This girl and her problems weren't his business.
He had enough problems of his own.
"Sun's almost up. I've got to get moving. If you want to ride along, you can turn off before we get to Little Creek."
Jessie watched as Cole scattered the ashes and carefully brushed the area with a tree branch before mounting.
As she pulled herself into the saddle, she shot a quick glance at the man beside her.
He was examining the ground through narrowed eyes.
Satisfied, he flicked the reins and took the lead.
Jessie glanced back at their camp.
All trace of human presence had been erased.
A tiny tremble of fear sliced through her.
There was no more doubt in her mind.
Last night this man was too quick with a gun, too calm about killing three vicious men, to be an ordinary rancher or cowboy.
This morning he was too careful, too cautious, to be a simple trail bum.
Cole Matthews had to be a wanted man, a man on the run.
Jessie tightened her grip on the gun Pa had left her.
Pa.
What had he once told her?
Tend to your own business.
And let the other fellow tend to his.
She would ride with Cole Matthews for a few hours, and that would be the end of it.
She would never see him again.
And, what he did when they parted was no concern of hers.
She swallowed back the little knot of fear and concentrated on the trail.
They rode in silence for several miles while the sun rose, touching the tips of mountains and buttes with a purple haze.
As the sun rose higher, the mountains changed to pale mauve, then to palest pink.
Even the grains of sand seemed touched with a shimmering light, causing them to glisten like fool's gold.
With the rising sun Jessie felt her heart grow lighter.
She would never tire of the sunrise here in the hot Texas countryside.
And when she found Pa, they would return to this land that owned both their hearts.
They had eaten the dust of the trail for hours before Cole reined in his horse at the 'foot of towering buttes.
Without a word Jessie slid from the saddle and pressed her hands to her back to ease the tension of saddle-weary muscles.
Cole handed her a canteen, and she took a long greedy drink before handing it back to him.
He drank, then capped it before leading the horses to a cluster of rocks.
"We'll rest here a few minutes."
Cole slumped down with his back against a cool rock.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he carefully removed his gun from the holster, cradling it gently in his hand, and closed his eyes.
Jessie watched him a few minutes until she realized his breathing had become soft and steady.
Could he be asleep so quickly?
Sitting down beside him, she listened to the rhythm of his breathing, until, lulled, she could no longer fight her own weariness.
She slipped quietly into sleep.
When she awoke, the sun was high overhead.
Cool gray eyes were assessing her.
For the briefest of moments, all thought scattered.
She had no idea where she was or why.
She knew only that the heat staining her cheeks did not come from the sun.
And the erratic beat of her heart had not been caused by sudden wakefulness.
She came to her feet, brushing the dirt from her britches.
"Let's get moving," Cole said brusquely, turning toward his mount.
"We've wasted enough time."
"If you're in a hurry, you can probably make better time alone."
Hearing the simmering anger in her voice, he didn't even bother to turn and glance at her.
Tightening the cinch, he pulled himself into the saddle and waited while she saddled her horse.
When she mounted, he took the lead without bothering to see if she was following.
Jessie rode in silence, fuming at his cold demeanor.
It was obvious that he didn't want her around.
Why was he bothering to stay with her?
Why didn't he just ride on ahead and leave her to find her own way?
Up ahead, Cole waged the same argument within himself.
Hadn't he done enough for her?
Why take her under his wing now and try to steer her toward Little Creek?
Because, he argued, she needed time to see how foolish her plan was.
She couldn't possibly make it unharmed all the way across Texas and Indian Territory.
If some lowlife didn't grab her, it would be the Indians or the heat or the vast isolation of this land that would finally destroy her.
He just wanted to talk some sense into her.
All he wanted was a chance to show her the error of her ways.
If he could persuade her to stop in Little Creek, maybe she would turn tail and head back to wherever she came from.
And he'd be free to move at his own pace.
As the horses' hooves kicked up the dust and the wind swirled it into their faces, he pulled the brim of his hat lower on his forehead and squinted into the sunlight.
He knew that the girl, riding just behind him, would be eating even more dust.
Hadn't she said she could take care of herself?
Let her.
He had no intention of playing nursemaid to a foolish, obstinate woman.
They rode all day without spotting another human.
They stopped only twice.
Each time, Cole disappeared behind rocks while Jessie fled in the opposite direction.
Each time she returned to her horse, she avoided meeting Cole's eyes.
Once, she thought he was almost grinning, but she couldn't be certain because she looked away as soon as she caught him watching her.
They shared precious water and food, but little else.
They spoke only when necessary.
When the sun began to cast long shadows on the desert floor, Cole reined in his mount and turned to wait for Jessie to catch up with him.
"How much farther do you think it is to Little Creek?"
She shrugged.
