allowed to be Comanche. They wanted to raid on the white eyes tejanos before they go back.”
“So that’s why you were wearing the paint. You were playing war party.”
A lopsided grin appeared on Wolf’s face. “No one got hurt. We waited until he drank a bottle of his opium remedy and fell asleep.”
Rane shook his head. “Still a bad idea.”
Wolf sat back once more. “Hey. I got a good horse for you.”
“They hang horse thieves. If that drummer picks up your sign, he’ll have the army on your trail.”
“He won’t.”
Rane pulled an ember from the fire and lit his cigar. The two men sat in silence for several moments.
Finally, Wolf said, “You’re not going to ask for my help, are you.” It was more statement than question.
“No,” Rane replied. “This is something I have to do alone.”
Wolf edged closer. “You’re loco. Lundy’s bounty boys are out there waiting. Most of them have paired off. They’re squatting on every waterhole between here and Clayton Station.”
Rane visibly unclenched the knot along his jaw and pulled a long drag from his cigar. “I expected no less.”
“Want me to go kill a few for you? Lower the odds? They’ll never see it coming.”
“No. No killing. Take your cousins back to the reservation before they end up getting into real trouble.”
Wolf lowered his head, then lifted it and stared into the darkness. “You’re mule-stubborn, Rane. It won’t go well if you get yourself killed.”
Rane huffed an incredulous laugh. “A little late for concern.”
“Maybe. But you’ve never tried to shoot your way through an entire army of hired guns before."
“And I don’t intend to now.”
The Indian’s expression brightened. “You have a plan?”
Rane’s lips curved in a bittersweet smile. “As you said. Desperate times.”
Maybe a little too desperate, the cost too high.
Rane had a plan all right. He planned to dangle Angel Clayton under Lundy’s nose and force the bastard to give in to his demands. The only problem was in getting to the destination. For that, he had no plan. But he wasn’t about to tell Wolf the truth about the hole he’d dug for himself. What he was attempting was probably nothing short of suicide, and he didn’t want to drag Wolf into the middle of it.
The moment he’d heard Lundy was spreading the word—reward money for the Clayton girl—he’d seen his chance and dashed off to get ahead of the pack. It was only a stroke of luck that his trail had crossed Wolf’s, who agreed to find a spare horse and deliver it at some point along the return route. Unfortunately, Jed Wiley and his skinny partner had blundered onto the woman before him. How, he didn’t know, but it never should have happened.
Rane looked beyond the fire to where Angel sat huddled against a boulder, nearly outside the circle of light. She refused to sit any closer. Wolf had made an effort to show her he intended no harm. Yet, she still looked as if she might bolt at any second. Rane knew she was hanging on their every word. Time to end the conversation, before she heard too much.
Tremors racked her shoulders at regular intervals. At least he could remedy that.
“Enough talk,” he said. He stubbed his cigar in the sand and stood. He circled the fire and snatched his bedroll from the ground. Taking the thin blanket, he approached the shivering woman.
She didn’t look at him, nor did she move when he draped the woolen cover across her upper back and hunkered down in front of her. He tugged the ends together over her drawn-up knees, forming a sheltering cocoon.
“Angel, if you’re cold—”
Her head lifted, revealing the blaze of emotion in her blue eyes. Against her pale skin, her darkened pupils made them appear enormous, filled with accusation.
“Let me go,” she said.
The note of desperation in her plea chipped at his conscience. “I can’t. Even if I wanted to.”
“Why not? You’ve got an extra horse now. Just let me get on it and
“So that’s why you were wearing the paint. You were playing war party.”
A lopsided grin appeared on Wolf’s face. “No one got hurt. We waited until he drank a bottle of his opium remedy and fell asleep.”
Rane shook his head. “Still a bad idea.”
Wolf sat back once more. “Hey. I got a good horse for you.”
“They hang horse thieves. If that drummer picks up your sign, he’ll have the army on your trail.”
“He won’t.”
Rane pulled an ember from the fire and lit his cigar. The two men sat in silence for several moments.
Finally, Wolf said, “You’re not going to ask for my help, are you.” It was more statement than question.
“No,” Rane replied. “This is something I have to do alone.”
Wolf edged closer. “You’re loco. Lundy’s bounty boys are out there waiting. Most of them have paired off. They’re squatting on every waterhole between here and Clayton Station.”
Rane visibly unclenched the knot along his jaw and pulled a long drag from his cigar. “I expected no less.”
“Want me to go kill a few for you? Lower the odds? They’ll never see it coming.”
“No. No killing. Take your cousins back to the reservation before they end up getting into real trouble.”
Wolf lowered his head, then lifted it and stared into the darkness. “You’re mule-stubborn, Rane. It won’t go well if you get yourself killed.”
Rane huffed an incredulous laugh. “A little late for concern.”
“Maybe. But you’ve never tried to shoot your way through an entire army of hired guns before."
“And I don’t intend to now.”
The Indian’s expression brightened. “You have a plan?”
Rane’s lips curved in a bittersweet smile. “As you said. Desperate times.”
Maybe a little too desperate, the cost too high.
Rane had a plan all right. He planned to dangle Angel Clayton under Lundy’s nose and force the bastard to give in to his demands. The only problem was in getting to the destination. For that, he had no plan. But he wasn’t about to tell Wolf the truth about the hole he’d dug for himself. What he was attempting was probably nothing short of suicide, and he didn’t want to drag Wolf into the middle of it.
The moment he’d heard Lundy was spreading the word—reward money for the Clayton girl—he’d seen his chance and dashed off to get ahead of the pack. It was only a stroke of luck that his trail had crossed Wolf’s, who agreed to find a spare horse and deliver it at some point along the return route. Unfortunately, Jed Wiley and his skinny partner had blundered onto the woman before him. How, he didn’t know, but it never should have happened.
Rane looked beyond the fire to where Angel sat huddled against a boulder, nearly outside the circle of light. She refused to sit any closer. Wolf had made an effort to show her he intended no harm. Yet, she still looked as if she might bolt at any second. Rane knew she was hanging on their every word. Time to end the conversation, before she heard too much.
Tremors racked her shoulders at regular intervals. At least he could remedy that.
“Enough talk,” he said. He stubbed his cigar in the sand and stood. He circled the fire and snatched his bedroll from the ground. Taking the thin blanket, he approached the shivering woman.
She didn’t look at him, nor did she move when he draped the woolen cover across her upper back and hunkered down in front of her. He tugged the ends together over her drawn-up knees, forming a sheltering cocoon.
“Angel, if you’re cold—”
Her head lifted, revealing the blaze of emotion in her blue eyes. Against her pale skin, her darkened pupils made them appear enormous, filled with accusation.
“Let me go,” she said.
The note of desperation in her plea chipped at his conscience. “I can’t. Even if I wanted to.”
“Why not? You’ve got an extra horse now. Just let me get on it and
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