Heart of the Hunter (19 page)

And that was how Lee found them when he rode up a few
minutes later.

He took in the scene at a glance, the body lying face down
in the dirt, Kelly being rocked in the arms of a warrior clad in buckskin
leggings and moccasins. A golden eagle hung from a leather thong around the
Indian’s neck.

Lee shivered as he met the warrior’s gaze. Looking into the
Indian’s face was like looking in a mirror.

“Blue Crow,” Lee murmured.

“
Han
.”

Lee shook his head. It wasn’t possible. But he couldn’t deny
the proof of his own eyes. “Is she all right?”

Blue Crow nodded. He tightened his hold on Kelly.

“What happened?”

“The
wasichu
threatened her life.”

“And you killed him?”

“Han.”

“Good.” Dismounting, Lee searched the dead man’s pockets.
There was no identification of any kind, only a set of car keys. “I’ll get rid
of the body.”

Blue Crow nodded, his dark eyes thoughtful as he watched Lee
place the dead man across the back of his horse, then swing up behind it.

Lee stared at Blue Crow and knew he was looking at a man who
embodied everything he himself had always yearned to be. Blue Crow was a
warrior, indomitable, courageous, filled with a calm self-assurance that came
from being at peace with one’s self. Physically they looked very much alike,
Lee thought ruefully, but that was where the comparison ended.

Blue Crow smiled under Lee’s scrutiny. “Can you not believe
the truth of your own eyes?”

“It’s hard,” Lee admitted. “Damn hard. Can you take Kelly
home?”

“Han,”
The smile faded from Blue Crow’s face and his
expression turned hard. “Be warned, Roan Horse. I will avenge any harm that
comes to Kelly because of you.”

“You think I’d hurt her?”

Blue Crow didn’t answer, but his dark eyes continued to bore
into Lee’s.

“I thought you were here to guard the gold,” Lee muttered.

“I will do that, as well. You have strayed far from the
teachings of the People, Lee Roan Horse, far from the true path. You will not
find the peace of mind you seek in a bag of gold.”

“How do you know what I’m after?”

“I know your heart,” Blue Crow replied confidently. “And I
say again, you will live to regret it if you hurt Kelly in any way.”

“I hear you,” Lee said, his voice terse. He sent a last look
at Kelly, still sleeping in Blue Crow’s arms and then he reined his horse east,
toward a deep chasm. He would dump the body there and cover it with rocks.

“Is he gone?”

“Han.”

Kelly sat up, her gaze seeking Blue Crow’s face. “You don’t
think Lee would hurt me, do you?”

Blue Crow hesitated a moment and then shook his head. “No,
he will not hurt you,
tekihila.”
His arm tightened around her waist.
“Not in the way you mean.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I think you are destined to be together, though it will be
hard for Roan Horse to admit that he needs you. He has spent his whole life
alone, relying on no one but himself. He has not learned how to share his life,
or his heart.”

“You’re wrong. He only wants the gold. He told me so.”

“Sometimes a man does not know his own heart.”

“It doesn’t matter. I told him to leave and I meant it.”
Kelly stared at Blue Crow. His silence made her uneasy. “You think I was
wrong?”

“You must do what you think is right,
tekihila.
I
cannot tell you how to live your life.”

“But you think I’m wrong?” Kelly insisted.

“It may be right, for you.”

Kelly sighed with exasperation. “Please, Blue Crow, just
tell me what you think.”

“I think you cannot fight your destiny.”

“And you think Lee is my destiny?”

“
I
think you are his.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“What do you believe in,
skuya?”

“
I
don’t know.”

“Search your heart,
tekihila.”

“I believe in you,” Kelly murmured, laying her head on his
shoulder. “I believe we were destined to be together.”

“Ah, beloved, if only it could be so.” His hand stroked her
hair, the curve of her cheek and then, reluctantly, he stood up, drawing her up
beside him. “Come, I will take you home.”

“All right.” Kelly looked at him, and then frowned. “It’s
daytime.”

He cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

“I thought you stayed in the cave during the day.”

He nodded, comprehending her question. “I heard you call me,
tekihila.”

