The Temptress (16 page)

“So do you when the chips are down.”

Chris tried to keep the meat from choking in her throat. “I made a mistake and I apologize. It won't happen again. Especially if you're my husband.”

“Well, I'm not going to be!” he said, moving away from the door. “If I
married
every woman I've—”

“Never mind, thank you!” she said quickly. “But, Tynan, I love you.”

“You think you're in love with what you see. Chris, I'm trying to be kind to you. What happened tonight was just what always happens when a man and a woman spend a night in a cabin alone. It was inevitable.”

Chris threw the bone in the fire, then stood, wrapping the blanket around her. “Maybe in your world it's inevitable, but not in mine. When I was investigating the Mexican government, I spent three nights alone with a Mexican guard and he never touched me.”

“How many guns were you holding on him?”

“One very small pistol,” she said with a smile. “Tynan, I—”

“There's no more to be said. I want you to lay down and sleep. It's best if we forget what happened here tonight.”

“Forget, but—”

“What do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you the
truth?
The
truth
is that all you are to me is one hot little morsel and I finally took a bite. You're no more or less to me except a way to get a pardon from prison. You're more trouble than a corral full of sheriffs and half the time you're not even as much fun, what with your do-gooder attitude of wanting to save the world. All I want is to turn you over to your father, get my pardon—if he'll give it to me after violating his pure daughter—and get the hell away from you and your kind. Now, have I made myself clear?”

Chris straightened her spine. “Perfectly,” she said through a throat that was swelling shut. “And you'll get your pardon. I'll see to that.”

She didn't want him to see how horrible she was feeling. Slowly, she turned her back to him, dropped the blanket and began to dress in her damp under clothing.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing that will interfere with your pardon.”

“Chris, wait…”

She didn't look at him. “You've had your say, and, if you don't mind, I'd rather not hear anymore. You may have your blanket back. I wouldn't want to cause you more inconvenience. I shall stay here in this corner until morning.”

She didn't look at him again as she sat down with her back to the wall.

Morning came much too soon. Chris had slept very little and her head and eyes ached. Twice Tynan tried to talk to her but she turned away. The rain had stopped and, without a word between them, they left the cabin. Tynan put out his hand to help her mount but she moved away from him and mounted by herself.

They had to ride quite far to find a fordable place in the stream, and all the while, Chris did her best to keep from touching Tynan, and she never once spoke to him.

When they finally reached the Hamilton house, she was never so glad to see anything in her life.

“We're going to leave in one hour,” Tynan said but she refused to look at him. He caught her arm as she started to walk away. “Did you hear me? I'm taking you out of this place and back to your father where you belong.”

Chris jerked away from him. “I've heard
every
word that you've had to say,” she said as she turned away and started back to the house. She hesitated for a moment on the outskirts of the garden, wondering what her reception would be, if Owen knew where she was or if anyone had been looking for her. Idly, she picked a tall daisy, twirled it in her hands before putting her chin back and moving forward. As she entered the garden at the back of the house, she saw Owen, and Asher with his back to her.

Owen stopped talking, his eyes widened and the next minute, Asher turned, saw her, and was running toward her with his arms outstretched. He caught her in an exuberant hug, lifting her off the ground, twirling her about.

“Chris,” he said with his face buried in her neck. “I was worried to death. Are you all right? You aren't hurt?”

She hugged him back with enthusiasm. It was so very, very good to feel wanted. “Yes,” she managed to whisper because her throat was overcome with tears.

But the next moment her tears disappeared because a shot rang out. She could feel the hot rush of the bullet as it went tearing past the back of Ash's head. Chris looked down at the suddenly headless flower in her hand then at Tynan standing a few feet away, a smoking gun in his hand. He'd shot the flower, which she'd held as she'd hugged Asher, away.

Unity came running from the house. “What's goin' on? I heard a shot.”

Tynan was looking at Chris and she was glaring back at him in return, her arms still around Ash.

“Just doin' some weedin', ma'am,” he drawled before turning away.

