Daring (22 page)

He peeked out from behind the stone. They were riding away, leaving. After a moment, when he was certain they were truly gone, he hurried down the embankment, running along the river, searching for Ruby. He jumped into the river, looking everywhere, hoping he’d see her and find her in time to save her.

Walking knee high in the gurgling river, he searched, the rocks making walking difficult.

The body of Rivera floated down a ways.

With a splash, she rose out of the water and stood giggling, wiping the wetness from her face. “That was fun.”

She was alive. She was breathing, and she didn’t appear harmed. And he loved her.

She bent over and laughed. “Flying off that cliff and landing in the water. I’ve never done that before. That was fun, hiding from them.”

She stood in the river, chuckling like she’d had the best time.

He stared at her like he was seeing a crazy woman as anger surged, threatening to choke him. He’d thought she was dead.

He’d thought she’d drowned.

He’d thought he’d lost her forever.

And yet she had probably played this perfectly. She’d hidden beneath Rivera, her nose out of the water just enough to breathe while she floated down the river with his body.

Deke felt the urge to scream at her. He was so angry, and yet they didn’t have time. They needed to get out of here just in case the posse had a change of heart and decided to return.

She smiled at him, noticing his silence for the first time. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” The words were curt and to the point. “Let’s go.”

She whistled, and her mare that had been standing a ways down the river swam across to the bank. “Where’s Hannah?”

“She’s on the ridge, waiting for us.”

“Help me get him out of the water,” she said, pulling Rivera’s body to the edge.

Somehow, she’d managed to hang onto Rivera under the toughest odds. Yet, how many more times could she escape without someone putting a bullet in her? Deke couldn’t watch her die.

“Is he dead?” Deke asked.

“I don’t think so. I think he bumped his head when we jumped,” she said. “I’ve never done anything like that before. It was fun until I felt like my petticoats were going to drown me. When I pulled them off, I could swim in the deeper parts of the river.”

He’d thought she’d been dead. He feared he’d killed another woman. And she had enjoyed herself so much, she was laughing. Relief and rage filled him, but he bit back the retort that sprang to his lips.

He lifted Rivera up and placed him on the back of Ruby’s horse. He tied the man across the back, wrapping the ropes around the horse and the man’s body.

“There, that should hold him until we stop to make camp. Let’s get out of here before that posse returns.”

W
hen the sun had completely sunk behind the western sky and they could no longer see where they were going, Deke let them stop for the evening. But there would be no fire tonight, and Ruby wasn’t looking forward to a night without the comforting heat of a campfire.

She watched as Hannah took out their supplies from the saddlebags. She located the hardtack and placed it on a hot rock she’d found that had been sitting out in the sun all day.

“My ma showed me how to do this,” she said, handing Ruby the warmed up hard biscuit.

Deke sat not far from where Ruby and Hannah laid out on their bedrolls, his face hard, staring off into space. The puppy lay beside him, and every little bit, he would throw her a piece of the hardtack biscuit, and the dog would gaze at him with adoring eyes. Even in the darkness, Ruby could see the bond that had developed between the man and his dog.

But something was wrong. Since this afternoon, he’d been quiet and surly and distant. Last night he’d cuddled and comforted her in ways she’d never imagined. Tonight, he barely glanced in her direction.

“Here, Deke,” Hannah said, handing him another biscuit.

He took it and quickly ate the food. Then he stood and disappeared into the darkness with the dog trailing after him.

Ruby frowned. She didn’t know what was amiss, but he wasn’t acting himself.  Even at his worst, Deke was always amicable. Tonight, he’d withdrawn so far into himself she didn’t know if she could reach him. She needed to check on him. Find out what was wrong.

“Hannah, can you watch Rivera? I need to talk to Deke,” Ruby said standing.

Rivera had not awoken since the splash in the river. Maybe he’d hit his head somehow when they jumped. She didn’t know if it was a temporary condition or permanent, and frankly, she didn’t care. 

“Sure, what do I need to do?” Hannah asked.

Ruby pulled out her extra six-shooter and handed it to Hannah. “He should continue sleeping, but just keep the gun trained on him. If he wakes up, give me a shout. I won’t be gone long or far.”

