The Cattleman (12 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Nick turned down a path
,
heading due east from what she could tell. Beth didn’t question his direction or complain about the pace. He was the one injured and with only a windbreaker in just above freezing temperatures. They jogged until the terrain and darkness made it impossible to move quickly. Yet it was still hard on them both. He knew where he was going. At least he looked like he knew.

She, on the other hand, was completely turned around after a few minutes with no moonlight to mark their direction. She’d be totally lost without him. They had to push themselves, but he had to remember his injuries.

“Don’t you need to slow down or rest?”

“Are you tired?” His voice was full of concern for her, yet he held his left arm next to his ribs. “Want to stop a couple of minutes?”

If she said she was exhausted, it would sound like she was concerned for herself, not the other way around like she’d intended. As long as she thought he wasn’t pushing too hard, she’d keep up with him.

“I was actually thinking about you and your injuries. I mean, to be quite frank, you practically drowned a couple of hours ago.”

“A lot of that was show. I was working my arms free.”

It certainly hadn’t looked like much acting had been involved. That was as close to a real drowning as she ever wanted to be. He had to be lying, but she couldn’t wound his pride by calling him out. “Oh, well, that’s such a relief.”

The quick sharp look on his face and narrowing of his eyes was apparent even in the low, almost nonexistent light. So were the bruises on his tanned skin and his swollen, most likely broken, nose.

“Hey, there wouldn’t happen to be any convenience stores around the next corner. Would there?” With two therapists for parents, levity wasn’t her strong suit, but she could try. “I’d even settle for a small stream so I can wet my throat.”

They were resting on yet another rock. This place was full of them. She was in the process of leaning back to stretch aching muscles when Nick’s arm darted out to stop her.

“Watch it. There’s prickly pear.”

“As in cactus? That would have been a disaster. Thanks.”

His face was close and puzzled. Her heart beat faster anticipating his next move. More so than when they’d been at Bishop’s fortress. She was more aware of her reaction to him now, wanting him to be close all the time. After sharing the confining space of their cave, it was a little weird to be able to move in any direction she wanted without consulting him.

“I...um...I need part of your shirt. I’d use mine but...” Shrugging and pointing to his bare chest, he leaned down, took the edge and used his teeth to start a rip. The air warmed and floated across her skin. The gentle, almost reluctant, touch of his knuckles across her abs sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

That close and nothing. He’d kissed her like there was no tomorrow while stuck in that dug-out cage, igniting all sorts of warmth and emotions she should have set aside. Now they were free and he’d only touched her to save her from the cactus. Okay, that was an exaggeration. He’d locked forearms with her to help her climb and kept her from falling several times.

The fight in the pool had been to obtain the knife. He’d risked his life and had given her the way out. “Are we going to talk about your heroics back at Bishop’s?”

“Stick out your tongue.”

“What?”

“I could use my spit, but you might think it’s kind of gross.” He gestured to her chin. “You’ve got a couple of spots.”

She stuck out her tongue and he dabbed the piece of her shirt, then wiped at her chin, then the side of her nose and her forehead. Neither of them had cleaned up for two days, so she was definitely curious why wiping her face was important.

“I bet my entire face is dirty. Why—”

He showed her the makeshift rag. Blood from the man she’d fought and killed. She took the cloth, weaving her fingers through his while stuffing the rag in her coat pocket.

They’d each killed a man tonight and then had worked together to kill another. Bishop’s men would have killed them. They’d tried. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was upset and still shaky. Killing someone could eat up a good man. And Nick was one of the best she’d met.

“Are you all right with everything that happened?” How many times could she ask a grown man if he was okay? Maybe she wanted him to ask her for once.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve seen a dead man before. You were there. I didn’t fall apart then.”

“But you were angry when it happened.” Beth felt the tug on her fingers but tugged back. “Do you want to talk about the guy in the front seat?”

“No.” He looked off in the distance, but when his gaze darted back and landed on her, he’d search the darkness again. “I want to get my bearings and get us to a state campground along the border before Bishop’s men come up behind us with guns blazing.”

