Chapter Seventeen

Bernadette's stomach rumbled, but she refused to ask Big Mike or Squiggy for something to eat. They would use her request as an excuse to suggest she tell Bower she needed to relieve her bladder. If she did that, they would urge her to join them in a nearby cavern where they could be alone. She might be hungry, but she wasn't that hungry. She could never be that hungry.

"Where is Cooper?" Big Mike whispered to Squiggy.

Both men were near the entrance of the hideout. On the other side of the cave was Bower. Though Bower was sitting up with his back against the wall, his head was bent forward, and he was lightly snoring.

"I told Bower that it was a mistake to involve Cooper in this," Squiggy whispered back. "But would he listen to me? No. He thinks I'm stupid."

"He only thinks that because you're ten years younger than the rest of us. You can't take it personally."

Squiggy frowned, an indication that he would continue to take it personally. He crossed his arms. "Just because I'm young, it doesn't mean I can't be a good lookout. I'm faster than both of you. I bet I'm even faster than Cooper." After a moment, he added, "By including Cooper in this plan, we also have to split some of the ransom with him. Didn't that occur to Bower?"

Big Mike snorted. "Do you really believe Bower will share the ransom with Cooper?"

"He'd better, or Cooper will report us to the sheriff in Bellmont."

"If he does that, then he truly is dumb. Maybe an animal got him."

"If I had been the lookout, an animal wouldn't have gotten me. I know how to kill anything that comes my way." In an attempt to show off, Squiggy pulled the gun from his holster and pretended to shoot it at some imaginary creature.

Bernadette rolled her eyes. The three men were all disgusting, but Squiggy was the most annoying one. He reminded her of the toy poodle Regina Blairwood owned back in Pennsylvania. That little dog would bark and growl at everyone as if it could intimidate them. It wasn't the least bit intimidating. But, it most definitely was annoying. Just like Squiggy.

Squiggy glanced in her direction. She hurried to avert her gaze, praying he hadn't noticed her looking at him. Unfortunately, he had.

He went over to her and knelt beside her. He gave her what was to be a charming smile. "The sun will be setting soon. You want to see how the canyon looks when it does? I'm telling you that you'll never see a prettier sight. The whole place lights up with all kinds of colors."

Her skin crawled. All of her hunger pangs fled as the desire to remain untouched became paramount to her survival. "No, thank you."

He didn't hide his disappointment. "We brought you here in the middle of the night. Sure, you can see the canyon in the moonlight, but it's so much better during a sunset." His eyes, once more, lit up with hope, and he grinned at her in that creepy way of his.

She tried to hold back the urge to shudder, but it was impossible.

Big Mike groaned then hurried to grab Squiggy by the arm so he could drag him to his feet. "Oh, for goodness' sake. She's not interested in you. She's not interested in any of us. She comes from the genteel and polite society. She'd only give it up for some fancy, rich man." He pushed Squiggy to the entrance. "Maybe you are dumb."

Squiggy pushed Big Mike back. "There's nothing a fancy, rich man's got that I don't."

Big Mike laughed. "He's got money. And when it comes to money, that's all a lady like her cares about."

Bower broke out of his sleep and straightened up. "What's going on? Is Cooper here?"

At once, Big Mike and Squiggy peered out of the opening of the hideout. Big Mike shook his head. "No, there's still no sign of him."

Squiggy tapped Big Mike on the arm. "No, there's no sign of him, but there is someone over there." He gestured to a section higher up along the canyon wall. "Right there. See him?"

Bower hurried to his feet and approached the entrance. "Is he alone?"

"Yep," Squiggy began, "and there's not much to him. He's more like a runt than a man."

Bower squinted for a long moment then pointed to something. "He's not alone. There's Cooper."

"Where?" Big Mike asked.

"Over there. Right behind the large rock," Bower said right before a gunshot echoed through the canyon.

The gunshot was far enough away to let Bernadette know that the two men weren't near them. She waited for one of the bandits to mention which man was doing the shooting, but all they did was stare out the entrance. She sighed in frustration. It was a shame she couldn't see what they were looking at. She'd like to know if the man pursuing Cooper was her brother. Lucas had always been protective of her. He had sent her to Arizona to get married. She hadn't asked, but she suspected he did that because he was having trouble with the family business. If he couldn't pay her ransom, then he probably would make the trip all the way out here to rescue her.

Another gunshot rang through the air, and the men snickered. "We have nothing to worry about with that one," Bower commented. "He can't keep a gun steady."

"To be fair," Big Mike began, "he lost his balance while shooting."

Bower shook his head. "That is the best the law can send? It's like he just learned to shoot."

Bernadette bit her lower lip. It had to be Lucas! Lucas had never used a gun in his life. He wouldn't be able to stand up to these men.

"Cooper has nothing to worry about," Bower said. "He'll make it here, and when he does, we'll deal with the other man then."

