“I understand, but didn’t you think this was a place to search?” Elizabeth was still slightly skeptical. “Being so isolated, it’s the perfect spot.”
“No,” he said. “I didn’t.”
“You don’t know those men who were shooting at us?”
“I don’t have a clue,” he said. “No more than you do. I don’t know who killed Lyle either. I’ve tried to figure that one out, but nothing adds up.”
“Tell me about Henry?”
Again, silence reigned. She didn’t think he was going to answer. When he spoke, his voice was so quiet she had to strain to hear his words. “Henry didn’t like folks much. He was a stodgy old codger and set in his ways. But for whatever reason, he and I hit it off. Bea had me over for dinner a lot and we all enjoyed each other’s company.”
“But something went wrong?”
“Yeah.” He heaved a sigh. “Henry got a little goofy after Bea died. He got nasty with everyone. Even me.”
“And you quarreled?” she pressed. “Why?”
“We fought bitterly,” Cooper corrected. “For some crazy reason, Henry got it in his head I was stealing his irrigating water. We shared the head-gate and he kept shutting off my water. I’d get my dams set and he’d go up and turn them his way. I’d have to start all over. No matter how often I tried to reason with him, he wouldn’t listen.”
“So you killed him?” Elizabeth dreaded the answer.
“Is that what you really think?” he countered.
“No, I don’t.”
He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Well, that’s something. I mouthed off one day in the feed store. Henry had turned my ditches again, and no one would do a damn thing to stop him. I said I’d take care of it myself. I threatened to kill him. When I got home, sure enough, the fields were dry. I went to the head-gate and found Henry there messing with my water again.”
Elizabeth caught her bottom lip in her teeth. Here was the truth, in all its unvarnished glory.
“I told the old man to knock it off. That I’d had enough of his nonsense. He swung his shovel at me. I ducked, and he lost his balance and fell. His head hit the edge of the blade. He was dead by the time he hit the ground. I tried to give him CPR, but it was no use.”
“Oh, Cooper.”
“Even though I didn’t swing that shovel with my own hands, I’m as guilty as if I had.” He stared at the fire, a muscle in his cheek jumping.
Guilt filled her. She had to show him she was sorry for doubting him, if only for a moment. This man had been through so much and she’d only added to his pain. Pressing herself as close to him as she could, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
She lifted her face and their lips met.
He kissed her tentatively.
When he pulled away, she protested low in her throat.
He turned his head and said against her mouth. “I never met anyone like you in my whole life.”
“Me either,” she whispered back just before he kissed her again. He tasted of chocolate. Their tongues twisted together in a heated frenzy. Frantic to be close to him, she tugged at the hem of her flannel shirt.
He caught her fingers in his own and broke the kiss. “Don’t. You’ll get cold again.”
“No I won’t.” Maybe it was the fire, or Cooper’s body heat, or just the passion flaring between them, but the cabin felt as warm as her own bedroom. “Not if your hands are — ” her voice trailed off as his hands slid under her bra “ — there.”
“Here?”
“Yes, there,” she breathed as his fingers folded over her breasts.
Their lips sealed again. She glided her palms over his back, loving the feel of strong, corded muscles. She slipped her hands out of his shirt, up his neck and into his hair, the texture silky under her fingers. Pulling back, she asked, “Where’s your hat? I didn’t notice it missing before.”
He rained tiny kisses across her collarbone. “When we ducked under the trees, a branch knocked it off. I didn’t take time to pick it up.”
“That means if someone who knows you finds it, they’ll know who they’re after. I pray Mom isn’t in more danger.”
“I don’t think so.” Cooper looked into her eyes. “I’m pretty sure they already know who she is.” Gently, he touched her cheek. “Try not to worry.”
“Distract me,” she pleaded.
But it was she who did the distracting as she slipped her fingers into his waistband. Already hard, his penis throbbed every time she nudged her thumb over the slick tip. Within a few minutes his breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling in sync with her hand. The flickering firelight danced across his body, adding beauty where none was needed.
His fingers worked their own magic. Slowly, circling nipples with brushes so light they seemed nearly nonexistent, he coaxed her breasts to an aching need. Moving his body so he lay under her, he guided one lace-covered breast to his mouth. His demanding lips and tongue, searching, tasting through sheer material, nearly drove her mad.
