The Devil’s Defiance

By Suzie Grant

Praise for Suzie Grant’s Valkyrie’s Vengeance

“The Author creates a fascinating tale of treachery, destiny, romance and Viking lore.” A Night Owl’s

Top pick

“The action had me from the very first sentence!” Risque Reviews Top Pick

“Ms. Grant quickly draws the reader in this riveting, action-packed, fast-paced drama that will have

you sitting on the edge of your seat! This book has all the components of a “Pirates of the Caribbean

Movie!” AJ’s Reading Nook

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living

or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Book Title

Copyright © 2012 by Suzie Grant

Night Shift Publishing

Cover Design by Heather Boyd

Edited by Tara Chevrestt

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical

means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written

permission.

For more information:

http://www.suziegrantauthor.com/

New York City Lawyer Garret Ryder takes the law into his own hands when a vicious killer gets

away with murdering his family. Nothing will stop him from delivering the justice denied him by the law

he vowed to uphold. But when the killer kidnaps a judge’s daughter, his childhood sweetheart, he must

decide if any price is too high to exact revenge.

San Antonio socialite Sophia Maria Osbourne doesn’t trust easily. With a dirty politician and a

blackmailing judge for a father, she learned not to rely on anyone but herself. But when her father’s shady

dealings lead to her kidnapping, she must place her faith in the man who stole her heart long ago, if she

hopes to survive.

Dedication

To my beautiful mother for always showing me what a lady should be. Sadly, I’ll never be quite the

lady she is but she loves me just the same. Special thanks to my editor for the short notice edits. You’ve

been such a godsend!

~Chapter 1~

Outside of San Antonio, Texas

Summer, 1875

The idea of a lynch mob normally rubbed Garret Ryder wrong, but for the first time, he reconsidered.

Should one form once they reached San Antonio, Garret could almost convince himself to turn a blind eye.

Almost. The three day trip from Eden seemed to drag. Escorting a mouthy prisoner didn’t help matters

any.

Sid Gerard leered, peering through the bars of the paddy wagon. “Did New York City turn you into a

greenhorn, Ryder? Or a yellowbelly like yer brother?”

Garret ignored the prisoner and kept his mare at a steady pace next to the transport. Eden’s deputy kept

the wagon on course, leaned over to spit on the ground, and wiped his mouth on his dirty, rolled up

sleeve. “Gerard is jist trying to rattle ya, fancyman.”

“I’m well aware of what Sid is trying to accomplish,” Garret shot back, grimacing at the man’s lack of

manners.

The deputy chuckled and nudged his comrade sitting next to him on the bench. “He even talks fancy.”

Garret lowered his black felt hat and squinted under the noon sun, trying to ignore the three men as

best he could. “It’s called an education, deputy. We’re a few miles out of San Antonio. I would

appreciate all chatter kept to a minimum.”

The deputy laughed. “Is that another way to say ‘shut the hell up’?”

“Absolutely.”

Muted earth tones surrounded him, the only color being the cloudless powder-blue sky that stretched

for infinity. A fine grain-like sand dusted the air. Sparse grass and prickly yucca plants dotted the trail,

while the occasional mesquite tree jabbed into the horizon, standing watch over them as they traveled.

Garret checked his pistols for the second time in a half-hour and rolled his aching shoulder muscles,

hoping to ease the tension. Apprehension slid along his spine. Transporting Sid Gerard, the same man

who’d killed his father and nephew, had gone entirely too smooth. He’d expected trouble from Sid’s

family, and so far he’d found none.

Perhaps he was too anxious.

After a twenty year feud with the Gerards, Garret longed to put Sid away behind bars, and shut this

chapter of his life so he could return to New York City where he belonged. He’d left Texas behind years

ago, so why the hell had he returned? And why the hell had he stayed over the last year? He still couldn’t

seem to answer those questions. But he was determined to get this over with so he could return to some

semblance of normalcy in his life.

All he knew was his father had needed him, but now with the death of his father, he was no longer

obligated to stay. Assaulted by an image of blue eyes, he grimaced. He’d stayed because he owed his

brother. He would pay up, then leave Texas for good.

He sighed.

He’d volunteered to prosecute Sid in San Antonio. He needed to make sure the bastard never got out

and tortured his family again. Then, and only then, could he feel as if his debt had been paid in full.

Although repaying his brother would never eradicate the nightmares. It would never erase the image of

those blue eyes that haunted him every night.

“Do you really think this wagon will hold me?” Sid leered through the bars. “You won’t have Gade

here to protect you. When the bullets start flying, who will you have in your corner, greenhorn?”

“I wasn’t aware you knew how to aim, Sid.” Garret cut a quick, narrowed glance at his nemesis. “If I

remember correctly, you couldn’t piss your way out of a boot.”

Sid lurched forward with a growl. “I’m gonna enjoy killin’ you when this is all over and done with.

And your brothers.”

“When this is all over and done with, Gerard, you’ll be locked behind bars where you belong or

twisting from a tree.”

“We’ll just see about that,” Sid said, swinging an arm out from between the bars as he tried to seize

hold of Garret. “You better be glad I’m locked up.”

“I only regret not gagging you first.”

Heat poured over Garret in buckets, and his head throbbed in tempo with the steady clod of the

horses’ hooves. He’d hated to leave the ranch when his sister-in-law was about to have her first child. He

wanted to be there for his brother, but he needed to make sure Sid got what he deserved: a dank, dark cell

and meager rations.

Last year, Sid had ambushed their trail drive to the northern markets, and his nephew Luke had gotten

caught in the crossfire. Losing Warren’s son had torn asunder whatever precarious peace his family had

acquired. The least Garret could do, was put the killer behind bars where he belonged. He owed Warren

that much at least.

The day Sid had shot their father had been the breaking point for the Ryder boys. There would be no

peace between him and his brothers until the killer had been put away. His family needed to mend. And

Garret would do whatever it took to make sure that happened.

San Antonio loomed on the horizon, and they rode into town accompanied by blessed silence. The

group headed for the main plaza as the wagon wheels crunched against the rock-strewn drive and kicked

up a cloud of dust behind them. Alameda Street turned into Commerce before they crossed the bridge. The

wagon rumbled against the wood planks like thunder as the San Fernando Church steeple jabbed into the

skyline ahead of them.

Turning right onto Soledad, the deputy pulled up short in front of the courthouse. A small crowd of

people gathered just outside the doorway. Garret dismounted and looped the reins of his mare to the

hitching post.

The jangle of keys brought his attention to the deputy. “Don’t open those doors yet,” Garret warned.

“Why?”

“I want this walkway cleared and the local sheriff’s men posted at either end of this street. Sid Gerard

doesn’t leave that cage until I say so. Eden’s sheriff assured me I would get complete cooperation on

this.”

“All right. Yew the boss, fancyman.”

Sid chuckled from behind him. “Gotcha all knotted up, Ryder? You scared I’ll get away?”

Garret whirled, seized Sid’s collar, and yanked him forward until the criminal’s forehead banged on

the metal bars. “Fear has little to do with it. Let’s get something straight. The next time I have to chase you

down, I’m going to forget that I’m a man of the law. Comprende?”

Sid lost his smirk, although it flickered briefly. Garret released him and set about making sure his

orders were obeyed. There would be no mistakes. He’d make sure of that.

Judge Osbourne came abreast of him and clapped him on the back, dragging Garret’s attention away

from the prisoner. “I’m so glad you made it safely, Garret. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, son. I

can still remember when you were little and toddling around your father’s legs.”

Garret’s smile faltered. “Yes, those were good times,” he lied. My life has never been full of good

times.

The judge’s springy white brows drew together. “I must say I was sad to hear of your old man passing.

I lost touch with the people in Eden after my daughter and I moved here years ago,” Judge Osbourne said,

his Georgian twang as smooth as molasses, and he squeezed Garret’s upper arm in condolence. “James

was a good man.”

A shaft of pain pierced Garret’s chest. “Indeed he was.”

“I say, you should open a practice here in town. We could use a good counsel like you, Garret.” The

older man leaned closer. “Most of the lawyers in town are as crooked as the criminals they represent. I’d

be honored to have a man like you in my court.”

Garret pasted on a fake smile. Not in a million years. “Well, I believe after the Gerard case, Your

Honor, I’ll be heading back to New York. Mother lives there and she’s slowing down a bit. I’m not sure I

should leave her alone anymore.”

“Understandable. Family always comes first.” The judge nodded, raising his gold-handled cane in

response. “Well, should you ever change your mind, you just let me know, young man. I’ll help you get

settled.”

Garret lowered his brows, making sure to recover his usual nonchalance. “Thank you, Your Honor.”

They shook hands, but the judge held firm as the gold ring on his fat fingers glinted under the sun’s rays.

“Do me a favor, will you?” the judge asked, his dark eyes grave.

“Anything.” Garret forced a smile. What the hell could the judge possibly want from him?

“Would you mind escorting my lovely daughter home? I have to deal with this nasty Gerard business

and don’t have time to do it myself.”

Surprise widened Garret’s gaze. Fraternizing with the judge’s daughter right before the trial got

underway could potentially make things more difficult for him, especially a case as sensitive as this one

was. “Sir, I don’t think that’s wise... I certainly mean no offense, but...”

Judge Osbourne gave his hand a good squeeze. “I certainly can’t fault you for your caution. You’re a

man of meticulous control, and I admire that, but you don’t worry a bit about this hearing. Understand?”

Garret’s mouth dropped open, but he recovered. Before he could argue with the man, the Judge hailed

his daughter from inside the dressmaker’s shop, and Garret found himself speechless for an entirely

different reason. He’d never forgotten a name or a face. And Sophia Maria Osbourne had a face as

unforgettable as any he’d ever seen before.

And yet, even after years away, Sophia stunned him into silence. His heart lurched inside his chest as

she strolled toward him. The dark red-and-white striped bustle day dress hugged a figure only God could

recreate. Dark ringlets tumbled across one shoulder under the tiny red hat she wore. “Mr. Ryder, what a

pleasure to see you again. It’s been entirely too long.” Delicious ruby lips smoothed across her features in

a teasing grin as she held out one dainty gloved hand. Exotic whiskey-colored eyes blinked under sooty

lashes. High cheekbones and a small regal, nose bespoke of her mother’s Spanish origins. She was simply

the most sultry beauty he’d ever seen. “Has the cat got your tongue?” she jested with a smile.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her gloved hand. “If only a pretty smile were all it took to render

me speechless, Miss Osbourne.”

He’d just been given complete reassurance that his case was in the bag, as long as he took care of the

Judge’s daughter today. And while he certainly didn’t mind the view, it would mean accepting a bribe,

which would make him no better than the criminals he prosecuted and put away.

I’m a man of the law. The right thing would be to refuse the judge. But what would happen to my

case if I did? Especially a case that was so close to his heart.

~*~

Sophia Osbourne attempted to calm her rioting senses. Sixteen years away hadn’t diminished the effect

Garret Ryder had on her. A widow at the ripe, old age of twenty-eight, Sophia was no green girl. But her

heart pattered to a stop before it raced ahead like a locomotive at full speed. Garret Ryder simply oozed

charm as he removed his derby hat. His mussed, dark hair fell over his forehead with a rakish appeal.

Even as a boy he’d been handsome but he had far surpassed her expectations. She’d never imagined the

impact silver gaze would have on her. Pale, humorless, but those eyes weren’t cold by any means. Oh

heavens no, they warmed under her regard, and heated to a degree that should have blistered her skin.

“And, pray tell me, what does it take to render a man such as you speechless?” she whispered.

He released her hand and stepped away. His was not a face that betrayed emotion easily, though she

sensed his keen interest on a more instinctive level. “I’ve yet to experience such a moment, but when I do,

I’ll be sure to let you know.”

Sophia masked the hurt with a flirtatious smile. “There is always a first for everything, Mr. Ryder.”

Both of her hands tightened on her reticule. “Surely, you’re no exception.”

“Indeed.”

He was every inch the gentleman, from his polished boots to his well-groomed suit, and yet, from his

uncompromising mouth and the jutting, square jaw, Garret Ryder lived by his own set of rules. The dual

six-guns strapped to each thigh ensured he did.

He faced her father. “Your Honor, as much as I appreciate the opportunity to accompany your

beautiful daughter home, my purpose here was to make certain Sid remained safe until the trial. I would

hate to neglect my responsibilities, even for the sake of such charming company.”

“Nonsense son, the deputy and I will keep everything here under control. You can rest assured all will

be fine.”

Garret’s jaw hardened, and Sophia pursed her lips to keep from smiling at his frustration. Wrapping

her arm through his, she whispered, “Escort me to my buggy, Mr. Ryder, and I’ll wait on you there as you

finish your business. Sound fair to you?”

He peered down at her, studying her. A hint of a smirk toyed with the corner of his lip, and Sophia

caught a glimpse of the boy he once was. Together, they strolled down the boardwalk. At first, he

continually glanced over his shoulder, and as she snuggled closer to his arm, he relaxed.

“I still recall when we were children in school, Garret. Do you remember?” Her gaze traced his lean,

hard jaw and settled on those hooded silver eyes. Their boots clicked an unhurried rhythm down the

boardwalk. “The day we got caught in the rain on the way home from school...”

The temperature seemed to rise as his attention dropped to her lips. “I remember.”

“I was twelve, I think.”

He nodded.

“It was my first kiss.” And I’ve thought of nothing else since that day.

“We were kids...experimenting. Surely, you didn’t believe anything would come of it?”

Pain lanced her heart and choked off her air. Hadn’t she believed just such a thing? She gave a

nervous laugh and faced forward to hide the heat of her blush. “Of course not, but it was the last time we

ever saw each other. I-I simply wished to know if you remembered.”

“I haven’t thought of it in years, but now that you mention it, I remember...”

“I miss those days,” she admitted. “We always had so much fun...until...”

Garret stiffened, released her arm, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Until my family caused such

a scandal and shamed the town?”

Sophia whirled to face him as they paused. “No... That isn’t what I meant or what I was trying to say.”

His jaw clamped tight. “But it’s the truth. There’s no need to mince words, Miss Osbourne. We’re

adults, and I’m not an imbecile.”

Sophia gasped. “I never imagined such a thing.”

“Your buggy is just ahead. I bid you good day.” He bowed from the waist and turned on his heel to

leave.

“Garret!”

He didn’t turn to face her.

“Don’t trust my father,” she said, her tone soft, uncertain.

He spun and stood before her in just a few strides, his grip on her upper arms firm. The heat of his

large hands soaked through the fabric of her sleeves. “Why?”

Sophia stepped free of his grasp to catch her breath. “He isn’t a man to trust. And I know you...” she

whispered. “You’re an honorable man. My father has dollar bills in his eyes and he thinks he can

manipulate the situation.”

Garret’s dark eyebrows drew together over the bridge of his nose. “What makes you believe I’m any

different?”

She shook her head. “I just know. It’s the very reason I—” she hesitated, glancing away as if

embarrassed to say the words, “admire you.”

“But you don’t admire your own father?”

A disgusted sound escaped her as she crossed her hands over her chest and dropped her gaze to the

ground. “I cannot admire him any longer. If anyone has changed...it’s him.”

He reached out and tilted her chin up. She swallowed, her pulse slowly increasing in rhythm at his

touch. “Why do you say that?” he asked.

“Because it’s the truth. He is not the same person he was when we lived in Eden. This city...these

people...this job has corrupted him. He’s let money and power change who he is, and I no longer

recognize him.”

“And what has that got to do with me?”

“Nothing yet. All I’m saying is don’t trust him.”

“Why would you care?”

Sophia stepped away from him. How could she not care when she’d thought of little else? For years

she’d carried the memory of that kiss in the middle of the washed out, rutted dirt road just outside of

Eden. The fourteen-year-old boy who’d been experimenting had taken more than a mere kiss from her.

He’d stolen her heart. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever get it back.

Word had spread like wildfire of the New York City lawyer who would be trying the Gerard case.

She’d been thrilled for Garret’s success, but more than that, she’d harbored a secret fantasy of the two of

them taking up where they’d left off.

But he obviously didn’t feel the same.

Fidgeting, she floundered around like a fish on a line, uncertain of herself and her feelings. “We were

friends, Garret. I can’t forget that.”

He stared at her for several minutes. Their breaths ticked the seconds by, and Sophia’s palms grew

moist under his regard. Had she said something wrong? Why did he look so angry?

With a sneer, he bowed again. “If I recall, Miss Osbourne, we weren’t friends. You were a flirt and a

perpetual tease, even back then. You used the boys in school to get what you wanted, and I can see time

hasn’t changed that. If you’ll recall that same day we kissed, you snubbed me. Perhaps you don’t

remember that day as well as I, because you had assumed I left when your friends showed up.”

He seized her upper arms and drew her closer. “But I was there, hiding in the bushes. Are you

surprised?”

Sophia stifled a gasp. Her mind reeled at his words. His tone barely masked his hostility toward her.

What had she done to warrant such treatment? She couldn’t remember.

“Yes, I heard what you told your friends.” He bared his teeth.

Sophia frowned, trying to remember. “What? I don’t recall saying anything, Mr. Ryder.”

“Au Contraire. You told your friends when they asked if we’d been kissing that you would never

stoop to kiss a Ryder boy. We were just dirt farmers back then and we weren’t worthy of the princess’s

praise. You can bet your pretty derriere I don’t trust your father, or you for that matter. After all, it must

run in the family.”

He released her, and she stumbled backward with a gasp. “You don’t understand.”

“Don’t I?” He scoffed. “I didn’t have enough money back then. I wasn’t worthy of your attention, but

now that I’m filthy rich... I am. Oh, I do believe I understand—both you and your father. Much better than I

did back then. I trust you can make it the last two feet to your carriage without my help, Ms. Osbourne. I’ll

return as soon as I can.” Garret whirled and strode back down the boardwalk, his boots pounding down

the planks, a veiled reminder of just how much she’d misjudged the situation. A reminder that a man like

Garret Ryder didn’t need to be forewarned; he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and of

easily forgetting the twelve-year-old girl who’d snubbed him.

~*~

A group of horses pounded down the center of the road, and Garret instantly realized his mistake in

leaving the prisoner unguarded. Five men on horseback headed straight for the paddy wagon. If the dark

clothes and masks didn’t mark the men as Sid’s rescue party, then the brandished weapons did.

Garret’s heartbeat thundered in cadence to the battering hooves. Gunshots peppered the boardwalk

under his feet, forcing him to dive for cover.

Sophia screamed from behind him. Torn between getting Sophia to safety, and scrambling back

toward the wagon to ensure his prisoner remained locked up, Garret ground his teeth. Damn her pretty

face!

Bullets pinged the walls behind her, and she squealed. Garret rushed to her side, knocking her to the

ground and covering her with his body as the riders continued past them.

Screams rent the monotonous drudgery of town life as people scattered. Dust stirred by the horses

choked off his air as he urged Sophia behind the carriage. “Stay here, dammit.”

She nodded, and he raced back toward the courthouse, drawing both guns. Sid’s high pitched laughter

rang out. Not this damn time!

Sid’s brother, Morgan whipped around and wielded a double barrel shotgun in Garret’s direction.

Dropping to the ground, Garret cursed as the blast shattered the glass in the dry goods store behind him.

He rolled to the left, his six-guns popping off two shots, but another criminal blocked Morgan, taking the

bullet meant for the other man.

Damn. He’d missed.

Morgan shot the lock off the paddy wagon, and Sid Gerard broke through the door. The group stirred

up swirls of dust, the particles hanging in the air like a fine mist. Garret aimed, but the return fire sprayed

the boardwalk in rapid succession. Pain burned his shoulder as he scuttled behind an empty wagon.

Gasping, he clasped a hand to the wound. He cursed again. How the hell had things gotten so out of

control?

Sid mounted the empty saddle as the small gang of criminals closed ranks around him. Peering through

the wagon wheel, Garret wounded one man in the neck, choking off all air in a shower of blood.

Panic coursed through his belly. Sid was getting away!

He ignored the twinge in his shoulder and scurried around the corner of the conveyance to fire off

another round before he was forced to reload both weapons. A shotgun blast splintered the wagon wall

and shards of wood sliced through the air like tiny, sharpened spears. Damn! Garret struggled to reload

one six-shooter but dropped a bullet. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

A scream split the air. Garret stumbled out from behind the cart just as Sid hoisted Sophia across his

lap. Sid chuckled and spun the horse to leer at Garret. With a tip of his hat, he issued a silent challenge.

Garret slapped the cylinder closed and fired, missing the bastard by a mere inch. “Dammit!” The

cluster of criminals rode out of town, hauling one kicking, screaming lady in red.

Some sixth sense had warned him this would happen, and he’d let a shady judge and a pretty face

distract him from his goal. This was the result. Now he had to fix it. Whirling, Garret strode back to the

courthouse toward the judge as the townsfolk emerged from their various hiding places. Cowards. The lot

of them. Even the deputy had slunk off to some dark corner until the bullets stopped flying.

Unease wheedled its way inside his chest. Something about the judge’s calm stirred doubts and

suspicion. Parting the gathering crowd, Garret faced the judge and Eden’s deputy. “Give me a badge.

Deputize me.” When both continued to just stare at him without moving, he yelled, “Now!”

Deputy Yates jumped slightly. “Now, Ryder, I understand your urgency, but there’s a process for all

this. Let’s git it done properly.”

Garret’s gaze swung from the lawman to the judge. “You’ve got the power, they’ve got your

daughter...what’s it going to be?”

The judge sputtered. “N-now hear this, I want to get my daughter back just as much as you do but you

have to calm down and think things through—”

“To hell with you.” Garret shoved through the crowd toward his horse.

“If you take off after them and kill someone, you’ll be no better than they are,” the deputy warned.

Garret mounted in one fluid motion. His mare sensed his mood and whinnied in response. “So be it.”

“Being a hunted man isn’t a good way to live. You don’t want that,” the deputy argued.

“If it’ll lead you to the real criminals, deputy, then feel free to give chase. But if you’re not going to do

your job, then get the hell out of my way.” He peered at the judge. “Your first priority should be to get

your daughter back. Obviously, it’s not. Which leaves me to wonder what you get out of Sid’s escape?

When I get back, I’ll be sure to investigate. And if I find anything that darkens your door, Judge Osbourne,

you’ll be certain to find me in the courtroom as the prosecuting counsel. And let me remind you, I’ve

never lost a case.”

~Chapter 2~

The constant jab of the saddle and Sid’s knees in Sophia’s stomach stirred its contents. “If you don’t

let me down, I will not be responsible for the condition of your boots.”

Sid’s chuckle rumbled through him. “Ain’t the worst thing that’s ever tainted them.”

Sophia ground her teeth and bore another minute of the jarring trot until she clamped her teeth in his

thigh. Sid howled in pain and shoved her from the saddle. She hit the ground at full speed and cracked her

head against a rock. Pain ripped through her scalp, traveling down her neck. She moaned. “Dim lerdos

burro! Did you have to toss me like a spooked pony?” Her head throbbed as she rubbed it. She flipped her

tousled hair from her face and glared at him as he spun the mount around. He gave no outward sign that he

realized she’d just called him a donkey. He should be thankful she didn’t specify which part. “Isn’t it bad

enough, Sid, that you’ve resorted to kidnapping? Must you add uncouth barbarian to your many vices?”

“You bit my damn thigh!” Shaggy golden hair filtered out from beneath Sid’s worn, nearly-flattened

tan cowboy hat. He might have been a handsome man had he taken better care of himself, but the crooked,

decaying teeth and gaunt cheeks detracted from the startling blue of his eyes.

Anger constricted her throat but didn’t stop the flow of words. “If you expect me to be a biddable

captive and cause no trouble, then I suggest you treat me like a lady.” Sophia struggled to her feet, tripping

over a prickly mesquite brush. Dizzy, she steadied herself for a brief moment. Yanking her skirts from the

spiny bush, she added, “Not to mention we were once friends. Whatever you have against the Ryder boys

doesn’t include me. Now I suggest you find me a suitable mount and let’s carry on.”

Sid peered down at her with those unblinking blue orbs and chuckled once more. “I had forgotten how

bossy you were.” Sid waved to another man. “Ross, get down.”

“Why?” Ross replied.

“Give the damn lady your mount.”

“What the hell am I supposed to ride?”

Sid thumbed to the left. “Catch a ride with Gus or walk for all I care. Just do it. We’re wasting time.”

Ross dismounted with a discontented mumble, and Sophia brushed the dirt from her skirts. Sunlight

burned her face as she’d lost her hat miles back, and she shaded her eyes with her hand. She tried to

swallow past the lump of dust in her throat, but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. They’d ridden

for several hours already, and she eyed the canteen hanging from the saddle horn on Sid’s mount. Licking

her lips, she glanced away. She’d be damned if she begged him for a drink.

Not like he’d care, given the lack of manners he’d displayed so far.

“Well, mount up, Sophia. We don’t have all day, especially since your beau will be hot on our tails.”

“My beau?” Her brow furrowed. “Who?”

“Garret.”

“He’s not my beau. Today was the first time I’ve seen him in years.”

A grin smoothed across his hair-roughed features. “Don’t be so foolish. If I remember correctly, he

damn near worshiped the ground you walked on, Miss Osbourne. Any idiot could see he feels the same

way as he once did.”

Sophia fanned her face with her hand as heat flooded her cheeks. “You’re mistaken, Sid.” She turned

on her heel and headed for the little sorrel mare. “Garret barely noticed me.”

In fact, he’d been all too anxious to dump me in my carriage.

After a brief struggle, she mounted and straightened her skirts. “Now let’s get a move on or are we

going to chitchat all day?”

Sid grinned. “Do as the lady says, gentlemen. Let’s ride.”

An hour later perspiration trickled down her spine and temples. Heat poured over her, and her breath

grew shallow as the terrain grew rockier. She wasn’t certain what Sid wanted with her, but due to their

history, she wasn’t exactly afraid of him. The rest of his men made her wary but they all seemed to obey

Sid. Nevertheless, she didn’t plan to stay and find out what his plans were. Patience kept her silent. She

would wait to escape until they grew lax around her. And they would, because they all believed her to be

a useless female.

Would her father send someone after her? With the lack of attention he’d paid to her over the last few

years, Sophia doubted he would even notice her missing.

Her gaze strayed to the surrounding countryside, taking in every detail. But there was no cover. Dry,

flat terrain stretched for miles with only low-lying brush and scrubs and the occasional cottonwood tree.

She would have to remain on the horse and take a chance. If she took them by surprise, perhaps she could

make her way back to San Antonio.

They traveled without speaking. Only the plodding hooves and the occasional screech of an eagle

broke the silence. One of the men was seriously injured. Garret had shot him in the shoulder, and he

lagged quite a bit. He would slow the rest of them down. If she were lucky the posse her father sent would

catch up. Perhaps she would run into them on the way back.

If my father has even sent someone. Surely, he would.

The path meandered through a copse of trees fronted by a small stream. Sid and the others dismounted

to water their horses. They ignored Sophia for the most part, and she hesitated. Her muscles tensed, ready

to spring. Her heart rate increased in rhythm, and she grasped the reins tightly.

She had never been the best horse woman. Once mounted though, Sophia could manage to control the

animal.

“We should hit Boerne by tomorrow evening. Osbourne should be there shortly after that. He’ll have

everything we need,” Morgan said.

Osbourne? Her father? Why would he be in Boerne?

Sid nodded. “Good. Now we just gotta get rid of the Ryder brat. He won’t stop until we kill him or he

gets the girl back. And we can’t afford to let her go.”

Need me? For what?

Unease snaked through her body, settling into the pit of her stomach. Something told her this

kidnapping wasn’t spontaneous after all. The sinking sensation in her stomach reeked of disappointment.

Surely her father didn’t have a hand in this. But it had been her father’s suggestion that she accompany him

that morning. When she’d argued with him, he’d used fatherly guilt to get what he wanted by saying she

didn’t spend enough time with him.

Of course, if she hadn’t wanted to buy that new purple hat in May’s store, she wouldn’t have agreed.

She shrugged. Well drat and knickers, it was a beautiful hat.

But what could her father gain from all of this?

Curiosity tempted her to stay, but dread of the unknown forced her decision. She would escape. She

wouldn’t help with whatever conniving plan her father and these men had come up with. She refused to be

a pawn.

As the men watered their horses and filled their canteens, talking amongst themselves, they largely

ignored her as she eased the horse away from the group. Would they kill her if she tried to escape? She

and Sid had been friends. But did friendship carry any weight with this man anymore? Did it ever? She

wasn’t sure she should test him.

Her hands moistened, and her stomach coiled in knots. She couldn’t stay and wait on whatever fate

had in store for her. Sophia had to escape. Besides, Sid might not hurt her, but who was to say his men

wouldn’t get out of line and try to rape her when they stopped to make camp?

Her decision made, Sophia kneed the mare into a full gallop downstream. All she had to do was

follow the river and she would find another town.

“Goddamnit! Get her!” Sid yelled.

Gunfire split the air. A slicing pain ripped through her shoulder. She gasped and kept riding. Oh my

gawd, they’re shooting at me!

“You idiot! I don’t want her dead.”

Blood pumped through her veins, and she urged the mount faster. This was her only chance. Next time,

they would be expecting it.

Wind whirred through her hair, and her breath filled her ears. Her heart battered her ribs like the

drums of a marching band in the local parade. She glanced back over one shoulder. The distance between

her and Sid’s gang increased. Perhaps they would just let her go. After all, Sid was free from the law.

Surely he wouldn’t backtrack with a posse on his heels even though he believed he needed her. Would

he?

Hooves hammered the dry earth behind her, and she knew Sid gave chase. Leaning forward, Sophia

squealed as the mare trampled through the dry grass.

Seconds later, a lasso slithered over her shoulders and yanked her right off her mount. She soared

through the air and thudded to the ground. The breath knocked right out of her. “Oomph!” Dizziness

assailed her, and her stomach revolted because of the jarring stop. She rolled to the side and emptied its

contents. Pain traveled from her shoulders down the length of her back.

Sid loomed over her, cutting short her escape. Sophia lifted her chin in defiance.

His gaze was hard and unyielding. “I’m through being nice, Sophie. I don’t want to hurt you. But

understand this, you try that again, and I’ll put a bullet in you and be done with it.”

~*~

Garret studied the ground. Four to five horses, several with distinctive markings on the shoes. It would

make it much easier to track. His brother, Gade, was the better tracker, but he was fairly certain he’d

stayed on the path the criminals had taken. They’d been in too big a hurry to cover their tracks, which was

to Garret’s advantage.

An ache settled in his chest. He missed his brother. There would be a new addition to the Ryder clan

soon, and he would miss it because of Sid. Another reason to hate the son-of-a-bitch. Another reason to

make sure his family never had to deal with Sid Gerard again.

His father’s face flashed through his mind, and he placed a hand over his heart. I promise to make it

right, Pa. I’ll make the bastard pay.

He tugged his hat low over his forehead as golden spears of sunlight lanced his vision. The brilliant

bronze ball of the sun hung on the horizon in its last attempt to light the way. Garret stood and remounted

his mare, his long duster fanning out around him with a whoosh. God, I hate Texas.

He hated the damn dust. The snakes. The criminals. He much preferred the streets of New York. At

least there were civilized folk in the big city.

The mare’s hooves scraped against rock and rent the silence in the flattened valley as he guided his

mount through the mesquite brush. Dodging cacti, Garret picked his way through the pathway. A gut

feeling settled in his stomach.

Sid wasn’t looking to disappear. If he were, why hadn’t he headed south into Mexico? No, he had an

agenda, and the farther north they traveled, the more uneasy Garret became. The question was, what

exactly did Sid need with a judge’s daughter? And the more time that passed, Garret convinced himself

things had unfolded a little too easily in Sid’s favor for Sophie’s kidnapping to be spontaneous. Now he

had to figure out what the hell Sid had in store for her and manage to get her free. All before he killed the

bastard.

Hours later he crested a plateau and dismounted, peering closely at the tracks. There were at least five

horses. The ripple of water lured him toward the edge of the cliff, but voices broke the silence. Garret hit

the ground, let go of the reins, and crawled forward on his belly.

Less than forty yards away, Sid dragged Sophie roughly from the ground by the arm. She cried out and

struggled against his hold, but he subdued her with a heavy handed smack across her cheek.

Garret’s jaw clenched, and his fist balled. He would enjoy killing Sid, and with every second that

passed, he became more determined to make it happen.

He crawled backward until he reached his horse and retrieved his rifle before returning to his

position. Pebbles trickled down the slope. He leaned on his elbows and set the sight on his rifle.

A cloak of dark hair clouded the scope and shielded Sid from a solid shot. Garret cursed. Expelling

his breath, he waited. He’d learned this lesson once: never take a shot when an innocent’s life was at

stake. Sid hauled his feminine package back to the group of men. Garret counted heads. Five, including

Sid and Morgan.

Interesting. Three of them sported shovels across their saddles. Why would criminals need shovels?

His mind scanned the possibilities, but nothing added up. He couldn’t fathom what the hell was going

on, and he needed to piece together more of the puzzle. He focused his sight and eased the breath from his

lungs in a gentle sigh, relaxing. His Calvary training resettled into his blood as if he’d never left the life of

a sniper behind. More than a decade had passed since he’d left the military—since he’d sworn to leave

the killing behind—and instead, chosen life as a lawyer.

But apparently the killer instinct had been ground into his blood. An instinct he could never leave

behind. But the law he’d believed in for so long had failed him. And now it was time to rely on his gut. It

was time to return to what he was truly good at, a truth he could no longer deny. He was a killer. And a

damn good one, too.

The military had recognized his special ability and honed it to perfection. He may not be able to track

as well as his brother, but he could shoot a bullet through a butterfly’s wing at three hundred yards.

And he’d never missed a shot.

Never.

He aimed, waiting for an opening. But it never came. With every move, fate seemed to hide Sid from

his crossfire. Patience. A good marksman only gets one shot.

The group remounted, tugging Sophia’s mare in tow. They disappeared out of sight. Garret headed for

his mount. They had nowhere else left to run, and all he needed to do now was wait for the moment to

strike.

Sid’s luck had just run out.

~Chapter 3~

A soft click of the lock to the door alerted Archibald Osbourne to another presence inside his office.

He should have left hours ago, but he’d needed to get caught up on paperwork. He stilled, set the quill into

the inkwell, and eyed the newcomer. The only light in the room spilled from the oil lamp around his desk,

creating shadows along the edges of the room.

He eased to his feet and pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. “Can I help you?”

“Lance sent me.”

A wave of chills scattered across his flesh, and his heart thumped out a heavy beat against his ribs.

“He didn’t tell me he was sending anyone.”

Why did his voice quiver? He cleared his throat and straightened his spine. I am not a coward.

The stranger lingered against the doorjamb and crossed his boots at the ankle. “I’m here to fix your

mess, Judge Osbourne.”

Sweat beaded on his brow despite the breeze trickling in from the semi-cracked window. He squinted

through the darkness, trying to see the man’s face. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, young man, but

I’m very busy. Why don’t you get to the point?”

“Lance wants his money, and I aim to get it from you. One way or another.”

Archie’s heart lurched to a stop, then sped forward like a locomotive freight train. “I assure you, I

will have the money by the designated time. There’s no need for violence.”

A gravely chuckle was the only response. “Oh, there won’t be any violence, Judge.”

The man used Archie’s title like a weapon, flaying open the skin to reveal all the insecurities under the

surface. His hands shook, and he placed them on the mahogany desk surface to still them. “My allotted

time hasn’t expired yet. I was given another three months before the money was due.”

“And so you shall.”

“Then I don’t understand, sir.”

The man reached into his pocket and, lurking in the shadows as he was, only his hands were visible.

Seconds later, a match flared to life, revealing just briefly a set of obsidian-dark eyes beneath the brim of

a black hat. “I’ve been sent to take care of matters and make sure your plans are carried out. If Lance

doesn’t get paid, then I don’t get paid. Let’s move past the polite bullshit and get to the reason we’re both

here.”

Archibald’s quivers didn’t subside, but he eased back into his overstuffed leather chair. “Do come in

then and have a seat.”

“It’s best if you don’t know who I am.”

“All right.” He nodded. “Then what do you want to know?”

“Details. What kind of problems do I need to fix?”

The judge cleared his throat. “I’ve hired Sid and his brother to collect the funds for me. But the man

who brought him to town shucked his morals and swore to kill them both. He’s nothing to worry about.

Just a thorn in my side, really.”

“What’s this man’s name?”

“Ryder. Garret Ryder.”

A silence descended, heavy and full of weight. “Is he related to Gade Ryder?”

The judge glowered. “Yes. They’re brothers. Why?”

An owl’s hoot trickled in from the open window, splitting the silence. An eerie apprehension slithered

up his spine. The rest of the town had either made their way into the red light district or fallen asleep.

Should this man decide to kill him, he realized no one would hear him scream.

Uneasily, Archie leaned back in the seat, placed his hands in his lap, and eased one hand toward the

top drawer of the desk.

“It’s been taken care of already.”

The judge’s brows furrowed. “What?”

“Your gun. There’s no reason to reach for it. I’ve already rid the room of every weapon you own.”

His gaze widened, and his pulse pounded in response. He breathed deeply, fighting in vain against the

rising nausea. Defenseless. Alone. Death stalked him, tracing his every fear, and magnified them.

Archie reached in his pocket to retrieve his hanky and wiped the perspiration from his brow. As he

waited on the stranger to get to the point, trepidation fought its way into his throat, squeezing off all air.

