Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3) (14 page)

"Don't you dare accuse Dodge of anything like this. Anyway . . . anyway, he was with me the whole time." She admitted it reluctantly because she realized she was looking for an alibi for Dodge. "Dodge wouldn't do anything like that, Rex. He saved your life. How could you possibly think that he—."

Rex touched her hand with his unbandaged one. "Take it easy, Tory. Okay, okay. I'm not blaming him. I'm just saying he has reasons to want to be rid of me. With Sharkey gone, he has to share everything with me. With me gone, he could have the majority to himself."

"Oh, no. I won't believe it." But in the back of her mind Tory remembered how she and Dodge had daydreamed yesterday by the lake and mused about how they'd spend the money if they struck it rich. Dodge definitely had thought about it. But then, so had she.

Rex sipped his black coffee and continued. "Of course, Ramona was right behind me. I heard her scrambling up the hill. Pushing someone into a hole is certainly easy enough for a woman to do . . ."

"No! I will not listen to another moment of this trash!" Tory said in an angry whisper. "It wasn't Ramona."

"How do you know? Was she with you, too?"

"No, but—"

"Then why are you defending her? I'm just telling you what could have happened."

"No, you're telling me someone around here attempted murder."

"Look, you were the one who first suggested this, Tory. Remember your doubts about Sharkey's so-called accidental demise? Well, they make more sense now. I'm afraid the violence was aimed at me tonight. But who knows who's next?"

"P—please don't say that. Eat your stew, Rex. You need to get some rest. I know you'll feel better in the morning." She moved the bowl closer. "Want me to feed you?"

"No, I do not want you to feed me. I want you to heed my warning. And believe me. Who made this stew? Yazzie?" He looked at the bowl as if he had spotted a six-legged creature floating on top.

"Who else? Of course Yazzie made it. He's our cook, isn't he?"

Rex shoved the bowl of untouched stew toward her. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

"Rex, this is preposterous. You need the energy."

He crooked a finger and motioned her closer. "Look, I think you're absolutely right. Somebody did away with Sharkey. And now he—or she—is starting on us."

"Good heavens, Rex, you are absolutely paranoid. It's just all you've been through. You'll feel better tomorrow."

Glancing surreptitiously at the others eating beside the campfire, Rex muttered under his breath, "Who better than Yazzie to do away with the whole lot of us with one pot of stew?"

Tory shivered. Rex must be hallucinating after the fall, and she was victim of his paranoid ramblings. Now what she had to do was calm his fears.

"That's impossible. Yazzie's eating out of the same pot, himself."

Now was not the time to get hysterical. And here—in the lost town of Pyramid—was definitely not the place. They had to see it through, get back down the mountain together, and then look around at the situation. So far, her suspicions about Sharkey had been circumstantial. But coupled with what had happened to Rex tonight, it was enough to keep her awake at night.

Finally, Dodge called to her. "Tory, your stew's getting cold."

She helped Rex slide down into the sleeping bag. "Please try to get some sleep, Rex. You'll feel better and things will look different in the light of day." Fervently, she hoped so.

Tory ate quietly, mulling over what Rex had said, and while trying to dismiss it as post concussion paranoia, she had to admit that there was a trace of logic to his conclusions. But only a trace.

Yazzie collected everybody's bowls and grumbled over Rex's untouched food.

"He didn't feel like eating. Shock, I guess," Tory explained simply, trying to make it sound normal.

Ramona yawned and claimed exhaustion. Everyone agreed and proceeded to drag out their sleeping bags.

Tory agreed and headed for the corner 'room' she and Dodge had chosen with such delight. But the excitement of having some privacy was gone. Now the area seemed dark and ominous, especially after Rex's ramblings that somebody was out to get them. She took a cupful of water and brushed her teeth near an empty window frame.

After stopping to check on Rex, Dodge joined her. "Rex is sleeping. I gave him a couple of Ibuprofen. Thank God he made it through with nothing more than a broken arm and a few busted ribs."

"Uh-huh," she replied quietly, hoping Dodge had no idea what kind of thoughts were roaming through his partner's head. Or hers!

"He was damned lucky."

"Yes, he was."

"I've always had that fear, that someone would fall into one of those pits," he said reflectively.

"Guess I'd better watch my step from now on."

