The Bounty Hunter and the Heiress (7 page)

“Yes, my cousin, Blackowl, and Hoodoo.”

“Who's Hoodoo?”

“The man who keeps the home fires burning at my cabin while I'm on forays,” Raven explained as he ducked beneath a low-hanging tree limb.

“You have two friends in the world? That's two more than I expected,” she taunted. “They must overlook your sour disposition because they're desperate for companionship.”

Raven halted so abruptly that Eva slammed into him. He pivoted to face her wicked smile.

“You should be a helluva lot nicer to me,” he told her. “I'm the only thing standing between you and
lost
.”

“Has it occurred to you that this might be as nice as I ever get?” she countered, undaunted.

He nodded pensively. “Yeah, that's right. A man-hater. I almost forgot after you put on that sugarcoated act to fool the stagecoach passengers.”

When he spun around to walk away she said, “I'll pay you an extra five-hundred-dollar bonus to take this case.”

“Are you made of money?” he asked as he sidestepped up the rocky slope then tossed his saddle onto the ledge.

“I have a modest inheritance,” she replied. “I'll gladly share it with you if you'll help me put Gordon behind bars so he can't swindle another unsuspecting woman out of money.”

“The Rocky Mountain Detective Agency is still your best bet. General David Cook is as a good man and so are most of his assistants,” Raven recommended.

“Still not an option,” she mumbled.

He pulled himself upon the ledge then stretched out his hand to hoist her up. “I don't get it.
Why me?
”

“Because you're the best and that's exactly what I want.”

The comment inordinately pleased him. Damn if he knew why. After all, he was making a colossal effort to find fault with Eva at every turn so he wouldn't like her too much.

“Let me know if the pace is too rigorous. Nothing worse than dragging along a sissy girl,” he baited purposely.

She slung her leg over the ledge and flopped beside him. “I love you, too, J.D.,” she cooed in a sticky sweet tone.

He surged to his feet and turned away before she noticed his grin. “Let's move, wife. We're wasting daylight.”

 

Eva huffed and puffed her way up the winding footpath. They had been climbing toward the sawtooth peaks with their eroded cliffs and weather-beaten bluffs for what seemed like hours, but she vowed she would give out long before she gave up. Sissy indeed! Raven was testing her, pushing her to pinpoint her limitations, forcing her to admit she was out of her element and inferior to his strength and survival skills. She knew she was, but she wouldn't give the infuriating man the satisfaction of hearing her admit it.

Despite her willful determination, her feet were killing her and her arms ached from lugging the heavy satchels. She could see why traveling light in the mountains was important. Any extra baggage weighed you down and zapped your strength and stamina prematurely.

Eva managed to keep walking for another half hour before her knees gave way and dumped her unceremoniously on the rocky path. She was on the brink of tears, knowing she'd have to beg for a short break. To her surprise, Raven halted. He dropped his saddle, grabbed her arm and boosted her onto a boulder.

“Ouch,” she mumbled, massaging her tender shoulder.

“Sorry, I forgot about your previous injury.” He glanced overhead and frowned. “I wonder what's drawing buzzards.”

Eva shaded her eyes with her hand and glanced at the four vultures circling in the cloudy sky. Then they swooped down and disappeared on the upper ledge. That didn't bode well. Someone or something was about to become an afternoon meal.

“Here, take this,” Raven ordered as he handed her one of his Colt .45s.

“I still don't know how to shoot it,” she reminded him.

“Cock the hammer, aim at anything that doesn't announce itself and squeeze the trigger. I'll give a shout when I return, so don't accidentally blow my head off.”

She flashed him a mischievous grin. “At last, an excuse I can work with.”

“Two hours ago you said you loved me,” he recalled.

“I've decided I'd love to
shoot
you instead.”

“Fickle woman. You change with the wind.” His smile faded and his expression sobered. “Seriously, minx, pay attention to your surroundings. This could be a setup by my sniper. He might have killed a rabbit and left it to the buzzards to provide a distraction for me while he moves in for the kill.”

“
My
sniper,” she corrected. “I told you Gordon despises me because I never trusted his premeditated flattery. I was rude to him every change I got.”

“Gee, can't imagine that,” he said flippantly as he clutched her hand to lead her beneath the overhanging stone ledge. “Rule number one in the wilderness—
pay attention
.”

“I'd rather come with you,” she requested.

“This is not negotiable.” He wagged his finger in her flushed face. “You better be exactly where I leave you…or else.”

