The Temptress (23 page)

Chris moved away from him as she'd moved away from the piles of rotting meat.

By the time she returned with the newly clean bucket and fresh water, Asher was back with a deer he'd shot and Tynan had cleaned a place under a lean-to for Pilar. Chris saw that his leg was bleeding steadily.

Asher prepared a fire and began to roast the meat while the old man crouched on the outside of the group watching them suspiciously.

Tynan eased himself down onto the ground near where Pilar rested on a blanket covered pile of hay. For just a moment, Chris saw pain register on his face. It was growing dark now and the only light was from the fire.

“We have to make some plans,” Ty said and he sounded very tired. “Prescott, we'll have to take turns keeping watch.”

“Watch?” Chris asked. “But surely Dysan's men won't be able to find us here. The dogs won't be able to track us after the number of streams we crossed, and, Ty, you need to rest.”

“I thank you for your concern, but it's not Dysan who needs watching. It's him.” He nodded his head toward the old miner. “If he thinks there's a reward for us, he'll find whoever wants us and bring them here. We have to stay awake to make sure he doesn't leave.”

“Oh,” Chris said, taking meat from Asher and moving to lift Pilar. Tomorrow she'd try to make a broth but for now this would have to do. “Then as long as we stay here someone has to stay awake and watch him.”

“If we want to stay alive,” Ty said.

Asher cut off chunks of the roasted meat. “Pilar needs a doctor and she needs to rest. And you're in worse shape than you let on.”

“I'll be all right,” Ty said. “But I agree that we have to take care of Pilar, it's just that I don't know anywhere else that's as safe as this—or it would be safe if he weren't here.”

Asher threw the old man a piece of meat as if he were a dog, and the man grabbed it, hiding it from the others, eating it with watchful eyes. “What we need is some help,” Asher said as he looked at Chris. “If we could get a message to your father, he could send an army of men to escort us back to his place. I don't think even Dysan wants to take on Mathison's men.”

Chris drew her knees to her chest and gave a little smile. “Yes, my father could defeat him. But he's there and we're here.”

“You have to go get him, Prescott,” Tynan said. “You have to leave the women and me here and travel as fast as you can and bring Mathison back.”

“And leave you to the mercies of that?” Asher asked, motioning toward the old man. “Do you have any idea how many people are looking for you?”

Tynan looked toward the dark sky for a moment. “About half a dozen Chanrys, a hundred or so of Dysan's men and…”

“And Rory Sayers would probably like a piece of your skin,” Chris added.

“And what was the name of that man on the far side of the rain forest?”

“Ah, yes,” Chris smiled. “Hugh Lanier. I don't imagine he's over his anger at what I wrote.” She smiled at Tynan, remembering the way he'd helped her that day.

Tynan leaned back against a post. “So half the world is looking for us, two of us are damaged, and we have a traitor—if he were given the chance to be—in our midst. It doesn't make for a secure, healthful future.”

“I'll take him with me,” Asher said softly. “I'll take the old man with me and leave the three of you here alone and I'll bring back Mathison with every man he can spare.”

“He'll slit your throat the first time you turn your back on him or the first time you sleep.”

“I'll not turn my back on him and if I sleep, I'll tie him up. It's our only chance and you know it. You can't take care of him here and all I have to do is get him fifty miles south of here and then Mathison can have him. It's our only chance. One man might make it out of here, but not two women and a wounded man.”

Chris could see the way Tynan was considering Asher's words. She could see how much he hated them, how much he hated being put in such a position. And she also realized that he must be hurt more than he was allowing them to know if he were so much as considering what Asher proposed.

“Ty, it's the only way,” Chris whispered. “We can't move Pilar and we can't leave her here. Dysan is out there and someone has to go for help.” She arched one eyebrow at him. “Are you afraid you won't get your pardon if someone else brings my father to me?”

Tynan looked at her for a long time before he spoke. “Prescott, you'll leave early in the morning. I'll stay awake tonight and watch the old man and you sleep. I want you rested in the morning. Now, the both of you go to bed.”

Once Tynan sat down, he didn't seem able to get up again. Chris rebandaged the wound in his leg, finding that the bullet wasn't in it as she'd feared. While she worked on him, he lay still, leaning back against the post, his eyes closed, seemingly unaware of Chris's hands on his thigh. She tried to touch him as little as possible, tried to not show how the sight of his torn flesh upset her.

“I don't think Prescott can handle the old man. Prescott's not mean enough. He's too trusting.”

“Ty, how long did you spend with that man? Did you really have to live with him?”

“Off and on until I was six, but kids learn fast. It didn't take me long to learn that I had to take care of myself.”

“As independent as you are, why didn't you run away when he…when he sold you? Couldn't you have gone back to Red's?”

Tynan opened his eyes and looked at her. “I was drunk, and he kept me that way for two days before the”—Ty grimaced—“sale.”

“But you were only six years old.”

