Heart of the Hunter (18 page)

But this wasn’t Melinda.

It was Kelly. Kelly holding his hand. Kelly looking up at
him, her expressive eyes reflecting compassion and concern.

He grimaced as a twinge of pain ran the length of his leg.

“Come on,” Kelly said, slipping her arm around his waist.
“You should rest.”

He let her help him down the hall to his room. He sat on the
edge of the bed, his head bowed, as he waited for the pain in his thigh to
subside. He was aware of Kelly waiting close by and then she was standing in
front of him, cradling his head against her breasts as she lightly stroked his
hair.

Her touch was infinitely gentle, caring. He felt the sting
of tears behind his eyes and knew if she didn’t leave off mothering him, he’d
make a complete fool of himself. But, try as he might, he couldn’t bring
himself to push her away. No woman had comforted him so tenderly since his
grandmother died almost ten years ago.

Jaw clenched, his hands fisted at his sides, he closed his
eyes and gave himself over to her touch. Just another minute or two, he
thought, and he’d send her away.

But there was magic in the warmth of her hands as she
stroked his hair and then began to gently massage his neck and shoulders.

Hesitantly he lifted his hands to her waist, then let his palms
slide over her buttocks and down the length of her thighs. Her hands stilled on
his shoulders.

Immediately, Lee pulled away from her. And then he felt her
hands on his head, drawing his face to her breasts once more.

“Kelly…”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

His breath penetrated her shirt, warm and inviting. She slid
her fingers through his hair.

“Kelly?”

“I’m sure.”

Afraid he was making the biggest mistake of his life, he
tilted his head up so he could see her face.

“I won’t stop this time,” he warned. “Whatever starts
between us, I’ll finish.”

“It’s already started, Lee,” she murmured, and knew there
would be no turning back this time.

His eyes glowed like the burning embers of a fire as he drew
her down on the bed beside him, his arms wrapping around her as he kissed her.
And kissed her, his tongue delving deep into her mouth. It surprised her that a
kiss could arouse her so quickly.

He fell back on the bed, drawing her down on top of him, his
hands tracing lazy circles over her back while his lips moved over her face and
neck, slowly tantalizing her until she was on fire with need.

Her hands sought to know him and he let her explore to her
heart’s content, learning the shape of him, the texture of his skin.

Somehow their clothing disappeared and she learned, to her
delight, the sensual pleasure of bare skin against bare skin. She saw the
admiration in Lee’s eyes when he looked at her and was pleased that he found
her desirable, that her untutored hands could bring him pleasure. She felt a
keen, unreasoning jealousy because he had known other women, because she was
not his first lover. Unbidden came the memory of Melinda. Had Melinda been his
first love?

She fought down the bitterness that threatened to overwhelm
her and began to kiss him hungrily, fiercely determined to wipe the memory of
every other woman from his mind.

She heard him groan low in his throat and then he was
tucking her beneath him, his legs parting hers.

He whispered her name, his hands tangled in her hair, as his
body became one with hers.

And Kelly knew there would never be another man in her life.
For as long as she lived, she would belong to Lee Roan Horse.

Kelly studied the face of the man lying beside her. He had
fallen asleep soon after they made love, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
She would have gotten up, had she been able, but when she tried to slip out of
bed, he had stirred, whispering, “Don’t go,” and all thought of getting up had
left her mind.

A rumbling in her stomach told her it was well past noon.
She should get up, take a shower, get dressed. Though she had enjoyed their
love-making, she wasn’t sure what was expected of her now. Would he expect to
take her to bed at his whim, or was it something to be done once and forgotten?

She wished suddenly that she’d had more experience with this
sort of thing. She gazed at Lee again, felt her heart stir at the beauty of the
man. He had been a tender lover, making her feel beautiful, cherished, being
certain he pleasured her before he sought his own release. And when it was
over, he had held her close, stroking her hair, whispering endearments in her
ear, holding her until she fell asleep in his arms, peacefully, blissfully
content.

