Moon Racer (12 page)

"I have." Jonah released the hammer of his gun
and rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms
going around her. "Don't be frightened. I won't let
anyone hurt you."

When she tilted her head and looked into his eyes,
the rifleman was forgotten, and all she could think of
was the male body pressed against hers. Sweetness,
raw and deep, wound its way through her, and she
wanted to hold on to the moment forever.

They heard the sound of hooves as the gunman
rode away, the noise growing fainter in the distance.
Then she sensed a sudden change in Jonah. His
hand clamped around her waist, bringing her closer
to him. She moved her head at the same moment he
lowered his, bringing his mouth near hers. If she
moved the merest bit, their lips would be touching.
In a movement that took her by surprise, he laid his
face against hers, and she closed her eyes while her
breathing became shallow.

She felt an urge to slide her fingers into his thick
black hair, but resisted it.

His breath became trapped in his throat, and his
arousal was so quick and violent it took him by
surprise. He wanted her so badly his hand moved to
the clip that held her braid in place. Strong emotions
stirred within him as he fought to resist the
temptation. Even battling with himself as he was, he
brought her tighter against him, and she did not
object. He touched her face, trailing a finger across
her lips, and his breathing caught even tighter. He
had the strongest urge to touch every part of her
satiny body.

"Abby," he whispered. "You have driven me
crazy since the moment you came swinging out of
that tree at me."

She was too honest to deny what was happening
between them. "Yes," she admitted in a velvet-soft
voice. "I know."

Her blood was singing through her veins, and she
could feel her heart pounding fiercely. He held her
so tightly she could feel his body tremble and swell
with his need.

Her lips quivered, and she could not utter a word
as his mouth crossed her jawline and lightly
caressed her lips, not lingering long enough for a
kiss, but long enough to make her want more.

Jonah shifted his weight and nudged her legs
apart, fitting his hardness between her thighs. His
hand slid up her arm, and he heard her uneven
breath against his ear.

His heart was slamming as if it would break out of
his chest. He cradled her head against his shoulder.
She had tapped into something primitive and possessive within him, and yet he felt overwhelming
tenderness that made him want to protect her. He
held her to him for a moment, filling his soul with
her sweetness-yet knowing he must let her go.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," he said in a
hoarse voice. "I can't explain it."

She choked on her reply. "I know."

He raised her chin and studied her face, tracing
her mouth with a lover's touch. He wanted to kiss
the dimple in her cheek and to loosen her hair from
its confines. His hand slid up her ribs, but he forced
himself to stop before he touched the tempting
swell of her breasts.

"We had better go," he said regretfully, still
unwilling to loosen his hold on her.

"Yes," she said thickly, pushing lightly against
his chest and feeling him step away from her. "As it
is, it will be nearly dark when we get home."

He took her hand and held it for a moment.
"Abby, I'm sorry for what just happened between
us. I went too far." He was struggling for the right
words. "I hope you will forgive me."

"It was nothing." Abby didn't want him to be
sorry, and she didn't want to forget what had just
passed between them. For a brief moment they had
shared something fragile and wonderful. She had
felt warmth in him, and he had touched her heart in
a way that no one else ever had.

Now the ice-blue eyes she looked into held no
warmth. "I... we should leave now, Major."

He nodded. "We'll have to ride double."

She quivered, and her pulse quickened at the
thought of being that close to him again. But she had
no choice unless she wanted to walk back to the
ranch. Her breathing became shallow as she
approached his horse. She tried to distract herself by
contemplating his McClellan cavalry saddle-it had
no saddle horn, and it wasn't as deep as the western
saddles she preferred.

Jonah felt her hesitation, so he gripped her waist
and lifted her onto the saddle. He brushed against
her as he climbed on behind; then his arms came
around her when he gathered the reins.

She was in his arms again, and she thought her
heart would burst free of her body. She felt the hard
wall of his chest against her back, and she could
feel the intake of every breath he took. Her head
drifted backward to rest against his shoulder, and
the world seemed to shift around her.

Abby's eyes closed, and she was enveloped by
his masculinity. She was puzzled by new and
unwelcome sensations. How could the one man she
had disliked on sight be the first man to bring out
such feelings in her?

There could be no future for her and Jonah. He
would marry the woman in Philadelphia who was
probably of his class and breeding. She bit her trembling lip. Probably every female who came in contact
with him felt the same overpowering attraction that
she had, and the same devastating hopelessness.

Abby straightened her spine and pulled away,
trying not to think about him in that way. Today she
had experienced a new awareness of her own body. She had a consciousness of what it felt like to be
touched by a man-the memory of his lips brushing
hers was so keen that it ripped her apart inside. She
wanted him to press her to his body and do all the
things a man-did to .a woman.

Her transformation from child to woman had
been a painful one.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked against her ear.

"Yes, thank you," she answered, barely able to
find her voice.

He slowed his horse to let it rest, since it was
carrying double.

"It's all right if you relax against me. There is no
need to keep yourself so stiff."

Her head was against his chest but she did not
relax-if anything she was more rigid than ever.

His mouth touched her ear, and he whispered,
"You haven't been this near a man before, have
you?"

She could not speak, so she shook her head.

"It's all right, Abby," he assured her. "You are
safe with me."

Her eyes drifted shut as his thighs pressed against
her.

"Abb"
Y.

"Yes."

"I really won't hurt you."

