Hard to Hold
Karen Foley
His kiss was intoxicating …
For a moment, nothing else mattered except the wild, sweet longing that surged through Maddie’s veins.
“Madeleine,” Colton rasped, “I don’t think …”
“Shh.” She bent down to brush a searing kiss over his lips, and then lingered for several long, tantalizing seconds. She couldn’t help herself. The taste of him, the feel of him, was irresistible. Then, before he could guess her intent, she pushed his hand over his head and quickly snapped on the other handcuff.
“What the …?” He twisted his head and stared in bemusement at his shackled wrists.
He fixed her with a hard glare, his dark eyes beginning to focus with awareness of what she was doing. “Don’t do this, Madeleine.” His voice sounded rough, still groggy with sleep. “Uncuff me right this damned minute.”
Maddie bit her lip. Colton gave a roar and bucked his hips in an attempt to unseat her. With a cry of alarm, Maddie found herself pitched onto the floor.
“It’s no use, Colton,” she gasped, and opened her hand to reveal the set of keys. “I already have them.” Maddie pushed herself to her feet, intent only on grabbing her shoes and getting out of there.
“Madeleine,” he said, his eyes burning into hers, “you can’t run forever, and there’s no place for you to hide.
“I’ll get free, and God help you, I will find you …”
Hard to Hold
Karen Foley
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
KAREN FOLEY is an incurable romantic. When she’s not working for the Department of Defense, she’s writing sexy romances with strong heroes and happy endings. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters, an overgrown puppy and two very spoiled cats. Karen enjoys hearing from her readers. You can find out more about her by visiting www.karenefoley.com (http://www.karenefoley.com).
Contents
Chapter 1 (#uad7860b8-a344-5e7b-88dd-d31b98431c7d)
Chapter 2 (#u4688b74c-4252-5eec-9bd4-f56e1a13549f)
Chapter 3 (#u77993e39-836d-5007-b472-f3146f80ab48)
Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Excerpt (#litres_trial_promo)
1
UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, Colton Black wouldn’t have given the girl a second glance. Tomboys weren’t his type, and with her oversize T-shirt, baseball cap and backpack, there wasn’t much of her to see anyway. Only the long, honeyed swish of a ponytail poking through the back of the cap, and a sweetly curved ass beneath a pair of faded blue jeans gave any hint of femininity. But it was neither of these that had captured Colton’s attention.
Nope, it was definitely the gun.
Colton had barely glanced up from his breakfast when the big Greyhound bus pulled into the gravel parking lot of the diner located on a remote stretch of Interstate 80 in Lovelock, Nevada. Several travelers disembarked, either to refresh themselves before climbing back onto the bus, or to wait for a connecting one. There was a frazzled mother dragging a small, wailing boy in her wake, an elderly couple and the young woman in the baseball cap.
As they entered the diner, Colton had returned his attention to his newspaper and finished eating. Afterward, he wasn’t certain what had made him look up again. The girl had paused near the cash register, presumably to check out the array of gum and mints on display there, but the uncanny sixth sense that had saved his hide on numerous occasions was kicking into full gear, demanding his attention.
As he watched, the girl’s hand fluttered to the waistband of her jeans beneath the T-shirt. Colton’s eyes narrowed as she touched something hidden there. She hesitated, then dropped her arm back to her side, but not before he saw the dull, metallic glint of the weapon concealed beneath the shirt.
She turned toward the cashier, hesitated again, then seemed to change her mind. She moved slightly away, pretending to look at a rack of magazines. As Colton watched, she drew in a deep breath, as if bracing herself, before she turned resolutely back to the cashier. Colton was halfway to his feet when she made a jerky movement and spun abruptly on her heel. She ducked her head and strode past his booth to the rear of the diner, muttering something beneath her breath that sounded suspiciously like “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
Colton reached into his wallet and tossed several bills onto the table. Cautiously, he made his way toward the back of the small restaurant, where the girl had disappeared. There was a tiny alcove with a public telephone, next to a door that led to the diner’s single unisex bathroom, currently occupied by the mother and her small son; Colton could hear the boy still crying plaintively from behind the closed door.
He leaned negligently against the wall as if waiting his turn for the restroom, but he needn’t have bothered with the pretense. The girl was completely oblivious to his presence. She stood with her back to him, caught up in rehearsing what sounded suspiciously like a scene from the movie Thelma and Louise.
As Colton watched, she rolled her shoulders, assumed a cocky stance and then started again from the top in a low, husky voice. “All right, ladies and gentlemen, let’s see who’ll win the prize for keepin’ their cool. Simon says everybody lie down on the floor. If nobody loses their head, then nobody loses their head.” In the next instant, she gave an audible groan and her shoulders sagged. “I can’t do this.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Colton drawled, startling her. “Because as of oh-five-hundred this morning, I’m on vacation, and I’d sure as hell hate to see it ruined on account of some dumb-ass kid looking to make a quick buck on the wrong side of the law.”
At the sound of his voice, the girl whirled around with a sharp cry of surprise. Now she fumbled beneath her shirt and yanked the weapon free with jerky movements. Her hands were unsteady, but she was close enough that if she decided to pull the trigger, she wouldn’t miss. Colton went still and raised his hands to show her he meant no harm, but he didn’t retreat.
“Stop right there.” Her voice was low and strained. “Take another step and I’ll be forced to shoot.”
Colton kept his eyes on her face, deliberately not looking at the weapon, but he’d already taken note of her stance. She had both hands clutched around the gun, aimed at his midsection, and it looked to him as if the safety lever was in the locked position. In the time it would take her to release the lever, he could easily take the gun from her. There’d be no contest.
He glanced at the patrons in the diner. The elderly couple who had come in on the Greyhound were seated at a booth as the waitress, a tired-looking woman in her fifties, scratched their order on a small pad of paper. The only other patron was an old man seated at the counter, his grizzled head bobbing lightly over his coffee cup.
Colton sighed. It was time to end this. If he did it right, nobody in the diner would be any wiser as to what was transpiring just behind them. The girl wouldn’t even realize she’d been overpowered until it was too late. He’d just remove the gun from her hands, spin her around, push her up against the wall and contact the local authorities. And maybe, just maybe, he could still make it to his cabin before nightfall.
Then the girl tipped her head back, and muted light from the dust-covered windows spilled across her features. Colton found himself staring into hazel eyes the color of aged whiskey, fringed by lashes that were incongruously dark by comparison.
Not a girl. A woman.
He guessed her to be in her mid-to late twenties. Her oval face had a delicate bone structure, with high cheekbones and a slim, straight nose. The cleft in her chin suggested a strength or stubbornness that was completely belied by the soft fullness of her lips. But it was her eyes that had him raising his hands in a mute gesture of surrender.
The woman was terrified.
And desperate.
Colton had seen that look just twice before. Once, when he’d cornered a small fox that had found its way into his cabin. He’d thought the animal was going to either attack him outright or die of heart failure while he tried to figure out how to get it outside. In the end, he’d stepped aside, opened the screen door and watched as it bolted for freedom.
The second time...well, he just wished his choices then had been as easy as they’d been with the fox. Reluctantly, he recalled the incident at the San Diego federal courthouse six years earlier. A boy of about sixteen entered the courthouse, but as he had passed through the metal detectors, he’d had tripped the security alarm. Colton had been standing guard outside one of the courtrooms, assigned to protect the man on trial behind the closed doors. There had been no doubt that the defendant was complete scum, accused of aggravated kidnapping, rape and murder, but he was under federal protection. Colton was a Deputy U.S. Marshal; his job was to ensure the accused had his day in court.
As the alarm had sounded and the guards had moved forward to detain the boy, he’d broken free and bolted down the corridor, his youthful features twisted in anguish and a kind of fierce determination. Colton thought he’d always remember the sound of the kid’s sneakers squeaking against the polished marble floors of the cavernous lobby. He had stepped forward to block him, his weapon drawn. The youth had slid to a stop, arms flung out for balance. When he saw the two guards advancing on him, he’d reached into his denim jacket and pulled out a gun.
