Why did he have to say too much?
Why hadn't he kept his mouth shut?
And why did she always have to be so eager to fight?
"Look," he said, grabbing her roughly by the shoulder.
"I didn't come out here to argue."
"No."
She twisted away from him and took a step backward.
"You probably came out here to catch me naked in the river so you could have another laugh at my expense."
His hands gripped her painfully by both shoulders, and he nearly shook her as he fought a wave of frustration.
"Believe me, woman, if I saw you naked, I wouldn't be laughing."
Startled, she looked up and saw his gaze focus on her mouth.
He drew her perceptibly closer until she could feel the warmth of his breath as he released it on a long slow sigh of impatience.
"And neither would you."
No, nor was she laughing now.
Her throat was as dry as the desert.
Her heart seemed to still for a moment before it began a wild pounding in her chest.
She stared at him, mesmerized by the hunger in his eyes.
"You shouldn't..."
"Shouldn't what?"
"Touch me like this."
He ran his hands along the tops of her arms, across her shoulders.
"Like this?"
His voice had gentled until it was a mere whisper, She thought it the most wonderful sound in the world.
His touch, too, seemed gentler though she could feel his barely controlled tension just beneath the surface.
She wanted him to kiss her as he'd kissed her before.
And yet she was afraid.
Her emotions were still too close to the surface.
Feelings she'd never even known existed were tumbling about as he held her.
They frightened her.
And she had always dealt with her fears through anger.
Anger and action.
She lifted her head a fraction, assuming the tone of voice she always used with her brothers when she wanted swift obedience.
"Take your hands off me."
"When I'm good and ready."
Her voice was pure ice.
"Now, Cole."
He leaned closer, and she saw the little pulse beat at his temple.
"I'm not Danny or Thad. Don't try ordering me about."
His glance swept her face, taking in the narrowed gaze, the tight, hard line of her mouth.
"When I see something I want, I go after it."
"No one can have everything they want."
Her gaze was drawn to his mouth, and she saw the beginnings of a smile on his lips.
"Want to bet?"
"I don't gamble."
His smile grew.
"I know. Or swear. Or back away from a fight."
He surprised her by drawing her firmly against him.
"Let me give you some advice. Don't push me too far, Jessie. I've been patient with you. And I'm not, by nature, a patient man."
"Advice? It sounds more like a warning to me."
"Then be warned."
She thought about struggling but discarded the notion.
He was physically stronger.
She had no chance of besting him.
Words were her only weapon now.
"I won't be bullied by you. We're even now. You saved my life; I saved yours. My brothers and I will go on our way, and you can have your precious solitude back."
"Wrong."
She looked up at him as if he'd gone mad.
;'What do you mean?
' “I mean I came to a decision last night. I'm not letting you out of my sight. Every time I do, you get yourself in trouble. I've decided that if you and those two brothers of yours are ever going to survive the trek across Texas, I'll have to accompany you there myself."
For a minute she was swamped with conflicting emotions.
Distrust.
What had caused him to suddenly change his mind?
From the beginning he had wanted nothing more than to be free of her.
And now he was insinuating himself into their plans.
Then the distrust vanished and she experienced a feeling of intense joy.
Cole would be guide, protector, savior.
She swallowed back the happiness she felt and allowed her sense of independence to take over.
"We don't need you."
"Woman, you and your brothers need a wet nurse."
Insulted, her hand swung in a wide arc.
Before it reached his face, he caught it and twisted it behind her.
"You have no business playing with the grown-ups," he hissed.
"You'll see--" Before she could say more, his mouth covered hers in a savage kiss.
All the words she had been about to hurl were forgotten.
' It was the only thing he'd thought of since he'd first seen her by the river.
In that single kiss he found all that he desired.
She tasted sweet and wild and forbidden.
Her slender body, young and firm, fit against his like the missing piece of a puzzle.
He changed the angle of the kiss, taking it deeper, and heard her little moan of protest.
She smelled of cool fresh water.
And roses.
The fragrance of roses drifted from her hair, from her skin, until he was drowning in the scent of her.
Jessie's hand clutched wildly at his waist as she found herself trapped in the savageness of his kiss.
Before, he had been tender, coaxing, gentle.
There was no tenderness now, only passion and wild, pulsing needs.
For the first time, she sensed the danger that lurked just beneath the calm surface of this man.
His lips were seeking, demanding.
His hands moved along her body, giving her no time to relax her guard.
"Maybe I was wrong. You sure as hell don't kiss like a sheltered little farm girl, Jessie."
The words were whispered against her mouth before his lips closed once more over hers.
For the first time she became aware of the many ordinary things that had suddenly become extraordinary.
The sun rose above the mountaintops, shooting ribbons of flame across the spot of land where they stood.