She straddled his belly. His hands went to her ribcage, slowly sinking lower until they rested on her hips. Where they remained.
A boiling, building pressure deep within her needed an escape. And only Cooper could release it. Eager for his touch, she reached for her jeans’ buttons. His hands captured hers and he threaded his fingers through hers, effectively stilling her.
Puzzled by his sudden brakes — much as she loathed to — she sat up straight and said, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t carry condoms with me.” His voice carried a ton of regret.
“Oh. Me either. At least not in my saddlebags.” Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“There are other ways — ”
“No.” Elizabeth rose. With her eyes locked on his, she and kicked off her boots. The she unsnapped her pants. Letting them fall to her feet, she stepped out of them. “If we don’t have trust between us, we don’t have anything. Would you agree with that?”
“Yeah.”
Stepping over him, she straddled him, then lowered herself, guiding his erection against her damp opening. “Would you say absolute trust is vital in any relationship?”
“Yeah.” His surprised tone deepened a bit.
Easing him inside her a fraction of an inch, she continued. “And there’s more.”
“More,” he agreed as his voice croaked a bit like a frog’s.
Holding her position, she said, “I want you to know I have complete faith in you. I always have. I do now.”
“I know.”
Satisfied with that, she took him completely inside her.
• • •
Cooper lay still and enjoyed the sensation of Elizabeth curled up in his arms. His body was pleasantly warm, and if he didn’t have so much on his mind, he would go back to sleep. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his arms around her for a moment before rising.
Moving quietly, so not to wake her, he dressed and built up the fire. After finding a slip of paper, he scribbled a quick note, telling Elizabeth to stay put and keep warm. He knew she’d be furious with him for leaving her behind, but he could move faster alone.
Cooper shivered as the frigid December air hit him in the face. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes from the bitter cold, but he didn’t care. He was outside in the clear mountain air where he could breathe. He gulped it like a starving man at a feast. Now that they were safely out of the tunnel, he realized how much he had hated being confined. But he survived. Maybe he even conquered one or two of his old fears.
He’d be in no hurry to test the theory, though.
The sun began to rise over the peaks, dancing across the snow like a million glittering jewels. Gradually, as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that he stood on a makeshift porch. Taking a good look around, he spotted familiar peaks in the distance. He figured they sat on the north rim of the canyon, directly above the cave. Which placed it in a vertical line above his cabin. There was no easy way to get to the horses.
Blinking across the glare, Cooper saw he stood on a ledge high above the canyon floor. It would be impossible to go straight down. The trail up the opposite side sat almost straight across from him. His cabin lay in between him and that trail.
Taking off at a fast walk, he headed down the rim of the deep ravine. He planned to skirt along the edge until he was around the bend, and could figure a way to the bottom. Hopefully, he could find a place straight across from the horses to cross. Threading his way through spicy-scented cedars and junipers, Cooper felt relatively certain no one would spot him.
The going quickly grew difficult in the snow, at times it was knee-deep.
He went as fast as he dared, but he didn’t want to risk hypothermia. Every minute counted. He had to try and save Lillian before something terrible happened to her. If it hadn’t already.
After he had traveled for a half mile, he stopped to catch his breath. Breathing hard, he heard the sound of a diesel engine floating across the clear air. Dropping beside a cedar tree, he hoped he blended into the landscape. Pretty sure the truck drove below him, in the bottom of the canyon, he waited until the sound died away, then got to his feet. If he had figured right, the horses were directly across from him.
At the edge of the rocky rim, he looked for an easy way down. Nothing looked promising. This side was much rockier and steeper than the other. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed hold of a nearby tree branch and began to slide. Half on his feet and half on his butt, he slid down the snow-covered ledge. About halfway down, he heard the engine again. This time right below him.
He dropped to his rear and latched onto a low-hanging branch with both hands. Slamming to a stop, his breath came in great, harsh gasps and his heart pounded against his ribs. Lying flat on the ground, he lifted his head and watched as a blue Dodge Ram came into sight, pulling a trailer. As they passed by, he noticed the piece of equipment on the trailer.
