then out the back of the building. But her feet didn't move. No matter how loud it reverberated through her head that now was the time to run, she couldn't make a move.
"Megan."
The voice startled her. She swung around to meet Lucas's hard gaze. He stood inside the double front doors, feet apart, hands on his hips. A guilty blush crept up her neck as she worried that he might read her earlier thoughts.
"Ready?"
She nodded.
He moved forward, taking the saddlebags from her. “Let's go."
The horses stood at the hotel's hitching rail, looking every bit as awake as Megan felt. “Don't worry, girl,” she said, patting the mare's neck. “Lucas and Worthy will lead us, and we can sleep."
Lucas helped her mount, then went to his own horse. “We'll start out at a pretty quick pace so we can cover a fair amount of ground before the sun comes up. Then we'll slow it down to a walk to keep the horses from tiring out."
"Where are we going?” Megan asked again, hoping that this time he would answer.
"Wichita."
"Wichita!” she almost screamed. “That's more than a hundred miles away."
"Yep, it is. And the sooner we get going, the sooner we'll arrive."
"Oh, God,” she moaned as Lucas kicked Worthy into a lope. She desperately wanted to turn back the clock and take advantage of that lost opportunity to run away.
Chapter Nine
"I thought you said Scott wouldn't pass through Topeka without stopping to see Nelly McFadden.” Megan popped the last bite of rabbit into her mouth and rubbed her greasy fingers on her pant leg.
They had crossed the
Neosho
River
just as the sun was setting, then traveled a few miles farther to make camp on the bank of the Cottonwood. Tomorrow, Lucas said, they would find a shallow spot to cross the rapid waters and move on toward Wichita. Everything seemed to be going along in much the same vein as the last time they'd stayed the night beneath a blanket of bright
Kansas
stars.
"He visited her, all right. But someone else was in bed with her by the time I got there."
Megan's eyes widened. “And you believed her when she said Scott was headed for Wichita? Wouldn't she, of all people, have reason to lie?"
"Probably, but she had a new bruise under her right eye."
"Oh, well then,” Megan said, as though his statement made perfect sense. Then she frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?"
"I think Scott knocked her around. If that's true, then she might just be angry enough to point me in the right direction."
She watched as he finished off his own portion of meat and washed it down with a swallow of clean, cold water from the river. “Isn't that quite a stretch?” she asked. “I mean, are you really going to travel all the way down to Wichita on the word of your enemy's ... you know ?"
"What the hell do you expect me to do?” he asked in a sudden burst of anger, tossing the canteen away from him. “For the past five years, I've done nothing but track the son of bitch back and forth across
Kansas
and
Missouri
. Christ, every time I get close to him, he disappears. What else am I supposed to do?"
Megan waited a moment for his temper to cool. She saw the heaving of his chest slow to a regular breathing pattern, the muscles in his jaw slacken. “How can he be so hard to find?” she asked quietly.
"Beats the hell out of me. I swear to God, this guy is like a ghost. Just when I think I've got him cornered and there's no way he can get away, he vanishes.” He ran splayed fingers through his light hair. “It's damn frustrating. So now I've got two choices. I can either take the word of Nelly McFadden and go to Wichita, or I can go to the nearest town and wait around until a report comes in to the marshal on where he was last spotted. Of course, by then he would probably be in the next state."
He turned his ice-blue gaze on Megan. “What do you suggest I do?"
She swallowed, feeling properly chastised for second-guessing his decision. “All right,” she said. “You get to
"Megan."
The voice startled her. She swung around to meet Lucas's hard gaze. He stood inside the double front doors, feet apart, hands on his hips. A guilty blush crept up her neck as she worried that he might read her earlier thoughts.
"Ready?"
She nodded.
He moved forward, taking the saddlebags from her. “Let's go."
The horses stood at the hotel's hitching rail, looking every bit as awake as Megan felt. “Don't worry, girl,” she said, patting the mare's neck. “Lucas and Worthy will lead us, and we can sleep."
Lucas helped her mount, then went to his own horse. “We'll start out at a pretty quick pace so we can cover a fair amount of ground before the sun comes up. Then we'll slow it down to a walk to keep the horses from tiring out."
"Where are we going?” Megan asked again, hoping that this time he would answer.
"Wichita."
"Wichita!” she almost screamed. “That's more than a hundred miles away."
"Yep, it is. And the sooner we get going, the sooner we'll arrive."
"Oh, God,” she moaned as Lucas kicked Worthy into a lope. She desperately wanted to turn back the clock and take advantage of that lost opportunity to run away.
Chapter Nine
"I thought you said Scott wouldn't pass through Topeka without stopping to see Nelly McFadden.” Megan popped the last bite of rabbit into her mouth and rubbed her greasy fingers on her pant leg.
They had crossed the
Neosho
River
just as the sun was setting, then traveled a few miles farther to make camp on the bank of the Cottonwood. Tomorrow, Lucas said, they would find a shallow spot to cross the rapid waters and move on toward Wichita. Everything seemed to be going along in much the same vein as the last time they'd stayed the night beneath a blanket of bright
Kansas
stars.
"He visited her, all right. But someone else was in bed with her by the time I got there."
Megan's eyes widened. “And you believed her when she said Scott was headed for Wichita? Wouldn't she, of all people, have reason to lie?"
"Probably, but she had a new bruise under her right eye."
"Oh, well then,” Megan said, as though his statement made perfect sense. Then she frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?"
"I think Scott knocked her around. If that's true, then she might just be angry enough to point me in the right direction."
She watched as he finished off his own portion of meat and washed it down with a swallow of clean, cold water from the river. “Isn't that quite a stretch?” she asked. “I mean, are you really going to travel all the way down to Wichita on the word of your enemy's ... you know ?"
"What the hell do you expect me to do?” he asked in a sudden burst of anger, tossing the canteen away from him. “For the past five years, I've done nothing but track the son of bitch back and forth across
Kansas
and
Missouri
. Christ, every time I get close to him, he disappears. What else am I supposed to do?"
Megan waited a moment for his temper to cool. She saw the heaving of his chest slow to a regular breathing pattern, the muscles in his jaw slacken. “How can he be so hard to find?” she asked quietly.
"Beats the hell out of me. I swear to God, this guy is like a ghost. Just when I think I've got him cornered and there's no way he can get away, he vanishes.” He ran splayed fingers through his light hair. “It's damn frustrating. So now I've got two choices. I can either take the word of Nelly McFadden and go to Wichita, or I can go to the nearest town and wait around until a report comes in to the marshal on where he was last spotted. Of course, by then he would probably be in the next state."
He turned his ice-blue gaze on Megan. “What do you suggest I do?"
She swallowed, feeling properly chastised for second-guessing his decision. “All right,” she said. “You get to
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