Rancher's Hostage Rescue

by Beth Cornelison

  When Lilly found a thick branch lying near the animal trail they were following, she fetched it for Dave to use as a makeshift crutch. Though he couldn’t put his full weight on it, the hiking stick helped his balance.

  Within a few minutes, the woods gave way to rocks and sharper inclines. In order to continue moving away from the house, they’d have to climb, scaling steep walls of sandstone where only scrub weeds grew through the cracks in the rocky terrain. Dave hesitated only a moment weighing the best route up. Leading with his good leg, Dave stepped, planted the branch hiking stick, then dragged his injured leg behind him. Over and again. Until the muscles of his good leg ached with fatigue.

  “Dave,” Lilly called from behind him, “I’m sorry. I have to rest. My leg muscles are quivering.”

  He leaned heavily on his crutch and surveyed their position. They were exposed out on this stretch of rock face. He reached toward her, offering a hand up to the small shelf where he waited for her. “Can you make it another hundred feet or so? I know it’s steep and tiring, but if we can get over this ridge, we won’t be so exposed.”

  Lilly dragged herself onto the narrow ledge with him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. Curling her fingers into his arms, she angled her head to gauge the distance to the top, then met his eyes. “I think so.”

  As she panted through her mouth, gulping air, her breath fanned his neck, and a yearning to taste her lips crashed into him, harder than Wayne’s fists had. He swallowed hard and tried not to think about how much he wanted to kiss her.

  “Sorry. I haven’t been to the gym nearly enough lately, and having not eaten much in the last two days...” She licked her lips, then smacked her mouth dryly. They both needed hydration, but had nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

  “Don’t apologize. I’m not criticizing. You’re doing great.” He thumbed a trickle of sweat from her temple before it reached her eye. “Ready?”

  When she nodded, his pride in her determination swelled. He couldn’t help but press a quick kiss on her forehead. She flashed a grin and seemed to muster a second wind from his encouragement.

  They climbed on, and all the while, Dave pictured Wayne rousing and, full of murderous wrath, tracking them through the woods, hot on their heels. He cast furtive glances behind them, keeping his ears perked for signs Wayne was approaching. A bird of prey riding the air currents over the valley below them screeched a lonely call. A loose stone Lilly had unsettled as she climbed rattled as it skittered down the sandstone slope. A light breeze rustled the trees below them. And his own pulse thudded in his ears. But he heard no indication of a pursuer. Just the same...

  This hundred or so yards of climbing took twice as long as the first few hundred had. Fatigue and a steeper angle of ascent double-teamed them and slowed them to a crawl. Almost literally, seeing as they used their hands as much as their legs to climb.

  At the top of the ridge, Dave followed Lilly to the dappled shade of the trees nearest them. She dropped weakly, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. “Just give me...a minute.”

  He eased himself down beside her, grateful for the respite, but also antsy to move on. He wouldn’t rest easy until they’d contacted the sheriff, and he knew Wayne was in custody and Lilly was safe.

  Swiping his forehead with the back of his hand, he winced when he hit the tender spot where he’d been smacked with the Glock. Or maybe he had a new dent in his head thanks to Wayne. The tussle for the gun was a bit of a blur. Fists and thrashing and ruthless punches.

  He rubbed a hand lightly over his ribs, registering the ache. His injuries were another reason to keep moving. The longer he sat still, the more his abused body would stiffen and throb. Better to stay loose, moving until this whole situation was resolved. He knew the only things keeping him going now were adrenaline and stubbornness.

  He glanced at Lilly, who’d lain back on the ground and closed her eyes.

  “Better now?”

  “Some. I’d love to stay here for an hour or two and just...nap.”

  He made a humming noise of acknowledgment. “Me, too. But we gotta go. We’ll be headed downhill now. That’ll be easier,” he said, mentally adding, for you. Because he knew with limited use of his bad leg, finding the traction and braking strength to control his descent would be as rough as the uphill. Maybe worse.

