"He didn't need words. He read the land, not books." Nevada turned the map until the piece of paper stood on one chewed corner. "That's north," he said, indicating the upper corner.

"You're sure?" she asked, startled. "How can you tell?"

"He's right," Cash said an instant later. He stared at the map in growing excitement. "That's Mustang Point. Nothing else around has that shape. Which means… yes, there. Black Canyon. Then that must be Satan's Bath, which leads to the narrow rocky valley, then to Black Springs…" Cash's voice trailed off into mutterings.

Mariah watched, wide-eyed, as local place names she had never heard of were emphasized by stabs of Cash's long index finger. Then he began muttering words she had heard before, pungent words that told her he had run into a dead end. She started to ask what was wrong, but held her tongue. Luke and Nevada were standing now, leaning over the map in front of her, tracing lines that vanished into a blurred area that looked for all the world as though someone long ago had spilled coffee on the paper, blotting out the center of the map.

"Damn, that's enough to peeve a saint," Cash said, adding a few phrases that were distinctly unsaintly. "Some stupid dipstick smudged the only important part of the map. Now it's useless!"

"Not quite," Luke said. "Now you know the general area of the ranch to concentrate on."

Cash shot his friend a look of absolute disgust. "Hell, Luke, where do you think I've been looking for the past two years?"

"Oh. Devil's Peak area, huh?"

Cash grunted. "It's well named. It has more cracks and crannies, rills and creeks than any twelve mountains. It looks like it's been shattered by God's own rock hammer. I've used the line shack at Black Springs for my base. So far, I've managed to pan the lower third of a single small watershed."

"Find anything?"

"Trout," Cash said succinctly.

Mariah licked her lips. "Trout? Real, free-swimming, wild mountain trout?"

A smile Cash couldn't prevent stole across his lips. "Yeah. Sleek, succulent little devils, every one of them."

"Fresh butter, a dusting of cornmeal, a pinch of-"

"Stop it," groaned Cash. "You're making me hungry all over again."

"Does Black Springs have watercress?" she asked, smiling dreamily.

"No, but the creek does farther down the valley, where the water cools. Black Springs is hot."

"Hot? Wonderful! A long day of prospecting, a hot bath, a meal of fresh trout, camp biscuits, watercress salad…" Mariah made a sound of luxuriant anticipation.

Luke laughed softly. Cash swore, but there was no heat in it. He had often enjoyed nature's hard-rock hot tub. The meal Mariah mentioned, however, had existed only in his dreams. He was a lousy cook.

"Then you'll do it?" Mariah asked eagerly, sensing that Cash was weakening. "You'll help me look for Mad Jack's mine?"

"Don't push, Muffin," Luke said. "Cash and I will talk it over later. Alone."

"I'll give you half of my half," she said coaxingly to Cash, ignoring her older brother.

"Mariah-" began Luke.

"Who's pushing?" she asked, assuming an expression of wide-eyed innocence."

"Moi? Never. I'm a regular doormat."

Nevada looked at Cash. "You need this map?"

"No."

"Then if nobody minds, I'd like to pass it along to some people who are real good at making ruined documents give up their secrets."

Cash started to ask questions, then remembered where – and for whom – Nevada had worked before he came to the Rocking M.

"Fine with me," Cash said. "The map belongs to Luke and Mariah, though."

"Take it," said Luke.

"Sure. Who are you sending it to?" Mariah asked.

"Don't worry. They'll take good care of it," Nevada said, folding the map delicately along age-worn creases.

"But where are you sending it?"

Mariah was talking to emptiness. Nevada had simply walked away from the table." The back door opened and closed quietly."

"I didn't mean to make him mad."

"You didn't," Luke said, stretching. "Nevada isn't long on social niceties like smiling and saying excuse me. But he's a damned good man. One of the best. Just don't ever push him," Luke added, looking directly at Cash. "Even you. Nevada doesn't push worth a damn."

Cash smiled thinly. "My mother didn't hatch any stupid chicks. I saw Nevada fight once. If I go poking around in that lion's den, it will be with a shotgun."

"But where is Nevada taking the map?" Mariah asked in a plaintive voice.

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "I do know you'll get it back in as good shape as it was when Nevada took it. Better, probably."