Bernadette's hunger pangs were now replaced with a painful knot in her stomach. She prayed the man chasing after Cooper wasn't Lucas. She hoped Lucas had enough sense to hire a lawman to get her. But could he do that if he didn't have enough money?

Bower looked in her direction. "There had better be good news when Cooper gets here."

She tried not to shiver under his hard gaze, but it was impossible not to with eyes that cold.

"Can I have her if her brother didn't send the money?" Squiggy asked.

Bower groaned. "How many times do I have to explain the worth of a pretty young virgin to you? Men will offer a good sum of money for her if her virtue is intact."

Once again, she was saved by Bower's greed. While it made him dangerous, it also brought her protection. Neither Big Mike nor Squiggy could touch her as long as Bower was in charge. And that was no small comfort.

***

The sun was setting by the time Lucas and Gail finally arrived at the canyon. They got off their horses and made their way to the edge of the plateau. Beneath them was an expanse of sandstone, limestone, and shale that formed a hole in the ground so large that Gail couldn't tell where it ended. And not only did the canyon seem to be bottomless, but the walls seemed to go to the east and the west forever, too. If Gail hadn't seen this place for herself, she never would have believed it could be this large.

In what remained of the sunlight, shades of pinks, purples, and blues bounced off the walls of the canyon. She wouldn't have guessed there were so many shades within those three colors unless she saw it for herself.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she asked as her gaze swept the majestic view in front of them.

Lucas edged closer to her and slipped his arm around her waist. Pulling her against him, he whispered, "I'm looking at something far lovelier than any sunset or canyon."

It took a moment for his meaning to dawn on her, and when it did, her skin tingled in the most pleasant way. She hadn't doubted his love before. He wouldn't have courted her then married her if he didn't love her. But the way he was looking at her now told her that he truly desired her above other ladies. Even the ones who had been more outgoing and pretty in Pennsylvania failed in comparison to her. She never thought she'd look into a gentleman's eyes and see this depth of devotion reserved exclusively for her. She really was the most fortunate of all ladies to have a husband who loved her this well.

He removed his hat then bent his head to kiss her. Her heart swelled to the point she thought it might burst. Nothing could compare to this moment. Even as happy as she'd been on their wedding day, she hadn't been as excited as she was right now.

When he pulled away from her, he smiled. "When we get back to Pennsylvania, I need to thank your father for allowing me to marry you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

He gave her another kiss, and she melted against him. For as long as she lived, this was going to be her favorite memory.

She sensed his reluctance when he ended the kiss. She was reluctant, too. She would have been thrilled to keep kissing him all night if it were possible.

His gaze went down the canyon. "How are we supposed to find my sister in all of this? It's like we're standing in the middle of a forest and having to pick out a certain tree."

Forcing her attention off of him, she examined the canyon walls. While most of the walls were flat, she saw sections where rocks were jutting out. These would offer the hiding places Zeke had mentioned, and there seemed to be no end to them. Apparently, there were times when Zeke knew what he was talking about.

After a moment, an idea came to her. "When it gets dark, the bandits might light a fire. That would make them easier to find."

Lucas thought over her comment then slowly nodded. "It does seem like it would get very dark in this place."

She nodded. "Things are always darker when you go into a hole, and this is the biggest hole anyone could hide in."

He exhaled, and she noted his apprehension. She squeezed his hand in silent encouragement. Yes, the situation was difficult, but Bernadette needed someone to get her away from those men. If it had to be them, then they would do it.

"We're not prepared to go up against outlaws," Lucas whispered.

"No, we're not." Gail pondered the ramifications of not having a deputy with them. Even if Zeke wasn't that great with a gun, he could at least shoot one. She sighed. "We will have to use our wits to rescue your sister. My father likes to say that what you know is more important than being strong."

"I hate to tell you this since you're my wife, but I don't know a lot."

Sensing his discouragement, she said, "I bet you know more than you think you do. What this situation requires is a strategy. It's no different than a problem you'd have with your company. You have to think of different ways to solve the problem, then pick the one that works best."

"Yes, I suppose that is the best method of addressing this situation. But we'll need to come up with ideas after we make our marriage official."

His heated gaze went to her, and a wave of pleasure swept over her. He kissed her, and for one long, wonderful moment, she forgot the trouble that had brought them here.

Unfortunately, the reprieve could not last forever. He glanced in the direction of the sun which was quickly falling below the horizon. "I don't think we will make it down there with these horses. The path looks too narrow. Zeke said we should go down after it gets dark, so we'll do that."

"It'll be dark soon." Even now, shadows were making it difficult to pick out all of the jutting rocks she'd noticed earlier in the canyon.

"I'll tie our horses to a couple of trees so they won't run off." He took the reins from her. "We'll need them to get back to Flagstaff."

Noting the fact that he seemed more optimistic than before, she felt her own mood lighten. She scanned the large expanse in front of her. Bernadette was down there somewhere. God willing, by this time tomorrow, Bernadette would be safe with them.