“I've never met a little kid yet that didn't like beer. You ought to get some sleep now. You'll need rest for tomorrow.”

Standing, she took the bucket of bloody water and moved away from him, watching him as he leaned against the pole. He looked as if he were asleep but she could see the dark light of his eyes between his lashes. He planned to stay awake all night to protect them from the old man—but he didn't tie the man or incapacitate him, and she wondered why.

She moved away from Ty to go back to the spring to get fresh water.

“Chris.”

She was startled to hear Asher's voice so near.

“May I speak to you?”

“You should be asleep. You have a hard ride ahead of you tomorrow and Ty says—”

“Ty says! That's all I hear, that Tynan says this and Tynan says that.”

“He is the leader of this group,” Chris said, “and it's been his decisions that have kept us from getting killed.” She continued on her way to the spring.

He caught her arm. “I didn't mean to be angry. I guess I'm just jealous. Chris, the real reason I wanted to talk to you is…”

“Yes,” she said, looking up at him in the moonlight. “What did you want to say to me?”

“I wanted to ask you to marry me.”

Chris was taken aback for a moment. All she'd been able to think about for the last few days was getting away from Dysan. “Isn't this rather sudden?”

“You know it isn't. Chris, I've fallen in love with you, with your spirit and your courage. Any woman who'd chop through the back of a wagon to make herself heard is the woman I want to spend my life with, no milksop women for me.”

“And it's not my father's money? Or the fact that he's offered you a position in his business? That doesn't make me more attractive to you?”

Asher opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead, he drew Chris to him and kissed her softly and gently. “At one time, I thought that I'd have married Del Mathison's daughter if she were as ugly as my father's favorite mule, but then I met you and everything changed. Chris, you're like no other woman I've ever met. I wish with all my heart that you'd marry me. And if it's your money you think I'm after, I'll give up all claim to it. I think that with you at my side, I could start over again, and this time I wouldn't fail.”

Still holding her in his arms, he smiled down at her. “I don't think you'd allow any failure on my part. I think if there were a setback in my finances, you'd crack a whip over my head, and not allow me to give up.”

She smiled back. “No, I don't guess I do give up, not if I want something badly enough.” Suddenly, she thought of Tynan. “Unless I have to give up,” she murmured.

“I think we'd make a good pair,” he said. “We'd have my level-headedness and your spirit. I could keep your feet on the earth and you could prevent me from giving up when the going gets rough.”

She laughed. “You make us sound like a merger.”

He snuggled her closer. “Some mergers can be quite good. Chris, please say you'll think about it. I'll do whatever you want. If you want me to renounce your father's money, I'll do so. Whatever you say.”

“That seems rather drastic and my father does want someone to help him run the place.”

“Are you saying you'll marry me?” he asked, his eyes alight.

“Like hell she will,” came Tynan's voice from behind them. “Get your hands off her, Prescott. And if you don't, I'll shoot them off.”

Chris moved away from Asher. “You're supposed to be asleep.”

“Is that what you were hoping? That I was asleep so you could meet him behind my back?”

“Now just one minute, Tynan,” Asher said. “I have every right to do whatever Miss Mathison wants. After all, you were hired to help me win her. Oh, Chris,” he said as he realized what he'd revealed.

“It's all right, I knew. Tynan, you have no right to interfere in what I do. Now, I want you to go back to—”

She didn't finish the sentence because Tynan grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He couldn't walk very well as his leg was stiffening, but he could force her closer to him. “Prescott, go back to the camp and see to Pilar and watch the old man. I'll be there in a minute.”

Asher started to protest, but one look at Tynan made him decide against it and he turned back toward the cabin.

“Get your hands off of me!” Chris said, trying to jerk away from him, but not succeeding. “You have no right to interfere in this. Besides, I believe my father hired you to
help
him fall in love with me.”

“I don't even want to know how you found that out, but that was before…”

“Yes? That was before what?” She was looking up at him with anger flashing in her eyes.

He grabbed her to him, burying her face in his shoulder for a moment, then kissing her as if he were starving.

“Please don't, Ty,” she said, her voice sounding as if she were in agony. “Please leave me alone.” She tried to push away from him, but he wouldn't release her.

“Chris, I can't stand to see him touching you. I just can't stand it.” His hands were going up and down her back, caressing her, touching her neck, his thumbs toying with her ears.

She managed to push away far enough to look at him.
“You
can't stand it? What right do you have to prevent me from doing anything? What right do you have to even voice an opinion? I made an absolute fool of myself over you and you threw everything in my face and now you stand here and tell me I can't talk to a man who has the most honorable of intentions.”

“My intentions toward you are honorable. I've always been fair and honest with you. And now I'm saying that if Prescott touches you again, I'll shoot him. I can't be more honest than that.”

“You!” she gasped and gave a lunge that separated her from him. “What you want from me isn't honorable. All you want is a…is for me to…” She was glad the darkness covered her red face.

