Ex, Why, and Me (11 page)

“It’s what brought you back to Carbon Hill, you know.”

“What did?” she asked, her pace slowing down.

“Your mojo. You lost it. Couldn’t find it, so you came back where you last had it.”

“Sshh…” She held up her hand.

They froze as they heard footsteps racing around them. Ryan hated not being able to see. Hated the vulnerable position they had put themselves in. They waited, guns ready, until the scuffling footsteps faded.

“I did not leave my mojo here,” Michelle said as they went back to crawling on their bellies. “I think I would have noticed it was gone way before now.”

“When you lived in Carbon Hill, you went after whatever you wanted and you got it.” Did she know how unusual that was? She might take that for granted. “You made things work your way.”

“You can’t beat that feeling,” she said with a wistful smile. “But Carbon Hill has nothing to do with it.”

“Okay, from the way you’re explaining it, the moment you leave town, that mojo starts to fade.” Something niggled in the back of his mind. He had a feeling they shouldn’t discuss this.

What if the mojo had started fading before she left town. After all, her first time wasn’t perfect. Did he have something to do with this? Was he going to have to fix it?

Michelle paused from crawling. “I like who I was back then. I felt like I could do anything.”

So did he, but he found this version of Michelle even more fascinating. “You liked it when life came easy.”

“That, too.” She sighed and collapsed on the track. “Well, thanks a lot, Ryan,” she said, her voice muffled against her arm. “You have totally depressed me.”

“What’s your problem?” Ryan looked around them. “You don’t like things too easy.”

Michelle groaned but didn’t look up. “Think again.”

“Back then, if there was an opportunity, you went for it, and you gave it your all. And guess what? You got everything you wanted. Probably because you weren’t dreaming big.” Unlike Ryan, who dreamed too big. But at least he knew it.

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing,” Michelle said, lifting her head. “My dad was out of a job and we were barely making ends meet. There was no point in dreaming big.”

“Exactly.” She should be reaching for the stars, but she was pulling herself back.

“Then everyone in town backs me up, and all of a sudden I’m not in control of my goals. The dream starts getting bigger and bigger.”

“Hold that thought.” He pointed past her. “The exit is right there.”

She looked at where he indicated. “How are we going to get there? There’s no cover.”

“We run like hell.”

Michelle looked back at him. “That’s it? Just run? It’s out in the open.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Makes things exciting, don’t you think?”

Michelle snorted. “You mean harder.”

“Same thing.”

She sighed and got into a crouching position. “You better watch my back.” Michelle closed her eyes, muttered something that could have either been a prayer or a curse, and stepped out from under the train.

Ryan didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until he stretched to his full height and no one took a shot at him. No reason to test his luck any further. “Ready? Run!”

Michelle grabbed his shirt before he could move. “This is your idea of strategy?” she asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. “We could get ambushed.”

“The strategy is simple. Don’t get hit.”

“Stop.” She held on tighter. “The exit is right there, and they have no one covering it. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

“Yeah, now that you’ve mentioned it.” There were mountains of boxcars and parts on either side of the path to the exit. No telling what could be lurking in the shadows. “Okay, new plan. Keep your back against the wall and look out for the authorities.”

“Got it.” She hurried to the closest wall and slammed her back against it. The sound of metal reverberated around them. “Sorry.”

“If there’s anyone lurking,” Ryan said, walking down the middle of the pathway, his gun ready, “I’ll draw them out, and then you shoot them.”

“Me?” She almost dropped her gun. “I’ve never shot one of these things.”

He pivoted on his feet and looked for any blind spots. “You were ready to shoot Brandy.”

“That’s different.”

It probably was. She didn’t have to think about it. Didn’t have to gear up for it. “Then channel that feeling and aim it at the authorities.”

“I’m not experienced with this thing.” Her voice wavered with nervousness. “Let’s switch.”

“Michelle”—he looked above her, but didn’t see anybody—“I wouldn’t ask you to do it if I didn’t think you could.”

“Ryan! Over there! Uh…uh…one o’clock!”

He didn’t look. He reached, ducking, and rolled out of the line of fire. But the guy didn’t let up. He was spraying paintballs and Ryan didn’t know which way to run for cover.

“Bulls-eye!” Michelle yelled with victory.