"I've never been there. But Pa used to go once in a while. He made it there and back in three or four days."
"Three or four... Hellfire and damnation! Why didn't you just say you didn't know where the town was?"
She said each word slowly as if speaking to a child.
"I figured it was in this direction. I didn't see how you could wiss it."
"You didn't."
He held her narrowed gaze for several seconds before turning away.
It looked as though he would be forced to endure her company for another night.
While he pondered his situation, Jessie slid from the saddle and began to loosen the cinch.
"I'm staying here for the night. You can ride on if you'd like.
Little Creek is probably just over that ridge."
He saw a light winking in the distance.
It could be a town or, he thOUght with a frown, a camp fire.
It could be more of the kind he'd encountered last night.
He wasn't in the mood for unwanted company tonight.
"No sense pushing the homes any harder than we have to."
Jessie piled some dried wood and touched a match to it.
As it flickered to life and burst into flame, she turned toward her saddlebags.
"I've got some stale biscuits here. You' re welcome to share."
His mouth was watering for fresh meat, but he didn't want to risk a gunshot.
"Thanks. I'll trade some of my dried venison for one of your biscuits."
They sat on either side of the fire and chewed their tasteless meal while coffee boiled and bubbled.
When it was ready, they drank in silence.
From a small sack in Cole's pocket, he pro
duced tobacco and thin paper.
With quick movements he rolled a cigarette, then held a flaming stick to the tip.
He inhaled, drawing the smoke into his lungs.
With a little sigh, he exhaled and watched the curl of smoke dissipate into the evening air.
It was, Jessie realized, the first time she had seen him relax while he was awake.
She leaned back, feeling tired and oddly pleased about the distance they had managed to cover since morning.
The sun was still visible on the horizon, casting long streaks of flame across the land.
While Jessie set out her bedroll, Cole climbed to the top of a pile of rocks and studied the trail they had taken.
For long minutes he stood unmoving, surveying the land in the distance.
Suddenly he muttered a low savage oath.
Looking up, Jessie saw him stiffen, then leap to the ground.
Taking a rifle from the boot alongside his saddle, he made his way back up the rocks and dropped to his knees, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.
For long minutes her heart seemed to stop beating.
She had been right about Cole Matthews.
He was a wanted man.
And whoever was trailing him was finally catching up with him.
What did she do now?
There was still time to ride out of here before the gunfight started.
There was, after all, a good chance that Cole Matthews, as good a shot as he was, would be done in by the man chasing him.
In that case she could forfeit her own life as well if she was found accompanying him.
Yet, despite her fears, she felt a sense of loyalty to this man who had risked so much to save her.
She knew what Pa would do.
And she knew without a doubt what she must do.
Brushing aside her fears, she removed the old rifle from her saddle and hefted Pa's gun in the other hand.
It was time for a decision, and she had just made hers.
Cole turned as she climbed up beside him.
Seeing the gun in her hand, he hissed, "Get out of here. Go on back down and hide yourself behind those rocks."
"I owe you. And I know how to use this."
He dismissed her as though she were a schoolgirl.
"This isn't your fight."
She gave him a level gaze and said, "You saved my life last night.
That makes it my fight."
He turned to study her for long minutes.
"You don't even know what I'm fighting for."
"I guess that doesn't matter."
His gaze bored through her.
His eyes, she noted, held the same cold opaque look as the night before when he'd faced down four men.
He shrugged and turned toward the trail once more.
"Just so you're warned. Keep your head down, and don't shoot until they're close enough to hit."
"They?"
"I count two of them."
He pointed.
Jessie could see only the dust spewing upward from horses' hooves.
As they drew closer, she could make out two shadowy forms.
She checked her pistol before placing it within reach on a shelf of rock beside her.
She rubbed her palms on her britches and grasped her rifle, keeping her finger on the trigger.
She had killed plenty of game in her young life and was an excellent shot.
But she had never deliberately taken aim at a man before.
The horses were moving slowly side by side.
The figures astride them were compact, as though hunched deeply inside oversize coats.
What sort of men tracked another man relentlessly, like an animal, with the intention of killing?
Jessie forgot to breathe as Cole calmly waited.
A quick sidelong glance revealed a man completely in control.
His hand rested loosely at his side, holding the rifle almost casually.
Beneath the brim of his hat, she saw his eyes narrow.
Keeping the figures in his sight, he tracked them as they drew closer.
When the horses topped a ridge, Cole stood, prepared to return their fire if one of them shot first.
In the glimmer of moonlight, something glittered in one of the rider's hands.
Both Jessie and Cole spotted it at the same moment.
Cole tipped his hat back from his face.
He brought the rifle to his shoulder, taking careful aim.
Just as his finger closed over the trigger, a ripple of boyish laughter wafted toward them.
