Chapter Eighteen

Bower snickered as he tapped the bottom of the lawman's boots. "You aren't so confident now that we tied you up, are you?" After a pause, he added, "I guess we can't fault you for trying. I mean, you meant well in trying to rescue the lady."

Bernadette watched as the dark-haired lawman shifted and made another attempt to loosen his ropes. They had tied his hands behind his back, which made the task even harder for him. The fight was pointless. Bower and his men had done a good job. Her only hope of rescue had probably been ruined. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Somehow Lucas had managed to acquire the funds to send someone for her, and it had been for nothing. This was so unfair. Lucas had done everything he could to secure her a comfortable future. Lucas said that the rancher in Hardyville boasted of a few hundred heads of cattle and had prospered from some of the gold and silver mining he'd done. "Your lifestyle won't change a lot since he has money," Lucas concluded. That had come as a huge relief to her. She didn't know what she'd do if she had to give up the luxuries she was used to. When Lucas first brought up her going to Arizona, she'd gotten a horrible image in her mind of ending up in a shack.

"Alright, Cooper. It's time we talked." Bower turned to the dirty man who, as unbelievable as it was, seemed like he hadn't bathed in a much longer time than her other captors.

To her dying day, she didn't think she'd get the stench of him out of her nostrils.

"Did you send out the ransom note to Lucas Reid?" Bower continued.

"I did." Cooper beamed as if he had done the world a good deed.

"Did he send the money to your bank?" Bower pressed when Cooper didn't say more.

"I came here as soon as I sent the ransom note."

"I told you to make sure her brother paid the ransom before coming out here."

"I don't recall you saying that. I was told to come out here and watch for anyone who would come to her rescue." Cooper gestured to the lawman, who was, even now, still trying to wiggle out of his ropes. "I found Deputy Zeke Ritter coming in this direction."

Bower let out a frustrated sigh. "We saw how lousy he is with a gun. We can handle him. I told you to make sure the money comes in and then come here."

Cooper frowned. "I really don't remember that."

"Do I look like I would make things up?"

Cooper jerked at the sharp tone in Bower's voice.

Bower looked at Big Mike and Squiggy. "You two were there. What did I tell him?"

"You said to make sure the money came into the account. After that, he was to be on the lookout for any lawmen who would try to stop us from going to town to get the money," Big Mike spoke up.

Bower gave Cooper a pointed look. "Those were my exact instructions."

"It's a good thing I was looking out for trouble. Her brother sent Zeke to get you, and if I hadn't spotted them, you wouldn't have known about it."

"Them?" Big Mike inserted.

"There were two others with him," Cooper said.

Bernadette's heart leapt with hope. There were others coming to rescue her?

"Who was with him?" Bower demanded.

"No one who could be a threat," Cooper replied. "The man didn't have a gun, and a woman can't do any harm."

Bower glared at him. "That man might have been the brother." He went to Zeke, and Zeke stopped struggling to get out of his ropes. "Were you with this girl's brother?" He pointed to Bernadette.

Zeke raised his head in defiance. "I'm not saying."

"It has to be the brother," Big Mike said. "He came out here instead of sending the ransom. And Zeke was so stupid that he didn't bring any other lawmen with him."

Zeke gasped. "I'll have you know that I take my role as deputy seriously. I know what I'm doing."

"Which is why we caught you the moment you entered this hideout," Bower commented with a snicker.

Zeke's face grew bright red. "I meant to let you catch me. This is all a ploy to make you think you won."

Somehow Bernadette doubted that, and she wasn't the only one who was skeptical, because the other men gave Zeke an amused look. Zeke was trying hard to portray himself as a grand hero, but no one was buying it. Her shoulders slumped. If Lucas didn't send the money, it was because their family really was in trouble. She had suspected it before. Now, there was no doubt left.

He had given her all the money they probably had left before she left for the train station. Growing up, he'd always been protective of her. This was his way of making sure she would be alright. Despite the situation she was trapped in, her thoughts went to their mother. What did Lucas do for her?

"Alright, Cooper," Bower said as he turned his attention to the fourth bandit. "Go back out there to be our lookout just in case Zeke was smart enough to get other lawmen out here to help him."

Cooper blinked in surprise. "But I just got here. Can't someone else be the lookout?"

"You didn't listen to instructions. You get stuck with lookout." Bower pushed Cooper toward the opening of the hideout. "Go on."

Cooper let out a disgruntled moan but headed out.

Squiggy shook his head. "I can't believe you think he's smarter than I am. I could have handled that telegraph in Bellemont better than he did."

"You don't have a bank account," Big Mike reminded him. "You've been on the wrong side of the law too long."