“Gade Ryder has quite the reputation,” the stranger said. “Are you sure you want to tangle with

someone in his family?”

“You sound as if you’re familiar with him.”

“I am.”

“I didn’t exactly choose for this to happen. I’d asked Garret to escort my daughter to the carriage,

hoping to make Sid’s escape a little easier by getting him out of the way. How the hell was I supposed to

know Garret was sweet on my daughter and would choose to go after them?”

“You didn’t know he was sweet on your daughter?”

“Well, he was when they were kids, but he moved to New York. I thought I’d be dealing with a

citified dandy, not a gun-slinging lawyer.”

The stranger shifted and tossed his cigarette to the floor, grinding it out with the heel of his boot. The

singe of burning threads drifted to him. Judge Osbourne gritted his teeth. Wiping moistened palms across

his knees, he straightened in his chair. “So what now?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Ryder and anybody else who gets in the way—including Gade. I’ve

dealt with bounty hunters before. You make sure Sid and his brother know what they’re doing. If they

don’t come back with the money...I’ve already delivered your measurements to the local undertaker. As

far as I’m concerned, he’s already on call.”

Archie swallowed. The taste of terror was thick and glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

The stranger tipped his hat in the dark, then left as quietly as he’d entered, the clicking of the lock the

only indication he’d been real.

Alone, the judge’s mind reeled.

What the hell had he managed to get himself into? And how would he get himself out of it? He had

nothing left with which to bargain his life for. His daughter had been his last resort.

~*~

Fast-moving clouds raced across dusk’s pink sky as the group of criminals rode into Boerne, Texas

two days later. A storm churned overhead as Garret scoped out the kidnappers from the rooftop of the

courthouse. Garret had arrived just an hour before the group, anticipating they would make a stop here

after losing sight of them the night before.

As a precaution, Garret had sent word to his brother, Gade. He wasn’t sure how this would end, but if

he failed to take out Sid and rescue Sophia, someone needed to take up the reins. And the only man he

knew who could play the hero and succeed was Gade.

Across the street, the group reined in before the hotel. Dust clouds formed and swirled at their feet.

Sid dismounted and tied up his mare. Garret focused the crosshairs on his blond head, and his trigger

finger twitched. He couldn’t risk a shot when Morgan still had access to Sophia. He needed to get her to

safety first.

Most of the town had retreated home, and the streets lay deserted save for the lone drunkard looking

for a good time. The banner strung between the hotel and the courthouse flapped in the rising wind. Music

tinkled from the local bawdy house down the street, and lights from within the hotel flickered on

one-by-one.

Work on the adjacent, empty building had ceased, but the scaffolding and equipment remained, ready

for the next day’s work. He scanned the nearby area, taking stock of his surroundings, needing to get this

right in the first round. Mistakes could cost him dearly.

Thirty miles from San Antonio, Boerne had thrived over the last several years, already sporting

several hotels, a post office, and even a private school built in the sixties.

Garret scooted forward, his boots scraping across the limestone rooftop of the courthouse. The scope

landed briefly on the disheveled Sophia as Sid yanked her from the sorrel mare. Twin tear paths streaked

her dirty, smudged face, and a sleeve hung in tatters off one shoulder. The bodice had been ripped,

exposing the top of her breast. Anger roiled in his stomach. She looked exhausted.

Just a little longer, princess.

He located Sid in the crosshairs, and the urge to pull the trigger intensified.

A figure in a dark duster exited the two-story hotel and met with Morgan. They spoke softly, then

exchanged something. Garret strained to focus. Morgan unrolled what looked like a map and rolled it

back up, shaking hands with the other man. Interesting.

Sid and another man walked the horses back toward the livery. Three men left to guard Sophia. Garret

wouldn’t get a better chance to make a move. It was now or never.

Wind whooshed across the rooftop and whined down the alleyway. Garret centered on the stranger. A

second later the rifle bucked against his shoulder, and the stranger dropped to the ground with a single

bullet hole between the eyes.

Sophia screamed. Morgan shouted and ducked low. Chaos ensued as the men searched for the

sharpshooter.

Hooking the rifle over one shoulder, Garret jerked his pants’ belt off and looped it over the banner

rope strung between the buildings. He zipped down the rope, gripping the leather in one hand and

withdrew his six-gun with the other. With a thundering heart rate, Garret blasted a hole through the second

man’s chest and released the belt, colliding with Morgan. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Morgan swung, connecting a solid fist to Garret’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. He shook the

dizziness off as the criminal crawled atop him. He blocked the second blow and landed one of his own.

Knocking Morgan loose just enough to kick free, Garret scrambled to his feet. Two more punches to

Morgan’s face sent him crashing to the ground unconscious.

Clambering to his feet, he kicked Morgan’s gun out of the way, reached into the man’s pocket, and

retrieved the rolled parchment as Morgan groaned, coming to.

Garret rushed to Sophia and snared her wrist. “C’mon!”

“Have you lost your mind?” she yelled. “You’re going to get us both killed.”

Someone shouted his name, and he glanced down the street as Sid and his comrade raced back toward

them on foot. Sid aimed the gleaming nose of his pistol in Garret’s direction, but he didn’t fire. Was it

because of Sophia? Or was it because he was out of range? Hell, he’d take any advantage at this point.

“Are you going to argue with me about this rescue, or shall we get on with it?”

Sophia’s brow pleated and she waved her hand. “Well, let’s get on with it then.”

He grinned and led her to the scaffolding. He needed to get Sophia to safety, then he would deal with

Sid. Wrapping an arm around her waist he gripped the rope. “Hold tight, princess. I’m finally going to

hear you scream.”

“What?” She frowned as she did as he asked.

Garret kicked a mechanism with his foot, and seconds later, the lift descended from three stories high

at a rapid pace, yanking them straight into the sky. Sophia screamed just as he’d predicted, and he grinned.

“Not exactly the way I’d envisioned it, but thrilling just the same.”

“What?” She gasped.

Garret swung them to and fro as bullets pinged into the side of the building. Sophia squealed once

again as they crashed through the double window and landed inside a hallway.

“Are you trying to kill me? I know you can’t stand me, but is this really necessary?”

“No, but it certainly has its benefits.”

Garret stood and lifted her to her feet. She cried out in pain, and he noticed her gripping her upper

arm. “What is it?”

“A scratch.”

“You’re wounded.” He shook his head. “I don’t have time to fix it yet, but you could have warned

me.” Grasping her other hand, he took off down the hall until he found the stairs leading up. They

pummeled up the steps, their boots pounding like hooves on the wood planks. Two bullets embedded into

the wall right before his nose. Garret cursed and aimed down the center of the stairwell, firing off several

shots.

They doubled their efforts, bursting through the door leading to the roof. “Come on,” Garret yelled and

dragged her forward.

“Where to, Garret? We’re on top of a building.”

He whipped around to face her. “Trust me just once, Sophia. And I’ll get us out of this. Now come

on!”

She hesitated. He squeezed her hand and whispered, “Do you trust me?”

~*~

Garret’s penetrating silver gaze questioned her, almost as if daring her to take the risk. She nodded,

unafraid of the danger. Somehow she sensed Garret would protect her. What truly scared her was the urge

to trust him and her sudden need to please him.

“I trust you, Garret.” Surprisingly, she spoke the truth.

He smiled at her, and together, they raced across the rooftop and leaped to the next building just as the

roof door burst open once more. Shots embedded into the rooftop around their feet and zipped past her

ear.

Her heart kicked into full speed. The landing jarred through her knees, and she gasped at the pain. But

she didn’t have time to pause as Garret was already racing ahead. They flew across to the next rooftop,

which sat slightly lower, and Sophia stumbled, falling at his feet.

Garret reached for her, blocking her until she could stand. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

He clasped her hand and darted to the edge once more. Sophia’s palms grew sweaty, and perspiration

trickled down her temple. Exhilaration churned in her stomach. How the devil had she gotten here?

She couldn’t believe she was leaping across rooftops as a gang of criminals chased her.

Sophia squealed as they leapt across to the next false-fronted building. She landed on both feet, and

the rotted wood planks gave way beneath her. She screamed as she plummeted through the roof.

Garret’s grip tightened and caught her. He fell to his knees as he grasped her wrist with his other hand.

“Hold tight, Sophie. I’ve got you.”

She swung to and fro in the middle of an open, two-storied saloon. The stage beneath her lay as silent

as a sated whore. The only occupants were the bartender and a man sitting alone at a table.

Her stomach roiled as she peered below. She would break her legs if she fell. Her grip slipped, and

she screamed, “Garret! Help me!”

“Hang on, darlin’. I’ve got you.” But her sweaty, slick hands slipped again. His jaw clamped closed

from the effort of holding her, and her gaze met his. Perspiration dropped from his forehead to plop on her

cheek and roll down her neck. She quivered as every muscle in her body tensed.

A shadow above Garret moved, and her eyes widened. “Garret! Watch out!”

Sid kicked Garret in the gut, jolting him enough that he released her hand. She screamed. Her gaze met

Garret’s just briefly one last time as she plummeted to the ground.

Seconds later, she crashed into the stage, breaking through the planking. Her vision wavered, and

blackness crept in. Was this where she would die?

~Chapter 4~

Gade Ryder crumpled the telegram in one fist, standing outside the telegraph office in Eden. He

nodded to a local woman and her two children before stepping off the boardwalk. The sheriff was up for

re-election this year, and Gade had dibs on that position. He didn’t need to be gallivanting all over Texas

during his campaign. He needed to stay in Eden. On impulse, he reopened it to read the words once more:

Bird flew the coop. Stop. I’m going after him. Stop. I may need to call in that favor. Stop.

He sighed. Blaze will tan my hide if I’m gone when the baby comes.

But would she understand? Torn between duty to his wife and loyalty to his brother, whose life may

be in danger, he was forced to make a decision quickly.

Gade rode hell-bent toward The Broken Circle ranch. Almost a year had passed since he’d returned to

the big house. He hadn’t stepped foot on the ranch since his father’s funeral. But it was time to make an

exception. Slowing the mare as he neared the entrance, he scowled at the state of disrepair. The place had

gone downhill since his father’s death, and Warren didn’t seem to give a damn.

Something squeezed inside his chest. His father would hate to the see the Broken Circle like this.

Reining in near the stable, he hopped off his mount. Overgrown weeds threaded their way through the

cracks between the boards. The entire corral fence had been torn down by a storm and never repaired.

Every horse had been sold for profit, and the Broken Circle had less than a hundred head of cattle now.

Once considered one of the largest ranches in south Texas, it was now just a heap of scrap-wood and

starving animals.

Gade did what he could to manage the cattle, but he avoided the main house, and in turn, avoided his

brother at all costs. He and Warren hadn’t been on speaking terms since Luke’s funeral. The man had lost

both his father and his son in a matter of days. Such a tragedy would cripple any man.

As he entered through the back door, the pungent scent of body odor and alcohol blasted him in the

face. “Warren?” He moved down the darkened hall toward the front of the house, peering in each room as

he passed by. Every room was empty and spotless save for the last one.

The study door stood half open and reeked of a foul odor. Gade scrunched his face as he entered. He

paid Mary to come in once a week to clean the house, but she apparently avoided this room like the

plague, and no wonder. Gade kicked several whiskey bottles to the side, his boots crunching over broken

glass as he carefully crossed the room where Warren laid face-first in his own vomit.

Old newspapers littered the overlarge desk and scattered across the floor. The closed curtains pooled

on the floor as the rod hung by a single nail. Warren’s once shiny blond hair lay in gobs of knotted

clumps.

An ache centered in Gade’s chest. “Warren. Get up.” With a gentle kick to his brother’s side, he added

softly, “C’mon, Warren. It’s time to get up.”

Warren stirred with a moan.

“We need to talk.”

“Go away.”

Gade crouched, placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, and gave him a gentle shake. “Come on,

Warren. I need your help.”

“To hell with you.” There was no force behind the mumbled words. No passion. Just a bleak,

monotone outburst. Warren lifted his head, his cheek sticking like glue against the stale contents on the

floor. Gade’s stomach roiled. “Damn, Warren, you’ve got to get up. You’re lying in your own puke, and I

need you coherent.”

“Go to hell.”

Gade rose and strode toward the kitchen. Grabbing an empty bucket, he poured water from the hand

pump at the dry sink and headed back into the study. Without hesitation, he dumped the liquid over his

brother’s head. Warren launched to his feet sputtering and swinging.

Gade ducked and pinned him against the wall, twisting his hands in Warren’s collar. “Now listen to

what I’ve got to say and keep your mouth shut.” Gade released him, and Warren sagged against the wall,

water dripping from his chin.

Gade gritted out the next words slowly, carefully, so his brother didn’t miss a single one. “You’re a

miserable bastard. I understand that. You want to remain in your own wretched company for the rest of

your godforsaken life drowning your sorrows in your alcohol. But you need to wake up for ten minutes

and hear me out.”

Warren coughed into his hand and sighed. “Just get on with it.”

“Garret’s in trouble and he needs us. I’m headed to San Antonio. I think his life is in danger and I want

to know if you’re coming with me.”

Blond brows dipped across Warren’s forehead over red-rimmed, silver eyes. “How do you know

he’s in trouble?”

“I got a telegram this morning.”

Warren shoved Gade off, breaking his hold. “Why the hell should I care about that little bastard?”

Grinding his jaw together, Gade closed his eyes. Refocusing on Warren, he calmly took a deep breath.

“He’s our brother. The only flesh and blood we’ve got left.”

“I don’t give a damn about Garret, or you for that matter. I don’t give a shit about anyone anymore.”

Gade propped his hands on his hips and lowered his head. Memories of their shared childhood

washed over him in waves, and he sighed, wishing he could recapture that magic they’d shared all those

years ago. He remembered the days of skipping rocks in the stream, horse racing across the open plains,

and playing hide-and-seek inside the big house. They’d once been as close as any siblings could be, until

the day they’d figured out what it meant to have separate mothers but the same father.

Barely able to breathe past the lump in his throat, he swallowed. “That’s too bad, Warren, because

he’s out there trying to make sure the man who killed our father and your son gets his due. You want to

feel pity for yourself, be my guest, but I want Sid to pay for what he did. If Sid manages to kill another

person in our family because of your stubbornness, I’m coming back to put you out of your misery for

good.”

Gade stomped past him, but Warren seized his arm, staying him. “Do it! I want you to do it now.” It

wasn’t a challenge. It was a request. A plea. Warren sought relief from his memories the only way he

knew how.

Gade sighed. Pain clogged his throat. How could he deny his brother the peace he so desperately

desired? But how could he let him go? “I’m tired of death. I want no part of it anymore. I’ve had a

bellyful of regret. After I put Sid ten feet under, I’m moving on with my life.”

“At least you can move on!” Warren shoved him away forcefully. “What have I got left to move on

to?” His voice cracked with emotion.

Gade’s resistance almost fled. But he couldn’t give up on his brother. Not yet. Gade seized Warren’s

shoulders and shook him. “Life! You son-of-a-bitch!” He shook him again for good measure. “You’d see

that if you could keep your head out of a bottle long enough to know that there are still people here who

love you!”

Warren paused and crumpled before his very eyes. “Everyone who truly loved me is gone already.”

Anguish ripped out a piece of Gade’s heart, and together, they fell to their knees. Gade held firm to his

brother’s arms, his grip tightening as agony sliced him in two. “I love you, Warren. And so does Garret.

I’m here for you when you need me, brother, but you’ve got to want my help.”

Warren slumped against the wall, the picture of defeat. “I’m afraid it’s too late.”

Those whispered words tore through Gade. He released Warren, sat back on his haunches, and sighed

heavily. He could well understand his brother. He’d felt this way after his mother died. Alone. Desolate.

Nothing had eased the pain until...Blaze. She’d swept into his life like a sandstorm and tumbled every

defense he’d ever erected until he lay bare. He would never have been able to talk to his father and accept

his mother’s suicide without Blaze opening his eyes to the wonders of life. But Warren wasn’t ready to

open his eyes yet. He wasn’t ready to see life’s true possibilities.

Perhaps he never would. There were days he expected the maid to report that his brother had

committed suicide. The thought squeezed his heart in a vise, but every day, she reported to him “he’s

drunk, passed out on the floor again. I checked his pulse. Warren still lives.”

And every day, Gade fought a raging battle inside himself to rush over to the ranch and beat the shit

out of his brother, to make him see reason. To make him see Gade still loved him. He always would.

He’d missed out on too many years before returning to Eden. He didn’t want to waste another day without

both of his brothers in his life. What else could he do but sit and wait for the day Warren grew tired of his

misery? Perhaps that day would come soon.

He hoped so. He missed Warren.

Wrapping his brother in his arms, Gade squeezed him. “I’ll be here when you wake up. But until then,

I’ve got to go save Garret’s life. He can’t fight the Gerards alone. None of us can.”

He released Warren and stood. “Garret said Sid got away and he’s going after him. I’m headed to San

Antonio to see if I can find out which way they headed.” Gade tossed the crumbled missive into his

brother’s lap. “Here’s Garret’s note. If you change your mind, you can find me in San Antone. I only hope

I can pick up Garret’s trail before it grows cold.” He headed for the door, but turned back. “Do you really

want Sid to get away with taking someone else from our family? What do you think Luke would want his

father to do?”

~*~

Garret blocked Sid’s next kick and caught his foot, twisting until he toppled to the roof. He crawled

back to the opening to peer down. Sophia lay sprawled among the wreckage, unconscious.

Sid lunged to his feet, wrapping an arm around Garret’s neck from behind, and tightened his hold until

his vision closed around the edges. He choked, his heart pounding. He had to make sure Sophia still

breathed. Fury lent Garret the strength to jam an elbow into Sid’s ribs. Sid eased his hold with a groan,

and Garret crawled free. He whirled, struck Sid’s jaw with a hard right and then an upper cut with his

left, dazing the man.

Pistol fire screamed past him and ate holes through the false fronted rooftop. Morgan raced toward

him, pausing mere seconds to aim. Garret dove for the edge of the building. A quick glance showed a

wrought-iron veranda below him. He scaled over the edge and jumped down, ignoring the pain in his

knees. He needed to get to Sophia.

He sprinted across the veranda and descended the stairs to the ground, taking the corner of the building

at full speed. His boots slid out from under him, but he righted himself and burst through the door. Garret

pulled his guns on the two gentlemen in the saloon, unsure of their motives as they hovered near the stage.

His gaze searched for Sophia, but he couldn’t find her. “Where is she? Where the hell did she go?”

The bartender lifted his hands in surrender. “Some fat man in a dark suit entered and carried her out

the back door.”

“Which way did they go?”

The bartender shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Cursing his luck, he rushed toward the back just as Sid and Morgan entered through the front. “There

he is!”

Gunfire scattered across the establishment, leaving gaping holes in the gold-papered walls, and

shattering the glass of the oil lamps. Garret returned fire, tipping over a white-clothed table to use as

cover. Dammit!

“Sophia!” he yelled.

A distant scream rent the air. He unloaded four rounds and caught Sid’s lackey in the chest as he, too,

entered the establishment.

Two down. Three to go.

He didn’t have time for Sid. Garret reloaded his weapon and rolled across the ground to the next

table, over turning it. He fired around the side just as the wood splintered above his head. Fragments

shattered around his face, and he ducked back to safety. Air hissed through his teeth. That was too close.

Garret dodged from cover-to-cover until the exit was less than two feet away. Three shots and he

dove for the door, crashing through the wood to land flat on his back. He cursed and shoved the door

closed with a booted foot. With a quick glance around, Garret leapt to his feet and dragged a

straight-backed chair over, wedging under the knob. It wouldn’t slow them for long.

His gaze scanned the darkened corners. Now where was Sophia?

He called her name again. Silence greeted him save for the scurrying of rat. Garret eased down the

alley to the back of the building and peered around the corner. His jaw clamped shut. Judge Osbourne.

He should’ve known.

The judge carefully laid the unconscious Sophia in the back of a wagon. He brushed his hands clean

and waddled around to climb into the front seat.

Not this time.

Garret didn’t think. He reacted. In three strides, he rushed up behind the judge and jammed the barrel

of his pistol against the man’s temple. “Leaving without saying goodbye, Judge Osbourne? How rude of

you.”

The startled man tensed. “The company doesn’t suit my tastes.”

“No one ever said you had good taste,” Garret said as he turned the judge around, training the weapon

on his forehead. “Tell me, where are you taking Sophia?”

The judge chuckled. “She’s my daughter. I’m allowed to take her anywhere I damn well please.”

Garret’s brow inched upward. “Such concern for a daughter whom you allowed to be kidnapped in the

first place?”

“I don’t know what you mean, Ryder.”

Garret cocked the trigger. “Sure you do.”

Just beyond the Judge, Sophia stirred in the rear of the conveyance. “Tell me what the shovels are for?

What about the tents and supplies packed in the back of the wagon? Doesn’t exactly look like you’re

headed home. What do you plan to dig up?”

A banging from the alleyway let him know he didn’t have long before the judge had company.

“Whatever I have planned for my daughter and my wagon is none of your concern, outlaw. You

relinquished your rights as a lawman and set out on your own, Garret. Are you regretting forsaking your

pledge to uphold the law so soon?”

“I haven’t forsaken anything, Judge. Unlike you, I’m ensuring the outlaws come to justice and get what

they deserve. No matter what it takes, because the law failed me once. Sid won’t get away again.”

The judge chuckled, adding a soft jiggle to his thick jowls. “That makes you an outlaw, Garret. Just

like them, doesn’t it?”

Garret shrugged. “Whatever you choose to call it then. Either way, I’ll get what I came for.”

Sophia sat upright in the back of the wagon. Garret pretended not to notice her. “Does Sophia know

you’ve taken up with the likes of Sid and Morgan?”

“Of course not, and what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. By the time she’s figured it out all out, I’ll

have convinced her I’m in the right. She’s my daughter after all. She’s always wanted to believe I’m a

good man.”

Sophia’s face registered shock at her father’s words.

“But that’s not true anymore, is it?”

The judge frowned. “I haven’t found any benefits to being a good man, Garret. Have you?” He cleared

his throat noisily under a sardonic laugh. “I’ve found the law doesn’t pay quite as well as I’d first

imagined.”

Sophia crawled to her knees and eased forward. Her moves were soft, unhurried. She nodded to

Garret, though he didn’t acknowledge her.

“Money shouldn’t be a requirement for being a man of the law,” Garret reminded him.

“You’re still young, my good friend. You’ll change your mind.”

Garret stiffened, grabbed the judge by his collar, and shoved him against the side of the wagon. “We

are not friends. And don’t ever forget that.”

Sophia leaned over and conked the judge on the back of the head with a shovel. The vibration of metal

against his hard skull echoed in the empty alleyway. The judge collapsed to the ground, unconscious, and

Garret rushed to check his pulse. “He lives.”

He peered up into her wide eyes as she quivered. “Are you all right?”

She nodded, dropping the shovel. “Just a little shaken up.”

A loud bang echoed down the alleyway as the door broke open. Garret scrambled to pull the Judge

away from the wheel, then hopped into the seat, grabbed the reins, and with a flick of the wrist, the wagon

lurched forward.

Sophia crawled over the seat and perched next to him. “Where are we going?”

Bullets whizzed past them, embedding into the side of the uncovered buckboard. Garret glanced back

as Sid and Morgan helped the judge to his feet. He shoved Sophia down onto the floor and ducked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but we’ve got to get both of us somewhere safe so we can get patched

up.” He turned to study her dirt and blood streaked features. “You realize they’re not going to give up,

don’t you?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “But I don’t know what they want from me.”

Garret’s mouth thinned. He didn’t know either. But the one thing he knew was that he had something

they wanted. Two things actually, and he planned to use both to his advantage. When he’d started this

journey, he’d been determined to lock Sid up, and now protecting Sophia had become his first priority.

No one should live with the knowledge their father was willing to risk their child’s life for God knows

what. Whatever it was, he was now determined to put an end to the judge’s plans and put Sid six feet

under in the process.

~Chapter 5~

Archibald Osbourne forcefully shoved Sid away as the two men hovered around him. His hand crept

to the back of his head where the shovel had connected to his skull. A lump the size of an egg had formed,

given to him by his own damn daughter. At least there was no blood involved, just a little dizziness and a

huge sense of betrayal. He scowled. How the hell had things gone awry?

Withdrawing a kerchief he mopped his forehead, whirled, and faced the Gerard brothers. “Bunch of

worthless, two-bit criminals. Look at what you’ve done?” He waved a hand in the direction Garret and

his disloyal daughter had taken. “There goes my daughter, hauled off by a sharpshooting city-boy. How

the hell did a greenhorn get one up on you?”

“It wasn’t me who got knocked out, Judge.” Sid snickered.

“No, he just took out three of our men without breaking a sweat.” Archie shot Sid a dark look. “I’ll tell

you how things got out of hand because you couldn’t control yourself, Sid.”

“Me?” Sid feigned shock. “What the hell did I do?”

“You instigated this!” Archie pointed a finger in Sid’s direction. “You were supposed to escape and

meet me here. But you had to provoke Garret, didn’t you?”

Archie headed back into the saloon. Would he ever find henchmen who weren’t imbeciles? He wiped

the sweat from his brow, ordered the bartender to bring him a whiskey, and settled his weight into one of

the few unbroken seats. “What a mess.” A disgusted sound escaped him. “You weren’t supposed to

kidnap my daughter. You did that hoping to enrage Ryder. Well, you managed to do just that.”

“We needed her anyway. I jist figured I’d save you the trouble of subduing her later, Judge.”

“I had a plan to get Sophia here without causing a scene. One that would have required less work.”

Archie’s mouth pulled down at the corners. “Now you’ve gone and stirred a hornet’s nest, and we’ve

wasted precious time. We have to find more men and my daughter.”

“Don’t worry, boss. We’ll find Sophia.” Morgan narrowed his gaze brother on his brother. “Tell him,

Sid.”

Sid sighed. “I’ll find her. You take care of hiring more men, and we’ll meet back here tonight.”

Sid exited the saloon, but Archie knew it was too late. The damage was done. He exhaled. He would

hire new men. That was the easy part. But Garret and Sophia were long gone. Sid wouldn’t find them, and

if he did manage to pick up their trail, it would take more than three of them to subdue a man like Garret.

He was much more resourceful than Sid had given him credit for. Those hard, silver eyes flashed through

Archie’s mind. That was no greenhorn. The man he’d seen before him outside this saloon wasn’t some

city slicker who couldn’t find the trigger on a well-paid whore. Sid had been wrong about Garret Ryder,

and Archie feared perhaps they had only managed to wake a sleeping giant.

~*~

Garret would have to dump the wagon in the next town.

Sophia snuggled against his arm and sighed. “I’m sorry I’m no help. I’m just exhausted.”

“It’s all right. I’ve got you,” he whispered and wrapped an arm around her to ward off the night’s

chill. He couldn’t afford to stop because the wagon had already slowed them down. They were forced to

stick to the roads, and that was potentially dangerous. But so far, he hadn’t seen any movement on their

back trail.

She wrapped her sweet arms around his waist, and a gentle tug on his heart warned him. He needed

more space, but he didn’t listen. Stubborn, he ignored the flutter inside his chest and kept his gaze on the

horizon.

“Where are we going?” Her soft voice barely carried to him. Disheartened, he squeezed her closer.

She’d been through so much. He wished he could take it away, ease the disappointment she must be

feeling over learning just how devious her father truly was. But all he could do was get her somewhere

safe and rested up.

“To a friend’s. But we’ll have to stop for the night. Just lay back, Sophie girl.” he used the nickname

he’d given her years ago. “You’re safe now.”

She eased back against him until all the stiffness relaxed from her shoulders and the softest sigh

escaped her lips as her head rested on his shoulder. He cradled her close. Sooty lashes drifted closed,

and within minutes she slept.

His gaze drifted to the fullness of her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered in her sleep, and he smiled. The

darkness leeched every bit of color from her skin, but her Spanish origins were as clear as day. She was

regal. Beautiful.

And so close he could breathe her in. A mix of pomegranate and leather drifted to him like a sultry

desert summer rain. A shower so brief, but such a welcome relief from the sticky heat a man could open

his mouth and drink of it for days. That was Sophia. Sultry.

They drove for several more hours before Garret decided to make camp. He set the brake, and Sophia

stirred in his arms. His gaze swept her features, innocent in sleep, relaxed, her soft lips parted, barely

breathing. She was alluring. And entirely too tempting.

Would he make it through the night without laying her down? Honor bade him to keep his hands off,

but his body burned, creating urges he wasn’t sure he could resist. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” he whispered.

She smiled, and warmth trickled into his cold heart. Then she bolted up in his arms and turned to stare

at him over one shoulder. “Where are we?”

“We’ll camp here.” He hopped down and reached up to assist her to the ground.

“How long did I sleep?”

“A few hours.”

“Oh.” She eased off the seat and into his arms. He lowered her slowly, her body brushing against his,

and a fire entered his blood. Her gaze met his, recognition dawning in her widened eyes. Awareness

thrummed between them, and her breath grew shallow, ruffling his neck as he set her completely on the

ground. Chest-to-chest now, they lingered.

He stepped away first and broke the spell. “I’ll take care of the horses. But I plan to hook them back

up before we get some sleep. We need to be ready to move at a moment’s notice. There’s a small stream

just past those trees. You can go get cleaned up if you like. I’ll get us something to eat, and then I’ll tend

that wound.”

Sophia nodded and turned away from him, heading for the trees. He couldn’t take his eyes off her and

the gentle sway of her hips under the dirty red-striped fabric. His hands itched to peal the skirts away and

reveal the flesh beneath. Balling his fists to keep himself from following her, he whirled and set to work.

An hour later, he had a small fire started. He’d found a tripod kettle and an entire range of utensils,

beans, sugar, flour, and spices in the wagon. They had enough here to last them a good fortnight on the

range. He stood and headed for the stream with a handful of clothes he’d found.

Concern for Sophia urged him to search her out, and he ignored the warning in the back of his mind.

He just wanted to check on her, make sure she was safe.

Breaking through the brush, he drew up short. His breath caught and held in his chest even as his heart

pounded ahead like a maddened, full-grown bull.

Sophia perched atop a tree stump in nothing but her chemise, corset, and an eyelet petticoat pulled up

past her knees. She rubbed her hands over long, slender calves, and his mouth grew dry. Not even the

many scratches and bruises on her legs detracted from her beauty. The breeze rustled the dampened

strands of raven-black hair shielding her from view. Water trickled past her in the stream and lent serenity

to the picturesque scene, though he barely noticed. His attention was solely focused on the exotic woman

before him.

He must have made some kind of noise, for she jerked her head up and caught his gaze. Hunger ripped

through his body, and hesitation planted his feet in the soil. He should really say something and not stand

there like an uneducated idiot.

She eased to her feet. Her eyes widened with uncertainty. He swallowed. “I-uh, I came to see you...I

mean to make sure you’re all right.”

She stepped forward with the slightest limp, her bare feet peeking out from under the white ruffled

petticoat. He met her halfway, despite knowing he should turn and run like hell.

“You’re hurt,” he stated.

She shook her head. “It’s a sprain, I think, but nothing I can’t live with.”

“Do you want me to take a look?”

She stiffened. “No,” she said too quickly. A smile softened her response. “That wouldn’t be proper.”

Neither is being here with you damn near undressed and my eyes ravaging every inch of exposed

skin. But he couldn’t say the words, afraid that she might shoo him away, despite his mind screaming at

him to do just that. Being near her the way he was sent a shaft of longing through him. He wanted to be

closer. He wanted to listen to her voice and feel her skin. Vivid images of her slithered through the

darkest recesses of his mind and he fought to control his violent heartbeat.

“Are you hungry?” His gruff voice broke. He cleared his throat, but lack of air closed off any more

conversation.

“Yes,” she murmured.

Visions of her naked, bathing in the stream assaulted him, and his fantasies grew steadily hotter, more

sordid in detail with every second that passed. Sophia’s cheeks bloomed with color, and he realized he

was staring at her.

He cleared his throat once again and glanced away. “I, uh, brought you some clothes I found in the

back of that wagon. They’re not my size, so I thought you could wear them.” He shrugged. “They’re clean.

Besides, we need to disguise you.” He leaned around her and placed the folded clothes on the stump. She

thanked him, and he caught the slightest hint of spicy pomegranates, and he breathed it in deeply. She

smelled exotic, like sex on a hot, summer night. His body roared to life. Painfully aroused, he attempted to

restrain himself from doing anything foolish like doing “improper” things to her.

Smiling, he couldn’t think of anything else to say. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. He

was a man with a profuse vernacular, and yet, he could hardly form a single coherent thought.

“I should look at that bullet wound.” His tone was soft. Soothing.

Sophia nodded and turned slightly so he could get a better look at her arm. Her skin gleamed under the

moonlight, and he swallowed. He pulled out his kerchief from his pocket and moved to the stream,

wetting it. Returning, he paused. Her eyes lowered to his hands. He realized they trembled, and he

clenched them into fists, trying to focus on the task.

He cleaned the wound as best he could without any whiskey, then bandaged it with a strip of her

petticoat. Tying off the piece of cloth, he dropped his hands. His gaze lingered on her smooth shoulder.

Her skin was flawless, without a single freckle or blemish, like the sweetest cinnamon.

A dark curl ruffled against her bare shoulder, and he brushed it away. He should have never touched

her. He should have never imagined what touching her would feel like, because before he could take his

hand away, his palm grasped her shoulder above the wound. Her skin was soft.

He trailed his fingers down her arm to her wrist, then lifted her hand to his mouth. “I’ve missed you,”

he admitted. Emotion clogged his throat. They had been inseparable as children. When a chubby kid had

two older, brothers who were far more handsome, he took whatever friends he could find. And Sophia

had never looked at him with sympathy. Her gaze had always been trusting and open, without any guile.

They had sat by the river in the shade for hours just talking and skipping stones. He wished he could go

back to that life. A life that seemed entirely too distant now.

Her wide eyes softened. “I’ve missed you, too.”

After kissing the top of her hand and then inside her of wrist, he reluctantly relinquished her hand. He

had to put an end to this feeling inside his chest. Once he dealt with Sid, Garret planned to return to New

York. He didn’t have room in his life for love. Or anything in Texas. “Get dressed. Food’s ready.”

He spun and headed back the way he came, cursing himself for being an idiot. Cursing himself for

wanting to say more to her, for wanting to stay right where he was.

~Chapter 6~

Fresh biscuits wafted on the breeze as Sophia broke through the brush and entered the clearing. Garret

leaned over a cast-iron pot and stirred the beans. He glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled.

Gone was the well-dressed lawyer. Instead of a suit, he wore buckskin breeches and shirt. Dual guns

slung low on his hips, marking him as a dangerous man, but Sophia sensed something deeper in his

restlessness. He’d removed his hat, and his dark hair fell haphazardly over his brow. His silver eyes

remained guarded with her, despite that single moment of weakness by the stream. Did he regret it? For

mere seconds, she’d imagined him kissing her. She’d longed for it, but he’d turned away quickly.

She clutched at the pants she wore to keep them on her waist and smiled back at him. They would

pretend nothing had happened, but Sophia wasn’t sure how long she could carry on the charade.

Garret chuckled and stood. “I lost my belt back in Boerne, but I’ll see if I can find some cord you can

use.”

She nodded as he moved toward the wagon. He rummaged through the supplies until he withdrew and

cut a sliver of rope. He strode across the camp toward her. She swallowed as he knelt before her, his

dark head begging for the touch of her hands. Standing absolutely still as Garret’s Strong fingers threaded

the line through the belt loop holes, Sophia attempted to gain some control over her thundering heart rate.

He had beautiful hands. Strong hands. Hands that would know exactly how to touch a woman. Heat

swept through her veins like a wind-fed wildfire, and she cleared her throat. “Why are you being nice to

me, Garret?”

He tied off the cord and glanced up at her, frowning. “If I remember correctly, I’ve always treated you

with respect.”

“Yes, but you were curt with me back in San Antonio. Surely you recall our conversation before that

lackwit Sid interrupted us?”

He sighed and stood to his full height before her. He was too close. “I wasn’t angry with you. All

right, maybe a little...” He straightened the collar of her button-up shirt until it lay flat. “I certainly didn’t

mean to be curt with you, Sophia. I guess I was having a bad day.”

She gave a soft smile. “I understand.”

When she moved away, he reached out and cupped her cheek. “Do you?”

She nodded. “It must not have been easy to escort Sid to his trial, knowing you would have to

prosecute him.”

His gaze fell to her lips. “If only that were the only thing bothering me.”

“Then what was wrong?” she asked, very conscious of the hollow tone in her voice.

He drew closer to her and her heart tripped. “I was still attracted to you, even after years away. I

could still remember the day you snubbed me in front of your friends.”

Her heart leaped into her throat at his words. Could he be telling the truth? Sophia captured his hand

on her cheek and squeezed it. “I never meant to hurt you, Garret. But I was a girl and I wasn’t exactly the

most popular girl. Back then I thought I had to impress my friends and now I know...the only person I have

to impress is me.”

He dropped his hand, but continued to study her. “I’m glad. And it was foolish of me to stay angry.”

Garret didn’t move away from her, but lingered instead. She wanted to reassure him, to recapture what

they’d once had. She’d never been able to get close to anyone else like she had with him. “Please

understand, I’ve done a lot of growing up since then.”

He frowned. “With a father like yours, I’d imagine so.”