“I’ll be damned.”
What was someone doing on the edge of his property with a portable oil rig? He knew they were sometimes used in natural gas exploration. Natural gas was sometimes a by-product of oil. As his mind worked over the puzzle, it began to whir with possibilities. If someone had found natural gas on his property, it would be worth a fortune. If the well was any good. Would someone kill for it?
There wasn’t time to worry about it now. He had to get the horses and get back to Elizabeth. Making his way down the rest of the hillside, he stopped and looked around. The valley floor was probably a half mile wide. Too far to sprint in ankle-deep snow. If he got caught, he would be a dead dog. Not a single tree rested between him and the other side. He had to risk it. There was no other choice.
Darting like a rabbit, he zigzagged his way across the meadow. His chest hurt like hell. He was a cowboy, not a hiker. When he wanted to go somewhere, he rode on the back of a horse.
• • •
They were gone.
The horses had disappeared.
They had been here. Their tracks marred the snow. But someone on horseback had come along and taken them. One person, wearing cowboy boots, had untied both and led them away.
“Hell.”
There was only one thing to do. Follow and take them back.
The trail wasn’t hard to follow. Whoever had the horses hadn’t been trying to be sneaky. He had gone back to the high road and ridden in plain sight. Cooper wondered what the thief planned to do with the horses. There was a corral at the cabin — did he intend to keep them there?
In less than a half hour, Cooper stood at the trail that led to his cabin. The horse thief had come this way, the tracks plain down the cliff. He caught glimpses of his roof through the trees, but the hillside was too heavily forested with scrub cedar and juniper to get a clear view. The corral sat off to the side of the cabin. He’d have to get closer to see if the horses were there.
Slipping along the trail, he stopped ever so often to listen. Nothing broke the silence but his own labored breathing.
He left the trail and wove through the trees to see the corral. Taking his time, he made his way, careful not to be seen or heard. When he grew even with the cabin, he paused. Three pickups sat outside, none that he recognized. A curl of smoke drifted from the chimney, but nothing else moved.
Did they have Lillian Adams inside? What were they doing to her? The place where her vehicle had been stowed wasn’t visible from here. Had they moved it? Cooper guessed it to be around ten
A.M.
He prayed Elizabeth had stayed put. Hopefully, she hadn’t gotten any harebrained idea to come looking for him. He shuddered just thinking about it. Time was of the essence.
Hurrying a little, he made his way to the corral. Angling his way down the hill, he came out of the trees just a few feet from the pen. He saw their saddles hanging on the fence first, then both the horses happily munching hay.
There was no way in hell he’d be able to slip the horses out from under the noses of these guys. Realizing he’d passed tired two days ago, he turned toward the mountainside.
• • •
Warm, oh so warm.
Elizabeth reached for Cooper, her eyes still shut. When she didn’t touch him, her eyes flew open. The cabin was empty. By the sunlight streaking across the floor, daylight had come and gone hours ago. Her watch read a bit after ten. Where had he gone? Had he left her here? “Cooper?” she called softly.
He didn’t answer.
Hurriedly, she got up and dressed. Then she found his note. How long had he intended her to wait? Hopefully, not much longer. Her stomach growled, but hunger was the last of her problems. Mom was in that cabin below. Elizabeth could feel her mother’s presence. After a minute’s hesitation, she stepped outside.
The bright sun blinded her for a minute and she blinked against its glare. Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked around. The miner’s cabin she stood on the edge of a steep ridge. There didn’t seem to be anything or anyone around but trees. The view in front of her afforded her a look at the opposite side of the canyon, but not much else.
She noticed Cooper’s tracks in the snow, where he had left. He had been gone for an awfully long time. Maybe something had happened to him. What if he didn’t come back? Should she try to find the horses, or go to his cabin?
Undecided, she bit her lip. A breeze blew a little snow devil by her, and she shivered. She stayed outside a moment longer, then went back inside. What few scraps of wood Cooper had found the night before had been burned except for two small chunks. Carefully, she fed one to the fire. She glanced at the kerosene heater, but she didn’t know how to use it. If she tried, she’d probably blow herself up.