The utter despair on his face as he’d weighed his options had caused Colton to hesitate for one fateful second. He’d cried out in denial even as he lunged forward to stay the boy’s hand.
But he’d been too late.
The youth had put the gun to his own head, and the sound of a single shot reverberated through the lofty halls. His body had hit the floor before the last echoes faded. Later, Colton learned the boy had intended to kill the defendant he was protecting; the same man who had allegedly kidnapped, raped and then murdered the boy’s young girlfriend.
Now Colton could see the same fleeting expressions of despair and steely resolve on this young woman’s face as she stood facing him. She compressed her lips and steadied the gun, aimed now at his heart.
“Easy there,” he heard himself say. “Why don’t you put away the gun? I’m sure there’s another way. You don’t really want to do this.”
Her eyes clung to his for a brief moment before shifting to the parking lot beyond the diner windows.
“Is one of those vehicles yours?”
Colton followed her gaze, sensing the direction of her thoughts. “Yes, ma’am.”
Goddamn it to hell. His boss would have his head and maybe even his badge, but suddenly Colton didn’t have a choice. Whatever trouble she was in, instinct told him that arresting her wasn’t the solution, and could even be the one thing that drove her completely over the edge. He’d be damned if he’d have her on his conscience.
She gestured toward the door with her gun, and it was then that Colton realized he’d been duped. As she waved the weapon, his eyes were drawn to a scratch on the end of the barrel, revealing the bright orange plastic beneath. Only toy guns were equipped with brightly colored tips, as a way to prevent them from being mistaken for the real McCoy. Clearly, the tip of this one had been painted to match the barrel. As toy guns went, it was a damned realistic replica of the real thing.
“Good,” the woman was saying. “I need you to drive me somewhere.” She tipped her chin up, her eyes narrowing. “And don’t try anything foolish, or I might have to use this. I—I’m a good shot, too.”
Colton kept his face neutral. “I’m sure you are, ma’am.”
He was frankly surprised at how far she was willing to play out this little drama. He’d seen a lot of bizarre and even twisted things in his eleven years as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, but he’d never encountered a situation quite like this one. He knew what he should do, but somehow the idea of exerting his authority over this woman, and destroying whatever small hope she had of getting out of this predicament, held little appeal for him. For now, at least, he’d play it out with her and go along as her “hostage.” At least he could ensure she didn’t try a similar stunt on some other unsuspecting person. Hell, she could find herself at the wrong end of a shotgun, especially in these rural areas where most business owners kept a loaded weapon behind the counter as a matter of course.
Eventually, he’d have to let her know the game was up. But for the moment, he was intrigued enough to find out what her motives were, what kind of trouble she was in and just how far she might be willing to go. He’d been hoping to make it to his cabin by dinner, but decided his vacation could wait another hour or so.
Concealing the weapon beneath her shirt, the woman stepped behind him, indicating he should precede her out of the diner. “Just walk a little in front of me, okay? Don’t turn around. If you do, I’ll have no choice but to use the gun. Are we clear?”
Colton’s lips twitched, but he nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am.”
They’d just reached the diner’s entrance when the door to the bathrooms opened, and Colton could hear the frazzled mother and her young son, who was still wailing.
“Whatever you left on the bus will still be there when we get back on,” the mom was saying, trying to console the boy.
Colton found himself suddenly propelled through the door as his “captor” crowded against him, pushing the gun into the middle of his back. “Hurry.” Her voice was low and urgent.
Colton obliged, moving through the door and into the suffocating heat of the sun-baked parking lot. But as the door swung shut behind him, he could just make out the child’s reply.
“But, Mommy, I left my gun on the seat! What if someone takes it?”
Then the door closed and it was just the two of them. Colton barely contained his snort of disbelief. He wondered how she’d react if he reached out and yanked the useless weapon from under her shirt.
The woman was looking sharply at him. Colton knew she was trying to determine if he’d heard the boy, and if he had, whether or not he’d made the connection between the child’s toy and her weapon.
He kept his face carefully impassive and continued across the dusty parking lot. She hesitated for a moment and Colton glanced back at her. He knew in that moment that she had, indeed, taken the child’s toy from where he had left it on the bus. The combination of guilt and consternation on her face had Colton wondering if she might not march back into the diner and return it to the child. Just when he was certain she was going to do exactly that, she composed her features into a mask of steely resolve, and the moment passed.
“Which of these is yours?” She nodded toward the parked vehicles.
“The pickup there.” Colton indicated a black truck that dominated the lot. A canvas tarp was stretched across the bed, protecting and concealing the provisions and gear he was bringing with him to the cabin for a two-week fishing vacation.
“Okay, you drive.” The woman stood aside as he unlocked the vehicle. “Wait!”
Colton stopped just as he was preparing to climb behind the wheel, and turned to look at her expectantly. Her brow was furrowed.
“This isn’t right,” she muttered.
“Nope,” Colton agreed, “it ain’t. Whatever your problem is, it can’t be worth the pile of trouble you’re getting yourself into by taking me hostage.”
The woman waved her hand dismissively. “No, no. I mean this isn’t right.” She pointed to the open door. “You’re supposed to get in on the passenger side and slide over to the driver’s seat. Then I slide in after you. That way I can make sure you don’t try anything.”
“Ah,” Colton said. He stepped back and closed the driver’s door. “I see you’ve been watching plenty of crime-time television.” He walked around to the passenger side of the truck, aware of her following close behind him. Opening that door, he slid in. The interior was stifling hot, so he started the engine and flipped the air-conditioning to high as the woman climbed onto the bench seat beside him. He suppressed a smile as she pulled the toy gun from her waistband and tried awkwardly to keep it trained on him while negotiating the high seat.
“Okay,” she said, closing the door and turning to look at him. “Let’s get out of here.”
She wrestled her backpack off and let it fall to the floor. Without taking her eyes from him, she pressed herself against the door, keeping as far away from him as she could in the confines of the cab. She kept the gun low but leveled at him nonetheless.
Colton quirked an eyebrow. “Care to tell me where we’re going? You might want to make it quick, since I expect we’ll have company before too long.”
* * *
MADDIE HOWE TORE her gaze from the big man sitting next to her and looked beyond the parking lot to where Interstate 80 stretched away into the distance, until it was finally swallowed up by the mountains beyond. Heat shimmered in waves over that narrow ribbon of tarmac, and the plains on either side were scorched brown from the unrelenting heat of the July sun.
“Just head west toward Reno until I tell you different,” she replied, shifting her gaze back to him. To her dismay, the man made no move to put the truck into gear, although one hand rested on the stick shift. He was watching her, and she thought his dark eyes held compassion.
“You sure you want to do this?” His voice was low, compelling.
Maddie swallowed nervously What if he simply refused to drive? He couldn’t do that to her, she thought in near desperation. She had already come this far; had irrevocably altered her life, maybe even ruined it. For her, there was no turning back. She was committed to the course she had chosen, even if it meant ditching him and finding another driver. For her, there were no other options.
“I’m sure,” she finally said, her mouth dry. Her hands tightened around the gun and she lifted it fractionally higher. “Please, just drive.”
His expression told her clearly he was disappointed, but he shifted the big truck into gear and then they were pulling out onto the interstate and heading west toward the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Maddie spared one swift glance back at the diner, expecting what, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as if anyone in the place was even aware that she’d just committed a crime. The whole thing had been too easy. There was no discernible activity in the parking lot, and the rest area grew smaller and smaller as they sped away. Finally, she allowed herself to relax back into the seat.
The man beside her was silent. Maddie didn’t know whether to be thankful for that or not. She watched him covertly from beneath her baseball cap. He was a big man, tall and lean with broad shoulders. He’d startled her half to death when he’d confronted her in the diner. Her first impression had been of height and width and dark eyes that had focused on her with an intensity that missed nothing.