She lowered her lashes. “He wasn’t always like this, you know.”

“I remember.”

“He loves me...he just loves money more.” She shrugged. “I’ve learned to live with it.”

He captured her hand. “But you shouldn’t have to cope with a jackass for a father.”

Heat flooded her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, but it burns me up that he gave little thought to your well being.” He pulled her forward

until they stood almost toe-to-toe. “You deserve more than that.”

“Thank you, Garret.” Warmth blossomed inside her chest at his words. “But life isn’t always easy,

and I’ve learned to live mine to the best of my ability. That’s all I can do.”

Garret gave a half smile. “That’s all anyone can do, Sophie girl.”

This was the second time he’d spoken her nickname causing her heart to flutter. Perhaps he wasn’t as

immune as he’d like her to believe? He’d called her that when they were young, and memories washed

over her as she recalled how close they’d once been. An ache settled in her chest. “I’m sorry I hurt your

feelings, Garret. You were my best friend, and I shouldn’t have said that in order to impress those girls.

They were never good friends to me anyway.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Gently. Excruciatingly so. “We all make

mistakes. It’s what we learn from them that counts.”

“You’re a wise man, Garret Ryder. Has anyone ever told you that before?”

He sighed and dropped her hand, moving back toward the fire. “No, I’m not. Otherwise we wouldn’t

be in this situation. I knew Morgan and Sid would try something. I was prepared, and yet, they still

managed to get away.”

Sophia rushed around him, placing a hand to his chest to stay him. “You did everything you could to

prevent that. You couldn’t possibly have any idea my father would be involved.”

“I should have sensed something. I could have—”

She clasped his cheeks in both hands. “There’s nothing you could have done differently.” He clenched

his jaw shut, and she could feel the grind of his teeth beneath her fingers. “The only thing we can do now

is make sure they don’t succeed in whatever they planned.”

“We? There is no we. I’m taking you to a friend’s and making sure you find somewhere safe to stay

until this is over.”

She shook her head. “You can’t do that. Don’t you realize anywhere I go now, my father will find me

and force me to do whatever it is they had planned? You’re the only thing stopping him from getting to

me.” She seized his hands. “Can’t you see? We need to help each other if we plan to get what we both

want.”

He crooked his head to the side and didn’t speak for quite some time, just stared at her in that

unblinking way of his. She released his hands and stepped back.

“And what do you want? What do you get out of this?” he asked.

She sighed, turned, and walked away a few paces. What do I want? Crossing her arms across her

chest, she whirled to face him. “I guess I want to stop them from getting my father into something he can’t

pay his way out of. I can’t lose my father, too. You have to help me convince him to do the right thing.”

Garret arched a dark brow over one eye. “Do you really think he’ll listen to anything I have to say?”

He shook his head. “He’s already involved in this.”

“Garret, please,” she whispered. “I know I have no right to ask you for anything, especially after

you’ve just saved my life, but please help me get him away from Sid so I can reason with him. He’ll listen

to me.”

“Will he?”

Her heart puttered to a stop at the question, and she paused, searching for the answer. Brief flashes of

her happy childhood before her mother died entered her mind. Her father dancing with her as she stood

atop his large feet, clinging to his hands and whirling in circles. They’d laughed at their silliness until they

couldn’t breathe. And something inside her settled into place. She nodded. “Yes, he’ll listen to me, but

you have to help me get him away from Sid. Alone.” Painful memories of her father’s depression after the

death of her mother assailed her. “He still loves me. I’m sure of it.”

Garret tilted her face up to his. He studied her eyes. “Have you thought of what happens if or when he

disappoints you?”

She swallowed. “Yes,” she lied. Of course, she hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. How could

she?—because then it would mean facing a truth she was afraid of.

Seconds passed as the air between them thickened. Awareness of a mutual certainty that her life would

change and a shared knowledge of past family heartaches lingered on the air. Both of them had

experienced disappointment and now both of them must learn to forgive.

“It isn’t easy to believe the bad things in our family, is it?” he whispered to her.

She shook her head.

“That’s what makes you beautiful, Sophia. You still have hope.” He stepped away, his gaze hardening.

“Let’s eat and get ready for sleep. We have a long ride ahead of us. But if you come with me, you will

have to listen to everything I say and not question anything. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“We do this my way. But understand I’m still going to bring in Sid, dead or alive. Don’t try to change

my mind either. And if your father doesn’t side with us easily, then I’m bringing him in, too.”

Pain lanced the wound in her heart once again. “I understand.” She had one chance to change her

father’s mind. And she would succeed, because the alternative was unthinkable. Not only would it mean

admitting her father was truly a bad person, but it would mean admitting he no longer loved her anymore.

And that she couldn’t stand.

~*~

Forty-five miles north of Boerne, San Amador, Texas appeared out of the blue. A single dusty street

and enough people to count on both hands were the only things to commend it. Sophia spotted a mangy

mutt strolling on the boardwalk. Even the pets appeared more groomed than most of its townsfolk.

The wagon hit a bump in the rutted road and sent her flying into Garret’s arms. He steadied her, and

she smiled her thanks. “Where exactly does your friend live?”

He grinned. “You’ll survive, trust me.”

Sophia disagreed, but didn’t voice her opinion. Instead, she huddled closer to him for protection as

one of the men leaning on boardwalk railing spit next to the wagon wheel and didn’t wipe the remaining

spittle from his mouth.

She cringed and glanced away.

They pulled up in front of a ramshackle false-fronted building with a veranda named The Oasis.

Interesting name. Maybe it was a restaurant?

Her stomach rumbled in response, and she placed a hand over it to cover the sound. Garret glanced

over and sighed. “Boys don’t care if someone hears their stomach growl.”

Drat and knickers. Why must playing dress-up come with so many rules? Sophia climbed down from

the saddle and tied up the mare. She would have to remember to stop being so feminine. Garret shoved the

large floppy hat farther down over her forehead. “Can’t you at least try to act a little more masculine?”

She bit her lip and nodded. He scowled more. “We’re in trouble. There’s no way to pass you off for a

boy. You’re just too damn beautiful.”

He whirled and headed for the front door. Sophia had this incredibly stupid urge to smile at the

backhanded compliment and tried to smother it, but couldn’t. So she ducked her head and followed him

inside, running right smack into him as he paused. Garret glanced over one shoulder at her, and she

whispered, “Sorry.”

And then her eyes really widened. A large painting of a nude woman hung above the bar. And while

she had definitely seen nudes before—never one like this. The woman’s hand was cradled between her

legs. Heat surged into her cheeks.

“Garret, where are we?”

“Welcome back to The Oasis, Garret Ryder. I’ve missed you, mon ami.” A beautiful woman

separated herself from the crowd at the end of the bar and sauntered toward them with an exaggerated

swing of her hips. Surely, men didn’t find that appealing?

“Monique, it’s good to see you again. How’s my favorite girl?” Garret wrapped his arms around the

woman and lifted her off the floor. She squealed in delight, and Sophia’s brow furrowed. Who was she?

Monique stepped away from him, smiling, twirling a corkscrew gold ringlet around one finger.

Swathed in a garish black-and-red dress and gaudy striped stockings, her high-heeled satin slippers

scraped against the wood-grain floor. “It’s been a year since I’ve seen you. How’ve you been?”

“A lot has happened since the last time I passed through here, but we’ll talk about it later. How’s life

in San Amador?”

“Probably not as good as it’s treating you in New York City. You look scrumptious.” Her playful tap

on Garret’s shoulder and his promise to talk more later burned a hole through Sophia’s heart. How could

he feel more comfortable talking to Monique?

Monique slipped her arm through Garret’s, and they headed for the tables in the center of the room.

Sophia followed at a safe distance and kept her head lowered. “I need a couple of rooms for me and the

brat for a few nights, Monique. I’m in a bit of a spot and I need to lay low,” Garret said as they sat.

Brat! Sophia grit her teeth. Why that slimy, back-stabbing...lawyer!

Monique leaned forward on her elbows. “Are you in trouble, Garret?”

“A little. But I knew I could count on you to help me out.”

Of course, he could count on Monique to be so accommodating if he offered her the right price. Sophia

cast a cool, scathing glance at the vibrant peacock before remembering to keep her head down.

Sophia plopped down across from Monique and tried to appear bored. Monique’s gaze burned

through her, and Sophia knew the woman was studying her. “But of course, what do you need?”

“A few rooms for starters and no one can know we’re here.”

“Done and done. I’ve only got one room available, but the two of you can bunk together.”

Sophia jerked her head up to stare at Garret. He smiled. “Excellent. We’ll take it.”

She would have to share a room with Garret? It was completely improper, but if she voiced her

concerns, their scheme would be revealed. She sighed and leaned back. Drat and knickers, how would

she get herself out of this mess now?

Monique frowned in her general direction, but then focused her attention back to Garret. “And don’t

worry about the folks here. I run this town. They’ll do anything I ask. I’ll have Margret get you settled into

the room. But you have to pay for all your meals as well as any…extracurricular activities you’ll need,

sweet pea. You know I’ve got to make some money somehow.”

Did the woman just wink at Garret? Sophia smothered a gasp. Boys wouldn’t find that shocking, so

she clamped her mouth closed and lowered her gaze. Extracurricular activities, indeed!

Garret nodded and stood, leaning over to kiss the woman’s cheek. “You’re the best.”

“Let’s have dinner tonight. And we’ll talk,” Monique said.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Garret yanked Sophia from the chair and urged her to follow the brunette up the stairwell. Their

footsteps echoed in the mostly empty establishment. The woman showed them to the last room on the right,

then closed the door behind them.

An awkward silence filled the room as Sophia moved across the room and perched on the peach-

colored chaise. As she removed her hat, her hair tumbled around her shoulders, and she glanced up to

notice Garret watching her closely. Heat flooded her cheeks as she bound to her feet. “So, who is

Monique?”

Why had that come out of her mouth? Her entire face and neck heated from embarrassment as he

chuckled. He tossed his hat onto the white dresser with a matching mirror and settled his saddle bags

across the foot of the bed. “Are you jealous?”

“Of course not.” She glanced away and changed the subject. “So what now? Why are we stopping

here for a few days?”

Garret removed several items from his bags, including a rolled parchment. “Because Miss Priss,

we’re going to heal up and come up with a solid plan before we head out into the unknown. I’m not ready

to face Sid yet, but once I am, we’ll make sure he comes to us.”

She frowned. “But why would he do that?”

He unrolled the parchment and smirked. Sophia glanced down and gasped as she peered closely at

what appeared to be a treasure map written in Latin. “Because we have something he wants, and I

guarantee he’ll come after it. Once he does, we need to make sure we’re more than ready for him. We’ll

only get one chance at this.”

~Chapter 7~

“It’s Latin,” Sophia said and leaned over the bed to point. “It’s dated 1757 by a man named...” jerking

upright, her gaze collided with Garret’s, “Father Alonso Giraldo de Terreros.”

Silver eyes flickered from her to the map, then back again. Tapping a finger on her chin, she attempted

to concentrate on the map and not the man. Garret leaned forward, and he was impossible to ignore.

“What? What is it?” Impatience turned his tone harsh within the silence of the room.

Lamplight flickered across the walls and warmed the hard planes of his features, softening them under

the muted light. Even now, with irritation marring his handsome face, everything about him intrigued her.

“I-It’s my great-grandfather,” she whispered. “My mother’s grandfather founded the San Saba mission,

but he died when the mission was destroyed by Comanches who attacked a year later. Everything he

owned was lost, or so my family believed, and he was never heard from again.” Sophia straightened. “My

father must have secured the map through my uncle’s death last year. Perhaps everything wasn’t lost as we

believed.”

Sophia rolled up the map and headed for the table beside the window. She laid it back out under the

light of the lamp. Garret followed close behind, and the scrape of his boots against the wood planks

echoed in the tiny room. Concentration became difficult as once again, he leaned over her shoulder to

discern what had caught her attention. Pointing at the script along the top, she read, “Licentia is thesaurus

ut Olympus. May is nunquam exsisto instituo.”

“What does it mean?”

“Leave this treasure to Heaven. May it never be found.”

He dropped to his haunches next to her, his face close to her shoulder. “That’s why your father needed

you, Sophia.”

She nodded, a seed of a headache beginning to fester behind her eyes. “Because I can speak and read

Latin.” Sighing, she leaned on an elbow. Knowing why he’d needed her didn’t assuage the anger at

knowing she was but a pawn to him. “I despised learning the language. Papa sent me back east to a

Catholic school, and I was forced to learn with repeated raps across the knuckles by the nuns. I hated him

for sending me away.”

“Tell me more about the mission.” His large hand settled on her shoulder as he hovered behind her.

Tiny flutters ricocheted through her body at his touch. He certainly knew how to distract her from bad

memories.

She scrunched her brow and held a hand to her temple. “From what I remember, Spanish officials

authorized an expedition into Apache territory to locate a site for a mission, which led to the discovery of

Los Almagres Mine. Rumors say they found a tremendous stratum of ore. Comanches attacked the mission,

burned it to the ground, and the mine never officially opened. Many people have tried to find it again, but

none have succeeded.”

She studied his face as if she could memorize every detail. “What do we do now that we know what

they’re after and why they need me?”

Garret settled in the chair across from her with both legs sprawled out wide. He removed his hat,

placed it on the table, and ran a hand through his hair. Dark locks fell over his forehead, and the sudden

urge to brush them away overcame her. But the hardened gaze he pinned on her stalled her. He had

beautiful, piercing eyes. Eyes that were as compelling as they were disconcerting in their directness.

“We need to find the mine before they do.”

“What?” Sophia scrambled to her feet and jammed her fisted hands into her sides. “Are you crazy?

That will surely get us killed, and not to mention the map clearly says the treasure is cursed. You may be

willing to bet on it, but as a Catholic girl, I am not.”

“Where does it say it’s cursed?” He leaned forward. His brow furrowed with confusion. “I can read

French, but Latin is a little out of my reach, sadly. You were the only one of us who loved going to

school.”

She gave a soft, sad smile. “That was before the pleasure was sucked out of me.”

“Why did he send you to a Catholic school?”

She shrugged. “Because I was too much for him to deal with without Mother’s help, I guess. It doesn’t

matter. Look here,” she said, changing the subject by pointing out another line. “It says the Devil’s hand.

Latin is complicated. But I think this means the treasure is touched by the Devil’s hand. It’s cursed. But

much of the script has already worn away, and I can’t read it.” She shook her head and pinned him with a

hard stare. “In other words, if we search for and find this silver mine, we will have many bad things

happen to us. I, for one, do not wish to invoke the wrath of the Devil.”

“Then by all means, I’ll drop you off at the mines and you can translate the map to your heart’s content

with your father.” He lifted a sardonic eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest.

She sighed. “Isn’t there another way?”

“Either your father and Sid are going to find it, or we’re going to find it first. Take your pick.”

Another sigh, and she slumped back into her seat. “Then what do you propose we do?”

“We have to find that treasure before they do and risk invoking the Devil’s wrath, then pray to God he

protects us while we’re at it. I see no other way around this, and you’re either with me or you’re with

them.”

“Why must life offer such horrid choices?” she whispered.

He paused, as though taken aback by her words. His lips turned down at the corners, but his features

softened just a fraction. The enormity of her situation surfaced between them like a barrier. She bowed

her head and nodded, wishing for once he would just go away. “I’ll do it—now please leave.”

Silence settled over the room, like a weight, until he stood. She refused to look up at him, instead

opting to keep her gaze on her hands in her lap. Disgusted with her father, but unable to truly turn her back

on her own flesh and blood, she fought an inner battle with the decisions that had been left to her. Damn

her father. How could he have put her in this situation? Did he truly not care about her?

Garret headed for the door but paused next to her. The air wafted by her face as he raised his hand to

touch her hair, but he hesitated before making contact. Dropping his hand, he crossed the room. The door

clicked softly shut behind him.

She closed her eyes, wishing Garret had stayed, wishing he had touched her.

Then the silence came. The quiet screamed the truth. She was alone. Memories of her father from

when she was younger assailed her, and she choked on her grief. The one person she could seek comfort

from had just walked out of the room, leaving her with the whispers of her past. What frightened her most

was just how much she wished Garret had stayed and how easily she would’ve run into his arms once

again. But she sensed there was little room in his life for anything other than revenge.

~*~

Garret didn’t return until much later and he reeked of alcohol. Sophia pretended sleep and snuggled

farther under the blankets as he clunked around in the darkness. He’d been gone for several hours and

after taking a bath, she’d readied for bed, giving up hope of his return. His curse split the silence,

followed by a hiss of pain from somewhere behind her. Seconds later a single lamp flared to life, and she

jammed her eyes closed.

The bed dipped under his weight, and his harsh breath filled the air. She sucked in a deep breath and

held it, waiting to see what he would do. Her heart thrummed.

He leaned closer, and she sensed his nearness. What was he doing? Had he had dinner with Monique?

Or more?

Anger surged through her veins, and she tamped down the urge to turn and whack him over the head.

Listening closely, she squeezed her eyelids together. He sighed. “What am I to do with you, Sophie?”

What did that mean? She had to smother the frown in response to his question and pretend she hadn’t

heard. The bed tilted heavily now as he leaned closer, his breath brushing across her shoulder. “I haven’t

gotten drunk in years...look at what you made me do now.”

She had to squelch the urge to sit straight up and give him a piece of her mind. Of all the nerve! He

chuckled, and she got a good whiff of the whiskey on his breath. How men enjoyed the stuff was beyond

her. It reeked, and if it tasted anything like it smelled, she was certain she would gag were she to try it.

“I feel like we’re young again, you know,” he said softly, surprising her. “As if all this time hasn’t

passed and we’re still the best of friends. I shouldn’t feel this way, Sophie girl, but I do.”

Her eyes popped open then, and the rate of her pulse increased tenfold.

“You drive me to distraction, and I want you with every fiber of my being. But I know your kind.

Devious little devils. Vicious. Your claws are much worse than your bite because they’re sweeter than

anything else I’ve ever encountered.” He leaned away from her, and dual thumps from the floor indicated

he’d removed his boots. “You’ll be the death of me, you know.”

Before she realized it, she sat to face him in the muted light. His red-eyed gaze swung in her direction,

and he grinned with the sweetest, most boyish grin she’d ever seen. His disheveled hair poked out, and he

was completely unkempt. He was the most compelling man she’d ever met.

“I knew you were awake. A little monster like you would never go to sleep so early.”

She frowned. “I would have stayed asleep if you hadn’t made so much racket.”

He eased over, his features disgruntled. “Did I wake you, Sophie girl? I surely didn’t mean to.” He

propped himself up on one hand next to her hip, and little thrill shot through her at the intensity in his gaze.

“I-It’s all right.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He moved closer and closer, and Sophia swore her heart was

going to burst. “How do you get under my skin like you do?”

“Me?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

He nodded in a slow, albeit sensual way. His crooked grin was a temptation she couldn’t ignore. She

shook her head. “I-I don’t know.”

“I do.”

Her brows rose. “How?”

“It’s those eyes of yours, like fine, aged whiskey. My favorite drink.”

Her heart fluttered like butterfly wings. Crossing her arms across her chest, she scowled. “You

seemed mighty taken with Monique’s eyes if I remember correctly. Does that happen often?”

He grinned. “Are you jealous?”

“No!” Sophia said much too quickly, and her face burned with the lie. “Of course not. I’m just noting

how easily a woman captures your attention.”

He captured a strand of her hair, twirling it around one finger. “You’re a terrible liar. You always

were.” The curl tautened, and he drew her closer by winding it tighter. “And you’re beautiful.”

Anticipation coursed through her. He paused mere inches from her, almost nose-to-nose with her, and

she could scarcely catch her breath. He smiled. “I like your jealousy.”

Her gaze widened. “You do?”

He gave another exaggerated nod, and she focused on his lips. Such sensual lips he had. The lower

curve was just full enough to give soft, erotic kisses. Sophia hadn’t been kissed since the death of her

husband. Licking her lips, she attempted to change the subject. “Where were you?”

He released her hair and tucked his hand behind her head, pulling her closer. “It doesn’t matter,” he

whispered provocatively against her lips. The brush of skin on skin enticed her closer until he sealed the

distance. Heaven couldn’t be as beautiful as this kiss was, and she opened to him.

He didn’t bombard; he seduced. Languid, soft strokes of his tongue left her breathless and eager. She

moaned and slipped her arms around his neck. They eased back onto the bed, and he covered her body

from head to toe. It was delicious. Intoxicating.

Nothing at all like her wedding night.

Sophia’s every thought scattered like the seeds of a dandelion on a brisk wind. He swept her long

tresses from her neck and licked a fiery path to her ear. She shivered.

“Who would’ve believed that returning to this dust-covered, snake-infested, realm of the uneducated

would bring me such pleasure?”

Sophia stiffened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He pulled away slightly and creased his brow. “Just that I hadn’t expected to enjoy my stay.”

“Why? Because Texans are all a bunch of simpletons? Is that what you think of your place of birth,

Garret? Are you really that shallow?”

Garret crawled off her, and she relinquished her hold. He perched on the edge of the bed. “What do

you want from me, Sophia? You want me to pretend I love it here? That I have wonderful memories of my

time in this hell hole?” He shook his head. “You’re deluding yourself.”

“Then why did you come back?” She sat and gnashed her jaw until her teeth hurt. “After all, if we can

never measure up to your expectations, then why even bother with the lot of us.”

He glowered over his shoulder at her. “I didn’t mean everyone, Sophia.”

“No, just the general population. These people are your childhood friends and family. Sure we don’t

all have a fancy eastern education like you, but we’re not a bunch of inbred, uneducated, imbeciles

either.” Sophia crawled to the end of the bed and stood to face him. “I can’t believe you are so shallow. I

mean I should have known you seemed too good to be true, but leave it to me to believe the good in

everyone.”

Garret launched to his feet, yanking a blanket from the bed and settling his hat atop his head. “What do

you expect? The only redeeming thing I’ve found in Texas so far has been a naïve little Spanish girl who

foolishly thinks I’m a hero. I’ve run across more criminals, crooked politicians, hypocritical Christians,

and immoral men of the law than I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting back east. Now you understand

why I can’t wait to get the hell out of this fiery cesspool.” He gave her a hard smile, his eyes fairly

screaming sarcasm. “And the sooner, the better,” he said with a tip of his hat. He walked out, the door

clicking shut softly behind him.

~*~

Sophia waited under the shelter of the boardwalk overhang while Garret loaded the rest of the

supplies onto the packhorse. Puddles dotted the center of the road, and drops pinged a soothing rhythm

against the tin and metal business signs along Main Street. They had barely spoken since last night, and

she still had no idea where he’d slept. With Monique, more than likely.

A ripple of pain washed over her. She clamped her jaw tight. So be it. She wouldn’t be so quick to

embrace him again.

Fat drops of rain splattered along the banister and ran down the vertical length of the rails, matching

her mood. She sighed. Why did it have to rain today? Why couldn’t Garret wait to leave until it stopped?

They had barely spoken to one another. Perhaps he and Miss Monique were able to finish their

delightful conversation, finally. His monosyllable answers and comments to her this morning grated on

her already fraught nerves. Not only was he in a tiff about last night, but also because they were leaving

an hour later than he’d planned.

She sighed again. Drats and knickers.

Strapping the canteen of water across his saddle horn, Garret motioned with a hand for her to come

forward. She hesitated, until she noticed Monique watching them from the window. Boys don’t care if

they get wet.

“C’mon, we’ve got to go.” Garret motioned once more.

When she still didn’t move, he pinned a hard stare at her, and she frowned. Rage curled her fists.

“Why should I care if anyone knows I’m a girl? We’re leaving!” She jerked off her hat and tossed it on the

ground. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, and she glanced back at Monique who stood stock-still in

the window. Sophia glared at the woman until she turned away.

Sophia returned her focus on Garret. She lifted her chin and clenched her teeth. To hell him with him

and the phony-haired prostitute in the window. To hell with society’s rules!

Seconds passed, and he didn’t move. A wicked grin broke across his features as he waltzed up the

two steps and lifted her in his arms. “Why, indeed,” he whispered.

She gasped. “Garret Ryder, put me down!”

He chuckled. “But I thought you didn’t care if anyone knows you’re a girl?”

“I don’t, but you don’t have to manhandle me like a sack of grain.”

He shuffled down the stairs, and droplets trickled across her cheeks. “But that’s what makes it fun,” he

said with wicked grin.

She hesitated, but in order to keep her balance, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Misery made

her pucker her lip. “Why did it have to rain today?”

Placing a quick kiss on her forehead, he adjusted her weight in his arms. “Don’t worry, Sophie girl,

we’ll get through this together.”

Warmth trickled past her resistance at those words, breaking through her defenses more quickly than

his anger ever would. Those words made riding in the inclement weather bearable. Garret chuckled at her

shocked expression. How could she resist his boyish charm?

He must have truly drunk quite a bit the night before, as he appeared to have forgotten their little

argument. Fine by her. After all, she didn’t wish to remember it either.

Garret set her down, his hold gentle as he assisted her onto the petite, blue roan mare. He swung into

his saddle, claimed the reins to the packhorse, and they left the tiny town of San Amador, Texas behind.

Mud sucked at the horses’ hooves, and the steady plod in the muck mixed with the rhythm of the rain.

Just outside of town, they passed the tiny cemetery filled with several wood crosses and only a few

headstones. Thunder rumbled across the sky as if even God warned them away from such folly. She

should run away screaming, but the lure of the handsome devil riding ahead of her was simply too great.

She sighed again. He could probably lead her into the pits of hell and she’d happily follow as long as she

could stare into those incredible silver eyes.

Tall cottonwoods broke the monotony of the flat terrain. The only beauty to be found on the grey

horizon or the brown muddy earth was a clump of orange blossoms from the prickly pear cactus.

Hour after hour passed, and the rain didn’t let up until well into the late afternoon. Sunlight finally

speared through the dark clouds and cast hope across her face.

Garret turned toward her as they broke through a clearing. “We’ll camp up here. Are you all right?”

She nodded when she really wanted to scream her misery at him. Soaked to the bone, even the skin on

her fingers bore the wrinkled evidence of being in too much water.

Though the rain had long stopped, the clearing still bore evidence of moist earth. Garret dismounted,

tied up his mount, and moved toward her. Sophia attempted to get down, but her legs wouldn’t budge. Her

limbs locked in place and ached in areas she had never been aware she’d had. She cried out in pain, and

Garret rushed to her. His arms wrapped around her body and eased her from the saddle. Relief

overwhelmed her as he carried her and then settled her gently next to his saddlebags.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered next to her ear. He made short work of the unsaddling the horses

and rubbing them down. He seemed so at ease in this setting, as if he belonged there. And yet, he’d

seemed at ease in his lawyer suit as well. He was a man of many contradictions. Why did he hate it here

despite being so familiar with such a lifestyle?

Thankfully, he started a fire, and she scooted closer, hoping to dry a little quicker.

He knelt before her and reached for her boots. Her toes ached from the cold as she wiggled them, and

she groaned. As the last of the clouds cleared, the sun crept closer to the horizon, casting an orange haze

across the area.

Garret helped her to her feet, his hands strong, sure. He steadied her, then he reached for the cord of

rope securing her pants. She recoiled. “Mr. Ryder…”

“We’re on a last name basis again, are we?” His tone was smooth, not in the least confrontational.

“No, but this isn’t proper.”

“You can barely stand up, Sophia. Let me help. You have my word I won’t do anything untoward.”

She shouldn’t believe him. Any woman in her right mind wouldn’t, but she was so tired. She simply

didn’t have the energy to protest.

He released the knot, and her pants slid down her legs, chasing shivers across her flesh. Garret knelt,

removing the fabric from each foot as she gripped his strong shoulders. The muscles beneath her hands

rippled as he finished and stood. He unbuttoned her shirt with quick and efficient movements. But she

clasped his wrists to stay him before he could remove the shirt fully.

“T-thank you. But I can manage the rest,” she whispered.

Garret visibly swallowed and nodded. He gave her his back. “Hold on to me if you need to.”

Withdrawing her ragged dress from the saddlebags, she donned the material, then moved across the

area to the bedroll and sat atop it, acutely aware of her unfettered breasts. Exposed and very conscious of

the man near her, she tucked her skirts around her modestly. “I’m ready,” she said. Entirely too ready.

The sultry images of Garret’s hands on her body flashed in erotic detail. She yearned for his touch in a

way she’d never yearned for another man.

Garret settled next to her, withdrawing the map. “Are you up for some translating before we crash?”

She nodded, unrolling the parchment. She studied the markings. At the bottom of the map was a dark,

etched cross. She skimmed over the few markings she’d already read, but something caught her eye. “Are

we searching for a silver mine?”

“I’m assuming so, yes.”

She sat straighter. “Reading this again for the second time, something strikes me as odd.”

“What is it?” he asked as he leaned forward to set up the tripod for the coffee pot.

“Well,” she pointed, “remember, it says leave this treasure to heaven. May it never be found.”

“Right, what’s wrong with that?”

Sophia lifted her gaze, her brow furrowed. “Well isn’t it strange they don’t say leave this mine to

heaven? Instead it says treasure.”

Garret shrugged. “How is that odd?”

“I don’t know. It just seems like they’re discussing a treasure, not a mine.”

Garret froze midstride and settled back down beside her. “Do you think your father is chasing treasure

instead of just the mine?”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense? Even if he found the mine, he would have to buy the land in order to

mine it. It could take years to get an operation like that started. But a treasure...could mean instant riches.

And he’s desperate for money lately.”

“Do you know why?”

She shook her head. “No. But when I bought a dress last month, he completely went loco and became

furious with me, saying we didn’t have the money to throw away on frivolities. It was the first thing I’d

bought in months.” She smiled sadly. “I was afraid to buy anything else.”

“Do you see anything else on there that indicates such an idea?” Thankfully he changed the subject.

She set to work perusing the map once again. So many spots were rubbed off, the ink faded and worn

away, that it was difficult to link the words together into a coherent sentence.

“Here it clearly says guardians, but the rest of the script is worn away. What is being guarded and by

whom? There’s a warning of fire, the devil’s wrath, and cursed treasure. But I’m not certain how this all

ties together.”

“How does it all tie together?” he repeated, his brow furrowed in concentration. “And what does your

father know about all this that we don’t?”

She shrugged. “Perhaps we shall see soon enough.”

~Chapter 8~

Sophia glanced from one bedroll to the other an hour later. “The bedrolls. They’re right next to each

other.”

Garret shot a quick look in her direction before pouring the rest of the coffee out onto the ground and

taking down the tripod. “And?”

She swallowed. “Well, I just don’t think it’s proper, is all.”

He chuckled. “You’re worried about propriety now, after being in the wild with me for damn near

three days?”

After repacking the materials onto the pack horse, he rose easily, and Sophia couldn’t help noticing the

defined muscles in his thighs. What a splendid creature Garret Ryder was. How was she going to be able

to sleep right next to him? Luckily, last night he’d left and hadn’t returned. Although, she didn’t like the

idea that he’d slept somewhere else—with Monique perhaps—at least she hadn’t had to sleep with him in

the same room. Heavens knew he made her pulse race right out of her body when he stood next to her.

How would she survive sleeping next to the man? Sleep would be out of the question.

She crossed the area and dragged the bedroll a good three feet away.

“What are you doing?”

“Moving my bedroll over just a little.”

“Why?”

She straightened. “Why not?”

He arched a dark brow. “Are you certain you want to do that?”

Sophia frowned at the strange words. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be certain?”

Garret shrugged as if she were a silly child, and resentment burned inside her chest as she clenched

her fists. “What does that mean, Garret Ryder?”

“What?”

“That...stinkin’ shrug! What does that mean?”

He grinned. “Nothing. I’m yielding to whatever the princess wants, Sophie girl. If you feel like you

should sleep three feet away from me, then by all means.”

Sophia narrowed her gaze and cursed him in spanish. Why was he being compliant? Prudence made

her wary as she eyed him. Something warned her there was a double meaning to those words. Ignoring

him for the most part, Sophia readied for bed—or at least what passed for readying for bed. She was

forced to sleep in the same dress that she’d worn for several days and she couldn’t take care of any of her

toiletries. At least she could brush her hair. That made her still feel as if she were home, even if only a

little.

At least she’d taken a bath last night at Monique’s.

She sighed. Why couldn’t she be tucked away inside her own bed with the plush pink blankets and not

stuck out here in the middle of the Texas brush with a man who hated everything about her hometown—

including her?

She would just forget whatever Garret thought about her and Texas in general and get through this one

day at a time. Then she could return to life in San Antonio—and completely forget the way his silver eyes

heated to a scorching degree whenever they looked at her. As well as forget the way her heart tumbled

over itself every time she caught him in the act.

Until this was over, she would simply ignore the silver-eyed devil and pretend she wasn’t infatuated

with him. Now if only she could convince her heart as well as her head.

Sophia settled back into the bedroll and tucked herself beneath the covers. Her gaze strayed to Garret

as he finished the chores. His broad back sloped down to a narrow waist, and as he stood to his full

height, his buttocks tautened. Heat scalded her face as he whirled in her direction and caught her staring.

Sophia jerked the bedroll over her face and settled deeper inside the warmth. What exactly had come

over her? She should be appalled at her actions, and yet, her first impulse was to lower the barrier and

see what he was doing now.

Drats and knickers, Sophia! Go to sleep!

She flopped over onto her side as the rustle of fabric drifted through the camp. She imagined him

removing his clothes, and fire lit more than her face. Awareness rippled through her, and she clamped her

eyes closed. She must not imagine these things.

Silence descended, and she strained to hear any more movement from him. Nothing else stirred. A

breeze filtered into the bedroll, cooling her skin. Wind stirred the leaves above her, and the hum of

crickets reigned like a chorus after a heavy rain.

Attempting to calm the rioting beat of her heart, Sophia sighed and closed her eyes.

“Good night, Sophie girl.”

The pressure inside her chest swelled at the whispered words. She wanted so badly to crawl into his

arms and stay there. But how could she when he hated everything she stood for? After all, being with her

would tie him to Texas. The one place Garret Ryder wanted to escape from.

He would never forget he hated it here, and she wasn’t sure she could ever leave.Texas was all she’d

ever known. She would never fit in with his high-class New York City life. A country girl who pretended

to be high-class would be seen as the fraud she really was.

And he could never love such a small town socialite like her. She could never be anything else. That

left them with little future. Of that she was certain.

He sighed deeply when she didn’t answer. Did he regret that there could never be anything more

between them?

“Good night, Garret.”

Silence ticked the minutes by, and the cold seeped in. Was it chilly because of the temperature

dropping, or was she so cold because loneliness finally seeped in as well?

~*~

Garret glanced over at the shivering figure in the muted light once more. The fire had dwindled down

to little more than embers, and damned if it weren’t cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

He sighed. He hadn’t wanted to sleep next to her tonight, but he damn sure didn’t want her to freeze.

He’d almost sighed in relief when she’d stubbornly moved the bedroll. But he could see his conscious

wasn’t going to allow her to freeze to death.

“Damn you, Sophia.” Garret scrambled to his feet, cursing the beautiful witch with every step,

dreading and anticipating the next few hours all at the same time. Dragging the bedroll over, he plopped

down next to her with a soft curse.

She shivered again. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He released a pent-up breath. “For what?” He kept his tone soft and even.

“I thought I could withstand the cold on my own...but I was wrong.”

He grunted in response as he scooted as close to her as he dared. Immediately his body lit, and

warmth crawled through his veins, heating every inch of his flesh to a scalding temperature. Sophia sighed

and eased back against him more. He ground his jaw together. Hard. His entire body was aflame, and she

was oblivious.

She wiggled once more.

Irritation bubbled to the surface, and he snapped, “Will you be still?”

She froze immediately. He shouldn’t have been short with her, but he was on the verge of tipping the

scales. The slow, apprehensive sound of their breath ticked the seconds by. She glanced over her

shoulder at him, meeting his gaze.

His heart stalled. Her gaze shifted to his lips, then back again. Time stood still as his heart kicked

back into a furious rhythm. No, don’t turn toward me.

Too late. She lay on her back, so close he could smell her. Arousal beckoned like a beacon as he

leaned closer. Get out of here, ol’ boy. The time to retreat had long since passed, and yet, he couldn’t

bring himself to turn away.

“Garret?”

“What?”

“Are you going to kiss me now?”

He closed his eyes. God, he shouldn’t. He should turn away. Run like hell as if the devil were on his

heels. But he did none of those things. Instead, he murmured, “Would it bother you?”

“No, I think I would very much like you to.”

Warning bells clanged inside his head even as fire snaked through his veins. The image of his lips on

hers sent him over the edge.

“Damn you, Sophia,” he whispered against her lips. “Damn you.”

His kiss didn’t bombard her. Instead, their lips melded in a slow burn that seared him to his toes.

Sophia Maria Osbourne was a woman made for loving. The disheveled dark hair, half-lowered exotic,

almond-shaped eyes, and full lower lip was enough to make a man draw his last breath happily.

Willingly. Eagerly.

Even years away couldn’t diminish the feelings this woman evoked inside him. He was no longer able

to pretend she didn’t affect him. A fist clamped over his heart. Why couldn’t he shut her out? Stark, utter

fear swirled just beneath the surface of his calm. Here was the woman who’d held his heart for a lifetime,

and now that he’d cast all hope aside, she’d reappeared in his life once more.