His eyelashes were thick, like tiny black fans against his
bronze cheeks. His lips were well-shaped, firm. She stifled the impulse to run
her finger over his lower lip, afraid she would wake him. She let her gaze
wander over his broad shoulders, over his heavily muscled arms.

She would have been happy to sit there staring at him for
the rest of the day, she thought, but she felt him stir, stretch and then he
was awake, his dark eyes gazing into hers.

A slow flush crept into Kelly’s cheeks as her eyes met his.
Feeling suddenly awkward and more than a little shy, she looked away, only to
feel his finger beneath her chin, turning her face to his again.

“It’s all up to you, Kelly,” he said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“Where we go from here.” He took a deep breath. “It can be
the end, or it can be the beginning. It’s up to you.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you.”

Kelly licked her lips. Her heart was beating wildly in her
breast, her whole body was yearning to know him again. But before she could
answer his question, there was something she had to know.

“Why did you come here, Lee?”

A shadow passed across his face. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Why are you really here?”

A hundred lies crowded his mind, but he couldn’t utter a
single one. Even knowing that the truth would bring her pain, he couldn’t lie
to her, not now.

A muscle twitched in his jaw. For a moment his gaze slid
away from her face and then, slowly and deliberately, his eyes met hers.

“You know why.”

Kelly sat up, clutching the sheet to her breasts. “I want to
hear you say it.”

“I came for the gold.” The gold, he thought. It was the
answer to every question. It was a way to escape from his past into a future
where anything was possible. “The gold’s here somewhere and it’s mine.”

Kelly shook her head. “You’re wrong. It’s mine. Blue Crow
gave it to me.”

Lee’s eyes narrowed ominously. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.”

“Then you do know where it is?”

Kelly’s heart seemed to stop. “He never told me.”

It wasn’t a lie, she thought. Blue Crow hadn’t told her
where the gold was, she’d found it with the help of her grandfather’s map. She
was glad now that she’d burned it.

She slid out of bed, taking the sheet with her, careful to
keep her gaze averted. She didn’t want to look at Lee, didn’t want to remember
how right it had felt to be in his arms. She’d been a fool to think he cared
for her when all he cared about was the gold. But then, deep in her heart,
hadn’t she known that all along?

“Kelly.”

His voice called to her, but she refused to look at him.

“I think you’d better leave,” she said, and biting back the
urge to cry, she swept out of the room, quietly but firmly closing the door
behind her.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lee swore under his breath as he watched Kelly leave the
room. He should have lied to her, he thought, and then, too late, he realized
that he had lied to her. It wasn’t the gold he wanted. It was Kelly.

He sat there for an hour, thinking of the brief interlude
they had shared. He’d had his share of women, maybe more than his share, but
except for Melinda, none of them had meant more than a means of physical
relief. He’d made them no promises and expected none in return.

But Kelly was different. For the first time in his life,
he’d known the difference between mere sexual gratification and love. She had
offered herself to him freely, openly, soothing old hurts with the touch of her
hand, vanquishing old ghosts with the gift of her love.

And he loved her.

Another oath escaped his lips. She’d never believe that now,
not after what he’d said, never believe that she meant more to him than the
gold.

The gold.

Lee stood up and began to pace the room as a niggling fear
began to prey on his mind. Whoever else knew about the gold was getting tired
of waiting. They’d tried to kill him once and they would try again.

His hands clenched as a new thought occurred to him. He’d
assumed the gunmen had been after him, but now that he thought about it, he
realized it had been Kelly they were after. With her out of the way, the ranch
would be sold to the highest bidder. He pondered the matter while he showered,
then dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt.

Who else knew about the gold, he wondered as he stamped into
his boots. Who else knew about it and wanted it bad enough to kill a woman for
it?

Leaving the bedroom, he went into the kitchen in search of
Kelly, but she wasn’t there. The parlor, too, was empty. Turning back down the
hall, he went to her bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Kelly? Kelly, you in there?”

