What strange twist of fate had brought him back into her life? And for what reason?
There seemed more questions than answers. More shadows than clear images. But this much she knew. Though the danger was far from over, she felt a measure of safety knowing she didn’t have to face whatever was to come alone.
Weary beyond belief, she slept in Yale’s arms.
Chapter Six
It was the sudden stillness that woke Cara. She opened her eyes to see dawn light streaking the sky, and was shocked to realize that she’d been asleep in Yale’s arms for several hours.
Yale lowered the reins. “Sorry I had to wake you. But it’s getting light. And we need a place to hide, in case Will Fenner’s on our trail.”
She glanced around and saw that they were in a desolate, rock-strewn area of wilderness. “Where can we hide around here?”
“I may have spotted a place.” He scrambled down. “I’ll be right back.”
He strode behind a tumble of boulders and disappeared. When he didn’t return after long minutes Cara began to worry. But suddenly he stepped out from behind a boulder, wearing a smile.
“There’s a cave just beyond here. It’s big enough to hold the horse and cart. I took the time to look around.” His grin widened. “Just to be sure we wouldn’t have to share it with a bear or mountain lion.”
He caught the reins and began leading the horse. Minutes later they were inside a cave. Though the entrance was barely big enough to admit a horse and cart, once inside it was roomier than her cabin.
Yale had taken the time to light a torch and set it into a niche in the wall of rock. The flickering light illuminated even the far corners of the cave.
Yale reached up and lifted her down. As he did, his hands brushed the underside of her breasts.
Cara felt her cheeks grow warm as he set her on her feet and walked away. Even now it was impossible to forget the kiss they’d shared. It shamed her to realize that such a simple thing had left her shattered and defenseless.
Working quickly Yale gathered branches and brush, using them to cover their tracks. Then piling them in a haphazard fashion, he was pleased to note that they actually concealed the entrance to the cave.
In the back of the cart Cody sat up rubbing his eyes. “Where are we, Ma?”
“We’re in a cave.”
“Why?” he asked as little Seth sat up beside him.
Cara lifted the younger boy in her arms, holding him close. “We have to hide from the bad men who burned our cabin.”
Seth looked around with wide, frightened eyes.
Cody gave voice to his brother’s fear. “Are they following us?”
Yale walked over to give them both a wink. “I think we got clean away. But we don’t want to take any chances. So your ma and I thought we’d play a game. Would you two like to play?”
Seth looked at his brother, and it was clear that he took his cue from him.
Cody studied Yale with serious, solemn eyes. “Maybe. What do we have to do?”
Yale touched a finger to his lips. “We have to be really quiet. We can whisper, but softly enough so our voices won’t carry beyond this cave. And we’re going to search to see if there’s another way in and out of here. The first one to find another entrance gets this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming gold piece.
The boy’s eyes widened with excitement, before Cody backed up with a look of wariness. “Where’d you get that? Did you rob a bank?”
“Cody.” Cara put her hands on her hips. “I expect you to respect your elders….”
“It’s all right.” Yale knelt down, so that his eyes were even with the boy’s. “That’s a fair question, Cody. You have a right to wonder about me. But the fact is, I’ve never robbed a bank. I earn my money by gambling.”
“My pa said all good men earned their living by ranching.”
“Some do. I chose a different way.”
The little boy studied him. “Do you sit in saloons with fancy ladies and drink whiskey?”
Such wise old eyes, Yale thought. He nodded. “Sometimes. But the fancy ladies and whiskey don’t appeal to me. It’s the games of chance that I crave.”
“Why?”
Yale shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve just always wanted to take risks. Whether in cards, on a horse race, or just to bet my money on one man wrestling another to the ground. Now, would you like to earn this gold coin? All you have to do is find another way out of this cave.”
“Come on, Seth.” Cody caught his little brother’s hand and led him away.
When they were gone Cara turned to Yale with a look of surprise. “You didn’t mind his questions?”
“He has a right to ask.”
“But you didn’t evade or make excuses.”
“Why should I? He deserves the truth.”
She studied him with new respect. “You’re really good with children.”
He tugged on a lock of her hair. “Maybe that’s because I’m still a kid myself. Didn’t your father once warn you that I’d never grow up?”
She watched as he walked away to join the children in their search, then pressed a hand to her stomach. The same nerves were fluttering there now, and she knew that this time it wasn’t from fear, but from something far different. She marveled that even now, after all these years, Yale Conover had the ability to affect her this way with the simplest touch.
“We found it. We found another way out of the cave.”
Cody and Seth came dancing into the firelight.
Cara touched a finger to her lips, reminding Cody to lower his voice.
“Come on, Ma. Mr. Conover.” Cody was twitching with excitement as he led them deep into the cave. “Look.” Cody proudly pointed to a spot high above them where sunlight filtered through a small hole in the rock.