“Okay,” Hannah said, taking the gun from her.  “I’ve never used one of these before.”

“It’s easy, just point and shoot.”

Hurrying out of the dark camp, she looked for Deke. Walking along the river, she saw him with the horses, his head resting on his mare’s forehead as he rubbed her ears.

“Hey, you all right?” she asked.

He whirled around to face her. Grabbing her by the arm, he all but dragged her away from the animals. “No, I’m not all right.”

This wasn’t exactly the reception she’d expected. Once they were away from the horses, he released her. “Do you know what it was like for me today to watch you jump off that cliff, not knowing if you were going to live or die? Do you have any idea how scared I was when I couldn’t find you or even search the water because they were shooting at me?” His voice was rising higher and higher in the darkness.

“No, but I was okay. Other than a few bruises, I’m fine.” She’d never seen him so angry. Her fun-loving, caring man was red-faced, his eyes dark and his body tense. For a moment, her stomach leaped into her throat at the anger she could see on his face in the moonlight.

“Well, I’m not fine. I probably lost twenty years watching you fly off that cliff and hit the water. I thought you were dead. I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m okay,” she said, staring at him, trying to make him feel better. She touched his arm; the muscles were rigid. She shrugged her shoulders. It was sweet he’d been worried, but she’d found the jump exhilarating. Suspended between the earth and the water, she’d felt like she was floating in the air. “I’m sorry you got frightened, but it was actually kind of fun.”

In the darkness, she could feel him bristle and knew she’d just said the wrong thing.

“Fun! You take reckless chances with your life, thinking you’re going to live forever. Well, my wife and child are dead. I had to bury them. Your father is dead. You had to bury him. Life is fragile. You’re not invincible.”

Silence filled the darkness, as Deke seemed to finally run out of steam. Ruby didn’t know what to say. Jumping that cliff had been scary, but the thrill of what she’d done had made it all worthwhile. She’d do it again, if she got the chance.

“I’m never going to be a woman who just sits at home and does needlepoint. Never.”

Deke ran his hand through his hair. “You don’t get it. I’m not asking you
not
to be who you are. I’m frightened I’m going to witness you dying. And that scares the hell out of me.”

How could she respond? What she did was a dangerous occupation. He knew that firsthand. But it gave her freedom, independence, and a chance to do something different than most women. She wasn’t just another pretty woman getting married and raising kids.

She was unique.

“I’m not going to watch you die,” he said. “One day, Ruby, you’re going to run out of luck, and it’s going to kill you.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “Deke, you worry too much. I’m fine.”

Shaking his head at her, he closed his eyes. “This time you’re okay. But what about the next stunt where you take a foolish chance? When are you going to miss the water when you jump off a cliff? Or when will someone recognize you in a saloon and pull out a gun and shoot you right there? Or think you’re a whore and take advantage of you? When will I get there too late to save your pretty little behind and find you dead?”

Apprehension trickled down her spine. She knew she was taking chances, but she would be okay.

“Deke, stop. If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working,” she said, though several times his words had worried her. It could happen if she didn’t have a trustworthy partner.

“We make a good team. We could bounty hunt together and make lots of money,” she said, raising her voice excitedly. “This could be our first trip.”

She knew with certainty this was what she yearned for, to work with Deke to bring in outlaws, until they tired of the hunt, and then maybe they’d settle down and get married, but she wasn’t in any hurry. Could he want the same things?

He shook his head empathically. “I’m not staying around to watch you die.”

“I’ll be more careful. I won’t take as many chances,” she said. This was her dream, for the two of them to hunt side by side.

“No. I’m quitting. As soon as we turn Rivera in, I’m getting out of the business and starting a horse farm. I’m giving up bounty hunting.”

A sigh escaped her lips. “I thought we could find criminals together.”

Closing his eyes, he sighed. “I can’t. I can’t take a chance on being a part of your death.”

“Would you stop saying I’m going to die. I’m not going to get killed,” she said, raising her voice, her hands on her hips.

They stood there in the darkness, staring at each other, the puppy sitting beside Deke, watching them. Ruby didn’t know what to say any more. She wanted being with Deke to continue, but he didn’t seem interested and that wounded her pride. She was good at what she did and hungered to continue what she and Deke had. She wasn’t ready for them to end. She wasn’t ready for him to leave her.

