For an instant there was a silence, a hesitance. “Was that supposed to disarm me? You gave me your answer at the Nugget tonight. Are you asking for another chance?”

“It would be the same answer,” she said haltingly. “There is no choice. I cannot leave here without you, and I must find Kantalan.”

“I think you’ll decide differently by the end of the week. I’ve left a note on your pillow supposedly signed by you saying that you’ve decided to run away with me. Since you’ve been trailing after me for the better part of a week, I don’t think anyone will have trouble believing you find me irresistible.” His tone was mocking. “And those that have any doubts will think twice about calling me a liar. When we come back to Hell’s Bluff, you won’t find your stay in this town quite so comfortable. You’ll either have to go to Rina’s or accept the hospitality of one of the men you saw in the bar tonight. This hotel accepts only respectable women.”

“Come back? You’re taking me away from Hell’s Bluff?”

“I can hardly take you to Rina’s, as she might object,” he drawled. “And what I have in mind for you can’t be accomplished with the little privacy this room affords. I’m taking you deeper in the mountains to a cabin owned by a friend. He’s off prospecting at the moment, so we should have no one to interfere with-” He broke off and turned away impatiently. “Why am I making explanations? You’ll find out soon enough. Let’s get the hell out of here. I have the horses tied to the hitching rail out back.” His hand was on her elbow, propelling her across the room toward the open window. “I believe we’ll avoid the main stairs. If we happened to run into someone you know, you might be tempted to scream, and I’m not in the mood to shoot anyone this evening.”

The words were said calmly, almost casually, but they sent a shiver to the base of Elspeth’s spine. The idea of violence was anathema to her, and the knowledge that blood might be spilled for her sake made her feel ill. “I wouldn’t scream. Not if I knew it would mean a man’s death.”

“That’s very accommodating of you, but I don’t think we’ll take the chance. This is between the two of us.”

“Yes.” She wished she could stop shaking. He was right, this was between them and no one else. He was terribly angry with her and meant to punish her in some way; nothing could be clearer. Well, she had known that taunting him would be dangerous and she had done it anyway. She mustn’t be a coward now that he temporarily had the upper hand. What could he do to her that would be so terrible? He obviously didn’t want to hurt her physically. Perhaps he was only trying to intimidate her into giving up and leaving Hell’s Bluff. Perhaps being alone with Dominic could be to her advantage. She would be able to talk to him without having to pursue him and-

His big hands were on her waist, lifting her through the window onto the landing of the second floor balcony. The arguments she had been giving herself flew away from her like birds in autumn. His hands were terribly strong as they spanned her slight waist, and his features in the moonlight appeared flint-hard. She was once again acutely conscious of both the helplessness of her position and her femininity. Her breath caught in her throat as she met his gaze.

His pale eyes were searching her face. “You are frightened.” His lips curved in a smile of savage satisfaction. “Good. I want you to be frightened of me. I want your knees to shake and I want your eyes to look at me as if you’re afraid I’m going to eat you. I want to touch you and feel you tremble.”

She drew a deep, quivering breath. “Then you’re certainly getting what you want, aren’t you? But there’s something you should know.”

His lips twisted in a sardonic smile. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you have four fierce brothers who will ride in pursuit and avenge this shocking infamy I’m heaping on their little sister?”

“No, I have no one to defend me.”

Something flickered in the hardness of Dominic’s face and then was gone. “How fortunate for me. Then may I ask what you think I should know?”

“I cannot ride a horse.”

The cabin before which Dominic had finally stopped was located on a plateau that bordered the steep incline of a rockstrewn gorge. It was a good ten miles from Hell’s Bluff, and by the time it had come into view Elspeth had doubted she had an unbruised bone in her body and was positive there was not an inch of her flesh left unscathed. “You didn’t have to make the horse run,” she said tartly as Dominic reined in his black stallion in front of the cabin. “I know you’re a wee bit angry with me but-”

“I’m more than a ‘wee’ bit angry.” Dominic slipped from his saddle and came around to lift her down from the chestnut mare on which she was mounted. “And if I’d wanted the horse to punish you instead of reserving that pleasure for myself, I would have had her trot, not gallop. Its far more painful.”

“It couldn’t be.”

