The Golden Rules of Love: Western Romance (18 page)

“We’re gonna find that gold, Annie.”

“Do you even know where the center of the cave is?” Regret reverberated through her. Why had she encouraged him to drag her down into the depths of a cave? How would Mack find her down here?

The light grew dimmer and they had to slow down. She tripped again and this time she allowed herself to fall. Her palms stung as they hit the gravelly floor and she cried out.

“Hush,” Jasper hissed.

“My ankle,” she cried. Her ankle was fine.

“You’re going to have to walk on it.” He pulled her up.

Annie gritted her teeth. If Mack thought she was hurt, he would have carried her a hundred miles. How Jasper could ever think she could care for him was beyond her. But she pretended to hobble along behind him.

“I don’t think he would have hidden it in a place that was too hard,” Jasper said. “We just have to look. Did he leave any other clues?”

“No. How long will it take to get to the center of the cave? Can we get there without a light?” Annie could barely see in front of her face.

Jasper was silent, though she could hear him rustling around. Annie stopped walking. Her eyes attempted to adjust but it was no use. She reached out her hands and felt for the wall. Finally, her fingers brushed cold stone and she pressed closer. Inching backwards, she could only hope she was moving away from Jasper.

A flint struck and Jasper’s profile flickered into view a few feet away. It went out again and Annie backed up a few more feet. The wall bent to the right and she pressed closer, carefully moving around the bend without tripping. The flint struck again and it sent a tiny bit of light down tunnel. The ceiling was only a few inches above her head. She backed up more quickly and began moving faster back towards the surface. She could see a little and she broke into a slight run.

“Annie,” she heard Jasper call. She sped up. “Annie, get back here.” But it only pushed her faster, and more light filtered into the darkness.

Behind her she could hear Jasper breathing. “Annie!”

She hurtled towards the glow but she was moving too quickly and her foot caught a rock. As she fell towards the ground, she heard Jasper’s heavy footfalls echoing through the cave. She put her hands out to brace for impact when strong hands plucked her up mid-fall.

“Shhhh,” Mack’s voice whispered in her ear as he snuffed out the light.

Annie buried her face into his neck. He picked her up and swept her down the tunnel of the cave. She lifted her head. They were still in the darkness and had not returned to the room at the mouth of the cave.

“Where are we?” she whispered.

“Another tunnel,” he whispered back.

Jasper’s labored breathing boomed around them and she caught a flash of him as he ran by. She squeezed Mack tighter, overjoyed to be in his arms. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

The back of his fingers trailed down her cheek. “Same here. Will you stay here while I take care of Jasper?”

“Not a chance,” she fired back.

“Tom and Fergal came with me. I won’t be alone.” His lips found hers. “I want you to be safe.”

So glad to be back in his arms, Annie breathed in that kiss. “I didn’t like being separated from you. I was so worried. I don’t want to be apart again. We should be together.”

He sighed. “Fair enough. But will you please stay behind me?”

“Does that sound like me?” She gave him a squeeze. He made her braver. “I would have died if anything happened to you.”

“And I will die if anything happens to you. I love you so much, sweetheart. Please, stay behind me,” his voice cajoled.

“Fine,” she huffed. “I will stay behind you.”

“One more thing,” he lips pressed against her ear, tickling the sensitive skin. “We are getting married as soon as we get out of here.”

“Deal,” she whispered back, her lips finding his.

They crashed together in a brief, intense kiss, and then his hands came to her face. “I love you, Annie Sullivan.”

“And I love you.” She breathed as he pulled her towards the entrance of the cave. “How is Rake?”

“He’ll live. If I don’t kill him.”

Annie breathed a sigh of relief. “How is your head?” She tucked her hand into his arm.

“I’ll live.” His strong arm wrapped around her waist. Annie took a deep breath, as his scent filled her nostrils. It was like coming home.

THE GOLDEN RULES OF LOVE

CHAPTER NINE

They moved through
the dark tunnels, no longer speaking. Mack took his arm from around her and held her hand as they walked in the near darkness.

“Where are Tom and Fergal?” Annie spoke softly.

“At the entrance. We didn’t want Jasper to be able to―“ Cocking his head to one side, his voice stopped. Annie had heard it too. A pebble had fallen just up ahead.

They were playing cat and mouse now…hiding, searching, evading, hunting. She forced herself to breathe slowly so that she didn’t make a sound. Then she saw it. Just up ahead, the smallest movement in the dark.

In an instant, Jasper stepped out and raised a gun at Mack. Annie launched herself at his arm. She knocked his arm towards the wall and she heard the bullet hit the stone. Several shards ricocheted around them and her cheek stung as one made contact. Mack stepped closer and the sound of flesh hitting flesh and then a bone crunching noise followed as Mack’s fist made contact with Jasper’s nose.

Jasper fell to the ground like a sack and Annie scrambled to grab his pistol. The force of Mack’s blow had knocked him out cold.

Wrapping Annie up in his arms, he hugged her tight. Then leaning back, he wiped the blood from her check. His lips came down softly on hers. “You saved me again, Annie.”