“Is Hannah watching Rivera?” he asked suddenly.

“He’s still asleep. I gave her a gun and told her to yell at me if he woke up.”

“Does she know how to use a gun?” Deke asked, quickly striding toward the camp area. “After everything we’ve done to catch Rivera, I can’t believe you’re taking a chance on him escaping.”

Ruby hurried to catch up. “He’s asleep.”

Deke all but ran back into camp, with Ruby and the pup following closely on his heels. When they approached where they had spread their bedrolls, they saw Rivera held the gun against Hannah’s forehead.

“About time you guys got back. Now get me a horse. I’m not going back to jail.”

Ruby’s stomach tightened into a cramp at the sight of Rivera holding the gun on Hannah. She wanted to call herself nine times a fool. First with Deke and now with Rivera. All the work they’d done in the Hide Town was now going to be for naught. Hannah looked frightened and who could blame her. The man had her up against his chest with Ruby’s gun being held against her temple. One wrong move and he would kill her.

“I’m sorry, Ruby,” she said, tears swimming in her eyes. “He tricked me.”

“It’s okay,” she said, wanting to kick herself for being such a fool. He must have been faking sleep this entire time.

“I’ll get you a horse,” Deke said.

“No, I want that bitch there that tricked me to get the horses. She’s going with me,” he demanded.

The dog growled a menacing sound.

“Keep that mutt away from me or I’ll shoot it.”

“Shh, girl,” Deke said, holding his hand down.

Fear spiraled through Ruby, and she wished she could go back in time and never leave Hannah alone with the outlaw. This was all Ruby’s fault. She should never have taken the risk. Now Deke and Hannah were in danger because of her.

“Ruby’s not going with you,” Deke responded.

Rivera cocked the hammer on the gun and twisted it to point at Deke and then back to Hannah. “Do you want me to put a bullet in her head?”

“No. Just let the woman go. I’ll ride back to town with you,” Deke promised.

“Oh no, the women are going with me,” he said.

Ruby knew in that instant he intended to kill Deke. She wanted to get the horses and check to make sure she still had her little petticoat pistol. She’d yanked off the heavy petticoat to keep from drowning and to make everyone think she’d died.

But had she gotten rid of her petticoat pistol? Even if she found the gun, would there have been time for the flint to have dried?

“It’s okay, Deke. Let me get the horses,” she said and stepped into the darkness where the man couldn’t see her. She yanked up her skirt, praying the gun was still there.

In the darkness, she sighed with relief when her fingers felt the steel barrel. Thank God. She untethered the horses and pulled them with her, carefully concealing the gun in her skirt.

When she walked back into camp, they were all waiting. Staring at Hannah, she hoped the girl could somehow get her message. Saying a quick prayer, she whipped the gun from its hiding place just as Deke dove toward Hannah.

Ruby’s gun fired, flashing in the darkness, but so did Rivera’s. She thought she’d feel a bullet slamming into her body any second, but nothing happened. Rivera fell to the ground a bullet wound to his head. Hannah kicked his gun away where he couldn’t reach it any longer.

In slow motion, Ruby watched as Deke sank to the ground. Her chest exploded with pain as she realized he was hurt. A scream ripped from her throat. “No. Deke. No.”

Oh, my God, where was he hurt?

She rushed to his side and rolled him over. “Deke, talk to me. Deke, tell me where you’re hurt.”

Unconscious, he didn’t respond.

The puppy whined and moved closer to Deke. The animal licked his hand and nudged him with her nose, but Deke didn’t move. Tears filled Ruby’s throat.

“Is he alive?” Hannah asked.

“I don’t know.”

Ruby’s fingers touched the side of his neck, searching for a pulse. She could feel his heart racing, she could feel his breath on her fingers, but his eyes were shut. Blood trickled from the edge of his forehead. She pulled him into her lap and carefully examined the head wound.

As she stared down into his face, her heart swelled with fear and longing. She loved this man. Had probably fallen in love with him when she was a young girl. He’d never left her heart, and watching him fall to the ground, fearing he was dead, she’d realized she loved Deke.