The Drifter (16 page)

Warm emotions coursed through her, emotions begging to be released as she watched him climb steadily toward her. Soon he was close enough to glimpse his unshaven face beneath the battered old brown hat. His clothes looked as if he'd slept in them. She'd never seen anyone so handsome in her life.

“I love you,” she called, her voice echoing down the canyon toward him.

His head snapped up in surprise. “You what?”

“I love you!” she shouted, making the canyon walls ring.

“Well, I love you, too, you headstrong woman!” He sounded a little angry, a little tense, but he'd said it. He'd said it!

She laughed.

After a moment, his laughter joined hers, rippling through the trees, bouncing off the granite walls. He was still laughing when he dismounted beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Of all the stupid times for you to say that.”

“I know.” She looked up into his shining eyes.

“You realize we'll have to get married.”

“If we get out of this canyon alive, that is.”

“Amanda, just shut up and agree to marry me. Let me worry about getting us out of here.”

“I'll marry you, but what about–”

He kissed her swiftly. “That's all the time we have for that. We have to douse us all in water and get going.”

“Yes, but we haven't settled–”

“We will. Come on. You're going in the pond with me, and so is little Bart. And so is Chloe. Get everything wet.”

“Even your hat? You love this hat.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “I guess that gives you an idea of how much I love you, now, doesn't it?” he asked softly. “Get in the water.”

Amanda followed his directions and they all started down the trail dripping wet, with Chase carrying Bartholomew on his back and leading the skittish Pussywillow.

“We'll leave her if we have to,” he said over his shoulder. “We'll try to have you ride her out, but if she won't go, even with Chloe's help, I'm taking you on behind me and sending her back up the canyon.”

“Chase, I don't want to leave—”

“You will, if I have to strap you on behind me like a gunnysack. Is that understood?”

She should have been outraged that he'd order her around like that. She wasn't. With every word out of his mouth since he'd appeared on the trail, he'd emphasized that she was the most important person in the world to him. She'd never been that before, with anyone except the little baby riding on Chase's back. It felt wonderful. She still had no idea how they'd work out the details of living together. Giving up her career wasn't an option.
We'll make it,
he'd said. She had to believe they would.

Pussywillow began to tremble as the smoke reached them. Chloe stayed where the gray mare could see her, and Pussywillow kept putting one foot in front of the other. Amanda wrapped herself in the wet blanket as Chase had instructed. As she pulled it over her mouth and nose, Chase adjusted his blanket around Bartholomew.

“There's not much space, but we're going through,” he shouted back to her over the roar and snap of the fire.

Pussywillow whinnied and tried to rear. Chase pulled down hard on her reins. “Come on, Pussywillow! Carry that woman through this fire! Chloe's here. Follow Chloe!”

As if in response, Chloe barked, taking Pussywillow's attention away from the flames. As Amanda leaned forward and stroked the gray mare's neck and murmured encouragement, the horse put one shaking leg forward, then another.

Coughing and gagging, they inched along. It's like walking through hell, Amanda thought as she pulled the wet wool blanket over her nose and mouth. Her eyes streaming from the smoke, she kept her gaze fastened on Chase's blanket-shrouded form.
Whither thou goest.
He had never led her astray.

At last the smoke began to clear. When they were several yards from the edge of the blaze, Chase swung the blanket from his shoulders and pulled on Pussywillow's reins to bring Amanda alongside him. “Check on Bart,” he said.

Amanda took off her own blanket so she could lean over and peer under the hood of the cradleboard. Bartholomew stared back at her, his eyes solemn, looking for all the world like a green-eyed Indian baby. “You okay, sweet-heart?” she murmured, touching his cheek and giving him an encouraging smile.

Bartholomew smiled back.

“He's fine.” Tears poured from her eyes. “No thanks to me, he's fine.”

Chase turned in the saddle. “Don't you dare blame yourself. You're the best mother I've ever seen.”

“I nearly got him killed.”

“No, the fire nearly did that, not you.”

“But if you hadn't come to save us....”

He smiled. “The thing is, I did. Now let's get out of here before Pussywillow acts up again.” He started off, leading the mare behind him.

The thing is, I need you. Bartholomew and I need you,
Amanda thought as they rode south and put more distance between them and the fire.

Finally, Chase led them to the top of a rise and pulled Amanda alongside him again. He gazed at her without speaking for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. “Did you...mean what you said back there in the canyon?”

Sudden fear struck at her. Maybe it had only been the drama of the moment that had made him say he loved her, that had made him propose and cast away his role as a drifter. “Did you?”

The corner of his mouth twitched a little at that. “Dammit, woman, I asked you first.”

She lifted her chin. All right. Let her be a fool, then. “Yes, I meant it. I love you. And I can see that you belong here, not in New York posing for ads. I don't know where that leaves me. Leaves us. But I won't ask you to change anything for me. And I know you think marriage is the equivalent of being branded, so I won't hold you to that offer, either. You're a drifter, but I love you, anyway.”

“Does that mean you're going to tell your family the truth about me and about Bart?”

She gazed into his eyes and nodded. “I was pretty mixed up, but love has a way of straightening out a person's priorities. I'll tell them as soon as I get back.”

“But I don't want you to go back, Amanda.”

Her heart beat faster.

“People drift because they don't expect life to give them anything permanent. My expectations have changed.” He reached out and touched her cheek, brushing a fleck of soot away. “When the fire started, I had to fight it because the True Love's become the first home I've ever had. And when I figured out you were up in that canyon, I had to find you because...” His gaze searched hers. “...you're the first woman I've ever loved.”