Squiggy closed his mouth, thereby preventing any other protests he might utter.

"It's getting late," Bower told the group. "We might as well get something to eat then settle in. I'll take first watch this evening."

As the three bandits gathered around the small fire, Bernadette glanced at the remaining sunlight. Within half an hour, the sky would be dark. If Lucas really was out here, could he even help her? And what was this talk about a woman who had joined him and Zeke? Was the woman trained to aid in rescues?

"Don't you worry about a thing," Zeke whispered to her. "I'll get you out of here."

Her gaze went to the ropes that bound his wrists and feet together. He was still struggling to get out of them to no avail. If he kept it up, he would wear himself out. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him if more people were helping Lucas rescue her, but she decided against it. He had just said that he would get her out of here. That implied there was no one else. So she supposed even the woman wouldn't be useful.

With a heavy sigh, she settled against the wall behind her. She couldn't fault Lucas for sending Zeke to get her. How was he to know how poorly Zeke would manage this rescue? She still couldn't imagine who the woman was, but if Lucas brought her along, there had to be a good reason for it. Certainly, the woman couldn't be their mother. Their mother was too old to wander out here in this wild territory.

Maybe she'd never find out who this woman was. Maybe she'd never see Lucas again. Maybe these men would sell her off to the highest bidder now that they weren't going to get their ransom money. A tear fell down her cheek. For the first time since she was kidnapped, she truly felt like her situation was hopeless.

***

"I think this will be a safe place," Lucas said as he peered into a cavern that was along the canyon wall.

Even with the moonlight pouring down on them, it was hard to see anything that wasn't close by. He shivered and went into the place that would be his and Gail's hideout for the night. They had passed a few other holes in the side of the canyon walls, but this was the only one large enough to allow a small campfire. He had told Gail they needed something to heat their food, but the truth was, he didn't want to sleep in the dark.

"I think this is far back enough so no one will notice us," Gail said.

She rubbed her hands together. "I didn't expect it to be so cool down here. Let's get a fire started." She placed her things on the ground.

He hurried to put his things down and then dumped the branches he'd gathered after securing their horses in an area that seemed to have good ventilation. They worked in silence to get the fire going. Once they had sufficient light, he examined the walls of their temporary dwelling.

He noted the trickle of water coming down the side of one of the walls. "We have a water source." When she looked at him, he pointed to it. "It's not much, but we can fill up our canteens before leaving here tomorrow morning."

She inspected the crack that allowed the water to find its way down the wall and nodded. "That will work nicely. I'm relieved. I worried we would have to go all the way down to the river."

He was relieved, too. It was nice that water was one thing they weren't going to have to worry about. He went to the opening of the hideout and scanned the area. He didn't see any signs of another hideout. Everything was so dark. They'd heard a couple of gunshots earlier, but the echo made it impossible to tell which direction the shots had come from. All he knew was that they were close. Bernadette was somewhere nearby. Tomorrow, they would finally find her. With another glance outside in the vast darkness, he retreated back into the cavern and set his hat next to hers on the ground.

"Do you want pemmican or jerky?" Gail asked as she went to the bag that contained their food supplies.

Lucas grimaced. "I think I'll skip dinner tonight." He retrieved one of their bedrolls and loosened the string holding it tightly together. He shook it out then laid it on the hard surface. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the eggs."

"I thought you disliked eggs," Gail said, not hiding her surprise.

"I don't mind eggs. They're alright. They're a lot better than pemmican and jerky."

"What do you usually have for breakfast?"

"Pancakes and waffles. I've eaten eggs, but not often." He retrieved the other bedroll. "Do you eat eggs?"

"For almost every breakfast. Do you think that will be a problem?"

He set her bedroll next to his. "Why would it be a problem? You're not planning to cook breakfast when we get back to Pennsylvania, are you?"

"No, of course not. I just didn't expect us to have a difference of opinion on what to eat for breakfast."

He studied her and noted the worried wrinkle across her forehead. He chuckled. "It's just breakfast. What does it matter if we both want eggs or not?"

"I guess it doesn't. It's just a meal."

"Right. So why does it bother you?"

"Well, it just occurred to me that we don't share all of the same interests." Her gaze met his. "Is that bad for a marriage?"

He squatted next to her and set a comforting arm around her shoulders. "That's not what makes a marriage bad. What makes a marriage bad is when the people in the marriage don't want to be together." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I want to be with you, and you want to be with me. We're going to be fine."

She relaxed. "I suppose it's like friendships. You don't have to agree on everything to be friends with someone."

"Exactly. There are plenty of things we agree on. It doesn't matter if we both love eggs or not."

