Wild Is the Night (11 page)

“Easy there,” Luke chuckled, then stopped when he saw the murderous look she threw him. “What’s the matter now?”

“Where am I supposed to…” Helplessly, she indicated the wide open prairie, with little more cover than the shrubs growing along the stream bank.

“Oh, that’s right. You’ve never been on a trail, have you?” Swinging down from the mustang, he tied the sash to a young cottonwood, then dug a hole in the ground with his boot. “That’s it.”

Amanda stared at him in astonishment. “I couldn’t possibly…”

“What do you think you do? There aren’t any damned chamberpots out here.”

“You don’t have to swear.”

“Amanda.” Luke tried to be patient as she ignored him and scooped up the water to offer Aesop a drink, refusing to look at him. “I’m going to walk away now. When I come back, you’d best be ready because I’m riding. Get it?”

“I get it,” she snapped, furious with his cavalier attitude. Waiting until he was well out of earshot, she did as he suggested, wishing that she was back in school, at home in her boardinghouse, anywhere but here. She had more than a few unkindly thoughts about her editor, and for the first time, wondered if it was all worth it. Finishing with a splash of cool water and an icy drink, she glanced toward the horizon.

It couldn’t be, but it was.

The small cloud of dust grew larger as the group of riders approached, and Amanda screamed, running toward the clump of brush where Luke stood with his back to her. She had no idea of what he was doing, but he looked anything but pleased to see her when she ran up behind him.

“Luke! Someone’s coming! You don’t think—”

“Jesus Christ,” Luke swore, then gestured toward the horse. “Go untie her, dammit! Of all the luck…” He kicked furiously at the ground, still refusing to turn around. “Now!”

Amanda ran toward the mare, her fingers shaking as she fought with the sash, trying to undo Luke’s knot. He joined her a moment later, just as she freed the horse. He grabbed the sash, commanded the animal to lie down, then gestured toward Amanda.

“Get that damned bird and take cover behind those shrubs. Don’t come out no matter what. Damn, I can’t believe they followed us out here.”

Amanda’s mouth went dry, and she scurried to do as she was told. Taking refuge just beyond the stream, she saw Luke snatch up his gun, using the mustang as a shield. The dust cloud grew larger, then the first shots rang out, the sound softer out here in the open air, but somehow more deadly.

“Luke—” Amanda cried out, hating the helpless feeling of watching as the men approached, their guns firing.

“Stay the hell down and shut up!” Luke snapped.

Amanda didn’t even think to get insulted. Gunfire ruffled the grass beside her and she flattened down, terrified. Luke rose just a fraction of an inch, aimed his gun at the first rider, then fired. At once the man tumbled to the earth, his body rolling while his mount came to a halt just a few feet away. The two others reined up their horses and found themselves staring down at the heavy Colt .44, and the deadly eyes of the man who held it.

“Go ahead and fire,” Luke said softly. “I guarantee I’ll take one of you with me. Whether it’s you,” he indicated the gangly deputy, “or you,” he gestured to his bewhiskered companion. “One of you will not wake up tomorrow. Now, who wants to die?”

No one spoke for a moment, and all eyes fell to the ground. Luke’s boot was planted firmly on the sheriff’s chest. A small trickle of blood issued down the lawman’s sleeve, from a wound that looked more painful than dangerous. The two men exchanged glances, then the sheriff spoke in a resigned voice.

“Drop ‘em, boys. Ain’t worth a killing, just to fix Jack Haley’s mirrors. That bar’s been needing work, anyway.”

The deputies tossed their weapons to the ground, the older man first, then the younger. Luke glanced back at Amanda, his gun still trained on the two men.

“Grab their guns and stay down.”

Frightened more than a spooked doe, Amanda crawled forth and did as he said, her hands shaking as they touched the hot metal of the Colts. She scooped them up into her skirt, then scuttled back to the brush, aware of the men’s eyes on her as they glanced from her to the gunman.

“Now you boys take off on those horses and don’t look back. I’ll just keep your boss here with me for a spell, to make sure you aren’t tempted.”

The two men started to object, but the sheriff, responsible for their lives, indicated that they should ride. Reluctantly, the two men tugged on their reins, then slowly started back toward Abilene. Luke waited until they were gone from sight before he removed his boot and helped the sheriff to his feet.

“You lettin’ me go?” The sheriff rubbed his wrist, massaging the flesh wound, half-expecting a bullet as a reply.

Luke shrugged. “I’m not going to kill you. But I’m keeping your horse.”

“What?” The sheriff’s head snapped up and he stared at Luke, realizing that he was lucky to be alive, but unwilling to part with his mount.

Luke gestured to the horizon. “If I know your boys, they’ll come gunning back here, hell for leather, once you’re with them. I can’t risk that. Now, it’s well past noon, and Abilene is more than a stone’s throw. I suggest you start walking.”

The lawman scooped up his hat, glanced at the horse, then turned back to the trail. He was beaten, and he knew it. Luke waited until the sheriff had walked far enough away that he was beginning to fade from sight before he turned back to Amanda.

“All right, let’s get out of here. They’ll be after us in less than an hour, I’d say.”

“But—”

“Hold onto the horse while I get the other. We don’t have time to discuss this in committee.”