“What was that all about?” Asher asked.

Chris threw the headless flower down on the ground as if it were poison. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” She looked up as Owen came toward them.

“Diana, we were very worried about you. No one knew where you were. We've been out all night looking for you.”

For the first time, she looked at the two men, saw the way they were dirty and tired-looking, with unshaved cheeks.

“I saddled my own horse when I left,” she mumbled. “We found shelter from the rain. Could I see you for a moment?” she asked, turning to the man who was playing her husband.

“Of course, dear, you must be very tired.” Like a concerned husband, Ash escorted her into the house and up the stairs to the room they shared.

“All right,” he said as soon as they were alone, “I want to know where you've been and what was going on outside. Has that man done anything to you?”

“Not anymore than I've asked for. Turn your head; I want to change out of this. I followed Owen and that dreadful man, Beynard Dysan, out into the forest.”

“What makes him dreadful? He was looking for you as hard as any of us were.”

“Keep looking out the window, if you don't mind. I don't know what it was that made me dislike him in the first place, but after what I heard, I know I was right. He and Owen are planning to murder Lionel and blame it on you.”

“Me? But what do I have to do with the brat?”

“Not you, but Whitman Eskridge, the one who embezzled and beats his wife and—”

“Beats his wife?” Ash said with a smile in his voice. “I didn't know about that.”

“Well, I hope you never find out,” she said quickly. “But that's where I was: hiding in the bushes and listening to Owen talk to that man.”

“You rode up there and they never saw or heard you?”

Chris thought about the few moments before Tynan had appeared, then it had seemed that the men had known of her whereabouts and were coming after her. But of course that had been her imagination. “The storm was just beginning and they didn't hear me over the rain and thunder. The only problem now is that that…man is insisting that we leave here now. In fact, he wanted us to leave directly from the forest and not even come back here to warn you.”

Asher didn't say anything.

“Well?” Chris said. “You see that we can't leave now, don't you? We have to protect Lionel.” She was dressed and she went to stand before him.

Ash looked down at her. “How did Tynan find you?”

“I don't know. Followed me, I guess.”

Asher put both his hands on her arms. “Chris, I think Ty's right. You should be on your way back to your father's right now. If you hadn't come back, I would have looked for you for another couple of days, then I'd have left and gone back to your father's, too. Then everyone would have been safe. It wasn't very smart of you to come back here knowing that there might be a murderer.”

She moved away from him. “But what about Lionel? Doesn't anyone care that he might lose his life?”

“All we have to do is alert the local sheriff. If he questions Hamilton, that'll put Owen on his guard.”

“So he'll kill Lionel in a very, very secretive way. I'm sure it'll look like an accident and Owen will be no where in the vicinity.”

“That's not my concern. My concern is you. I think we should get out of here as soon as possible. Today.” He moved toward the wardrobe and withdrew her carpet bag. “I want you to pack right now. I'll tell Owen that the dangers of this place are too great for a lady like you and that I've decided to take you back East where you belong.”

“I won't go,” she said, glaring up at him.

“Then I shall tell him who you really are. I don't think we'll be welcome after that. Get packed, rest, and I'll be back in an hour or so. I want to talk to Tynan first.”

“Don't talk to him!” Chris said angrily. “He wants to get rid of me as soon as he can.”

Asher paused at the door. “On the trail back, I want you to tell me what went on when the two of you were gone all night. But now, to discourage you from trying to do something brave and stupid, I'm going to lock this door. I'll see you in an hour.”

Before Chris could say another word, he was out the door and she heard the key turn in the lock. For a moment, she leaned against the door and cursed all men everywhere, but then she looked at the soft bed, spread with clean, fragrant sheets, and she walked toward it as if she were in a trance. She was asleep almost before she landed.

The sunlight was coming into the room and Chris was deeply asleep when she felt the hand on her mouth. Her eyes flew open in alarm—only to see a man with a black cloth hood over his face.

“Be quiet, missy, and you won't get hurt. You're gonna take a little ride with us.”

