The Bounty Hunter and the Heiress (20 page)

T
he next morning Blackowl frowned disconcertedly as he watched Raven give Eva another strong dose of peyote. “Why are you knocking her out completely again?”

“If I don't she'll insist on chasing down James and she is in no condition to do anything except recuperate.” Raven carefully repositioned her broken arm against her abdomen. Then he wrapped her in the bedroll so he could strap her to the travois he had made at first light to transport her.

Blackowl smiled wryly. “I don't want to be you when she comes to her senses and realizes we are heading in the opposite direction than she anticipates.”

Raven wasn't sure he wanted to be him, either, when the ranting and raving commenced. But he had been through everything else with this headstrong hellion. Why not endure a temper tantrum of gigantic proportion?

“I think we'll let James come to us.” Raven scooped Eva's limp form into his arms and carried her to the travois he had hooked up for the bay gelding to drag behind him. He let the horse sniff Eva on the way past before he strapped her into the Indian-style carrier.

Blackowl smiled perceptively. “So you think James will try to intercept the gamblers and steal the ransom they are supposed to deliver.”

Raven nodded as he swung into the saddle. “James was so overly confident that he sent Lydia Hallowell a ransom note
before
he knew whether he would be able to capture Eva. He'll try to take the money before Frank and Irving discover she is free. By now I imagine James has confiscated another horse in Hell's Corner and has ridden down the trail from Hell to Purgatory.”

“Maybe the spirits will prevail and he will take a fall that breaks his neck,” Blackowl said cheerily as he handed off the bay's reins to Raven.

Raven would like nothing more than to have his cruel stepbrother meet with disaster. James certainly had it coming, considering the long list of crimes he'd committed. Taking shots at Eva on several occasions and then leaving her to die intensified Raven's thirst for vengeance. He knew Eva would pitch a fit, but she had to wait in line to have her revenge on James until
after
Raven finished with the bastard.

Glancing back to ensure the downhill jaunt didn't cause Eva more discomfort than necessary, he headed to Satan's Bluff. He planned to take the timesaving Indian trail that led to his cabin so Hoodoo could care for Eva. Raven smiled, knowing the older man would relish the duty since he'd become overly fond of Eva.

When they reached the mountain meadow that led to the Indian trail Raven handed off the bay's reins to Blackowl. “I'm going to stop in Satan's Bluff long enough to file Eva's claim. I'll catch up with you as soon as possible.”

Raven urged the paint pony into a swift pace while Blackowl veered across the mountain meadow. He considered trying to overtake James and let his cousin tend to Eva. However, she was so banged up and bruised that he couldn't bring himself to leave her for too long.

None of this would have happened if he hadn't shouted her name while she held James at gunpoint, he reminded himself sourly. Now she was battered and exhausted and James still was running loose. Raven owed Eva for her pain and trouble and he would be there to care for her.

 

Eva moaned groggily then opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling above her. It looked vaguely familiar but the strong sedative Raven had given her left cobwebs in her mind and she had trouble formulating thought. When she tried to roll onto her side, every muscle screamed in pain.

“Dear God…” she groaned as she raised her arm to rub her throbbing head.
Thunk.
“Ouch…” Bleary-eyed, she stared at the splint on her left arm that she had unintentionally clanked against her skull.

Obviously, she had broken her arm during her fall. She wasn't surprised because she remembered that it had hurt like hell. When she noticed the bandage on her shoulder, the events of her harrowing escape from James returned in full force.

She glanced around the room and realized she was in Raven's bed in his cabin. Eva frowned, befuddled. How had she gotten here so quickly and without remembering the journey? And where was James Archer? Surely Raven and Blackowl had captured him by now.

“Hoodoo!” she croaked, surprised that her voice sounded as if it had rusted from overexposure to the rain and wind.

“You're finally awake? Well it's about time,” he called from downstairs. “I'll bring up leftovers from lunch.”

Eva blinked, disoriented. Lunch? What time was it? She couldn't determine the time of the day because the curtains upstairs were closed. Thanks to the sedative, she barely knew where she was, but she did admit she felt famished.

A few minutes later Hoodoo hobbled up the steps with a plate of food. Eva smiled in eager anticipation when the appetizing aroma wafted across the loft to greet her.

“I've missed you and your cooking, Hoodoo,” she rasped as she pushed herself up against the pillows. She glanced down to note she was wearing her nightgown, but she didn't recall how and when she'd come to have it on. Raven was responsible, she presumed.

Hoodoo smiled as he sank down on the side of the bed. “You've had a rough few days, I hear,” he said as he spoon-fed her stew.

Her taste buds went into full-scale riot at first bite and she eagerly waited for him to offer her another gulp.

“I can tell you for sure that the three of us were beside ourselves when we realized you had ridden off alone to capture James.” Hoodoo's disfigured face puckered disapprovingly. “If I had known it was James who had been hounding you and Raven, I would have taken after him with my shotgun. I've heard too many infuriating stories about that scoundrel. After what he did to you, I want to carve him into wolf bait. But I know Raven and Blackowl will deal severely with him.”

Eva swallowed her food then frowned. “They haven't captured him yet?”

Hoodoo shook his frizzy brown head. “No, they figure he'll try to intercept the two men you saved from a hanging. They are headed to the cabin with the ransom money.”

Eva angled the spoon away from her mouth then sat upright in bed. “The meal is incredible, as always, but I need to dress,” she said hastily. “Could you grant me a moment of privacy? I need to be on hand when James is captured.”

“No!” Hoodoo protested. “Raven gave me strict orders to make sure you received plenty of bed rest. He'll have my head if you go haring off again.”