  Firming her mouth, she sent him a knowing look, as if she could read his thoughts.

  Lilly sat up with a sigh and glanced at the terrain ahead. Gasped quietly. “Look.”

  He glanced in the direction she was looking and saw nothing. “What?”

  “The butterfly on those flowers. It’s so beautiful.”

  He refocused his attention on the butterfly just as it flew from one blossom to another.

  “A Melissa blue,” she said. “See how the top of its wings are bluish and the underside is creamy with black spots? I think that means it’s a male.” She paused as the winged creature fluttered around the clump of wildflowers, then flew their way. When it lit on her sleeve, Lilly’s eyes rounded, and the pure joy in her face tugged deep in Dave’s chest.

  “I’ve loved butterflies since I was a kid,” she said quietly, as if afraid to startle the one resting near her shoulder. “They kinda represent hope to me. The courage to keep going when times are tough.” She paused to watch the butterfly’s slow wing flap as it turned on her arm. “And love.”

  “That explains your choice for the tattoo.” He gave her a teasing grin.

  “Amongst others. I kinda collect them. My mom gave me my first butterfly trinket on a family vacation after my dad left us. That’s where it started.” She bit her bottom lip. “She got Helen a little stuffed bear with a pink heart embroidered on its chest.”

  He nodded. “I’ve seen it. She kept it on her dresser.”

  She gave a sad-sounding sigh. “I just packed it up with some of her other childhood mementos the other day.”

  With a silent flap of its wings, the butterfly flew away, disappearing behind a clump of weedy-looking yellow flowers. Lilly rolled her shoulders and shoved back to her feet. “Okay, I’m good to go.”

  He grunted in pain as he dragged himself up and steadied himself with the hiking stick. He hated the worried look she gave him, hated knowing his injuries could delay Wayne’s capture. And Lilly’s rescue. He caught her arm to gain her full attention.

  “Getting word to the cops is our priority,” he said. “If I slow you down, leave me.”

  She snorted derisively. “Yeah, right.”

  “I mean it, Lil. If I prove a hindrance, you go on without me. Keep going north, toward that valley you can see through those trees.” He pointed in the direction he meant, but she fixed him with a stubborn frown.

  “We’re in this together, Dave. You didn’t leave me when I was struggling going up the mountain, and I won’t leave you as we go down.”

  “Lilly, I—”

  She pressed a hand to his mouth to silence him. “I won’t abandon a man with a head injury, so stop arguing.”

  He decided not to remind her she had left Wayne with a head injury. No point adding to her guilt over that.

  She twisted her mouth and leaned closer. “Speaking of which, look at me. I need to check your pupils.”

  He grumbled his discontent. “We don’t need any more delays.”

  “Five seconds, you obstinate cowboy.” She pinned him with a steady gaze, staring deep into his eyes. For medical reasons. Because he could have a concussion. He knew that.

  But the truth didn’t stop his heart from bucking when he stared deeply into her green eyes. Green like the lakes that dotted the Colorado landscape, their waters clear and sparkling in the sun like jewels.

  He knew he shouldn’t feel anything remotely like the yearning that blossomed in his chest. Acknowledging his attraction to Lilly should feel like a betrayal to H
elen. Instead it felt right. Real. Strong.

  The five seconds she asked for passed, and she didn’t look away. Dave swallowed hard, seeing the subtle change in her expression. Her all-business directness softened. Warmed.

  Her breathing grew shallow and quick, matching his own. Dave canted toward her. Just an inch or so. Then closer. She didn’t retreat. And so he brushed his lips over hers.

  Chapter 15

  Liquid heat streaked through Dave, making him forget the throbbing under his skull and the blazing sting in his calf.

  The kiss was quick, barely a touch. Testing.

  She inhaled sharply. Closed her eyes. But stayed where she was, her lips parting slightly.

