Category:
Romance
Type: Fiction
Leonora Kinder is a woman on a mission to punish the man responsible for her father's untimely death. But she is soon to learn that things are not always as they seem.
***
Utter darkness faded into a gentle orange glow as Leonora slowly came back to consciousness. Had she dozed off on the mountainside as she searched for the band of outlaws? She could still smell the smoke of their fire, but it had become tangible somehow. She thought she could reach out and touch it. She felt the fire’s warmth behind her as she rocked slowly back and forth, back and forth—
Her eyes fluttered open to reveal a world that had slipped out of focus. Leonora closed her eyes again and tried to rub them with her hands, but her wrists were bound behind her back. She struggled against the ties, hoping to loosen them in spite of the pain that plagued her wrists. Wasn’t pain was a small price to pay for her freedom?
“Don’t try anything stupid,” a gruff voice whispered into her ear.
Leonora inhaled sharply. The scent of smoke still lingered. She could feel the warmth of the fire on her back—only it wasn’t the fire. It was a man. He sat close behind her in the saddle, his left arm holding her steady by the waist while his right hand controlled the reins.
Dear God—they really had kidnapped her!
She tried to scream, but she was gagged. Shifting in the saddle, she struggled to free her wrists from the ties. They held fast. There was no means of escape.
“Good morning,” Justin Cody’s voice whispered in her ear. “The colors of the sunrise are beautiful, aren’t they?”
Resentfully, Leonora looked above her. Indeed, the sky was filled with orange light as the sun peeked over the horizon. How long had she been unconscious?
Glancing around, she searched for the others. She could hear another horse behind them, plodding along slowly. She turned in the saddle to see Nathan Cody. He met her gaze briefly, then looked away. He was ashamed of what he had done to her. Well, he should be.
Looking ahead, she saw no trace of the others.
“Valentine and Will rode on ahead. Val has a sweetheart that lives in Las Rosas and he was anxious to see her,” Justin replied to her silent question.
She struggled again—furious at his insistence on behaving as though everything was just fine. She only managing to bring pain to wrists that had already been rubbed raw.
“You ready to be untied?” Justin asked. “Do you promise to behave yourself?”
Leonora glared silent fury. Why did he insist on goading her? She wondered what his plans were for when they reached Las Rosas.
“Nathan,” Justin called over his shoulder. “Why don’t you ride on ahead? We’ll be there within the hour. I have a few things I need to get straight with our guest here.”
Leonora’s heart froze. What was he talking about? Why did they need to be alone?
With an unconcerned nod—exactly what Leonora would expect from the man who had murdered her father—Nathan Cody rode ahead. Justin drew the horse to a halt and waited until the older man was out of sight. Then he swung his leg over the saddle and slid to the ground. Reaching up and grasping Leonora by the waist, he pulled her down next to him. Gently, he led her away from the horse to a rounded rock that jutted out from the ground. He sat her down on the hard surface and knelt next to her.
Her eyes fell on his golden blond hair, and she realized she had never seen the likes of him. He was handsome, if nothing else. Handsome, and barbaric.
“You’re mad at me?” he asked then, and gave her the same crooked smile from outside the saloon. A fresh blossom of warmth spread in her belly. Why did he have that effect on her? It was infuriating. She wanted to slap him.
He must have read the challenge in her eyes, because he reached behind her head to untie the bandana and pulled it free.
“You disgust me!” she managed, and her voice sounded weak even to her.
“Come on, Leo,” he pleaded in mock dread, knowing that the shortening of her name would drive her mad. “You don’t mean that.”
“What are you going to do with me?” she asked, refusing to play games with him.
Justin could see the fire flashing in her eyes, and he could not resist the urge to taunt her even further.
“Feed you to the coyotes,” he replied, his expression deadpan.
“You wouldn’t!” she cried, eyes widening with fear.
“Of course not. You really don’t think much of me, do you?”
“Why should I? Nathan Cody killed my father and you let him get away with it. As far as I’m concerned, you’re all murderers.”
“We’ve been called worse,” was all he said. His indifferent tone left no doubt that he meant it. Her words had no affect on him.
“Turn around,” he instructed.
“Why?” she asked, making no attempt to suppress her alarm.
“Because I’m going to untie you. It wouldn’t do for the Mexico Kids to ride into Las Rosas with you bound and gagged, now would it?” he sounded impatient.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll scream?” Leonora wanted to know.
“I have other ways of keeping you quiet,” Justin assured her in a tone that she knew not to question.
Hesitating only for a moment, Leonora turned her back to him and pushed her wrists outward. The movement sent searing circles of hot pain around her skin like bracelets of fire.
Justin produced a knife—the same one he had used to free Cody—and began to cut the ropes. As he worked, Leonora pressed her eyes shut against the pain. When her wrists were finally free, she brought them before her eyes and examined them with horrified fascination. They were swollen and cut, darkened by dried blood.
“There you go,” Justin said casually. He offered her his hand so she could stand up.
Too proud to accept his help, Leonora struggled to stand on her own. She must have been more exhausted than she thought. Wooziness took hold of her and she found it nearly impossible to regain her balance. When she swayed forward, Justin met her half way, leaning into her so she would not fall. Her arms reached around him, gliding through soft hair—so soft!—and locking around his neck.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
His mouth was so close to her ear that she could feel the gentle caress of his lips when he spoke. She felt again like she could swoon, but not because she was exhausted. She couldn’t speak. She just leaned on him, taking full advantage of his strength while she waited for the dizziness to pass. Her head came to rest on his shoulder.
When Justin’s arms encircled around her waist, pulling her closer, she did not resist. She could feel his breath on her neck as he took in the scent of her dark hair. His hands stroked her back in small, soothing circles. She must be tired—so tired. She did not ask him to stop. She couldn’t. Rather, she wished it was safe to stay just as they were.
“We need to get you into town,” Justin whispered, trying to break the spell. His body was on fire—more alive than he had ever remembered it to feel, and the last thing he wanted to do was let her go. He was amazed that such a feeling could come from within him, and was sure that the fire in her eyes must have ignited a bit of fire in him, too. Or perhaps it was just misplaced lust. After all, she was gorgeous, voluptuous, so full of life—
He shouldn’t be doing this. He probably just needed to get some sleep. Things would be clearer after that.
Using every ounce of willpower he had ever possessed, Justin withdrew from the unexpected embrace. He looked into her eyes. She blinked up at him, her expression filled with wonder at whatever was happening between them. He wished so badly to make things right for her. If only her father had never been killed. If only she didn’t feel forced into a situation where she had to seek revenge. If only the Mexico Kids weren’t holding her against her will. But he had his men to think of, and his own father. He had made decisions that were best for them, and he couldn’t look back. After all, that was where his loyalty lay.
“Town,” he managed, clearing his throat and stepping back.
Leonora nodded, casting her gaze to the ground and walking back to the horse.
Justin watched her. The subtle sway of her hips, her poise, her grace. She had such a heady effect on him. If he truly meant to put his men first, as he always had in the past, he was going to have to tread very carefully with Leonora Kinder. She was, after all, a woman that knew how to get his gun.
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