He kissed her cheek. She turned her face to him, and he pressed his lips to hers. At once, he deepened the kiss. Perhaps if he hadn't been so aroused earlier that day with all the kissing they'd done, he would have had the patience to take things a little slower, but as it was, he had very little in the way of patience.

He wanted her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything. He didn't remember why he hadn't desired her on their wedding day. Maybe it was because he'd been so worried about his family's financial situation that he hadn't taken the time to really get to know her. Well, he had gotten to know her during their time in Arizona, and he couldn't think of a better lady to share his life with. As Zeke had said, she was like a sunset. Easy to miss but breathtaking when one took the time to examine her.

Lucas drew her up against him. Now that they wouldn't risk getting caught by someone, he could give himself completely to her, and she, likewise, could give herself completely to him. He was nearly giddy at the realization. The canyon might not be the most practical place to consummate a marriage, but given how beautiful it was, it was fitting.

His tongue brushed hers. A spark shot straight through him. This was nice. No, it was better than nice. It was wonderful. Gail sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, a silent admission that he wasn't the only one who was excited about what was to come. As he continued to explore her mouth, he let his hands slide down to her breasts. Even through her layers of clothing, they thrilled him. He cupped them in his hands and lightly squeezed them. They were as soft as they looked. He could get used to touching these more often.

He pulled away from her enough so that he could find her buttons. Then he kissed her neck while he began to unfasten the buttons that shielded those lovely breasts from him. She let out a low moan and started to run her fingers through the hair that touched his neck. His body responded in the most pleasant way from the contact. He had to shift to relieve some of the pressure in his pants. Usually, they weren't tight, but given the strength of his erection, it was more than he could tolerate.

When he managed to finish unfastening the buttons of her riding jacket and her blouse, he was surprised to find yet another layer of clothing on her. This reminded him of being a young child on Christmas day. The waiting to see what was in the box, while fun, had been torture. He was trying to control himself, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Gail hadn't bought another riding outfit. He couldn't just rip the clothes off like he could the wrapping paper. Gail needed these clothes.

Forcing his hands steady, he lifted the chemise. What a relief! This was the last piece of clothing he had to go through. Now he could see her breasts. He took a moment to admire them. In all of his life, he'd never seen anything lovelier. Well, maybe Gail in the sunset was lovelier, but imagine if he could see her in the sunset without any of her clothes on. Just the thought aroused him even more.

He brought his mouth back to hers. He had no idea that this part of marriage could be such a heady experience. He might not know how to read a map, but he did know Greek literature. It was no wonder Paris chose to give the golden apple to the goddess who promised him the most beautiful woman in the entire world. At the time, he had thought Paris a fool to pick a woman over power or wisdom. But, in this moment, he understood why Paris made the choice he did. There was no way Lucas would choose anything over Gail.

He led her over to the bedrolls so they could be more comfortable then settled next to her. He might not be able to make love to her while the sun was setting, but this was romantic in its own right. They were alone. They had each other. The small campfire offered a soft glow, and it warmed them. The ground, albeit hard, was buffered by the bedrolls. He could always let Gail get on top of him when it came time for him to enter her. Then she wouldn't have to deal with the discomfort.

He spent considerable time caressing her breasts then decided to bring his mouth to one of them. He traced her nipple with his tongue. She rewarded him by groaning and tightening her hold on his shoulders. He couldn't take much more of this. He was determined to take things slow. She was a lady, after all. She deserved to be cherished and loved before he gave in to the full extent of his desire. He wanted the moment they lost their virginity to be one of the best memories they would share. Even so, he found himself being a little anxious as he sought to unfasten the buttons on the waist of her skirt.

Just when he found one, he felt something brush his fingers. At first, he thought she was helping him, but then he remembered her hands were clenching his shoulders. Eyebrows furrowed, he lifted his head from her breasts and saw a small brown creature crawling on his hand. Its pincers went up as if it was ready to strike him.

Without thinking, he screamed and flung the creature off of his hand. It flew to the other wall across from them. He pulled Gail off of the bedroll and stumbled as he took them both to the safety of the other side of the cavern. He searched for the scorpion and saw it running behind a large rock. He screamed again and hugged her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Does someone need help?" came another voice.

Lucas pushed Gail behind him so that the man wouldn't see her in her half-dressed state. A dark-haired man, who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, charged into the hideout. His muscles rippled under his shirt. He stood several inches taller than Lucas. He gave Lucas a hard look as if to determine whether Lucas was a threat or not. When he tried to peer around Lucas, Lucas blocked him from seeing Gail. He would take a bullet before another man looked at Gail's breasts. Her breasts were for him-and him alone.

The man lowered the gun, paused, then asked, "Who are you?"