"Besides, you were sleeping. I figured if I woke you I'd have to answer to that club you were hiding."
So much for the element of surprise. Caroline felt her cheeks grow hot and thought of a few curses herself. Curses that would curl his hair.
Then she remembered Dr. Harvey Hattinger's Rules for Headmistresses.
Rule number five admonished that a lady never display her temper. She bit back the response that sprang to her lips and forced her tone to remain level. "A woman alone can't be too careful."
He hadn't missed the way her eyes had widened in surprise; for a moment he'd read the anger that blazed there. Then, just as quickly, she'd blinked and the look was gone, replaced by a cool, penetrating stare.
He would give Caroline Adams one thing--she kept her feelings under careful control. Caroline felt rather than saw the way he watched her as she worked.
It disturbed her more than she cared to admit.
"You'd better get some sleep now."
"Not just yet."
As she started to get up his hand curled around her wrist, stopping her.
Caroline had never felt such strength. It frightened her. In fact, everything about this stranger frightened her.
As she struggled to break free, his grasp tightened.
To cover her fear she allowed her anger to surface.
"Let go of me."
Though her voice was even, he could read the fear in her eyes.
"In a minute." His voice lowered.
"You intrigue me, Teacher." His thumb moved in lazy circles across her wrist and she knew he could feel the way her pulse raced.
"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in the middle of Texas?"
"I told you." She swallowed and fought to keep the panic from her tone.
"The people of Hope have hired me to be their new teacher."
"You don't look like any schoolteacher I ever knew. You look more like" She jerked back, but she was no match for his strength. With no effort he drew her down until her lips were mere inches from his.
"You look like a green-eyed angel. Or maybe a devil." His breath was warm against her cheek as he whispered,
"I've never seen eyes that shade before."
Caroline's fear turned to panic. Her breath caught in her throat as he suddenly pulled her against him, flattening her breasts against his chest.
"And I've never seen skin that pale. I'm going to have to touch your skin.
Teacher, to make certain it's real." He traced a work-roughened finger lightly along her throat and felt her pulse nutter beneath his touch.
Caroline struggled to show no emotion. But deep inside she felt a tiny tremor curl along her spine. It was the most purely sensual feeling she'd ever known.
His tone deepened.
"Looks like I'll have to taste those lips, too, and see if they're as soft as they look."
Before she could protest he covered her mouth with his. His lips were warm and firm as they moved over hers with a thoroughness that left her breathless.
Heat. Thad hadn't expected such heat. In fact, he'd only meant to taunt her while he gave himself a little pleasure. The sort of pleasure he always found in a woman. But this woman wasn't like any he'd ever met before. She appeared prim and proper. But the lips that yielded beneath his tasted dark and sultry, and the body beneath the nondescript gown was lush and ripe.
He had an almost overpowering need to savage her mouth and shake loose her cool control.
"Teacher." He gripped her roughly by the shoulders and held her a fraction away.
His touch caused the strangest sensation.
He saw the confusion in her eyes as her lids fluttered.
"When I kiss a woman, I expect her to kiss me back."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she opened her mouth to hurl a response.
"Go to..."
His lips cut off her words. It gave him a perverted sense of pleasure to catch her unawares. Though he'd intended merely to taste her lips, he suddenly took the kiss deeper.
He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his chest as his tongue explored her mouth.
Shock sliced through Caroline. She hadn't been prepared for this assault.
But even as she recoiled from his touch, she felt herself responding in a primitive way that left her stunned. The touch of his lips on hers electrified her. And for one fleeting moment, she experienced something she'd never believed possible. For one brief moment she felt a thrill of pure pleasure.
The body beneath hers was lean and hard, his hands rough. But his lips were soft. Softer than a man's should be. He smelled faintly of horses and leather, alien scents to her. Everything about this man was alien. And dangerous. She knew nothing about him except that his very presence brought fear to hardened gunmen. This handsome, dangerous stranger could take her here, now, and she would be powerless to stop him. That thought was like a sudden splash of cold water. In the blink of an eye, she forgot everything except her anger at his boldness. "You have no right." She pushed free of his lips, though he still held her imprisoned in his arms.
She dragged breath into her lungs while he watched her with that same calm, deliberate look. There was a stillness about him, a watchfulness that reminded her of a hunter.
"Earlier today you almost killed me."
He arched a brow in surprise.
' "When you aimed that gun at the man holding me, you didn't care whether or not the bullet hit me first."
"Woman, if I'd wanted you dead, you'd be lying out there with the others.
When I aim a gun, I know who's going to be hit by my bullet." When he released her she stumbled to the far corner of the cave.
He nodded toward the club, which now lay exposed beside her blanket.
His tone was low, dangerous.
"Stay in your safe corner. Teacher." A slow smile touched the edges of his mouth.
"And make certain you keep that club handy."
Caroline watched as he took another long drink of whiskey before shoving the cork in the bottle. Using his saddle for a pillow, he pulled his hat over his face.
She knew that she was too agitated to be able to sleep now. The thought of that sudden, shocking kiss had her pulse still racing, her blood still heating.