Insects hummed, birds sang, as if in harmony to the song in her heart.
His lips were warm and moist.
There was the lingering bite of tobacco on his tongue.
The hands at her back were strong, so strong that they could break her in two.
But they moved with sensual softness along her spine.
His clothes smelled of horses and leather--scents she had known since infancy.
Scents she loved.
He plunged his hands into her damp hair and pulled her head back iefore pressing his lips to her throat.
Against the sensitive skin he murmured, "You kiss like a woman, Jessie.
A woman who could make a man enjoy being a man."
She had to end this.
End it before she got caught up in something she couldn't control.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed against him and took a step backward, breaking contact.
Her breathing was labored, as was his.
She waited a moment until she was certain she could speak.
Her voice was low, still husky from desire.
"I'll,..start breakfast now. We could use some wood for the fire."
She turned away, then looked back.
"Oh. thanks for the use of your shirt."
He felt a flash of annoyance at the cool way she walked away.
Damnable woman would only lead him into more trouble than he needed.
Still, he couldn't help admiring her spirit.
Or the way her backside looked in her brother's britches.
Cole was grateful for the chance to be busy.
He gathered an armload of firewood and coaxed the coals into a blazing fire.
&nb
sp; Then he touched the toe of his boot to the two figures still rolled in their blankets.
"Let's get moving. I expect to be on the trail within the hour." ' While Thad rubbed his eyes, Danny sat up and squinted at Cole.
"You riding with us today?"
"Yeah."
Cole tried not to watch as Jessie bent over the fire.
"I figure since I'm heading the same way as you, I may as well tag along."
Danny wondered why he didn't feel disappointed at Cole's announcement.
After all, Danny made no secret of the fact that he didn't trust Cole.
Still, after yesterday's incident, he felt a sense of relief.
If it hadn't been for Cole, there was no telling what would have happened to them.
He couldn't help wondering what had happened to change Cole's mind.
"Come on, Thad," Danny said, shaking the boy's shoulders.
"Help me roll these blankets."
Danny discovered his girl first.
Last night he'd been too drained to think about anything but sleep.
Now, as he tied his bedroll behind the saddle, he was alert enough to notice the bulge in one of his saddlebags.
Inside he found the book.
With a look of surprise, he turned and found Cole watching him.
Instantly he knew.
"Why'd you do this?"
"I wanted to thank you for doctoring me. Besides," Cole added, rubbing his stiff shoulder, "I figured I might need you again some day, And I'd like you to learn all you can about healing."
Almost reverently Danny opened the cover of the book and began devouring the words.
They ate quickly and broke camp.
Cole watched admiringly while the three imitated him, dousing the fire and scattering the warm ashes over the earth until there was no trace of the people who had been there.
A wind blew up from the south, sending the dry earth swirling about in little dust devils.
Thad reached into his saddlebag for a handkerchief to tie about his lower face.
His fingers encountered something small and round.
Puzzled, he lifted the object up for his inspection.
For a moment he could only stare.
Then he let out a whoop that caused the others to turn and stare.
"It's rock candy."
His eyes widened.
"Jessie, it's rock candy."
Jessie shot a sideways glance at Cole.
Not even a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Now how do you think that got in your saddlebags, Half-pint?"
"You put it there," Thad chirped.
"I know you did."
"Me? Why would I do a thing like that?"
Thad took a lick and unable to resist the temptation, thrust the entire piece of candy into his mouth and struggled to get the words out around the delicious obstruction.
"I don't know, Cole. Why'd you do it?"
"I remembered how much I loved rock candy when I was a pup."
Jessie felt an unreasonable flare of anger.
It had hurt her not to be able to give her little brother the only thing he'd wanted.
But even a penny could prove necessary on this long journey.
And now Cole had become a hero in Thad's eyes.
"It couldn't be because you wanted to ease your conscience about holding us up along the trail and then leaving us, could it?"
The words were out before she even had time to think.
Cole gave her a withering look.
"I did want to thank you. All three of you. But don't flatter yourself that I felt any guilt at all about leaving you on your own."
He urged his horse ahead, passing her with barely a glance.
If he noticed the fragrance of roses, he chose to ignore it.
"As you're fond of reminding me, you can take care of yourself."
He flicked the reins, taking the lead.
"Come on. We have a long hard day ahead of us."
Behind him, Thad wiped the drool with the back of his hand and fell into line behind Cole's mount.
He didn't care how far they rode this day.
The tart-sweet taste of rock candy would keep his mind off any discomfort.
Danny rode behind his little brother, the buffalo rifle slung across his knees.
As he rode, he kept only one eye on the trail.
Most of his attention was held by the precious words in the open book.
Cole Matthews might be a dangerous man on the run.