He couldn’t love her, because loving her meant accepting his life in Texas. Accepting his life in Texas

meant accepting his estranged family. Accepting his family meant facing his failures. He wasn’t ready for

that, but he could no longer turn her away. It’d become too painful. And he needed her. For once in his life

he needed someone—Sophia—to assuage this pain. He needed her to fill that space, even if just for a few

moments.

His hands swept around her, one cradled her head and guided her exactly where he wanted her. And

she opened to him beautifully.

He absorbed the taste of her, lingering like fine, aged wine, drinking her in over and over again. His

tongue slid along the outline of her bottom lip. God, that mouth...

Garret could stare at her mouth for a lifetime and never tire of it. His thumb grazed her cheek as he

nipped along her jaw to her ear. She gasped in his ear, sending his pulses reeling.

He traced her neck with his tongue, the cold air long forgotten under the heat of their bodies. Easing on

top of her, beneath the blankets, he settled between the apex of her thighs. “So sweet,” he whispered.

“Damn these clothes.”

Garret fought to release the buttons on her shirt, popping them with slow intensity, until he revealed

the gems he sought. His gaze fastened on her exposed chest before he dipped his head once more.

~*~

Sophia couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe, and she certainly didn’t want him to cease now. Her hands

splayed wide across his shoulders and urged him forward.

Ice-grey eyes blazed with a heat she’d only begun to fathom, and she shivered under his regard. He

returned to her mouth, his kisses lingering, searching, and intense. Her senses spun, and he crowded her

against the bedroll. He filled the entire space with his presence.

Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest, and she gripped him with every ounce of strength she

possessed, afraid he would come to his senses any moment now. His hands roamed freely against her

flesh and burned every inch they crossed: her breasts, her hips, and her thighs.

Never before had her blood boiled and thickened so. Never before had tingles scattered throughout

her body in every direction. Never before had she been so breathless with desire. Not even in her

husband’s bed.

Her wedding night had been a nightmare, fifteen minutes of grunting and selfish-groping. The biggest

mistake of her life.

His mouth followed a path to her breasts before closing over the turgid peaks. Sophia gasped. His

body slid sinuously against hers in all the right places, and she arched, dragging the tips of her breasts

against his cheeks.

“God, Sophia, you’re going to be the death of me.” He groaned and licked each nipple. “A slow

agonizingly delicious death.”

Her head fell back, exposing more of her flesh for his greedy mouth. Yearning for more escaped from

her mouth in soft, whispered pleas, and he answered each one with a flick of his tongue. Then he sucked

her breast into his hot mouth. Something coiled righter inside her, and she was eager to release it. She

wanted so much more from this man.

His palms clamped over each globe before gliding them down her sides as her flesh came alive.

Straining against her, Garret’s hands lifted her hips into his and ground their lower bodies together.

Sensation shot through her belly and trickled into every limb. “Garret!”

He kissed his way down her body, removing more buttons with every new touch. Dazed, breathless,

she could only try to anticipate his every move. Panting, waiting. He removed the rest of her clothes

almost effortlessly, seemingly without missing a single beat. His thick leg slipped between hers, and she

rubbed the apex of her thighs against him. The movement sent a roaring in her ears. Friction sparked a

luscious feeling spiraling through her body, and every nerve hummed with awareness.

And then he placed his hot, callused palm against her center, and she damn near leaped out of her skin.

He captured her mouth, whispering words against her lips, but she couldn’t discern them. Hunger ripped

through her, and she could no longer catch her breath. Garret cupped her, his fingers sliding between her

folds, and with the slightest touch, flicked the most sensitive flesh. She tried to clamp her legs together,

but his thumb circled her little bud. Her thighs fell open as she moaned.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

He leaned closer, his gaze intent on her face, but she was beyond caring. His fingers moved

increasingly faster until she panted. Her hips arched, wanting something more. And then he dropped to

kneel between her thighs, and his mouth took over where his fingers left off. Sophia screamed as a

multitude of colors burst behind her eyelids, blinding her. Her body clenched and released, over and

over, until she lay spent.

Garret rose over her, kissing her. The scent of her own sex mingled between them and beckoned her

closer. She ached. Excitement surged through her once more.

Arching in delicious abandon, Sophia’s body quivered in delight against his. Impatient for something,

she reached up and tugged his shirt out the waistband, slipping her hands beneath the fabric. He groaned at

her touch, and triumph shimmered through her. Garret Ryder would belong to her—even if was just for

one night.

Primitive instinct led her hand to his waistband, even as he shook his head. She unfastened his trousers

with deft fingers until his heavy arousal fell into her hands, and they both paused. He gasped, closing his

eyes.

Was he in pain? Had she hurt him? She had never touched her husband. He’d been too busy just trying

to get the deed done.

Then he moved his hips, sliding his shaft against her hands. He groaned against her lips. She grinned

as her confidence returned. Squeezing gently, she caught the rhythm. His breath became shallower, harsh

in her ear.

She stroked him, longer and harder. His hips pumped against her palms, and she gloried at the power

this gave her. But he paused, his forehead resting on her chest. “Not yet.” He groaned.

She grinned as she caught his gaze. “I want to give it to you like you gave it to me.”

Garret moaned. Defeated, he moved against her hands again and again. She stroked and pumped his

flesh until he stiffened. Long, hot spurts of liquid scalded her belly and breasts. Sophia gasped in delight.

He collapsed against her, seizing her mouth in a scorching kiss.

Breathing heavily, he leaned back to tuck an errant strand behind her ear. His soft smile beckoned one

of her own. “What am I to do with you, Sophie girl?”

Fall in love with me. She smiled in return and snuggled into his embrace, hiding the uncertainty that

had suddenly entered her heart. Garret wasn’t the kind of man who fell in love. At least, not with a small

town girl like her. The problem was, she was afraid it was too late for her. She’d already fallen

head-over-heels for this man. And she wasn’t sure how she could undo it.

~*~

Purple streaks of dawn crisscrossed the heavens as the San Saba Presidio ruins rose over the horizon,

dark and looming. Thick clouds rippled across the skies in grey waves. They’d long ago left the road

behind, or what served as a road. Sophia doubted anyone had traversed these lands in many years.

Undisturbed foliage grew in abundance of weeds, mesquite, and tall cottonwoods. The terrain

steepened, and Garret slowed his mount to wait for her. He’d been very attentive to her throughout the

day, stopping to ensure she caught up, ensuring she had plenty of water, and just plain making sure she

was comfortable by resting often.

Pleasure filled her, though she was loathe to hope for more.

She glanced over at his hard visage.

Garret laid his shotgun across his lap, and the barrel gleamed under the fading rays of the sun.

Twilight lingered, and a hush fell over the area. They hadn’t spoken of last night yet, though the memory

lingered between them. For the first time, she felt at ease with her decision. But she wasn’t certain Garret

felt the same. Although, a part of her was dying to know what he was feeling, terror sealed her lips

against asking the questions burning in her mind.

The San Saba River rumbled in the distance over the chiming of the cricket’s song. Layers of stone

jabbed into the skyline, piled one atop the other, creating a formidable barrier against the coming night.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“And silent.”

Sophia frowned. “What has that got to do with anything?”

Garret’s gaze wandered across the surroundings like the observant eye of a lighthouse. His wariness

gave her pause. What did he sense? She listened closely, but couldn’t hear anything out of place.

He held the reins and paused for several moments before handing her a pistol. “Keep this close and

keep quiet.”

She nodded, widening her gaze. A muscle bunched in Garret’s jaw. Cool air caressed her skin, and

she shivered. They dismounted, and he tied up their horses, walking the rest of the way. “We’ll camp here

tonight,” Garret said. “Then we’ll figure out which way to head next.”

“According to the map, the mission is only a few miles from here. Once we can locate the mission, we

can find the mine.”

“That’s the problem. The mines haven’t been found in almost a hundred years. Don’t you think there’s

a reason people haven’t found it?”

She shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

Their boots crunched over the granite remains and echoed in a spine-tingling manner that set her teeth

on edge. The past whispered against the stone ruins like a lover at midnight, and the wind sang its melody,

winding through the remains.

Seconds passed, and Garret moved off to scout the area while Sophia stood still. Moments ticked by

in agonizingly slow motion until Garret waved her over.

It wasn’t long before he had a fire going, and Sophia was able to warm her hands as she started the

coffee. He set about making dinner, and she knelt next to him, silently offering to help.

He glanced at her briefly, then handed her the spoon to stir the beans, before he began warming the

cold biscuits.

“How did Sid kill your father?” Her eyelids flinched. Why had she asked that?

Garret stiffened next to her. Firelight flickered across the planes of his face. His features didn’t alter,

but she sensed a change in him. Had she gone too far with her curiosity?

An owl’s hoot echoed from somewhere within the dark well of night. Garret bent over the campfire

and picked up the small, battered coffeepot from the tripod, and poured himself a cup. “We got hit with

rustlers last year, and we all knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Sid Gerard and his family have long been a

sore spot for us. Long story short, there was a shootout in the saloon and Pa took a bullet meant for my

brother, Gade. But that isn’t what drives me. Men get killed during shootouts, and my father made the

choice to engage. But I can’t forgive him for killing my nephew.”

She gasped. “What happened?”

A muscle in his jaw worked. He stared into the fire. Would he answer her? Or pretend he hadn’t heard

her question?

“Sid hired these rustlers, and when we attempted to take the herd to market to sell out before they stole

every last head from us, they ambushed us. My nephew traveled with us. He was our responsibility, but he

got caught in the crossfire. I left him in someone else’s care so I could help Gade. I never should have left

that boy.” Garret sighed. “I leave the heroics up to Gade. It’s the reason I became a lawyer because I

knew...somehow, I knew...”

Sophia set her tin cup on the rock beside her and rose fluidly to her feet to creep closer to him.

Sympathy tugged at her heart, and an ache settled inside her chest.

He glanced up at her. “Every time I try to play the hero...something happens, and I fail.” Did his voice

break?

“I don’t believe that,” she whispered. “You managed to rescue me with ease.”

He chuckled. “We’re not out of the woods just yet, Sophie girl. You can bet your pretty little ass,

something will go wrong eventually.” He sighed again and ran his hands through his hair. “It always

does.”

She sensed something in his past haunted him, though she couldn’t very well ask him what it was.

She’d been lucky he’d told her of his father. Temptation to touch him overwhelmed her, and she reached

across to clasp his hand. “I think you’re very heroic, Garret.”

A frosty stare climbed to her face. She released his hand as uncertainty wiggled its way inside her.

His anger threaded through the campsite like a palpable thing, and a sense of unease settled in the pit of

her stomach. What was he thinking? What could have happened to make him believe so little in himself?

He busied himself, piling her plate full of beans, and handed it to her. “Eat up,” he said. “Then we’ll

hit the sack. We’ve got another long day of travel ahead of us.”

Bullets whizzed by and ricocheted off the stone walls. Sophia screamed and dropped the plate. Garret

forced her to the ground with a hand to her neck, cursing. “Are you all right?”

“Yes!”

“Stay down.” He slithered across the ground toward a nearby boulder, he scanned the horizon.

“Where the hell did that come from?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.” Her teeth chattered in the silence, and her hands shook from fear.

Garret rolled onto his back and retrieved his sixguns from his gun belt, checking the chambers.

Scrambling to his knees behind a rock, he braved a quick look. Gunfire pinged off the face of the boulder,

and shards of granite flew in every direction.

He returned fire and waved her closer, behind him. She half-crawled, half-scooted across the area

until she was able to lean back against the boulder. “What are we going to do? We’re pinned in here.”

Those hard silver eyes swung to her. “Live.”

~Chapter 9~

There wasn’t much cover, other than the half-stone walls of the fort, a few trees, and a broken down

wagon yards away before they could reach the safety of the forest beyond. “We’re going to make a run for

those trees. We’ll have a better chance of getting away. Pinned in here like we are, they could surround us

in minutes.” Garret slapped the cylinder of his forty-four shut. “If they haven’t already.”

Whiskey colored eyes widened to the size of a Texas full moon. She nodded, but shadows danced

across her worried features. He wanted to reassure her, but it would be a lie. Getting out of this mess

would take a much better hero than he, or a miracle. And Garret didn’t believe in either.

“When I count to three, we’re going to make a run for it. I want you to keep running no matter what

happens. Understand?”

“Y-yes, I’ll try.”

“You’ll do it. No arguments, Sophia. Even if you see me go down, you keep running. Do you

understand me?”

She nodded and paled visibly. Seconds passed, and then he swooped in to capture her mouth, his arm

wrapping around her. Her lips were soft, warm, and opened easily. Sophia distracted him like no other

woman ever had before, and he welcomed it. Everything about her screamed trouble but he simply

couldn’t resist her seemingly innocent façade as well as her sweet, lush lips.

He leaned back and whispered, “One, two, three.” He wrapped one hand around her arm just above

her elbow. Without giving her any time to worry or waver, he dragged her to her feet, taking off at a dead

run. His grip lifted her, propelling her forward and over any obstacles in their way.

Rifle shots dinged around their feet, causing the dirt to geyser in cloudy puffs. He simply tightened his

grip on Sophia and ran faster toward cover. She panted beside him, wearing down quickly, but his hand

didn’t allow any slacking off. Their best chance of survival lay in those woods, and he wasn’t about to

give up yet.

Hurtling her to safety, Garret howled in pain as a screaming bullet embedded into the back of his leg.

He faltered but kept moving, despite the pain. He couldn’t afford to slow down.

They’d almost made it when Sophia stumbled over a rock and crashed to the ground. Garret reached

down and hauled her back to her feet by the arm. Instead of keeping pace with her, Garret whirled, and his

gun barked with every step he took until he broke through the cover of trees.

Two bullets left in the chamber and another fifty on his belt. The rest lay with their supplies back at

the camp. Garret had no choice but to figure out a way to get back to their supplies. Without ammo, they

were out of luck. The ground sloped away, and they skidded to a halt.

A quick calculation and he herded her farther into the trees. He didn’t have time to get a feel for the

land, nor did he have time to assess the odds, he simply needed to find somewhere he could plant his

backside safely and worry about what he faced next.

He anticipated Sid and his cronies would come searching for them. Now he needed to find a place to

even the odds. Disappearing deeper into the trees, the wind picked up, masking any sound they made.

Perfect.

His finger hovered over the trigger of his forty-four as he traversed the terrain scouting for a good

place to hold up. The river roared from beyond the trees, and they broke through to a clearing.

Garret hopped down into a dry riverbed that broke off from the main source of water, searching along

the edges. The rain washed smaller arroyos that only flooded during storms. The two of them settled into

one of the larger niches, its height reaching just above his shoulders. Plenty of head cover. From this

angle, he could spot them as they emerged from the trees one-by-one and with any luck, he could hold

them here with the ammo he had on him.

Facing her, he handed her a compass and a pistol. “Here,” he said. “I’ve got enough to hold these

bastards for a half hour. I need you to circle back to the camp and get our mounts. Can you do that?”

She shook her head. “I-I’ve never done anything like this before. What if I get lost?”

“Use this compass. We’re located directly south of the ruins. Head directly north, staying low to the

ground. Take your time and be as quiet as you can. You can do this, Sophie girl. I believe in you.”

He didn’t mention that his life as well as her own depended on her success. No need to overwhelm

her with the minute details. “Don’t worry, they’re going to be concentrating on me—not you. They won’t

even know you’re gone. So take a deep breath and slip into the trees, heading directly north.”

“What if I run into one of them?”

He shook his head. “You won’t unless you veer too far to the right. We traveled a good ways

upstream. Stay in a straight line and go south. You should run right into the ruins.” He gripped her hand

and forced her attention to his face. “Once you reach it, I want you to stop and make sure no one stayed

behind. If you see someone there, you hightail it back here. Got it?”

She nodded.

“Good.” He gentled his grip. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “We’re not

done yet, you and I. So don’t say goodbye.”

Her gaze watered, and guilt chewed its way into his heart. He hated knowing how afraid she must be.

But he needed their supplies if they were to have any chance of survival.

He was wounded, and luckily, she hadn’t noticed yet. But he needed to patch it soon. Otherwise they

didn’t stand a chance.

When he reached for her, she didn’t pull away. Instead she made a soft little sound that beckoned him

forward. He drew her closer until his lips closed over hers. He gentled the kiss. When she started to

speak, he pulled away and shook his head. “We’re definitely not done yet.”

She nodded. Swallowed. Then she climbed out of the dry riverbed just as darkness swallowed the last

remnants of the day. At the edge of the woods, she turned to glance back once more. The rising moon

outlined her murky silhouette. An ache settled in his chest as she disappeared. For the first time in more

years than he could count, Garret prayed for her safe return to his arms. He only hoped whatever God

he’d long ago forsaken was listening this time.

~*~

Nervous tension drenched Sophia’s shirt, causing it to stick to her back like a sopping, wet rag. The

trek back seemed to take longer, or perhaps she’d taken the wrong route. Or worse, she was lost.

Checking the compass for the second time in as many seconds, she shook her head under the meager

moonlight. No, the compass said she was heading directly north, just like Garret had told her. Then why

was it taking so long to get there?

She meandered through huge cottonwoods, carefully picking her way through the brush, afraid of the

least little sound and yet, determined to do this for Garret. He was depending on her. She must not fail.

Blocking her face from the outstretched tree limbs, she almost screamed as she ran right into a large

spider web. Furiously brushing the sticky mesh from her face and hair, she gasped and shivered in disgust.

Calming her breath, she tiptoed forward. Surely, it wasn’t too much farther. She could do this. Garret

believed in her. She sighed. Who was she fooling? She was the coddled daughter of a judge. She’d never

even stepped foot into the wilds until now, and she had no idea how the devil she’d gotten here in the first

place. She cursed Garret. She cursed her father, and then she cursed herself for being such a lily-livered

coward.

How was she supposed to rescue Garret? She rested against the base of a cottonwood tree trunk as her

lip quivered. She’d never done anything remotely exciting in her life, save for attending a ball or a party.

She peered into the deep foliage as if she expected it to come alive and choke her, although fear and

disappointment might manage the task first. A single beam of light managed to snake its way through the

roofed-over area but didn’t provide enough light to allow her to see anything beyond her hand. Her body

trembled, and her teeth chattered.

A twig cracked from somewhere nearby, and she froze. Her eyes widened, searching. She swallowed.

Barely breathing, she listened. But the woods were never silent. An owl hooted, and the singsong melody

of the crickets reverberated through the trees. And she imagined every creepy, crawly bug as the hum of

insects grew louder.

Caged like a bear or a mountain lion in a circus, Sophia spun in every direction, realizing she wasn’t

sure from which way she’d come. Panic welled inside her chest, threatening to spill from her lips in a

terrifying scream.

Her heart settled somewhere in her throat as she forced her breathing to calm. She shouldn’t be here.

She was so far away from everything that she knew and loved. And she just wanted to go home.

Reaching out to steady herself, her hand closed over something cold. She frowned and turned. A black

snake’s tail curled sinuously around the tree trunk under her palm.

Sophia squealed and jumped away, running in the opposite direction, not caring which way she was

heading. A scream burst from her lips, but she managed to swallow it as she broke through the trees into a

clearing.

Moonlight spilled over her in buckets and lit the familiar surroundings. A broken down wagon rested

several yards away, and the Presidio’s ruins rose like skeletal fingers in the darkness.

She’d made it. She gasped and slowed to a stop. Resting a hand over her pounding heart, she paused

to catch her breath. Smiling, she straightened. I did it! I made it through the creepy woods to the...creepy

ruins.

Her gaze widened. She’d made it and she was exposed out in the open. Ducking to the ground, she

carefully scanned the exterior of the ruins. Dirt and sand filtered through her fingers, and her movements

stirred up the dust, choking her.

Stifling a cough, she eased to her knees. Nothing moved outside the stone wall. The scrape of rocks

against her knees made her wince, and she clambered to her feet. Her heart began its racing like a

locomotive again, and she took another deep breath before running straight for the ruins.

Keep running! If she stopped, she was afraid someone would see her. Maybe she could make it there

without being noticed.

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut and darted across the open area. Then she plowed right into the granite

wall, plummeting to the ground backward with an “oomph!”

Rubbing the sore spot on her forehead, she lay there, unable to move. This was all Garret Ryder’s

fault! He should have known she wasn’t capable of successfully completing a task such as this. Heaven

knew she’d never accomplished anything before in her life! Surely he should have known that.

And the worst part was he wasn’t even here for her to complain to. Blast that man! She’d love to box

his ears! She was no Joan of Arc!

She refused to cry, and instead, anger settled low in her belly. Rising to her feet, she cursed Garret

Ryder for everything he was worth and strode through the ruins until she came across their horses.

Fury sharpened her tongue and she mumbled horrible things her mother would have tapped her hand

for.

Pockets of gunfire peppered nearby, and she jumped. Alarm streaked through her veins as she realized

the gunfire was getting closer.

Garret!

Stooping for the saddle bags, she crammed as much as she could back inside and rushed around the

camp, repacking everything onto the packhorse. Sophia moved toward her mount and tied the lead ropes

to the saddle horn. Tossing the saddle bags up, Sophia grasped the pommel, put one foot in the stirrup, and

heaved herself up. The horse nickered and whirled in a circle with her hanging on the side of the saddle

like a nitwit. She squealed again and swung her leg over. Crying out, the horse took off before she was

fully seated.

Clutching the pommel tightly, she cursed in disgust as she got the mare under control. Finally she

managed to urge all three horses toward the woods. The steady beat of the horse’s hooves on the

hard-packed earth hammered a rhythm between the irregular pop of gunfire.

As she drew nearer, Garret burst through the edge of the trees at a full out run. Sophia reined in, and

he grabbed the reins to his horse and swung into the saddle. “Let’s go! They’re right on my ass.”

~Chapter 10~

They traveled a good ten miles before Garret drew up as the sun rose in a cloudless sky. He

dismounted and hobbled over to help her down. That’s when she noticed the blood smeared across his

saddle. Sophia gasped. “Garret! You’re injured!”

He winced. “I know.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

He shrugged. “What is there to say? It’s a flesh wound on the back of my leg.”

“You could have bled to death!”

“But I didn’t.”

She finally noticed the small line shack. “We need to get you cleaned up.” Sophia took charge,

gathering the saddle bags and anything else she would need as she ushered him inside. She frowned.

“How did you know this place was here?”

“I didn’t. We just ran across it, and I’m too tired to go any farther.”

Sympathy tugged at her heart. “Oh, Garret,” she whispered. “I wish you would have told me sooner.”

He reached for her wrist and pulled her closer. “It wouldn’t have made any difference, Sophia. I’m

fine.”

“But it could have been so much worse.”

He shook his head. “But it isn’t.” He brought her hand to his lips. “Why does it bother you?”

Her heart tripped, and she sucked in a quick breath. “Because,” she started but paused, “I don’t want

anyone to get hurt.” Especially you. She swallowed and spun, heading for the cabin entrance. She swung

open the door, and a dark blur darted past her. She screamed and fell back against the wall. “What the

hell was that?”

Pressing a hand against her thrumming heart, Sophia calmed her breaths as the raccoon disappeared

through the brush. She glanced up at Garret’s face. He was grinning like a fiend. She frowned. “What?”

He smothered his smile and shook his head, removing his hat. She made an exasperated sound and

started forward, only to pull up short once again. “Perhaps you should go first.”

He chuckled and brushed past her, so close her heart fluttered inside her chest. Seconds later, he

reappeared without his hat, ducking his head through the door with both hands propped on either

doorframe. “It’s safe.”

Their gazes locked for a time as realization dawned that they would be sleeping in close, confined

quarters—alone. She nodded. “All right.”

Garret didn’t move, and the intriguing fall of his dark hair over his forehead just begged to be touched.

His boyish grin faded, and the air crackled with tension. His eyes caressed her features; flickered from

her eyes to her mouth and back again. Anticipation slid along her spine, settling deep in the pit of her

belly. He was going to make love to her.

There were no longer any doubts between them. Something had changed over the last few days, and

certainty that Garret wanted her left her breathless.

He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple jumped inside his throat. Ducking his head, he cleared his throat

before stepping out of her way.

Sophia tried to ignore the curious undercurrent ebbing between them, but couldn’t. She gave herself a

mental shake and entered the shack. It couldn’t be more than a six-by-six space, barely enough room for

him to step to one side.

Across the room lay a small single bunk with a rickety table and chair next to it. Those were the only

things to commend the shack. The timbered walls looked as if they would cave in at any given second.

Thick grime smeared with age across the window above the table. She could barely see through it. An

inch of dirt covered everything from the bare mattress to the floor, and Sophia grimaced.

Garret eased her forward, then shut the door behind them, enclosing them within the darkness. He

stood behind her, and she could feel the heat from his body. “Not to your standards, Ms. Osbourne?”

His voice came from directly over her shoulder. She turned enough to see him. “Don’t mock me,

Garret.”

He lost his smirk at her soft tone. “Does it bother you when I do?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “You make me feel as if I’m shallow, and I’m not.”

He reached for her and eased her around to face him. His warm hands were gentle. “Oh, no, you’re not

shallow, Sophie girl.” His gaze raked across her features. “There is incredible depth inside you.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes,” he murmured. “And I want to explore every last inch of it.”

His husky voice broke on his words, sending a tiny thrill through her. A breath caught in her throat.

She shouldn’t enjoy his hands on her but she did. She should be more concerned with propriety, but she

wasn’t. Instead, she reveled in the knowledge that he was all hers for tonight—in this tiny cabin, and she

was excited knowing he wanted her. For whatever reason she didn’t want to name, Sophia knew what

was about to happen between them. And she could care less. In fact, she was eager for his attention.

Impatient, even. Willing.

She believed he’d surrendered to whatever it was that drew them together. Those pools of silver

darkened to a hammered metal. The sheen of excitement glistened in his gaze.

A muffled bump interrupted the moment and they both blinked at each other. It sounded once more, and

confused, she glanced around.

“Look.” Garret pointed to the window. Just outside, the wings of a dusky red mother cardinal

fluttered. Sophia gasped and moved toward the glass. The bird had built its nest on the windowsill, and

inside were two tiny baby birds.

“Garret! How precious!” Sophia settled into the wooden chair and peered at the scene outside. Garret

chuckled from behind her.

“Look over there.” He leaned over her shoulder and pointed beyond the window. His breath

whispered across her neck and she shivered as she followed his attention beyond. About twenty yards

away, a small stream rushed by in a secluded, little clearing.

“How quaint! I can finally take a bath.”

She faced him. His gaze had darkened once again. A slight lift of the corner of his lip was the only

indication he’d even heard her. He nodded finally and straightened. “Yes, we can after we take care of

this wound.”

Sophia blinked. We. He’d said we can. Not she can, but we can. Heat slithered through her veins like

wine and drugged her body into a slow, lethargic motion. A wicked smile spread across his features, and

her stomach churned in anticipation.

Tonight, Garret Ryder wanted her. Tonight, Sophia Maria Osbourne planned to happily forget she was

a lady, and for once in her life, she was about to take exactly what she wanted. And to hell with the

consequences.

~*~

Garret led her to the stream after she’d dressed his wound. He dropped her hand, and seconds later,

his shirt fluttered to the ground. Though completely aware of his size and strength, she still gasped at the

shocking breadth of his shoulders. Bronzed skin glistened under the sun’s rays, and Sophia swallowed. A

steady breeze brushed the perspiration from her brow, but it couldn’t ease her pounding pulses.

Uncertainty had wiggled its way inside her. She paused in mid-step as he bent to remove his boots and

place the soap onto a nearby rock. Her heart raced like a runaway horse. The size of his incredible

physique struck her speechless.

Garret glanced over one shoulder, a wicked gleam in his eye, and a grin smoothed across his features.

He eased around to face her and sauntered forward in just his buckskins, his steps slow and confident.

Taking a precautionary step back, she glanced around her surroundings. Anywhere but at the man coming

for her.

Stalking her.

Heat flushed her cheeks.

“I won’t hurt you, Sophie girl.”

Drats and knickers. How did he know what she was thinking? Garnering her courage, she shrugged,

pretending he didn’t affect her senses and send her thoughts scattering like the shattered pieces of a

mirror. “I’m not afraid of you, Garret.”

A dark brow rose over his left eye. “No?” He clasped her fingers gently and brought them to his lips.

“Then why do you tremble?”

He searched her face, but then his gaze settled on her lips. Releasing a soft sigh as anticipation

coursed through her limbs, Sophia gave a soft smile. “I don’t know honestly. I am not an untried girl.”

That seemed to draw him up short, and he frowned. “What?”

She chuckled. “I was married once.”

His gaze widened considerably. “When?”

Sophia laughed. “For two days.” She lost her smile in remembrance. “I rebelled against my father

years ago when I was young and pretended interest in one of my father’s competitors. He didn’t take too

kindly to it. My husband mysteriously passed away two days after my marriage, and the town’s people all

whispered my father had him killed.”

“How did he die?”

“The coroner claimed a heart attack, but,” she said with a shrug, “I’m not convinced. Like I told you

before, he’s changed. He’s not the same man he was when my mother was alive. Once we moved to San

Antonio, Papa became someone else.”

His palms cupped her cheeks and lifted her face to his gaze. “He’s not going to hurt you anymore,

Sophia.”

She wanted to believe those words. She wanted to crawl into Garret’s arms and pretend that none of

this had ever happened. That instead, they were here together by choice. Not circumstance. But she knew

better than that. Garret would choose someone much more sophisticated than a small town socialite like

her. But he was here now.

“Did you love him?” Garret stilled, his expression serious and intense.

She frowned. “My father?”

“No, your husband.”

She shrugged. “He was a bit older than me at forty. He was handsome with salt-and-pepper hair, but

he was a politician. Selfish like many of them are. He only wanted me because he wanted to irk my father.

Once we were married, all conversation stopped. He wasn’t abusive, but he certainly didn’t care about

me. He only cared that managed to trump my father’s wishes. It’s very difficult to love someone who only

cares about himself and his career.”

“Then why did you marry him?”

“After we left Eden, he ignored me, hired a nanny to care for me, and I rarely saw him. I wanted to

rebel. When Mitch started to pay me attention and lavish me with compliments, I was foolish and fell for

his ploy.”

He clasped her hand. “We all do things we regret, Sophie girl.”

“Oh, I don’t regret it. The experience showed me who my father really was. After that, our

relationship deteriorated. I have never truly trusted him since. And for two days, I was completely free to

do whatever I wanted. For once it was nice to be someone other than Judge Osbourne’s daughter.”

Garret kissed her knuckles. “You are so much more than that.”

She smiled. “I know that now. It was a learning experience I needed. I am much more capable than I

think I am and with every day that passes with you, I am seeing the truth in that more and more.”

He grinned. “I’m glad I could be of service.”

She chuckled. “Oh, Mr. Ryder, being with you has been a very eye-opening experience, to say the

least.”

He pulled her closer and wrapped her into his arms. “Just say the word and I can be of service again,

madam.”

She leaned up and planted her lips on his for a quick, soft kiss. “I am counting on that.”

“I won’t hurt you.”

His promise elicited a soft, nervous gasp from her. “I know you won’t, Garret.”

“Then why are you still shaking?”

“Because I am excited and ready...”

Garret swooped in and seized her mouth in a scorching kiss. Her limbs grew languid as if they were

submerged beneath a pool of water. She wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips moved to her cheeks,

then her temples, until his hot breath filled her ear and she shivered.

“Are you certain this is what you want, Sophia?”

She leaned back so he could see her sincerity. “I have sipped life through a wine glass and have been

fed from a silver spoon all my life. I’ve lived in the lap of luxury, had servants dress me, a teacher to

scold me, a father telling me what to do. For once, I wish to choose something for myself. And I choose

you, Garret Ryder. Even knowing you will return to New York City and leave me here, alone, I still

choose you.”

Garret’s mouth claimed hers with a rough entitlement until he lifted her completely off the ground. She

wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Whatever adventure she was about to embark on, she sensed it

would be one hell of a ride with this man. And she could do naught but hold on tight.

He chased her soft sounds with his tongue, sweeping into her mouth and exploring every inch inside.

He sucked, nibbled, and nipped at her lips. Delight danced across her flesh as a tingling awareness

erupted. Her hands roamed at will and sank into his dark hair, luxuriating in the feel of the silky strands.

Garret filled the space with his presence, dwarfing her, subduing her, and yet freeing her all at the same

time. She reveled in the flex of his muscles as her hands found their way to his chest. She moaned as he

flexed.

He angled her head back and plundered her neck. But he wasn’t forceful, just determined. Determined

to make her his, and she willingly surrendered.

Pleasure cascaded over her like the soft trickle of water and danced across her flesh. His hands

coasted up her sides and found their way beneath her shirt. The heat of his palms seared her, setting her

blood on fire. He cupped her breasts, tearing a ragged breath from her. “Please,” she whispered.

“Tell me what you want.” His voice was thick and husky, muffled against the side of her throat.

“More,” she answered, unsure of exactly what to say but knowing he could not stop. She wouldn’t let

him.

His hands shaped themselves to her curves and slid across the surface of her flesh sinuously, dragging

another sound from her lips. Incredible sensation bombarded her like a thousand horses’ hooves. “I need

you, Garret.”

He hissed like a tiger, baring his teeth, and ripped the shirt from her body. Impatient, he managed to

relieve her of her clothes in no time until she stood before him stark naked in the bright sunshine. And his

eyes glowed with triumph. His gaze never wavered. Instead, his attention wandered over every inch of

her body, and she shivered under his regard. But she did not cover herself.

Lifting her chin, she stepped forward, and he swept her up into his arms once more. Wrapping her legs

around his waist, Sophia held tight as he carried her to the edge of the water, kissing her the entire way.

He entered the stream until the cool waters engulfed their hips, and she gasped at the suddenness of it.

A soft shimmer of uncertainty passed over her, but vanished as he settled her on her feet. Confusion made

her frown until he reached for the soap, lathered his hands, and ran them lingeringly across the contours of

her body. She quivered. His touch was luxurious. Intoxicating. And she craved so much more from this

man.

The bath turned into a wondrous journey of discovery as she mimicked him, taking the soap from his

hands and bathing his beautiful physique. Her fingertips encountered his flat, male nipples. Goose flesh

rose across his skin, and she reveled in the power he’d given her. He helped her remove his buckskins,

and her hands didn’t hesitate to envelope his erection within her grasp. His head lolled back as he

enjoyed her touch, and she marveled at the differences between them. He was so hard. Smooth.

Her hands seemed to glide of their own accord over his flesh. She stroked his length until he groaned

and stopped her, recapturing her mouth with his. His hungry kisses devoured her. He dunked them beneath

the water to wash away the soap before carrying her to a nearby slab of rock, which he propped her on.

It was a savage kiss, one that brought them to a breath away from tilting over the edge of sanity. He

laid her out across the boulder and knelt between her legs, still standing within the rushing waters.

His mouth forged a path of fire to her heated center, and he did not hesitate or stop. He licked a slow,

burning rhythm until she panted beneath him. A white-hot stab of desire streaked through her. Her back

arched. Her legs quivered. And pleasure burst like Boston’s fireworks display on the fourth of July until

her limbs grew numb, malleable.

But Garret Ryder wasn’t finished with her. He rose over her like an avenging angel. Scooting her body

closer to the edge, he wedged his body between her legs, and entered her with a single, swift move.

The heat of his body overwhelmed her. His rigid arousal stretched her, opened her like a blossoming

flower. He started to move within her. She arched, luxuriating the smooth friction of their bodies.

His eyes, like hammered pewter, bore into her as he captured her breasts. She tilted her head back,

releasing a strained plea for more. Squeezing her legs tighter, pulling him closer, urging him on silently,

she delighted in the soft snarl he elicited in response. He caught her thighs and lifted them higher, bringing

a shocked gasp to her mouth. Sophia grasped his forearms, raking her nails across his skin as he pounded

inside her. Skin slapped against skin, and his hands clamped around her hips. He thrust again and again

until she became a shuddering mass of quivering flesh.

Wave after wave of feverish hunger ripped through her. Ecstasy channeled all the heat, all the power

of this one man and centered on the savage ferocity of his hips. Once again she splintered under his

sensual assault; she clawed at his shoulders until he curled toward her and roared in satisfaction against

her ear. He shuddered under the aftereffects of their lovemaking until he collapsed against her, out of

breath and panting hard against her chest. Had she just rendered the incredible Garret Ryder speechless?

She grinned at her own little musings.

He lifted to peer at her, wiping the wet strands of her hair from her cheeks with a gentle hand. “I

always wondered about that.”

“About what?”

“About what it would be like in your arms, Sophie girl.”

Heat flooded her cheeks, but she asked anyway, curiosity getting the best of her. “And?”

He kissed her lips softly. “It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever experienced.” His lips brushed hers. “And

I want more.”

Sophia laughed. “Greedy man.”

“Insatiable,” he agreed. “Gluttony definitely has its advantages.”

~Chapter 11~

Sophia giggled, and Garret rolled over onto his side to peer down at her. “What are you giggling at?”

They’d slept the afternoon away inside the shack and then returned for another bath. They’d laid out a

picnic. Of course their meal was reduced to bread and jerky, but the afternoon had still turned out to be

perfect. Stretching as the sun bathed her in warmth, Sophia said, “The water tickles my toes.” Only her

feet hung off the boulder as the water rushed by. Garret grasped her ankle and swept the tips of his fingers

across the bottom of her foot. She jerked her limb back and laughed, smacking his hands away. He caught

her wrists, and they tumbled back across the rock. Kissing her lips, he wrapped her in his embrace.