She glanced over at the sleeping figure and felt a hot, simmering anger.
It infuriated her that the kiss meant so little to the man those outlaws had called The Texan that he was already sleeping as peacefully as an infant.
Across from her, the man she watched was struggling with powerful new reactions of his own. The woman's fear was genuine. As was her determination to resist. But hidden beneath those obvious emotions was another, more subtle, more controlled. Though she tried to hide it, he sensed a simmering sensuality in the very proper Caroline Adams. He'd never met anyone who intrigued him as much as the mysterious new schoolteacher.
She wasn't at all what she pretended to be. It wasn't the rain that woke Thad; it was the absence of sound. No birds chirped. Even the insects had gone strangely quiet. Something--or someone--was close at hand.
His first thought was for the woman. But there was no time to shield her.
His fingers wrapped around the rifle. In one smooth motion he came to his knees and lifted the gun to his shoulder.
He saw the man reach for Caroline. As the man's hand snaked out, Thad's finger released the trigger and the sound of gunfire shattered the stillness.
He heard Caroline cry out as the body dropped to the ground beside her.
As Thad started toward her, a voice behind him commanded,
"Drop the gun, Texan, or I'll drop you where you stand."
Without turning, Thad tossed the rifle into the dirt.
"Now the gun belt," came the voice.
With one hand Thad unfastened the gun belt and it dropped to the ground at his feet.
"That's better."
Thad turned to face the gunman called Fox, whose lips twisted into a grim smile.
&nbs
p; "You don't look so tough to me, Texan." He glanced toward Caroline, who had scrambled to her feet and stood with the blanket around her. "Getting acquainted with the woman, are you?"
Thad said nothing as he gauged the distance between himself and the gunman.
He'd have only a few seconds to disarm the man. Not enough time to dodge a bullet. But if he was lucky, the first hit wouldn't be fatal. He'd have to see that Fox didn't get a second chance to fire.
As if reading his mind, the gunman kept his gaze leveled on Thad as he addressed Caroline.
"I still haven't showed you a proper Texas welcome, but I'm going to remedy that as soon as I take care of our hero." Caroline's first waking thought had been that she was caught up in a nightmare. Now she realized it was even worse. The man holding the rifle was part of the vicious gang that had killed the driver and guard. He had come back to finish what he'd started.
But why? Why would an outlaw risk the wrath of a gunman like The Texan?
She swallowed back the panic that threatened to choke her. There was no time for fear. She needed a clear mind and an iron will if she were to survive.
Keeping the blanket around her, Caroline took a step closer to the gunman.
Her throat was so dry she feared for a moment that she wouldn't be able to speak. Haltingly she said,
"It's Fox, isn't it?"
He was genuinely pleased that she remembered his name. And when the blanket slipped a little, revealing Caroline's creamy throat, his pleasure became even more evident.
"It isn't fair that you know my name and I don't know yours."
"Caroline."
Her voice lowered seductively.
"Caroline Adams." As she sauntered closer the blanket slipped a little more, tugging her dress from her shoulder.
Feigning innocence, she glanced at her naked flesh, then drew the blanket tight.
Fox, having seen an expanse of bare skin, was suddenly distracted as he studied her through narrowed eyes.
From his position Thad was impressed. It was just about the best acting he'd ever witnessed. The schoolteacher didn't even appear frightened. But he'd caught the first glimpse of fear in her eyes before she'd composed herself.
And he could see the way her hand trembled.
"Guess we won't be needing you around anymore, Texan," Fox called smugly.
As he aimed his gun, Caroline lifted the edge of her blanket and brought the club down as hard as she could on Fox's arm.
That was all the time Thad needed. With one leap he landed on Fox and brought him to the ground, where the two men wrestled for the pistol.
Caroline heard the gun's report and saw Thad jerk backward as the bullet ripped through his shoulder, opening the already raw wound. With a growl of pain he reached for the gunman, but his movements were slowed and Fox easily dodged his grasp.
As the gunman got to his feet, he lifted the pistol and took aim at Thad's chest.
"No." Caroline brought the club crashing over Fox's head and watched as he went down on his knees.
But the blow wasn't enough to stop him. With a savage oath he turned and aimed the gun at her.
Her chest heaving from the exertion, Caroline whispered a prayer for courage and slowly squeezed her eyes shut. Her puny club was no match against his weapon. But at least, she thought with a flash of pride, she had given The Texan a brief reprieve.
She heard the gunfire and waited for the pain. Her eyes flickered open and she gave a gasp of surprise. The Texan and Fox were once more struggling over the gun. Plunging into the fray, she lifted her club and brought it down on Fox's head. This time he dropped to the dirt and stayed there.
"Nice going." Thad rolled aside and lay struggling for breath. Between gasps he muttered,
"You pack a mean punch with that club, ma'am." She flushed with pleasure at his unexpected compliment.
"Is he...?" Thad felt for a pulse and looked up.
"No such luck. Would you mind bringing me the rope from my saddle?"
When Caroline returned with his lasso, he tied the unconscious man's hands and feet and, with great effort, tossed him over the mare's back.
