some kind of savage.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Amos commanded. He motioned Ted toward the entrance. “I need to talk to you.”
When her brother returned, his face was pale and strained. He glanced her way, then quickly turned aside. April could hear him stumbling about for some time before he finally settled with the others for the night.
Exhausted from the torturous ride, she felt the tug of sleep’s call, and too weary to do any more thinking, she finally succumbed.
She dreamed of galloping horses and a faceless man with golden hair chasing her across the hills of West Texas.
When she opened her eyes in the morning, the man sitting Indian style across from her was not her brother. His yellow hair hung long to his shoulders, and the two Colt revolvers strapped to his side gave away his identity before he ever said a word.
Chapter 3
A pril lay immobile, frozen with shock. Numerous thoughts chased themselves through her mind finally settling into one cohesive idea. She had to warn her brother.
Jumping to her feet, she ran for the entrance to the cave. She never reached it. Strong hands latched onto her upper arms, whirling her around. Her eyes were level with a broad chest housed in soft buckskin. She struggled against the restraining grip, pushing her small fists upward until she was able to pummel the intruder in the chest.
“Let me go!”
Grabbing hold of her wrists, he twisted them behind her until she was effectively pinned against his chest. She lifted frightened eyes and was surprised to find a smile on the man’s face, although the smile was a decidedly nasty one.
“Just where did you plan on going?” he asked, a snicker in his voice.
Chocolate brown eyes roved her features, and April stilled beneath his careful scrutiny. He was a big man, tall and powerful. She felt a tremor of fear run through her when she remembered the comments of the others.
“Unhand me!” she commanded. She wanted to hurl the word
savage
at him, but realizing his size and power, she didn’t dare.
As though he could divine her thoughts, his eyes darkened until the only thing she could see was her own reflection in them. His face turned grim.
“Where are the others?”
Glancing around, she realized that they were truly alone, just she and this savage. Her own brother had deserted her, leaving her to face this man alone. Pain unlike any she had ever known rose up to choke her. Although she was angry at her brother for deserting her, she was relieved that he had gotten away.
“I don’t know.” She could barely speak past the obstruction in her throat.
Again he searched her face, delving deeply into her eyes. A puzzled frown crossed his face, and suddenly he released her.
“So they left you here to divert me from the chase, huh?”
The nasty smile had returned to his face. He cocked his head slightly, assessing her critically from her tousled black hair to her black button-up shoes. Blushing profusely, she wrapped her arms defensively around her waist.
“I must say, I’m tempted.”
The color multiplied in her cheeks until they resembled overripe cherries. “You, sir, are no gentleman.”
The smile turned into a full-fledged grin. He folded his arms over his chest, causing the buckskin to strain against him. April’s eyes followed the line of his figure past long, lean legs wrapped in the same buckskin to feet encased by leather moccasins.
“Not like your brother and his cohorts, huh?”
She had nothing to say to that. If the truth were told, this man had a strong magnetism that reached out to her even from the distance she had removed herself to. If he was a savage, he was unlike any she had ever heard about.
“What are you going to do with me?”
His eyes flicked over her briefly. “Well, I’ve got to hand it to your friends, their little ruse worked. I can’t very well take you with me, and I can’t leave you here alone.”
He went to the fire and lifted the coffeepot from the coals.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Amos commanded. He motioned Ted toward the entrance. “I need to talk to you.”
When her brother returned, his face was pale and strained. He glanced her way, then quickly turned aside. April could hear him stumbling about for some time before he finally settled with the others for the night.
Exhausted from the torturous ride, she felt the tug of sleep’s call, and too weary to do any more thinking, she finally succumbed.
She dreamed of galloping horses and a faceless man with golden hair chasing her across the hills of West Texas.
When she opened her eyes in the morning, the man sitting Indian style across from her was not her brother. His yellow hair hung long to his shoulders, and the two Colt revolvers strapped to his side gave away his identity before he ever said a word.
Chapter 3
A pril lay immobile, frozen with shock. Numerous thoughts chased themselves through her mind finally settling into one cohesive idea. She had to warn her brother.
Jumping to her feet, she ran for the entrance to the cave. She never reached it. Strong hands latched onto her upper arms, whirling her around. Her eyes were level with a broad chest housed in soft buckskin. She struggled against the restraining grip, pushing her small fists upward until she was able to pummel the intruder in the chest.
“Let me go!”
Grabbing hold of her wrists, he twisted them behind her until she was effectively pinned against his chest. She lifted frightened eyes and was surprised to find a smile on the man’s face, although the smile was a decidedly nasty one.
“Just where did you plan on going?” he asked, a snicker in his voice.
Chocolate brown eyes roved her features, and April stilled beneath his careful scrutiny. He was a big man, tall and powerful. She felt a tremor of fear run through her when she remembered the comments of the others.
“Unhand me!” she commanded. She wanted to hurl the word
savage
at him, but realizing his size and power, she didn’t dare.
As though he could divine her thoughts, his eyes darkened until the only thing she could see was her own reflection in them. His face turned grim.
“Where are the others?”
Glancing around, she realized that they were truly alone, just she and this savage. Her own brother had deserted her, leaving her to face this man alone. Pain unlike any she had ever known rose up to choke her. Although she was angry at her brother for deserting her, she was relieved that he had gotten away.
“I don’t know.” She could barely speak past the obstruction in her throat.
Again he searched her face, delving deeply into her eyes. A puzzled frown crossed his face, and suddenly he released her.
“So they left you here to divert me from the chase, huh?”
The nasty smile had returned to his face. He cocked his head slightly, assessing her critically from her tousled black hair to her black button-up shoes. Blushing profusely, she wrapped her arms defensively around her waist.
“I must say, I’m tempted.”
The color multiplied in her cheeks until they resembled overripe cherries. “You, sir, are no gentleman.”
The smile turned into a full-fledged grin. He folded his arms over his chest, causing the buckskin to strain against him. April’s eyes followed the line of his figure past long, lean legs wrapped in the same buckskin to feet encased by leather moccasins.
“Not like your brother and his cohorts, huh?”
She had nothing to say to that. If the truth were told, this man had a strong magnetism that reached out to her even from the distance she had removed herself to. If he was a savage, he was unlike any she had ever heard about.
“What are you going to do with me?”
His eyes flicked over her briefly. “Well, I’ve got to hand it to your friends, their little ruse worked. I can’t very well take you with me, and I can’t leave you here alone.”
He went to the fire and lifted the coffeepot from the coals.
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