on her was firm and he refused to let her go. “You’re crazy. That’s what I was shooting at!” He indicated the gory remains of the snake where it lay lifelessly in the dust, half of its body blown away by his accurate shot. “The damned snake! If I’d been aiming at you, you’d be dead.”

  “A snake?” Jennie glanced over at the bloody reptile and shuddered.

  “It was on that next ledge—the one you were about to grab.”

  “Oh, God! Thank you.” She went into his arms spontaneously, suddenly needing the protection of his strong embrace.

  “Jennie—” Rick’s eyes met hers searchingly, as he assured himself that she was all right. He had intended to release her, but his determintion not to touch her weakened before her guilelessness, and with infinite care, he bent to kiss her.

  As his lips played sweetly across hers, Jennie’s mind reeled at his intoxicating nearness.

  “Jennie.” He growled her name as he pulled away for a moment to look down at her, wonderingly, and then his mouth claimed hers again, parting her lips to deepen the exchange.

  She gasped as he slipped his hands down her back to her hips, pulling her closer so he could fit himself more intimately to the softness of her womanly curves. The hard heat of his desire was pressed searingly against her, but instead of feeling threatened by it, Jennie was thrilled.

  A low moan escaped her as he moved to caress her breast, and she arched more closely to him, her body instinctively telling her that there was something more she needed from him—something that would fill the burning, aching emptiness deep within her.

  Rick sensed the change in Jennie’s response to him, and he thrilled to know that she wanted his touch. He wanted to go on, exploring the wild sweetness of her, but the sound of Luis and Ray rushing down from their vantage point froze his desire. Breaking off the kiss, he released her and moved quickly away.

  “Cazador?” Lost in the realm of her first real sensuous awakening, Jennie was stunned by his unexpected actions.

  “We’ve got company,” he said gruffly.

  “Hey, Cazador! What were you shootin’ at? She looks plenty willing to me!” Ray shouted.

  Luis, who had been avidly watching their lovemaking, called out: “Why’d you stop? She was ready. Weren’t you man enough for her?” He started to drink from the bottle of tequila he’d just taken out of his saddlebag when the shot rang out and the bottle shattered in his hand. “What the hell!”

  Unnerved, he glanced up to see Rick standing on the opposite bank, his gun in hand. “You got anything else you want to say to me, Luis? You know, that could have been your head.”

  Cursing viciously, Luis mounted his horse and rode off, leaving Ray to follow behind him.

  Jennie was mortified—not only by her own passionate reaction to Rick’s advances but also by the knowledge that Luis and Ray had seen the whole thing.

  Rick was annoyed with himself. He had no time for romantic involvements, no matter how attractive he found her. He had to focus all of his attention on the real reason he was here—his grandfather. He couldn’t risk losing control this way, not with Jennie and definitely not with Luis and Ray. He needed them to reach Malo.

  Determined to keep his distance from Jennie from now on, he refused to dwell on what had just passed between them. Holding himself deliberately aloof, he turned to her.

  “Let’s go.” Rick barked the order as he holstered his gun.

  Jennie hesitated. A moment before he’d been kissing and caressing her and, now, he was ordering her about like a servant, or worse yet, a child. What had she done to make him so angry with her?

  Worried that Luis and Ray might get too far ahead of them, Rick hurried to mount up. When Jennie caught up with him, he lifted her in front of him again, settling her as comfortably as possible.

  More aware than ever of his masculinity, Jennie found her seat most disturbing. She was pressed intimately to the hard strength of his hips and thighs, and his very closeness fed the fires of the desire he had stoked to life within her. The fact that Rick seemed totally indifferent to her now left Jennie feeling frustrated and resentful, and she hung on tightly to the pommel for support as he kneed his sturdy stallion to action, heading down the path in search of the other two men.

  Chapter Five

  It was near noon when Mac and his men topped the final rise near Tracker’s Boulder. The going had been tedious, and he was beginning to despair of finding Jennie and Todd safe and unharmed. As they paused, Steve dismounted and surveyed the area with the careful expertise of a man long used to tracking.

  “It looks like they must have split up here for some reason,” Steve said as he hunkered down to inspect the hoofprints. “And then Jennie evidently doubled-back and followed Todd off in that direction.” He indicated the path past Tracker’s Boulder.

  “Let’s ride,”
Mac commanded.

  Steve remounted and followed his lead down the trail toward the massive rock. They hadn’t gone far when they heard a shout for help.