“Why can’t we just stay here forever, Garret?”

He sighed and dipped to kiss her once more. “We have to be realistic, Sophia. Your father and

especially Sid won’t give up so easily. And we need to be prepared.”

She gave a petulant pout. “A girl can dream, can’t she?”

He chuckled. “Absolutely.” He seemed to sober and studied her closely. “I would love to give you

everything your little heart desires, but I’m afraid it would just be empty promises.”

Sophia frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Because we both know I’ll be returning to New York once I deal with Sid.”

Sophia stiffened and sat up. She wasn’t ready to have this conversation with him yet. She wasn’t ready

to face that truth. “I know,” she lied. But I don’t want you to go.

A heavy weight settled on her heart, and pain clogged her throat. She cleared it and stood. “I’ll be

back.”

Reaching out, he caught her hand. “Where are you going?”

Heat exploded into her cheeks. “I’ll be right back.”

He chuckled at her embarrassment. “Just be careful. There are too many things out here that can hurt

you.”

“Trust me, I know.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

“Garret Ryder...heaven’s, no!”

He laughed softly and settled back against the rock. “I meant that I would just stand close by.”

“I’m not going far.” She skipped across the embedded rocks until she reached the shore. Since her

pants were still drying in the sun, she picked up her dress, and slid it on. When she glanced back, Garret

lay on his side, propped up on an elbow, gloriously naked, and basking under the sun. She grinned, unable

to take her eyes off him. His bronzed skin glistened under the sunlight. His dark hair was still wet and

slicked away from his face. Intense eyes regarded her and warmed her skin wherever they touched.

She remembered every touch, every whisper, and every second of his love making. She forced herself

to turn away.

“I’ll be right here.”

Boy, did she know it, and she couldn’t wait to get back under that beautiful body. Heat scalded her

face. She was wicked. Utterly wicked. She smothered the smile threatening to emerge, scolding herself.

Maneuvering through the thick foliage, she followed another ravine, a washout that broke away from

the creek bed. Fabric rending broke the silence, and she swore. “Dammit.”

Apparently, Garret had seriously influenced more than just her body. Given enough time, she’d be

cursing as well as he did. Another blush burned her skin. She wouldn’t have long with him since he was

adamant he was leaving soon.

Another round of pain ripped through her heart, and she attempted to piece it back together. At least

long enough so she could attend to her personal needs and return to enjoy one last day with Garret.

Yanking her shirt from the prickly bush, she crashed through the undergrowth.

“You make enough noise to wake the dead!” Garret yelled.

She frowned and searched for a spot that wasn’t quite so bristled. Finally, she attended to nature’s call

and headed back toward the creek. Then she paused and realized she wasn’t sure which way to go.

“Garret!”

“What?”

“I think I’m lost,” she yelled back.

She heard him chuckle. “Follow my voice, Sophie girl.”

She tried. Swatting through thick sagebrush, she plowed toward his voice. “Well, keep talking. How

can I follow your voice if you’re not talking?”

Garret laughed. “Shall I sing for you?”

The spiny limbs of a mesquite tree caught her hair, and she yanked away from it and she tripped over a

rock. Falling, she attempted to catch herself, but crashed through an overabundance of foliage with a

scream.

“Sophia!”

She blinked. Her head spun as she lay there. Disoriented, she shook her head to clear it and realized

she’d fallen into a cave of some kind. Encased in darkness, with only the meager sunlight streaming

through the opening she’d fallen through, Sophia leaned up on an elbow to glance around.

“Sophia!” Garret yelled once again. “Answer me, dammit.”

She coughed as the dust from the cave choked her. “I’m here. Over here!” She sat, trying to rise, but

her ankle screamed in pain. “Ouch!”

Seconds later, Garret tore through the vegetation in only his pants and boots and immediately lifted her

into his arms. He carried her back outside to the clearing and set her down on the ground. He knelt before

her on one knee. “What happened?”

“I just fell. I’m all right. My ankle hurts a little, but I’m fine.”

A muscle worked in his jaw. “I knew I should have gone with you.”

She grinned and captured his face in her palms. “I’m fine. Really, I am.”

He clasped her hands and brought them to his mouth, kissing each knuckle.

She sat straighter. “I found a cave, Garret!”

His brow furrowed. “What?”

Waving her arms erratically as her pulse sped up, Sophia gestured back the way they’d come. “Over

there, where I fell. It’s a cave.” She gripped his hands. “Help me up. Let’s go look in it.”

Lifting her to her feet, he shook his head. “I’ll go.”

“No, I found it. I want to see it, too.”

He hesitated. “All right, but stay here for one second. I’m going to get our clothes and some of our

supplies. We’re not going into a cave without being prepared.”

Minutes later, he returned fully dressed with a lantern and their weapons. He brought her boots to her.

She slipped them on quickly, eager to show him what she’d found. Together, they retraced their steps, and

luckily Garret had tore a path a mile wide to get to her. It was easy to follow. He hacked through the

undergrowth until they broke through the entrance once more. Meager beams of weakened sunlight

trickled through the entrance and spotted the floor of the cave.

Garret lifted the lantern. A pool of light brightened the cave walls but diluted beneath the shadows. He

picked his way through and helped her enter. Then he knelt, studying the interior of the cave. “Look.” He

pointed.

Several pickaxes, spikes, two mallets, and a shovel lay a few feet away. He knelt and picked one up,

twirling the handle of the pick axe in his hand. He glanced up, grinning.

“Come on,” he said.

He grasped her hand and led her farther into the cave.

Uneasiness wound its way through her veins as darkness encased them, surrounding them with its

obscurity. Her other hand shook, and she shoved it into her pocket. Her fingers gripped his hand as she

tried to garner strength from him as the foreignness of the cave caged her. Part of her wanted to prove she

was made of sturdier stuff, and part of her wanted to run back to the safety of their camp.

She swallowed as the shadows slithered across the walls the farther they traveled. They traversed

about thirty feet inside the mine when Garret stopped and released her hand. She almost cried out, bereft

of his comfort. He crossed to the walls, holding the lantern high overhead. He continued on, stopping only

to study the walls once more.

“What? What is it, Garret?”

“Just follow me.”

Several minutes later he stopped once more. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip, trying to peer

around him. When he whooped suddenly, she just about leaped right out of her skin. She clapped a hand

over her thundering heart and glared at him. “What? What the devil is it?”

He whirled and lifted her in his arms to swing her around. Then he dropped a quick kiss to her mouth.

“Sophie girl, you’re the cleverest little piece of fluff I’ve ever met.”

She laughed, then frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I believe you just found the San Saba mines.”

~*~

Light flickered across the cave walls as Garret raised the lantern high overhead, and Sophia’s gaze

darted from the man to the shadows beyond and then back again. She followed close behind, squeezing so

tightly, his hand must have gone numb by now. Beads of sweat ran down his temple as he studied the

walls. He had such a handsome profile.

What had caught his attention?

The ceiling of the tunnel rose significantly above them, and it seemed as if a breath of coolness

wrapped around them. She shivered and huddled closer to his warmth. “Do you really think this is the

right mine?”

“Possibly. Let’s keep going.” He snared her wrist and they continued forward. Her heart increased in

rhythm with every footfall. There was something eerie about being so far underground.

Silence hung like a wool blanket through the tunnel, save for the consistent tap, tap, tap of dripping

water from deeper within. The wide pathway sloped downward. They didn’t speak for several minutes as

their boots crunched across dirt, sand, and rock.

Holding his lantern at eye level, Garret perused the walls. Sophia peered closer, trying to see over his

shoulder. Silver threads weeded their way through the natural rock. Each rock seemed to have a different

surface; some were grey, some brown, and many were moss-covered green. She frowned. How could

anyone tell the difference in the rocks or if there was anything valuable in them?

Sophia’s foot slid out from under her and sent loose stones tumbling down the slope. Garret caught her

by the upper arm and steadied her as the echo of the trickle of pebbles drifted back to them. “Are you all

right?”

She nodded. “Surely, we didn’t get that lucky.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but if it is, we now have the advantage over Sid and your father. The

farther in we travel, the more eager I’m getting.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Look at the walls, Sophia,” he said quietly as he pulled her forward to wrap her within the

circumference of his embrace. He pointed out the glittering streaks running the length of the cave as his

other hand slid around her waist to hold her close, his thumb resting just under her breast. It was hard to

concentrate on his words when he held her that way. “This is silver.”

She squinted in the muted light. “Where?” The lines were too thin to distinguish the color, and it didn’t

really look like silver to her.

“These tiny threads of silver in the rock. That’s silver.”

She tilted her head to side. “I thought it would be...bigger.”

He laughed, placing a soft kiss against her temple. “You have to mine it before you can get silver

nuggets, Sophie girl.” He studied the ground closely, shining the light this way and that. “It’s strange

because on our way down you can see a well traveled path in the dirt and stone, but it stops here. The

ground here is smooth. There are very few tracks that head deeper into the mine. What is so special about

this area?”

Sophia shrugged and turned to look at him over one shoulder. Their gazes collided and locked. She

couldn’t speak, but even if she could, she wouldn’t know what to say. Tension coiled low in her belly as

his gaze dropped to her mouth. Was he thinking about their lovemaking? Tingles scattered through her

center. She certainly was.

She cleared her throat. “How do they get the silver out?”

“Pickaxes and black powder back then.” Her breath grew slightly shallow as his hard body rubbed

sinuously against her. She spun within the circumference of his arms to face him. Her gaze dropped to his

mouth. His silver eyes heated to a dull grey metal with his arousal.

“I can’t get enough of you, Sophie,” he whispered. Dipping his head, he captured her mouth in a fierce

kiss. His hungry kiss silenced any protest. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, tugging at the soft

flesh. Licking. Searching. Commanding entrance.

She surrendered easily. He cupped her cheeks as his tongue delved into the hot recesses of her mouth.

He pushed her against the rocky surface of the wall, and she gasped. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I can’t

seem to help myself with you.”

She didn’t want him to stop. Not by any means.

Garret captured her breasts in both hands through the material of her dress. Sophia’s belly performed

a quick, jolting somersault. His touch sent her senses reeling as he brushed his palms across her sensitive

nipples. Eager pleas escaped from her lips, and he responded with a soft growl in her ear. Lifting the

material of her skirts, his hands found their way to the lush curve of her buttocks, and he ground his

erection against her. Impatient man. She almost smiled.

Attempting to steady herself, Sophia braced her hands against the walls, but her left one slipped into

what must have been a darkened alcove. She gasped as her fingers encountered something solid and

round. Frowning and distracted for mere seconds—although it was difficult to concentrate on anything

while Garret worked his magic—Sophia brought her hand up.

Garret slipped his tongue inside her mouth, and her eyes fluttered closed briefly. Oh, he simply

excelled in the art of lovemaking. Breaking contact, she leaned back to peer over his shoulder at whatever

it was enveloping her hand.

And then she screamed. And screamed again.

Garret jumped several feet away from her, knocking the skull from her hand, which then shattered

across the ground. The only remaining piece of the cranium left was the jaw.

“Jesus! Sophia, what the hell—”

Sophia inhaled to scream once more, but he clamped a hand across her mouth as he pointed a finger in

her face. “Are you trying to get us found? Christ. Now be quiet and let me think.”

With widened eyes, she nodded.

“Are you going to keep quiet?”

She nodded once more.

“No more screaming, right?”

She frowned and bit his hand.

“Ow! Dammit!”

“Serves you right, Garret Ryder. I said I wouldn’t scream. Now quit treating me like I am a five-year-

old.”

He chuckled, but she brushed passed him and then knelt. “Oh my good lord, Garret, it’s a skull.”

~Chapter 12~

“Here, move out of the way.” Garret knelt next to the broken bones. A creeping dread shimmered

through him. Funny how a sixth sense worked, but something told him they’d stumbled onto the answer to

many of their questions.

“Where did it come from?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” She shivered. “Must it always be me who stumbles upon these things? And while I

was kissing you.”

Garret grinned up at her, finding her response adorable. He truly enjoyed spending time with her. And

not just the sex, although that had benefits beyond compare, but there was more to what he felt for Sophia.

He’d known it since they were kids. He’d just never imagined it would grow into something like... Had he

almost said the L word? Love had never been uttered from his lips before.

He wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. He hadn’t even gotten his law practice in New York

sufficiently started yet. He’d simply wanted to get this nasty business with Sid done before he committed

to his work.

Committing to his work was much more satisfying than committing to a woman. That led to trouble.

And a broken heart. Although, he’d never felt anything for a woman beyond lust—until now—but he’d

witnessed what it could do to a man.

Look at his brother, Warren. The man was a broken mess, a shell of a man. Of course, much of that had

to do with losing his son, but even before that, he’d barely been breathing. After the death of his wife

years ago, he’d turned into a different person. Guilt threaded through him. A lot of Warren’s bitterness

was Garret’s fault, and he took full responsibility. That’s why he was here. He had to give Warren some

kind of closure. He owed him some kind of peace.

Getting involved with a woman like Sophia could result in a change of plans, and he wasn’t willing to

sacrifice his dreams for her. Not now. Not ever.

Standing, Garret lifted the lantern high. Edging closer, Garret peered through the inky darkness. There

was a niche in the rock about three feet in height and three feet across. Tucked inside the tiny recess were

yards of dark brown cloth.

Garret scowled. “I would get back, Sophia.”

“Why?”

He swung a sharp look over one shoulder. “Do you really want to argue with me on this?”

She glowered but stepped back in the process. He turned back and gripped the material. With a hard

yank, he dragged the robes and bones out of the alcove.

Hundreds of overlarge roaches scattered about the area, searching for another dark spot and Sophia

squealed in horror. She leaped upon his back, screaming in his ear as he climbed to his feet.

He caught his balance and laughed. “I told you to stay back.”

“I did!”

“More than a step, silly girl.”

The bugs wiggled and crawled atop the toe of his boot. He stomped them off, then carried his burden

to a safer area as the critters scurried off to new hiding spot.

Sophia trembled against him as he dropped her to her feet. She clung to him, her fingers clutching the

material of his shirt so tightly the skin of her knuckles whitened.

Lamplight bloomed around them as the darkness settled back into place. Their breath remained the

only sounds within the cave. Garret returned to the body as a tiny mouse scampered out from under the

robes toward the wall.

“He’s a priest. Maybe he’s from the missionary,” he whispered out of reverence for the dead.

“But the presidio is a good eight to ten miles away. What is he doing out here?”

Garret shook his head. “I’m not sure. When did you say the mission burned down?”

“1758.”

So had the priest been killed before or after its destruction?

A musty odor clogged his nostrils and choked him as he rummaged through the missionary’s robes.

Decay had set into the materials and left large, rotting holes. Moist clay sucked at the soles of his boots as

he readjusted his position onto the balls of his feet. His fingers brushed against something hard. Ripping

the decomposing material, he discovered a bound, leather journal tucked inside the cleric’s pocket.

After blowing dust and dirt from the cover, he opened it. “Father Raul Alejandro Dominguez. The last

entry is dated May, 1760.”

“What? Really?” Sophia rushed over and knelt beside him. “That can’t be right.”

“Why not?”

“Because legend has it all the priests died during the Comanche attack.”

“Well, don’t snap your garters just yet, sweetheart.” He leaned closer. “Read this last little paragraph

here.”

Sophia settled in beside him and crossed her legs. They each held one side of the book, and their

heads came together under the glow of the lantern. This is my fifth day here and possibly my last. I feel

my strength flowing from me with every breath that leaves my chest. I can barely move, let alone write

this last entry, but I must tell my story. Even now, the animals and bugs have ventured out to gnaw on

my flesh. I feel their teeth sinking into my skin but I no longer care. As I lay here dying, I must warn

others about the curse because there is no escape...

A sliver, like the lightest touch of a finger, shimmied down Garret’s spine. Every hair on the back of

his neck rose to stand on end, and the distant howl of the wind filtered into the tunnel from the entrance to

the cave. Their gazes locked.

“What do you think that means?”

He shrugged. “I think we’ll need to read this carefully before we come to any conclusions.”

“I agree.”

Her eyes widened. For some odd reason, the urge to comfort her overcame him, and he reached for

her hand. Giving it a little squeeze, Garret smiled. “We’ll be all right, Sophie girl.”

“Will we?”

He nodded. Determination set his jaw. He would not let anything happen to her, no matter the cost.

They returned to the journal at the same time. Sophia leafed back several pages, her gaze scanning the

shaking scrawl. “He was injured by Comanches. He believed they were guarding this place because it is

cursed.”

“I don’t believe in curses or voo-doo magic.”

She eased back. “Perhaps you should.”

“Why should I believe in hokey religions that spout nothing but doom and gloom? The only thing a man

needs to believe in is the law and himself. Everything else is just hearsay.”

She stiffened next to him and frowned, but didn’t respond. He’d offended her sweet sensibilities. She

readjusted her position, tucking her heels more firmly beneath her rear, and began reading silently once

more.

Seconds later, she gasped. “Here it is! This is the correct mine, Garret! We found it!” She pointed to

the text. “This says June of 1757 a young apache boy bore evidence of a silver bracelet. The presidio’s

soldiers questioned him until he told of a cursed treasure here in the mines. Once the missionaries located

the mine, they sent a sample off to San Fernando with word of possible riches. Their request to open it

went unheeded, so they decided to do it themselves.”

She flipped the page. “’The Priests and soldiers forced the Apaches to work the mine as slaves. The

Apache slaves claimed the Comanches would kill anyone who entered the mine. We refused to see the

truth in those words and like fools, continued to mine the silver. I escaped the night the Comanches

attacked the Presidio and returned to San Fernando to tell my tale. My superior ordered the mines to be

closed and I returned with a strange group of monks, more warrior than holymen, to seal the entrance.”

“Warrior monks?” Garret’s mouth drew down at the corners. “There haven’t been warrior monks in

centuries.” A single vein popped out along his temple as he studied the leather-bound journal. “But the

entrance wasn’t sealed when we got here.’”

“No, it wasn’t.” She frowned and kept reading. “’I packed up a crate of silver bars we had smelted

and secreted them away inside a dome-like cavern. I had planned to return to retrieve the rest of the

treasure as my greed overrode my good sense. But we never got the chance to seal the main entrance. The

Comanche attacked us at the mouth of the cave. And while these strange monks were surprisingly

ferocious with a blade, they were simply overwhelmed. I write this hoping others will find it and heed my

warning. Everyone was slaughtered by the ghostlike warriors and now I lay here mortally wounded,

alone, and prepared to die a slow death.’”

“Ghostlike?”

Sophia nodded. “This gets more peculiar with every second that passes.”

“I wonder what he means?” From the corner of his eye, Garret spotted the little mouse from earlier

scurrying around the corner before disappearing back into the niche. He frowned. “Here, take the lantern

and stand several feet away.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

She retrieved the light and eased away from his position. “You’ll be in the dark, Garret.”

He grinned. “I’m not afraid of the dark, Sophie girl.”

She walked backward several feet until the only the dimmest ring of light surrounded him. “A little

farther.”

Blackness swallowed him and he glanced back inside the alcove. “Imagine that.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“There’s light coming from the niche. There’s an opening somewhere inside there. It looks like it may

have been a secret tunnel. Perhaps that’s why the missionary crawled inside it.”

Sophia rushed over and tried to peer in. He chuckled. “You can’t see it unless you’re in the dark.”

“Oh.”

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “Stay right here, I’ll be back.”

“Don’t leave me here alone!”

“I’d rather check this out alone just in case there is anything dangerous inside, Sophia. No arguments.

Stay here. I’m leaving you the lamp.” He grasped her hand and squeezed. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

~*~

Garret knelt and half crawled into the tiny space. Dirt caked the area and crawled with webs as he

ducked his head and plowed through the opening, barely taking a breath between heartbeats.

His shoulders lodged between the walls and he eased sideways, sliding across the ground on his

knees. The light from Sophia’s lamp faded. The air was barely breathable. Motes of dust clung to his face,

and he expelled a breath to cleanse his lips.

The narrow tunnel was barely large enough for a woman to crawl through, much less a man of his size.

Light filtered through the cobwebs ahead of him. This was the right direction. He was certain of it.

Whatever was up ahead would answer some of their questions. His gut churned in anticipation.

Movement in the air encouraged him. A draft filtered through the tunnel, brushing his face. Christ, this

had better be worth the headache.

An incline sloped upward. He scrambled onto his knees as the air within the enclosed area grew

stronger. A roaring sound broke through from somewhere up above, and he hurried now.

Water meant another way out.

The squeal caught him off guard, and startled him. Seconds later a feminine curse drifted through the

tunnel behind him.

“Drats and knickers!”

He peered over one shoulder, which was damn difficult smashed as he was into this tiny crevice.

“Sophia?”

Light bloomed across the walls behind him, followed by a scraping of metal. “What?”

“What the hell are you doing? You don’t listen too well.”

She materialized from the darkness, and he laughed at her scrunched nose. “It was too quiet. I couldn’t

stay there alone.”

“Heaven forbid you do as you’re told.”

She paused behind him, gasping for air. “Well, don’t just stop. There are bugs in here!”

He chuckled and moved ahead. The scramble of leather boots against the earth and the scrape of the

metal oil lamp followed from behind him. Finally, after agonizingly tight seconds the walls widened and

the stone ceiling rose. He breathed a quick sigh of relief as the tunnel opened into a cathedral-sized cave.

Light pooled in the center from an opening twenty feet or more above them. “It’s a natural cave

created by water,” he said. Dry red sand covered the ground and glistened off the walls like a metallic

gun barrel.

Sophia sucked in a breath of awe and bumped into him from behind. Ten yards away, a river cut

through the stone and wound its way deeper underground. But that had to come out somewhere. The

question was: did he really want to follow it?

Limestone pillars stretched from floor to ceiling in odd, curved shapes.

“Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “But wherever we are, we should probably make camp here and read

the journal before going any further. Let’s head back to the surface, gather all of our equipment, and make

our way back here. Then we can start a fire and get some rest.”

She nodded. “Is it wise to start a fire in here?”

“There’s plenty of ventilation. Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain.”

She swung around to face him, her brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Because how do you think this cave was formed?”

The adorable, confused expression didn’t go away, so he added, “I imagine when it rains, this river

swells inside this cavern and well...we just don’t want to see where this river leads. At least not that

way.”

Her mouth formed an O, and her eyes widened. He clutched her hand and urged her back inside the

tunnel. “Come on, let’s go get our gear.”

Sunlight blinded them as they emerged from the cave. Minutes later they broke through the foliage of

their camp as dusk settled into place, and Garret drew up short. His hand shot out and kept Sophia hidden

behind him.

She gasped.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Sid said as he came to his feet in one fluid motion. His gaze locked on

Garret’s. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find you?”

“You have to know how to track, Sid. If I remember correctly, that was never really your forte.”

“No, but it’s mine.” Another disembodied voice entered the clearing from between the vegetation.

Morgan Gerard lit a cigarillo and nodded in Garret’s direction.

“Morgan,” Garret acknowledged. Sid’s brother was the man to watch. Quiet. Savage. There was a lot

going on behind those piercing blue eyes. His silence was often mistaken as incompetence, but Garret

knew better. Morgan was smart. Much smarter than Sid.

“You still trying to protect this piece of shit?” Garret asked.

Morgan nodded. “You would do the same.”

“That’s a damn shame. Sid’s going to get you locked up, or worse, killed someday.”

“You’re probably right.”

Several other men lounged in various positions around the campground. They were too outnumbered,

and with only his pistols, Garret couldn’t risk any defiance. Not quite yet.

“So why don’t you tell us where you two were?” Sid’s gaze raked disdainfully from one to the other.

“Just searching the area.”

“Really?” Morgan’s dark brows shot up his forehead. “With a lantern in broad daylight? Funny how

the sun isn’t quite bright enough today for exploration.” His tone was soft. Lethal.

Damn. Observant bastard.

“We took it just in case it rained,” Sophia inserted.

Garret swung a sharp look in her direction. He needed their attention on him. Not her. If she got hurt,

he’d never forgive himself.

Sid cast Sophia a final cursory glance. His attention centered on Garret and honed in. “What did you

find, Ryder?”

“A cave.”

Behind him, Sophia stiffened. Hiding the truth would only garner them more trouble, but Sid didn’t

need to know the entire truth. “But it didn’t turn out to be anything of importance.”

Sid lifted a single blond brow. “Interesting.”

“That’s why we’ve returned to camp. There was nothing remotely interesting to stay for and to think

we returned to camp to find something even less appealing here.”

Sid gave a short, tight smile. “Funny how that works.”

“I’m surprised you caught up to us so quickly, Sid. I didn’t expect you for another few days, to tell the

truth.”

“Never underestimate your opponent. It’s the first rule of war.”

“I am well aware of the rules of war. Unlike you, I’ve actually experienced many battles, rather than

just pretending I did.”

Sid laughed, then sobered. “Not all battles are fought with armies. Many of them are fought right here

in your backyard. Texas has never been an easy place to call home.”

“Touché.”

Sid crossed the area with slow steps. “So, since we’re all reacquainted once again, why don’t we all

take a walk to that cave you found?”

Sophia seized his elbow. “What for?”

God, could she be any more obvious? It would be damn hard trying to fabricate the truth with her

around. Why the hell couldn’t she just remain silent? Of all the women he had to be stuck with, why did he

have to be trapped with the most vocal?

“I don’t see any incentive in this for me, Sid. Do you?”

Sid smirked. He stood a shotgun’s length away from Garret. Close enough to cause uneasiness and yet

just far enough away not to be within arm’s length.

With a quick movement, Sid seized Sophia’s wrist from where her hand rested on Garret’s forearm.

Sophia cried out in response. He cursed, knowing he should have anticipated the move. Sid and Garret

drew their guns simultaneously. A Mexican standoff. Sid’s forty-four anchored at the base of Sophia’s

skull, planted firmly against her skin, while Garret’s duel forty-five Colt’s aimed dead center between

Sid’s eyes.

“Are you seeing the advantage yet? I think we’ve been here before,” Sid joked.

“Several times,” Garret replied. “I’m hoping this will be the last.”

“Now, gentlemen,” someone remarked from behind them. Garret didn’t spare a glance, but he knew

the voice. “Why don’t we put the firearms away and remain civilized?”

“Papa!” Sophia attempted to extricate herself, but Sid held firm.

“Stay where you are, Sophia.” The judge moved in front of Garret several feet away, followed closely

by a massive piece of flesh with an eye patch. The man must stand seven feet tall. One-Eye glared at him

and crossed his arms across an enormous chest. “Ryder,” Judge Osbourne said and sighed, “I had really

hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

“But you just couldn’t control your greed?” Garret answered for him. “Not even for the sake of your

own flesh and blood.”

“My daughter is safe enough. Now, you, on the other hand...” The judge shrugged, leaving the rest of

his sentence to imagination. He gave a tight lipped smile. “As you can see, I’ve managed to procure better

help this time round, so I would be very careful of your next move.”

The bastard would kill him in front of Sophia. Of that he had no doubt. He didn’t give two stones for

Sophia’s welfare. Garret ground his jaw in frustration as he released his gun.

“Papa, what are you doing?” Sophia inserted. “Please, tell Sid to release us. Have you lost your

mind?”

“Stay out of this, Sophia.” Both Garret and the judge barked in unison at her.

Sophia stiffened. But she remained silent.

“Now be a gentleman and lead the way. I’d love to see what you found.” Judge Osbourne waved a

hand back in the direction he and Sophia had just come from.

Two of Sid’s cronies materialized next to him, relieved him of his weapons, and patted him down. If

the judge managed to get them into the cave it would make escaping much more difficult. He should take a

chance now, but he didn’t. Besides, Garret was more than a little curious to see exactly what they might

find.

~Chapter 13~

The narrow tunnel forced them to enter single-file. Garret was the first one through, of course, which

forced Sophia between Morgan and Sid. The moment she emerged, Morgan yanked her back against him

in order to keep the infuriated Garret in check.

Garret prowled silently before them, his gaze flickering between the two men. Tension coiled inside

the chamber, almost crackling with energy. Several of the men spread out inside the cavern, and the man

holding the torch disappeared around a bend.

The cavern plunged into darkness. Sophia squeezed Morgan’s arm. She hated the dark. This wasn’t

like the dark in her room at night. It was blacker. Infinitely more dangerous.

Dread skittered down her spine until the torchlight reappeared, sending the multitude of bugs and rats

scurrying for cover.

“Look at this, boss,” one of the henchmen called out. “There are three tunnels back here.” Their voices

carried inside the domelike cavern. Natural limestone pillars dotted the area, left behind as if the hand of

God had carved out this chamber.

“Well,” Sid said, “what are you waiting for? Let’s go see where they lead.”

Morgan urged her forward, and she fell into step behind Sid while her father took up the rear behind

Morgan. There were eight of them total. Light flickered off the rock walls at the intersection of tunnels,

and the darkness seemed to lurk just outside its boundaries like a hungry beast waiting to pounce. Sophia

shivered as the temperature dropped several degrees the farther they descended into the deepest pits of

hell.

One of the men broke open the shotgun, and the ting of the dropped gun shell echoed off the stone

walls in the silence. She noted the many pickaxes and tools many of the men carried. They’d come

prepared. Why did her father believe he would find this legendary treasure down here?

Their feet stirred up years of dust that clogged the narrow space. Sophia coughed into her hands and

attempted to cover her nose and mouth with her sleeve. Her eyes burned and filled with moisture. Yet,

each swallow left her more and more parched.

It seemed the deeper they headed, the less air they had to breathe. And sharing anything with these

rotten bastards irritated her. May the morons slip and fall.

Less than an hour later, the group drew up short. The tunnel ended abruptly. Light lingered on the cold

stone walls, and Sophia almost missed the rock ledge at eye level, where a tiny rusted bird cage sat. She

gasped. “It’s a birdcage,” she whispered to no one in particular and frowned. “Why is there a bird cage

down here? That makes absolutely no sense.”

“Actually, it does,” Garret answered, his silver gaze penetrating even through the semidarkness. “The

saying goes ‘if the canary is still singing, then we’re all right.’”

“What does that mean?”

Garret grinned as they milled about at the end of the tunnel. “Miners would bring a small canary with

them, and as long as the canary was still singing, they were safe. Since their lungs are so much smaller,

they react more quickly to the different gases trapped in these mines than humans do. So when a canary

suddenly dropped dead, they miners knew to clear out.”

She pursed her lips. “Poor birds.”

Garret chuckled again. “Would you rather the miners kick the bucket or the bird?”

Sophia didn’t answer despite seeing his logic. She just didn’t want to admit he was right. Sid ushered

them back the way they’d come, and silence fell during the trek back.

The second tunnel once again yielded a dead end, although it took several hours to traverse, whereas

the first one had been relatively short. They emerged back into the cavern as daylight poured through the

opening and reflected off the stream’s surface.

“Should we head down the last one, or do you think it’ll be more of the same?” Morgan asked as the

group milled inside the ring of sunlight.

Sid waved a second man forward, handing him the lamp. “Claude, head down the tunnel and see what

you find, then report back. We’ll set up camp here.”

Claude barreled between Morgan and Sophia, jostling her aside. Morgan’s hand slipped as she

stumbled. Catching her balance at the last moment, Sophia reached out with one hand, but the journal fell

out of her pocket onto the stone floor.

Sophia scrambled for it, but Morgan was quicker. He swiped it up and opened it.

“Give it back! It’s my journal!”

Morgan raised a single brow and held her away with a firm hand. “The only name I see is Father Raul

Alejandro Dominguez. Now how can it belong to both you and father Raul at the same time?”

Sophia swallowed. Her father waddled forward and snatched the book away. He scanned the

contents. “It’s Latin. I can’t read much, but even I can see it’s the same handwriting as what’s on the

map.” Her father pinned her with his gaze. “It’s a good thing we have my daughter here to translate for

us.”

Sophia snapped her jaw closed and crossed her arms. “I refuse to help with this Father. I will not be a

part of this nonsense. Whatever it is you’re looking for is bad news. We should go home. We can work

out our money issues.”

The sting of her father’s hand colliding with her cheek burned like fire, the force swinging her head to

one side. She gasped. Clutching a hand to her injured cheek, she slowly faced the man who’d raised her.

Astonished, she could only stare.

“Father...”

His jaw hardened. “I cannot afford any disobedience from you, Sophia. You will do as you’re told or

you will suffer the consequences.”

She lifted her chin and swallowed her tears. She refused to cry over her father when he’d thus far

shown little compassion for her. “And what exactly will that be, Papa? Will you beat me if I refuse?”

“I will do what is necessary.”

“Necessary?” A knot of anger and disbelief clogged her throat, preventing her from speaking with any

real force. The man before her was not her father. Whatever had happened to him over the last several

years, the man she had once loved was gone. She choked on a soft sob. “Why?” she whispered.

“You don’t understand. I have to find this treasure. There will be nothing to return to if I don’t find it.”

He reached out with both hands to grasp her upper arms, but disgusted, she shrugged him away. He

sighed. “Don’t you see? It’s for both of us. Now you must help me so we can return to the life we used to

have. I promise I will make this up to you. You’ll have whatever your little heart desires.”

“I don’t care about those things!” Her voice broke on that last word. I just want my father to love me

again.

He sighed and turned away. “You’ll thank me one day.”

“Never!”

He whirled to face her once again. “Sophia, you’ll translate this journal for us or you can watch as I

feed Garret’s entrails to the buzzards one-by-one.” He leaned closer, his bushy white eyebrows drawing

close over dark eyes. “Do you really want to be responsible for his death?”

Sophia placed a hand over her heart, hoping to quell the sound as it broke into pieces. How had her

father changed so much over the years? And how had she not been able to see it?

Sophia straightened her spine. Unbending. Unwilling to give in to force. “I’ll read this damn thing to

you, Father. And then I will find some way to put the whole lot of you in prison.” Sophia snatched the

journal from his hands.

~*~

“What else have you got hidden in there?” Sid sauntered up behind Sophia and dragged her against

him. She gasped. Garret ground his teeth together to keep his mouth shut. Helpless with his hands tied as

they were, there was little he could do. Sid laughed, letting his hands coast up Sophia’s sides while she

struggled against him.

“I’d keep your hands to yourself, if I were you, Sid.” Garret growled.

“Oh, yeah, why is that? Are you gonna slap me in irons again, lawman? Haven’t you realized you can’t

win yet?”

“Oh, I won’t slap you in irons. I’m not a man who makes the same mistake twice. But there won’t be a

next time, Sid. Not for you.”

Sid guffawed in an overdramatic laugh. “I don’t think you’re in any position to make threats, Ryder.”

“You’d better kill me, Sid, because before all this is over with, you and I are going to have a little

powwow, and only one of us is walking out.”

Sid deliberately baited him by clamping both palms over Sophia’s breasts and squeezing. Garret’s

fists clenched behind his back. One day, I’m going to squeeze the life out of Sid with my bare hands.

A click of a hammer broke the silence. Sid found himself staring into the barrel of a sawed-off shot

gun. One-Eye pinned Sid with a hard, silent stare. His empty gaze dared Sid to rebel.

“Last time I checked, Gerard. I run this gang.” The judge sauntered forward between Sid and Bob.

“This is my operation. And the next time you put your hands on my daughter, Bob here is going to remove

them. Aren’t you, Bob?”

Bob was such a simple name for this man. His bald head glistened under the meager light, and the

slope of his massive shoulders led to the meatiest hands Garret had ever seen. One dark, beady brown eye

narrowed next to the single black eye patch. Gargantuan grinned over the barrel of the gun, revealing two

missing front teeth. He would hate having to tackle One-Eye when the time came, but he’d do what was

necessary. For now, let them kill each other off. In fact, perhaps he could stir up more dissension in the

ranks.

Garret’s mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. “Everyone answers to somebody, Sid. Maybe someday

you’ll grow up and have your very own gang.”

Sid swung. Garret ducked and plowed a shoulder into his belly, propelling them both to the ground.

With a soft grunt, Sid flung him off, and Garret toppled to the stone floor. Shaking off dizziness as Sid

crawled toward him, he kicked out, his spur catching his opponent across the cheek. Sid howled with

rage.

Blood trickled between Sid’s fingers. But Bob stepped between them when he started to charge.

“Goddamnit! Get the hell out of the way! I’m going to kill that bastard once and for all.”

“Not today you’re not,” Judge Osbourne said.

“Why? We don’t need him.”

“Au Contraire,” the judge replied as he faced Sophia, “Garret is my insurance against my daughter. I

can’t kill my daughter, but I damn sure can kill her lover without an ounce of regret.”

Sophia cried out.

Garret struggled to his feet. Being the insurance policy for Sophia was perfectly acceptable for him,

because it afforded them time. Time is exactly what he needed to come up with a plan for escape. Once he

got Sophia somewhere safe, nothing would stop him from killing Sid. Nothing.

The rest of the men set up camp while Sid stomped off to sulk in a corner and nurse his injured cheek.

Sophia and Garret were placed away from the fire together. Close enough to talk to each other, but still

not close enough to touch. The worry and fear in her eyes drove him to distraction.

Garret had always left the heroics up to his brother, Gade. He was good at it. The last time Garret had

played the hero, he’d failed miserably...and he’d never tried again.

Blue eyes haunted him. His stomach roiled at the memory. Anyone who trusted Garret Ryder to get

them out of a dangerous situation was a fool. Including Sophia. But he couldn’t run away. He had no

choice but to try to save her life. For the alternative was unthinkable.

