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Texas Bride. Carol Finch
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Maddie tucked the pistol in the band of her breeches, then snatched up the empty canteen. Leaving Jonah to his bath, she followed the path to retrieve the horses. She smiled to herself, thinking what a refreshing change Jonah was from the other men of her acquaintance. They fawned over her, flattered her incessantly. But Maddie was no one’s fool. She knew her suitors saw her as a means to an end. They lusted after her prize property. But not Jonah. He resented the fact that she owned land that had once belonged to his people. In addition, he didn’t trust her. She had to earn his trust and prove her worth.
She had likely made him more cautious of her by assuring him that she could handle firearms. Maddie suspected he wouldn’t turn his back on her, for fear she’d shoot him. She wondered what it was going to take to convince him that she was telling him the truth.
Ah well, what did it matter? she asked herself. Jonah wasn’t going to stick around.
A rumble of thunder caught Maddie’s attention as she waited for the horses to drink their fill. She glanced southwest, noting that the bank of gray clouds she’d seen earlier was rapidly approaching. She knew spring thunderstorms could wreak havoc in this part of Texas, because she’d endured her share of sandstorms and windblown rains that transformed gullies into roaring rivers. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be perched on that cliff when lightning bolts speared from the threatening clouds.
Maddie tethered the horses on a patch of spring grass so they could graze, filled the canteen, then made the strenuous climb to the cliff. By the time she returned, Jonah had changed into the clean clothes—another black ensemble—that she’d draped over the scrub. He flicked her a glance while he was hunkered over the fire.
“Storm’s coming,” she said. “We may have wasted our time bathing because we’ll probably get drenched.”
Jonah gestured a brawny arm to the east. Frowning, she wandered around the jutting boulders, then halted in surprise when she noticed a wide-mouthed cavern tucked beneath the overhanging rock ledge. It wasn’t an enclosed space, which would have left her with that hemmed-in feeling and made her uneasy—thank goodness.
She noticed that Jonah had unrolled the pallet, and she was relieved that they could bed down without dodging lightning bolts during the night.
When she rejoined him and made an attempt at casual conversation, he wasn’t the least bit responsive. Since he didn’t seem to be in the mood for idle chatter Maddie decided to explore the foot trail that led to higher elevations.
The grumble of thunder overrode a low warning growl, and Maddie recoiled in alarm when she finally noticed a sleek mountain lion crouched on a ledge ten feet above her head. The big cat snarled and swiped the air with its paw.
Heart in her throat, her pulse pounding like hailstones, Maddie retreated several steps. She realized too late that she had only provided a better angle for the mountain lion to pounce—if that was its wont. Wild-eyed, Maddie watched the great cat gather itself, and she frantically grabbed the pistol tucked in her waistband. With a screeching snarl the tawny mountain lion lunged from its perch.
Maddie screamed her head off as the two-hundred pound beast plunged directly at her.
Jonah was on his feet the split second he heard the wild, inhuman screech and recognized it for what it was. When Maddie’s terrified shriek erupted, his heart nearly beat him to death. Fear for her safety sizzled through him as he raced up the winding path. Jonah sprinted around the outcropping of rock, then instinctively leaped sideways when a gunshot exploded. The sound echoed down the rugged peak, then died in a rumble of thunder.
Rounding the bend, Jonah braced his arm on the wall of rock and glanced up to see Maddie sprawled, half on, half off, a chair-size boulder. Panting for breath, Jonah stared at the unmoving mountain lion that lay across her knees.
“Maddie?” he called softly.
Her goggle-eyed gaze leaped from the cat to him, but she didn’t move, just sat there gasping for breath. Jonah approached her, then reached down to grab the mountain lion by the scruff of the neck and dragged it off Maddie’s legs. She was in his arms, tucking her head against his shoulder, before he could react. The pistol she had clutched in her hand swerved toward his ear, and Jonah pushed it away before the damn thing could go off accidentally and take his head with it.
“Oh, God!” Maddie wheezed, her body shuddering against his. “I thought I was a goner. All I could think about was that if I got eaten alive my sister wouldn’t stand a chance of survival unless I left everything up to you. But then I remembered that you don’t like me and you might not—”
“Shh-shh, calm down,” Jonah interrupted. “You’re okay and everything is going to be fine.” He nuzzled his cheek against her forehead and felt her shivering against him with the aftereffects of fear. “It’s over, princess. Just take a deep breath and try to relax.”
She clung to him, meshing her lush body against his overly sensitive male contours, and Jonah steeled himself against the sensations that rippled through him. Well hell, he thought. He’d vowed not to get this close to Maddie again and here he was, cuddling her protectively against him. Events beyond his control kept sabotaging his attempt to keep a physical and emotional distance. He should have set her away from him and told her to toughen up because danger was an everyday occurrence in the wilds. Instead he held her close while her seesawing breath fanned his neck and she struggled to regain her composure.
“I didn’t realize the cat was above me until it was too late,” she jabbered nervously. “The poor thing might have been trying to protect a den of young cubs, and I unintentionally intruded on its territory.”
“The poor thing?” Jonah repeated incredulously. “The poor thing nearly had you for dinner.” He glanced down to note that Maddie had shot the great cat in the neck. It was probably all that had saved her from mauling and death.
“Carlos taught me to aim for the neck,” she mumbled, following his gaze. “He said that would bring an animal down immediately. Anything less wouldn’t ensure that the beast couldn’t keep coming at you.”
“Carlos is right. It’s the only way to stop an animal in its tracks.” Jonah eased Maddie away and turned her back in the direction she’d come. “Dinner should be ready.”
“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled as she made the descent on wobbly legs.
Jonah reached out to lend support before she stumbled downhill. “You’re eating, regardless.”
Bracing shaking hands against the boulders, Maddie made her way back to camp. Even after inhaling several cathartic breaths she was still rattled by the incident.
“That was a careless mistake,” she grumbled to herself.
“You got that right. Next time pay attention to your surroundings.”
“Right. Eagle-eyed Danhill would never have made that error. But then, you probably have eyes in the back of your head.”
“I’ve seen too many men die with surprised looks on their faces, Garret. If you wanna stay alive you take nothing for granted and you keep your eyes and ears peeled.”
Thunder exploded above them, as if to punctuate his comments. Maddie instinctively shrank back and lost her footing. Her arms flailed wildly before Jonah jerked her upright and tightened his grasp on her.
“Take a couple of deep breaths and get yourself together,” he demanded.
“Tried that. Didn’t help. I noticed that bottle of whiskey in your saddlebags. Mind if I have a drink of it? I’ll replace your supply when we reach the Flat.”
“Help yourself.”
Maddie rounded the bend of the trail and made a beeline for the saddlebag. She fished out the bottle and took a swig. Fire burned her throat and left her choking for breath. Jonah whacked her between the shoulder blades, then