The Renegades: Cole (10 page)

Then his kiss, his unforgettable kiss …

Her whole body began to melt at the memory, and she pressed her knuckles to her mouth to keep from making a sound.

And then she thought maybe she had already done so without realizing, because suddenly Cole had gone perfectly still, the soft rise and fall of his shoulder had stopped. She didn’t see him move, but he was lying on his back when she took the next breath, his head turned toward her.

She couldn’t let him see her! Her hand dropped, the flap fell into place.

But she couldn’t bear to stay there, all alone.

She reached behind her for her bedroll and started dragging it behind her as she moved out onto the tailgate without letting herself stop to think. Outside. Out there with Cole. She would sleep outside tonight because she’d smother if she stayed cramped up in that wagon.

T
he moon was bright enough to let her see her way, but the light from the fire didn’t reach her wagon. That was good—she didn’t want the men to see her as they came and went on their guards and think she was being immodest to sleep out, one woman in a camp full of men. Cookie’s breakfast call would wake her before dawn.

Quickly she spread out her bed again, lay down, and pulled the covers over her. She dared a glance toward Cole. He hadn’t moved.

Her heart beat faster. There he was, only a short stone’s throw away, his long body a vague shape beneath his blanket.

Again she felt that overwhelming urge to touch him, to stroke his moon-silvered hair, just to feel his skin beneath her fingertips. And, oh, dear God, his mouth on hers.

She turned her face to the sky and tried not to remember, tried not to think about him at all. Sleep had to come, had to take her away. Tomorrow
she’d be too tired to sit in the saddle, much less make a quick decision if she had to, unless she could get some sleep. She would not look at him again. She would
not
.

There were only a few stars in sight among the shifting clouds that would drift across the moon any minute. She watched them, willing them to blot out the light so she could sleep. If the whole night, and not just the shadow she lay in, was completely dark, she could sleep. Surely she could.

The fresh, slightly damp air rolling down from the mountains caressed her cheeks, and she drew in great, deep breaths of it and snuggled deeper into her bed. Deliberately, she turned her head away from Cole. Her tight muscles began to relax a little.

“Aurora.”

The whisper was no more than a breath in her ear; she might have imagined it except that it came less than a heartbeat before a hand covered her mouth.

Instinct brought a scream to her throat, made her struggle in vain to sit up. She didn’t panic, though, because the hand was Cole’s. Instinct told her that, too.

“If I let you go, can you be quiet? You know these cowboys of yours will string us up if we start a stampede.”

After an instant to absorb that, she nodded.

He took his hand from her mouth, but he kept the other one cupped around her shoulder. His fingers imprinted her skin and filled her
blood with warmth. She didn’t even need covers anymore.

Oh, yes, she did! He was lying beside her, his whole length right next to hers.

It sent such a sensual shock through her that it made her furious. She wanted to yell at him, but she managed to attack in a hoarse whisper.

“
What
are you doing sneaking up on me like this? You scared me so, I could kill you.”

“Not yet,” he whispered back, his breath tickling her ear, his hand poised to cover her mouth again. “First let me see who’s skulking around out there in the dark.”

She froze in place, then tried again to sit up, but he held her down effortlessly.

“Somebody’s out there?”

A desperate desire to simply turn into the haven of his arms and hide her face came over her.

“Don’t sit up,” he said, with almost no sound at all. “Even after I leave you. Keep down.”

No. Don’t leave me. I’m going with you
.

She wanted to scream the words at him, but even then she knew he had to go alone. He could move like a shadow. Even this close, she hadn’t had a glimmer that he was even out of his bedroll, much less right upon her.

“I was fixing to go see who and how many when you came crashing and banging out of the wagon.”

“I wasn’t
that
noisy!”

“Like a dozen drunk bandidos crashing through the brasada.”

In that minute she blessed him in her heart for trying to lighten her fear. What if Virgil and even more of his cronies had followed them? What if Gates had hired someone smarter and faster than Virgil?

“Be careful,” she whispered.

He gave his short nod of agreement and let his hand fall from her shoulder. He started to move away, then stopped.

“Keep flat on the ground,” he said into her ear again. “And stay here so I’ll know where you are.”