Then he had spoken, and his voice was like a lifeline in a world that was suddenly tilting out of control. This was the kind of guy who could talk a suicide jumper down off a ledge, she decided. His voice had a quality to it that both calmed and inspired trust. It was low, and sort of rough around the edges, with a bare hint of a drawl that made you want him to keep on talking. Because when he did, you felt like he really cared. Only that was crazy, Maddie thought, because he didn’t even know her. Never mind that she had kidnapped him at gunpoint.
She watched him now as he drove, his hands relaxed on the wheel. Maddie noticed he didn’t wear a wedding band. She hadn’t had a chance to really look at him in the diner, but now she let her eyes travel over him, lingering on his profile.
He was dark, his skin burnished to a warm copper. His black hair was cropped short in a style that was almost military. He had slashing black brows and a hawklike nose above lips that were wide and generous. Despite his chiseled cheekbones and clean, square jaw, there was an aura of toughness about him that she recognized. She was willing to bet the ladies lined up for a chance to be with him. She guessed he was at least partially Native American. Altogether, he was overwhelmingly male. He wore a black T-shirt paired with blue jeans, and it seemed his entire body was layered with muscles. Even his thighs beneath the worn denim appeared muscular.
As if sensing her scrutiny, he slanted a sideways glance at her, one black eyebrow arched in question. Maddie felt her face grow warm. What would she do if he tried to overpower her? There would be no contest. She’d be dough in his hands. She groaned inwardly. What had she been thinking to involve this man in her madness? Truth be told, she hadn’t been thinking. She hadn’t actually had a single coherent thought since she had received the threatening note early the previous morning, followed by the phone call. A call that had chilled her and then galvanized her into panic mode.
Her younger brother, Jamie, was in trouble. Serious trouble. He’d lost a staggering amount of money at the poker tables in Reno. Money that hadn’t been his to lose. Money that the lenders now wanted back. More money than she had, despite the fact she’d emptied both her savings and checking accounts, sold her car for far less than its worth and cashed in the precious few bonds she owned.
There hadn’t been nearly enough time to remortgage her little condo or apply for a bank loan. The men who were holding her brother said they would hurt him if they didn’t have the money within the next seventy-two hours. And they warned her that if she involved the police, they would just kill him outright and be done with it.
Maddie believed them.
Why wouldn’t she? After all, she’d seen what had happened to her father. She knew firsthand about the seamy, dark side of gambling, and what really went on in the back rooms of the casinos. But her brother was only twenty years old, just finishing up his last year of college. He’d been too young to remember what had happened to their dad, though Maddie did all too vividly.
She wouldn’t let that happen to Jamie, although there was a part of her that wanted to kill him herself for having gotten into this mess. How many times had she preached to him about the dangers of gambling? She’d made him promise that he would never, under any circumstances, go to the casinos, and certainly not with money that wasn’t his. But she understood the lure of turning a quick buck; of beating the house and winning huge sums of cash. Now Jamie’s luck had run out, and unless she acted quickly, his life was in danger.
Frantic, she had stashed what cash she had into her backpack and boarded the first bus for Reno. She’d left a voice mail at the town office where she worked as a senior accountant, telling her boss that she had a family emergency and needed to take several days off. She had a telephone number to call once she reached Reno.
She had spent the first hundred fifty miles of the westbound bus ride tolerating the shoot-’em-up antics of the little boy in the seat in front of her. But after nearly three hours of watching him pretend to shoot her with his toy gun, her nerves had been stretched taut.
When they pulled into the rest area in Lovelock, she had spied the toy weapon lying on the seat and had quickly snatched it up, shoving it under her T-shirt and into the waistband of her jeans. She’d promised herself she would “find” the toy for the child once they reached Reno. And in the meantime have some peace and quiet.
But as she had watched the cashier at the diner laughingly ring out a customer, and glimpsed the money in the drawer, something had caught at her. Something dark and desperate, and she’d become agonizingly aware of the toy gun pressing into her stomach. Whether or not she would actually have worked up the nerve to rob the diner was something, thankfully, she would never know. What she had done was bad enough. She could scarcely believe she’d had the nerve to take this man hostage; could scarcely believe he’d been duped by the fake gun.
“Do you have a name?” the stranger was asking her, a small smile tilting the corners of his generous mouth. “Or should I just call you Bonnie?”
Maddie blinked at him. How could he be so relaxed? As far as he knew, she was pointing a loaded gun at him. And he wanted to make jokes? In the short time they’d been driving, she had tried to decide where he should drop her. The trip to Reno would take a couple hours. Being silent and surly wasn’t going to make the journey any more enjoyable, and what did it matter anyway if he knew her name? Once she had her brother safely back, she intended to turn herself in to the police. At which point everyone would know who she was.
“Madeleine,” she answered shortly, not adding that people generally called her Maddie.
“I’m Colton Black,” he drawled. “I’m real sorry we couldn’t have met under different circumstances.”
To Maddie’s horror, he extended a hand to her across the seat. It was large and tanned, with lean fingers tapering to neat nails. She raised her gaze to his, keeping her expression blank. He was watching her carefully, while keeping an eye on the almost empty road.
Did he really believe she was that big of a fool? She knew what would happen if she shook that hand. He’d haul her across the seat and wrest her miserable excuse for a weapon from her nerveless fingers. No, thank you.
But he only grinned and pulled his hand back. “Okay,” he murmured, as if talking to himself. “That’s okay. You’re not ready to be sociable yet. I understand. But here we are, just you and me.” He gave a wry smile. “At least we’re heading in the right direction.”
Maddie blinked. “Excuse me?”
He slanted a swift look at her. “I was headed up to Paradise Valley for a couple of weeks of fishing. I’ll drop you wherever it is you want to go, and maybe I can still reach my cabin before it gets too late.”
Maddie stared at him in disbelief. “I can’t let you go. You know that.”
He kept his gaze straight ahead. “Why not? I promise you, darlin’, you sure as hell don’t want the kind of trouble I’ll bring you.”
Was that a threat or just a general comment about the hazards of taking hostages? Maddie pressed herself closer against the passenger door. “Look, I really don’t want any trouble. I—I just need to do something, okay? Once it’s done, I’ll let you go.”
“Oh, yeah?” A small smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “What’s so important that you’d risk your life, huh? Why were you going to hold up the diner? Is it drugs?” His gaze swept over her, sharply assessing. “Or do you need to pay off a bookie?”
Maddie blanched at his words, but he’d turned his attention back to the road and didn’t see her sudden panic. She glanced out the window at the desert rushing past. As soon as he’d mentioned his cabin in Paradise Valley, she’d known exactly what she needed to do. Her grandfather had a cabin in the hills, and he’d once said that he had a fortune hidden there. She had no idea if that was true, but she needed to check it out, although it required turning off the main road. But she couldn’t afford to have her focus diverted by this man. She needed to unload him and get on with her mission. If she ditched him here, on the main road, he’d have a better chance of hitching a ride with someone. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to leave him in the foothills, where a day’s hike without sufficient water could mean death in these temperatures.
“Pull the truck over.” Her voice sounded low and strained, even to her own ears.
Colton gave a disbelieving laugh. “What?”
Maddie jabbed the gun in his direction. “You heard me. I said pull over.”
His lips compressed as he steered the truck off the road and onto the soft shoulder in a cloud of billowing dust. He thrust the vehicle into Park, but didn’t turn off the engine.
“Now what?” He turned his head slowly and gave her a level look. “You tell me to get out and I start hiking across the desert?” He shook his head. “Ain’t going to happen, lady. Besides, I thought you said you couldn’t let me go.”
Maddie frowned. “I’ve—I’ve changed my mind. I don’t need you, just your truck.” She made a motion with the gun, willing her hands not to tremble. “Get out. You don’t have to walk across the desert or anything, you just have to get out. Someone will come by eventually, and you can hitch a ride.”