“It is.” He was swiftly untying her wrists and he paused to smile down at her, his blue-gray eyes glittering coldly in the moonlight. “I’ll make sure your next ride is more comfortable… even entertaining.”

His hand encircled her left wrist and he pulled her toward the small log structure that looked to be more of a shack than a cabin. When she drew closer she could see the crude structure had obviously been hurriedly built of logs that were still green and mismatched.

Dominic threw open the door and drew her into the darkness of the cabin before releasing her wrist. “Stay here.” She heard the click of the heels of his boots on the wooden floor as he crossed the room.

As Dominic lit the oil lamp on the table across the room, Elspeth saw the inside of the cabin was just as unattractive as its exterior and consisted of rough pine flooring with a multitude of unfilled knotholes and a flat roof fitted so poorly she could see the glitter of stars through slender spaces between the mismatched logs. The small room contained little furniture. A horsehair mat in the far corner which presumably served as a bed and the pine table beside which Dominic was standing had one leg shorter than the others and sloped drunkenly toward an equally clumsily built companion chair. Instead of glass in the one window beside the door, newspapers, yellowed and made brittle by exposure to the elements, were nailed across the opening.

“Someone lives in this place?” Elspeth asked incredulously.

“Jim isn’t here much. He’s away for weeks at a time prospecting in the hills. It serves his purpose.” Dominic’s white teeth gleamed in the lamplight as he smiled mirthlessly at her from across the small room. “As it will serve ours. Soon you won’t even notice your surroundings.” He turned away from the table and headed for the door. “I’m going to unsaddle and water the horses. I wouldn’t try to run away if I were you. There’s no possible help within five miles of this place and the hills are full of snakes and scorpions. If you don’t fall off the mountain, you’ll have them to contend with.” He paused at the door to look back at her. “And I’d find you anyway. I’ve gone to a hell of a lot of trouble to bring you here, and I have no intention of letting you get away.”

Snakes. Elspeth tried to repress the familiar panic the thought sent streaking through her. She smiled shakily as she pushed her spectacles up to the bridge of her small nose. “I’m not going to try to escape. It would be foolish. I know nothing about mountains and snakes and…” She waved a hand. “I forgot what else you said.”

“Scorpions,” he repeated. He stood there a moment, glowering at her. “Why the hell are you being so meek? Why aren’t you fighting me?”

“Would it help me if I fought you? Would it make you change your mind?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.” She crossed the room and sat down on the wooden chair. Her spine was very straight as she laced her fingers together on her lap. “You’re a determined man, but I don’t believe you’re a cruel one. I’ll wait for you here and we’ll discuss this turn of events when you return.”

He gazed at her, a variety of emotions flitting across his face. Then he muttered something violent beneath his breath that expressed both his frustration and exasperation, turned on his heel, and strode out of the cabin.

Elspeth released her breath in a rush and sagged back in the chair. While Dominic had been in the room she had felt as if she were caged with a wild animal. What a foolish comparison, she thought wearily. She had no idea what it would be like to be caged with a beast. She knew nothing about dangerous animals or dangerous men. So what in heaven’s name was she doing here?

The answer came to her at once. Kantalan. She had to find Kantalan. She mustn’t fall apart now. She was actually doing quite well. Except for that hideously jarring ride, she had suffered no real pain or discomfort, and as yet Dominic had done nothing more than threaten her. Perhaps that was all he intended to do. She straightened in the chair and carefully composed her features. There was no shame in admitting to being afraid, no matter what her father had told her. The shame would lie in not facing down her fear.

The door opened and then slammed shut behind Dominic.

She instinctively braced herself, but he ignored her as he strode over to the horsehair mat in the corner and spread a clean tan woolen blanket on the mat’s dusty surface.

He turned to look at her, a crooked smile lifting the corner of his lips. “You see how considerate I am? I wouldn’t want that soft white skin to get dirty.”

“Thank you.”

His smile faded and anger tightened his lips. “God-dammit, fight me!” He reached her in two strides and jerked her out of the chair. His hands cupped her shoulders as his eyes blazed down at her. “I’m not going to discuss this. I’ve brought you here for one purpose and nothing is going to sway me from that purpose. Don’t you understand that, dammit?”