His fingers slid from hers as he stood and searched the horizon under the cloudy night sky as if he was lost. They could barely see in front of them with the blackness of night. He had to know where they were. “This is so not Chicago where there’s a light on every street corner.”

“Nope.” He stuck his hands in his front pockets, pulling his elbows in close to his ribs, and continued scanning the perimeter. “No street lights.”

“Nick?” Whatever landmark he was trying to find was a complete mystery to her. There was nothing. He had to be kidding around or plain old avoiding a conversation about their escape. “So, how are you going to determine where we are? It’s pitch black out here.”

“I know that the cold front was moving in from the northwest.” He pointed. “The wind changes pretty quick out here, but there’s a line of stars close to the horizon where the clouds have blown past. Their direction has been steady, so I can assume. I’m just trying to figure out where we are.”

“Wait. You weren’t joking a minute ago? I thought you knew exactly where we were. Isn’t that what you said yesterday?”

He shrugged and smiled deeply. “So maybe I didn’t have exact coordinates. Between the gully where we were held captive and this terrain, it looks a lot like what’s south of Santa Elena Canyon. If we head there, we should be able to find someone with a cell phone. It’s close to where people kayak. An outfitter puts in there. It’s also on a scenic drive through the park, so it might have some early morning traffic.”

When he looked tall, dark and handsome as he did right that very moment, it was too difficult to get upset with him. Besides, he’d been trying to reassure her, not deceive her.

“How far is it?” she said, extending a hand so he’d help her stand.

“Five, maybe seven miles of hard hiking. It’ll take longer at night.”

“All the way on foot...” The idea of walking that far wasn’t at all appealing. “Isn’t there a road where we could catch a ride? Scratch that. I know why we can’t. That was the hunger talking.”

“Look, Beth. This is going to be hard. Probably a lot harder than any workout you’ve gone through. I’d go alone, but there’s no real place for you to hide around here. It’s a good idea to get going again.”

“How can you be so certain we’ll get to where you’re heading and not walk off a cliff?” Beth dusted herself off, desperately wanting to take off her boots instead of beginning a seven-mile hike.

“Lots of things, but mainly, there’s a trail.”

“This is a trail? I thought it was a goat path.”

“More likely deer and javelinas. They come up here for the cactus. I’d rather mess with the cactus than one of those tusks. The path will lead us to water. Eventually. And that’s what we want.”

“Any chance we’re near water now? Javelinas?” Asking what the animal was probably made her sound even more unprepared for her West Texas assignment, which was now in Mexico.

“Javelinas are wild pigs. This time of year they’re mainly out in the mornings. If you’re thirsty, give me the knife.”

She was and she did. He knelt to where she’d been sitting, chopped some of the cactus apart, carefully and thoroughly scraped a few needles and handed it to her.

“Chew on that.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“What? You’ve never eaten
nopalitos
?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Don’t be such a snob. It’s good for you, especially if you’re thirsty.” Nick sliced another huge leaf from the cactus behind her and used the blade to scrap the prickly parts. “We should get moving. Bishop’s men are sure to be following on ATVs or horses. We won’t have a lead for very long and need to cover as much ground as possible.”

Even without its needles, the cactus seemed threatening. People really ate this? Was she a snob for not wanting to? Her stomach growled loud enough to make Nick chuckle. He broke his cactus in half, took a bite and smiled as he chewed.

It couldn’t be as horrible as some of the things her parents had introduced her to while she’d grown up. When Beth had been fourteen, it had been one new weird edible a month while Elizabeth had been on a tangent. But they’d never gotten around to eating the garden plants.

The pale green skin was bumpy where the needles had been. Nick took another exaggerated bite as if it was the best meal he’d ever had. Or better yet, exactly as if it were one of his mother’s biscuits.

“Come on, it really isn’t that bad. Kind of tastes like green beans with lemon juice.”

