Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One) (29 page)

He felt horrible. He knew she would turn to him for consolation. Maybe on some unconscious level he was using this to get closer to her, his own behavior repulsing him.

“I’m sorry, Kate. I never should have stopped here. I’m so, so sorry. I was wrong.” He rocked her as they sat there on the ground with nightfall quickly approaching. He could never camp here. Not now. Not after this.

“Alone, unable to cry for help, and choking to death. Is that how he spent his last hours on this earth? Oh God, Robert, he died alone. He died completely alone.”

What could he say? It was the truth. Agreeing would not make it go away, so instead he said nothing.

He should have put his foot down, he thought having the benefit of hindsight. Nonetheless, it was way too late at this point, and all he could do was damage control.

Gently pulling her to her feet, he urged her back to her horse.

“Kate, we need to go. Nightfall is approaching, and we both know our camping here is out of the question.”

All she could do was nod in agreement not trusting her voice.

He tried to put her up behind him on his mount thinking the nearness would help her. She refused. Throwing off his offer of help, she swung herself up in the saddle.

He watched as she took a couple of deep breaths and narrowed her eyes. There was a stillness washing over her. It was one he instantly recognized having seen it countless times in his own family. She was slipping on the proverbial battle dress. Someone had issued an invitation to war by taking something precious belonging to her. She was just about to R.S.V.P. in typical Katherine style.

“I vow, as God as my witness, Robert, those bastards who did this to my brother are dead men walking,” she pushed the words out through clinched teeth.

She was angry. It rolled off her in waves.

She was incensed almost beyond coherent thought at how someone could just leave another human being to die like they had left Kyle. She was unsure whether or not she would have been just as angry if it had been a complete stranger. However, it wasn’t a stranger. It was her flesh and blood, and she would have her revenge. The responsible parties would pay. An eye for an eye, blood for blood.

She held out her hand. “Are you with me? Or are you going to try to talk me out of it?”

He took that hand and raised it to his lips.

“I am at your service, my lady. And I’m with you to the bloody end.”

“Thank you.” She would go it alone if necessary, but she was grateful he had her back.

“No need to thank me, Kate. You are my wife. However, keep this advice in mind. If you ever once cross that line of right to wrong, you can never return to the age of innocence. You can never wash the blood off your hands no matter how much you may want it gone.”

Kate wondered if he was speaking from experience.

Kate knew they were being followed. So did Robert. Secure in that knowledge, they stayed close to each other never getting out of eyeshot. Robert had first heard the engine four days past. The person or persons following were being cautious, just not careful enough. What they were not counting on was Kate’s natural ability to track. With that ability it was not any wonder that as a little kid, she had always managed to find Kyle and him no matter how well they thought they had hidden from her. She had stealthfully maneuvered them back around and behind whoever this group was that was following them.

“What do we do now?” she whispered never taking her eyes off the group below. Her heart was racing.

“Nothing. We lose them,” he whispered backing away from the rock ridgeline over looking the campsite. They were too far away to see faces. However, Robert was close enough to see the guns even without binoculars. “Come on. We can cover some ground tonight.”

“But they could be the men responsible for killing Kyle,” she protested knocking off his hand as he tried to pull her backwards.

“Or not. Use your head, Kate. We are outnumbered and outgunned and it is almost dark,” he whispered.

“But we have the high ground and the element of surprise. They are trespassing, Robert.”

He did not need her to point out the fact she had every right to shoot at them should they threaten them. Nevertheless, they were not a current threat even if they both knew this was not a group of boy scouts. If they were on her land, then they were up to no good. Those facts did not help his argument. However, his superior leadership and intellect was not what won the day. Muscle had purely and simply. Since she was not going quietly, he had to physically drag her back to the horses. Without a doubt, she was a handful, kicking and fighting every step of the way. In order to preserve any advantage they might have gained, he suffered through her biting the hand that he had placed over her mouth. Only through a miracle did he managed to keep it there.