She caught his hand and held it to her cheek. “Oh, Chase.”

“Does that sound like a drifter to you?”

Her eyes misted with happy tears. “No.” Holding on to the cantle of his saddle, she raised in her stirrups, leaned over and kissed him.

He kissed her back, his fingers combing through her hair and cradling her head. “I love you,” he murmured against her mouth. “But I can't ask you to leave the career you love, just to be with me.”

She leaned away from him a fraction. “You let me soak your favorite hat.”

“That's not the same—”

“There they are! Kissing like damn fools!” The shout came from their far left. They turned to see Leigh bearing down on them, the rest of the hands behind her.

She reined up alongside Amanda. “Honest to Pete, couldn't you have saved that for later? We've been frantic!”

“Sorry, Leigh,” Chase said with a grin. “But we had some things to work out.”

“Well, work them out somewhere else. There are helicopters on their way, and each one is carrying about a hundred thousand gallons of water to dump on this fire. Their aim is good, but I can't guarantee it's perfect. Unless you want to experience a hundred-thousand-gallon shower from fifty feet above, I suggest you move it!”

Chase handed Pussywillow's reins to Amanda. “Guess we'd better do what the lady says.”

“Guess so.”

Leigh led them all a half mile away before turning back toward the fire. “We can watch from here. It should be pretty spectacular. Here they come.”

Amanda was transfixed by the sight of one of the helicopters carrying a giant yellow bucket suspended from a long cable. When the helicopter was positioned over the fire, the bucket opened from the bottom and water cascaded over the fire. The blaze hissed and steamed, exactly as if it were a giant campfire. A second helicopter came in and repeated the process on a different section.

“They'll go back and reload, and do it again. With that and the trenches we dug, I think we'll be okay,” Leigh said. “The air tankers are standing by in case we need to drop a fire retardant, but we may not need it.” She turned to Chase. “So what did you two have to work out that was so important?”

“How we can maintain a marriage when Amanda's working in New York and I'm out here.”

Leigh rolled her eyes. “Is that all? Ry and I have that figured out.”

“Oh, have you?” Chase shoved his hat to the back of his head. “And when did you do that?”

“I wandered out to the patio the night we all had food poisoning. Ry said you'd gone to the cottage, so we started brainstorming. We figured you two had your minds on less-practical matters.”

To Leigh's left Duane gave a snort.

“Go on,” Amanda said.

“Ry needed something to do the morning of the wedding. He was driving us all crazy from five on. We didn't want to let him be the one to pick up Belinda and Dexter at the hospital for fear he'd run the van into a tree, so I finally told him to call Amanda's ad agency in New York. He hired them to beef up the True Love's image—something it really needs after all these so-called accidents.”

Amanda's jaw dropped. “He's hired Artemis?”

“With the provision that you'll do all the work, and we recommended you be on site. I realize it's not a complete answer to your problem, but it's a start.”

“I'm astounded. I don't know what to say.”

“You can thank Ry when you see him. He's the one with the mind for these things. I never thought I'd say that a New York mentality would be good for something, but apparently it is.”

“You can thank him now,” Duane said. “Here he comes, with Freddy right behind him. He musta driven that mountain like he had a burr under his saddle to get here this fast.”

Ry charged up the hillside and wheeled Red Devil to look out over the charred desert. “Is it under control?”

“I think it will be soon,” Leigh said. “Sorry about the shortened honeymoon.”

“No problem.” Ry stared at the smoke, which grew lighter in color as the fire began to go out. “Duane, why don't you and the hands ride around to the north and make sure everything's okay in that direction.”

“Shore, boss.” Duane motioned to the other hands and they trotted away just as Freddy rode up.

“Where are they going?” she asked.

“I sent them off so we could talk in private,” Ry said. “Anybody have any ideas how this started?”

No one said anything.

Ry glanced at Chase and Leigh. “Do you think it was set?”

“Could be,” Leigh said. “I didn't see any lightning over this way last night.”

Ry absently rubbed Red Devil's neck. “And nobody's come across Whitlock this morning?”

Leigh shook her head. “He partied pretty late, too, but you'd think somebody over at his place would have seen the fire and come running.”

“Eb wouldn't do this,” Freddy said, earning a skeptical look from her husband. “I can't imagine anyone deliberately setting a fire. Even if you could devalue the True Love, it isn't worth the risk.”

“It is if you're desperate,” Ry said. “I'm beginning to think there's more at stake here than the land.”

Leigh sighed. “My instincts tell me you're on to something, much as I hate to admit we have a problem. Look, we've fooled around long enough. How about getting your buddy Joe Gilardini out here to conduct a quiet little investigation? This sort of thing has to stop or we'll lose the True Love.”

“That can't happen,” Amanda said with a conviction that surprised her.

“Is that so?” Chase's dimple flashed as he glanced at her. Then he turned to Freddy. “Looks like you've won more support for your cause, Mrs. McGuinnes.”

Ry coughed. “You all realize that if Joe wants to sell the ranch, we have to sell it.” He glanced apologetically at his wife. “I gave my word.”

“All the more reason to get him out here,” Freddy said. “We'll give him a horse to ride and a mystery to solve. What more could he want to keep him happy?”

“Oh, I can think of something,” Chase said with a wink at Amanda.

As if on cue everyone turned toward Leigh.

She held up both hands. “Oh, no, you don't. A New York City Cop? Not in a million years!”