All the anger and hurt left him as she raised her hand and gently traced the scar along his face.

A tear bubbled in her eye and fell, cleaning a streak down her cheek.

Wes opened his hand and let her thin fingers lace through his. The world shifted as her cool palm pressed against his. The broken engagement didn’t matter, or the beating, or even his lost wealth. All that mattered as he looked into dark blue eyes was this creature dressed in rags.

If it cost him his life, this woman would not be pulled through a crowd tonight!

TWO

WES SHOVED AN IRON STAKE BETWEEN THE CHAINand the cage and twisted. Even hurt, his powerful strength rocked the wagon with his effort. There was no time to pick the lock. He knew it would only be moments before someone noticed him and he not only had to get the cage open, he had to convince the poor creature inside to come with him.

Wes glanced at her. She backed as far away from him as she could.

‘‘Now wait a minute!’’a familiar slurred voice shouted from the entrance to the alley. ‘‘Don’t break that lock. Louis won’t like it.’’

Wes straightened, his right hand an inch from his Colt, his left gripping the iron tool. He turned slowly as the driver ran toward him with a full bottle of whiskey in his good hand.

Without warning, the man’s drunken laughter polluted the night air in a breathless hiccuping sound. ‘‘I know you want her, mister.’’ He raised his bottle as if in salute. ‘‘Some men have the taste for a little wild seasoning in their women. I guessed you was one of them by the way you stared at her. She’ll give you a fight for what you take, if that’s what you like. But don’t break my lock. The reverend will make me pay to have it fixed.’’

Wes stepped back, knotting his fists to keep from clobbering the drunk. ‘‘Open the cage,’’ he whispered between clenched teeth.

The driver hesitated. ‘‘I don’t like to do this kind of business till after the service. Last crazy woman we had killed herself one night after the boys from the saloon took turns dancing a few rounds with her. How about you wait until later? Then I’ll give you this throwaway.’’

When Wes didn’t answer,the man raised one eyebrow as if weighing Wes’s worth. ‘‘I’ll only charge you five dollars for the night. I won’t ask no questions, long as she’s back in the cage by dawn.’’ He winked at Wes. ‘‘Ain’t none of my concern what you do with her.’’

‘‘Open the door.’’ Wes fought down the bile in his throat. He felt like he was bargaining with the devil, but he knew time was running out for her. The church bell stopped ringing. It would only be a matter of minutes before she’d be pulled across the street. ‘‘I’ll give you a twenty-dollar gold piece.’’

Wes pulled the last of his money from his pocket and shoved it into the driver’s withered hand. ‘‘I want her unchained. Now!’’

‘‘All right.’’The driver tested the weight of the coin.‘‘I got to get her out anyway. It’s almost time.’’ He glanced in the direction of the church and slipped the double eagle into his vest pocket. ‘‘You can feel of her while I remove the ring from her chains. But you’ll have to wait until after the show to have her. She’ll be all tired by then and not so hard to handle. She’s tiny, but she’s got big, ripe…’’

The cage door swung open, and Wes felt his heart stop in midbeat. Suddenly there was no air, no town, no drunk beside him. All he saw were her eyes staring at him with total hate. The blue depths that had been filled with kindness only minutes ago now were wide with panic and fear. The terror of a child blended with the hatred of a woman as she watched him.

For a moment he hesitated, wondering if she truly was insane and if he’d do her any good by setting her free.Maybe this life, as terrible as it seemed, was better than her dying if left on her own.

She backed away as he and the driver stepped into the cage. Her dress caught in her movements, pulling the material from one shoulder. Bruises were plain even in the shadowy light. Wes closed his eyes. With all he’d seen in the war and since, he wasn’t sure he could bear to know how completely she’d been harmed.

The drunk knelt and began unlocking the ring that held her wrist chains. ‘‘Go ahead, get yourself a good feel. She ain’t going to do nothing but scream and that’ll let them know we’re coming. It don’t matter if you bruise her. She don’t talk none. She ain’t going to tell anyone. Grab you a good handful.’’

Wes took a step toward her.

The creature looked as if she might bolt and run the moment her chained wrists were free. She raised her hands and shook her head wildly.

The driver laughed. ‘‘Go ahead. Slap her a good one to let her know you mean business. There ain’t nothing feels better then getting a tight hold on a ripe woman. Since you paid twenty, I’ll even hold her if you like. That way you can slip your hands up her dress.’’