  “Steve—take one of the men and circle behind. We’ll go in this way,” he ordered and his foreman was quick to obey.

  Mac cautiously urged his horse forward in the direction of the call. Rounding the boulder, he reined in sharply as he found Todd staggering up the path, clutching his bloodied shoulder.

  “Mac! Thank God!” he said.

  “Todd! What happened to you? Where’s Jennie?” Mac quickly dismounted and went to his aid.

  “Jennie?” Todd looked confused. “She’s not with you?”

  “No. She never came back from your morning ride. You rode out together, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but she took the other path.” He frowned, trying to concentrate.

  “She started down the other trail and then doubled-back to follow you. What were you two doing?” Mac demanded, unconcerned momentarily with Todd’s injury. Right now, he only wanted to know what had happened to his daughter.

  “She wanted to race to the creek. But if she doubled-back, they must have gotten her, too.”

  “They? Who got her, Todd?” Mac insisted.

  “Whoever ambushed me. She must have heard the shot and thought that I was signaling for her.”

  “Did you see anything? Hear anything? he demanded.

  “Nothing.” Todd admitted, dejectedly. “They got me as soon as I rounded the curve. By the time I came to, everyone had gone.”

  Todd was interrupted as Steve, having circled the landmark, joined them from the other direction.

  “Any sign of her?” Mac asked hopefully.

  “No. Only a burned-out campfire and a spent shell, but I did pick up tracks heading due north. It looks like there were three of them.” His words jolted Mac painfully.

  “Have the men search the area,” Mac instructed.

  Quickly fanning out, his hired hands began to scour the surrounding land looking for clues to her disappearance as Mac turned his attention to Todd’s wound.

  “I’ll need the bandages, Steve.” Putting his arm around Todd’s waist, Mac helped him into the shade of a rocky outcropping, while Steve retrieved the medical supplies.

  “How bad is it, Todd?” Mac asked.

  “The bullet passed through.” Todd groaned as he settled himself on the hard ground.

  After helping him take off his shirt, Mac took a better look at the injury. “You’re lucky. It looks pretty clean and the bleeding’s stopped.”

  “Good.” He gritted his teeth as Mac doctored his shoulder.

  Mac had just finished applying the bandage, when a shout brought him to his feet. He watched anxiously as one of his men rode quickly toward him carrying a hair ribbon and a scrap of cloth.

  “I think this may be your daughter’s.” He handed the ribbon to him. “And I found this piece of material nearby.”

  “It’s Jennie’s ribbon, all right, I bought it for her last year,” he said gravely, holding it tightly in his clenched fist. “And this might have been part of her shirt, but I can’t be sure.”

  “What do you want to do, Mac?”

  “We’ll have to take Todd back to the ranch and then get the provisions we’ll need and fresh horses. With any luck, we can be back on the trail by mid-afternoon.”

  “Don’t even think about leaving me at the ranch. I’m going with you,” Todd argued, getting slowly, painfully to his feet.

  “You’re in no condition—” Mac started to protest, but Todd cut him off sharply.

  “Don’t tell me what to do, Mac. Jennie’s in trouble and I intend to help her. Get me a horse and I’ll be as ready to ride as the next man,” he told them, drawing himself to his full, impressive height.

  “All right, all right.” His agreement eased Todd’s agitation. “Mount up with one of the men and let’s get out of here.”

  “How long ago did they leave, Hildago?” Jake asked as he settled himself at the table to eat lunch.

  “It was early this morning,” she told him. “I guess about eight-thirty or nine.”

  Jake nodded, not overly concerned with Jennie’s purported disappearance for she was renowned for her adventurousness. “And he didn’t leave any other message for me?”

  “No,” Hildago answered. “So I guess you’d better just wait here until we hear from him.” She paused as she heard horses coming toward the house. “They must be back.”

  Pushing away from the table, Jake followed Hildago to the front of the house, intent on greeting his vixen of a sister. He was smiling at the prospect of hearing her excuse for losing control of her horse. But when he stepped out onto the veranda and caught sight of Todd, his expression froze.

  “What the hell happened?” he demanded, hurrying to help his friend down.

  “Todd was ambushed and evidently whoever did it has taken Jennie captive,” Mac explained.

  “What?” Jake was totally stunned by the news.

  “We just came back to get provisions and fresh horses,” he said impatiently. “Hildago, there will be eight of us riding out, and we’ll need enough food for at least three days.”