  Raising a hand to her cheek, he kissed her again. His lips clung to hers for a staggering heartbeat before he angled his mouth to capture hers more fully. She deepened the kiss, and he took the chance to explore the shape and feel of her lips moving against his. Pure heaven...and something they had no time for.

  The crack of a twig snapped him from the blissful moment, yanking him back to the reality of the moment. To the criminal who could be pursuing them even now. He cast his gaze left and right, twisted to check behind them.

  “Dave, what...?”

  “Thought I heard something.”

  Now Lilly searched the area around them with an anxious look denting her brow.

  With the help of his hiking stick for leverage, he turned full-circle, found nothing suspicious. But...

  He held his hand out to her. “C’mon. We need to go.”

  She put her hand in his, and his chest tightened as he wrapped his fingers around hers.

  The connection he felt with her shook him to his core. Tantalized him. Confused him.

  Because what he felt for Lilly was truer than anything he’d known with Helen. With Lilly, the emotion that stole his breath and sank to his core felt more assuredly like love.

  * * *

  A short distance down the opposite side of the mountain, Lilly spotted a house with a wide porch. She’d almost missed it. Her thoughts had been so wrapped up in the kisses she’d shared with Dave that, had a flash of light not snagged her attention, she might have marched on through the woods, right past their salvation. A bird feeder with glass sides hung from the rafters on the home’s porch and swung slightly in the breeze. As the feeder moved, the glass reflected the sun with a spark of brilliant light, likely what had caught her attention.

  “Look!” She pointed out the home to Dave.

  “Excellent. I’m not sure how much farther I’d have made it on this leg.”

  They adjusted their course to hike to the split-level home, and he gripped her hand as they turned off the animal trail they’d been using.

  Lilly’s gaze dipped briefly to his injured calf as they ventured into the dense woods, the most direct path to the house. The strenuous hike couldn’t be good for his wound. “As soon as we get a call in to the police, our next order of business is tending your leg. The sooner I disinfect and bind it up properly, the better.”

  He glanced her way, lifting a corner of his mouth. “No argument from me.”

  “Good.”

  And then they needed to have a serious conversation about what the hell had happened on the top of the mountain. Her lips tingled with the memory of his passionate kiss.

  She sighed. Dwelling on the kiss wasn’t helpful now and so, trying to refocus her thoughts, she added, “As it is, that bullet wound will probably leave a nasty scar.”

  He snorted. “What’s one more? Years of ranch work and the surgery to rebuild my leg last December have already left me looking a bit like a road map.”

  She quickly squelched the niggle of curiosity about where the other scars might be. Not her concern. His body wasn’t hers to discover, to explore and to savor. And yet, she couldn’t deny there’d been something in that embrace, the look in his eyes...

  Dave held a large branch out of her way, allowing her to lead the way around a rocky area and down a sharp incline.

  “Watch your step. These rocks and loose dirt are tricky,” he said.

  True to his warning, small stones skittered and rolled as she found the best path, careful to find purchase before moving forward. At the bottom of the slope, she waited as he inched his way down the incline sideways, using his good leg for support and the hiking stick for balance.

  He hadn’t said anything about the kiss as they hiked. Did that mean he’d dismissed it as nothing, or was he stewing over the implications, as she was? Maybe she was overthinking things. Maybe after all they’d been through together, the kiss was just an expression of friendship and relief that they were away from Wayne.

  She mentally tested that theory, examining all the angles as they trudged through the dense underbrush, fanned away clouds of gnats and picked their way down the rugged terrain toward the isolated home. Would she have shared a friendly kiss with a man she wasn’t attracted to? Her gut tightened. No, she admitted. She had an undeniable physical attraction to Dave. Her heart tripped thinking about the prickly heat and sensual hunger that had suffused her body when they’d kissed. Dave was a skilled kisser, no doubt. And she’d grown to appreciate him and his kindness, his protective instincts, his courage over the past two days.