Without thought Wes swung toward the man. With one blow, he knocked the drunk out the open cage door and onto the ground.

The woman let out a soft cry and covered her face as though she thought she would be his next victim.

Wes backed out of the cage and tapped the driver with the toe of his boot. The man was out cold. Unswallowed whiskey blended with blood and dripped from his open mouth, but his withered fingers still held the bottle tightly.

Glancing into the cage, Wes met her stare once more. She still shook, but no longer looked at him with hate. The fear was there, the panic-but he’d won an ounce of respect in her eyes.

‘‘Come on,’’he whispered as he raised his hand slowly to her. ‘‘I’ll get you out of this mess.’’

Wes had no idea where he would take her, or how he would handle her if she truly were crazy. Only one fact remained certain: he couldn’t leave her here. Not alone. Not with this man. Not as a curiosity for the town.

‘‘I won’t hurt you.’’He tried to make his voice calm.‘‘I’m only trying to set you free.’’

She hesitated a second then bolted toward him. In a heartbeat, she’d jumped into his arms, holding him so tightly Wes wasn’t sure if she was hugging him or trying to choke him.

‘‘It’s all right.’’ Through his rage at her captors, he forced out the words. ‘‘It’s all right.’’ Awkwardly, he patted her back and felt her tense beneath his touch. He didn’t have to look to know there would be whelps beneath her dress.

‘‘I’ll get you out of here.’’He wrapped one arm about her waist and lifted her a few inches off the ground as he moved around the wagon. ‘‘Do you understand?’’

She didn’t answer or lessen her hold on him.

As he felt her tears on his throat, someone from the street yelled, ‘‘Hey you! Turn loose of that woman!’’

Wes swung around. A huge man in black was running toward him. The bearded man waved a long staff over his head like a weapon. His great coat flew around him, reminding Wes of the wings of a bat flying through the darkness.

‘‘Let her go! She’s my ward.

Wes wrapped his arms around her legs and lifted her as he turned away. He felt her fear pounding against his heart and couldn’t help but wonder how many times the long stick had been used across her back. She shook with terror, telling Wes plainly that this man in black was the preacher who planned to put her on stage tonight.

‘‘Let her go!’’ The minister reached the alley entrance with several men only a few feet behind him. ‘‘Stop him! He’s kidnapping her!’’

The creature’s weight did little to slow Wes down. She clung so tightly, he knew she wouldn’t leave his arms if he let go of her. She was far more afraid of the huge man with the stick than of him.

Years of battles during the war served him well. He’d stayed alive by never hesitating. His movements now were swift and purposeful.

Just as he reached his horse, the preacher ran past the wagon. ‘‘Shoot him! He’s stealing my property!’’

Wes swung onto his saddle with the sound of metal clearing leather. He kicked his mount into action as bullets danced past his head and ricocheted off the brick wall in front of him.

The powerful animal beneath him jerked wildly in panic. Shots echoed down the alley and back. With one hand around the woman’s waist and the other twisted firmly in the reins, Wes leaned forward, protecting her as he kicked the horse into a run.

Ride!he screamed in his mind as the voices faded in the background.Ride!he commanded himself as hot fiery pain shot through his back. Ride!


The night loomed black and silent, with no sign of civilization in sight. Allie felt as if her arms might fall off at any moment. She’d held the tall man in the saddle for hours. Judging from the sky, it would be dawn soon. But she wasn’t sure he had enough life left in him to see its coming.

Somehow he’d managed to stay in control of the halfwild horse until they were well away from the town. But she felt the blood, warm and thick along his back, and knew with each pounding of hooves his life passed.

With all her strength, she pulled on the reins. To her surprise, the horse obeyed, stopping in a wooded area with tall undergrowth all around. It didn’t matter where they were; they had to rest.

Allie slipped from the saddle and tried to catch the man who had taken her from the cage.

But his body weighed too much for her, and they both fell to the ground as he toppled over. With sudden panic, she shoved him from her and rolled away.

He didn’t move.

Run,she thought. Now might be her only chance to get away. She could survive off the land.She’d done it before.This might be her only chance at freedom. She would live once more without cages or chains.

The man has passed to the next life, she told herself. He doesn’t move. She could take his horse and be into the hills by nightfall. He would have no use for a horse. If he lived, the preacher’s men would catch up to them soon. If she kept running, maybe the posse would be satisfied with catching him and leave her to her hills.