Those words made no more noise than sighings on the night breeze, and his going made even less. One moment he was there, his hot flesh touching hers, the next he was gone, and so was her breath.

She lay, every muscle in her body stiff, her blood chill, listening to try to follow his progress. She heard nothing.

Cole was fast, she thought. When he’d kicked Virgil in the teeth nobody had seen it coming. And he was just as fast or faster with the gun he wore—that word was on everybody’s lips who’d seen him shoot, that was what had made her hire him.

And he was so quiet that she hadn’t heard him get out of his bedroll, although he’d been so close she could’ve touched him.

He had the advantage, too, because he knew the enemy was out there and whoever it was didn’t know he knew. She strained her ears even harder to try to hear something.

After what seemed an age came a faint sound, then another. She couldn’t identify either.

“I tell you, I’m trying not to wake the whole camp, that’s all!”

The mellow, well-modulated male voice floated quietly on the night air. It wasn’t Gates’s, was her first thought. The next was that she knew it but at that instant couldn’t quite place it.

“Then shut up,” Cole growled. “And quit dragging your feet.”

Aurora sat up as he hauled his prey into the light of the fire—a tall, thin man who was stubbornly pulling back against Cole’s irresistible strength, digging in his heels hard enough to raise a dust.

“Now,” Cole said, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the whole camp, “sit right there in the light with your hands in front of you and tell me who you are and where you came from. If your story suits me you can ride out all in one piece.”

“Too late for that! You’ve already broken both my wrists!”

“Just be glad I didn’t break your arms.”

Aurora’s thoughts fell back into place, her fear vanished.

“Don’t hurt him, Cole!”

She threw back the covers and scrambled to her feet.

“Let him go,” she cried and ran toward the circle of firelight.

“Cole McCord,” she said, “I’d like you to meet Terrence Peck.”

Cole stared at her, then at his captive, until finally he regained sense enough to open his hand and turn the idiot loose. Then he had to reach out and catch the clumsy scalawag because he stumbled backward and nearly fell.

Aurora caught him on the other side.

“Terrence!”

The surprise and joy in her voice ran through Cole like a sharp blade and rooted him to the spot as if a thrown lance had nailed him there. Aurora was leading the fool visitor to the log beside the fire.

Good God, she was wearing her
nightgown
, of all things, and that was
all
, because when she was between him and the fire he could see through the cloth. Then, mercifully, she passed by the light.

“What the
hell
do you think you’re doing skulking around a camp in the dark?” Cole said, advancing on the two of them as they sank down to sit much too close together.

Even though he’d put all his menace into the tone of the question, the man barely glanced up at him, he had such eyes for Aurora.

“I didn’t want to wake Aurora up suddenly,” he said, grinning at her like an absolute fool. “I know what a bear that makes her.”

That bit of news fueled Cole’s anger like a dash of kerosene on a fire.

Then she added more.

“Oh, Cole, did you have to be so rough?” she
said, reaching for the skinny fellow’s hands. “Terry, are your wrists really broken?”

“Rough?” Cole roared, forgetting the tired crew completely. “He can thank whatever God he worships that I didn’t shoot him through the heart.”

He set one foot on the log on the other side of Aurora and glared down at them.

“I’m afraid I may have exaggerated a bit,” Terry said, smiling at her.

“At least that’s one honest remark out of your mouth,” Cole said. “Were you aiming to creep into Aurora’s wagon or what?”

“I was
aiming
to sleep out near the camp and come in in the morning,” Terrence snapped back, still without taking his gaze off Aurora. “If you hadn’t attacked me and made such a scene!”

He glared up at Cole then, and Cole thought he might get up and hit him.

“Come on,” Cole said viciously, not even bothering to step back and put both feet on the ground. “I’d love nothing better.”

“What are you
saying?
” Aurora cried.

Then she started talking to
him
as if
he
was the one who was loco.

“Cole, get hold of yourself. It’s all right. It wasn’t Gates or any other enemy out there. Terrence is an old friend come for a visit. Remember I told you about him?”

“I know who the man is,” he said, biting off every word. “I’m only trying to impress on him that he’s damn lucky to be alive after skulking
around through the dark like a murdering horse thief.”

“My horses!” Terrence said. “I must see to them.”

