Magnificent Passage by Kat Martin Page B

tethered the horse and mule beside the other horses, then searched out the girl. He spotted her at the edge of camp. His curiosity piqued, he sauntered up beside her, trying to appear nonchalant.
    â€œGood evening, Miss Ashton.” She made no move to acknowledge the greeting. He tried again. “I hope you’re not overly tired after today’s ride.” Still unable to draw her into conversation, he tried another tactic.
    â€œLook, Miss Ashton, we don’t want any trouble, and we won’t give you any if you’ll just cooperate. This journey is going to be long and hard at best. We have nothing against you personally; for us this is just a job. We’ll try to make it as pleasant for you as possible, if you’ll only let us.” He was beginning to understand what Hawk had been dealing with.
    Mandy just wanted to be left alone. Right now she couldn’t possibly imagine how she let her cousin talk her into such a crazy scheme. She’d given her word, and she’d abide by it, but the question remained unanswered. Again she tried to think how Julia might handle this.
    â€œMr., ah . . . ”
    â€œLong. James Long,” he said.
    â€œMr. Long,” she continued haughtily, trying to imagine her cousin at her most overbearing. “When my fiancé finds out you have abducted me, he is going to come after me, and he’ll kill you.” She spoke softly, ominously, as if the threat were real. She hoped she sounded convincing.
    â€œThat, Miss Ashton, is exactly what we’re trying to
avoid. Now, why don’t you come have something to eat. Tomorrow’s going to be even harder on you than today.”
    The soft tone of the man’s voice lulled Mandy into a sense of confidence. This man was obviously a gentleman; both his speech and mannerisms confirmed it. Before his return to camp, he had shaved and donned clean clothing. He looked refreshingly refined in his well-tailored suit. Maybe he would become her ally on this journey. Considering his uncouth partner, she could very likely wind up needing one.
    Walking toward the fire and the aroma of the stew, Mandy realized she was ravenous. She accepted the tin plate from the man in buckskins. Then, honoring him with just the briefest of glances while turning up her nose in feigned revulsion, she ate every bite on her plate.
    Once her hunger was sated, all she could think of was getting some rest. “Where am I supposed to sleep?” she inquired somewhat regally, determined to keep up her pretense.
    â€œAnywhere you please,” came Langley’s brusque reply. “Your bedroll is over there.”
    He pointed toward three blankets laid out together, and Mandy’s eyes grew wide. Straight-backed, she marched over to the blankets, dragged hers as far as possible away from the other two, and lay down to sleep.
    She didn’t miss the men’s amused smiles at her action. Apparently they enjoyed making her feel uncomfortable. Shaking their heads, they stretched out on their bedrolls beside the fire.
    Mandy lay tossing and turning. The stillness overwhelmed her. She knew the men were sleeping; she could hear James Long’s occasional snore. The night was clear
and crisp. Every star in the heavens was brightly visible, and they were so close to the horizon they seemed to surround her. Tall pines spread their branches like deep green gables, but they were no comfort. She listened anxiously, hearing first one frightening sound, then another. When a coyote howled, she shrieked and ran toward the fire.
    Both men jumped to their feet. “What’s the matter?” James asked worriedly. “Hawk, did you see anything?” James scanned the camp for any sign of trouble.
    â€œI heard a noise,” Mandy told them sheepishly. “I . . . I . . . guess I got a little frightened.” She knew she was being silly, but her heart pounded just the same. She’d heard a thousand coyotes, but never