Ryan kept rolling as the rainfall of paintballs stopped. He lay on his back, trapped against the wall, the gun on the ground where he first rolled. Damn!

But the baller didn’t shoot. Ryan was unarmed and vulnerable. What was going on? Ryan looked at where the shots were fired and saw their opponent inspecting the smear of paint on his leg.

“Whoo-hoo!” Michelle ran for Ryan. “I did it! I did it! Uh-huh, uh-huh.” She did some sort of dance move that was relegated to wedding receptions, and only when everyone was drunk. “Did you see that?”

“Lucky hit,” the guy called out.

“Aw, don’t be a sore loser. You are out. Uh-huh, Uhhuh.” She did that weird chicken dance again and raised her fist above her head. “I’m king of the—”

He heard it. Saw the cloud of paint fanning around her back. Michelle’s mouth sagged open. She didn’t look behind her. It didn’t matter anymore.

“I’ve been hit.”

“Do you watch football?” Ryan asked Michelle as the paintball referee escorted them to the exit.

“Not if I can help it,” she said, looking straight ahead. She didn’t need to look at Ryan to know he was not happy.

“Do you know when the player does the touchdown dance? Do you know
why
they call it a
touchdown
dance?”

Michelle clenched her teeth.

“It’s because the player has to make the touchdown
before
the dance.”

She turned sharply and glared at Ryan. “Are you done?”

“I’m just warming up.”

Michelle pointed at the area where she had been shot down. “You should have been watching my back. What happened?”

Ryan’s eyes widened at her complaint. “I was
on
my back and I didn’t have my gun.”

Michelle scoffed. “Excuses, excuses.”

“It’s a fact. You were there.” He gestured at her and then at the spot on the ground. “You saw it happen.”

She wasn’t listening to him anymore. “And now I have this huge paint blotch on my favorite jacket. It’s never going to come out.” She could feel it seeping into the fabric, touching her shirt. Michelle quickly shrugged the jacket off.

“Michelle and Ryan, what happened?” Annie’s voice was almost a whine. “You were so close to the finish line.”

Oh, great. That was going to start Ryan off all over again. “Now what?” Michelle asked as she wrapped the jacket sleeves around her waist.

“Well, in the legend, the authorities chased Homer and Ida to the river bluffs.”

“River bluffs?” Ryan’s tone was sharp and clipped.

“On foot,” Annie added.

Michelle’s blisters on her heel started to pulse. “Are you sure they didn’t take a car?”

“The authorities did,” Annie admitted. “And they will for this reenactment, but Homer and Ida didn’t.”

“We have to get to the bluffs on foot?” Michelle verified. “And keep from getting caught?”

“That’s right. There’s a checkpoint where we’re going to meet you.” She gave them a map. “You’ll want to get there before dark, or you’ll be communing with nature tonight.”

“Fun.” Michelle looked at Ryan, who looked grim. Or tired. Probably still pissed off at her.

“At least you’re wearing tennis shoes,” he said.

And he was still Mr. Ray of Sunshine. Did he do that just to annoy her? Most likely.

Michelle made a face and returned her attention to Annie. “What happens when we get caught?”

“You mean if,” Ryan said.

There was that optimism again. He needed to get medical attention for that. It couldn’t be healthy.

“Then we’ll take you back to this starting point and you’ll have to do it again,” Annie explained.

Michelle rubbed her forehead as a headache began to brew behind her temples. How had she gotten herself stuck in this? Oh, yeah. Vanessa. The friend who was supposed to look out for her, not throw her to the hungry wolves. Vanessa had a lot of groveling to do after this hunt.

“Anything else?” Michelle asked.

“Yeah,” Annie said, not looking her in the eye. “Because you were caught, you are required to take on one more element of the legend.”

Michelle winced and closed her eyes. “Tell me it’s not a dog.”
Please, please, please. No more animals.

A spontaneous, nervous laugh escaped from Annie. “No, no dog. I promise.” She reached for Michelle’s right hand and snapped a metal cuff around her wrist.

Michelle looked down, her mouth sagging open, as she saw Annie cuff Ryan’s left wrist. Her eyes grew wide.

Ryan yanked away from Michelle, but he didn’t get far. The chain was short and strong. They were stuck.