“Or else what?” she asked with a challenging smile.

“I'll dream up a suitable torture while I'm gone.”

After he disappeared around the bend on the path, Eva removed her shoes and sighed in relief. She had blisters on her feet and she'd give anything for a pair of those thick-soled moccasins Raven wore. She leaned back to wiggle her bare toes, closed her eyes and begged for a quick nap. Amazingly, she dozed off but she was startled awake by the sound of a gunshot reverberating around the canyon walls.

Afraid Raven had become a target because of his association with her, she padded barefoot along the path, ignoring the pain of sharp pebbles digging into her feet. When the trail became even more rugged, she paused to fashion her hindering skirts into a pair of breeches by tucking the hem into her belt. Then she took off again with pistol in hand.

She stumbled to a halt when she saw Raven hunkered down on one knee on the path. “Oh, God, no!” she railed in horror.

 

“Damn it, Eva, I told you to stay put,” Raven all but yelled at her.

He watched her hand fly to her mouth as she staggered back three paces. The pistol he'd given her hung loosely in her fingertips. She stared at him in anguish.

“Sweet Jesus…”

Her knees folded up again and dumped her on the pebbled path. Raven swore foully as tears welled up in her dark eyes then dribbled down her cheeks. This courageous woman, who defied flying bullets to search out a sniper and who stood up to him when no one else dared, was brought down by the sight of her sister's horse dangling half-on, half-off the ledge of the narrow trail. Or was it really
her
horse, he wondered.

The fact that Raven had to fire a shot to put the animal out of its misery, because of its broken leg, didn't make him feel any better about the situation. It was the second time in ten days that he'd had to dispose of a downed horse.

“Oh, Hodge, I'm so sorry I didn't catch up to you in time,” she whispered as she crawled over to stroke the chestnut's muscular neck. Dark eyes spilling shiny tears, she looked up at Raven. “Papa bought this horse for Lydia's thirteenth birthday. When Papa died six months later, Lydia was so grief-stricken that she rode off on Hodge and it took me two days to find her. Hodge took care of her, but I wasn't here when he needed me most—”

Her voice broke when she noticed the telltale signs the horse had been abused by its rider. Someone had fastened leather straps around the gelding's jaw and muzzle to keep him silent. The rider had whipped him recently, leaving fresh welts on his hindquarters and shoulders. Raw strips of skin on his hocks indicated that he'd been tethered tightly to restrain him.

She stared stonily at Raven as she draped herself across the lifeless horse, as if to give it one last affectionate hug. “For this alone I swear I will kill Gordon myself.”

“You don't know for certain that Gordon used the horse,” Raven pointed out as she continued to stroke Hodge's neck. He gestured toward the wild tumble of rock and trees that filled the ravine below. “For all we know the horse might have tripped and catapulted the rider off the cliff. Finding dead bodies in these mountains isn't easy, especially if you don't know precisely where to look. It took me a long time to find Buster Flanders and I knew approximately where he landed.”

“I'm not banking on the fact that Gordon is at the bottom of the ravine,” she said between sniffles. “He exposed his vicious streak to me only once, when he didn't know I was there to watch him take a makeshift club to a drunken partygoer who did nothing more than poke fun at him.”

“Nonetheless, your smooth-talking gold digger might have been overtaken and killed for possession of this well-bred horse and the stolen money,” Raven contended. “I've seen it happen countless times before. Gordon might have been knocked off the side of the mountain or dragged into a cave or into an abandoned mineshaft and left to rot. My best guess is that my sniper confiscated this horse from Gordon. He is still gunning for
me,
not
you
.”

He set Eva to her feet then retrieved his six-shooter, which she'd dropped on the ground. “We need to keep moving.”

“We can't just leave Hodge here for the buzzards.”

“Let it go, Eva,” he said quietly. “There's nothing we can do for him now.”

“Did you bury your horse?” she wanted to know as she swiped at the tears rolling down her grimy cheeks.

“No. I was in the middle of a firefight with three desperados. There was no time for sentiment. And I didn't have time afterward, either. But that doesn't mean I didn't say a heartfelt farewell to Buck in my own way. Same goes for you and Hodge. That's the code of survival, Eva, like it or not.”

She was silent as Raven escorted her downhill to retrieve their gear. He pulled her to a halt before they rounded the corner—just in case an unwanted visitor lay in wait. When he was sure the coast was clear he led the way to their discarded belongings.