He glanced over at her as she perched atop an overlarge stone. Sophia stared up through the open

portal twenty feet above them. “How long have we been down here?”

Her question caught him off guard. He sighed. “I’m not sure. About a day, I guess.”

“I can see the stars coming out. It’s getting dark outside.”

Garret sighed. He wished he could hold her. Better yet, he’d love to get his hands around her fat

father’s neck and squeeze. The bastard didn’t deserve to have a daughter as wonderful as Sophia. Anger

churned inside his gut like slow moving molasses. He forced himself to unclench his fists as he met her

gaze. “We’re going to be all right, Sophie girl.”

He didn’t care if his whispered words found their way to the rest of the group several feet away. He

strained against the binds, but they wouldn’t give. Feeling like a trapped, raging bull, Garret had to calm

his rioting heart rate. He must remain calm in order to think. That was the only way they’d make it out of

this alive.

If anyone deserved a full, happy life, it was this compassionate woman next to him.

“I used to lie in the grass and watch the stars when I was young. Back in Eden.” His heart ached at the

sadness in her voice. “I loved it there. I used to pretend I could see my mother’s face in the stars because

my father used to say tell me she’d gone to heaven,” she continued softly. “I wonder what my life would

have been like had she lived. I imagine I wouldn’t be here for a certainty. She would have never allowed

my father to treat me thusly.”

“How did she die?”

“She got sick when I was three. She contracted Scarlet Fever and died by my next birthday. After her

death my father hired a nanny and I was kept in a separate wing of the hacienda. I don’t remember seeing

my father more than twice a week.”

“He never came to see you?”

“No, not often. Not often enough. I missed my mother so much in those first few years and grieving

alone was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I was too young to understand the pain and the anger I felt at

her loss, and there was no one to explain it me.”

Garret set his jaw. He took a deep, cleansing breath. “I’ll get you out of here. I promise.”

Her gaze softened. “For the first time I find myself doubting the good in people, Garret. I have always

believed there was good in everyone, but now...Perhaps I was just fooling myself. I’m glad you’re not

like these men. You’re so honorable and principled.”

He shook his head. “Don’t make me a damn martyr, Sophia. I’ve never been heroic and I’m not going

to start now. I’ve looked after myself for so long now. I’m not sure I would even know how to save

someone else.”

She leaned closer. “Just the fact you’re willing to try makes you heroic.”

A vision of another set of trusting eyes broke through his memories and blasted him with a white-hot

iron of pain. Another person who’d relied on him. Trusted him. Guilt chewed on his insides, and he

closed his eyes. “I can’t save you or anyone else, Sophia. Don’t you understand?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. The definition of a hero isn’t the man who saves the day, but instead,

it’s the man who sets aside his own fear for the sake of others. That’s what makes you a hero.”

A fist clenched around his heart as emotion welled inside him. Fear of failure clawed its way into his

throat. He wanted to reach out and caress her beautiful face. He wanted to be the hero she wanted him to

be. For once he wanted to believe in something good about himself. “Someone trusted me once. Long

ago,” he whispered. “Warren knew I was a fraud, and so did I. No thanks. Call me a lawman or call me a

bastard, but don’t call me a hero. The title doesn’t fit.”

~*~

Sophia clenched her jaw together. “Then how about coward. Does that title fit?”

Those sharp silver eyes swung back in her direction and pinned her there. The seconds eked by in an

agonizingly painful slow beat as they measured each other. Then he sighed and relaxed his shoulders, but

the move didn’t put her at ease. Instead, she studied him warily, uncertain of his next move, as if they

were facing off in a chess match. She knew whatever his next words were, they would be brutal, and she

braced for them.

He removed his hat. And for the first time since their capture, she could see his full features. He was

so handsome. Regal, like royalty. He didn’t belong out here in the dust and grime of Texas. He belonged

in a grand ball room back east. Not even his sweaty hair or smudged cheeks could remove the nobility

from his stature.

“I’m a failure, Sophia.”

The impact of those words hit her like a runaway train, and the breath left her chest in a whoosh.

What? Confusion raced through her, and she tried to make sense out of his words. She settled on being

blunt. “I don’t believe you, Garret. I just think you’re afraid of being more successful than you give

yourself credit for.”

“If only that were true,” he muttered more to himself as he ran an impatient hand through his hair and

replaced his hat, shadowing his face once more. “Warren hates me. Gade barely tolerates me, and my

father and I were barely on speaking terms when he passed on. I feel as if the world will implode on me if

I as much as move a single muscle. That the fragile peace in my family will burst into a thousand pieces,

and I’ll never be able to put them back together.”

“Whatever happened between you and your father...he knows you love him.”

“Does he?” Again, that penetrating stare made her squirm in her seat.

She closed her eyes briefly, as if she could block out his questioning stare. “I don’t know anymore. I

used to believe family would always be important, but...I’m so unsure of anything right now.” Emotion

clogged her throat. “I’ve always looked at the brighter side of life, but suddenly I can’t see a thing

because of the darkness.”

Garret slid over and settled at her feet before her. He propped his elbows onto both knees and reached

out a hesitant, bound hand. Funny, how such a strong man should be hesitant to do anything. A small smile

tugged at the corners of her mouth as she took pity on him and wrapped her hands in his, twining their

fingers together. The action fortified her belief that everything would be all right. Somehow it helped her

to see something inside him that he just couldn’t yet see.

“I see a man who’s done his best. I see a man who has never failed to return home to his family every

time they need him.” She leaned forward until she caught his gaze. “I very much see a hero somewhere

inside there. He’s just waiting on you to give him permission to show himself.”

“I don’t know how...” His voice cracked with emotion.

She squeezed his palm. “I believe in you.”

He lowered his head onto his arms. “I can’t bear another death on my conscience.”

“Whose death?”

He sat back, and the expression on his face almost crippled her. Agony ripped her heart out and

shattered it across the ground. What had happened to bring this man to his knees like this? His brow

creased, and anguish darkened his gaze. “Tell me, Garret,” she urged him.

“I came home to visit my family while I was still in the Calvary. Warren had just gotten married, and

they had just had my nephew Luke.” He sighed and clenched his jaw together tightly as he visibly fought

the emotion. “I brought one of my buddies with me because he didn’t have a family and he planned to stay

with us during the summer months. For once the Ryder house was full of cheer. It seemed as if the past

just vanished, as if my mother hadn’t left us and Gade’s mother hadn’t committed suicide. Luke and

Maggie had brought happiness to the Ryder house, and it was a breath of fresh air, like returning to the

surface after being submerged underwater until you couldn’t breathe anymore. We could breathe again.

All of us.”

He smiled sadly. “All of us except Gade. He was the only one missing that year.”

“Where was Gade?”

“He took off a few years after his mother’s funeral. We never saw him again until last year. I don’t

blame him. My father’s scandal tore the entire town apart.”

Sophia smiled softly. She remembered everyone whispering about their father’s affair with an Indian

woman. It had been a terrible time for Eden. The entire town seemed to split right down the middle, each

person choosing sides. People still talked about it even years after the scandal, before Sophia had finally

left Eden, Texas for good.

“What happened when you returned to Eden that year?”

He shook his head. “I really don’t know how it happened. Somehow Maggie started to fall for my

buddy Malcom. He was handsome, brilliant and charismatic. I guess any woman would fall for him. They

started an affair, but I swear I didn’t know.”

“How could you know?”

“I don’t know, but I never expected...” He leaned back against the rock, releasing her hands.

Bereft of the warmth of his hands, she lingered for a second, wishing now she hadn’t said anything.

She straightened her spine. Was he done explaining to her?

“Malcolm became enamored with her. He literally never took his eyes off Maggie, and suddenly a

new kind of tension entered the house. I think Warren suspected something, as I did, but I didn’t say a

damn word. I was a fool and a coward. What brother would keep silent about such a thing?” He gave a

short, bitter laugh. “It’s no wonder Warren hates me now.”

“Why should Warren hate you? You didn’t force his wife into that man’s bed.”

“He hates me because I shot and killed her.”

~Chapter 14~

Sophia gasped. What did he expect her to do after just admitting to killing his own sister-in-law? He

sighed even as disappointment raced through his veins like fire. “I know what you’re thinking and you

may be right—but events happened that I simply couldn’t control.”

She waited. Her gaze never left his face. He should be glad she waited for an explanation, but

inwardly he cringed, as if repeating the events of that day would crucify him all over again. He would

never forget Warren’s expression. Playing the hero had cost his family dearly, and he could never repair

the damage.

“Malcolm became obsessed, and it frightened Maggie. She came to me in secret and asked for advice.

I told her to end it with Malcolm and we would all pretend nothing had happened. I had planned to leave

in the next few days, taking that bastard with me, so that life could carry on as normal without us. But

something went wrong.”

Sophia reached out a soft hand and covered his knee. He cleared his throat and glanced away as his

vision blurred. “What happened, Garret?”

“Maggie told him it was over.” The scrape of boots across the rock echoed in the silence as the

seconds ticked by. Neither of them moved. Tension coiled between them and churned inside his belly like

a serpent. He swallowed heavily, tamping down a surge of uneasiness. “I was inside the house.”

“What did he do?”

Rage shook his entire body. His fists clenched and tightened. “I was upstairs when she screamed. And

I knew if he managed to get her outside the house and take her to another location, she was as good as

dead.”

“Did he know you were there?”

“No. My military training comes in handy every once in a while.” He gave a bitter chuckle. “I could

walk all over that house and he would never even have known I was there. Not that it did any good that

day.”

“Then what happened?”

Garret sighed, replaced his elbows on his knees, and fisted his hands. Memories thickened his voice.

“I had my six-shooter and stood at the top of the stairs. I had a perfect shot as that bastard dragged her

limp, unconscious body from the house and tossed her into the back of the wagon. But I hesitated. Years of

friendship got in the way, I guess. I wanted to take him in alive. Not dead. So I waited and followed him

discreetly to an abandoned line shack on the edge of our property. But Maggie had woken up by then.”

“What happened?”

He fell silent as memories assailed him. One right after another. Every second of that fatal day flashed

by in his mind like clockwork. Emotion choked him, and he could no longer swallow it down. “Malcolm

grabbed her by the hair as she leaped from the wagon trying to get away. He beat the shit out of her,

pummeling her until she could no longer stand. I knew I had to kill him.”

He released a long whoosh of air from his lungs. “I can shoot a dung beetle off a cow pie at a hundred

feet. My marksman training engaged. Years of honing such a useless skill finally came in handy, and I

lifted my rifle, sighting down the scope.” He glanced away from her. He couldn’t bear to see her face

when he said the words. “I shot Malcolm between the eyes. I’ve never missed a shot. Not once. And I

didn’t miss this time either.”

He swung back to gaze at her. Sophia sighed as she visibly relaxed. “So you saved Maggie?”

“No. I already told you. I killed them both with one shot.”

Her eyes widened to the size of a desert sun on a dawning day. Pain seized his heart in a solid fist and

squeezed. “She must have stood at some point.” He shook his head, fighting back the emotion. “I don’t

know, but when I reached her, the entire left side of her face was gone.” Garret buckled under the

pressure in his chest. He hung his head in shame. “I picked her up and carried her home. Every damn

step...a jarring reminder of my failure.”

Sophia collapsed onto the ground beside him and enveloped his neck with her arms. “How could you

have known, Garret? That was something you couldn’t control.”

“If only I’d missed...just once.” He buried his face in her neck, and when her arms squeezed him

closer, something broke inside him. He managed to keep the sobs at bay, but tears leaked from the corners

of his eyes to spill down his face, soaking into her tangled hair. He cursed his weakness, but damn if she

didn’t help ease the ache.

He held tight, closing his eyes, afraid to see any kind of accusation or disappointment in her gaze. Like

he’d seen in Warren’s.

Garret cradled her in his lap, and they rocked back until he could breathe again. Once the weakness

passed, he sucked in a lungful of air, but he couldn’t let her go. She felt as if she’d always belonged there

in his arms.

She sighed against his shoulder. It was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. He couldn’t fail this time,

he realized. Because this time he would lose someone he loved. This time every single move needed to

be calculated. There could be no mistakes.

Sophia eased back in his embrace, and their gazes met. “I quit the Calvary the next day. I didn’t care

that I was running away. My commander did everything he could to keep me from being called a deserter.

He swore I would return, but I never did. And I’ve never picked up a gun again, until last year when I

returned home to deal with Sid.”

His hands slid up to sandwich her face between them, even with his wrists bound. He would get her

out of here alive. One way or another. A slight lift of the corner of her mouth let him know she understood

what he was trying to convey. But it wasn’t enough for him.

He captured her lips. He kissed her deeply, eagerly, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Smothering

any resistance she might have made, his lifted his hands over her head, and she settled inside the

circumference of his arms. He wanted so much more from this woman than just her body. Her sweet

temperament soothed some raging, savage beast inside him that he could no longer control. And he needed

her.

She leaned back slightly and sighed. Her features softened as she caressed his cheeks with her thumbs.

Anguish ripped a piece of his heart off, and he bled before her. Somehow she had managed to wriggle

her way under his defenses and expose his most vulnerable secrets. Agony twisted inside him, and a

heavy ache permeated his insides.

Even in the gloom of the dim light, her eyes sparkled with some unnamed emotion and it triggered a

yearning inside him. Her hands clasped his bound wrists, her fingers danced across his hardened

knuckles. There must have been fire in her touch because his entire body leaped into flame. He couldn’t

swallow. He couldn’t breathe.

Garret’s lips returned to her mouth, but this time he was gentle. Soft, butterfly brushes of his lips

against hers and she opened to him. Beautifully. Under the glittering awning of the silver threaded cave,

Garret vowed Sophia would survive this and live a long, happy life. For once he wouldn’t play the hero.

He would be the hero.

~*~

Sid dropped a bag of tools next to Sophia as she read from the journal a little later. She jumped in

response and cleared her throat as he clumped around the camp like a sulking five-year-old. The rest of

the men ignored him, but as the minutes ticked by, she became increasingly aware of his animosity

directed toward Garret.

Good lord, such hatred. Garret ignored him. Or seemingly so. Sophia had a sneaking suspicion he was

all too aware of his surroundings.

Taking a deep breath, Sophia continued with her translation as Morgan and her father listened on until

the man named Claude reappeared. He materialized from the shadows and limped across the area,

clasping his arm to his chest. Her father rose. “Claude! What did you find, man?”

Claude collapsed into a heap at her father’s feet, and the rest of them came to his aid. “What

happened, man? Are you all right?” Morgan asked.

Claude revealed the bloody stump where his hand used to be. Sophia squealed and scooted back, her

hands covering her mouth.

“Jesus Christ!” Morgan exclaimed. “What the hell happened?”

“T-there’s a door...” Claude started. “T-Trap.” He gasped in pain. “There are traps everywhere.”

Garret rose to his feet. “What kind of traps?”

“Who the hell cares?” her father responded. “Do you know what this means? This is it! This is where

the treasure is.”

Sophia’s stomach rebelled at her father’s response. “The man has just lost his hand, and all you can

think about is the treasure?”

Her father glowered. “Someone bandage his hand and let’s get a move on.”

“He’s not going to make it unless we get him back to town,” Morgan said. “Perhaps I should take him

back.”

“I need you here, Morg,” Sid replied.

“Besides,” the judge inserted, “we need every available man. I can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

Morgan’s jaw tightened. Was he irritated at their lack of compassion? Could she and Garret possibly

have an ally should things go awry? Perhaps Morgan wasn’t as bloodthirsty and greedy as the rest of

them?

“At least let me get him back on a horse and headed toward town.”

The judge waved a hand with impatience. “Fine! Hurry up with it. You can catch up with the rest of us

when you’re done.”

“He’ll never make it,” Garret said. “for God’s sake at least bandage the man’s wound.”

“We have little time for such,” her father said and headed toward the rear of the cave.

Sophia snatched a section of her shift from beneath her dress and then rushed toward Morgan. Claude

hung heavily on his shoulder, barely conscious. “Here, take this. Wrap it as best you can before you place

him on the horse.”

Morgan ground his jaw resentfully as he stared after her father and Sid. He nodded, seized the piece of

cloth, and head back toward the entrance. Sophia rushed to catch up, unwilling to be left alone in the dark.

Light speared through the inky gloom an hour later. Quartz and threads of silver intertwined within the

seams of the rock to create crystal-like patterns. After a seemingly endless hike, Sophia’s feet began to

ache. She stumbled, catching herself with a hand on the wall.

“Sophia needs a break,” Garret insisted.

“No.” Sid prodded Garret in the back with the shotgun. “Keep moving or she can watch your body

parts fly in all directions. Comprende, lawman?”

Garret slowed his pace. Sophia assumed it was on purpose but no one objected. Seconds later, he

drew up short as the tunnel widened.

“Why the hell are you stopping, fancy man?” Sid asked.

Garret lifted his bound hands, holding the lantern high before him. “Look, there’s the door.”

Silence hung like a wool blanket as each of them peered through the darkness. A crude door carefully

fitted by a stone slab blocked the way. Three horizontal bands of metal were placed across the doorway,

sealed by weathered bolts.

“Then why the hell did you stop back here?” Sid asked, starting to prod Garret forward.

Garret stood firm. “Claude said there were traps, not trap, which means multiples. Do you really want

to keep walking and see how many more are left here? Then by all means, go right ahead.”

Sid paused. “All right then. What now?”

“Someone has to go first,” her father said from behind her. “Bob, get to the front. That’s what the hell

I’m paying you for.”

Sophia held her breath. Would he refuse?

Bob grunted and shuffled past her. The bald man didn’t even hesitate as he plowed through the crowd

and cleared the area in four strides. Nothing happened.

The rest of them came alive then, following in his wake. Approaching the sealed doorway, Garret

examined it. He brushed the grime off the middle band. “Sophia, what does this say?”

Sophia wiped an arm across her brow. Perspiration reformed and slid down her temples. Her hands

shook as she reached out a finger to translate each word. Scuffmarks marred the bands. “I can’t read

these, Garret.”

He frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, they’re not legible. It looks as if someone took something coarse and deliberately tried to

remove the markings.”

“I thought so, too.” Garret sighed. “Damn, now what?”

Sid laughed. “What’s the problem? We open the doors. That’s what the hell we do.”

Garret shook his head. “You’ve got to be the most idiotic person on the face of this earth. Who the hell

would open an ancient sealed shaft without knowing what the hell they’ve written as a warning first?”

“I don’t give a damn about the warnings. My trusty shotgun ensures there’s nothing inside that chamber

that I can’t handle. Now figure out a way to open the blasted door.”

“You’re so sure you can handle it, eh?” Garret took a step back. “All right, you go right ahead then. Be

my guest.”

~Chapter 15~

Sid fished through the contents of his bag. “Why the hell don’t we just blow it up?”

Garret examined the slab of stone and refrained from calling him an imbecile by biting his tongue.

“Because we’re inside a cave fifty feet below ground. Do you really want to set off explosives while

we’re down here?”

“So let’s just hightail it to the surface and then blow the shit up.”

“And risk burying my treasure beneath a hundred pounds of earth?” The judge sank onto an overstuffed

pillow one of his henchmen dragged out for him. He settled his cane against the rock wall and sighed.

“Don’t be an imbecile.”

At least, Garret wasn’t the only one thinking it. Kneeling, Garret returned to the task at hand. He

brushed the dust and grime from each band and eyed the corner hardware. “Bolts. At least an inch thick.

There’s no telling how thick this stone door is or even whether or not we can move it.”

“Don’t worry about moving it,” the judge said. “Just figure out a way to get inside it and I’ll get the

man power needed to open the blasted thing.”

Desperate bastard had no qualms about conning more men into this debacle. What the hell would he

do when he couldn’t find his treasure?

Sophia yawned as she knelt next to him. “Do you think we can get in?”

Garret faced her. “Yeah, I’m sure we can. The real question is do we want to?”

“Of course, we want to, Ryder,” the judge shouted from behind them.

Garret resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Why do you say that?” Sophia asked.

“Something made Father Raul and his men seal this door. Question is what was it?”

Sophia’s gaze widened, and he knew he’d spooked her. He’d hoped to put fear into the rest of them,

but as they milled about in casual abandon, he knew he’d been unsuccessful.

Too bad. He’d hoped to put in a grain of doubt so it would fester among the ranks. Standing to his full

height, Garret reached down to help Sophia rise. Her soft palms enveloped his hands, and the warmth of

her drew him closer. He hated the idea of her being forced to stay here. If only he could find a way to get

her out of danger.

He turned to the judge. “I’ll open this door if you let Sophia return to the surface.”

The old judge’s brow crinkled like folded paper when he frowned. “No. Sophia stays here with me.”

“You’re not even concerned about her safety?” Garret asked, his tone brutal and harsh. “Be a father

and let her go!”

Bob made his presence known as he came up next to the judge, his silent regard hard and unyielding.

Judge Osbourne waved Sophia next to him. “She’ll be just fine. I trust that a man like you who cares so

deeply for my daughter won’t allow anything to happen to her.”

Garret made a disgusted sound and faced Sophia. “It’s too damn bad you don’t care quite as deep for

her. Stand over there, Sophie girl. And stay back,” he directed in a soft tone.

She frowned. “Why? I want to stay here with you.”

“Because if the roof collapses, I want you ready to run to the surface. Understand?”

Her lips thinned in irritation, but she nodded.

He recaptured her hand and brought it to his lips. “Promise me, you’ll stay back? I won’t be able to

concentrate, and I need my wits.” His voice was thick with emotion.

For a moment she tipped her chin defiantly, then sighed. “I promise.”

“Aww, how sweet...” Sid interrupted, standing over Sophia’s shoulder. With a hyena-like laugh, he

made a mock sad face. Garret wanted to plow his fist into the man’s nose, but subdued the urge. They

separated, and Sophia meandered through the tunnel as far back as she could get. Satisfied that she

remained relatively safe, he hefted the pickaxe and went to work, chipping away at the hinges, loosening

the rock around the bolts.

The rhythmic clang of metal on stone echoed within the small chamber. Morgan rejoined them and

grabbed up a tool to lend a hand. Together, they hacked away, and fragments sprayed in all directions.

After an hour, the top band clattered to the ground. Sweat trickled down his temples in rivulets. He wiped

the moisture on his sleeve. Not even the rock against his back cooled his temperature. Sophia sidled up

next to him, handing him the canteen.

He drank deeply, then handed it back to her. “Thank you.”

She gave him a soft smile. Worry furrowed her brows, and he wished he could erase the look from her

beautiful features.

Dust shifted through the area,stinging his eyes. She reached inside her pocket and retrieved a clean

kerchief. Garret smiled his thanks as she mopped at his face with the delicate cotton.

Sid took his spot, hacking at the stone. Garret leaned back. Reaching between them, he clasped

Sophia’s hand and squeezed gently.

She coughed into her hands as the powdered rock filled the tunnel, clogging their throats. He seized

her mouth in a quick kiss before ushering her to the back of the cave. Tying his bandana around his nose,

Garret set back to work.

With three of them now working in a constant rotation, the other two bands finally followed the first.

The judge cheered from his comfortable position toward the rear of the tunnel with his daughter. The

bastard didn’t lift a finger to help.

With several pry bars, the three of them jammed the metal between the stones and dug in. The crunch

of stone on stone erupted. Seconds later the door toppled forward. It hit the ground with a plume of dust.

A myriad of coughing ensued as everyone rushed in search of clean air. The stench of mold and mildew

filled the space and stifled any form of breath.

“Jesus, what the hell is that smell?” Sid exclaimed.

“It’s a damn hundred-year-old tomb. What the hell did you expect?” Garret snapped.

As the cloud dissipated and years of aged particles settled over everyone like a film, it coated their

faces with an inch thick grime, making them appear ghostlike.

Silence descended. The only sounds were the scrap of boots on rock as they all shuffled closer to the

wide, gaping black hole. Fanning the particles of dirt from his face, Garret held the light high and stepped

next to the entrance.

A chill traced his spine, and he hesitated. Some sixth sense made him wary. Nervous excitement

filtered through the group as they crowded in behind him. He paused at the door and leaned in with the

lantern.

Light bloomed just inside the entrance.

“What is it? What the hell is in there?” Sid exclaimed pushing closer.

Garret swung the lamp in a half circle. “It looks like another room.”

Cautiously, he entered and stepped to the side. “Careful. If there are more traps we’ll know soon

enough.”

Sophia took one careful step forward and then another, until the others could enter with more light.

The six-by-five chamber held a single statue with no other way in or out.

Stone eyes peered down an imperial Spanish nose at them. It screamed danger, but the warning went

unheeded. Sculpted lines and the angled face seemed much harsher under the light. Its features were

forever molded in a stern expression, the only color gleamed from the single gold cross around the

soldier’s neck.

“Strange,” Garret whispered.

“What?” Sophia arched a delicate, dark brow.

Garret pointed to the statue. “The statue fairly resembles a Templar. See the shield? The cross in the

center was very distinctive.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Sid asked.

Garret scanned the room carefully. “By the time this chamber was sealed, the Templars had long been

disbanded for hundreds of years.” When Sophia made to step forward next to him, he clasped her wrist.

“Don’t move.”

“Why?”

Garret shook his head. “Just trust me,” he whispered to her. “Let someone else go first.”

Sid pushed Emmet forward into the room. Nothing moved. No one breathed. Sid chuckled and

sauntered inside, stopping next to his henchman. “I don’t think there are any traps here. Whatever Claude

found down here, it wasn’t a trap.”

Sid reached for the stone sword.

“Wait!” Sophia cried out. “I think I read something about a guardian statue in the journal. I wasn’t sure

what it meant, but now it makes sense.”

She fumbled inside her pack to retrieve the leather journal and flipped through the pages, pausing to

read several passages until she pointed to the page. “Here it is! It says: Do not be fooled by sleeping eyes.

The guardian sees all. Heaven’s gifts can only be found through his left hand.”

“Ah, hell, well that’s easy,” Sid chimed in. “Emmet, pick up the sword.”

Emmet lifted the sword.

“Wait!” Garret yelled, shoving Sophia behind him.

The grind of a massive gear sprung and a swoosh of air split the chamber. A single blade emerged

from the stone, slicing Emmet’s head from his shoulders. Glass shattered in the sudden silence as

Emmet’s hand relaxed and dropped the second lantern. The decapitated body part rolled to a stop before

them, just as the rest of the corpse collapsed in a heap.

~*~

“No traps, eh?” Garret muttered in the silence.

Sophia clapped a hand over her mouth and spun away from the gruesome sight. The ticking of gears

continued in the silence. Her breath burst in and out of her lungs as she struggled to calm her senses.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed.

“The journal said his left hand, jackass. The shield is carried by the left hand,” Garret said.

If this booby-trapped cave didn’t get them killed, Garret’s mouth would.

“Well, hell, he didn’t have to listen to me,” Sid shoved his hands inside his pockets.

Garret cautiously stepped closer to the statue, emitting a heavy sigh.

“Garret, let someone else do it,” Sophia whispered, a quiver entering her voice.

“And let the rest of these imbeciles get us all killed?” he murmured. “If you want something done

right...” He trailed off the last part of that sentence. Sid’s mistake could have cost them all their lives had

they moved farther inside the chamber.

She glanced away from the carnage, clasping her clammy hands together. Sophia’s heart stalled as

Garret reached the statue and lifted the shield. The clink and groan of mechanisms engaging echoed in the

tiny space before the statue moved forward. She cringed in response. Tension coiled within her belly,

threatening to spew her breakfast.

Air whined through the opening, and Garret shoved the statue farther out of the way. He counted to ten

before easing forward to see what lay beyond. Ducking beneath the opening, he stepped inside.

Sophia tensed, waiting for some response from him. He reappeared in the entry and grinned. “I think

it’s safe.” He clasped her palm and eased her inside before directing her to stand next to the doorway.

“You stay here. And don’t move a muscle until I’m certain.”

She nodded, too afraid to argue.

A deep chasm loomed less than ten feet away like a deep-sea monster waiting to swallow them whole.

Flanked by Garret and Morgan, Sophia shivered in the cooler temperature. The cavern’s ceiling rose over

them a good twenty feet. Her gaze traveled across the length, gasping at movement above her.

Garret seemed to sense her perusal. He leaned closer. “It’s just a few bats. Stay quiet and they won’t

bother you.”

Uneasy, she moved closer to his warmth. A cocoon of silence enveloped them as they familiarized

themselves with their new surroundings. Two rope lines snaked across the gorge, disappearing into the

darkness.

Garret disengaged from her and crossed the area to the edge. “A dangling platform. Ingenious.”

Sid and the others spread out. Clasping her arms around her waist, Sophia crossed to Garret. “What

do you mean?”

“These lines are secured to the rock by these iron pitons here.”

“What are the ropes for?”

He smiled. “Stand back...just in case.”

Taking a few steps away, she rubbed some warmth back into her limbs as Garret reached up to pull on

the ropes. “There is a series of block and tackle on each side...pulleys.”

As his voice faded, a large square platform emerged from the darkness, attached to one of the ropes. It

dangled above the gaping hole in the ground, and it was their only way across. Sophia backed away. The

drop appeared endless, so dark, even the light from their single lantern was swallowed by the shadows.

The semicircular space seemed to breathe. Or perhaps that was just her fear.

The eerie squeak of mechanisms and the grind of the pulley echoed. Small rivulets of cold sweat

streamed down her cheeks. There was no way she could cross this chasm, but they only had one lantern,

which meant someone would be left in the dark.

She closed her eyes. Oh, please, don’t make me cross this pit into hell.

The platform clunked against the rock as it finally rested on solid ground.

Light danced over the shimmering rock, igniting the sparkling specks embedded within the walls like

diamonds. Rock pinnacles and sheer spires of limestone climbed toward the ceiling, while matching stone

swords threatened them from above. Picking her way through the myriad of jagged terrain, Sophia

navigated back from whence she’d come.

Garret lifted the light and tried to peer through the darkness to little avail, she surmised, as he sighed.

“There’s only one way to do this. We either all cross at the same time or some of us will get left behind.”

His words chased chills down her spine. In the darkness. Those were the words he left unsaid, and

they haunted her. She refused to imagine the possibilities of either option. Out of sight, out of mind...

Shivering, she tucked her hands under her arms.

“Do you think that platform will hold everyone’s weight?” her father asked.

Garret shook his head. “I have no idea if it’ll hold one person’s weight. It’s a hundred-year-old rope.

There’s no telling how long it’ll hold anything.”

“Why don’t we just send you across, fancy man,” Sid inserted into the silence.

“Fine by me, but I’ll need the light to see what’s on the other side. Do you think you can handle the

dark, Sid?”

That brought Sid’s ever-present leer to a halt. The corner of his lip sank into a frown, but he didn’t

speak another word.

Her father nodded, making a decision. “Take the light and we’ll huddle here in the dark until you get

back.”

Sophia closed her eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to convince herself she would fine, but she

found herself easing over next to her father. He glanced at her, his bushy brows dipped low over his dark

eyes. He seemed to want to encourage her strength, and for a second, she remembered him from her

childhood, the doting father who’d brought her little trinkets home just to see her smile.

An ache settled inside her, and she turned away, unable to let him witness the pain of his betrayal.

Garret caught her gaze as he held the light a few feet from her. He nodded to the judge and gave her one

last intense look before whirling on his heel, headed for the platform.

She wanted to call out and make him stay. A vision of him hurling through the darkness to the pits of

hell assaulted her, and dread clamped a hand around her throat. She would never be able to endure

watching him fall. For the first time since returning to San Antonio, she clasped her hands together and

began to pray.

~Chapter 16~

Garret stepped onto the platform and took a deep, fortifying breath. He must be loco. Glancing down

inside the gorge, his stomach swirled with unease. He’d never been too fond of heights. He much

preferred to have his feet on solid ground. His brother, Gade, was the dare devil. Garret did what he

needed to get the job done, otherwise he didn’t waste his time.

And yet, he’d experienced nothing but daring stunts since this entire escapade started. He longed for

his quiet life back in New York City. He almost chuckled. Years ago as a young man, he’d yearned for

something more exciting than his little town of Eden, so he’d decided to live back east with his mother,

but truthfully, he’d never experienced this kind of excitement in the city.

In fact, his life had been pretty monotonous with his law firm and taking care of his mother. Although,

he loved the thrill of taking a new case, researching every possible angle, and then when justice

prevails...words just can’t explain the feeling he experienced. But he’d faced a different kind of thrill ever

since returning to Eden last year. Some part of his childhood past called out to him, a love of the land, the

people, and even the sheer wildness that lingered here. There was more that drew him now, he thought as

he glanced across the area. There was a strong lure to this incredibly vivacious woman. Sophia tempted

him in ways he’d never imagined. He loved her sultriness, but more than that, he loved her intelligence, as

well as her quiet optimism. A cynical man like him could use a little more hope in his life. Perhaps a life

in the city wasn’t really what he craved...perhaps what he really craved was closer than he’d first

imagined.

Garret wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed at this confession. Even in the silence of his own

mind, it gave him chills. The idea of returning to Texas hit him like a freight train. It made him squirm. It

made it difficult to breathe. It would mean coming to terms with his family. His brother. And his past.

Was he really ready to do all that? For a woman like Sophia?

She huddled in the waning light next to her father, and he decided that, yes, he would do that for

Sophia. And so much more. Sophia made him want to be a better man. A hero. Her hero.

And if he had to return to his past to enjoy his future with her...then so be it.

Garret grasped the rope and settled on the center of the platform in order to steady it. Perhaps fortune

would keep him from plunging over the side. The judge’s paid henchman, Bob, stepped up next to him and

gave a silent nod. Garret shrugged. He wasn’t going to argue with the man. Besides, who knew what lay

across the gorge? He may be able to utilize Bob’s...incredibly obvious talents.

“Let me know when you’re ready, Garret,” Morgan said from behind him.

Garret and Bob situated themselves, and Garret nodded. “Proceed.”

Sid chuckled from somewhere behind him. “I think the fancy man means he’s ready.”

Morgan pulled on the ropes above his head, and the platform skidded toward the edge of the cliff.

Garret held his breath. He must be crazy. His grip tightened painfully. They would know whether this

thing would hold them in about two seconds.

Another tug on the rope and the whine of the pulley split the air. A slide of rock particles trickled over

the edge as the scaffold lurched off the cliff. Garret’s heart took a plunge into his belly as it swung out

over midair.

The creak of aged fibers screamed in the vast expanse of open space. He took a quick glance behind

him just as the darkness swallowed Sophia whole. She’d clasped both hands over her mouth in fear. Just

a little longer, princess.

He shifted his attention forward once more. A gentle rocking motion as the makeshift landing glided

out into the open abyss caused Garret to hold his breath. He’d still seen no end to the ropes yet. Christ,

how much farther?

His arms trembled from the strength of his grip. The wooden planks creaked under his weight. Light

bloomed around them, but it shriveled the farther out the moved, as if it could no longer fight off the

darkness.

Bob shifted to the front of scaffold, leaving Garret to scramble and even out the weight. “Christ, don’t

move!”

Bob grunted in response. Had he even heard the man say two words since meeting him? He couldn’t

remember. Maybe he couldn’t speak? Gargantuan gripped the two ropes on either side of his head to

steady himself but didn’t say another word. It was just his luck to get stuck in midair with a mute, one-

eyed monster that would just as soon shove him over as look at him.

A glimmer in the darkness up ahead caused Garret to lean forward. “What the hell is that?”

Silence ticked the seconds by as they came closer, bit by bit. The end hovered just out of reach of the

light. Garret’s pulse pummeled through his veins, and he attempted to calm his breaths. There was no

room for panic.

Another minute revealed the opposite cliff, and Garret breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re almost there,”

he yelled across to the others.

“Good, I can feel the damn cockroaches crawling up my legs,” Sid yelled back. “Hurry the hell up!”

Garret rolled his eyes, because it was Morgan who was in control of their speed. But leave it to Sid to

blame that on Garret, too. “I could use a damn drink right about now,” he mumbled to no one in particular,

but Bob surprised him with a nod.

The darkness beyond the circle of light mocked them, reminding them of their precarious position.

“Hell, I could use several drinks right now.”

Four feet left to go and Garret still held his breath. He didn’t dare let it out yet. They weren’t on solid

ground yet. It seemed as if the last few feet took longer to cross, especially when they came to a

screeching halt.

“What the hell?” Garret slid across the wood planks, and only his clammy grip kept him on the

platform as they swung back and forth. “Why are we stopping?” Was that panic in his tone?

“Sorry, there’s a slight knot in the line. I didn’t want to go over it and have it snap without warning

you first,” Morgan announced from across the space. “I’m going to start slow, and it’ll be a bumpy ride

when we run into that knot, so hold on tight.”

“What else would I do?” Garret mumbled. On impulse, he eyed the rope above him and climbed to his

knees to make it easier to grab. He knew if the line snapped, he needed to grab one of the ropes attached

to the rock wall, not the rope attached to the platform. That wouldn’t do him any good.

They started off again, and the lantern light in his hand swung in response to the sudden movement. It

flickered off the cliff walls up ahead. The knot caught, and they swayed heavily until it cleared the through

the pulley. Two feet.

Another haul on the line and the makeshift landing cleared the edge of the rock cliff. It settled with a

scraping thud. Before Garret could catch a breath, air whizzed by him, and Bob grunted, stumbling into

him.