“And you came.”

“Han.
As I will always come to you,
wastelakapi.”

Blue Crow saw Kelly safely into the house. He took her into
his arms and held her for a long moment. For a hundred years, he had waited for
her. A hundred years of darkness and loneliness. Had he ignored the urging of
his heart to go to her, had he arrived only a few moments later, she might have
been badly hurt, perhaps killed. The thought was like a knife in his heart.

Closing his eyes, he pressed his cheek to the top of her
head. Breathing deeply, he inhaled the fresh clean scent of her hair, her skin.
Her breasts were warm and soft against his bare chest, the touch of her fingers
gently kneading the muscles in his back aroused thoughts he should not have,
desires he could not fulfill.

“I must go,
tekihila,”
he murmured, his words thick
with longing.

“You’ll come back tonight, won’t you?”

“If you need me.”

“I’ll always need you.”

He looked at her through eyes filled with pain. “I think, if
you look deep in your heart, you will find that it is Roan Horse you want.”

A guilty flush heated Kelly’s cheeks. He knew, she thought,
he knew that Lee had made love to her.

A faint smile touched Blue Crow’s lips. “It is all right,
tekihila.
I knew you could not be mine.”

He placed his hand over her mouth, stilling her protest. “He
is coming. Think carefully before you send him away,” he said quietly, and then
he was gone.

Lee knocked on the front door, then shoved his hands in his
back pockets while he waited for Kelly to answer. Maybe she was right. Maybe it
was time he got the hell out of here, or at least away from her. She could keep
her damn gold. He’d leave Cedar Flats, go to California, see the ocean…

All his good intentions fled the instant she opened the
door. “What do you want?”

“I came to get my things.”

Kelly took a step back, allowing him entrance to the house.

“What did you do with…with that man?”

“You’ve got your secrets,” Lee replied curtly. “I’ve got
mine.”

“If you buried him on my property, it is my business.”

“You’re better off not knowing anything about it, Kelly. If
anybody comes around asking questions, you can honestly say you don’t know.”

She didn’t like it, but she was in no mood to argue.

“Dammit, Kelly, I don’t like leaving you here alone.”

“You mean you don’t like leaving the gold,” Kelly retorted
bitterly. “Besides, I’m not alone.”

“You mean Blue Crow?”

“Yes.”

“What’s between you two, anyway?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“He’s a ghost!”

“He loves me.”

Lee cursed softly, hating the surge of jealousy that swept
through him. Jealous! he thought irritably. He was jealous of a
hundred-year-old ghost. It was ridiculous. But he couldn’t forget how content
Kelly had looked in Blue Crow’s arms, or the trusting way she’d held onto the
ancient warrior, even in her sleep.

“I’m sure you’ll be very happy together,” Lee muttered.

“What are you going to do now?”

“What the hell do you care?”

“I don’t.” But she did care. That was what hurt. She cared
more than she wanted to admit.

Lee crossed the floor and went down the hallway to his room.
He could hear Kelly’s footsteps behind him.

“What’s the matter?” he called over his shoulder, his tone
caustic. “Afraid to leave me alone for fear I’ll steal the family silver?”

“We don’t have any silver.”

He swore again, anger and jealousy and a deep sense of loss
ripping through him, tearing at his insides like the claws of a mountain lion.
He wouldn’t have been surprised to see his life’s blood spreading over the
floor.

The first thing he saw when he walked into the guest room
was the bed, the blankets thrown back, the sheets rumpled from their lovemaking
earlier that day.

Lee shook his head ruefully. How had a day that started so
good ended up so damn bad?

He turned to find Kelly staring at him from the doorway, a
single tear glistening on her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gruffly.

She shook her head, helpless to admit that she didn’t want
him to go, that, as much as she loved Blue Crow, she was also in love with Lee.

“Kelly, I… Dammit, I’m…” He ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry, Kelly. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

With an effort, she gathered the shreds of her dignity
around her. “You didn’t.”

“Liar.”

His voice was soft, caressing. Another tear slid down her
cheek.

“Kelly…”

“Go on, go if you’re going.”