She had been impossible over the last few days, wearing his patience thin. It just happened to be coming to a head at the worst possible time, and he was not about to let her ride hell-bent for revenge into a camp full of armed men. Even if he did comprehend her need for justice, it wasn’t going to happen as long as he was in control. And as satisfying as a good old fashion lynching might be, that was not going to happen either. Not today. He needed to make sure the laws were followed and the criminal justice system had its chance to work. He did not want Kyle’s killers to go free just because she took the law into her own hands. Besides, he knew her well enough to know remorse would quickly follow on the wings of triumph should she do something drastic all in the name of justice.

He was protecting her against herself by lassoing her to her horse. Tying her horse to his and getting away from the area as soon as possible were his main focal points. It was almost dark and he needed to get her settled down. Figuring out how to smooth over hurt feelings would have to wait for a later time. This was not the place or time.

“Bully! Brute!” She continued to fight. “Why not just toss me face down like a sack of horse feed over the saddle next time.”

Her sarcasm was the final straw.

“If you don’t keep that smart yap of yours shut, I might do it this time. Don’t test me, Kate.”

“I will drive a nail through your temple while you sleep for this!” she hissed like a snake, fighting against the rope tying her to her horse.

She could not believe he actually did this to her. She was seething inside, not so much for his manhandling her, but more he had done it with such ease making her feel so totally helpless.

He had had it with her, his usual stores of patience completely tapped out. “No, you won’t. Now, hush up before you give us away, and furthermore, you should be thankful tying you to that horse is all I do to you,” he growled.

Robert was angry with her for forcing his hand. Manhandling her was not what he wanted to do, but she had given him no other alternative.

“Oh, just let me off this horse, cowboy, and I’ll show you how thankful I really am.” She fought against the ropes only serving to develop rope burn for her efforts.

He watched her for a moment and then started laughing softly, completely amused when he should have been angry at her threats. “You are kind of cute when you get all riled up, Katie Bug. Has anyone ever told you that?”

That shut her up as she sat there with her mouth open.

He continued to lead their horses back to camp. She was speechless. She had just threatened to kill him in his sleep and he was calling her cute?

It was so absurd, so much so, she let the anger go and lending her own chuckles to his.

“I’m sorry, Robert. Truce?” She smiled prettily at him in the late afternoon daylight.

“If I untie you, will you behave?” He gave her a long look betraying his suspicion that she was sincere.

“Yes. I promise to behave. I’m sorry. I should not have let it get to…” She paused. “Oh my God, Robert, look!” She tried to point. “Look! Over there.”

“What?” He was trying to make out exactly what had her so excited.

“Right over there, the last clue! There it is! See it! Untie me, hurry,” she said bouncing in the saddle.

Reaching across he prayed this was not a ruse to get him to untie her. Freeing her bounds, she took off like a shot to a small grove of trees.

It was then he saw it, too.

After finding the last and final clue, her hopes soared. Now, she could not believe her eyes as she stared down at the items they had uncovered.

“It is apparent someone beat us to the punch,” Robert stated the obvious.

“Or this is just some son-of-a-bitch’s idea of a cruel joke. Treasure? More like crap.”

Their treasure consisted of a few odds and ends more worthy of a child’s buried treasure than what one would expect from the legend. All her hopes were dashed. There was nothing here, not really. All the chasing around and all the sleepless nights were all for nothing. No buried treasure, no hidden clues, and no more time.

“Only a bunch of stupid stories, stupid signs, and a near empty cache box maybe worth ten bucks at some stupid flea market,” she said kicking the dirt. “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

She fell to the dirt on her knees looking one last time for anything they might have missed. Taking the shovel and frantically digging the hole wider, crying in frustration, she found nothing more than a good, wide, and deep hole to bury her hopes of ever saving her ranch.

Robert felt sorry for her as he leaned over picking her up by the arms and setting her unceremoniously back on her feet.

“Well, it is treasure, Kate, sort of,” he said trying to console her.