“Good work.” Yale pulled himself up, hand over hand, along the rock wall until he’d reached the spot. Rummaging around, he suddenly disappeared from sight, only to re-appear minutes later. He climbed down until he was standing beside them. “There’s a shelf of rock up there, which leads to another wider opening. I think it’s big enough to fit through.” He knelt down between the two children, holding out the gold coin. “Now which of you found it?”
The two boys eyed the coin with naked hunger.
Suddenly Seth pointed to his brother.
Cody shook his head. “Not really. It was Seth who spotted the sunlight first. I just figured where there was sunlight there had to be a hole in the rock.”
“Well now. This is quite a puzzle. Who should get the reward? Seth thinks it should go to you, Cody. And you’re trying to give it to him.” Yale looked from one to the other, then smiled. “I know.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a second gold piece. “You’ve both earned the prize.”
The children couldn’t seem to believe their eyes. This was more money than they’d ever seen.
Cody looked up at his mother. “Is it all right to take it, Ma?”
She seemed about to refuse when she suddenly smiled. “Go ahead. I don’t think Mr. Conover would offer it unless he wanted you to have it.”
Yale held up a hand. “I’ll give it on one condition.”
Cody drew back with a look of suspicion.
Yale winked. “You have to call me Yale. Think you can do that?”
Cody bit his lips and glanced at his mother. “I guess I can call you Yale.”
“See? That didn’t hurt, did it?” Yale handed them the coins and the children danced away to study the gold more closely by the light of the torch.
As they turned away Yale started climbing toward the beam of sunlight overhead.
Cara felt a clutch of fear. “Where are you going?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to take a look around. See if there’s any sign of Fenner. And while I’m at it, I’ll see if I can catch us something to eat.”
She almost told him to be careful before stopping herself. Yale Conover had spent t
oo many years on his own. He certainly didn’t need her telling him what to do.
When she saw him slip over the rock face and disappear from view, she couldn’t stop the tremors that snaked along her spine at the knowledge that she and her children were all alone. She’d been alone with her children now for more than a year, since Wyatt died, and though it had been a struggle, she’d survived. But this was different. Now she had left behind all that was familiar for a frightening cave in the wilderness. If Yale didn’t come back, she had no idea what she would do.
If she dared to leave, she might run headlong into the Fenner gang. If she didn’t leave, she wondered just how long she and her children could survive, without heat or food or water.
She whispered a little prayer that she would never have to find out the answers to those questions.
Cara and her sons slept briefly, bundled together in the bearskin. She found herself grateful that she’d originally given it to Yale to pack, even though it had all been a trick to get him out of her cabin. Now she realized what a lifesaver these meager supplies might prove to be. They weren’t much. Besides the bearskin there was a warm shawl and a few cooking pots. But at least she would be able to keep her children warm and, hopefully, fed.
Though she tried to keep busy, she found herself spending much of her time watching the slim beam of daylight fade into evening. With each passing hour she felt her fear grow. And with fear came a rush of doubts.
What if Yale had decided that a woman and two small children were too much responsibility? After all, he’d spent the past years looking out only for himself. And from the looks of him, doing a fine job of it.
She couldn’t seem to shake the image of him when she’d first caught sight of him in her room. The perfectly tailored suit. The shiny boots. That proud, almost arrogant look of self-assurance. Even her father, with all his success, had never looked so grand. It wasn’t just the clothes, she realized. There was something about Yale that set him apart from every other man. Even in a room filled with handsome, successful men, he would stand out from all the rest.
She twisted her hands together, wondering how much longer she should wait. Was she being a fool for trusting him? She glanced at the fading light. She would wait until dark, then she and the children would start out in the opposite direction toward Crescent Butte.
Shivering, she turned away and decided to risk a fire. “Come, boys.” Remembering the way Yale seemed to turn everything into a game she said, “Let’s see who can find the most firewood.”
With eager cries the children scurried around, hunting up sticks in the far corners of the cave. When they’d gathered enough wood, they took turns with the flint until they’d managed to coax a tiny flame. Soon the warmth chased away the chill, lifting their spirits considerably.
Suddenly Cody leapt to his feet and pointed. “Look, Ma.”
The shadow of a man appeared on the inner rock shelf, dragging something through the narrow opening. When it cleared the hole he leaned down and they could see that it was Yale. He tossed his heavy burden to the floor below before leaping down to follow it, then dropped to his knees beside the bloody carcass of a fawn.
“Where have you been?” Cara hated the accusing note to her tone, but it couldn’t be helped. She was so relieved to see him she wanted to throw herself into his arms. Instead she held back and watched as the children danced around him in excitement.
“It took a lot longer than I’d expected to lure something into my trap.” He looked from her to the boys. “I was afraid to fire a shot for fear of revealing our location. So I had to set a trap and wait.”
Working quickly he began skinning the young deer before gutting it. While he worked he said, “I’m glad to see you were able to start a fire.”
“I was afraid the smoke might give us away. But the children were so cold.”
“Don’t worry about the smoke. By the time it works its way up there…” he pointed with his bloody knife “…it’s swept away by the strong winds.”