He got up, and so did Aurora. Cole stepped back and turned to see Cookie and a couple of other men sitting up in their soogans, staring at the little group by the fire. Damn! They’d heard Aurora’s remarks that had made him out to be crazy.

“Everything all right, Missy?” Cookie called, when he could see perfectly well that it was. “You all make enough noise to wake the dead. For a minute there I thought we was havin’ a Comanche attack.”

“Cole’s only doing his job, Cookie,” Terrence called back. “I foolishly thought I was far enough away to spend the rest of the night, but he heard me.”

Shocked, Cole stared at the skinny man.

“McCord’s got ears like a deer,” Frank put in. “He heard me muttering to Monte in the middle of the remuda yesterday.”

“Well, he heard
me
, too,” Terrence said, and started toward his horses, “and I must’ve been half a mile away.”

The sleepy men lay down again.

Terrence turned back and lifted his hand to Cole.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, McCord,” he said. “Thanks for protecting Aurora.”

And then, smooth as you please, he was leaving
the firelight to see to his animals.

Stunned, Cole looked down at Aurora, who was standing beside him.

“What was
that?
”

“Terrence didn’t want you to be embarrassed about waking the camp,” she said. “He’s a thoughtful fellow, which is more than I can say for some people!”

Cole snorted. “That sounds a little ungrateful considering I was only looking out for your skin.”

“Well, you didn’t have to keep on
bullying
him after you knew who he was.”

“Well, you didn’t have to run over here in your nightclothes and display your whole shape in front of the fire.”

“Oh!”

She clapped both hands over her mouth in dismay, turned, and ran for her wagon.

He followed on her heels at a long, fast stride.

“You ought not be wearing that anyhow,” he said. “Only a greenhorn takes off his clothes at night on the trail.”

In the shadow of her wagon, she whipped around to defend herself. The soft white cloth swirled back and forth at her bare feet.

“
I
am no greenhorn!”

“Would that lace thing hold up to a wild ride to turn a stampede?”

She looked down at the garment, put a hand to her throat.

“It’s only lace across the top, so yes, it probably would but that’s beside the point,” she
said fiercely, keeping her voice just above a whisper. “You needn’t worry about me. I can ride buck naked if I have to.”

“Sounds good to me,” he whispered back, with an almost soundless chuckle, “but it might get a little breezy for you.”

“You are possessed of such an incredible wit I’m splitting my sides laughing.”

“I’m glad you appreciate
something
about me, since you don’t approve of my bodyguarding tactics.”

Even in the faint moonlight he could see the stubborn set of her chin as she drew herself up even straighter.

“It’s not bodyguarding to pick on someone after you know they’re a friend.”

“Your friend. And where does he come in
thanking
me for protecting you? He doesn’t own you.”

“He’s …”

“I know. Thoughtful. Well, before that thoughtful fellow comes back, you need to get some more clothes on. Or better yet, crawl into your bedroll. This’s no time to be sitting up visiting half the night.”

“I’ll sit up
all
night any night I please,” she snapped. “And when I want orders from you, I’ll ask for them.”

“Suit yourself.

He turned and started to his own bed. Then he stopped, turned, and walked back.

“And
how
the hell did that yahoo know
you’re a bear when you get waked up suddenly?
I
didn’t even know that.”

She had jumped up onto the tailgate of the wagon. She looked down her nose at him.

“Terrence has known me a lot longer than
you
have.”

Then she turned and lifted the canvas door, disappeared inside, and brought it closed behind her with a quick, angry slap.

He strode to his bed and gave it a kick with the toe of his boot. It’d be a useless effort to even try to sleep again tonight, for he felt wire-edged as a snaky bronc run into a corral for the first time.

But he made himself toe off his boots and stretch his body out on top of the roll. If he didn’t, he’d be watching for Aurora to come out of her wagon, keeping an eye on her and Thoughtful Terrence, straining his famous hearing to find out what they were saying.

God help him, was this
jealousy
driving him? What was the matter with him?

He’d been too long without a woman, that was all. Even on the few occasions he’d been in a town and not embroiled in some job, no woman had looked good to him for months and months, and Aurora did. It was as simple as that.

Stretching his legs straighter, he crossed his ankles, folded his hands behind his head, and stared up at the stars. They were shining brighter now, those white feathers. They would calm him.