But he had given Danny a special girl this day.
The girl of knowledge.
And for that, the boy Would be eternally in his debt.
Jessie took up the rear position, keeping a sharp watch on the rocks and boulders to either side of the trail.
While she rode she fought a rush of feelings.
Anger, jealousy, guilt.
Just when she thought she'd figured out this strange man, he surprised her again.
Why had he been so thoughtful?
Was she right?
Was it mere guilt because he'd slowed their journey?
Or was it something more?
She let out a long sigh.
The day had just begun, and already she was weary of trying to sort out all the mysteries that surrounded Cole Matthews.
For now she would merely accept the fact that he was here with them.
For at least another day, she felt safe.
Careful, she warned herself.
She was safe as long as she didn't get too close to him.
Up close Cole posed another kind of danger altogether.
Chapter Eight
“'Look. A horseman.“ Jessie pointed to a cloud of dust on a ridge.
Instantly Cole led them to the shelter of tall boulders, where they reined in their mounts and watched until the rider drew near.
The man, sitting tall in the saddle, was powerfully built, with guns on either hip and a rifle slung into a boot by his saddle.
Jessie glanced at cole.
Though he was watching the man carefully, he made no move to be seen.
Was the stranger's life in danger?
Did Cole intend to ambush him from the cover of the rocks?
Though his eyes were narrowed in concentration, there was no hint of anger, only curiosity.
Was there a price on Cole's head?
she wondered.
Were there "wanted" posters in towns and settlements?
She glanced at her brothers and made a barely perceptible shake of her head, then touched a finger to her lips.
Danny and Thad nodded their understanding.
None of them would break the silence.
The horse and rider drew abreast of the rocks, and Jessie watched as Cole's hand closed around the gun at his hip.
Her throat went dry.
What if one of their horses gave away their place of concealment?
She and her brothers would be caught in the cross fire.
Or killed, if the other gunman was quicker than Cole.
When the horse and rider were out of sight, she let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding.
Cole led them from their shelter and set a hard, fast pace in the opposite direction.
They had ridden for days without seeing another human being.
In Texas that wasn't so unusual.
But even in the most desolate areas of the land, there were occasional Signs of civilization.
A wagon wheel, cracked and broken, lay discarded beside a rotting wagon, whose horse or mule had probably been unhitched and used for transportation or food.
A child's doll, its head missing, lay in the dust along the trail.
Jessie glanced at her little brother, so young, so fearless in his innocence.
She felt a cold shiver along her spine.
What had happened to the child who owned this toy?
A shirt still flapped in the breeze over the bleached bon
es of a human skeleton.
Someone, a traveler in need perhaps, had removed the pants and boots.
All were mute testimony to the danger of man's determination to master the wilderness.
Pioneers left their war-torn farms and plantations to seek a better future.
Two and three generations of families turned their backs on their past to seek a land of peace, a land of promise.
But what they often found was a land that was desolate, natives who were hostile and weather that was forbidding.
Jessie began to notice that whenever Cole saw a ranch in the distance, whether it be sod hut or cabin, he steered them away from it.
She no longer suspected that it was her imagination.
Cole was doing everything possible to avoid all human contact.
Was he tracking someone?
Or was someone tracking him?
Fears often invaded her thoughts, but she forced herself not to dwell on them.
"Oh, Jessie. Look!"
Thad reined in his mount and stared ' from his vantage point on a grassy mound toward the plains below.
Though the settlers were beginning to thin the herds of buffalo, the magnificent animals still roamed the prairies in herds that stretched for miles.
Each time they spotted a herd, they would pause to watch the amazing spectacle.
For as far as the eye could see, the land was alive with the shaggy beasts, plodding, slowly plodding, in search of grassland.
When something caused them to stampede, they were an awesome, terrifying blur of speed and motion.
Most nights they were asleep before darkness covered the land.
The long hours in the saddle, beneath a blazing sun, left them drained.
But they were blessed with water in the form of mountain streams and half-dried creeks, as well as fresh meat and cool star-kissed evenings.
While Danny and Thad merely watched, Jessie and Cole took turns killing enough game to keep them well fed.
They dined like royalty on deer, boar, ducks, doves and quail.
One night while Jessie and Danny prepared supper and Thad tended to the horses, Cole slipped away.
By the time venison sizzled in a skillet and coffee boiled over hot coals, he returned with a leather pouch brimming with fresh cow's milk.
"Where'd you get that?"
Jessie hadn't seen any sign of life for days.
"A couple of miles back. I spotted a small herd. Didn't figure the rancher would miss a little milk."
Cole handed the pouch to Jessie, who promptly poured the milk into cups.
Cole watched as Thad drained the cup and started on a second.
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