Instinctively Jessie brought her hand up, causing the rifle to discharge harmlessly into the air.
Swearing viciously, Cole caught her roughly by the shoulder and threw her against a wall of rock.
Momentarily stunned, she shook her head to clear it, then ran at him as he took aim once more.
"No."
"Little fool. Are you crazy? Now that they know where we are, they'll come in with all guns blazing."
She made a desperate grab for his rifle.
"Cole. Don't shoot. Please, don't shoot."
He shoved her aside even more roughly this time, then turned from the figure beside him to the two figures he had last seen astride the horses.
The horses had trotted off a few paces.
Both riders had dropped to the ground for protection.
Cole watched, waiting for one of the figures to go for a gun.
Instead they continued lying motionless on the ground.
As Cole and Jessie watched, one of the figures reached out a hand.
The gleam of metal was clearly visible in the grass, just out of reach.
With a cry of alarm, Jessie leaped from the rocks and began tearing across the space that separated her from the horses and riders.
Cole stayed where he was, keeping all three figures now in his sight.
"Damned fool!"
His voice echoed through the dusk, bouncing off canyon walls.
"So you've decided to join them, have you, woman? What's wrong?
Don't you like the odds?
"You don't understand," came her breathless response.
"I haven't turned against you. They aren't your enemies. They're my brothers."'
Chapter Three
Brothers? Jessie's brothers, come to fetch her home where she belonged.
Wherever home was.
Skeptical, Cole kept the rifle cocked and ready to fire as he slowly made his way toward the three figures.
Though the sun had already drifted behind the mountains, leaving the land in shadow, Cole kept them in his sight.
As he drew nearer, he watched the figures untangle themselves from the ground and rush into Jessie's arms.
Only then did he lower the rifle.
At her shout, he had expected tall hulking brothers who would take Jessie to task for having run away from the ranch in search of her parents.
Instead he saw two slender figures, one slightly taller than Jessie, the other much shorter.
He felt a wave of disappointment.
Boys.
Not men who would take her in hand and escort her home.
Boys.
One of them hardly into his teens from the look of him, the other little more than a baby.
With a barely concealed look of disgust, Cole watched their reunion.
The taller one hung back, looking slightly embarrassed by his sudden display of affection.
The smaller one was hanging on Jessie's neck as if attached by invisible cords.
"How'd you know it was us?" the taller one was asking.
"I heard Thad's laughter. I'd know that laugh anywhere."
Her tone hardened.
"What are you two doing here?"
"We decided to join you. It isn't safe for you to ride across Texas alone."
"You had no right. We agreed--" "No, Jess. We didn't agree to anything. As usual, you just made your plans and ordered us to go along with them." r />
Danny's voice betrayed both his hurt and his confusion.
"After you left, Thad and I decided you needed us."
"Needed you. Humph."
She gave a snort of derision.
"Who's taking care of the ranch?"
"The Starkeys. They agreed to keep an eye on things until we got back."
The Starkey family had a ranch adjoining theirs, if twenty or thirty miles away could be called adjoining.
Husband and wife and three strapping sons were hardworking, honest people.
"We can't afford to pay them for taking on the extra work load."
"Yes, we can. I promised them Bossy's calf in the spring."
"Pa'll kill you."
Danny met her look squarely.
"I'll deal with Pa when the time comes."
Something in his tone told Jessie that her brother had thought this through.
She could see the wisdom of Danny's plan.
The tough Conway spirit of independence could be maintained by paying the Starkeys for their help.
Still it rankled.
She'd been counting on that calf to enlarge the herd.
Before she could argue further, Cole drew nearer, causing their conversation to fade.
All three turned to watch his approach.
Cole's hand trembled slightly at the thought of what he'd nearly done.
Another second and he might have killed a couple of innocent kids.
His tone was harsher than he intended.
"Hellfire and damnation! That was a stupid thing you two did. You nearly got yourselves killed. What the hell were you thinking of, coming up on us with no warning?"
Jessie's eyes narrowed with fury.
It was perfectly all right for her to find fault with her brothers.
After all, they were family.
It wasn't all right for Cole to criticize.
She became immediately defensive.
"Don't you dare swear in front of my little brothers."
"I'll say any damned thing--" "You will not swear in front of them.
Or me."
Her eyes blazed.
"Furthermore, what did you expect them to do--shout out their names as they rode along the trail?"
His eyes narrowed, and he thought of several vicious swear words that would curl her hair.
"I'd expect them to make camp before dark, like any sensible travelers."
"Who is this man, Jess?"
Danny's gaze slid over the stranger, noting the gun and holster, the rifle cradled in his arm .
The wide-legged threatening stance, the ripple of muscles did not go unnoticed by the boy.