Even she knew she could not expect him to accept this as the treasure to secure her debt. Her sense of fair play would prevent her from even trying to claim that debt as paid. The artifacts and coins had some small value, but let’s face it, there was no way it was enough to cover her.

What was she expecting, a miracle?

Well, yeah, her mind answered.

He could see she was deflated. “Come on, it is getting late. We still have an hour to ride back to camp. It will be past dark by the time we make it as is.”

Tossing the shovel down with considerable force and trying to walk past him to the horses, he held out his hand for her to take. She paused realizing it was his way of saying he was sorry and still in her corner. She took that hand as they walked to the horses. Slinging herself up into the saddle, she looked at Robert over her shoulder and made a decision.

“I’m not going back to camp, Robert,” she said softly before kicking her mount into motion.

She was going back to the ranch. They had been out for six days and she was tired of all the hunting. They had found what they were looking for, and it was just one more joke Loki, the Norse god of mischief, seemed to be enjoying at her expense.

“Yes, you are going back to base camp, Kate. It is dangerous to ride out here at night. Don’t be foolish.”

He knew foolishness was not in her basic nature, conceding she was impulsive, impetuous, and spontaneous. However, foolish and reckless was something he had not witnessed in her behavior, at least not until today.

He offered to take her back to the ranch first thing in the morning. Then they would freshen up, get new supplies, and regroup.

“I’m done with this crap, Robert. I concede, you win.”

She swatted impatiently at the tears seeming to materialize from nowhere. “My thirty days was up two days ago. The Golden Circle is yours. Congratulations. I’ll pack what few things I own and will be out of your hair by Friday.”

She put the spurs again to the horse leaving him seconds behind cursing her for what he now actually did consider foolishness and recklessness.

He caught up to her horse and reached for the reins pulling both of their mounts up short in the waning evening light.

The look she gave him was scalding. Fire burned from her depths, and he could feel her anger, her aggravation, and her disillusionment.

“This was not a contest, Kate, at least not between us. We are partners and partners do not compete.”

“Is that your lame attempt to make me feel better?”

“No. It is the truth,” he countered without a moment’s hesitation.

She sighed heavily knowing all hope was lost. “Robert, I needed to find that treasure. You know that.”

“Yes, I do know, probably better than anyone and believe it or not, I wanted to find that treasure as much as you. My reasons may have been different, but valid all the same.”

She held her ground.

“Let go of my mount, McKinnon,” she kept her voice passive. It was the only way to keep a tight rein of control over her emotions. She was dying inside as she began to realize she would lose more than just the ranch. She was losing a friend. Once she walked away, that would be the end of it with Robert. She liked him, and she was even growing to love him.

Narrowing his eyes he lowered his voice. It was a sight and a side of him she had seen once before. Cold, almost cruel, would be the way she would have described him just as he had been the night they married.

“All right, Kate, if this is the way you want to play it, then so be it. However, don’t let my easy-going nature fool you into thinking I’m a pushover. If you make this a contest, especially of wills, you will lose I assure you.”

Again, she held firm. Her daddy had always said make sure any fight worth fighting is worth the effort of winning.

Then reevaluate.

Even if you win, if the end result is not worth the effort, then let it go. She could not let it go. Not today.

“You may own the land, and you may have married me, but I am no longer a part of the bargain.” Her eyes flashed in anger and frustration. “I’ve filed to dissolve this marriage. You will soon be free of this
pathetic creature
because the way I see it, as a couple, we no longer serve any purpose. So don’t think you can intimidate me by trying to bully and threaten me.” Ginger Snap picked up on her heightened emotions and pranced sideways. She was fighting to keep control of herself and the horse.

“Oh no, my lovely Katherine, this is no threat. I do not have to threaten. You have officially conceded and now this horse is mine. I’ll not allow you to endanger what belongs to me. And that also includes you until I decide whether or not to sign those papers.” He was fighting for control too. “If you won’t think of the danger to yourself as
my
wife then think of
my
horse. Will you be the one to put it down if it breaks a leg trying foolishly to get you home after nightfall?”