She watched, stunned, as he laughed softly. He turned to her, still grinning. She tried to ignore the mesmerizing dimples that appeared in either lean cheek.
“No way, ma’am. Absolutely no freaking way am I getting out of this truck.”
Maddie stared at him. “What are you, crazy?” She gestured threateningly with the toy gun. “I could shoot you right now.”
He spread his arms wide. “Well, then, you go right ahead, darlin’, because the only way I’m leaving this truck is if I’m dead.”
Maddie blinked, appalled. “You’re not serious.”
“I sure as hell am.” He slapped the dashboard. “This baby is brand-new. I worked damned hard for her, and there’s no way I’m giving her up. You want her, you gotta shoot me first.”
This couldn’t really be happening. Maddie swept a trembling hand across her eyes, trying to hide the panic she was feeling. She couldn’t afford to have this man involved, didn’t want him involved. She glanced again at the seemingly endless expanse of desert that stretched away to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Even if she chose to leave the truck, she’d never make it across those heat-baked plains on foot.
She turned her attention back to the man beside her. He was staring out the window, drumming his fingers against his thigh in tune to some internal melody, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. As if she wasn’t capable of shooting him.
Which she wasn’t, because her gun was nothing more than a child’s toy. He might not know that, but somehow he intuitively knew she didn’t have what it took to commit cold-blooded murder.
She blew out her breath in frustration and sagged back against the seat, making no protest when he shifted gears and pulled the truck back onto the highway.
“Fine,” she conceded, trying to sound as if she still maintained control. “You leave me no choice but to take you with me.”
He flashed her a swift grin. “No kidding. So where to?”
“Take the next turnoff, and follow the signs to Spotted Canyon.”
“Okay then,” he murmured, almost to himself. “This could still work out okay. We’re still headed in the general direction of Paradise Valley. I’ll just drop you off wherever it is you’re going, and then I’ll head to my cabin.”
Maddie almost choked on the spurt of semihysterical laughter that burst forth before she quickly composed herself. She couldn’t believe he was still preoccupied with reaching his cabin. She didn’t respond, but instead stared resolutely through the windshield, determined to ignore him.
“So,” he continued conversationally, “what’s a nice girl like you doing in a situation like this?”
Maddie slanted him one look of warning before turning her attention back to the road. She pointed to a turnoff that was barely discernible in the distance.
“Take this next right.”
Colton looked at her in surprise. “You sure it’s this one?”
It was a dirt road, surrounded on either side by brush and rocky terrain. Maddie knew that it wound steadily upward into the foothills. It had been several years since she’d traveled it, but there was no doubt in her mind this was the correct road.
“Yes, I’m sure. Now do you mind if we don’t talk, and just drive?”
“Sure.”
She breathed a sigh of relief when they turned onto the dirt road, one of hundreds of narrow, rutted routes that twisted their way through the hills.
When she had first boarded the Greyhound bus back in Elko, she had planned on traveling straight through to Reno. She would figure out how to get her brother back once she got there. But then, of course, she’d made the stupid, stupid mistake of taking this man hostage. She’d been formulating a plan on how to come up with the cash she needed, and it involved gambling, but she couldn’t very well waltz into one of the casinos with this man strapped to her side. She’d been in near despair as to what her next course of action should be, when he’d mentioned a cabin in Paradise Valley.
It was then that she knew what she had to do.
2
COLTON GLANCED OVER at the woman. She was slumped against the door, and he could see she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She held the gun loosely in her lap. They’d been driving for nearly four hours, negotiating the uneven dirt roads that threaded their way through the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and climbed steadily upward into the more heavily timbered forests. Several times she had directed him to take a certain turn, but had otherwise been silent.
“It’s going to be dark soon,” he commented. “I don’t know about you, but I hear nature calling. Mind if we stop for a quick break?”
She didn’t look at him. “Can’t you hold it?”
“Nope.”
Turning her head, she gave him an assessing look. “Okay, but it has to be quick. We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?” He gave a rueful laugh. “Looks like we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“I know exactly where we are,” she answered tersely. “You can pull over here.”
He stopped the truck and was about to get out when she surprised him by laying a hand on his arm. He paused and looked first at the slender fingers, and then at her, arching an eyebrow in query.
She actually blushed, and then snatched her hand back as if it had been burned. “I’ll take the keys.”
Colton glanced down at the set in his hand, then shrugged and dropped them into her lap. “Fine. But if you’re thinking you’re going to leave me here, I’d reconsider. We’re almost out of gas.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“What would be the point? It’s not like there’s a gas station beyond the next bend.”
“How much farther do you think we can drive with the gas we have left?” Her voice was low, but Colton could hear traces of anxiety.
“Fifteen miles. Maybe. We’re on rock bottom empty.” He didn’t tell her he had a reserve tank that would get them an additional fifty miles. He watched with interest as her entire body seemed to sag with relief at his words.
“That’s more than enough. We only have another five or so to go, and I know there’s an old gas station on the other side of this mountain. At least,” she amended, turning to gaze distractedly out the window, “there used to be.”
Colton wondered how long it had been since she’d traveled through this area, and why she needed to reach Reno. He climbed out of the cab and was just about to step away from the road and into the nearby woods when her voice stopped him.
“Right there is fine.”
He angled a glance at her over his shoulder. She leaned across the bench seat and was once more aiming the useless gun at him. “What, now you want to watch?” He injected just enough derision into his voice to make the color bloom in her cheeks.
“Of course not. I just want to keep you in sight. I won’t look.”
Colton sighed. “How about I just step in front of the truck with my back to you?” She nodded, and he moved to stand in front of the hood. He discreetly relieved himself, acutely aware of the amber eyes that watched him from behind the windshield.
As he prepared to climb back behind the wheel, she lowered the pistol and began fiddling with the latch on his glove compartment. “I don’t suppose you have anything to eat stashed in here, do you? A candy bar or something?”
Alarm bells jangled in Colton’s head as he recalled exactly what he had stashed in the glove box: his service revolver and a two-way radio. He couldn’t let her find either, or the game, such as it was, would definitely be up. He didn’t doubt his own ability to overpower her if she should get her hands on the weapon, but neither did he trust her to handle it responsibly. She could shoot him without meaning to.
“Nothing but junk in there,” he assured her quickly, “but I do have some water and snacks in the back. If you’ll let me, I’ll be happy to grab some for us.”
Her hands fell away from the glove compartment, and she gave him a brief ghost of a smile. “Thanks.”
He retrieved two bottles of water and a bag of pretzels from beneath the canvas tarp. He tossed them lightly onto her lap and held out his hands for the keys. She snatched up one of the bottles, uncapped it and drank greedily for a long moment before she finally noticed his waiting hand. Slowly, she lowered the bottle.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I guess I was thirstier than I realized.”
She handed him the keys, and Colton pulled back onto the road, but he was conscious of the woman as she drained the water bottle and started in on the pretzels.
“When did you last eat?” he asked, keeping his voice casual.
Madeleine, nibbling on a pretzel, flushed. “I don’t remember. Yesterday, I think.”
“You think?”
“It’s been a crazy couple of days. Eating didn’t seem to be a priority.” Her tone was defensive. “Oh! Turn here.”
She indicated a road that was little more than an overgrown trail. If she hadn’t pointed it out to him, Colton might not have seen it. Branches and underbrush dragged along the side of the truck as he made his way along the road, and he winced inwardly, wondering what it was doing to the finish. He wasn’t fussy by nature, but he hadn’t lied when he’d told her the truck was brand-new. He’d barely broken it in.
Suddenly, the trail opened up, and a clearing lay ahead. Colton leaned forward to peer through the windshield. There was an enormous boulder flanked by aspen and cottonwood trees, and near it a small cabin. Colton thought he’d never seen a place so perfectly situated in the natural beauty surrounding it.