  Without pause, she hurried to prepare the necessary foodstuffs.

  “Steve—I want three more men with us, fully armed, and have them bring plenty of extra ammunition. Also, saddle up fresh horses for all of us and fill two canteens apiece. Bring an extra horse for Jennie, too.”

  “Right away.” Steve and the two hands who’d ridden with them headed quickly for the stable.

  Carrie had been eagerly awaiting their return, for she was anxious to see Todd and to gloat over Jennie’s misfortune. Venturing forth wearing her very best pale blue daygown, she had expected to find a very contrite Jennie, but instead, she came face to face with Todd, his shirt covered with blood, his face, pale and clearly showing the strain of the past few hours.

  “Todd! What happened to you?” She went to him immediately, slipping her arm around him, unmindful of the damage the gore would do to her new dress.

  “I was ambushed,” he explained curtly.

  “Jennie—?” she whispered, wondering in morbid fascination if her wish had come true.

  “She’s disappeared. We think she’s been taken captive by the same men who shot me.” Todd mistakenly thought that Carrie was concerned about her sister, and he hastened to reassure her. “We’re going after them as soon as the provisions are ready.”

  “But how can you ride in your condition?” she protested but before he could answer, her brother came inside.

  “Carrie—” Jake instructed. “Take him back to my room and see what you can do for him.”

  “Jake,” Todd asked quickly, “do you think you can find a shirt around here that will fit me?”

  “I’ll find you something. Just rest until I get back.”

  “All right.” He grumbled, aggravated by the inconvenience of his injury.

  Carrie accompanied Todd down the hall to Jake’s bedroom and then helped him to lie down.

  “Thanks, Carrie.” Todd’s tone was a muffled moan and she knew he was in pain.

  The thought of caring for Todd thrilled her but she couldn’t bear to see him suffer. Hurrying from the room, she went to her father’s study to fix him a glass of bourbon, hoping the liquor would dull his discomfort. Returning to his side, she handed him the half-filled tumbler. “Here. This should help a little.”

  “It’ll help a lot.” Taking the proffered glass gratefully, he drank deeply of the potent amber liquid, eagerly anticipating its numbing effect. “Thanks.”

  “If you can lift yourself up a bit, I’ll get this shirt off and check your shoulder,” Carrie said, taking the now empty glass from him.

  “Sure,” Todd said and, using his uninjured arm, he maneuvered himself up to a sitting position. “How’s that?”

  “Fine. Now just hold still.” As gently as she could, Carrie stripped the torn, stained garment from
his broad, muscular shoulders, taking great care not to hurt him. Once she had it off, she tossed it carelessly across the room and began to remove the bandage her father had applied earlier. “There,” she said a bit breathlessly as she pried the last of the wrappings from the open wound. “Now, lie back down while I get some warm water.”

  “Hurry. I don’t want them to leave without me.” Todd stretched out on Jake’s bed and allowed himself the luxury of closing his eyes for a moment, missing the expression of jealous rage that crossed Carrie’s delieate features as she hurried from the room.

  Stalking silently down the hall, Carrie could barely contain the anger that flushed through her. Here she was, doing her very best to care for him, and all he could think about was Jennie! Her feelings for Todd were strong; he meant a lot to her, and the thought that he might have been killed this morning had frightened her. A firm resolve overtook her. She wanted Todd Clarke and she was going to get him, no matter what.

  Her new determination calming her, Carrie entered the kitchen and quickly set about pouring out a pan of warm water. After getting a washcloth and the medicine and bandages she needed to rewrap his shoulder, she hurried back to Jake’s bedroom. Todd was resting easily as she returned to his side and she spoke softly, not wanting to surprise him with her touch.

  “Todd—” His name was a caress on her lips, and his eyes flew open at the sound.

  “Oh—Carrie—I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come back.” He shook his head as if to clear it.

  “I know. I didn’t want to disturb you, but I’ve got to clean your shoulder. I’ll try to be gentle.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll hold real still for you,” he assured her.

  Placing the dish of water and her other supplies on the nearby table, Carrie soaked the cloth and tenderly began to wash the dried blood from his damaged flesh. She could tell that it was painful for him because his jaw tensed even at her lightest touch.

  “How does it look?”

  “Not bad,” Carrie told him confidently as she put the cloth aside and got ready to administer the antiseptic. “I’ve got to use this now. Would you like another glass of whiskey?”