"Then you must know where he's taking it."

"No, but I can make an educated guess."

"Please do," Mariah said in exasperation.

Luke smiled. "I'd guess that map will end up in an FBI lab on the east coast. Or some other government agency's lab. Nevada wasn't always a cowboy." Luke stretched and yawned again, then looked at Mariah. "Did you get everything moved into the old house?"

"Yes."

"All unpacked?"

"Well, not quite."

"Why don't you go finish? I'll be along in a few minutes to make sure you have everything you need."

"Why do I feel like I'm being told to leave?"

"Because you are."

Mariah started to object before she remembered that Luke wanted to talk with Cash in private about going prospecting with her.

"I'm not six years old anymore," she said reasonably. "You can talk in front of me."

It was as though she hadn't spoken.

"Don't forget to close the bathroom window," Luke said, "unless you want a battle-scarred old tomcat sleeping on your bed."

Mariah looked at Cash. "Why do you let him insult you like that?"

There was a two-second hesitation before Cash laughed out loud, but the sudden blaze in his eyes made Mariah's heart beat faster.

Shaking his head, Luke said, "Good night, Muffin."

"Don't forget to bring my cookies and milk," she retorted sweetly, "or I'll cry myself to sleep."

Luke grabbed Mariah, hugged her and ruffled her hair as though she were six years old again. Laughing, she stood on tiptoe and returned the favor, then found herself suddenly blinking back tears.

"Thank you, Luke," she said.

"For what?"

"Not throwing me out on my ear when I turned up without warning."

"Don't be silly. This is your home."

"No," she whispered. "it's yours. But I'm grateful to share it for a while."

Before Luke could say anything else, she kissed his cheek and walked quickly from the dining room. Cash stood and watched the outer door for a long, silent moment, admiring the perfection with which Mariah played the role of vulnerable child-woman. She was very good. Even better than Linda had been, and Linda had fooled him completely. Of course, Linda had had a real advantage. She had told him something he would have sold his soul to believe – that she was carrying his child.

What he hadn't known until too late was that Linda had been sleeping with another man. That was another thing women were good at – making each man feel like he was the only one.

"You don't have to worry about Nevada," Luke said calmly.

Startled, Cash turned toward his friend. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, he's a handsome son, but it's you Mariah keeps looking at." Deadpan, Luke added, "Which proves that there's no accounting for taste."

"Despite the beard, Nevada isn't a prospector," Cash pointed out coolly, "and the lady's heart is obviously set on gold."

"The lady was looking at you before she knew you were a prospector. And you were looking at her, period."

Cash's eyes narrowed into gleaming slits of blue. Before he could say anything, Luke was talking again.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, it puts a man between a rock and a hard place when he wants his best friend's little sister. Hell, I ought to know. I spent a lot of years wanting Carla."

"Not as many as she spent wanting you."

Luke smiled crookedly. "So I was a prize fool. If it weren't for her matchmaking older brother, I'd still be waking up alone in the middle of the night."

"Is that what you're doing now? Matchmaking? Is that why you want me to go prospecting with Mariah? You figure we'll find something more valuable and permanent than gold?"

Wincing at Cash's sardonic tone, Luke raked his fingers through his hair as he said, "The area around Devil's Peak is damned wild country."

Cash looked at the ceiling.

"I can't let her go alone," Luke continued.

Cash looked at his hands.

"I can't take her myself."

Cash looked at the floor.

"I need every cowhand I've got, and five more besides."

Cash looked at the table.

Luke swore. "Forget it. I'll get Nevada to-"

"Hell," Cash interrupted fiercely, angered by the thought of throwing Mariah and Nevada together in the vast, lonely reaches of the Rocking M's high country. Cash pinned Luke with a black look. "All right, I'll do it. But I'm usually gone for weeks at a time. Have you thought about that?"

"Mariah said she was a camper. Besides, there's always the Black Springs line shack."

"Damn it, that's not what I mean and you know it! Your sister is one very sexy female."

Luke cocked his head to one side. "Interesting."

A snarl was Cash's only answer.

"No, I mean it," Luke continued. "Not that I think Mariah is a dog, but sexy wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe her. Striking, maybe, with those big golden eyes and lovely smile. Warm. Quick. But not sexy."