Read Online The Lawman's Betrayal by Sandi Hampton - Free Book Online
Authors: Sandi Hampton
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flesh. She fought back tears.
After long minutes of zigging and zagging through dark tunnels and some dead-ends, Wes reined in his horse, then faced the way they’d come. He held his finger up to his lips. “Listen. Do you hear them?”
Naomi held her breath. To her dismay, voices echoed eerily in the stillness. “Ohmigod, they’re close.”
“Yeah.” He angled in the saddle to look at her. “You’re bleeding. Are you hit?”
“No, no. I’m all right. Just scraped myself on the rocks.” She touched her arm and grimaced. “I’ve never been shot at before. Can’t say I like it much.”
To her surprise, he laughed. She clenched her hands into fists and hit his back. “What the devil are you laughing about? I don’t see anything funny about the whole damned thing. They shot at us. For God’s sake, they’re trying to kill us, or me at least, but I don’t think they’d hesitate to kill you either.”
“I’m sure they’d like that very much, but we’re going to spoil their fun.” He tugged his kerchief from around his neck. “Let me look at your arm.”
“We don’t have time for this now. They’re right behind us.”
“We’ve got time.” He pulled the torn fabric back and examined the wound. “It’s not too bad. He tugged his kerchief from around his neck and quickly bandaged her arm. “That should suffice for now. I’ll do a better job later.”
“Thanks. Where are we anyway?”
“I figure some flood waters long ago cut through the mountains and bored out these tunnels in the rock. The Indians tell of a great flood that once covered this area, and they say the gods dwell in these caves.”
“I take it you’ve been here before?”
Wes nodded. “Yeah, several times.”
“Well, which way do we go? All the tunnels look exactly the same. It’s rather spooky.” She studied the huge stone walls, then glanced upward. Golden light streamed through an overhead crevice.
“Get down. We’ll walk so we don’t make a lot of noise.”
Naomi put her arms around his waist and slid to the ground. Wes dismounted, grabbed the blanket, and tore it into strips. After wrapping the cloth around the horse’s hooves to muffle the noise, he led the animal to the tunnel on his right. With a sweeping bow, he motioned for her to follow him. “This way, m’lady.”
Suppressing a smile that tickled the corners of her mouth, she walked toward him, shaking her head in mock anger. “This is serious, you know. It’s no joking matter. Our lives are on the line.”
He touched her shoulder, sending shock waves down her spine. His blue eyes darkened. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Mesmerized by his caressing tone, she stopped. Seemingly of its own volition, her body swayed toward him. I must be crazy. There are men trying to kill me, and all I can think of is kissing a U.S. Marshal who thinks I’m a killer . Somewhere between here and the prison, I lost my mind.
He leaned toward her. But before his lips touched hers, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves filled the air. Wes straightened, then grinned. “What perfect timing. Let’s get outta here.” He grabbed her hand.
Naomi followed him through myriad tunnels and twists and turns until she was completely disoriented—and exhausted. “I hope you know where you’re going, Marshal Cooper, because you’ve got me so turned around that I don’t know where in thunderation we are.”
He grabbed her hand. “I have a general idea of where we are, but let’s hope those bastards following us are running around in circles.”
“I guess that’s good although I would have preferred you’d said you knew exactly where we were. I don’t hear them anymore. Maybe we lost them.”
“Maybe, but we can’t bet on it. Let’s keep going, but first, let’s get you out of those wet clothes. You’re shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm.”
“But I have no clothes. You threw my valise away. Remember?”
“I remember.” He tugged
After long minutes of zigging and zagging through dark tunnels and some dead-ends, Wes reined in his horse, then faced the way they’d come. He held his finger up to his lips. “Listen. Do you hear them?”
Naomi held her breath. To her dismay, voices echoed eerily in the stillness. “Ohmigod, they’re close.”
“Yeah.” He angled in the saddle to look at her. “You’re bleeding. Are you hit?”
“No, no. I’m all right. Just scraped myself on the rocks.” She touched her arm and grimaced. “I’ve never been shot at before. Can’t say I like it much.”
To her surprise, he laughed. She clenched her hands into fists and hit his back. “What the devil are you laughing about? I don’t see anything funny about the whole damned thing. They shot at us. For God’s sake, they’re trying to kill us, or me at least, but I don’t think they’d hesitate to kill you either.”
“I’m sure they’d like that very much, but we’re going to spoil their fun.” He tugged his kerchief from around his neck. “Let me look at your arm.”
“We don’t have time for this now. They’re right behind us.”
“We’ve got time.” He pulled the torn fabric back and examined the wound. “It’s not too bad. He tugged his kerchief from around his neck and quickly bandaged her arm. “That should suffice for now. I’ll do a better job later.”
“Thanks. Where are we anyway?”
“I figure some flood waters long ago cut through the mountains and bored out these tunnels in the rock. The Indians tell of a great flood that once covered this area, and they say the gods dwell in these caves.”
“I take it you’ve been here before?”
Wes nodded. “Yeah, several times.”
“Well, which way do we go? All the tunnels look exactly the same. It’s rather spooky.” She studied the huge stone walls, then glanced upward. Golden light streamed through an overhead crevice.
“Get down. We’ll walk so we don’t make a lot of noise.”
Naomi put her arms around his waist and slid to the ground. Wes dismounted, grabbed the blanket, and tore it into strips. After wrapping the cloth around the horse’s hooves to muffle the noise, he led the animal to the tunnel on his right. With a sweeping bow, he motioned for her to follow him. “This way, m’lady.”
Suppressing a smile that tickled the corners of her mouth, she walked toward him, shaking her head in mock anger. “This is serious, you know. It’s no joking matter. Our lives are on the line.”
He touched her shoulder, sending shock waves down her spine. His blue eyes darkened. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Mesmerized by his caressing tone, she stopped. Seemingly of its own volition, her body swayed toward him. I must be crazy. There are men trying to kill me, and all I can think of is kissing a U.S. Marshal who thinks I’m a killer . Somewhere between here and the prison, I lost my mind.
He leaned toward her. But before his lips touched hers, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves filled the air. Wes straightened, then grinned. “What perfect timing. Let’s get outta here.” He grabbed her hand.
Naomi followed him through myriad tunnels and twists and turns until she was completely disoriented—and exhausted. “I hope you know where you’re going, Marshal Cooper, because you’ve got me so turned around that I don’t know where in thunderation we are.”
He grabbed her hand. “I have a general idea of where we are, but let’s hope those bastards following us are running around in circles.”
“I guess that’s good although I would have preferred you’d said you knew exactly where we were. I don’t hear them anymore. Maybe we lost them.”
“Maybe, but we can’t bet on it. Let’s keep going, but first, let’s get you out of those wet clothes. You’re shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm.”
“But I have no clothes. You threw my valise away. Remember?”
“I remember.” He tugged
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