“No, no, no.” She refused to believe that anyone would handcuff her. Especially to Ryan Slater! The panic flashed in her chest as she stared at Annie’s apologetic expression. “No! You have
got
to be kidding.”

“Stop!” Michelle said as she quit kicking the fallen leaves when she heard the rush of water. She couldn’t see it, but they had to be near. And about time, because she was one step away from chewing her hand off to regain her freedom. “I said stop!”

“You keep falling behind.” Ryan slowed down and looked over his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you for asking,” Michelle said as she brushed the hair out of her eyes. “I’m fine. I would feel even better if a guy wasn’t
dragging me handcuffed across the countryside.”
She lifted her right hand and jingled the chain that connected them.

Ryan walked toward a tree stripped of its leaves. “Catch your breath here for a few minutes.”

“Minutes?” She leaned against the thick trunk. It was scratchy and leaned at an odd angle, but it was better than walking. “How about a half an hour?”

“We don’t need to get caught.”

Like she hadn’t figured that out on her own. “We are well off the beaten path. What am I saying? There is no path.” She rubbed her wrist under the handcuff. The metal chafed her skin.

“I wouldn’t be too sure. These guys are following us and there are only a few ways to get to the river bluffs.”

Michelle glanced around the ground. “Is there a sharp rock around here?”

Ryan took a step back. “If you try to brain me with anything, then you’ll be dragging dead weight. It’s best to keep me conscious.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” she muttered darkly. “I want a sharp rock to break this chain. It would make this trek easier.”

Ryan was already shaking his head at her idea. “A rock isn’t going to do the trick. You need something that’s going to cut through metal.”

Michelle groaned and trudged her feet forward. It wasn’t as if she had any choice in the matter. Wherever Ryan chose to go, she was forced to follow. “How is it that you make a mistake and we’re both punished? It’s so unfair.”

He stopped abruptly. “Wait.”

She lost her balance. Her legs kicked in the air and she caught herself before falling in the dirt. “Hey, stop that!”

“This is my fault?” He sounded incredulous. “Is that what you think?”

Hadn’t he been listening? “You were supposed to watch my back,” she said as if she were talking to a toddler.

“I did.” He tapped his chest with his cuffed hand, Michelle’s hand flopping next to his. “But there’s only so much I can do when you’re doing the chicken dance out in the open.”

She cast a withering glare in his direction, but it was useless. The man was immune to them. “First of all, it was a celebration dance. Second, watching my back is watching my back. There are no excuses. It doesn’t matter if I was standing still or doing backflips. You were supposed to watch my back.”

She walked away, determined to lead them to the bluff. The sooner they got there, the sooner this stupid handcuff would be removed. But Ryan refused to follow. He stood still, and with one sharp move of his arm, she boomeranged back, colliding into his chest.

“Would you stop doing that?” she asked through clenched teeth. She pushed away from him, refusing to notice the solid muscle and heat under her palm.

“Can’t blame a guy for having some fun,” he said in a low, soft voice.

“Yes, I can.” She pulled away but Ryan wasn’t finished. Another sharp tug and she was sprawled against him again.

“You need to stop doing that,” Ryan told her. “You’re going to pull your arm socket out like that.”

Michelle’s eyes narrowed into slits as she heard his laugh rumble in his chest. “Knock it off,” she said as she stepped away from him.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll…” What could she do that wasn’t going to affect her? Nothing, that’s what. And from the smug expression on the rat bastard’s face, he knew it.

“Face it, Michelle. This handcuff is an inconvenience”—he held it in front of her face—“but it gives me the power.”

A violent jolt of awareness forked through her body. “No, it doesn’t,” she said hoarsely.

“We are both right-handed, but look at this.” He held up their chained hands. “Only your right hand is cuffed. How about that?”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Her skin felt hot and tight. “For all you know, I could be ambidextrous.”

Ryan didn’t seem too concerned about the possibility. “I’m bigger than you.” He braced his legs and folded his arms across his chest. “Taller. Stronger.”

Did he expect her to get on her knees and sing his praises? She looked at his feet as an idea formed. “You’re forgetting something.”

He arched one eyebrow. “What’s that?”