Lee took a deep breath. Maybe it was time for truth, time to
take a risk.

He took a step toward her, one hand outstretched in a silent
plea. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Hope unfurled deep within Kelly, painful in its intensity.
“I don’t want you to go,” she said, and placed her hand in his.

Slowly, Lee’s long fingers closed over hers. “It’s not
because of the gold, Kelly,” he said. “Maybe it was never the gold.”

“I want to believe you. I do believe you, but…”

“But you don’t trust me?”

“Trust has to be earned, Lee.”

A smile turned up one corner of his mouth. “You’re not gonna
make this easy for me, are you?”

“Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Lee said, a twinge of bitterness evident
in his tone. “I’ve never had anything worthwhile. Until now.”

“So,” Kelly asked, her voice shaky. “Where do we go from
here?”

“I don’t know.” Lee gazed into the blue tranquility of her
eyes and felt as if he were drowning in sunshine. “I love you, Kelly,” he
whispered fervently. “I’ve never been in love before and it scares the hell out
of me.”

“Lee…”

He pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her. “I love you,
Kelly,” he said again, surprised to discover how easily the words came to him
now.

And then, very gently, he sealed his vow with a kiss.

For a moment they stood close in each other’s arms and then
Lee drew back and gazed into Kelly’s face.

“About the gold…”

She went rigid in his arms, the softness leaving her face,
the dreamy expression melting from her eyes. “What about it?”

“Kelly, hear me out.”

“I’m listening.”

“You need to get rid of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you need to cash it in and put the money in the
bank.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s too dangerous to have it here on the ranch.”

“How do you know it’s here?”

“Because Blue Crow is here.”

“The gold’s been safe here for over a hundred years.”

“It isn’t just the gold, Kelly. You aren’t safe here,
either.”

“What do you mean? That man who…who…he’s dead, isn’t he?”

“Maybe he wasn’t alone.”

Maybe you’re working with him.
The disloyal thought
jumped to the forefront of Kelly’s mind. Maybe all Lee’s talk about loving her
was just a ruse, a way to make her lower her guard and tell him where the gold
was hidden.

As if reading her mind, Lee removed his arms from her waist
and took a step backward.

“Do whatever you want with the gold,” he said tersely. “It’s
none of my business.”

She flushed guiltily. “Lee…”

“This isn’t gonna work, Kelly.”

She stared up at him, not knowing what to say.

Lee drew in a deep breath and let it out in a soul-deep
sigh. “You don’t have to say anything. I can see the doubts in your eyes,
Kelly. You’re wondering if I’m lying about loving you, if it’s just some kind
of cheap trick to get my hands on the gold.”

“No, I—”

“You’re a terrible liar, Kelly. I can see the truth in your
face and I don’t blame you. I haven’t given you any reason to trust me.”

She was too numb for tears. The joy she’d felt only moments
before was gone, leaving the bitter taste of ashes in her mouth. But oh, he was
being so unfair! She’d only known him for a few weeks. And how could he blame
her for being just a little suspicious when, only hours ago, he had boldly
admitted that he’d come to the ranch to find the gold?

“You’re being unfair!” she exclaimed, her anger rising.

“Unfair about what?”

“Everything. It’s all happening so fast. One minute you tell
me you want the gold and the next you say you don’t want the gold, that you
love me. I don’t know what to believe.”

“Believe this,” he murmured, and, sweeping her into his
arms, he kissed her long and hard, kissed her until the world was spinning out
of control, until her blood flowed like liquid honey, until she ached with a
fierce need that made her sob his name.

Lee gazed deep into Kelly’s eyes and then, with a softly
muttered oath, he tore his lips from hers, grabbed his gear and left the house.

From the window, Kelly watched him bolt across the yard to
the barn. Ten minutes later, he emerged carrying a gunny sack.

Heart numb, she watched him slide behind the wheel of his
battered truck and roar out of the yard.

She had a terrible feeling that he wouldn’t be back.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kelly took a long hot shower, scrubbed herself from head to
foot twice, then pulled on a pair of jeans and an old sweater.