"Oh hell yes!" Dodge bent over their sleeping bags and became very busy rearranging and manipulating. "That's why I've always warned everyone. And why I wanted to wait until tomorrow when the light was better. My God, do you realize we could have lost him!"

Tory gazed intently at Dodge, unconsciously judging his reactions. "It was a close call. Rex thinks. . . that someone pushed him in."

"That's crazy." Dodge sat on top of the sleeping bags and began peeling off his boots.

She took a deep breath and knelt beside him. Should she share her burden with Dodge? But if not with him—if she couldn't trust him—who could she trust? She had to believe that he was innocent of Rex's accusations. And she had to be truthful with him. If Rex were right, they all should know. Tory lowered her voice. "Rex says he was pushed over the edge of that mine."

Dodge frowned. "Ridiculous. We knew where everyone was."

"No we didn't. He claims he would not have gotten that close to the edge, that he knows the inherent dangers, that he was shoved from behind."

"So he thinks someone tried to kill him? Who, for God's sake?"

She took another deep breath. Was it obvious that Rex doubted everyone, even his only remaining business partner? "That's why he wouldn't eat Yazzie's stew tonight."

"He suspects Yazzie? Hell, we were all eating that stew, including Yazzie."

"I know. And I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen. He was still quite upset about what happened, as you can imagine."

"Obviously," Dodge agreed with a slow nod. "What made Rex think someone pushed him? Did he hear anyone behind him or have any other proof?"

"I don't know. I tried to dismiss his accusations as ramblings after the accident. And possibly his head injury. But maybe he has a point, Dodge. Maybe somebody is after all of us because of the gold."

"Yazzie?"

"Not necessarily."

"Then who? Ramona? Or me?" Dodge's eyes grew sharp and hard in the darkness.

"Well, no, not really." She hesitated. "I don't agree with him, but Rex thinks insurance payouts could be incentives."

"Then he's accusing me," Dodge breathed through his teeth.

"Not exactly." She rushed on. "Of course, I denied that either you or Ramona could have had anything to do with this. And I ... I really believe that. I trust you both, completely." She paused and touched his arm. "Dodge, listen. Hear that?"

They looked around in the dark. Then Dodge said, "That's just Yazzie, walking around somewhere. He's restless, as usual."

"What if he falls in another unmarked mine? Or what if he's the one who—" She pressed her fingers to her mouth, keeping the fears from surfacing. "Oh, God, Dodge, I'm scared."

"Tory, Tory, with Rex's help, you've worked yourself into a royal lather over this. Don't pay any attention to what Rex said. Try to forget it." He took her hand and gently pulled her down into the comforting cradle of his arms.

She rested her head against his chest and smothered a quivering sigh against the hair she could feel beneath his shirt. "Hold me, Dodge. I'm so scared. This whole thing has me puzzled. I don't know what to think."

"Yes, honey, I know." His words were soothing, his body comforting and strong. This was what she needed. He was what she needed and Tory went eagerly to him.

Her tormented soul exulted as his renewing energy swept around her, engulfing her with masculine warmth and power. His lips were gentle and comforting on her hair, then seeking and hungry on her face and throat. Then he found her lips, and his kiss answered all her questions and removed whatever doubts she had ... for the present.

Dodge was honest and innocent. Tonight they would cling to each other with trust and understanding. Tomorrow would be another day of doubt and worry, but tonight they had each other. And she was safe and secure in his arms.

A force greater than either of them drew them together. As Tory relinquished to his passion, she knew this was the way it was meant to be. She and Dodge belonged together. She melted with him, praying this moment of shared love would never end. That they would never have to part.

Tory knew completeness with him, loving the fortress of his body as it dominated hers. She undulated with him, her desire building with each thrust, hotter and higher. The pleasure was intolerable, the sensations wild and tempestuous. The climax came in ripples, endless waves of rapture unlike any others. For endless time, they clung to each other.

Finally, Tory stirred. "Dodge . . ."

He kissed her. "I know . . ."

She turned her head away. "No, listen. I hear something—"

"Not again."

"Someone's coming, Dodge!"

They froze, their arms still locked around each other.

"Dodge, Tory?" The small voice in the night was Ramona's.

Dodge managed, "Yes, Ramona? What is it?"