Raven noticed the blisters on her feet and made a stabbing gesture toward the oversize boulder. “Sit.”

Learning the fate of the horse had taken the wind from Eva's sails. She sat down dutifully. Raven rubbed the healing poultice that he carried in his saddlebags over her blisters.

“What is that stuff? It feels wonderful,” she sighed.

“Cheyenne potion. A little of this and that.”

He twisted on his haunches to fish out gauze to bind her feet then paused to scan the jagged slopes for any sign of trouble. He wondered if the bushwhacker was out there somewhere, watching them constantly, trying to deceive them into thinking he was dead so they'd let their guard down. Had the mysterious sniper stolen this horse from Carter? And what had happened to Carter?

“Jordan, I'm sorry I fell apart earlier,” Eva said quietly. “I don't do it often. Not since—” She dodged his direct stare. “Not for a long time. I'm sure you don't approve of any sort of sentimental weakness. Neither do I. I'm not a bleeding heart ordinarily. I'm a realist.”

He could see that pride refused to let her decompose again. She strived to be strong-willed and rational. He admired her for that. Hell, he felt the same way himself. He couldn't name one time in his life when bawling his head off had resolved a crisis or eased emotional pain. All it did was waste valuable time and slow him down.

Eva was a woman after his own heart—if he had one left after all his ordeals. Life hadn't been kind and he held very low expectations. Mostly Raven just did his job and survived the only way he knew how. Then Eva came along to complicate an existence that was difficult—even on a good day.

“Let's get moving. Since we aren't on horseback, we won't use the wagon trail. We'll take a shortcut that we can only access on foot,” he said as he hoisted her back to her feet. “I'll carry your lug—”

She jerked the satchels from his fingertips and tilted a determined chin. “I'll carry them myself. I have no intention of weighing you down like a pack horse.”

And off she went. She didn't look down as she sidestepped around the downed horse he'd had to put out of its misery.

“The footing will become precarious during this next stretch,” Raven warned as they hiked uphill. “There is a detour on this trail that leads to the Cheyenne tribe's sacred site. It's worth the extra time to see it.”

“Not a problem,” Eva insisted. “I can go anywhere you can. I'm not going to let a piddly mountain slow me down.”

Raven smiled in amusement as he surveyed Eva's proud stance and determined expression. She had no idea what she was in for, but she was about to find out….

T
hirty minutes later Eva wanted to retract her cocky comment about keeping up with Raven on this difficult mountain trail. When he'd mentioned the footing would become a mite precarious at times she hadn't expected to be inching along the side of a stone peak like a mountain goat. He'd secured their belongings to a rope so they could concentrate on getting themselves across the narrow trail then drag the saddle and satchels to them later.

The path had become a wedge of rock that was eighteen inches wide—and dropped into a chasm filled with jutting boulders. One false step and she would swan dive to her death.

“Sweet merciful heavens! Where do you live? In an eagle's nest atop some craggy summit?” she asked, out of breath.

When she halted to flatten her back against the vertical rock wall, Raven glanced at her in concern. “You okay?”

“Not very okay,” she said shakily. “I've just discovered that I have a slight aversion to perching on narrow ledges. The whistling wind isn't helping, either.”

“Look at me,” he demanded sternly.

Eva dug her nails into the rock behind her and slowly turned her head to stare into those cougarlike eyes that glittered a deep shade of gold in the sunlight. She didn't notice a speck of fear in Raven—probably because she was afraid enough for both of them. In his eyes, she saw only that unblinking, uncanny alertness she envied.

“Slide your feet sideways without picking them up,” he instructed. “In those shoes you might step down on loose pebbles and that will toss you off balance.”

“Was this tight-wire ledge part of your Cheyenne training?” she asked, trying to keep her mind off the forty-foot drop into nothingness that yawned before her.

“Yes. Blackowl and I were training to become members of the elite society of Dog Soldiers. We tested ourselves to our limits so we would know how far we could go and how much improvement we needed to make. Then we pushed ourselves further to see what we were made of…. No, don't look down,” he commanded sharply. “Keep looking at me.”

Eva swallowed hard and dug in her nails, certain the gust of wind that swirled around her was going to blow her off the narrow ledge. She dragged in a ragged breath then met Raven's unblinking gaze.

“What are you really made of Eva? Grit or putty?”

He was challenging her and she silently thanked him for it. Trying to conquer her weakness, she continued to stare into those captivating eyes as she glided sideways on the ledge.