“I’m not a committee!” Amanda protested, snatching up the sash and gripping the slender silk cord in both hands. Luke rode up a few minutes later, accepted Aesop, then attached the metal cage to the leather reins of his new mount. He slid down, and helped Amanda onto the sheriff’s horse before taking the mustang bareback.

“Let’s get going. I have no desire to be hung as a horse thief, do you?”

Amanda had nothing to say to that, especially when she noticed a tiny cloud way off in the distance once more. Whether it was the men returning or reinforcements, she didn’t bother to calculate.

Sometimes, it just wasn’t worth it.

Nightfall came to the prairie in a blazing splash of color. Amanda had seen sunsets before, but when she gazed at the western sky, washed with crimson, scarlet, flaming trails of fuchsia, deep purple, and magenta, she felt utterly awed and humble. Without the obstruction of houses and trees, the sky seemed to reach right down to the earth, to wrap her in its hot seductive embrace, to include her in one final moment of glory before the curtain of darkness descended.

They had been riding hard all day, and although sitting on top of her own mount with a real saddle and bridle was an improvement, Amanda decided she would never love horses. She’d fallen several times, and her muscles refused to relax or adjust to the strain of riding. The sheriff’s mount had none of the exuberance of the spirited creature they’d found on the plains, and was a little easier to manage. Surprisingly, she discovered that there was one aspect of sharing a horse with Luke that she missed. She had enjoyed him holding her, the security she felt in his arms, for all of the other embarrassing aspects. Briskly, she reminded herself that she wasn’t supposed to feel any of that, yet as she stared at the back of the man before her, she couldn’t help thinking it.

Amanda would have been surprised to learn that Luke was having much the same problem. For all Amanda’s fussing and fidgeting earlier, he missed having her that close to him. Reminding himself that such thoughts were not only foolish but dangerous, he forced himself to concentrate on the situation at hand and to find some sort of cover to pass the night. They seemed to have lost the sheriff’s men, but Luke knew better than that. Come morning, the Abilene lawmen would be hot on their trail again, and a good night’s rest would only increase their odds of escape.

They were approaching the outskirts of Newton. Luke could see a tiny shimmer of light in the distance, and the dark silhouette of the cattle town’s small hotel and bank illuminated by the moon and starlight. Slowing up the mustang, he gestured to Amanda.

“Let’s set up camp here. There’s some cover by that clump of trees, and fresh water near that stream bed.”

Amanda glanced in confusion at the building in the far distance. “But that looks like a town—”

“The last thing we need is to show up in Newton tonight. It’s too close. We’re on the run, remember? Hotels have register desks, and people who can report to the sheriff.”

Amanda flushed, aware of the sarcasm in his voice. Following his lead, she dismounted. Every muscle in her body screamed in pain.

Luke lit a small fire of brush from his tinderbox. “Look for dry wood, buffalo chips…what’s the matter?” Luke didn’t miss the scorching glance she sent him, nor the sparkling mist that clouded her blue-green eyes. He could almost feel her discomfort as she hobbled across the field to tether her horse next to his, beside the bank where fresh green grass and ample water was available. Painfully, she lowered herself to the grass, but that didn’t help much either. The part of her that hurt the most came into abrupt contact with the ground, and she squealed in agony as she came quickly back to her feet.

And he looked like he wanted to laugh. Amanda had never wanted to hurt anybody before in her life, not even the children who had laughed at her growing up. Yet, she wanted to kill this cowboy who stood before her, looking so damned handsome and appealing, with that smug look on his face. Furious, she lunged at him, unable to stop herself from striking him. Bruised arms came into contact with his own strong ones as Luke forcibly held her wrists in a tight grip.

“What the hell—” Luke started.

“Go ahead and laugh at me! Just because I don’t know anything about your stupid horses, or your dirty old trails, or that we have to hide from sheriffs, you, you…wretched old gunslinger!” Amanda kicked him, gratified to see his expression change from amusement to chagrin.

Chapter
  
7
  

Luke’s features gentled as she fought with him, losing all appearance of a straightlaced bookworm. Her hair, never properly restrained to begin with, fell around her face like the untamed mane of a wild horse. She hadn’t worn her glasses since they’d taken the trail, and the sun had tanned her face, highlighting her cheekbones and making her eyes look incredibly bright. In that second, she reminded him of his little sister, who’d never had any of Amanda’s difficulties, and who was as open and free with her emotions as Amanda was closed.

“Stop it, come on, calm down. You’ll only make it worse.” Somehow, he was comforting her, holding her in his arms, stifling her movements with his body.

Amanda sobbed like a little girl. She was hot, tired, dirty, and disgusted. Everything hurt, from her hair down to her feet, which were rubbed raw from walking and riding. Her corset dug into her, her muscles screamed, and her legs stung from the brush and the nips of the mustang. Worse, she had let down her guard in front of this man, this southern gunman who’d let her know every step of the way that he could barely tolerate her.

And now he was holding her, caressing her back in the way one comforted a child, his hand rubbing the tense muscles in her neck as no one had ever done for her before. She couldn’t stop crying, even though she realized in the logical part of her mind that it was ridiculous. Mortified, she cried harder, no longer fighting him, letting all of her pent up feelings spill forth.