"I'm sorry to intrude into your privacy. But do you mind if I stay here in your section? I'm—I hate to admit it, but I'm scared. Too much has happened lately. And Yazzie is still gone. Where could he be at this hour?"

"He probably made his bed out near the mules. You know how private he is," Dodge said.

"Of course you can stay here, Ramona," Tory said generously. "Dodge will protect us."

"Thank you." Ramona hauled her sleeping bag into their little private adobe "room" and settled down for the night.

Dodge rolled over and whispered in Tory's ear.

"How am I supposed to protect the two of you? I don't even have my pants on!"

"Don't worry, my brave hero. You'll manage something." Tory snuggled down with a smile, resting her head on his arm.

Dodge lay awake, long after everyone else was breathing softly in sleep. In the soft moonlight, he could see the relaxed expression on Tory's face and knew she felt safe and secure with him. So did Ramona, lying nearby. He found himself straining for unusual sounds and didn't sleep very much during the night. The responsibility was too great.

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Is this it? This hazardous hole in the ground is what Sharkey sent us after?" Rex, his head and arm bandaged, perched astride a mule and fumed angrily.

The rest of the sun seekers stood around and gaped at the abandoned gold mine atop the pyramid-shaped hill.

"Obviously, the digging will have to take place below the surface. Which is what we all expected, I think," Dodge observed. He kicked the rickety old mine frame. "This can't be trusted. Nor the elevator. We'll have to lower ourselves into the mine using the pulleys we brought along. Yazzie, want to go down with me to explore the place first?"

Yazzie nodded and helped Dodge rig the pulleys with a seat. Tory watched anxiously as the two men disappeared into the bowels of the mine pit, and she realized, perhaps for the first time, that the actual digging could be quite dangerous. A hundred things could go wrong, and there they were, eons away from the real world and help. Twenty minutes later the men returned, excited about their findings and eager to get started.

"This is it," Dodge said with a firm finality. "It's going to take some hard work, but the gold's there. And we're going to get it out!"

They worked out an equitable schedule alternating work and rest periods. A water barrel was brought up to the mine as well as all the lighting and digging equipment. Tory and Ramona also joined in the effort, agreeing that they had come this far and wouldn't be denied the opportunity to dig for the gold, no matter how rough it was. By noon, Tory realized she'd taken on more than she bargained for, but it was too late to back out. Ramona had large, capable hands, but her own were already scraped and raw with nails chipped and broken.

At lunchtime, everyone was hot, sweaty, and already tired, but the conversation was animated. The morning's dig hadn't been very fruitful, but spirits and hopes were still high. They all voiced expectations to find the treasure soon. Gold!

However, by nightfall they had extracted only a few buckets of low-grade ore, not worth very much. While Rex rested, the four workers hovered beside the campfire, exhausted and frustrated.

Yazzie seemed to be the only one with high spirits. "You didn't think it would be easy to get the gold, did you? What'd you expect, pots of it sitting around at the end of a rainbow?" He began dishing up supper and passing heaping plates of meat and potatoes around the quiet circle.

Dodge was at the end of the line and accepted the plate passed to him. "Nobody expected it to be easy, Yazzie, but we didn't expect to come up empty-handed, either."

"Well, we did get a few rocks with a little value," Ramona admitted, taking an unenthusiastic bite of the hash on her plate.

"Very little," scoffed Rex. "So far, our findings haven't been worth my trip. And my injuries."

"How are you feeling tonight, Rex?" Tory asked. Even though the man had a broken arm, they hadn't considered sending him back. And he hadn't suggested it, either. The urge for gold was too strong. She couldn't help wondering if this gold fever that seemed to inflict them all was too strong for their ultimate well being. But it was too late to question that now.

"Aw, I'm as well as can be expected," he grumbled, then turned to Dodge. "Let me see that map again. Maybe we aren't in the right area."

"We're right, I tell you," Yazzie said firmly. "This is exactly where the map directed. Now, if it isn't here, he was wrong. It's possible, you know. Sharkey may have been mistaken."

"I don't think so," Ramona objected. "He got us this far, didn't he?"

"Let me see for myself," Rex insisted, stretching out his one good hand.

"There's no use," Yazzie stated. "We're digging exactly where he directed. Dodge and I double- checked."