Hurt her-her heart-was having to pump twice as
hard just to keep up with the blood that flowed
through her body. "I know."

They both fell silent.

Jonah did not understand how he had almost lost
control, something that had never happened to him
before. He had never felt such a deep yearning for
any woman, not even Patricia. In spite of Abby's
unconventional behavior, he now considered her the
most feminine woman he had ever met. She fit
perfectly in his arms, as if she belonged there. A
powerful craving tore at him, and he wanted to touch
his mouth to those sweet lips. He wanted to teach her
what it felt like to be a woman-his woman.

He mentally shook himself. He must be out of his
mind-he was supposed to be her brother's friend.

Quince trusted him with Abby.

Hoping to guide his mind back to sanity, he
attempted to conjure up a mental picture of Patricia.
But his mind was locked on the green-eyed minx
who probably wanted nothing more than to get off
his horse and as far away from him as possible.

"Could we hurry?" she asked, -proving his
conjecture and straightening away from him.

He nudged the horse faster with the heels of his
boots. She had stormed into his world and turned it
upside down.

When they reached the house, Brent was just
leading his horse out of the barn. When he saw
them, his frown eased into an expression of relief

"I was just going to look for you. When Moon
Racer came back riderless, I knew something had
happened. Are you all right, Abby?"

Jonah lifted her down, and she went into Brent's
arms. "Someone shot at us, and the mustangs are
gone!"

Brent turned to Curly. "Round up everyone who
can ride and send someone for Quince. I'll want to
leave within the hour." He looked at his sister.
"Abby, I want you to get in the house. If someone is
shooting at us, I don't want you in the way."

Usually Abby would have argued the point, but
she merely nodded. She looked at Jonah. "Thank
you for what you did today."

Before he could answer, she had turned and
walked swiftly toward the house.

"Brent," Jonah said, "whoever it was deliberately
shot at your sister."

Brent's jaw tightened. "Then he's a dead man if I
find him."

Edmund closed the front door and hung his hat on
the hatrack in the entryway. He sorted through the
mail on the hall table and saw nothing interesting
there.

The house was eerily silent because it was
Hilda's day off. She had likely left a cold dinner for
him, but he wasn't hungry. He wanted to go over
his ledger again and see just how much money Jack
Hunter and his brood owed him.

Jack was so gullible, it was easy to maneuver him
into spending money he couldn't afford, thus
helping Edmund along with his plans to bankrupt
the Half-Moon. Jack's ignorance and naivete only
proved what Edmund had known all along-he was
superior to Jack in every aspect. His real problem
had been Brent, who was shrewd and not so easily fooled. And now there was Quince to contend with
as well. He'd outsmart them all-the deed to the
Half-Moon was almost within his-

"I always wanted to live in a house like this."

Edmund was startled by the voice and turned to
see a man sitting in his desk chair, his muddy boots
propped on the oak surface of his desk.

-Kane had a malevolent air about him, and
seemed to contaminate the atmosphere around him.
His black eyes caught the lamplight and were
glowing like red coals. There wasn't anything Kane
wouldn't do for money, and that made him
invaluable to Edmund. However, Edmund didn't
want anyone to think they were on friendly termshe had stressed many times that Kane would not be
welcome in his home.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" His face
was reddened by the anger that fired his blood. "I
don't want you here!"

Kane swung his legs to the floor and shrugged. "I
thought you might like to know the job's done. I
drove the Hunters' mustangs to Echo Canyon like
you wanted. I also took some scattered shots at the
Hunter gal."

Edmund stalked across the space that divided
him from the swarthy bastard and yanked him to his
feet. "If you ever so much as look in Abby Hunter's
direction, or go anywhere near her, or do anything
like that again, it'll be the last thing you ever do!"

Kane laughed unpleasantly. "I think the day will
come when we are going to have a serious disagreement. But," he said, shrugging, "this is not that day. And by the way, you needn't worry about Abby
Hunter. That handsome young officer is looking out
for her. In fact, I probably did that officer a favor.
When I watched them eat their lunch, neither of them
seemed to be having a good time. But when I shot at
that little gal's horse, he charged to her rescue and
became very protective of her. He had to get real close
to her to do that. I bet you couldn't have pushed a
straw between the two of them."

"I could kill you!" Edmund's face grew even
redder, and his rage was almost out of control.
Having difficulty catching his breath, he dropped
down on a chair. "If you do anything like that again,
I will kill you."

"I don't think so." Kane laughed, and the sound of
it was pure evil. "How does it feel to be old, and to
realize that pretty little thing won't have you? She is
surely sweet, but you'll never have that sweetness."
His smile deepened the lines in his jaw. "But... that
handsome young officer probably will."

"You bastard!"

Kane looked pensive for a moment, and then said
icily, "You are probably right -I don't think my
mother knew who my father was. If I am a bastard,
that makes me dangerous-so don't ever push me
too far."

"Get out! You have let the Hunter bunch check
you at every move. If this one doesn't work out,
you're through, Kane."

Kane's black eyes narrowed, and he cast Edmund
a look so dark it made him shiver. "Not until I have
all the money you owe me."

Edmund stood up, grasping the back of the chair.
"We agreed you would sell the mustangs and keep
the money you got for them, and I would deposit
the rest in the account I set up for you."

Kane's smile did not touch his lips. "I wonder
what the good people of this town would do if they
knew about some of your dealings?"