It was a simple log structure with a porch on the front. It faced west across the small clearing to where the pine trees suddenly vanished at the edge of a steep precipice. Spread out before them was a breathtaking panoramic view of the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance. The sun had dipped just below the horizon, and the blaze of colors that streaked the sky over the peaks stole his breath. Colton drew the truck alongside the small cabin and simply stared.
“I’ll take the keys,” Madeleine said to him, and he handed them to her almost absently.
“Christ,” he murmured, “this place is unbelievable.”
But she had already climbed out of the cab. Colton watched as she shoved the keys into the front pocket of her jeans, and the toy gun into her waistband. She took the steps to the porch two at a time.
He let his gaze travel over the cabin. It was obviously abandoned. Signs of disuse and neglect were apparent in the thick coating of leaves and pine needles that covered the porch and roof, as well as the green moss that had begun to take root on the log walls.
Slowly, he got out of the truck and followed Madeleine. She was on her knees in front of the door, brushing aside leaves and other debris as she searched beneath an ancient mat. When she didn’t find what she was looking for—the keys, Colton suspected—she stood up and began forcibly trying to open the door. When jiggling and pushing the handle didn’t work, she applied her shoulder, grunting each time she threw her weight against the solid planking. Still, the door didn’t budge.
She was going to hurt herself if she kept it up. Colton didn’t know who the cabin belonged to, or why it was so important to her that she gain access, but he suspected it was more than just a place to hide out.
“Here,” he said, and nudged her to one side. He studied the door for a moment and then, standing back, drew his leg up and kicked with the heel of his booted foot, just to the side of the handle. The door exploded inward, shearing the interior dead bolt from the frame.
Colton looked at Madeleine, who was staring at the scene with an expression of awe. She turned to him.
“That was quite...impressive. Thanks.”
“No problem,” he murmured. “Just call me Clyde. If I’m not mistaken, this makes me an accomplice.”
“Nonsense. I’ll tell anyone who asks that I forced you to do it.”
Without waiting for his response, she stepped into the cabin. Colton followed, brushing aside cobwebs that had accumulated across the doorway.
“So, on top of aggravated kidnapping, we now add breaking and entering to your growing list of crimes,” he said sardonically, watching as she took a dusty kerosene lantern down from a hook inside the door.
She set it on a nearby table, ignoring him as she carefully adjusted the wick and then lit it with a long match that she drew from a tin box next to the lantern. The bright flame slowly grew into a soft, warm glow, chasing away the shadows that surrounded them and casting golden light across her features.
“You can’t be accused of breaking and entering when you own the house,” she finally said, looking up at him.
Colton couldn’t hide his surprise. “This is your place?”
“Yeah. At least since my grandpa died. Here, hold this.” She handed him the lantern, and he followed her into the adjoining kitchen. It was small and dark with knotty pine cupboards and an ancient cookstove in one corner. Colton watched as she yanked open a drawer and began rummaging through an assortment of silverware. He arched a brow when she drew forth a stout knife.
To his surprise, she dropped to her knees beside the stove, brushed aside the accumulated dust and began tracing the wide pine floorboards with her fingers. Then she slid the knife between two of the boards and attempted to pry one up. When it refused to budge, she cursed and flung the knife into a corner.
She scrambled to her feet, and as she dug through the silverware drawer once more, Colton slipped out of the room. Keeping an eye on the entrance to the cabin, he retrieved a crowbar from the back of the trunk. He would have liked to retrieve his police radio and contact his boss. But he didn’t want to risk her seeing him, or suspect he was anything more than a cooperative hostage.
Yet.
When he reentered the kitchen, she was on her knees again, this time working at the floorboards with some kind of barbecue skewer. It was no more effective than the knife had been.
“Here, let me try.” He crouched beside her.
She had taken her baseball cap off in the truck. Her hair had come partially free of her ponytail and hung in disarray around her flushed face. Her expression of dismay as she took in the crowbar was almost comical. Horror and then relief flitted across her face, and Colton knew she was thinking he could easily have overpowered her.
Before she could protest, he inserted the end of the crowbar between the planks and wrenched upward. Setting the bar aside, he used his hands to wrest the boards up, pulling them free and tossing them aside. He had a glimpse of a shallow storage area beneath the floor.
With a glad cry, Madeleine reached into the space and withdrew what looked to be an ancient holiday cookie tin. It was covered in dust and mottled with rust. As Colton watched, she pried the top off and spilled the contents onto the kitchen floor. There was a thick wad of folded money among the various items, and with a soft gasp she snatched it up and carried it over to the kitchen table to count it.
Crouching on the balls of his feet, Colton traced a finger through the remaining items. There were several photos, some yellowed and cracked with age, and others that were more recent. He picked one up and tilted it toward the lantern. It was a picture of a girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, sitting on the front steps of the cabin. She had her arm slung around the shoulders of a little boy. They were both skinny, with sun-browned skin and fair hair. He glanced over at Madeleine. It was her, taken maybe fifteen years earlier. Based on the similarity between them, he guessed the little boy was her brother.
There was a photo of an older Madeleine and a frail old man with a grizzled beard. Colton estimated it had been taken no more than a couple years ago. In it she wore a simple sundress, and he raised an eyebrow at the length of leg exposed by the style. He surreptitiously pocketed the photos.
He sorted through the remaining items—a slender length of chain with a small key attached to it, several coins, a handful of poker chips, some old lottery tickets, and what looked to be the deed to the cabin and surrounding land. Colton picked up the key and turned it over in his hand before slipping it into his pocket with the pilfered photos.
He glanced up as Madeleine started laughing. The money was spread out on the table in front of her and Colton could see it was mostly small denomination bills. Her laughter grew, became slightly hysterical. Just when he thought he was going to have to intervene, she buried her face in her hands and the laughter turned to deep, racking sobs.
Colton guessed there wasn’t as much money hidden away beneath the floorboards as she had hoped, and wondered again what the nature of her problem was. He had initially suspected drugs, though he admitted to himself she didn’t seem the type. In fact, she radiated good health. Even with the oversize shirt and no cosmetics, she was more than just attractive. Her hair was a silken mass of dark gold with wheaten streaks, and for one brief instant he wondered what it would feel like under his hands. He had seen the evidence of her slender curves in the photo. There wasn’t anything about her that wasn’t completely feminine. Colton thought she might be breathtaking if she would only smile.
Pushing himself to his feet, he stood uncertainly for a moment. The racking sobs subsided, but she still cried quietly into her hands. The hysterical laughter and deep sobs he could handle. Her soft weeping nearly undid him.
He took one step toward her, then spun away, raking a hand over his hair. He swung back, staring at her bent head and trembling shoulders. The urge to take her in his arms and comfort her was almost overwhelming. He was actually standing over her, one hand poised above her hair, before he realized what he was doing and managed to get a grip on himself. While she might rouse every protective instinct he had, nothing good could come of letting himself feel anything for her. With a muttered curse, he turned on his heel and strode from the cabin.
* * *
SHE WAS A fool to have believed the cabin would hold the key to her brother’s release. When her grandfather had become too frail to continue living alone in the cabin, Maddie had made the difficult decision to move him to a nursing home in Elko, where she could visit him every day. Toward the end, he’d suffered from acute dementia, insisting he needed to return to his cabin. He claimed he had a fortune hidden there.
Maddie knew about the tin box he kept hidden beneath the floorboards. Her grandfather had stashed his spare money there for years, but it had never, to her knowledge, amounted to much. Even though the rational part of her brain insisted the tin contained little, if anything, of value, her grandfather’s words had come back to her. During the ride into the mountains, she had actually begun to fantasize that perhaps he had somehow managed to put away a substantial hoard of cash.
She was such an idiot.