"
Dios mio
, man! I just want to see the map!"

Dodge shuffled over with the yellow sheet. "Here, Rex. What's the big fuss? Take a look for yourself."

Rex studied the page quietly for a while, and returned it with a low grunt. "Okay, okay, I'm satisfied. This is it."

Tory looked at Rex with great concern. "Do you think you'll be all right without medical care for a few more days? We don't want your arm healing crooked."

"Damned if I know," he mumbled. "The pain's still there, a dull ache unless I move it wrong. Then it shoots up my arm. Otherwise, I'm just sore. And I understand there's nothing much to do about these damned ribs except wrap them and try not to move. They only hurt when I breathe."

She brought him a coffee refill. "I'm sorry you've been injured, Rex. You know, maybe we should go back and take care of you."

"Go back?" Ramona and Dodge chorused together.

Rex gave Tory a grateful glance. "Sometimes this lady speaks with great insight. I wouldn't be opposed to it. I don't see anything that proves Sharkey found gold, just a few glittering rocks. Hell, that won't even pay my medical bills."

"See?" Tory said. "Rex needs help. And I . . . I'm sorry, but I agree with him about the gold. So far, we haven't seen anything positive enough to risk staying much longer."

"I can't believe you're saying this," Ramona implored. "You know it's here. Sharkey said so."

"No, I don't know it," Tory said, shaking her head. She sat down again and examined her own chipped nails and battered hands. "This is not what I expected, I'll admit. I guess I was thinking of something more like buried treasure, as Yazzie said, with all of it piled in a hidden trunk or something. I didn't realize we'd have to work so hard for it. Maybe I'm just too soft, but I can't see going on much longer."

"She's right," Yazzie spoke up. "It looks hopeless to me. We haven't seen anything yet, and we should have. We could be here for years, chipping away at a stone wall. I vote with Rex and Sharkey's daughter. We ought to pack up and leave."

Dodge shifted and dropped his hands between widespread knees. "Maybe we could speed the process up if we blasted—."

"That's too dangerous!" Yazzie interjected quickly. "No blasting. There's no need for it, anyway."

"Why not? You brought some dynamite along, didn't you?" Dodge gave him a darkly accusing stare.

Yazzie narrowed his black eyes. "I don't know if there's any dynamite in the supplies or not. I didn't pack 'em."

"But you brought some in your own saddlebag, Yazzie," Dodge said firmly. "I saw it."

"Well, if so, it's not enough for anything. I don't want to have anything to do with blasting up here. Too dangerous."

"I assumed that's what it's for. We can't chip away all day and come up with nothing. We need some help speeding up the process."

Yazzie stood up, and his voice reached a voluminous pitch. "Hell, no! You don't know all the dangers, Dodge. I won't allow any blasting around here! Do you want the entire mine to cave in on us?"

"No, of course not. I realize it must be done carefully."

Swiftly, Yazzie set his coffee cup down near the fire. "I said no blasting. That's final." He wheeled around and stalked away into the darkness. "Somebody else will get hurt."

Everyone stared curiously at the blackness where their Indian guide disappeared.

"What the hell was that all about?" Rex grumbled.

"Why did that comment about somebody else getting hurt sound so ominous? Almost like a threat!" Ramona countered with a frightened glint in her dark eyes.

Dodge observed a distant tiny glow on the hillside and knew that Yazzie was lighting a cigar. "Sounds like Yazzie doesn't want to rush this job with a little blasting."

"Is he right?" Tory asked. "Is it really that dangerous to blast?"

"Sure, there's danger. You have to know what you're doing," Dodge said. "I've worked around it a little. And I know Yazzie has. He would know how to do it safely. But obviously, he has a major objection to using explosives at this site. I don't understand why, though."

"It's because he doesn't want us to find more gold," Rex grumbled.

"Could be," Dodge mused, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.

Ramona gazed up the hill where Yazzie sat smoking and rubbed her arms warily. "I wish I knew what was going on inside his head. He makes me nervous."

"Me, too," Tory agreed, tightlipped.

"Well, I say we should give it one more day," Dodge proposed. "Let's see what we can discover tomorrow. If nothing that glitters shows up, I'll consider returning. We do need to get Rex back to medical care. What do you think, Ramona?"