She didn't recognize the voice nor the shape of the body. She tried to struggle but the man held her easily as he tied a tight gag about her mouth and then tied her hands. Even when she tried to kick him, he clamped down on her ankles with big, hamlike hands.

He tied her with what seemed to be yards of fine, flexible rope that cut into her when she tried to make any movement, tied her as if she were a corpse bound for burial at sea. When he was finished, little more than Chris's eyes were visible, even her hair, loose down her back, was fastened to her body.

He easily lifted her body and slung it over one wide shoulder and carried her toward the window. A ladder stood ready and, as if she were a rolled-up carpet, he carried her to the ground.

Chris tried to turn her head to see if there was anyone about, but her bindings made movement impossible. A horse awaited him in the trees and he tossed her across the saddle and mounted behind her, then took off quietly so no one could hear him. Chris thought that everywhere she went she was seen by someone, but now that she needed help, no one was near.

She didn't think any more because her captor had speeded their progress and the saddle was pounding into her soft stomach. For the next few hours, she did nothing but try to keep from being sick.

It was nearly nightfall when she became aware that there was another rider beside them. She didn't know when he'd joined them but, when at last the horse she was on came to a stop, she heard the man who'd taken her speak.

“She give you any trouble?”

“No. Yours?”

“Not in the least. Untie her. They'll not last long like this.”

The man pulled Chris from the horse and put her on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see another bundle, completely immobile like she was, being removed from another horse. The other man put the semi-corpse next to her but Chris couldn't turn her head to see who it was. It was only when the man began to unwind her and he freed her head so that she could see, that she looked—and gasped.

Pilar lay beside her and looked as surprised to see Chris.

The man removed her gag. “What are you doing here?” she managed to gasp. “What is this?”

“Cut the noise,” the big man said. The other captor was tall and thin. “We don't want to hear you. You want some water or not?”

Greedily, Chris's shaky hands took the dirty tin mug the man offered.

“Who are you?” she asked the man. “What do you want?”

“You want the ropes on you again?”

Chris started to reply but she felt Pilar's hand on her arm. Looking at the dark woman, she saw Pilar shake her head slightly. Chris turned away but she said nothing more. Minutes later, the big man hauled Chris to her feet and tossed her into the saddle.

“I don't like talkative women,” he said into her ear. “You keep your mouth shut and we'll get along fine. You open it and I'll have to shut it. You understand?”

She saw him throw the hood on the ground but she didn't twist around to look at him; she was too busy trying to keep her seat on the horse and to avoid the man's hands that were beginning to creep over her body.

“Chris and I are leaving in less than an hour,” Tynan said to Asher, his mouth in a straight line, his eyes angry.

“Wait a minute, I want to talk to you.”

“I don't have time,” Tynan said, starting to walk away. “You can come with us or not, your choice.”

Asher caught his arm. “I want to know what happened last night. Where were you two all night? And what do you mean by shooting so close to my head? I ought to—”

“What, Prescott? You ought to what?”

Asher took a step backward. “Look, I'm in this as much as you are. Mathison hired you to take me to Chris, and you were to help me win her for my wife. So far all you've done is keep her to yourself. And now you spend the night with her doing only God knows what.”

“That's right, only God knows because I'm sure as hell not going to tell you. Now I'll tell you again: Chris and I are leaving in one hour and you can go or stay, it's up to you.”

“I'll be there,” Asher said, “don't you worry about that.”

With anger on his face, Asher made his way back up the stairs to the room he shared with Chris. Damn! but that man could be highhanded. He was a good man to have on a trail but there were times when he overstepped himself.

He tried to regain his composure before he went to Chris. He'd hated locking her inside, but he knew it was the only way he could keep her from doing something stupid.

Very quietly, he unlocked the door to the bedroom. She'd damn well
better
marry him after all she'd put him through—and all he'd done in an attempt to please her. Right away, he saw that she wasn't there. His first thought was that she'd climbed out the window, but one glance out there, at the impossibly small ledge, showed him that she couldn't have gone out that way.