A sense of pride and accomplishment consumed her when she completed the feat and noticed a wider path a few feet ahead of her. She half turned a moment too soon and yelped when her left foot skidded on pebbles then dropped off the ledge. When she felt herself tilt toward the abyss, she reared backward. But that didn't help because she threw herself off balance and couldn't get a handhold on the rock wall.

Raven's guttural growl erupted as he clamped his hand around her elbow to jerk her sideways in the nick of time.

One second later and she would have pitched off the ledge into nothingness.

Eva gasped in pain when Raven inadvertently yanked on her tender arm. She told herself that it was the burning ache in her shoulder that prompted her to throw herself against his broad chest and hold on to him for dear life.

She was rattled, was all, she tried to convince herself. She'd nearly taken the short way down the mountain and it had frightened her senseless.

Even after several heart-pounding seconds passed, she still had her head buried against his shoulder. Her good arm was clenched around his waist like a vise grip. Try as she might she couldn't breathe normally. Thin air, she told herself. She was at all sorts of disadvantages in this unforgiving terrain. This misadventure exposed each and every one of her vulnerabilities and rattled her composure—to the extreme. Which made her look like…What had he called her? Ah, yes, a sissy.

“I'll let go of you in a minute,” she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt.

“Take your time. It isn't every day that you nearly cartwheel off a cliff and get shot at a few times,” he said as he rested his chin on the crown of her head.

There was no censure or ridicule in his deep baritone voice and his strong arms felt wonderfully protective. This was the second time today that she'd snuggled up against Raven. She had better not get used to it, she cautioned herself. Raven had assured her that he wouldn't be around for long, so depending on him would become a habit she'd have to break.

Eva inhaled a bolstering breath, and then another. Careful where she stepped, she backed from Raven's arms. “Thank you. It seems I have a lot to learn about trekking through the wilderness.”

“If you want to survive you do.” He pivoted to reclaim the rope he'd used to anchor their belongings while crossing the narrow stretch of the trail. Hand over hand, he dragged his saddle, rifle and their bags up to the ledge. “I told you this country is no place for the faint of heart.”

An hour later, Eva paused to survey the incredible scenery that spread out before her like a secluded fairyland. “What is this place?”

“Garden of the Gods,” he said. “This is sacred ground to my mother's people. The place I mentioned earlier.”

Eva dropped her satchels and studied the gigantic rock formations that rose from the earth at horizontal and vertical angles. The unusual blades of stone caught and reflected the hues of afternoon light. The site was positively magnificent and she had never seen anything like it!

“My people gathered here in the old days to worship the gods, before the whites routed them from their land,” he murmured as he stared into the distance, as if glancing through the window of the past. “The elders, who knew it was their time to travel the stairway into the sky, scratched and clawed their way to the top of the stone slabs. Exhausted, they waited to draw their last breath as the first rays of sunlight shined on their aged faces and led their way to the happy hunting ground.”

“It's spectacular,” she whispered reverently. “In case I don't survive the journey to your cabin, leave me out here with the spirits of your people. Perhaps I'll fit in better with them than I do with my own kind.”

He chuckled at that. “I do believe you would, Eva. Women command a great deal of respect and authority in the Cheyenne culture.”

“Show me where to join up,” she insisted. “What initiation rites must I undergo?”

Raven waved his arms and called to the gods, using his native language. A moment later, he said, “There. It is done. After a ceremonial baptism in the nearby warm springs and the presentation of a headband and eagle feather you'll be one of us.”

“How far to the springs?” she asked eagerly. “I'm dead on my feet and I'd love a good soaking.”

“We'll be at the springs in a quarter of an hour,” he reported.

“Lead the way, oh great chief,” she said with a sweeping bow. “I'll be right behind you.”

 

“This surely must be paradise,” Eva proclaimed as they stood side by side, overlooking the warm springs that trickled from cracks in a vertical stone wall to collect in a hollowed-out basin of rock.

Raven couldn't suppress a smile when Eva's face lit up with undeniable pleasure. He'd like to be the one who put that smile on her bewitching face….

He jerked upright when that dangerous thought rattled through his brain. He must be tired, he decided. He usually had more mind control. Nevertheless, he'd let his guard down with this spirited female because she had endured considerable emotional upheaval recently. Yet, he couldn't let her get to him. Already he'd gone back on his word by bringing her with him to his mountain retreat.