Caroline watched as Thad slowly saddled his stallion. She could see the effort it cost him as blood seeped through his binding and streamed down his arm.
"We have to get that bullet out."
"Later." He grimaced in pain.
"Right now I'd just like to deliver you and our gunman to town."
"But" -- He held up a hand.
"Sorry, Teacher. I think I've had all the excitement I can handle for a while."
L/aroline bent and retrieved her hat and spectacles from the rock shelter.
Thad's pain was momentarily forgotten as his gaze centered on her rounded bottom. Did she do these things to entice him, or was she really unaware of what she was doing? He watched as she carefully twisted her hair into a knot and adjusted her hat. Then she affixed her glasses to her nose and modestly held the remnants of her bodice together.
In the blink of an eye she was transformed into the plain, homely creature he had first seen.
Without a word he helped her into the saddle, then, with great effort, pulled himself onto the horse's back behind her. She felt the sudden, shocking jolt as his arms encircled her waist and grasped the reins.
She was reminded once again of the kiss they'd shared during the night.
She hoped and prayed with all her might that this stranger had forgotten.
And though she knew she'd never forget the feelings that kiss had aroused, she vowed to put it out of her mind forever.
Thad nudged his stallion into a trot and the mare, despite the dead weight of Fox, danced alongside them. Caroline was pressed against the length of his torso. Keeping her spine rigid, her head high, she held herself stiffly as they started toward town. How could she possibly endure being held like this all the way to Hope? It would be a test of her determination, she decided.
If she truly desired a new life, she would endure anything. Even the heat that danced along her spine at this man's touch.
Thad breathed in the fragrance of rose-scented water that clung to her hair.
It stirred long-forgotten memories. Of a mother whose face he had never seen, and whose memory was kept alive only in stories told him by his family.
Of an older sister who'd been both mother and father to him.
Their mother's jar of rose water had been as precious as gold, evoking remnants of the life left behind. Even now, all these years later, Thad could still see in his mind their sod shack and the stretch of land along the Rio Grande they called home. Life here in Texas had been hard. And austere, compared with most. But the memories still brought him pleasure.
It was a life that suited him. He could imagine no other.
He watched the wind play with the little tendrils of dark hair that pried loose from Caroline's neat knot. He knew nothing about Eastern fashion.
But the dress she was wearing was just about the ugliest he'd ever seen.
Not to mention that ridiculous bonnet perched atop her head and the simple round glasses.
He was clearly puzzled. Most of the women he knew would do anything to make themselves look pretty. Why would any woman, so young and obviously beautiful, try to make herself appear plain?
He pulled his hat low on his head to shade the sun from his eyes. What the hell did he care? Caroline Adams was none of his concern. And as soon as he deposited her irr town, he'd go about his business.
Still, he was curious.
"Where are you from?"
She gave the slightest pause before she replied, Boston." " How'd you find out Hope needed a schoolteacher? " " There was a letter from the mayor posted in our church." " And you just volunteered to travel thousands of miles to fill a need? " Caroline nodded.
He waited. But when she offered nothing more, he muttered,
"Did you know the town was in the middle of nowhere?"
' "It sounded like" -- she almost said heaven, b
ut caught herself in time "--the kind of challenge I was looking for."
"Challenge?"
She heard the smile in his voice and found herself bristling.
"Do you think cowboys and gunmen are the only ones who thrive on adventure?"
"No, ma'am." His tone was still warm with laughter.
"It appears to me that you've already had enough adventure for a year or two.
A whole herd of gunmen, a dead driver and guard, a runaway stage. "
"Not to mention a crude cowboy with the manners of a mule." He threw back his head and roared.
"Now, ma'am, I'd say more like a stallion. But I'll admit, it was a fine adventure."
"Don't flatter yourself."
He swallowed back his laughter. Pressing his mouth to her ear, he muttered, "Would you care to kiss me again, Schoolmarm? This time we'll see who backs off first."
His voice, low and teasing, caused her pulse to accelerate. With every mile, she had become more and more aware of the muscled body pressed to hers, of the work-roughened hands guiding the reins.
As the sun rose high in the sky, Caroline began to question her wisdom in trusting this man. How did she know if he was really taking her to Hope?
She had seen how efficiently he'd disposed of those gunmen. She could be facing an even worse fate at his hands. He could be taking her to a cabin miles from the nearest outpost.
She glanced at the rifle resting in the boot of the saddle. If she were to move her hand slowly, she might be able to make it look as if she were merely flexing her fingers. Then, if he made any sudden moves, she would be able to defend herself.
Thad felt the slight tensing of her muscles as she moved her hand. A faint smile touched the corner of his lips as her fingers curled around the barrel of the rifle.
' "I think that hat pin of yours might be a better weapon." At the sound of his deep voice so close to her ear, she stifled a gasp.
"I don't know what you mean." Composing herself, she turned slightly, and though her tone was haughty, he could see the betraying blush on her cheeks.
"Don't ever play poker, Teacher."
She bristled at the laughter that colored his words.
"How can I be sure you're taking me to Hope?"