Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (8 page)

Eugene's voice held a sarcastic tone. "And the
second thing?"

"Well," Reese said softly. "Is there a chance he
didn't want to share the money with the two of
you?" Reese shrugged as if it made very little difference to him. "As I said, you know your
brother better than I do."

Eugene swore loudly. "Damn it to hell! I
should have been suspicious when Earl went
riding off on his own and wouldn't let me go
with him! He done went and crossed us." His
murderous gaze turned to Reese. "If I find you've
played us false, I'll come after you."

Reese countered Eugene's threat with one of
his own. "If I find you've harmed this woman,
I'll come after you."

Sam spoke up. "Earl wouldn't have done us
wrong. If he's not here, it's because he's in trouble somewhere."

"And night ain't night," Eugene said in a hard
tone. "I thought Earl was acting funny." He
glared at his younger brother. "We're going to
find that bastard and get our share of the
money." He jerked up his gun belt and fastened
it about his waist. "I'll kill him for this!"

Both brothers began shoving supplies into a
canvas pack and moved to the door. Eugene
turned to glance back at Saber. "I think our
paths may cross again, Miss Vincente."

Saber cringed inside at the lustful look he gave
her and turned her face away from him.

Pausing in the doorway, Sam spoke to Reese.
"Be good to her, Mr. Felton. She's not used to
rough treatment."

"You'd just better hope you or your brothers
haven't harmed her," Reese told him in a deep
voice that reverberated through the room.

Sam looked at Saber for a moment. "I'm sorry
I wasn't able to protect you from Eugene." Then
he left abruptly, closing the door behind him.

The room was silent for a long moment, and
then Reese turned his attention to the woman.
She was dressed in filthy trousers and a shirt
that were both too big for her. Her golden hair
was tangled and dirty. Her face was smudged
with dirt. He saw nothing about her that would
make a man like Major Halloway want her for
his wife. She looked more like a pitiful waif than
a legendary beauty.

Saber tried to meet the man's gaze bravely,
but his eyes were too intense, and he was too
powerful. "What are you going to do with me,
sir?"

He wondered if he should tell her that Matthew had sent him to rescue her. But there was
a chance the Miller brothers might follow them,
so it was best to tell her later on. His first duty
was to get her to safety. "That, Miss Vincente,
remains to be seen. But you don't have anything
to worry about." He glanced about him. "I sup pose you have nothing here to take. Let's be on
our way."

She shivered at the coldness in his voice. Still,
her pride came to her rescue. "I want you to be
aware that I will escape the first chance I get."

He smiled, showing strong, white teeth. "Be
advised, Miss Vincente, that you will be far safer
with me than left to the mercy of the elements,
or with those two blunderers who just left here.
You will welcome my protection If they decide
to come back for you-and they will come back
for you, make no mistake about that."

"What are you talking about?" she insisted.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Not until you tell me what you are going to
do with me."

When he didn't answer, she flew at him, her
hands reaching for his face, trying to claw at his
eyes. With ease, he subdued her, locking both
her hands in a firm grip.

"Stop it. You'll only hurt yourself." He pulled
her against his hip and held her there. "You can't
win against me, so save yourself the trouble."

She struggled and kicked out at him, but she
soon recognized his superior strength. Thoroughly exhausted, she subsided stiffly against
him. But her blue eyes burned with contempt,
and he knew she would try to escape if he didn't watch her. That was certainly what she had been
trying to do when he'd found her.

He admired her spirit, but it would probably
get them both killed if he didn't curb it. "For
now, all you need to know is that we are leaving.
Grab that extra blanket. You'll need it for
warmth."

She blinked her eyes in revolt. "No, I won't!"
she declared, glaring at him. "It's filthy. I didn't
use it when it was offered to me by Sam, and I
won't use it now."

His voice had an edge to it, and he cast her an
intolerant gaze. "That blanket is probably
cleaner than you are. You could do with a bath."

She opened her mouth to protest and then
glanced down at the stained trousers; it was difficult to tell what color the shirt was. At the time
Sam had given them to her, her only concern
had been to discourage Eugene's attention.
"When they took me away, I wore only my nightgown. Sam let me have these."

Seeing the fear in her eyes caused a painful
twist inside Reese. He had the strongest urge to
hold her until she lost the forlorn expressionto protect her with his last breath if he had to.
He wanted to assure her that everything was all
right, but he didn't dare-not yet. He moved to
the door and turned to her. "Grab that second
blanket. You're going to need it. We have to leave now because I want to put miles behind us
before sunup."

Having no other choice in the matter, Saber
took the blanket and flung it over the one she'd
been wrapped in when the millers had kidnapped her. She followed the man out the door
and across the street, where he led her through
a narrow alley. Behind the old bank building
were two horses and a pack mule. Apparently
they had a long journey ahead of them if they
needed enough supplies for a pack mule.

When the man came forward to help her
mount, Saber shoved him away and slid her foot
into the stirrup, hoisting herself into the saddle.
It gave her some small satisfaction that she
could make at least one decision for herself,
even if it was only a small one.

As they rode away from the deserted town,
past the neglected graveyard, Saber shivered.
She had a feeling her destiny was tied to this
man's, although she didn't know why. She
weighed her chances of getting away from him,
but she remembered the six-gun he wore about
his waist, and the rifle he'd placed in his saddlebag within easy reach. He'd probably kill her before he'd let her escape.