She dropped to her knees and quickly crawled between his legs, taking his left hand with her, before he wised up to her plan. Ryan somersaulted and fell onto the ground with a whomp. She could have sworn the ground shook. Her right arm sure did.

She rose to her feet and brushed the dirt off her hands. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall. How about that?”

Michelle shrieked and jumped back as Ryan made a grab for her. “Don’t you dare!” She dodged his big hands, but he was fast. Where was this speed when she was getting shot in the back with paint? “Stop it!”

“Michelle,” he said as he got to his feet. “You can’t get away from me, so stop running.”

Like she was going to listen to him. She ran clockwise, and when he made a grab, she went counterclockwise.

Ryan started to laugh. “You look like a tether ball doing that.”

“All right, all right.” She stomped her foot. As long as he wasn’t mad, she’d stop. “Let’s start acting like adults here.”

Ryan made a face. “Sure, you decide this after you drop me on my ass.”

Michelle smiled. It was surprising that maneuver had worked. She was quite proud of it. “Are you going to tell your bowling buddies about that?”

His mouth sagged open. “Hell, no.”

“Can I?” She scurried back when he approached her. “Kidding! I swear I’m kidding!”

Ryan’s eyes widened. He moved quickly. At her. “Michelle—”

She jumped back. “Stop it—”

“Don’t go—” He pounced as she dodged.

“Whoa!” She felt the ground taper off under her feet. She reeled back, trying to get away from the ledge. Ryan made a grab for her, but it was too late. They went tumbling down the grassy hill.

Ryan was suddenly on top of her. His arms cushioned her back, his hands cradling her head. When the ground leveled and they skidded to a stop, she was lying on top of him next to the gurgling river.

“Okay,” Michelle said in a squeak. “That hurt.”

“Uh-huh.” He continued to stare at the sky. The guy looked dazed.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she got off of him in a hurry. “Did you hurt anything?”

“Just my pride.”

“How about important stuff?” she asked, looking for any broken bones. “Limbs? Feet? Head?”

He rose onto his elbows. “Clear. What about…” His voice trailed off. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” She brushed her hand against her mouth and nose. “Do I have something on me?”

“Wait, let me check.” Ryan got to his knees, his gaze intent on the area next to her ear.

“What is it?” She cringed and hunched her shoulders. “Is it a bug? Oh, God, is it a spider?”

“Hold still.”

She felt his gentle touch against her hairline. “Is it in my hair?” She shivered at the thought. That was one thing she couldn’t handle. Michelle raised her hands, ready to scratch whatever it was out of there.

“It’s blood.”

Michelle’s eyelids snapped open. She stared at the red streak on Ryan’s thumb. “Blood? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He reached up and flicked her earlobe with his fingertips. “You have a small cut next to your ear.”

How did she manage that? Michelle raised her right hand to check and the metal glittered in the sunlight. “I must have nicked it with the handcuffs.”

Ryan stood up and helped her to her feet. “Let’s get closer to the water and I’ll clean it.”

“Clean my cut with
river water?”
All the warm fuzzy feeling of having Ryan taking care of her evaporated. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“C’mon, Michelle,” he coaxed as he guided her toward the water’s edge.

Didn’t this guy know anything about bacteria? Germs? She dug her feet into the ground, but it didn’t work as he led her to the water. “Hey, hey, hey. Stop pulling me around. I can still flip you.”

His dangerous look made her pulse skip a beat. “Try it and I will flip you over my knee and—”

She gasped as something hot and forbidden flared between her legs. “Try
that
and—”

Ryan looked past her shoulder and tensed. “Uh-oh. They spotted us.” He broke into a full-throttle sprint, the jagged pain ripping through her arm as he dragged her behind him. “Run!”

Ryan couldn’t believe they didn’t get caught. Did he mistake a fisherman with one of the players? Were the opponents disinterested now that they couldn’t shoot paintballs at them?

It didn’t matter now, and he had a feeling that those guys were done for the night. While he was hiking the bluffs to the top, chained to Michelle.

He had to get to the top before it turned dark. If they were stuck together for the rest of the night, he was in trouble. Nothing, not even a handcuff, was going to stop him from making love to Michelle.

He paused to watch the sun setting over the river. It would be a matter of minutes before it turned dark. They weren’t going to make it.