Maddie drew in a shuddering breath and swiped her palms across her wet cheeks. The money lay in a messy heap on the table. Her heart had leaped when she first saw the thick wad of bills inside the tin, but hope had turned to despair when she realized there was barely five hundred dollars there. Even combined with what she had, it didn’t come close to satisfying the debt her brother owed. She glanced over at the gaping hole in the floor and the scattered contents of the tin. But it wasn’t until her gaze fell on the discarded crowbar that she remembered.
Colton.
While she had been crying her heart out over the lack of money in the tin, he had slipped away. With her luck, he had a spare key and had taken the truck, as well. She couldn’t afford to be stranded here. With her heart slamming in her chest, Maddie leaped to her feet and bolted from the room. In the deepening shadows of early evening, she nearly collided with Colton as he reentered the cabin, carrying a large cardboard box.
“Oh! I thought you were gone, that you’d taken the truck.” She felt a little weak with relief.
In the indistinct light, he peered at her. “I’m not going to get too far without my keys, am I?” He indicated the box in his arms. “It’s getting dark, and with the gas tank on empty, we’re not going anywhere tonight. I have two weeks’ worth of food and supplies in the bed of the truck. I thought the least I could do was fix us something to eat.”
Still flustered by her own incompetence, Maddie followed him back into the kitchen and watched as he set the box of provisions on the table, sweeping the money aside with a careless gesture.
“How about some sandwiches? I have ham or roast beef.” He glanced at her over his shoulder as he spoke, pulling bread and condiments out of the box.
Maddie hesitated. There was no way she was going to spend the night here at the cabin. She couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Her overactive imagination conjured up lurid images of what the moneylenders might do to her brother. He was still such a kid. Jamie might act cocky, but Maddie knew that’s all it was—an act. He must be scared to death. She desperately needed to come up with fifty thousand dollars in cash, and she couldn’t do that here in this cabin. Jamie was the only family she had left in the world. She’d practically raised him since he was a toddler, and she wouldn’t abandon him now when he desperately needed her.
But the sight of the food that Colton was pulling out of the box reminded her how long it had been since she’d last eaten anything substantial. Surely an hour or so couldn’t do any harm, and she needed to eat something. She had to keep her strength up if she was going to help Jamie.
“Fine,” she replied. “But we’re not spending the night. As soon as we finish eating, we’ll head down the other side of the mountain. I’m sure that old gas station is still there.”
She saw a muscle flex in Colton’s jaw, but he didn’t say anything. As he fixed the sandwiches in silence, Maddie got the pump working and made short work of wiping down the kitchen surfaces. They sat at the small table and ate by the glow of the kerosene lantern. She thought she’d never tasted anything as delicious as the thick ham sandwiches he’d prepared for them. She finished eating and sank gratefully back in her chair, satisfied. The toy gun dug painfully into her stomach where it was still tucked into her waistband. She was tempted to place it on the table, but was reluctant to destroy the uneasy camaraderie she and her hostage shared. Besides, she couldn’t risk Colton taking it from her.
He sat back in his chair and drained the remnants of a water bottle he’d retrieved from an enormous cooler. Maddie couldn’t help it; she stared, fascinated by the muscles working in the strong column of his throat. He set the empty bottle on the table, laced his hands across his flat belly and arched an eyebrow at her.
Maddie flushed and looked away, more uncertain than she’d been since this whole nightmare started. She cleared her throat. “We should go before it gets too dark. There’s a tank of gasoline in the shed. Maybe enough to get us down the mountain.”
She risked a glance at him. He was watching her carefully, his expression a mixture of compassion and resignation. He leaned forward and placed his palms on the table.
“Look,” he began, “we’ve both had a long day. It’s late and it’s dark, and we don’t know if this gas station you’re talking about even exists anymore.” He studied his hands for a moment, before turning his dark gaze back to her. “I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, but it’s obvious you need some help.” He held up a palm to forestall her when she would have spoken. “I think the best thing you can do now is get a good night’s sleep. In the morning, I’ll drive you into Winnemucca and you can turn yourself in to the local authorities.”
Maddie was helpless to prevent the soft gasp of dismay that escaped her. “What?”
He held his hands up in a supplicating gesture. “Listen to me, Madeleine. You have no food, no car, and I’m guessing not much money. What you’ve done by taking me with you is considered a felony. You could find yourself behind bars for a long time. Whatever the problem is, you’re only going to make it worse by running.”
He was doing it again; speaking in a way that was almost hypnotic. His tone was soothing and rational without being patronizing. Maddie had an overwhelming urge to fling herself against his broad chest and tell him she’d do anything he wanted.
She lifted her chin and met his gaze squarely. “I can’t go to the police.” She hated the way her voice quavered, despite her resolve to remain in control. “You don’t understand.” She gave a laugh of disbelief. “There’s absolutely no way I can involve the authorities.”
Colton sighed. “I’m sorry, Madeleine, but you already have.”
Before she knew what he was doing, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and drew forth a slim wallet. He flipped it open and held it out for her to see.
Appalled, Maddie stared at the badge inside. It was a silver star inside a silver circle, with the words United States Deputy Marshal emblazoned in blue around it. On the opposite side of the wallet was an identification card with Colton’s picture beneath a federal seal of office.
She felt the blood drain from her face as she raised her eyes to look at him. “You’re a U.S. Marshal?” Her voice was scarcely more than a husky whisper.
“The game’s up, Madeleine.”
3
MADDIE LUNGED TO her feet so fast that she knocked her chair over. She fumbled frantically for the toy gun in her waistband. Yanking it free, she pointed it at Colton, even as she backed away from him.
“Don’t touch me!” Her voice sounded shrill. Desperate. She felt ill. To her dismay, he stood up and took a step toward her, looking completely unfazed by the gun. “I mean it.” she said, jabbing the weapon at him. “I’ll—I’ll shoot you if you take another step.”
His smile seemed almost regretful. “C’mon, Madeleine, don’t do this.”
Maddie stepped backward and came up against the edge of the counter. She felt ridiculously close to tears again. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t allow herself to be arrested. “Stop right there. I’ll shoot, I swear it.”
But Colton didn’t stop until he was just inches away from her, with the barrel of the gun pressing hard into his midsection.
“So shoot,” he said softly.
Maddie stared up at him. His eyes were so dark they were almost black, but the empathy she saw there nearly undid her. A sob born of panic and frustration was torn from her, and then his hand was covering her own, pulling the useless weapon out of her fingers. “I know it’s a fake, Madeleine. You were never going to shoot me because it’s not a real gun.”
Maddie gasped. “You knew? Since when?”
“Since the diner.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “You knew all this time? And yet you came with me anyway? All this time, and you just let me go on thinking—” Her free hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, God, I’m such an idiot.”
His hand still covered hers, and now his other arm slid behind her shoulders. He pulled her against his chest, murmuring words of comfort into her hair.
She hadn’t even been aware she was crying until he massaged the back of her neck and his husky voice curled around her. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry. It’ll be okay. Shh. Don’t cry.”
Her face was pressed against the muscled hardness of his chest, and his arms encircled her. She thought she could willingly stay like this forever. God, he smelled good, like clean laundry and the outdoors, mixed with a tangy scent that was his alone. But it was the way he made her feel that was having the strangest effect on her senses. She could hear the steady thud of his heart beneath her ear. He was strong and solid, and it felt so good to lean against him. For the first time in her life, she felt protected. As if she could finally relinquish all the burdens she’d been carrying for so many years and just breathe.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “Whatever the problem is, we’ll figure it out. I’ll make sure the police know I came with you of my own free will. I’m sure they’ll go easy on you.”
Maddie froze.
In an instant, all the good feelings vanished, leaving her cold inside. She pulled free of his arms and pushed past him to stand on the opposite side of the small kitchen. She swiped furiously at her cheeks.
“So what now?” she asked scathingly. “I’m just supposed to go with you to the authorities and let them put me in prison?”