“I'll have his head for sedating me to such extremes that I didn't know where the blazes I was,” she grumbled as she flung back the quilt to note her legs were a mass of scrapes and bruises.

“
See there?
You got no business riding off,” Hoodoo lectured.

“Then at least let me bathe at Phantom Springs.” She requested. “You claim the water has healing powers that work wonders.”

Hoodoo smiled agreeably. “That's exactly what you need.”

Eva walked over gingerly to retrieve her satchel and grab a clean shirt and breeches. When Hoodoo went downstairs, she pulled on her clothes.

“How long have I been sedated?” she called down to him.

“Two days.”

“Two?” Eva howled in dismay. “Frank and Irving will be transporting the ransom money and James might be lying in wait already.”

“That's the way Raven and Blackowl have it figured,” Hoodoo replied.

She pulled on her boots then crammed her belongings in her satchels. “How long ago did Blackowl and Raven leave?” she asked as descended the stairs.

“Four hours,” Hoodoo reported. “They presumed James would arrive early to search out the best location for an ambush between here and the stage station. They hoped to overtake him before someone gets hurt.”

“If James is the one who gets hurt I couldn't be more pleased,” she muttered as she glanced at the splint on her left arm. “He definitely has it coming.”

Eve walked outside feeling guilty that she had tricked Hoodoo into thinking that she was settling for a bath when she intended to saddle the blood-red bay and ride off to make sure James didn't escape again. She hoped Hoodoo would forgive her…eventually…

 

Raven frowned, bemused, as he stared through the field glasses to survey the entourage on horseback. “I could swear that's Eva down there with the gamblers and an unidentified man. But how is that possible? She's sedated and lying in bed at the cabin.”

Blackowl took the spyglass and frowned, too. “Same hair color, same style of shirt and breeches. How—?”

“Must be her sister,” Raven interrupted then smiled. “Not only do they look amazingly alike, but Lydia is obviously as determined to be involved in this manhunt as Eva…See anything of James?”

Blackowl scanned the tree-choked foothills and wild tumble of rocks. “No, not yet. If he's here, he's doing a damn fine job of concealing himself.” He glanced sideways at Raven. “Are you sure you want to use these travelers as bait to trap James?”

“Not particularly but we have no choice since we can't locate James. We're running out of time and I don't want to give away our location to him.”

Raven was glad Eva wasn't here to scold him for using her sister to lure in James. But who would have thought Lydia would have insisted on delivering the ransom money in person? Damn, those Hallowell sisters were a stubborn lot, he mused.

“Oh, hell,” Blackowl grumbled a moment later.

Raven jerked up his head and looked around. Blackowl thrust the spyglass at him then hitched his thumb to the west.

“Damnation,” Raven grumbled when he saw Hoodoo and Eva racing down the trail, with Hoodoo following a short distance behind and waving his arms in agitated gestures. “Well, so much for my explicit instructions that Eva was to remain bedfast until we returned to the cabin. Obviously, she sneaked away from Hoodoo and he came charging after her since she was determined to make tracks so she could be a part of James's capture.”

“Maybe James will decide to back off before his luck runs out,” Blackowl remarked.

“Doubt it. Money is an obsessive motivation for my stepbrother. Always has been. After all, he sold my father's possessions and kept the money for himself. He doesn't care whose money it is—he wants it all.”

“James has to know you will come looking for him,” Blackowl murmured as he panned the area painstakingly.

“I predict his typical arrogance will prevail. Nothing would please him more than to outsmart me by intercepting the brigade and making off with the ransom money.” Raven backed from the underbrush. “Keep close watch for James while I flag down Eva. I don't want her to stumble into our trap.”

Raven strode quickly to his horse then mounted up. He cut cross-country to overtake the twosome, hoping James hadn't spotted the latecomers. Focused on Eva, who was sitting astride the muscled bay, Raven ignored the first rule of survival. He didn't pay attention to his surroundings.

A gunshot rang out nearby and echoed around the canyon. Burning pain seared his forehead and the coppery scent of blood flooded his senses. He blinked, stunned, when trickles of blood clouded his vision and obliterated his thoughts.

Raven sagged over his horse, oblivious to everything except the fierce pain that made him swear his head had exploded.

 

Eva jerked upright when she heard the report of a rifle echoing around her. She couldn't see where the shot originated or where it landed, but a sense of urgency overwhelmed her. She nudged the bay, forcing him into a gallop. She wanted to be on hand to see James apprehended. By damned, she was entitled. This was
her
private manhunt to avenge her sister and she was ready to rake Raven over live coals for excluding her.

She blinked in surprise when she stared downhill to see Irving, Frank, Roger and Lydia scrambling from their horses to take cover in the underbrush. Why Lydia had become personally involved in this ransom exchange Eva couldn't fathom. Not only was Lydia on hand, but she was dressed in breeches. Was this the same sister she'd left in Denver less than two weeks ago?

Riding at a fast clip, Eva charged toward the entourage that had disappeared into the protection of the trees.

“Eva, no!” Hoodoo shouted. “This could be a trap!”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a shot zinged past her shoulder. She flattened herself on the bay gelding and thundered toward the place she had last seen her sister. Somewhere to her left she heard more gunshots ring out. She presumed Blackowl and Raven were returning fire. Even Frank, Irving and Roger were shooting at an unseen target in the bushes.

A flash of color caught her attention and she glanced sideways. She did a double take when she spotted Raven racing toward the entourage on his paint pony. The shooting stopped abruptly when he waved his arm to draw attention.

Eva realized almost immediately that the rider sitting astride the paint pony was dressed in Raven's customary black shirt and hat but he didn't move with the same muscular grace.