  But he was Dave. Helen’s Dave. How could she entertain any notions of a relationship with her late sister’s boyfriend? She scowled at the idea and, distracted by her conflicting thoughts, stumbled over a root.

  Immediately, Dave had his hand at her elbow, steadying her. Because, damn it, that was the kind of helpful, considerate guy she was finding him to be. Despite her preconceived notions based on conversations with her venting sister.

  “Thanks,” she said, swiping a thin sheen of sweat from her forehead. As she turned to continue downhill toward the house, Dave caught her arm.

  “Stop! Don’t move,” he said, his tone tense and his attention fixed on something just ahead of them in the rocks.

  “What?” she asked, jerking her gaze around to search the path for a person, an animal... Then a movement on the ground caught her eye, as the perfectly camouflaged creature shook its tail. A rattlesnake.

  Terror streaked through Lilly as she leaped back with a scream.

  “Freeze!” Dave warned. “If we don’t bother it, if we don’t make it feel threatened, it will slither away.” Then under his breath, he amended, “I hope.”

  “O-o-oh, God,” she muttered, her voice trembling, “I hate snakes.”

  Dave slowly put a hand around hers and squeezed. “He’s more scared of you than you are of him.”

  She snorted quietly. “That is the worst of clichés and does nothing to calm me down.” She swallowed hard and shuddered, watching the reptile’s tongue flick in and out. “Who even started that sorry line?”

  He gave her side-eye. “I don’t—” He sighed and adjusted his grip on his walking stick.

  “Whatever. Just be still. They don’t see well, but they detect motion and vibration. Once he settles down a bit, we’re going to back slowly away.”

  Lilly held her breath and squeezed Dave’s hand while her heart thrashed against her ribs. When the snake began to uncoil and slither out from under the rock, she whimpered. “It’s coming toward us!”

  “Easy,” Dave said calmly, though she heard the undertone of gravity in his voice. “Both of you, stay calm...” He eased his walking stick toward the snake, slowly and gently redirecting the snake’s course. The serpent stopped, scenting the stick with its tongue before moving in the other direction, into the rocks.

  When it disappeared, Lilly released a tremulous breath. “Do you think it has friends around here?” She swept the area with a glance, her heart in her throat.

  “Likely. The weather’s warming up, and they’re coming out of hibernation looking for a meal and a place to sun. Just watch your step. I’ll lead.”


  Reluctantly, she released her grip on his hand so he could pick his way the rest of the distance down the slope to the house with the long porch.

  Well, Lilly thought to herself, if nothing else, the snake helped redirect her circular and unresolved thoughts about the state of and future of her relationship with Dave. She paid careful attention to each footfall, each handhold, every step as they made their way to the porch.

  “I don’t see cars or a garage,” Dave said as they crossed the yard of the mountain home.

  “The bird feeder that caught my attention is empty, too. And there are no chairs on the porch. Who has a porch like this with that spectacular view and doesn’t keep chairs outside?”

  The wooden porch shook and their feet made hollow thumps as the crossed to the front door and knocked. Waited.

  When no one answered their summons, Dave knocked again and called, “Hello? Anyone home?”

  After another several disappointing seconds of silence, Lilly asked, “Do you suppose it’s a vacation home? A rental or something?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Who knows?”

  He tested the knob, which, naturally, didn’t budge. “You’re not going to break in, are you?”

  He glanced at her, then stepped back, giving the solid, windowless door his scrutiny. “Long enough to use the phone to call the cops? Uh, yeah. Unless you have a better plan?”

  “Let’s look in a few windows, see if any are unlocked. You’re not going to get far through that door.” She waved a hand at the entry. “It’s solid.”

  He tested the door again, giving another firm knock and shout while she strolled down the porch, tugging at windows. When she shielded her eyes and peeked in the dusty glass, she spotted the burglar bars reinforcing the window locks. The house was definitely locked up tight and prowler-proofed.