She's here with you because she was the target of gunfire meant for you,
the sensible side of his brain argued.
Yes, but still…

His thoughts flitted away when Eva dropped her satchels and began unfastening the buttons on the front of her calico gown while she sidestepped downhill. Raven caught a glimpse of her lacy chemise and the enticing swells of her breasts while he stood above her on the ledge. He held his breath, his body stirring with erotic anticipation as she shoved down the sleeves, exposing the creamy flesh on her chest and shoulders.

If she'd been trying to seduce him, she couldn't have aroused him more. However, he realized that she was so completely focused on the inviting spring that she had almost forgotten about him.

Raven wondered what it would be like to be the absolute focus of Eva's attention while they were swimming naked in the spring.

“Hell!” he burst out, aggravated with his betraying thoughts.

His voice carried downhill, causing Eva to stumble to a halt and glance up at him. He knew the exact moment when she became aware that she had partially undressed in front of him. She caught him staring directly at her bosom.

“Are you going to watch?” she challenged.

He grinned wickedly. “Do you want me to?”

She cocked her head to regard him speculatively as she stepped out of her gown, revealing the short chemise that extended to midthigh. Desire hit him like a rockslide and he had to brace his feet to prevent swaying when the appealing sight made him light-headed.

“Well, we are married, aren't we?” she teased. “And you did partially disrobe in front of me last night, so I suppose turnabout is fair play.”

“I was trying to shock you into leaving last night,” he retorted in a strained voice as his gaze roved helplessly over the ripe swells of her breasts, the tempting curve of her hips and the tantalizing sight of her long shapely legs.

“The tactic worked for you,” she recalled. “Is it working for me?”

He chuckled wryly. “No, it's having the reverse effect. You don't see me running away, do you?”

The admission seemed to please her enormously and he regretted making it when she said, “So you are saying that you find me attractive, J.D.?”

He wasn't giving her another inch, even if she was the most alluring female he'd ever seen. He tried to concentrate on the fact that her stubborn, headstrong persistence drove him crazy, not the fact that he craved the chance to get his hands all over her luscious body.

“Don't flatter yourself, sugar. I find a lot of women attractive. Most of them in fact. I'm a man, after all.” He shooed her on her way, as if he'd lost interest in staring at her—which he doubted he ever would. “Go soak your head while I scare up supper. Oh, and keep this handy…”

When he tossed her a six-shooter, she caught it in midair, causing her high-riding chemise to expose a few more inches of silky flesh on her upper thighs. Raven forgot to breathe. He battled the enticing image that suddenly became branded on his brain. Not to mention the flare-up of lust that urged him to bound downhill to join Eva in the spring.

Cursing his faltering willpower, he spun on his heels. “Watch out for snakes and such,” he said in a strangled voice before he strode off.

 

Eva sank into the warm pool and sighed tiredly. The swirling water eased her aches and pains and she swore she could soak until she shriveled up like a prune. But she knew Raven wanted to reach his cabin by nightfall and she had slowed him down too much already.

A mischievous smile pursed her lips before she sank beneath the surface to douse her hair. Seeing Raven towering above her on the hill a few minutes earlier, staring at her with those uniquely colored eyes, had stirred something dangerously intriguing inside her. True, she hadn't intended to undress in front of him. Yet, when she had, she hadn't minded having his gaze fixed on her.

What did that mean? she wondered. Had she wanted to test him? Was he right? Was she trying to seduce him, if only to see if she could? Or because she wanted him in ways she'd never wanted another man?

“What the blazes is the matter with you?” Eva admonished herself as she burst to the surface.

She had spent the past three years protecting her heart from deceptive men and their wily schemes. Then along came J. D. Raven, a man who insisted she was no more than an inconvenience, a nuisance. He didn't ply her with flattery or cater to her whims. Just the opposite, in fact. He pushed her to her limits, challenged her and didn't treat her as if she were special.

Maybe that's why she wanted to impress him and gain his respect. Because he was the kind of man who was hard to impress, hard to rattle, hard to catch.

“You are going to give yourself a headache by doing too much thinking,” she scolded herself.

However, she did admit that of all the men who had tried to charm her, J. D. Raven was the man she wanted to want her for who and what she was on the inside. However, she wasn't about to tell him who she really was. Neither did she want to disclose that she had inherited a fortune and the Hallowell family owned several successful businesses in Denver. That would change everything. It always had before. Eva delighted in her unique association with Raven and she was reluctant to change it. Even ruffling Raven's feathers gave her pleasure.