She huddled beneath the blankets while the
icy wind chilled her to the bone. She was more
frightened than ever. Closing her eyes, she wished her brother would find her. It didn't occur to Saber until later that she hadn't thought
of Matthew at all. Always in the past, when she
had been frightened, her mind reached out to
her brother, just like now.

"Oh, Noble, come for me soon," she whispered. "I am so afraid."

Saber had no way to gauge how long they had
been riding. She had never been so cold and exhausted, and she could hardly stay upright in the
saddle. When the man finally stopped to rest the
horses, she wearily slid to the ground and almost
stumbled. Bracing her hand against the sturdy
bay, she drew from the animal's warmth and
strength. She wondered if she could jump back
on the horse and ride away. After all, she was a
good horsewoman, and his horse was as tired as
hers.

The man who had caused her fear and weariness sat mounted on his great black horse, his
demeanor placid. It appeared that he was un aware of anything that went on around him
but she knew better. She knew he was aware of
everything and would spring to life if she made
an attempt to escape.

Too afraid to let him see she had been contemplating escaping, she fixed her gaze on the rugged country ahead of them, wondering what
would happen to her at the end of this journey.

It was sometime later that they stopped to
make camp. When he'd built a fire, she gravitated toward it. Going down on her knees, she
held her frozen hands to the flames. He'd been
right about the second blanket; she would have
frozen to death without it, but she'd never admit
it to him.

He moved with such catlike quiet that she
hadn't heard him come up behind her, and
jumped when he spoke.

"Are you hungry, Miss Vincente?"

She shook her head, staring into his eyes with
amazement. He was a man of the land, and the
sky was reflected in those unusual silver eyes.
How could such a man be evil? Why did she
sense something strong and comforting and
protective about him?

"If you aren't hungry, I suggest you get some
sleep. We'll be breaking camp before daylight.
We'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

She braced her back against a wide boulder and tightened the blanket about her, watching
him unsaddle the horses and lead them away to
be hobbled and fed. He was not at all what she'd
expected. He was strong, such a commanding
presence. Why would he hire others to kidnap a
woman if he wanted her. Something just didn't
fit. If he was of a mind to, he could crush her
with one hand, and yet so far he hadn't harmed
her at all. But neither had he been overly concerned about her comfort.

Saber doubted she'd be able to close her eyes
for fear the man might pounce on her during the
night. But her eyelids were so heavy, and weariness took over. Her head fell to the side, and
she was instantly asleep. She did not know when
Reese covered her with his long coat, and she
was unaware that he slept lightly so he would
hear if anyone came up during the night.

It seemed Saber had just closed her eyes when
the man nudged her awake with the tip of his
boot. "Time to ride, Miss Vincente. You have ten
minutes to do whatever women do to get ready."

She came fully awake, scrambling to her feet.
"Where are you taking me?" With the dawning
of the new day, her fear had returned. Her
breasts were heaving, and she tightened her
hands into fists. "Tell me now, or you'll be
sorry!"

He startled her when he chuckled and rubbed his cheek where she'd hit him when they'd first
met. "You pack quite a wallop, Miss Vincente,
but I wouldn't advise trying anything again.
Next time I might not be so forgiving."

She folded her arms stubbornly across her
chest. "I'm not budging an inch until you tell me
what you are going to do with me. You can force
me to go with you because you are stronger than
I am, but I will never go willingly." Her eyes
snapped with anger, and her chin jutted out obstinately. "I am tired of men telling me what to
do."

His head swiveled in her direction, and there
was a scowl on his face. "You will do as I say,
and maybe just maybe -I can keep you alive.
As for not budging, you have little choice in the
matter. And as far as explaining my intentions
to you, that'll come when I think the time's
right."

She felt suddenly deflated. "Can't you just let
me go?"

Without ceremony he reached for her, lifting
her over his shoulder and plopping her none too
gently onto the saddle. Then, wordlessly, he
mounted his horse, took up her reins, and
started out at a gallop.

Saber was a good rider, but the rough terrain
made the going hard, and she was forced to hold
onto the saddle horn to keep from being un seated. She glared at the broad back of the man
in front of her. He was arrogant and so sure of
himself, and she wanted to fly off her horse and
scratch his eyes out. But she didn't dare. He was
a man to be feared, and she was certainly afraid
him.

He chose that moment to turn around and
motion her forward. "I want you next to me so
I can keep an eye on you."

She opened her mouth to make an angry response, but the look he gave her silenced her,
and she did as he asked.

After they had ridden awhile longer, Saber
took her courage in hand and said, "My brother
will hunt you down no matter where you go.
You'll be sorry you ever heard the Vincente
name."

"I'm already sorry." He gave her a dark look.
"As for your brother, should I be trembling in
my boots?"

"My brother is a man to be reckoned with.
You had better fear him."

His lip curled. "I've heard of Noble Vincente.
Like many of the wealthy landowners, he's probably grown soft letting others do his work for
him. I believe he's a Spanish don or grandee or
some such."

Saber bit her lip in vexation. There was no talking to this man; she wasn't even going to
waste her time trying.

As the day progressed, it warmed up a bit. But
by late afternoon, dark clouds were gathering in
the west. Red and gold streamed through a
break in the clouds, and it looked to Saber as if
an artist had splashed color across the horizon.

She glanced at Graham Felton and was about
to comment on the beauty of the sky, then
clamped her lips together. She didn't want to
share her thoughts with the likes of him. Absently her gaze fell on his strong hands, which
held his reins in a loose grip. She'd already felt
the strength of those hands, and she shivered,
thinking he could break her bones without even
trying. She wondered what it would be like to
feel those hands run over her body caressingly.