His cock stirred as anticipation filled him. He wanted Michelle more than anything. More than he had five years ago. Or was the need different? The yearning wasn’t a dull ache like before. It pierced him like a knife.

“Well, one thing’s for sure,” Ryan said as he continued up the trail, trying to think of something else. Anything else. “Homer and Ida didn’t hide any treasure here.”

“Really?” Michelle looked around him, probably wondering what he saw that helped that decision. “How do you know that?”

“Because the commute is insane.”

She let out a tired chuckle. “Amen to that.”

“There are a couple of other things that wouldn’t make it work. All the coming and going would raise suspicion. Not to mention, it would be too heavy to carry items from the tracks.”

“True,” Michelle agreed.

Ryan stopped and looked at her. “You know, for a minute there it sounded like you believe there’s a treasure.”

She went a couple more steps before she finally said, “I think there was a treasure. I’m not saying it’s still around.”

“Wow, I never thought you would say that. What made you change your mind?”

“Because no one—even hardworking horseradish farmers—would put up with all this unless they were protecting something good.”

“Yeah, I agree with that.” Ryan watched the sun dip past the horizon. Only streaks of red and orange lingered in the evening sky. The excitement simmered deep inside him. “It’s getting dark.”

“Walk faster,” she urged him.

“There’s no way we can walk this trail without any light.” The moon was probably behind some clouds. At least he thought so. He wasn’t one to track the moon on the calendar.

She put her hand on his arm. “Just a little bit farther? Please?”

“Okay.” He might be eager over the idea of spending the night under the stars with Michelle, but she would rather face a slippery dark trail. That was a blow to his ego. “We should have reached the top of the bluff by now.”

“I know. What if we’re on the wrong bluff?”

He didn’t even want to consider it. “Michelle, if you have something to say, can you try for something upbeat. Maybe encouraging?”

“Fine.” One little word conveyed one big attitude.

“Fine.” Yeah, his seduction technique sucked. What was it about Michelle that made him do everything wrong?

“I’ll keep quiet, then.”

“An even better plan.” He squeezed his eyes shut. He was getting worse!

They had walked a couple more steps when Michelle sighed. “Ryan, I am sorry I got you into this.”

“You don’t need to be. I volunteered.” He had been surprised when he did, but now he realized that it all made sense. Michelle Nelson was his weak spot. Always had been, always would.

Did he still love her? He didn’t know how to answer that. What he felt for her was different. Before, she had been his muse, his inspiration. He had put her on a pedestal.

Today, she was so off that pedestal. The woman was pushy, sarcastic, and negative. And he wouldn’t change a thing, Ryan thought with a wry smile. If he had to choose a partner to be handcuffed to, or to face any challenge, it would be Michelle.

“You volunteered because of me,” Michelle said. “And I really owe you after this.”

“You don’t owe me anything.” He didn’t want her to hang around because she felt obligated.

“Yeah, I do. I got you into this mess. And then I messed up and got us handcuffed.” She jingled the metal to punctuate her statement.

“Which is a nice bonus.”

She wasn’t listening. “But most of all, I’m sorry I bugged you about your artwork. That was out of line.”

His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What about it?”

“See?” She rapped her knuckles against his shoulders. “You’re already tensing up.”

He forced himself to relax. “No, I’m not.”

“I didn’t realize how,” she carefully chose her words, “aggressive I was about it. I was trying to be supportive. I’m sorry and I’m not going to say another word about your artwork.”

He liked the idea of her support. He wanted it, probably more than anyone else’s. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Yeah, it is. Support is a very big deal, but there’s a dark side to it. Everyone’s been very supportive about my career, but they can be very pushy.”

He remembered what she had said while they were under the boxcars. “That’s what you meant about the dream getting bigger and bigger.”

“There’s a lot of expectation,” she admitted. “Sometimes it’s different from your own, and you don’t know which direction to go.”

“You’ll find your way.” She might take some wrong turns, but Michelle wouldn’t take long to figure out what she wanted or how she was going to get it.

“How can you be so sure?” Her voice was quiet and hesitant.

“Because I watched you for years, and I see what you’re capable of. You can do anything.” He used to think it came to her effortlessly. He never looked behind the image to see the hard work she put into it. “It’s not luck, or what you call mojo. It’s you.”