“So what's wrong with that? You didn't seem to mind the last time. Ah, Chris, I don't want to fight. We had a good time that night and, besides, I haven't had any women since then.”

Chris was sure that her anger was about to make her explode. “You haven't had any
women
—plural—since then? Am I supposed to feel sympathy for you? Am I supposed to do what you want merely because you've been on the run and haven't had time to—”

“I had time,” he said. “I just didn't want any that were offered.”

Chris sputtered for a moment. Was he actually asking her for sympathy? “So now you're…and I'm supposed to…of all the dastardly, disgusting, repulsive things—I want you to know that Asher asked me to
marry
him. He didn't ask for a quick assignation, he wanted to marry me, to live with me forever.”

“He wants to live with your father's money forever.”

“So what's the difference between you two? He wants my money and you want my body. Neither of you seem to want
me.
Well, let me tell you, Mr. Tynan,” she advanced on him, “I'm not sure I want either one of you. I certainly don't want what you offer.”

He caught her arm. “Chris, you do want me. I know it. I can see it in your eyes. And I want you, so why not?”

She gave him a serious look, the muscles in her jaw working. “And do you plan to include marriage in your offer?” she asked softly.

He took a step back from her as if she'd just contracted a contagious disease. “Marriage? Chris, you know that's impossible. Your father would send me back to jail on a life sentence and then you'd have no husband. I couldn't do that to you.”

“Men!” she gasped. “What convenient memories you have. My father said that you'd return to prison if you
touched
me, yet you were more than willing to risk that because it was something you wanted. But now you hold it up to me when the matter of marriage is mentioned. Listen to me, Tynan, and listen good. I am
not
going to go to bed with you again and you can believe me.” She turned on her heel and started up the hill toward the spring, grabbing the bucket in anger.

“You'll give in,” Ty said after her, “and you'd better not let Prescott touch you.”

“You hardheaded, vain…cowboy, I'm never going to let you touch me again!” She dug the bucket into the spring water, then, on impulse, stuck her face under the cold water. She wasn't sure whether she needed cooling off from her temper or from Tynan's kisses, but, whichever it was, her blood was steaming.

She stayed at the stream for a while before returning to the cabin and settling down beside Pilar to sleep. She woke repeatedly during the night, sometimes sitting up with a jolt and looking around her. Each time she woke, she saw that Tynan was still leaning against the post, still watching the old man.

By the time morning came, she felt as if she'd not been asleep at all. She sat up, rubbing her aching back and looked around her. Ty was gone from his post and Asher was in the yard in front of the cabin saddling his horse. She walked toward him.

“The old man's giving Ty trouble,” Ash said in the way of a greeting. “We may have to tie him on his horse just to get him out of here.”

Chris stifled a yawn. “I hope he ties him face down over the saddle.”

Asher caught her arm and pulled her close to him. “This is the last time I'll see you for a while. I hope you'll miss me. I hope you'll think about my proposal. I hope you'll…” He began to kiss her neck. “I hope you'll say yes.”

The next minute, Asher was on the ground as Tynan jerked him away from Chris. Ty stood over him, feet apart, fists ready.

“Come on, Prescott, get up. You've been asking for this for a long time. Or aren't you man enough to maul somebody your own size? Do you only pick on women?”

“For heaven's sake!” Chris said, going to Asher to help him up.

Tynan advanced on the man.

“If you touch him again,” she said, “so help me, I'll ride out of here with him. What in the world is wrong with you?”

Tynan lowered his fists and there was a bewildered expression on his face. “I don't know,” he said in wonder. “Prescott, you better go now so you can use all the daylight. The old man will go with you but you'll have to watch him every minute. I think he understands now that we're hiding out so he'll do what he can to make money off that knowledge.”

As Asher stood, Tynan looked a bit sheepish for a moment, then he turned back toward Chris. “You wouldn't go, would you? I mean, I'd have to bring you back and someone needs to stay with Pilar.”

Chris looked at him for a long moment. “No,” she said at last, “I won't leave. Not if you don't hit Asher again. Now, could you leave us alone? I'd like to say good-bye.”

Tynan didn't move a step. “You can say good-bye right now. He has to leave.”

“If you think—” Chris began, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but a call from Pilar stopped her. “Yes, I'm coming,” she answered, then deliberately turned and put her arms around Asher, meaning to kiss him good-bye, and show Tynan that he had no right to give her orders. But her lips never reached Asher's because Tynan pulled her away from him and held her to him, her back against his front.

“Get on your horse, Prescott,” he said in a deadly voice.

Asher hesitated for a moment, but, then, with a sigh, he put his foot in the stirrup. “We'll settle this later,” he said, glancing back to the old man who was sitting atop Tynan's horse and ready to leave.

Tynan, still holding Chris, stepped back. “Make sure you watch him night and day. Don't give him a minute or he'll take all you have and maybe your life with it.”

“Yeah,” Asher muttered and, with one quick look at Chris, reined his horse away. “Come on, old man,” he called over his shoulder and then was gone from sight.