Read Online Lone Rider by B.J. Daniels - Free Book Online Page B

himself.
    His daddy always said that if you gave a woman any power over you, she’d destroy you. Bo made him feel inferior. Even if he forced himself on her, he knew he wouldn’t feel that he’d had her.
    * * *
    B O DIDN ’ T KNOW how long she’d been walking. Her legs and feet ached. Her clothing was torn, her skin scraped and bleeding from the times she’d fallen down and Ray Spencer had dragged her screaming behind her horse until she’d found her feet again.
    â€œPlease,” she said now. “Can’t we stop? Just for a few minutes?” He’d given her a drink of water back down the mountain, but her throat was dry again, her mouth dusty, lips cracked. “I need more water.”
    â€œYa need to keep walkin’. Ya said people’ll be comin’ lookin’ for ya. If ya don’t want ’em dead...”
    Was someone looking for her yet? She couldn’t bear to think about spending days up here with this man. Nor could she stand the thought of what would happen once they stopped and made camp.
    She’d pleaded with him to let her go. “I won’t tell anyone.”
    He’d laughed at that. “That’s what they all say.”
    Her blood had curdled at his words. “I have money.”
    He’d seemed interested until he’d realized she meant back at her father’s house.
    â€œI’m worth money,” she’d heard herself say. “My father will pay for my return unharmed.” She had known what she was suggesting was more than a little dangerous. But it was the only thing she could think of that might keep this man from killing her. If he knew that she was worth more alive than dead...
    â€œOh, yeah?” Ray had seemed only mildly interested. “How much do you think you’re worth?”
    She had no idea. “A million?”
    He’d laughed again, harder this time. “Sure ya are. Anyway, I don’t need no money up here in the mountains. A woman, though, I been hankerin’ for one for weeks. And now I got you.”
    Those words had sent a shudder through her, and she’d shut up. There was no negotiating with this man. She had nothing to negotiate with.
    Even as the sun set and twilight turned the mountainside to silver gray, Ray kept going, urging her horse on from high in her saddle, jerking at the rope he’d bound her with and half dragging her deeper into the mountains.
    She could barely see where to step as daylight vanished and the trail filled with deep shadows. She stumbled and almost fell again.
    â€œAin’t far now,” Ray said. “Got jest the spot.”
    * * *
    D ARKNESS CAME QUICKLY in the dense pines of the mountains. Once the sun set, a cool breeze had moved through the trees. The shadows grew longer and blacker.
    Jace had been following Bo’s trail for hours. The going was slow because he’d often lose it in the thick bed of dried pine needles and have to find it again. He’d seen the remains of other campsites. Telltale blackened rock rings with the remains of a campfire marking the sites. None of those had been used in the past twenty-four hours, though.
    Which meant Bo hadn’t wanted just a night of camping. She’d been set on total isolation farther back in the mountains. Knowing that gave him no peace of mind. More and more, he thought Bo Hamilton had looked to get away from civilization. But was it because of a guilty conscience and saddlebags full of loot? Or was there more to it?
    He could understand wanting to escape a situation. Many times he hadn’t been able to deal with his sister. He’d wanted to turn his back, run away from the problem. But he hadn’t, and neither would Bo Hamilton when he found her.
    Jace realized he wouldn’t be able to track Bo much longer. He needed to make camp before it was too dark to see.
    But just as he started to look for a spot to spend the night, he saw the footprints in the dirt.