She nibbled. It was different, tart and weirdly edible. And he was right. It dampened her parched throat. But eating anything just made her rumbling stomach rumble louder. In turn, Nick laughed louder, drawing her attention to the long scar he couldn’t stand for anyone to see.

“Aren’t you cold?” she asked to change the subject.

“A bit.”

“Take my jacket then.”

“No.”

“Don’t be silly. It might be a tight fit, but it’s warmer than nothing.” She tried to shrug out of the coat, but he stopped her.

“It’s more important that you stay warm. I can deal with it. Makes me walk faster. Don’t worry so much.” His chin dropped to his chest, just above the long scar on his breast bone.

When he glanced up his smile had been replaced with a somber, pragmatic look. “Beth, if something happens to me, you should know how to get out of here. Once the sun comes up, it’ll be easy to see which direction is north. Just keep walking until you cross the river. Stay away from the roads unless you see a person you’re certain you can trust.”

“Turn around.”

“What? Why?”

“Were you shot tonight? Is there an injury I don’t know about?” She knew there wasn’t, but didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t think about Nick not being there to guide her out. Or that she’d let him down by not defending him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine.”

“Then let’s get moving. Stop talking like you’re going to disappear into this very thin desert mountain air. We’re both getting back home. And believe me, we’re calling your mom ahead of time so the biscuits will be ready.” She pushed by him and made a grand exit from their scene, right up to the point where she realized she was walking back the direction they’d already come.

The six-foot-three Energizer Bunny hopped down the trail fresh and bouncy as if he’d just gotten up. He passed her on the slim path chewing on his cactus, leading the way north. She took another bite, not minding the tartness as much this time.

“You never did tell me how you know so much about this area. Aren’t we a long way from Marfa?” She followed, matching his stride. “You don’t run to these mountains on your day off. Or do you?”

“The park is about two hours from the town and you know how long it takes to get from town to the ranch. Actually, I minored in geology at Texas Tech, so I know a few things about the area. The Big Bend is a geological wonder.”

“You know, there are a lot more layers to you than I originally thought, Nick Burke.”

“Just goes to show you shouldn’t make up your mind about a person before you know them.”

Did he realize he spoke as much to himself as to her? He’d assumed a lot of things about her before he knew anything at all. “I don’t think I assumed anything incorrectly. It was you who called me a greenhorn from Chicago.”

“Which you are. And a foot model who’s wearing purple boots. You have no business being in these mountains wearing rhinestones.” He pointed to her new footwear.

“Wow. There’s no reason to be snippy. I’ll let it pass this time because I know you’re cold. Don’t deny it. I’m cold so you have to be freezing. All I asked was how you know this area.”

“Fine. I was a guide here for a while and things didn’t work out.” He shoved his fingers through his hair and then rubbed his face like someone extremely nervous. Nervous as in someone discovering the truth. “Did you know there are at least four hundred and fifty species of birds in the park? It’s more than any other national park in the States.”

“Interesting, but come on. I told you about my short-lived modeling career and how much I love shoes.”

“That’s a little different than being the only child who will inherit a ranch but wanted to study rocks instead.”

“But you chose the ranch. What’s so wrong about exploring rocks in your spare time?” His look gave him away. “You didn’t want to stay on the ranch. You wanted to leave and do something with rocks?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Wait a minute.” She grabbed his shoulder and he spun around. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I wasn’t dedicated to the cattle or running the ranch, before everything.”

“Before the shooting?” Her gaze dropped to his chest.

Nick ran his fist over the scar.

“That’s right. Before the shooting I left the everyday details of my ranch in the hands of the man who wound up shooting me.”

“There’s nothing wrong—”

“Don’t you get it? It’s my fault. My own damn fault that I died. If I hadn’t been fooling around, I might have discovered Mac’s off-the-books activities.”

“Or just been shot sooner. You can’t play the what-if game, Nick. It’ll drive you crazy if you do.” She tried to comfort him, to touch him.

He yanked away, walking and hurling his next insult over his shoulder. “You can’t possibly know what it’s like.”