“I only saved you for a second. You went and saved me right back.” She grinned at him, her heart shining in her eyes. “What would I do without you, Collin Mackinnon?”

“Let’s not find out, sweetheart.” He gave her another tender squeeze, then stepped away. Mack flipped the unconscious man over. He picked him up by one arm and began dragging him toward the entrance. “Let’s get him tied up before he comes to.”

Annie nodded. He was right. They needed to focus. “Then what?”

“We take him to the army base and turn him in. He’ll receive his punishment and if he doesn’t, we’ll be long gone.” Annie nodded. She knew Jasper would have killed them but she was no better than him if she took his life.

“He killed Garrett. He all but admitted it. He wanted the gold and he wanted…” She didn’t finish.

“He wanted you too. I could see it in his eyes.”

“He said he did, but somehow I couldn’t help feeling he’d kill me if I didn’t do what he wanted.” A shiver ran down her spine. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she glanced back at Jasper. His face slack, he looked harmless. But she knew better. Annie counted her blessings that she was alive.

Mack shook his head. “Some people are just no good.”

“I think Garrett wanted to do right by me. It makes me feel better knowing that he did. I was worried that I drove him away.”

Just before they entered back into the mouth of the cave, Mack turned to her. “There isn’t anyone I would rather spend my life with than you.”

Tom and Fergal looked up as they entered. Tom rushed to grab Jasper’s other arm and Fergal grabbed the rope that had been used on Annie earlier. They tied Jasper’s hands and feet.

Rake sat, propped up against the wall. His shirt was stained with blood but his color was good. “Mack,” his voiced grated out.

Mack gave him a long look. “Once you are better, I’m going to kill you.”

A hint of a smile played on his lips. “I’m sorry, Mack. I was trying to help, I…”

“By giving me a goose egg?”

“I thought you were going crazy over Annie. She was so tight lipped that I thought for sure she was trouble. When the reverend said she was here for the gold, I figured she was just using you. I wanted to save you from making a mistake.”

“By helping to kidnap an innocent woman?”

Rake’s good hand scrubbed his face. “I knew it was a mistake as soon as I saw the reverend pawing at her. And Jasper, it didn’t take long to figure out who the real trouble was. I’m so sorry, Annie.” His voice broke.

“I know you didn’t mean…” Annie’s voice trailed off when Rake waved his hand.

“You could have been killed. Please forgive me.” Rake’s eyes pleaded with hers.

“Of course I forgive you. We all try to do what’s best but sometimes we fail. I think you know I’ve failed miserably a few times.”

“I’m not so sure I’m ready to forgive. He could have gotten you killed, Annie.” Mack crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ll get you better and then we’re going to have to talk.”

“Sure boss,” Rake’s voice was soft.

Jasper seemed to waken. He moaned. He lifted his head and blood spurted out of his nose. “I should have known you’d double cross me, Annie. Beautiful women are always no good.”

Annie opened her mouth to remind him that he had kidnapped her and killed a man in front of her. How could that behavior ever warrant loyalty? But she closed her mouth again. There was no reforming Jasper. It was wasted breath.

Mack didn’t see it that way, though. He bent down and grabbed Jasper by the hair, lifting his head up. “Annie is mine. She was never going to be yours. You kidnapping her doesn’t change that and she doesn’t owe you even an ounce of loyalty. We should kill you but I won’t; however, if you step within a hundred yards of her again, I’ll shoot you before you can blink.”

Annie raised her eyebrows. Normally she bristled at Mack calling her his but today she didn’t mind a bit. He’d saved her life and she was glad to have someone to lean on. She saved him a few times too. They were a team. Her heart swelled with love and pride.

“I should have killed her when I had the chance. Garrett was an even bigger fool than I thought for marrying her. And you should be thanking me for clearing him out of the way,” Jasper snarled.

Annie froze. It was one thing to suspect that Jasper had killed Garrett; it was another to hear him confess it. She closed her eyes, and a tear leaked out. Her heart went out to Garrett, killed by his best friend. “How could you?” she took a jagged breath as she spoke.

“Garrett had always been loyal to me. To think he was going to leave me for you. Not even share with the man who had brought him here in the first place. What kind of friend is that?”

“You think Garrett is the bad friend?” She stared at him openmouthed. It was unfathomable that one man could be so selfish.

“Come on, let’s get him out of here.” Mack called to the other men. He stuffed a rag in Jasper’s mouth and tied another around it to keep it in place. “I’ve heard enough out of you. Tom, you help me drag Jasper down to the base. Fergal, can you go back to the ship and get supplies? We can set up here until Rake can be moved―“

“I’ll make it. Let’s head back to the ship,” Rake rasped from the floor.

“You shouldn’t move that much, you’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“It’s a flesh wound. I’ll be fine. It’s safest back on the ship.”

Annie glanced at the heart-shaped rock. The gold would be safe there until she told Mack about it. No one had found it yet. Besides, she didn’t even know if she wanted it. She knew she didn’t if it would jeopardize her relationship with Mack.