Frowning, he put his hand on the knob. The door opened with
a faint squeak, but the room was empty.

Where the hell was she?

He checked the bathroom, then went out to the barn. The
horses whickered softly at his arrival, but there was no sign of Kelly.

He stood with his good shoulder braced against the barn
door, wondering where she’d gone. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but then, he
hadn’t meant to fall in love with her, either.

Damn.

He was heading back to the house when something made him
walk around to the back. He felt a sudden coldness in the area of his heart
when he saw it, a faint scuff mark in the dirt beneath Kelly’s window.

Squatting on his heels, Lee examined the print. It had been
made by a man’s hard-soled shoe.

Rising, he checked the ground for sign. Someone had tried to
erase their tracks by using a leafy branch, but that, too, had left a trail of
sorts.

Lee followed it until it disappeared at the edge of the
woods beyond the pond.

He muttered an oath as he noticed a single set of hoofprints
heading away from the ranch.

Kelly struggled in her captor’s grasp, but he had arms that
felt as solid as steel and all her twisting and biting was in vain. All it
earned her was a hard slap to the side of her face.

They’d been riding for almost two hours when her captor drew
rein near the foot of the mountain.

He dismounted, then pulled Kelly roughly from the back of
the horse. Pushing her to the ground, he tied her hands behind her back.

Kelly stared up at her captor, her stomach churning with
fear. His eyes were pale, almost colorless. Lank, stringy brown hair fell over
his forehead.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice trembling
uncontrollably.

“I want to know where the gold is,” the man answered curtly.
“You can make it easy on yourself and tell me now, or we can do it the hard way
and you can tell me later. Either way, you will tell me what I want to know.”

“I don’t know about any gold,” Kelly said.

“The hard way, then,” the man said with a smile, and Kelly
had the awful feeling that he would have been disappointed if she’d told him
what he wanted to know without an argument.

She started to plead with him, but before she could form the
words, he hunkered down on his heels and slapped her, hard, twice.

Kelly’s head reeled back, the salty taste of blood filling
her mouth.

“The gold,” the man said. “Where is it?”

“I don’t—”

He slapped her again, harder this time, and then he sighed.

“We’re wasting time,” he muttered to himself, and rising to
his feet, he gathered a handful of dry twigs and lit a small fire.

Kelly watched the flames lick at the dry tinder, her stomach
muscles tightening with fear as the man pulled a jackknife from his pants
pocket.

He looked at her, his pale eyes speculative as he opened the
knife and held the blade over the tiny dancing flames. When the metal was
glowing, her abductor knelt beside her.

“Remember what your daddy always said when he was going to
spank you?” he drawled. “Well, this is gonna hurt you a lot more than it hurts
me.”

Kelly stared in horror as he lifted the blade, holding it
close to her left cheek. She could feel the heat radiating from the blade.

“Don’t,” she whimpered. “Please, don’t.”

“Just tell me what I want to know and I’ll let you go.”

Tears welled in Kelly’s eyes. He was lying. As soon as she
told him what he wanted to know, he would kill her. She read the knowledge in
his unblinking gaze.

He waggled the knife in front of her face. “Last chance,
girl.”

Kelly closed her eyes, her body shaking with fear. She could
feel the heat drawing closer. She held her breath, waiting for the pain she
could not begin to imagine. But it never came.

She gave a startled cry when she felt a hand on her arm.

“Tekihila.”

“Blue Crow!” Tears of relief streamed down her cheeks as he
cut her hands free and drew her into his arms.

“All is well,
tekihila,”
he murmured soothingly.

“What…? Where…?” She glanced over his shoulder, shuddered as
she saw the man’s body lying face down a few feet away. “Is he…?”

“Han.
He will not hurt you again.”

Trembling violently, she collapsed in Blue Crow’s arms. He
rocked her gently, his voice washing over her, soothing her while she cried,
until nervous exhaustion overcame her and she tumbled into sleep’s healing
embrace.