They collided, and Garret flew back, seizing the rope at the last minute. A tiny dart protruded from the

large man’s neck, and he toppled right over the cliff. Garret tried to re-steady himself and grab for One-

Eye, but things happened too fast. He missed the man’s shirt by mere seconds.

“Bob!” He gasped. His heart battered his ribcage and he closed his eyes.

“What happened?” Someone yelled.

What the hell had just happened? Garret shifted and turned back toward the darkness. “We lost Bob.

He fell off the cliff.”

Now he must face the next step alone, and terror settled deep inside his gut, churning, coiling like a

serpent from hell. He kneeled and swung the lamp in a semicircle around him. Nothing moved.

That glimmer in the far recesses taunted him, lured him. Glancing down, he noticed a trigger of some

kind. When the platform landed, it had set off a mechanism releasing the dart. Careful, not to hit it again or

shift the landing in anyway, Garret stepped off onto solid ground.

The cliff was nothing more than a deep crevice in the rock wall with an overhanging lip. Its U shape

curved deeply into the rock but led to a dead end. The glimmer he’d seen earlier came from a single knee-

high chest fronted by a large brass lock. It sat against the far wall. Isolated.

A long silence stretched as he recognized that he’d just found the treasure the Monks had so

painstakingly placed here. But why? What had frightened them so fiercely they would go to all this trouble

to make sure no one found it again?

Garret whirled and returned to the edge. “I have to figure out a way to deactivate this trigger, and then

we’ll funnel the rest of you across.”

He knelt next to the platform and examined the ground. It was a pressure plate. Garret slid the platform

to the side, and the copper plate shifted back to its original position. Ancient etchings glared up at him. He

would need Sophia to translate it.

He glanced around until he found a large dislodged stone, and kneeling low to avoid any shooting

darts, he set the rock onto the pressure plate. Nothing happened. It must have been a onetime mechanism.

Still, he’d rather be safe than sorry. Sliding the platform back into place, he set the lantern in the

center and began to wheel it back across to the others. “I’m sending the light back. Come two at a time.

The judge and Sophia should come first and then you and Morgan.”

“All right. Did you find somethin’?”

Garret ground his teeth together. “I’ll let you see for yourself.”

As he continued to pull on the lines, the area plunged into darkness. Creatures twittered in the dark,

and the distant chat of the others across the way came to him. It was time to make a move. The judge

would have his treasure, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before they decided to kill him and possibly

Sophia. He hadn’t thought of a way out of this yet, but whatever happened from here on out, it needed to

work in his favor. Their lives depended on it.

~*~

Light crept across the area in slow motion until it barely touched the tips of her toes, and Sophia

almost gasped in relief. She closed her eyes for a second knowing that once she opened them she would

scream. The critters skittered across the tops of her boots, and she’d even shaken a few off her arm. God,

please don’t let them be in my hair.

Unable to move for fear of breaking down in a panic, Sophia squeezed her father’s arm. He patted the

top of her hand in comfort. Her heart clenched in response. He still loved her, she knew it. Something was

driving him to do this, but she didn’t know what. Fear? Of what though? She knew he owed some people

money. Could that be why? She didn’t believe it was good old-fashioned greed. Her father had never

been a greedy man before now. No, something else forced him into desperate circumstances. She just

needed to find out what.

The warmth of the lantern drew closer, and she reopened her eyes. One more good haul on the ropes

and then it would be her turn to cross. Her stomach churned with anxiety.

Just as Morgan started to haul on the lines, an odd breeze filtered through the cavern, and the platform

swayed precariously.

“Shit! Grab the lantern!” Sid called out.

Sophia’s heart leaped into her throat as she dove forward. The lamp slid across the surface of the

planks and leaned heavily to the right side.

“Christ, Morgan! Pull on the damn ropes!” Sid’s voiced echoed off the rock walls, mocking them.

Morgan heaved with all his strength, and the scaffold tilted more. Sophia knew it was going to fall.

Reaching for Morgan’s rifle, she lay flat on her stomach and reached out just as the lantern tipped over the

edge. The handle looped the rifle but slid down as her arms adjusted to the new weight. She squealed as

her arms shook. Sid clamped down on her legs and yanked her backward. They all sighed in relief as she

settled the lamp onto solid ground. She rested her forehead against the gritty ground and started to shake.

Her clammy hands clasped the rifle handle with an iron grip.

“Christ!” Sid placed a hand over his chest as he sat back on his haunches. “That was too damn close.”

The reprieve was temporary as her gaze settled on the weapon in her hands. She lifted the gleaming

iron barrel in Sid’s direction, but Sid seized it before she could get a finger on the trigger. “No!” She held

tight with a white-knuckled grip, not letting go.

“Don’t get too friendly with that trigger yet, darlin’,” Sid said, dragging her to her feet.

Sophia held tight and bared her teeth in a hiss. She strained to hold on, but her moist palms slipped.

She cried out in anger.

With a growl, Sid slapped her across the cheek. She gasped, clapping a hand over her stinging cheek

as she toppled to the ground. Her father moved to defend her, but Sid leveled the rifle in his direction. “I

would be very careful, Osbourne.”

“I run this operation, Sid, or have you forgotten?”

Sid leered at them. “Oh, I understand a lot more than you think I do.”

“Everything all right over there?” Garret’s voice drifted across the chasm.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Sid answered. “You’ve got a little spitfire here, Ryder.”

Sophia glared at Sid. She was no longer afraid of him, she realized. He planned to kill them anyway.

She might as well make him do it before he got what he wanted. Her own little silent defiance.

“Sophia! Are you all right?” Gade yelled.

Sophia responded to the sudden panic in his tone. “Yes, I’m fine. We’re coming across.” She knew

whatever rescue there was for them lay across that rift with Garret. Unafraid and determined to see an end

to this, she plowed by Sid and sat on the platform. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

Her father didn’t move. “If you ever lay a hand on my daughter again—”

Sid howled with his hyena-like laugh. “You’ll do what, Judge? If you haven’t noticed, your only

protection just fell off the cliff. Without your precious Bob around, the rules have changed. In fact, let’s

get something clear here: I’m in charge now, and we’re going over there to get that treasure, but it isn’t

going home with you. Comprende’?”

~Chapter 17~

Seated next to Sid as they swung out over midair, she clung to the rope. Her eyes squeezed closed.

Plans had been changed. Sid would cross with her to ensure Garret’s continued compliance, and her

father would cross with Morgan to ensure her continued compliance. The pulley squeaked and the planks

protested their weight, and her eyes popped open. Would it hold two people?

Sid laughed and whispered next to her ear, “Hang on tight, sunshine.”

She hated him in that moment and refused to cling to him, which is what he’d indicated. She crawled

onto the landing and held tight, too afraid of toppling over through the darkness. But anything was better

than clinging to Sid with his obnoxious laugh. She prayed in Spanish, her soft words lingering in the

stillness.

The moment they landed, Garret started for her, but Sid’s shotgun made him pause. Garret’s teeth

gnashed together. “At least let me make sure she’s safe.”

“You can see that from standing right there, amigo.”

She swallowed as Garret’s gaze roved across her form, settling on her face. The pain in his eyes

carved a huge chunk out of her heart. He felt as if he’d failed again. And she couldn’t tell him otherwise.

Not even with her silent perusal, because he would refuse to see that their choices had been taken away

long ago.

Sid wrenched her back against his torso and ordered Garret back to the pulley. Hours later, they all

converged on the lip of the cliff. “Bring the chest to the platform, Garret.”

Garret stiffened. A vein of icy determination entered his hardened gaze. He was going to defy the

devil. Garret, don’t play the martyr...not now. She shook her head. Please, just stay alive. Don’t make

me watch you die...

“What are you going to do with us?” It wasn’t a plea. But a question.

Sid wrapped his hand firmly in Sophia’s hair to keep her still. Pain streaked through her scalp. She

winced, but didn’t move.

“Well, first you’re going to load that container onto the platform, and if you don’t, then I’m going to

blow a hole the size of Texas in her pretty little head.” Sid yanked on her hair until she gasped. “And then

we’ll discuss the rest.”

Garret hesitated, but then he whirled, heading for the isolated strongbox at the back of the cave.

Morgan followed him, and together, the two of them knelt to lift the crate of silver. They plunked it down

in the center of the scaffold. Morgan waited there as Garret backed away. Sid yanked on Sophia’s hair

and dragged her across the ledge to the platform. Their boots clunked heavily across the wood. She

trembled against the rough hands and clenched her jaw against the rage threatening to erupt from her

throat.

Garret curled and uncurled his fists. Anger radiated in waves from his posture. His eyes promised a

slow, painful death, but Sid didn’t heed the warning. “When we reach the other side, we’ll be sure to cut

the rope to the platform, Ryder. And even if you could cross by hand by yourself, you’d never have time

to get out before the explosives go off at the entrance to the cave. I’ll be sure to send word to your

brothers about your death. I’m certain Warren might be overjoyed by it.”

“No!” She jabbed an elbow into Sid’s ribs and reached for Garret. Sid yanked her back against his

hard chest. Her scalp screamed from the abuse but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t leave both Garret and

her father here to die!

Morgan hauled on the ropes above their heads, wheeling the scaffold away from the ledge. She sobbed

and struggled against his hold. Less than two feet out, Sid suddenly pushed her forward, and she shrieked

as she plummeted.

Garret lunged forward and seized her hand as she dangled over the chasm. Tears poured from eyes,

blurring her vision. “I don’t want to die! Don’t let me go!”

Garret held tight to her hand. “Give me your other hand, princess. You’re not dying today.”

Her cries echoed off the rock walls as the light grew dimmer. She reached up just as Garret’s grip

slipped. Sophia’s heart roared. Sheer terror threaded through every muscle and nerve inside her body.

Her gasps resonated inside the vast open space and ricocheted back to mock her.

He caught her other hand, and then both her father and Garret hauled her up. She gasped at the

wrenching pain in her shoulders, though relief exploded from her in a whoosh once she was safe.

Garret’s arms wrapped her up, pulling her away from the edge. She sighed and released the pent-up

emotion that had roiled inside her since this had begun. Sobs wracked her entire body as she trembled.

His arms clamped around her. Their lips met in a furiously passionate kiss. Sophia’s hand sank into his

thick hair, and she whispered against his lips, “I was so frightened.”

“You’re safe now,” he murmured back, recapturing her mouth. He cradled her cheeks and kissed her

forehead. “I’m here now.”

“Please, just hold me.”

He chuckled. “That’s the plan, princess. I don’t plan to ever let you go again.”

Her arms squeezed his neck so hard, she feared he wouldn’t be able to breathe, but she couldn’t let

him go yet. Not yet. She needed his strength. They watched together as Sid and Morgan continued to cross

without them. Garret and her father flanked her on both sides as they knelt far from the cliff’s edge,

beaten, and desolate. She couldn’t stop crying despite not making a sound. Bound without a single rope,

they were well and truly trapped.

Garret sighed and rested his forehead against hers. They stared at each other as the last ring of light

faded from view. “I love you, Sophia,” he whispered just as they were plunged into the darkness together.

~*~

“This can’t be good.” Gade knelt next to the stirred prints in the dirt. An ominous steady breeze

whispered in his ear. Leaves rustled like the silt of sand, and despite the sensation of a brewing storm,

there wasn’t a cloud in sight.

“What is it?” Texas Ranger Rio Ramirez placed a hand over the fire pit.

“A feeling.”

The dark Mexican-American knelt, studying the pit. His over-long hair tied in a queue, the ends

trickled over one shoulder and blew in the soft breeze. Rio nodded toward the pit. “It’s long grown cold,

but it’s a few days old at the most.”

He had figured as much. He hadn’t expected to find Garret, but something didn’t sit right.

Gade had run into Rio in San Antonio, luckily. They’d been old friends from his bounty hunting days,

and he felt more reassured now that someone accompanied him. He didn’t know what he was getting into,

and if anything happened, he needed someone to report back to his wife. It’d taken a whole lot of talking

to convince Blaze to stay put, but if she didn’t hear back from him soon, he expected she’d conduct her

own little search, pregnant or not. He couldn’t let that happen. He needed to keep her relaxed and focused

on the baby. Not him.

It was too bad Warren didn’t give a damn about his own brother. Or anyone else for that matter.

Gade had learned about Sid’s exciting escape as soon as he arrived in San Antonio. The whole town

was still jawin’ about it. He’d also learned of the judge’s disappearance shortly after his daughter’s

kidnapping. Something seemed fishy about the whole thing, though he didn’t have evidence of any kind to

justify the feeling. Only a gut instinct that screamed at him something had gone horribly wrong.

And time was ticking. The longer Garret was out here alone with Sid, the less chance he had of finding

him. Alive, at least.

They’d followed the tracks to Boerne and learned about the gunfight. It hadn’t taken Gade long to pick

up his brother’s tracks. Which led him here to an empty, fully equipped campsite. Everything was still

intact: the tripod with a coffeepot, the line shack with Garret’s saddlebags and his clothes, all still inside.

There was evidence of recent activity everywhere. But no Garret and Sophia. And no Sid.

Gade rose to his full height. “There are more prints here than just Garret’s.” He pointed to the edge of

the clearing. “A set here. Three here in the center. Garret must have caught up to Sid.” Gade continued to

study the camp, worry for his brother twisting inside his gut. He couldn’t lose Garret; they’d just grown

close again over the last year. “Or, God forbid...Sid had caught up to him.”

Rio pulled out a cigarillo and lit it. The Texas Ranger blew out a long stream of smoke. “What the hell

are they doing out here in the middle of nowhere? If Sid were trying to escape, why the hell didn’t he run

south toward the border? It doesn’t make sense.”

It didn’t. Gade could only surmise that Sid wasn’t looking to escape. But what the hell was he looking

for then? If Garret had caught Sid here, why would he have taken on the entire group alone? He grimaced

and tugged down the brim of his hat. “The information isn’t adding up. We’ve missed something.” But

what?

Orange light sketched a scene across the late afternoon sky as the sun descended into dusk. He stared

out into the surrounding brush, serenaded by the chorus of frogs. His gaze narrowed as he spotted a barely

discernible break in the trees. He strode across the area and picked up the set of tracks immediately.

“Over here, Rio!”

Gade followed the tracks without waiting to see if Rio was behind him. A steady clod of horse’s

hooves on the dry, packed earth rumbled through the air behind them. Gade withdrew his pistols and

cocked them, just as a horse broke through the nearby foliage. Gade jerked back in response and cursed.

“Damn, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Warren didn’t smile or offer a greeting, but damn if it didn’t send a thrill through him to see his

brother had changed his mind.

Gade waltzed over to the mare and patted her nose. “Warren.”

“Gade.”

“Glad you came.”

A grunt was his only response. Warren dismounted and tied up the little mare. “Don’t be too glad. I

found another campsite not far from here with at least five horses and a wagon. That’s a lot of firepower.”

“What’s the wagon for?” Gade frowned.

Warren shook his head. “All the supplies or whatever it carried has been cleaned out. They’re on the

move by foot. I suggest we find them, because whatever they’re looking for can’t be far.”

“Which means Garret’s time is running out.”

Warren nodded, but offered no other words. The three of them packed as many of the supplies as they

could carry and headed out to follow the fading path of the group. Wind and time had already brushed

away many of the prints, but there was just enough left for an experienced tracker like Gade to follow.

Shadows stretched along the edge of the pathway, darkening into shifting crevices and weaving like the

beckoning call of evil. It whispered of promises made, temptations provided, and the fulfillment received

should one enter the darkness.

He searched the surrounding shrubs, listening to the night’s luring song. He picked his way through the

precarious path. Only the rustle of leaves from the men behind him broke the silence, along with the

occasional hoot of an owl.

Gade led the way and were he not concentrating so hard on the path they followed, he might have

missed it. He drew up short. The toe of a boot barely protruded from the thick shrubbery. Nearing, Gade

separated the limbs of the creosote bush. A man’s body lay on his side. Gade worked his way closer and

checked the man’s pulse. “He’s dead.”

“How did he die?” Rio asked.

Gade loosened the bloody cloth from around the stump cut off just below the elbow. “Looks like he

bled to death.” Gade fingered the dismembered arm. “His arm was cut clean off.”

“And they just left him to die?”

“Appears so. I think the real question is what the hell cut his arm off so cleanly?” Silence followed

Gade’s words.

Minutes later voices echoed from within the brush, followed by a high-pitched laugh. Sid. Gade

would never forget that laugh. It still haunted him.

He made a hand signal, and the three of them scattered inside the brush. Gade ducked further into the

mesquite trees and prickly brush, ignoring the sting of sharp limbs.

“Did you see the look on Garret’s face?” Sid plowed through the foliage into the clearing less than

two feet away, hefting something large. “The bastard never even saw that coming.”

Morgan Gerard followed him, carrying a locked chest. He dropped his side of the load and seized

Sid’s shirt collar. “Neither did I. We’re brothers, and I’ve tolerated your bullshit escapades for years

now, Sid. You said we planned to find this treasure and steal it. You didn’t say anything about killing

anyone!”

Sid lost his grin. “What? You got a weak stomach? You think we can let them live and get away with

stealing all this silver? Don’t be a fool. You should have known from the beginning that they would all

have to die.”

“Damnit, Sid! No one else was supposed to die!”

“Why do you give a shit about a Ryder boy anyway?”

“I don’t, but Sophia changes the rules. She grew up with us. Her death wasn’t part of the deal.”

Morgan whirled and headed back the way they’d come from. “I’m going back to get her.”

A crack split the air, and silence descended like a smothering cloak from the fires of hell. “The hell

you are,” Sid whispered in the quiet as he returned his Remington army-style revolver to its holster.

Morgan Gerard toppled to the ground. Sid crossed to his brother and leaned over him. “I’ve come too

far to let anything ruin it. Even you, brother.” A gurgle of sound erupted as Morgan attempted to talk. Sid

smiled down, and Gade’s chest squeezed at the obvious betrayal. Sid didn’t give a shit about anyone. Not

even his own flesh and blood.

“Now, I’ve got to set these explosives so Ryder can’t get out. Please excuse me, brother. I’d love to

stay and chat, but I’ve got to get the wagon to load this silver. Maybe if I’m feeling generous when I get

back, I’ll load you up, too.”

“You go right ahead and set those explosives, boy.” Another voice carried through the area. A

well-dressed man in a grey suite and derby hat broke through the cluster of cottonwoods. He was backed

by an entire entourage, packing more firepower than Gade had seen in a long time. A sinking feeling

dropped inside his gut like an anchor in shallow waters.

They could have easily overcome Sid alone. But with this many guns, it was impossible.

The man lit a pipe and directed his men with a nod of his head. “We’ll load the silver while we wait

for you to finish. And then we’ll decide what to do with you, my friend.”

~*~

Warren crept closer to Gade within the brush and gave a slight nod. They had to make it to the shelter

of the cave and rescue Garret before those explosives were set. His stomach tightened as the stakes were

raised to unbearable heights. He must find Garret. And quickly.

Rio disappeared into the cave, as silent as a cat, with little more than a whisper of movement. There

was an apparent lack of vegetation between himself and the entrance. He would have to wait and pray for

a chance to enter without detection. He held his breath. Inside his cocoon of surrounding woods, shadows,

and trees, he hovered, creeping closer to this target. The scent of rotting wood and the stench of mold

filled his lungs, cutting off all fresh air. Twisted vines, groups of juniper, scrub oaks, and prickly pear

bushes completely roofed over his hiding spot.

The group of men filtered out around the area, checking the brush and securing the area. Panic almost

set in as he realized how close to discovery they were. Warren shoved past him and dove toward the cave

entrance, disappearing within. Gade waited for the alarm. Nothing sounded.

His heart pounded. He cursed his wife. Before he’d met her he would have taken that leap without a

care in the world, and now... He couldn’t get caught. He had entirely too much to live for now.

He closed his eyes and prayed to God, asking him to take care of his beautiful family should he fail.

Then Gade held his breath, and without even opening his eyes, he performed a flying roll, skidding to a

halt just inside the cave. Warren clasped his hand and wordlessly lifted him to his feet. They headed

down the mineshaft. Once they were clear of the entrance, Rio worked on getting them some light from his

pack.

“Who do you think those men were?” Warren asked.

“I don’t know. But we probably won’t get any answers until we find Garret, because none of this

makes sense.”

Minutes later they were on the hunt, following the recent dirt markings across the ground. They

disappeared into the rock wall. A long, dead carcass in a monk’s robes lay sprawled in the middle of the

path. The tracks around it just disappeared.

The Texas Ranger knelt and studied the crevice. “It’s a tunnel,” he whispered.

Gade nodded. “After you.”

They made quick work of the tunnel and entered into a domelike cavern. “Damn!” Gade cursed. “Now

where to? We don’t have time for this or else we’ll all be trapped in here.”

“Just calm down and spread out,” Rio said.

Pressing his lips together, Gade searched the farthest corner and came back with nothing. Not even any

prints. He swept his hat off and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Time was running out.

Light sputtered from the dual lanterns they carried. Pools of darkness slid across the stone walls,

weaving like a sultry lover. Warren bent and studied the ground carefully as Gade crossed to him. “What

is it?”

Light splashed across the ground, revealing what looked to be a makeshift campsite and the remains of

uneaten food, crawling with a layer of critters who were enjoying their free meal.

“They grouped here.” Warren pointed to the multiple tracks. “There’s a fire over there and signs of

blood trailing to the rear of the cave.”

Red dots dotted the dusty limestone ground like fingerprints. The two followed the trail as the spots

grew larger, forming small pools.

“The man we found outside?” Gade asked.

“I hope so.” Warren stood with a scrape of his boots and dusted off his hands.

Gade hoped so, too. Otherwise, it would mean someone else was injured. Perhaps, Garret.

Everyone tensed. Gade’s gaze tried to pierce the darkness.

“Yeah, they came this way,” Rio called out.

Gade raced to the rear of the cave to catch up and drew up short. Three tunnels. Three choices. One

chance to get it right.

~Chapter 18~

Garret herded Sophia and her father back where there wouldn’t be a risk of one of them falling off.

The three of them huddled together against the cold within the inky blackness. It would have been right

cozy had the circumstances been a little different, but instead, the silence, the sound of their breaths, and

the utter defeat that had taken over the group made comfort impossible.

Sophia shivered as a lump lodged in her throat. Garret rubbed her arms, and she settled her nose into

the crook of his neck. To have come so close to happiness and then have it taken from her so easily.

Emptiness settled hollowly inside her as she sighed. So close.

She felt listless, as if she just couldn’t get up again.

“We’ll be all right,” Garret kept saying those words over and over again, but there was no conviction

in them.

She closed her eyes, wishing she could believe him, but when she reopened her gaze, only darkness

greeted her. Her lips quivered, but she swallowed the sounds. She didn’t want her father or Garret to hear

her submission to the inevitable. She couldn’t hold back the sniffle though, and her heart ached at her

admission. Even Garret’s arms around her couldn’t assuage the near pain-like heaviness inside her chest.

There was nothing left to do but wait...wait for someone to rescue them. Or wait to die. Hope had

diminished as surely as the light had. And then her face simply collapsed into her hands as the tears ran

freely.

“I’m so sorry,” Garret whispered as he kissed her brow. “I failed. I just don’t know how to be a

hero.”

Those words made her cry all the harder because she knew he’d tried so hard, so desperately to do the

right thing. The odds had just been stacked against them. They’d never anticipated that Sid would leave

them here on this sliver of rock.

Her father’s hand crept over and clasped her other hand. She sucked in a breath at the contact. Hope

surfaced inside her chest once more. She loved her father. He’d been her only champion for years, and

she couldn’t forget the many good times they had, despite being overshadowed by the bad. He still loved

her. At least she just wanted to believe so. She hadn’t felt the touch of her father’s hand in many, many

years. She leaned against his shoulder. In the end, he was still her father, the man who’d raised her,

danced with her, wiped her tears when she’d fallen down, and she could never forget that. She realized

that she’d already forgiven him.

“It’s my fault you’re here, Sophia.” Her father’s voice cracked on her name.

She couldn’t argue with that. But she squeezed his hand.

“I forgot what was important after your mother passed...and I was wrong.” His gruff tone seemed to

echo through the cavern.

She remembered the love he’d had for her mother. “I miss her,” she said.

“I do, too. She should have been here, not me. She was always the better parent between the two of us

and she loved you fiercely.”

“Listen.” Garret straightened. “Do you hear that?”

“What is it?” She strained to hear anything, but the thunder of her own heart drowned out all other

sounds. “I can’t hear anything.”

She imagined all forms of deadly sounds. Cold chills crawled up her spine until she clutched Garret’s

arm in a death grip. The barest hint of light bloomed across the chasm. Garret stood, though he continued

to hold her hand. And then she heard it. Someone called Garret’s name.

“We’re over here, across the chasm!”

Her heart soared into her throat. “Please tell me you know the voice?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s my brother, Gade!”

His excitement carried over to her, and she settled a hand over her chest hoping to quell the pounding

beats. Was it true? Had someone found them?

Eyes wide, she prayed silently as the light spread, growing larger by the second.

Long minutes later, Gade Ryder appeared on the platform in the middle of the chasm. “Need a lift?”

Relief exploded from her chest in a long, expelled breath.

Garret laughed and whooped. “I knew you’d find us!”

“I couldn’t leave my baby brother to have all the fun without me now, could I?”

Gade landed, and the two came together like a surging storm, clapping each other on the backs with

real affection and relief. Her gaze watered briefly as she smiled. But Gade halted the introductions

quickly. “We have no time. There’s a large group of men outside and they’re setting explosives to blow

the entrance. Now, we can’t risk the time hauling us over two at a time, so we need to take a risk and try

to get all of us across at once.”

“Do you trust it to hold?” Garret asked.

Gade shook his head. “No, but we have no choice. It’s leave now or be trapped in this godforsaken

underground hell forever. Sid cut the platform rope so Warren, Rio, and I rigged it with a new one—”

“Warren is here?” Garret seized Gade’s arm in a vise.

“Yeah. Now let’s get over to the other side or there won’t be any family reunions. I only hope the

newer ropes and knots will hold better. And pray to God that rotted wood doesn’t collapse in mid-haul.

Now crawl on, find a handhold.”

“How long do you think we have before the explosives are set?”

Gade returned his brother’s stare, his silver gaze hardened. “Minutes...”

Garret wasted no time ushering her on board, settling beside her. He kissed her hand, then her lips. “I

love you, Sophia, and as soon as we make it back to San Antonio, we’re getting married.”

She sighed, not even annoyed that he didn’t give her an option in that sentence. Instead, those words

fortified her reserve to make it out so she could start her new life with the man she loved. Nothing would

stop them. She squeezed his hand in response. “Then get on with it, fancy man.”

He grinned as her father climbed on board.

The judge was visibly shaken as he sat close to her. His pale face nearly glowed under the light, and

beads of sweat pearled on his upper lip and forehead. “W-We can’t go out there...” he whispered as he

started to rock.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “We can’t stay in here!”

Her father began to shake his head. “They’ll kill us, you, me...everyone.”

“Who will?”

Gade stepped on to the planks and tugged on the ropes. The scaffold scraped across the ground, then

dropped to its hanging position over the chasm. Everyone held their breath, waiting on the sudden descent.

The platform swung over midair before steadying into a gentle rocking motion as they all stilled.

They eased out until there was no way to reach the edge of the cliff should it fall. No one breathed or

moved. A flock of bats stirred and swirled above them, and somehow Sophia managed to keep the scream

from escaping. She closed her eyes as tremors took over and her teeth chattered. Her knuckles grew white

from her grip. Dizziness assailed her and she grew lightheaded.

A whirring sensation overcame her as if the world were shifting, falling. Her eyes shot open as the

platform rocked heavily from side-to-side. A steady breeze stirred inside the gulch. It tossed the scaffold

back and forth, leaving the rest of them scrambling for hand holds on the ropes. Sophia squealed as her

grip slipped. Garret reached out and seized her by the waist to keep her steady.

“Hurry up, Warren!” Gade yelled. “Get me the hell off this thing!”

They moved again, and again, until finally they drew close to the edge. As they landed, Garret

captured her wrist, and together, the group of them, raced for the cavern. Every second was critical.

“This way!” Gade called out and led the way.

Within minutes they found the tunnels leading to the main mineshaft, but they proved difficult for her

father to traverse due to his girth. He sucked in air and wheezed with exhaustion. “Come on, Father. Just a

little more. We’re almost there.”

It was slow going, and she could hear Gade cursing. No one knew how much more time they had.

Garret entered after her father and pushed him forward, then he would reach back and haul her next to

him. Pain screamed in her knees as they scraped against rock. Her hands burned from tiny cuts, but none

of that mattered. Freedom beckoned on the horizon. She didn’t even care what lay outside the entrance to

this cave. They could deal with whatever they might find, but first, they had to get there.

Gade muttered curses and words of encouragement to her father until they reached the exit of the

crevice. But he couldn’t crawl free; instead, his body was stuck with his torso hanging through and his

legs scrambling to push himself out.

Garret heaved against her father’s backside, cursing, sweating. Anxiously, Sophia chewed her lip,

wishing she were able to help, but the area was simply too small. After numerous grunts and shoves her

father popped free, and Garret scrambled out. He reached back in and dragged her free of the opening, her

feet sliding across the rock floor.

Warren and the other man that had joined them scuttled out next. The group raced for the entrance, no

longer caring what they faced outside. They spotted the explosives as they ran past and rammed through

the wall of brush at a dead run.

The explosion propelled Sophia through the air as a wall of flame chased their every step. Heat

blasted her, scorching her skin, crawling through her scalp as she screamed. She landed and skidded to a

stop on her belly.

A second belch of flame burst, and the vines caught fire. From the mouth of the mineshaft fire spread

over the area quickly, spouting like a wildfire across the plains.

A rainfall of rocks and debris trickled over them as Sophia coughed to catch her breath. Then Garret’s

hand seized her, roughly rolling her over and over. Realization that her skirts had caught fire dawned on

her. And then he was there in her arms, kissing her face, her lips. His dirt-darkened features hovered over

her as he whispered incoherent words against her forehead.

His arms swept her up and held her tight. She cried softly into his shoulder and sighed with relief.

They’d made it out! The impact of all she’d been through thus far hit her. She could no longer hold in the

emotion as he held her in the silence after the explosion.

Garret stiffened. Confused, she raised her head to find a rifle jammed between his shoulder blades.

She followed the metal up to a pair of dark eyes.

“Get up!”

~*~

Twilight wove its last dusky fingers through the myriad of trees and brush. A full moon hung on the

horizon like an all-seeing eye as they were surrounded in seconds. Garret helped Sophia stand and they

were all forced to put their hands in the air.

“Hands up!” The click of the hammer on the shotgun reinforced those words.

A well-dressed man with a black derby hat separated from the crowd. “Well, well, Judge, it looks

like I finally caught up to you. I’m so glad we could meet like this.”

The Yankee accent set him apart, but more than that, it was the smooth veneer. The shiny shoes. Pa

always said you can tell a lot about a man by his shoes. This wasn’t a hard-working man. This was a man

who worked behind the scenes. A meticulous man. One who paid attention to details. Even now, the

man’s gaze roved over the group before paying special attention to the brothers.

A flash of lightening sparked a fission of unease through him as he counted the odds. There were at

least twenty men or more, all heavily armed. But it was the man in the shadows that made him pause. He

leaned against the trunk of the large live oak tree. His stance seemed casual, but there was something

about him that made Garret wary. Maybe his moves were too casual. Too used to violence.

He’d caught Gade’s eye, too, Garret noticed his brother’s attention stray to the man against the tree

time and again.

The judge stumbled forward. “I’m sorry, Lance. As you can see we have the silver—”

“As you can see, I have the silver.”

The judge nodded. “Y-yes, that’s what I meant.”

“It was never yours to begin with, Osbourne.” The man dusted off his hands and rearranged his

waistcoat. “Must I remind you of our original arrangement?”

“Why don’t you remind me of the original arrangement,” Garret inserted into the silence, his gaze

narrowed and honed in on the businessman.

The man’s hardened green gaze swung in his direction and grew cooler, like pale river stones. He

didn’t answer at first. Instead, he crossed the area in a slow stride. “You must be Garret Ryder. The

lawman.”

“Lawyer,” Garret corrected him. “And you are?”

“William Lance, owner of the—”

“Hummel and Lance National Bank,” Sophia supplied. “Our very own local moneybags. He helps

fund every lowdown, dirty criminal in the area hoping to start a brothel, gaming hell, or saloon. He owns

a percentage of every business in San Antonio’s red-light district, and every criminal act that’s happened

in the last ten years can somehow be linked back to him. Tell me, Lance, how do you wash off the

bloodstains at night?”

Lance gave a short, clipped grin. “Why easily, Ms. Osbourne, with soap and water.”

Sophia lifted her chin in defiance under his intense regard.

“You have quite the reputation yourself, Garret Ryder,” Lance said, turning his attention to Garret. “I

hear you’re quite ruthless in the courtroom.”

“You heard correctly,” Garret said.

“I met the judge a few years ago when he was elected to office. I take it he didn’t tell you that

particular story, did he?”

Garret crossed his arms across his chest and widened his stance. “No, as a matter of fact, he didn’t.”

Lance removed a pocket watch to observe the time, then clicked it shut, replacing the piece.

“Osbourne was desperate to get elected. His career was already on the downturn because of his incessant

gambling habits. He needed to eliminate the opposition, but he didn’t have the funds to take care of such a

feat. That’s where I came in.”

“I’m sure you did,” Sophia grumbled.

Lance glanced over at her. “He came to me. Not the other way around.”

The judge yanked from the man who held him. “I didn’t know you were going to kill the bastard!”

A groomed, slender brow rose over those pale green eyes. “Indeed? Let me quote you word-for-word,

Osbourne. You said quite clearly ‘get rid of him.’”

The judge swung his gaze toward Sophia. “You have to believe me, Sophia. I didn’t know he planned

to kill Mitch.”

Sophia’s husband. Betrayal shimmered in her eyes as she faced her father. Perhaps hearing the truth

had finally cleared away the cobwebs for her. Her father had ordered her husband’s death for the sake of

his career. She swallowed but kept resolutely silent. Garret supposed there were just some things a man

couldn’t make excuses for, and perhaps Sophia could see the truth for what it was. Blatantly clear.

Lance smiled. “I forked over the money to take care of the opposition as well as fund his campaign. So

you see, Osbourne here owes me quite a bit. And I intend to make him pay.”

“You have your silver, so why don’t you just head on back to whatever hole you crawled out of?”

Garret asked.

Lance laughed. “I plan to, but we have a bit of a situation here. There are too many people here who

know of its existence and where it came from. So you see why I must remedy that.”

“But see, that’s where your short-sightedness comes in, Lance.” Garret grinned. “If you kill us all,

you’ll be bringing on a whole lot of hell to your doorstep. I’m a powerful man. My brothers are powerful

men in this part of the state. You have a judge and his missing daughter. Do you really think our deaths

will go unnoticed? Surely, even you can’t be that foolish.”

The wind whined eerily through the trees around them. Darkness swallowed every last bit of light

save for the few embers that remained from the explosion. Lance’s men began to light lamps and torches.

Lance chuckled, his gaze fixed coldly on Garret. “You’re missing something here, Ryder. That’s what I

have Sid for. Everyone knows of your family feud, so it’ll be easy to explain how he finished off the

entire group. And I not only get to play the hero by bringing him in for multiple murders, but once he’s

locked away for good, no one need ever know about the silver mine. So my men can return to continue to

mine the silver once I’ve bought the land. It’s an undeniably brilliant plan, if I do say so myself.”

It took three of them to separate Garret and Sophia. Her fingers hooked like talon claws as she

attacked the man who yanked her from Garret’s embrace. Garret roared when the Mexican bandido

slapped her to the ground. Sophia climbed back to her feet, but the man just planted a fist in her face.

Garret cursed as two of the men toppled him face-first into the dirt.

Gade was the only one of the group who remained calm. He was forced to his knees with hands in the

air. Garret should have kept his cool. He was normally the composed one, but not when Sophia lay

sprawled out unconscious across the ground. His stomach churned. Anger tore through him. And regret.

He choked on his inability to keep her safe through all of this.

Visions of Sophia flashed through his mind, the sultry half smile she’d given him when he’d seen her

again in San Antonio, her awe when she’d gazed at the bird out the window in the little shack, and then

her realization that Garret wanted her. He’d never regret those moments in that pool of water as their

hands had explored each other. She’d belonged to him for years. He’d just been too stubborn to admit it to

himself.

And now? His life in New York flitted through his mind, and he realized what a cold existence he’d

lived without her. The thin armor around his heart cracked and broke into two pieces. He couldn’t live

without her.

Garret’s gaze swept over her crumbled form before him. “Sophia,” he whispered, and as if she’d

heard him, her beautiful eyes opened. Blood trickled from the side of her split lip. Pain wrenched a soft

sound from him as she slowly sat, and their gazes locked. “I’m sorry.” But the words could never portray

the regret choking him. They could never tell her how much he loved her or how this was tearing him to

pieces like a shattered mirror, each reflection mocking him for his failure.

Sophia shook her head as if to say it wasn’t his fault, but one of the men grabbed her from behind by

her hair and dragged her across the area to Lance. Her little whimper resounded inside his head like an

echo off the walls of his mind, replaying until he slowly went insane. He closed his eyes. God, I’m so

sorry, Sophia.