He threaded chunks of meat onto a stick and set them over the fire to roast. Then he finished the rest of the carcass and tied it over a long pole, allowing it to cook more slowly over the fire. The organs were tossed into a blackened kettle into which he added water from his canteen. He passed a second canteen of water around to the others. They drank greedily.
“We should have enough food cooked by morning to last us along the trail.”
Cara looked up sharply. “We’re not staying here?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s wise. We’ll have to keep moving if we want to stay one step ahead of Fenner and his men.”
“Did you see them?”
“No. But I saw dust in the distance. The sort of dust you’d expect from half a dozen horses.”
“That could be anybody.”
He nodded. “It could.” His eyes met hers across the fire. “But I trust my instincts. And they tell me Fenner’s not the sort to let us walk away. It’s become personal now. I crossed him. He’s going to want to see me pay.”
He turned to the children, keeping his tone light. “Want to help me with this hide?”
“What’ll you do with it?” Cody asked.
“I’ll stretch it out across a rock and let it dry completely. Then I’ll cure it and tan it until it’s so soft, you’ll both want to wear it instead of those clothes you’re wearing.”
Seth giggled.
Yale turned to Cody as he began draping the hide over a rock, smoothing out all the wrinkles as he worked. “What’s so funny about that?”
“Nobody but Indians wear deer hides,” the boy said emphatically.
“That’s not true. I happen to have a little sister who prefers wearing buckskins to dresses.”
At Yale’s words the two boys turned to their mother with matching looks of surprise.
Cara laughed. “I know Yale’s sister. Her name is Kitty. And I’ve never known her to wear a dress.”
Seth giggled.
“Does she look funny?” Cody’s voice held a trace of skepticism.
Cara paused to consider. “As a matter of fact, she looks so natural in her buckskins, I’m not sure I’d recognize her in a dress.”
She could see that her two children were having trouble picturing a female in buckskins. “She lives on a ranch outside of Misery.”
“Isn’t that where we used to live with Gram and Grandpa before they died?” the boy asked.
Cara nodded, surprised by the sudden lump in her throat. When she realized that Yale was watching her she turned away and busied herself at the fire.
Sensing her sadness Yale knelt on the opposite side of the fire and began telling the children about his sister. “Kitty is just about the best horse handler I’ve ever known. She tames mustangs and breaks them to saddle, then sells them to neighboring ranchers.”
“But she’s a girl.” Cody was already shaking his head in denial.
“That she is. And a pretty one, too.”
“If she’s pretty, why doesn’t she just get married and let her husband tame the mustangs?” Cody’s voice held a note of skepticism.
“Not all pretty women are married.”
“They aren’t?”
Yale shook his head. “Look at your ma.”
Cody’s eyes widened. “You think she’s pretty?”
Yale wasn’t aware that his voice lowered for emphasis. “Just about the prettiest lady I’ve ever seen.”
Cody glanced at his mother, trying to see her through the eyes of this stranger.
Cara blamed the fire for the heat that burned her cheeks. She cleared her throat. “I think this food is ready to eat.”
They sat around the bearskin, leaning their backs against rocks warmed by the fire. Cara slipped the chunks of roasted meat off the stick, allowing them to cool before passing them around. Then she poured the broth from the kettle into tin cups and passed that around as well.
“How did you catch the fawn?” Cody asked.
br /> “Dug a pit and covered it with branches, then sat behind a rock and waited.” Yale smiled. “I was beginning to think we’d have to go to sleep hungry, when all of a sudden this deer and her two fawns stepped into the clearing. At first it looked as though they wouldn’t go near the pit, and I was tempted to shoot. But I decided to give it another few minutes, and that patience paid off. The next thing I knew, the fawn had walked right into my trap. Of course, the minute the first one fell, the other two ran off and disappeared into the woods.”
Cara shook her head. “I wouldn’t have expected you to have that much patience.”
Yale leaned back, replete, content. He shot her a lazy smile. “I guess I’ve changed some from the boy you knew.”
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she thought about the kiss they’d shared. That hadn’t been a boy kissing her. He’d been a man. All man. Even now, just thinking about it had her heart behaving in the strangest way.
She glanced over and saw that Seth had nodded off. Grateful for the chance to be busy she picked up the bearskin and shook it, before setting it near the fire. Then she crossed to where the boy was sleeping.
Before she could lift him Yale was beside her, touching her arm. “There’s no need. I’ll do that.”
He bent and scooped up the little boy, carrying him easily to the bearskin.
Cara felt her heart take a quick jolt at the sight of him, so big and strong, carrying her little son with such care.
He knelt and deposited Seth on the fur, watching while Cara covered him.
Then she turned and beckoned her other son. “Come on, Cody.”
“I’m not tired,” he protested.
Though the boy’s eyes were heavy, he was reluctant to leave his mother alone with this man. He’d seen something pass between them that made him uneasy.
“Suit yourself. But at least you can lie here and be warm.”
The boy gave a grudging nod and crawled into the fur beside his brother. And though he made a valiant effort to stay awake, his body betrayed him. He was asleep within minutes.