Colton frowned, and even in her distress, Maddie recognized the real concern in his dark eyes. “They won’t put you in prison, Madeleine. I promise you that. The worst case scenario is you post bail until your court appearance, and you’ll get a suspended sentence with community service.”
She gave a short laugh that sounded slightly hysterical again. “You’ve got to be kidding.” She pressed her fingers against her eyes. “This is unbelievable. It can’t really be happening.”
“Madeleine.” He was standing directly in front of her now. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help you.”
His image wavered through the tears that filled her eyes. She smiled tremulously. “You can’t help me. Nobody can.”
“Well, I sure as hell can’t help you if you don’t tell me what the problem is. Explain to me why you were planning to hold up a diner.”
“I don’t know!” she cried. “There was that little boy on the bus, and he was playing with his toy gun, pretending to shoot me with it. I was sick of it, and when he left the gun on the seat, I just took it. I would have given it back to him in Reno.”
“But instead, you decided that robbing the diner was a good idea.”
“Yes. No!” She groaned and closed her eyes for a moment. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I saw the money in the register, and I had this gun in my belt, and—I’m not even sure if I could have gone through with it.”
“So you wanted the money,” he said flatly. “Why?”
Maddie turned away from him. She couldn’t think straight when he was so close, so authoritative and demanding. There must be some way to get away from him and avoid being turned over to the authorities in the morning. Even if the police were willing to help her, she couldn’t risk having them involved. The men who had her brother had said they would kill him if she called the police, and she believed them.
She just needed to get Jamie back safely, and then she’d willingly go to the police. But first she had to ditch the U.S. marshal, no matter how well meaning he might be.
“Okay,” she finally said, and drew in a deep breath as she spun around to face him. “You’re right. I want to end this thing, too.” She forced herself to smile, injecting what she hoped was just the right amount of regret and resignation into her expression. She held her wrists out to him. “Do you want to handcuff me to the bed tonight...you know, to make sure I don’t run away?”
Colton’s eyes widened fractionally, and Maddie was certain she saw his mouth twitch in amusement. “Uh, no,” he finally said. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I’m a light sleeper. You wouldn’t make it to the door. But just in case—” he held out his hand “—I’ll have my keys back.”
With a sigh, she fished his keys out of her pocket and handed them to him, then watched as he pocketed them in turn.
She wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging herself. Her eyes ached and her stomach felt hollow. “So now what?”
“Now you get to answer my questions. Why do you need money?”
Maddie glanced at him. His expression was inscrutable, but his jaw was set in hard lines. She didn’t dare tell him the truth, because if he decided to get involved, it could mean even worse trouble for Jamie. If she had learned one thing from her unconventional upbringing, it was to always stick as close to the truth as possible. If you told too many lies, you’d become so embroiled in them that you would lose track of what was real and what was fiction.
“I have some outstanding debt,” she finally said. “If I don’t pay the money I owe, I could lose everything.”
“Who do you owe the money to?”
“The bank,” she replied, tipping her chin up. “I got behind on some payments.”
“That’s it?”
She shrugged. “That’s it.”
His eyes narrowed as he considered her, and then he turned abruptly away. “It gets pretty chilly in the mountains, even at this time of year. Why don’t I get a fire started for us while you check out the sleeping arrangements?”
Maddie watched him. Did he believe her? She didn’t know. What she did know was that she wouldn’t be spending the night at the cabin. She had no time to waste, and she certainly wasn’t about to go willingly with him to Winnemucca. But she had to at least give the appearance of acquiescence.
“Okay, fine. There’s a loft over the living room where I used to sleep when I was a kid. My grandpa’s old bedroom is just beneath that.”
“Great. I’ll go check out the loft.”
Maddie followed him into the living room and watched as he lit several more lanterns. As the soft light slowly chased away the last of the shadows, she had to swallow hard against the sudden constriction in her throat. The place hadn’t changed at all in the years since she’d lived here as a kid. There was the old mission oak sofa with the plaid fabric and sturdy wooden arms, the braided rug, her grandpa’s favorite reading chair next to the stone fireplace. The flowered curtains she’d made as a teenager still hung in the windows.
Despite the homey feel of the room, Madeleine couldn’t summon any warm memories of the place. She’d been ten years old when her mother had died of cancer, and she hadn’t thought life could get any worse. But she’d been wrong. Now, looking around the small cabin, all she could remember was the horror she’d felt after her father’s sudden death, when she’d understood that this was to be her new home, living with a grandfather she barely knew. At first, she’d been terrified of his gruff manner, but she’d soon learned that he was just a pathetic old man incapable of taking care of himself, never mind a twelve-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy. Her grandpa would drink until he passed out, leaving Maddie to fend for herself.
Unwilling to leave Jamie alone in the cabin with their unconscious grandfather, she’d take him with her down the mountain and hang around outside Zeke’s place. Back then, old Zeke had run the only gas station and general store in the area, and Maddie had discovered that she could often wheedle a few bucks out of sympathetic locals and vacationing tourists. Enough to buy a few groceries for herself and her brother.
As she’d gotten older, her grandfather had made several attempts to get sober, and those were the days Maddie preferred to remember. When there was enough food in the cupboards that she didn’t need to con money out of strangers, and she and Jamie would spend the long evenings playing blackjack or poker under their grandpa’s skillful tutelage. But his periods of sobriety were few and short-lived, and she’d learned not to expect too much from him.
She preferred it that way. She didn’t want to depend on anyone. Not even a gorgeous, well-meaning U.S. marshal.
Colton was currently examining the narrow ladder that stood in one corner of the room and served as the only access to a small sleeping loft overhead. He tested it with his weight before negotiating the rungs, holding a lantern aloft as he did so.
Maddie stood by the sofa and watched the light bob against the roof timbers as he moved around. His face appeared over the railing. “I wouldn’t recommend either of us sleep up here,” he called down to her. “Looks like the mice have pretty much taken over.”
“I’ll check out the bedroom. Maybe you can sleep in there, and I can take the couch.”
He quirked his lips and she flushed. Okay, so that was completely transparent, but it would be that much more difficult to sneak out of the cabin if he was on the couch. Before he could speak, she moved across the room and pushed open the door to the bedroom.
An iron bed frame draped with a dust cloth dominated the small room. Carefully, Maddie pulled the protective covering off, wadded it up and tossed it onto a chair in the corner. The pillows and bright quilt that had been hidden beneath the cloth were exactly as she remembered. The bed linens might smell a bit musty, but they were clean and serviceable.
Next to the bedroom was a tiny bathroom. Maddie grimaced at the host of spiders that had taken up residence in the shower stall. She turned on the water in the sink and let it run until it was clear, meanwhile pressing her fingers against her temples, feeling a headache begin to throb behind her eyes. She opened the medicine cabinet over the sink, hoping to find a bottle of aspirin or painkillers. There was a razor, a can of shaving cream, an outdated prescription bottle of sleeping tablets and a toothbrush, but no aspirin.
She closed the cabinet door, and catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, gasped in dismay.
She was a wreck.
Her hair had come almost completely free of its ponytail and hung haphazardly around her face, which was blotchy from crying. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and there were dark circles beneath them that made her look tired and defeated. Had it really been just one day since she’d received the phone call about her brother? She felt as if she’d aged years since then.
Just thinking about what Jamie might be suffering at the hands of the extortionists made her heart thump hard in fear. She needed to get away from Colton Black, and find a way to come up with the money needed to free her brother.
She yanked off the ponytail holder and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to restore some order to the tangled mass. She finally secured it into a loose knot on the back of her head, then bent to scoop cold water into her hands, splashing it against her face.
She could hear Colton moving around in the outer room, and peeked through the bedroom doorway just in time to see him cross to the fireplace with an enormous armful of firewood. Slowly, she lowered the face towel she was using and stared.