She nodded reluctantly. "Something inside me says we're pushing it. One more day and that's it."

"Rex? Tory? You two agree?"

Everyone nodded affirmatively, and they rose to get ready for bed.

"Uh, Dodge . . ." Ramona approached him almost shyly. But she didn't have to ask, for he understood.

"Sure, Ramona. Come on and stay with us," he said.

"Yes," Tory agreed with a smile, and fell into step with Ramona. "Like Dodge said earlier, we need to stick together."

"And trust one another," Ramona said with a grateful smile.

"In fact, everyone's so uneasy tonight," Dodge said softly, "I think I'll keep watch for a while. Just to make sure nothing unusual happens."

"I'd feel better if you did, Dodge," Ramona agreed. "The way things have been going lately, you can't tell what'll happen next."

Tory wasn't sure if she felt safer with Dodge on watch or with his arms wrapped around her all night. The thought that they needed a watchman was unnerving. A brief smile aimed at him revealed a twinge of regret that they wouldn't be sleeping together.

While Dodge made more coffee, the women quietly fixed their sleeping bags and slipped into them. It was a strange combination of circumstances that had drawn Sharkey's daughter and his lover together. What had started out as a natural antagonistic relationship between the two women had become a warm alliance.

"G'night, Tory. I've never been so tired," Ramona said. "I ache all over."

"Me, too. I've never worked so hard. Good night, Ramona."

From his vacant window ledge seat, Dodge watched over the small sleeping group. He sipped black coffee and leaned back against the sturdy wall. The old adobe bricks were still warm from the day's heat, and he absorbed it gratefully into the deep aching muscles of his back. Aching from only one day of the backbreaking labor of trying to find that elusive gold.

Dodge knew that some men did this for years. Some for a lifetime. Some, like Sharkey, never found it. Or when they did, it was too late. Meanwhile, Sharkey, like many of the others, lost everything and everyone who ever loved him. Was it worth the losses? Sharkey lost his wife and daughter. Oh, he always said if he ever struck it rich, they would get a large share. If. Of course, for him it never happened.

Dodge couldn't help wondering if that's where he was heading in the same direction as Sharkey, looking for something so elusive that it was impossible to find? And losing everything and everyone valuable along the way.

So far, there was nothing of value in his life. He'd carefully avoided any lasting relationships, had skipped out on a few situations that looked too promising, too long lasting. In his fleeting relationships with women, Dodge was known as a heart- breaker, but that didn't bother him. Until now.

His dark gaze swept over the two bedrolls that cocooned Ramona and Tory. He was proud of them. The two women had worked hard today without complaint. Now they both slept, completely trusting his ability to keep them safe from harm.

Trusting. That's the way Tory had come into his arms. Fully trusting him, completely willing to be his lover. What did she think would happen to them? Did she want it to continue, after they were through here?

Dodge sat bolt upright. Did he?

Right now, he couldn't answer that. He didn't know his own mind, his heart. What did his heart tell him? That she was in love with him? Her blue eyes confirmed it when she looked at him. But did he love her? He only knew that he would do anything in his power to keep her from being hurt.

He'd always prided himself that he'd never let any woman "catch" him, had never been "trapped" by affairs of the heart. He'd always admired Sharkey for living the kind of life he wanted to, without the impediment of a family, even the remote one in California. Now, though, he'd met a member of that small family and could see the years of pain and sadness and trouble Sharkey had caused by his irresponsibility.

Now the whole situation took on a different tone. He saw Sharkey as a selfish man, willing to sacrifice anything or anyone for his own personal interests. Interests that at one time had seemed the same as Dodge's. But now, he wasn't sure.

Oh, he still wanted to find the gold. But even for that he was unwilling to risk the lives of his friends. And nothing—nothing—was worth risking harm to Tory.

The sun seekers had a job to do tomorrow. And only one day to do it. After that, if they didn't strike it rich, all of them would go back to their own lives. Yazzie could go back to being the remote mountain man, renting mules to occasional mountain expeditions. He might come up here occasionally to peck at the vein of gold. Rex could continue his business successes, making a name for himself in the community. Ramona could be the quiet, intelligent college professor who documented Indian pictographs. Tory could return to L.A. and her retail business.