Everything faded into a single blur…sound, sight, and the solid sting of disappointment. The crack of

gunfire popped his eyes back open as the judge collapsed to the ground, a bright red stain blooming

across his chest. The judge clasped a hand over the bullet wound as Sophia screamed and scrambled to

his side. She wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, but Lance broke the hold. Her sobs sliced

through the silence like a blade.

~Chapter 19~

Rage surged through Garret like a fever. He came to his feet with the fury of a maddened bull, pinning

one of the men holding him to the tree with his shoulder. The final crack of the criminal’s head splitting

against the trunk of the oak split the air. Garret whirled and struck the second man across the face. Blood

spewed from his mouth and spattered across the ground. Another man tackled him to the ground, and they

landed in a tangle of limbs. Blinded, thrown into an incoherent frenzy, a piercing scream chilled Garret’s

blood solid.

He froze and faced Sophia. The man in the shadows had finally revealed himself. One hand was

tangled in Sophia’s hair, pulling her head back and the long gleaming barrel of a forty-five was shoved

into her mouth as she knelt.

Garret stilled immediately. His pulse hammered out an irregular rhythm. Tears streamed down

Sophia’s soft, dirt-streaked cheeks, and blood trickled from her mouth.

“No!” Another barrel was shoved into his temple as he tried to get to her. He collapsed to his knees.

“Leave her alone!”

Obsidian eyes met Garret’s gaze. Cold. Lifeless. A killer’s eyes.

“We have two problems here, Ryder.”

“I was wondering when you’d reveal yourself, Ramirez,” Gade inserted into the silence. “I thought it

was odd that you were conveniently in San Antonio when I needed some help. Funny how a man’s gut

tells him all he needs to know.”

The Texas Ranger gave a ghost of a smile. “You know me. I had to make a grand entrance.”

Gade struggled to his feet. Betrayal shimmered in his eyes. “Hell of a way to reveal yourself.” The

double entendre wasn’t lost on anyone there. Gade still hadn’t moved a muscle, but the tick in his jaw

made it obvious what he thought of Rio’s involvement.

“I’ll say.” Garret sneered. He balled his fists and struggled against his captors. Garret hadn’t even

realized Rio had disappeared after the explosion.

“It’s all about perspective,” Rio replied with a shrug.

“Oh, yeah? And what’s yours?” Garret clenched his jaw with resentment. “Money? That’s a hell of a

reason to betray your best friend’s family.” He struggled uselessly against the hands holding him hostage.

“I hope it was well worth it.”

Rio shrugged. “You see that’s wherein my dilemma lies.”

Garret arched a brow. “Oh?”

Rio Ramirez smiled. There was little warmth in it. “The first problem is that I’m obligated to finish

my job.”

His brother eyed his best friend. “And the second?”

Rio gave a small shrug, almost indiscernible in the shadows. “Well, it’s just too damn bad I won’t get

paid.”

Lance frowned, gasped, and backed away. Rio removed the pistol from Sophia’s mouth and aimed it

at Lance, firing a single shot between the eyes as the back of the banker’s head exploded into a mist of

red.

Chaos ensued as Lance’s men scurried like cockroaches for cover. Garret thrust his head back,

cracking his captor’s nose behind him. The man crumbled in an unconscious heap. Bullets winged off the

rock walls. Rio kicked a shotgun in Gade’s direction, then urged Sophia into the trees. Gunfire pelted the

dirt at Garret’s feet as he ran for cover. Rio took out three targets while Gade’s shotgun blasted a hole in

another.

A rifle boomed from somewhere close by, and a bullet threw Garret several feet through the air. He

gasped as a burning pain ripped through his side. A swirl of dust stirred from the startled horses and men.

Hooves pounded their way past him as the horses scattered, and his focus wavered to a standstill.

He shook his head to clear it.

Garret spotted Sid disappearing through the trees. He clasped a hand to his wound and struggled to his

feet. He swayed, placing a steadying palm on the trunk of a mesquite branch. His legs weakened and

almost folded beneath him. Regaining a little strength, he followed Sid. He couldn’t let him get away.

His ears rang with the rolling shots of the shotgun and the rustle of leaves under his boots seemed

unnaturally loud. He crashed through a rippling, winding wall of undergrowth near the campsite and drew

up short. Nothing moved. Seconds passed in silence, but he knew Sid was there somewhere.

A limb snapped from behind him, and he whirled, only to have the butt of a pistol crack against his

temple. He grunted and stumbled. Wrapping his arms around Sid’s waist, he plowed them both against a

tree trunk and planted a solid fist into the other man’s face. Red liquid spilled from the wound. Sid reared

back with a return jab.

Dizzy but determined, Garret seized the weapon from Sid’s hand, but too late, he realized the

chambers were empty, and that was why Sid hadn’t shot him in the first place. He tossed the useless

weapon. Sid flipped them to the side, and a wicked blade materialized between them. Sid got the

advantage quickly and held the blade close to his neck. The two strained, and Garret turned his face way

as the blade edged closer and closer. Sid leaned every ounce of his weight into the hold until the tip of the

blade brushed beneath Garret’s ear.

Garret growled. The knife lingered over Garret’s neck menacingly, and his arms trembled as sweat

beaded and poured down his temples. A full moon hung over Sid’s shoulder as if it were leering down.

Taunting him. Light glinted off the blade. In his weakened condition, Garret didn’t think he would win this

fight.

A dry wisp of air danced across his features, cooling the heat from his face and giving him a renewed

hope. Seconds passed as the two strained for control. A soft rustle of leaves…shadows crept through the

encampment, and then time paused for a breath. Sid caught his gaze. An elusive knowledge passed

between them as Garret released the weapon. It plunged through his ear. He howled in pain. Dual shots

pelted Sid, jolting his body back and forth as if he were riding a bucking bronco. Simultaneously, Garret

removed the dagger from the tree, freeing his ear, and thrust the blade deep into Sid’s gut.

Sid staggered back, his wide gaze lowered to the hilt buried deep within his bowels. His body

peppered with wounds like the opening of a salt shaker. He gasped. Blood bubbled up from his throat and

spilled from his mouth. He toppled to his knees before collapsing to the hard-packed earth.

Warm liquid trickled down Garret’s neck as he clasped a hand to his wound. Gade and Warren

returned their still-smoking pistols to their holsters and crossed the area to Garret. They flanked him on

either side and helped him back to the cave entrance. Gade gave him a quick squeeze. “Good to see you

still on your feet, little brother.”

“Good to still be on my feet. Although, that may not last long.”

Gade chuckled as they helped him settle against a rock. Many of Lance’s men had escaped, unwilling

to continue the fight without the added incentive of payment. Half a dozen injured or dead bodies littered

the ground. Rio limped toward him, favoring one foot. He tipped his hat, his own silent apology. It was

likely the only one Garret would receive from the man.

Sophia ran to him, crashing into him and expelling the last of his breath. He chuckled and buried his

nose in her hair. “Sophia,” he whispered, wrapping her in his embrace. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and squeezed him tighter. He smiled against her temple. A sudden, aching exhaustion

overtook him, and he fought to hold the darkness at bay. He did not have to be told that the wound in his

side was sapping every last bit of his strength as his blood seeped into his clothes.

He sighed and held her tight. He wasn’t afraid of death. But he was afraid of Sophia living alone in

this harsh world with no one to help her. Without her father, she had no one else. His arms slipped from

around her despite his mind screaming to hold tight, his vision grew dimmer, his focus more narrowed as

he slipped into a darker region.

Sophia sobbed. “Stay with me, Garret. I need you.”

Garret tried to smile to reassure her, but he couldn’t even seem to do that. His strength flowed right

out of him. And though he realized that for once he’d played the hero and won the day, he still had one last

battle to fight as the darkness closed over him before he won the war. One last battle to live… It would

be the fight of his life.

~*~

The crackle of heavy footfalls on fragile twigs broke the silence. Gade knelt next to Garret, and

Sophia leaned back with both hands clasped over her mouth, afraid she would scream at the top of her

lungs should she let go.

“He’s out cold,” Gade said. “We need to get him somewhere so we can take a look at that wound.”

Sophia nodded as she set to work tearing strips to pack the wound. She had very little material left

from her petticoat. Tears blurred her vision.

Gade laid a gentle hand over his brother’s forehead. “Hold on, little brother. I’ll get you through this.”

He whirled toward Warren. “We need to take him home.”

Warren stiffened visibly. “No.”

Gade eased to his feet. “He needs medical help, a comfortable place to recuperate. You can’t deny

your own brother shelter.”

Hard, silver eyes moved from Gade’s features to Garret lying on the ground. “I can and I just did. Find

somewhere else.”

Gade’s fists curled by his sides. “You’re going to let him die because of your stupid pride?”

Warren bared his teeth. “I came here, didn’t I?”

“Oh, yeah, you did. You’re just the epitome of heroic traits, Warren. We’re so grateful you fit us mere

mortals into your busy schedule. After all, what is family for, right?”

“I did what I could for him. He’s alive, isn’t he? But it’s never enough for you!”

Sophia winced as their voices grew in volume. She continued her ministrations in silence. Tension

coiled low in her belly. She finished tying off the makeshift bandage and held Garret’s hand gently,

imagining his life as a child in such a war-torn home. The daily battles between his brothers and father

must have been horrendous to live with. How could anyone live this way? Sympathy for the young child

who’d grown up surrounded by family, but never with love, tore through her. At least before her mother

had passed away Sophia had known love. Unconditional love. She’d witnessed her mother and father’s

love for each other and their combined love for her. She’d never gone without affection, and the

estrangement between these men weighed heavily on her. How lucky she had been to experience love

even for the short time she’d held it.

“You’re a bastard, Warren, and a disappointment to our father. Do you really think he would have

wanted this for us?” Gade accused. “Do you really think this is what Luke would have wanted?”

Warren crossed the area in three strides and seized Gade by the collar. “Don’t tell me what my own

son would have wanted. You spent less than a year with him and now you believe you know him? Where

were you the first seven years of his life? Oh, I remember, you ran away from all the problems the rest of

us had to stay and face while you cowered in some dark corner of the world. Go back to your hole, Gade.

You don’t belong here.”

“I know he loved Garret. It doesn’t matter what you think of me, but Luke loved Garret like a brother.

And Garret adored that child. Not even you can deny that. Are you going to let his uncle die in vain while

trying to avenge your son—something you should have done in the first place! But it was Garret who

sought revenge because you were too drunk to get off your ass.”

“The only person I hate more than you is Garret. So back off, because he’s the reason we’re here in

the first place,” Warren shouted. Red, angry splotches bloomed in his cheeks under his tan. “If it weren’t

for Garret, Luke would still have his mother! Of course he felt obligated to the child. Guilt does that to a

man.”

Gade roared and pushed his brother away. “You think it was guilt that motivated Garret to take

revenge against Sid?”

“Oh, I know it did. After he killed my wife, he couldn’t even look me in the eye! The bastard knew it

was his fault! I should have gutted him when I had the chance, but I couldn’t.”

Gade planted a fist into Warren’s face. The resounding crack of flesh on flesh echoed in the silence.

“You’re a rotten bastard. You always were. A selfish son of a bitch who doesn’t care about anyone but

himself!”

“This coming from the man who left because he was too afraid to face reality? You took the easy way

out, Gade. You ran while the rest of us had to stay and endure.”

“I came back!”

“But it was too late. The damage was already done.” Warren spun away and ran a hand through his

blond hair. “You see, we all tried to make amends after you left. And for a while, it worked. We made it

work. Until Garret returned from the Calvary. The day I buried my wife…the day he shot my wife, any

chance of peace shattered. There will never be amends between us. Never!”

Gade staggered back. His expression full of hate, regret, and shock. Silent tears spilled down

Sophia’s face as she witnessed this heartbreaking scene. Gade seemed to regain some composure. “Then I

guess our father was right, our family really is broken. That’s why the ranch is named Broken Circle.”

Warren swallowed and glanced away. “It always has been, Gade. Don’t make the mistake that Pa

made and try to fix it. It’ll never work.” He glanced at Sophia. “Would you mind if we took our brother to

your place?”

She shook her head but had to swallow in order to speak. “I-I had planned to suggest it anyway.”

He nodded his thanks. “Send the doctor bill to me. I’ll pay for it. Rio can help you take Garret and get

him settled in. Take Morgan with you. I owe him. Send his doctor bill to me while you’re at it. If anything

happens…” He glanced away. “Send me a wire.”

As he turned to walk away, replacing the hat over his wheat-blond hair, the shadows came alive with

movement. Warren paused midstride. An eerie melding of dark figures merged and weaved among the

trees. The moon’s meager light barely traced the shadows.

Her skin grew clammy and damp. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and tingled with

awareness. All weariness forgotten, she tensed. Waiting. Watching and barely breathing.

Dragging in ragged, short breaths, she clutched the fabric over Garret’s wound enough to make him

moan. Instantly she released it, but her hands shook. Gade eased between her and the danger. Rio

reloaded his guns, but Warren hadn’t moved.

Darkness simmered into a rolling boil as the figures materialized through the trees. Sophia leaped

back onto her hands with a gasp. They had been there—perhaps the entire time—individual figures

separated themselves from the trees, peeling away from their hiding spots and revealing themselves as the

group stared, aghast, at the sight. Indians.

But they weren’t normal Indians. These men, painted in white facial war-paint, glowed with a

greenish, eerie radiance. Silent watchers. Unmoving, they observed the fallen bodies across the ground

and eyed Sophia and the rest of her group curiously. With the long, flowing locks that Comanche Indians

were known to have, one of them separated himself from the rest and stepped forward, his bow and arrow

aimed at Warren.

Was she dreaming? How could he glow like that? Was he a…ghost?

Surely not. She must be losing her mind. He stepped closer, naked save for a simple loincloth. He

jabbed his arrow in Warren’s direction. He grunted. Warren complied, taking a step back.

A second tribesman came forward, urging the rest of them away with impatient movements. The

crowded mass of barely clad bodies parted to reveal a white-haired shaman in a long leather tunic. His

grave features cut harsh lines across his face. Bushy white brows drew together. The aura around this man

brightened the entire area, casting the green radiance in all directions around him.

He spoke in a foreign language to Warren. Sophia frowned, wishing she could understand him. The

shaman waved a feather-decorated shaft before Warren and spoke once more. Then he turned and

disappeared between the cluster of Indians once again. Two braves moved forward, their steps wary,

watchful. They seized the cache of silver bars and padded back into the trees.

As the strange group disappeared, Sophia noticed the still glowing footprints across the rough ground

until they, too, faded into darkness. No one moved, uncertain of exactly what they had just witnessed or

too afraid to admit they might actually have imagined the entire thing. Sophia continued to hold her breath.

Unable to quiet her question, she asked no one in particular. “What did he say?”

Somehow she just needed to know she wasn’t the only one who had witnessed this strange event.

Silence greeted her for several long moments as the rest of them came to their senses and began to relax.

Rio did not relinquish his guns, however, as he eased closer to her next to Garret. “He said ‘this one’s

heart is full of hate, but he is not evil. There is no greed here.’”

He’d spoken to Warren. She shot a glance across the camp to where Warren had stood. Even he had

vanished without a trace. Whatever demons haunted Warren, he was not evil. Even the shaman had

realized this. Had they just met the guardians of the silver mine the journal had spoken of? Were they

Comanche Indians or something else entirely? One thing was certain, these guardians were not made of

flesh and blood. Had the guardians realized they had good intentions? Why had they let them live?

Whatever the reason, Sophia was grateful to greet another sunrise, another day.

~Chapter 20~

The early morning sun cut a shaft of piercing light through the archway leading to the courtyard beyond

at her hacienda. Sophia sighed and waved a hand through the particles as if she could catch the radiance

in her palm. Shadows traced the adobe walls, then disappeared. She leaned back into the darkness and

turned her face toward the warmth of the sun as it sliced through the room.

It had been days since she’d left this room. Her gaze moved toward the bed in the center of the room.

Garret slept peacefully now and he was on the mend. Still she hesitated to leave him alone.

She closed her arms around her waist, swallowing against the pain. He would wake up soon. She

should feel complete joy at this knowledge, and yet darkness wrapped her in its embrace. He would leave

and return to New York.

His words from inside the cave returned to her. “I love you, Sophia, and as soon as we make it back to

San Antonio, we’re getting married.”

Did he mean it? Or had that been just his fear talking? People often said things they didn’t mean during

events like that. Surely, he’d been joking. But some sliver of hope remained.

A breeze rifled her hair, and she turned back to the opening. The house still slept. She was the only

one awake at this hour, because she had been entirely too restless after the doctor’s departure yesterday.

He’d assured her it wouldn’t be long before Garret awoke. And it had dawned on her…she would have to

face Garret. And he may choose to leave.

A tightness rose in her throat. Again, she sought the warmth of the sun, and again, it couldn’t reach the

darkest recesses of her heart. It had grown too cold. Lifeless.

She’d buried her father yesterday. Alone. There had been just herself and the preacher at the funeral.

Though she wasn’t ready to face the public yet, she had imagined his funeral a bit differently, full of

people who’d loved and respected him. But his choices over the years had abolished any chances of that

happening. Many of the townsfolk had hated him. Respect was earned, and he’d never understood that.

His choices had been his own, and yet, she felt that slap as profoundly as he must have.

As the sun had begun its descent to the earth, Sophia had collapsed next to his grave and grieved for

him. He’d traveled a dark path that had led to his isolation from society, and now the townsfolk called

him a traitor. Many of his crimes had come to light over the last week. Crimes she’d never imagined he’d

commit. And she was alone, facing all of the criticisms that accompanied his actions. He was lucky to

have gotten off so easily.

The preacher had finished his prayers and hesitated, but even he, too, had left her alone. Rain drops

plopped across her features after his departure. The short, cool shower that often came during this season

was brief and oddly, not refreshing. Instead, it only helped to mask her tears. As the coldness seeped into

her bones, she had finally climbed to her feet and made her way back to the hacienda.

As the enormous structure came into view, Sophia had paused as the lights of San Antonio flickered

on in the distance just beyond the house in the valley below. The sight was normally so serene and

beautiful. Last night it had been dark. Remote. Lonely.

Even coming into Garret’s room with the fire burning against the cool air had left her little comfort.

She should have gone to rest in her own room, but once again she’d planted herself in the chair beside his

bed and waited, until morning light crept in through the doorway.

Drawn across the room, she’d stood here just beyond the light’s reach, too afraid to step outside. Too

afraid to hope for a future. Too afraid to move beyond this space in time.

Once more she cupped her hand as it shimmered over the surface of her skin. A soft trickle of air

teased her nose, and she almost smiled. Dandelion seeds blew into the archway and like dancers on a

stage, weaved through the air. Her heart lurched as more blew inside.

She chuckled and straightened. Reaching out with both hands to catch them, she moved into the shaft of

light, squinting and smiling as they dribbled across the bridge of her nose. Tears sprang into her eyes as

life returned to her limbs. She giggled and whirled on one foot. For the first time in weeks, Sophia could

breathe again.

~*~

The idea of marriage normally rubbed Garret Ryder the wrong way but today, he reconsidered. He

didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious, but he was lucky to have opened his eyes at just the right

moment.

As dandelion seeds blew in through the doorway, Sophia laughed softly, and his heart clenched at the

sound. She stood in the darkness just outside the reach of the light. He sat fully until he could peer through

bed curtains.

Sophia reached out with both hands and stepped forward as more of the light, fluffy seeds blew inside.

Her unfettered hair blew in the soft breeze as she whirled on one foot. A lazy, comfortable smile cut

across his face.

Wincing as a thread of pain shot from the wound on his side, Garret eased out of the bed not wanting

to disturb her quiet moment. He braced himself against the four-poster bed until the dizziness past. His

body ached in a thousand different places. A soft gasp came from the doorway, drawing his attention. He

looked up into her dark, exotic eyes.

Silence descended as they both stood still. His smile wavered at her hesitation.

Dark rings encircled her eyes, and she appeared to not have slept in days. Her rumbled, dark dress

indicated her mourning, and memories of her father’s death returned to him. He sighed. “Sophia,” he

whispered. Emotion clogged his throat. She must have been so worried. “I’m sorry.”

She glanced away and dashed a hand across her cheeks. “For what?”

“For not being there with you for your father’s funeral.”

She paused and then crumbled before his eyes as she buried her face into her hands. He forced himself

to cross the room without incident and swept her up into his arms. Without an ounce of wariness, she

settled her nose the crook of his neck, and her arms wrapped him up entirely too tight, but he couldn’t find

the heart to complain. She sobbed into his shoulder, and he just held her. Uncertain and awkward, Garret

was determined to ease some of her pain. So he just stood there and held her, sensing that was all she

really expected him to do.

He swept her hair from her face, and kissed her temple. She eased away from him as they stood in the

shadows. The muted light dusted her cheeks and hair. He wiped the tears away, taking a deep breath. Her

gaze filled with moisture and more emotions than he could name. He stared at her for a long moment,

filling each moment with a vision of her: her lips, her eyes, pausing at each tear as if he could atone for

each and every heartache. “I love you, Sophia Maria Osbourne.” Her lips quivered as he placed a tiny

kiss there. He reached for her hand and twined their fingers together. Easing her backward, one step, and

then another, until they reached the archway that led outside. “You are the most beautiful thing to have

ever entered my life, and though I don’t deserve you, I will endeavor for the rest of my life to fill your

heart with sunshine.”

He eased to his knee, grunting as a shaft of pain shot through him. He weaved for a second, and Sophia

steadied him as she giggled. He grinned and held on to her hand, for both support and because she was the

love of his life. “I don’t have a ring to give you yet, but if you’ll have me…my heart has been yours for a

very long time.”

She choked and fell into his arms. They toppled to the cold stone tiles together in a fit of giggles.

Garret grimaced and pulled her closer. He kissed her lips softly as they lay among the dandelion seeds.

He leaned up on one elbow and picked the fluffy white puffs from her hair, blowing them into the air. It

coasted like snowflakes down onto her face, next to her incredible smile. He hoped he would have a

lifetime of this with her.

He kissed each fingertip. “I promise I will never miss another important moment in your life again.”

Her smile faltered, then returned. “But you were here.” She cupped his cheeks with both hands. “You

were here when I needed you the most.”

Garret grinned. “Is that a yes, then?”

She nodded. “Oh, yes, Garret Ryder. I see many more days of sunlight in my life and I’m looking

forward to spending each one with you.”

He kissed her as she clung to his neck. She opened to him, and their mouths fused just as fully as their

lives would. She’d become a part of his soul, and for better or worse, he would savor each moment. He’d

won the war, he realized, as he brushed the hair from her face. Every battle he’d ever faced had led him

here…to her.

As she sunlight crept higher and the heat warmed the tiles beneath them, they kissed on the floor among

the seeds of a new beginning. A new promise. A new future.

Epilogue

Garret paused at long drive leading to the ranch, the sign swinging in the wind, held up by a single

bracket. It read simply, The Broken Circle.

There came a time when a man had to stop hiding from his past. That time had come. Running from his

life in Texas had gained him little except an estrangement from his family and a life void of happiness.

Seize the day.

A vision of his father flashed through his mind. James Ryder had been an elegant man. A hardworking

man. He’d come west with a dream of family and peace. It was too bad he’d never lived long enough to

see that dream come to fruition. But Garret had picked up the dream. It was now his own. And he was

determined to see his family come together once more. He refused to give up. Even if it took him to his

last dying breath, he would make his father’s dream become a reality.

The trees lining the drive swayed in a gentle wind, and something about the day seemed fresh, like a

new beginning. But wariness kept a solid hold on his heart. He didn’t want to wish for too much and then

have his hopes dashed. Warren was a stubborn man. And he was heartbroken. Garret only hoped it wasn’t

too late for his brother. For all of them.

Warren had come to his rescue, he reminded himself. And that was a start. Now it was his move on

the chess table, his turn to make amends. He took a deep, fortifying breath and urged the mare forward.

Surprisingly, two new ranch hands Garret had never seen before were working on saddle-breaking the

mares. Garret dismounted and tipped his hat at the newcomers. Had Gade hired these men?

Mounting the rear steps, Garret opened the door but noticed Warren exit the stables. His brother

scowled and set the bale of hay down. He wore his chaps and hat. Sweaty, he wiped a hand across his

brow. “What do you want, Garret?”

Garret had to swallow his surprise long enough to form an answer. “I came by to see you.”

“I understand that, but tell me why?”

Warren didn’t appear to have been drinking. In fact, he looked so much like the old Warren, Garret

could hardly believe his eyes. What the hell was going on? “We need to talk.”

“Not today.” Warren turned and headed back into the stable. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Garret ground his jaw and hopped off the porch. Entering the dim stable, he followed Warren to end of

the building where his brother was mucking the stalls. The stench of crushed hay and mildew lingered in

the air. His brother barely glanced at him and didn’t speak a word. It was up to him to start this

conversation, he reminded himself. He just needed to take a breath and do it.

“Mother is coming to live with us next month so she can be here for the wedding.” Idiot! He almost

slapped a hand to his forehead. Why had he chosen to start off the conversation with another touchy

subject?

Warren paused briefly, then returned to mucking the stall. “Good.”

“After the wedding I’ll be moving into Sophia’s hacienda.”

“Congratulations.”

“I want you to be there, Warren.”

Warren stopped, pulled off his hat, and wiped the sweat from his brow. “We’ll see.”

It wasn’t a no. That was an improvement.

“I wanted to thank y—”

“There’s no need.” Warren cut him off and continued with his grueling work. Hay fluttered from the

pitchfork like drifting snow back to the ground. “I did what any brother would do.”

“Did you?” Garret leaned against the support beam.

Warren paused and turned to him. “Don’t make this into something it isn’t. You’ll just be

disappointed.”

“Maybe.”

Warren nodded. “Trust me. You will.”

“So be it. I’m not leaving until I’ve said what I came to say.”

“What do you want from me, Garret?” Warren shucked the pitchfork across the stall, and it clanged in

the sudden silence. “You want me to hug you and tell you I forgive you for shooting my wife and leaving

my son with no mother?”

Pain wrenched the courage from him, but he sucked in another deep breath. “No, I don’t expect that.

But I came to tell you I loved Luke as much as any Uncle ever could. He was my nephew, and when I

came to visit, he was by my side every day. I loved that boy, just as much as you did. I would never have

hurt him on purpose. Both Gade and I grieved deeply for that child. And it’s high time you realize that

you’re not the only one in pain here.”

Warren sighed and glanced away. “I know that. But I can’t help you with that. I have enough pain to

last three lifetimes. I’m just trying to get through today. Do you understand that?”

“Yeah, I do.” Garret removed his hat from his head and ran a hand through his hair. “But you don’t

have to do it alone.”

“I’m not ready for this conversation, Garret. I’ve been sober for a week. Leave it at that and let me get

back to my work.”

Garret sighed. Disappointment crawled inside his chest. He nodded. Though, he was happy that

Warren had given up alcohol. It was a start. He didn’t remove his gaze from his brother. He looked better

than he had in a year. Garret gave a ghost of a smile and turned away.

“Garret,” Warren said.

He glanced back over his shoulder as Warren stepped forward. His brother seemed to struggle for a

second, his jaw clenched tightly. He started to speak, then stopped. Finally, he turned away to search for

the pitchfork again. “I know you didn’t mean to kill her.”

Garret closed his eyes. Maggie’s blue eyes flashed across his mind like lightening. Something

released inside him, and emotion rolled over him. His chest tightened until he couldn’t breathe. His

brother still loved him. Of that, he was sure. He couldn’t talk around the lump in his throat, and it seemed

like his brother wasn’t ready to say anything more. But those few words gave Garret hope for the future.

He made his way back outside the stable to his horse. He would return home to his future wife. But he

planned to come back here every chance he got to help his brother.

Perhaps there could be a happily-ever-after for the Ryder brothers. Perhaps the ranch would no longer

be considered a Broken Circle.

~The End~

Author Notes

The original courthouse in Boerne, Texas was thought to have been made of timber, and the limestone

structure was later built in 1870, the second oldest courthouse in Texas. A small parcel of land between
East San Antonio street and Blanco street was given to the county by John James. Joseph Graham was the
first Chief Justice. The sides and the rear of the building reveal the division between the original
courthouse and the 1909 front section added later. It appears there may have been an added addition of the
second story as well. I’ve moved the building directly onto main street for Garret’s dramatic leap off the
building in chapter three and created a fictional hotel being built across the street. Interesting note: By
1884 Boerne had five hotels, many assorted businesses, and about 250 residents.

The San Saba mines are legend in Texas. Discovered by the Indians, the Spanish were intrigued when

a young Indian boy was found wearing a pure silver bracelet. Erecting a mission along the San Saba river,
a military expedition set out in search of the mine headed by one Lieutenant Don Bernado de Miranda and
found a cave rich with veins of silver. But before the Spanish government could get the operation up and
running, the Comanche Indians attacked and burned down the mission. The mines have been lost and found
several times over the years.

About the Author

Suzie’s life has been one big adventure. Her childhood was full of reading the classics like Treasure

Isle, Robinson Crusoe, and The Swiss Family Robinson tales. In fact her mother has another word for her
“stories” but to this day, Suzie continues to dream up adventures of her own.

As a pregnant teen her adventure became a life-defining moment as she struggled to survive and raise

a child on her own. During those rocky years writing became an emotional outlet.

After a very long divorce she again finds herself climbing that rocky path of life and has learned to

live by a single quote: “Obstacles are placed in our path to determine whether we really wanted
something, or just thought we did.” By Dr. Harold Smith.

Suzie looks forward to each new obstacle.
Taking life by the proverbial horns, Suzie now lives happily ever after with her new beau, three boys,

and one little Shih tzu named Peppy Le’Pew in NC. One day she plans to retire and sail along the east
coast, an adventurer to the end.

Join Suzie on a Viking adventure!

Valkyrie’s Vengeance

~ Available now!

One woman’s journey to the truth...

Stranded on foreign soil, a Viking maiden is rescued and raised by the enemy. After witnessing the brutal

slaughter of the Saxon woman who saved her life, Tyra Svensdottir declares war on her own people by

kidnapping the dark Viking to carry out her revenge. Her quest takes them across the frigid waters to

Iceland on a sensual voyage she never anticipated and only the gentle assault of a green-eyed Viking can

soothe a heart infested with revenge.

One man’s quest to save his people...

A warrior destined to be king, a man who wields a mythical sword, and a captive who yields to the

mysterious woman all the while uncovering her dark secrets. When the truth is revealed Rorik

Thorlicksson is determined to redirect her wrath to more pleasurable pursuits, although their forced

intimacy reveals a deep yearning he’d long ago buried and an obscure past he is just beginning to unravel.

Blood vengeance brings them together, but will desire unleash a love that brings an end to A Valkyrie’s

Vengeance?

Turn the page to view an excerpt of

Valkyrie’s Vengeance

!

The man, who stands at a strange threshold, should be cautious before he crosses it, glance this

way and that: Who knows beforehand what foes may sit awaiting him in the hall?

~Chapter 1~

Off the coast of England

901 AD

Thwack, thwack, thwack. Arrows embedded into the beached ship with every step Tyra Svensdottir

took, missing her ankles by mere inches.

She dove for cover inside the grounded longship’s hull. Her heart stalled and then nearly pounded its

way outside her chest. She placed a hand there as if she could stop the horrendous hammering, or at least

quiet it somewhat. Eyes wide, she spat out the mouthful of salt water and rose to her knees, making sure to

stay hidden. The hull tilted on its side like a great fish dragged from the sea. Leaning against the wooden

planks, Tyra summoned the courage not to cry. Who shot at her? How had they found her?

For the last three days, she’d wandered the beach alone. She wasn’t even sure where she was. Her

gaze roamed her surroundings. Early morning mist swept the beaches in its wispy grasp and limited her

visibility. But she could hear voices. She couldn’t locate from whence they came.

Tyra slogged through the calf-high water, leaning low, to the front of the ship. Her fingers shook as she

reached out to grasp the edge of the jagged planks where the hull had struck stone, causing the vessel to

sink. Waves lapped at her ankles and washed the sand out from under her bare toes as she stepped over

one of the bloated, dead bodies. Bile rose in her throat and she tamped it down. The rancid scent of

rotting flesh permeated the air around the longship’s belly, and her empty stomach protested the smell.

Her lips quivered. From fear? Cold? Both. She only wished to go home. Her father had warned her—

when the gods grant our desires we may find we no longer wish for them, Tyra. An ache developed in

her chest, and she could almost hear the deep timbre of his voice. Why hadn’t she listened to him?

Bodies littered the beach in various positions. Her brother...her cousins...all dead. She’d been the sole

survivor. Of the twelve men, only four had washed ashore so far. She covered her mouth with both hands

to hold in the scream forming in the back of her throat.

A deep, hearty laugh caused her to stiffen as she waited for further movement. She peered around the

edge of the shattered boards, and a single arrow thumped into the side of the ship next to her face. She

leapt back with a gasp.

The laughter grew louder. They were toying with her now. They must know she was alone. Her legs

were weak and wobbly from lack of nourishment and her vision blurred. Voices carried to her and she

knew the enemy was closing in.

Tyra could not wait here to be slaughtered like an animal. She must move to a better battlefield. She

scanned the area. The beach faded into a dark cluster of trees. If she made it there, she would have a

better chance of survival with more places to hide.

But running from here to there...a single arrow would kill her. Tyra choked back her tears.

Taking a deep breath, she burst from the opening and plunged headlong down the stretch of open beach

toward the cover of the trees. Her legs pumped furiously and she squealed at the swish of an arrow flying

past her.

She gasped for breath and her lungs burned from lack of air.

Plink. Plink. Two arrows hit the face of the rocks ahead of her and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Tyra grabbed one as she ran past. A weapon would even the odds somewhat. She might only be

twelve winters old, but her father had taught her from an early age how to protect herself. He appreciated

strength in a woman and had encouraged her to take up arms. A woman’s place was beside the hearth, but

a woman also protected the hearth while the men were away.

Steep, craggy rocks settled at the base of an incline. She leapt over a small boulder and burst through

the edge of the trees. There was no path here, and she knew not where to go, but she could not falter now.

The sound of the chase followed her as the enemy crashed through the brush behind her. Their harsh

breath broke the silence of the forest as the men sucked air into their lungs. Tree limbs slapped against her

face and stung her tender skin.

How many were there? Did she dare look? If she fell, she would never be able to get away once they

caught her. She could not look and risk losing her small advantage.

They laughed and taunted in a foreign tongue, and they were closing in. Lengthening her strides, she

dodged a maple tree and leapt over a dead, fallen trunk.

Why had she stowed away on her brother’s ship? Why had she not stayed home where she belonged?

Hugh had been headed to Jorvikskyr on a trading expedition, and her father had forbidden her to go.

Determined, she had hidden away in an empty trunk. A storm had brewed so suddenly, near falling right

atop them, leaving the crew little time to sail safely to land.

And due to her foolish pride, she was left running for her life in an unknown land.

The terrain dipped and she slid down an embankment. She sprang forward and raced north. Several

seconds later, she realized she heard no sound.

Her footsteps slowed. She gasped for breath and leaned a hand against a thick oak while her other

settled against her heart. Dropping to her knees, she hid behind the large trunk, and searched the area. The

mist weaved amongst the carpet of trees, Tyra studied the wall of green for the slightest movement.

Nature’s breath seemed to be silenced as she waited for some sound.

Where had they gone? Had they given up the search?

The mist thickened amongst the vegetation and descended into a moist cloud just above her head.

Everything beyond her reach faded into a grey haze.

A limb snapped. She shrank back, the bark of the tree scrapping against the soft flesh of her forehead.

Hot, silent tears coursed down her cheeks. She’d wished for adventure. And now she wished for home.

Silence hung in the air like the weighty fog. It was there. She felt it. But it was the danger within she

feared, not the fog itself.

She swallowed. Her parched tongue scratched against the roof of her mouth. Three days since she’d

had any nourishment. Three days since she’d had shelter. And three days since she’d seen another human

being. Alive at least.

To have endured the storm stowed away in a trunk and survived the crash, only to die on land at the

hands of strangers seemed one of Loki’s cruel jests.

By Odin, she refused to be his entertainment, and she refused to die here in a land not her own,

amongst a people not her own.

Other Western Series

Yellowstone Heart Song

by Peggy L. Henderson

Nurse and avid backpacker Aimee Donovan is offered the opportunity of a lifetime. She encounters a

patient who tells her he can send her two hundred years into the past to spend three months in the rugged
Yellowstone wilderness at the dawn of the mountain man era. The only requirement: she cannot tell
anyone that she’s from the future.

How did a white woman suddenly appear in the remote Rocky Mountain wilderness? Trapper Daniel

Osborne’s first instinct is to protect this mysterious and unconventional woman from the harsh realities of
his mountains. While he fights his growing attraction to her, he is left frustrated by her lies and secrecy.

Daniel shows Aimee a side of Yellowstone she’s never experienced. She is torn between her feelings

for him, and exposing a secret that will destroy everything he holds as truth. As her three months come to
an end, she is faced with a dilemma: return to her own time, or stay with the man who opened her eyes to
a whole new world. When the decision is made for her, both their lives will be changed forever.

Coming in 2013

Another Kind of Paradise ~ Book two in the Paradise Series

The Devil’s Demise ~ Book three in the Devil Ryder series

The Exiled series novellas ~ Adventure into the regency world Suzie Grant style!

Exiled to the wilds of the West Indies, four English lords embark on an adventure where the

rules don't matter and the ladies never offer their dance cards.