The man positively bulged with muscles. He set the wood down and crouched on his haunches beside the hearth to build a fire. His T-shirt rode up slightly in the back as he leaned forward, affording her a glimpse of smooth, coppery skin. She watched the play of muscles across his broad shoulders as he worked, remembering how it had felt to be pressed against all that firm, solid warmth.
Maddie turned back to the mirror and slowly finished drying her face. Before she could change her mind, she dragged the T-shirt off, pulling it over her head and tossing it through the open door onto the foot of the bed. Beneath it she wore a thin cotton tank top that clung to her curves, clearly outlining her breasts. Leaning forward, she studied her reflection critically in the mirror. She pulled several tendrils of hair loose from the knot, letting them trail along her neck. She pinched some color into her pale cheeks and bit her lips until they were rosy. Standing back, she dipped her chin and practiced her best come-hither look.
She groaned aloud and buried her face in her hands.
She’d been a desperate teenager the last time she’d used her looks for personal gain, and she wondered if she still had the ability to exploit herself. Of course, she’d been little more than a kid back then, willing to do anything to keep what was left of her family together. But she’d put all that behind her the day she left the mountains. Her troubled childhood and tainted family history were a thing of the past. These days, she was respected by the people she worked with, and her skill with numbers had earned her a good job as a lead accountant in the town of Elko. She wondered what her coworkers would think if they could see her now.
Maddie drew in a deep breath and raised her head to stare solemnly at her reflection. Jamie was depending on her, as he had his entire life. She would do anything to ensure his safety.
Slowly, she reopened the medicine cabinet. Her hand hesitated briefly, then she took down the bottle of sleeping tablets. They had been prescribed for her grandfather four years earlier, when the demons of his past had finally caught up with him. Normally, he’d have turned to the bottle and drunk himself into oblivion, but his advanced liver disease made that option a guaranteed death sentence.
Glancing guiltily toward the living room, Maddie opened the bottle. How many pills would it take to impact a man of Colton’s size? And did they even have any potency left? She didn’t want to kill him, just knock him out long enough to make her escape. She shook four capsules into the palm of her hand, hesitated briefly, and then shook out three more. She broke them open and emptied the powdery contents into the shallow cap of the bottle, and concealed it in the palm of her hand, careful not to spill any. Then, taking a deep breath, she walked out to the living room.
Colton was still crouched by the hearth, where a small fire was beginning to crackle. Combined with the kerosene lamps on the mantel and side tables, it gave the room a warm, almost cozy feel.
Maddie curled up at one end of the sofa and tucked her feet beneath her as she watched Colton add two more logs to the fledgling fire. He stood up and brushed his hands against his thighs.
“That should help keep us comfortable tonight,” he commented, but his voice trailed off as he finally looked at her.
Maddie felt suddenly exposed in the skimpy, sleeveless top, and she wished she’d kept her T-shirt on. More than that, she felt cheap. Did he see right through her ruse? She forced herself to meet his eyes, but his expression was shuttered.
“Yes, I’d forgotten how chilly the nights can get in the mountains, but it feels warm in here.” She gestured toward the bedroom. “I’ll sleep in my grandfather’s room, if you don’t mind taking the couch. I’ll see if there’s a spare pillow and blanket in the closet.”
Colton sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, turning slightly toward her and laying one arm along the back. “I’ve slept in worse places. Don’t worry about me. I have a sleeping bag out in the truck.”
Maddie drew in a deep breath. If she was going to do this, she had better get on with it. There was no telling how long it would be before the sleeping pills took effect, and she didn’t want to spend the entire night waiting for him to pass out.
She pushed herself to her feet. “I—I’m a little nervous about what will happen to me tomorrow. I probably won’t sleep a wink, worrying about it.” She moved to a small built-in cabinet beside the fireplace and opened the doors, revealing several bottles of hard liquor and some small glasses. She took two glasses down and selected a bottle of Kentucky bourbon from the shelf. Turning slightly toward Colton, she held up the bottle. “I’m going to have a small glass. It will calm my nerves and help me sleep.” She hesitated. “Will you join me, or are you on duty?”
She could feel his eyes narrow in speculation, as if if was trying to figure out what she was up to. Finally, he shrugged.
“Just a splash for me, no more.”
Maddie turned quickly away, lest he see the relief on her face. If he’d chosen not to have the drink, she would have had to come up with another plan. Swiftly, using her body as a shield, she surreptitiously dumped the contents of the shallow cap into his glass. She splashed a liberal amount of bourbon on top, and then gave the liquid a quick stir with her finger, hoping the garish design painted on the outside of the glass would effectively disguise any sediment that might remain. She poured two fingers for herself and carried both glasses to the couch, settling herself back on the cushions.
“Cheers,” she said, and handed Colton’s glass to him. She took a sip, deliberately not looking at him as he quaffed the entire shot in one swallow.
“Whoa!” he gasped, as he set the empty glass down on the table beside the couch. “I’ve never been much of a bourbon drinker, and now I remember why. That’s awful.”
Maddie looked guiltily at her own drink. He’d definitely noticed the bitter taste of the pills, and she hoped he didn’t suspect it was anything more than the cheap brand of bourbon. What if he picked up the empty glass and examined the residue that must surely be visible on the bottom? What if the powder hadn’t dissolved sufficiently for him to ingest much? What if it didn’t even work? She needed to leave tonight if she was going to have any chance of saving her brother.
“Hey. You okay? You’re not going to cry again, are you?”
There was no mistaking the genuine alarm in Colton’s voice, and Maddie struggled to push down the guilt she felt at deceiving him. She raised her gaze to his and forced herself to smile.
“Of course not.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m as well as can be expected, considering tomorrow I’ll be thrown into prison, and who knows when they’ll let me out?”
He gave her a tolerant look. “They’re not going to throw you in jail, Madeleine.”
Maddie couldn’t help it; her eyes blurred with sudden tears that had nothing to do with acting. “I think they will. I’ll lose my job. I’ll lose everything.” She bent forward and rested her forehead in one hand. “What was I thinking?”
“Hey.” Colton’s voice was low and warm. Before she quite knew what he was doing, he took her half-empty glass from her hand and set it down beside his own. Then he was tugging her gently into his arms. “Tell me what’s going on. Tell me why you were planning to rob the diner. I’m pretty sure any bank would work with you to settle an outstanding debt. So come clean and tell me the truth.”
God, he felt so good. His arm was around her shoulders and one hand stroked up and down her bare skin. She was so tempted to just turn to him, wind her arms around him and let his strength seep into her.
With difficulty, she pulled slightly away and blinked back the tears. “I already told you,” she finally murmured. “I’m over my head in debt, and I had a moment of insanity. I wasn’t thinking straight. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“Damn straight it won’t.”
Slowly, Maddie raised her gaze. His face was closer than she’d realized. His eyes were so black she could barely distinguish his pupils from the surrounding iris. As she watched, the resolve visible there became something else, something that caused her chest to tighten in anticipation and sent her pulse rocketing. His gaze wandered lower to her mouth.
Maddie stared, fascinated, as his lips slowly descended. He was going to kiss her, and suddenly she wanted to know just how his mouth would feel against her own. She already knew how wonderful his arms felt around her; how would they feel when combined with the intensity of his kiss? Of their own volition, her lips parted and her eyelids drifted closed.
She started when he pushed her gently away and surged to his feet. He strode over to the fireplace and braced one hand on the mantel, his back to her. He raked a hand through his hair and Maddie could sense the tension coiled within him.
“Go to bed, Madeleine,” he said over his shoulder. His voice was low and rough.
She rose to her feet and stood uncertainly for a moment. But the rigid set of his shoulders dissuaded her from saying anything. Turning, she made her way into the bedroom.
As she pulled back the bedsheets, she heard Colton leave the cabin. He was gone for several long moments, and when he returned, Maddie peeked through the doorway to see a black duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and a sleeping bag tucked under his arm. He dropped the bag onto the floor, and Maddie saw the words U.S. Marshal emblazoned in yellow along the side.
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