"Then what was the point of our rushing?"
"On the off chance that Angel's ploy had them wasting time searching the mountains for you. But they must have gotten lucky and found where he dou-bled back."
"So what am I supposed to do now?" she said, tying his bandage off a bit too tightly in her agitation. "I suppose they'll be watching the railroad, watching the… wait a minute. Why did they shoot at you?"
"For the usual reason," he answered dryly. "To kill me."
Now he was the recipient of a baleful glance. "Longnose has never harmed any of my people. Why should he? It must have been a mistake."
In her upset, she had begun to pace in front of him. Colt had to force his eyes away from the bottom of her robe, which kept threatening to open with each step she took.
"There was no mistake, Duchess. What would you do without a guide?"
"Hire another. "She didn't finish the thought. Her eyes flared with understanding she didn't want to accept. "But I've seen them all. How can they think—"
"It wouldn't be a man you might recognize. Your Longnose will find someone else, and probably already has. Didn't Angel tell you this was their origi-nal plan before they came across Dryden?"
"Your Angel was as closemouthed as a sphinx. Of course he didn't tell me anything. But if he told you.
why haven't you quit?" She got such a fierce look of annoyance, she almost smiled. "Oh, that's right, you don't quit." She was feeling better already. "You see, I was right all along about how much I need you. If anything happened to you, I wouldn't be able to hire anyone to replace you. I couldn't trust him not to be one of Longnose's men."
Colt didn't hear much beyond that "I need you" of hers. If he didn't get her out of his room pronto, she wouldn't be leaving at all.
"All right, Duchess, so you've got few options left open to you right now. The train's out. As you said, they'll be watching it, as well as your vehicles. If you split your men, some to go after the Englishman, some to protect you, you just make it easier for him."
She was frowning. "I know you said you wouldn't hunt him down, but what about Angel? Do you think he might be interested in the job?"
He shook his head. "He's got business in Texas that's already been delayed. He's taking off in the morning."
"So where does that leave me?"
"You either hole up and wait until your enemy gathers enough men to attack, or. "
He didn't finish, and she could see that whatever that "or" was, he either had changed his mind or hadn't thought it through. She was too impatient to wait.
"Or?"
He gave her a long, considering look that ended in a shrug. "You can strike out alone."
For a moment she thought he was joking. He must be. But she sensed his nonchalance was contrived, that he was tense, even expectant.
"Without protection?"
"With me. I can get you safely to Wyoming, but it'd be just you, me, and the horses, and a lot of hard riding. Your people would have to follow at their own pace."
"Just you and me. " she began, but was still reeling over the possibilities. "But you warned me to stay away from you," she reminded him. "Why would you offer—"
"Don't get me wrong, Duchess," he interrupted in a low, mesmerizing tone. "I guarantee you'll get to Wyoming in one piece. I make no other promises. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She nodded curtly, feeling the color already mount-ing in her cheeks, and nearly ran toward the door.
"I–I will have to consider…" She stopped, her hand on the door handle, her back to him. "When would you want to leave?"
"Tonight. when it'd be least expected."
Again she nodded, but wouldn't turn to look at him. "I'll have my decision delivered to you shortly."
Chapter Thirty-six
It was absolutely out of the question. It was so im-proper it didn't even bear consideration.
Besides, there was that implied warning that Colt wouldn't keep his hands off her if she went with him.
That was the one point Jocelyn didn't mention when she told the countess she was going, and then spent the next two hours arguing with her about it. In the end, it was her decision to make. And in the end, Vanessa even allowed the plan might have some merit to it. After all, if Jocelyn could get away undetected, Longnose wouldn't leave the area, thinking she was still there.
Later in the week the rest of their numbers could be divided, half to take the train to meet her in Cheyenne, the other half to go by the Santa Fe Trail as they had intended. And with Jocelyn in neither party, Longnose wouldn't know which to follow, would likely assume she had been hidden somehow. He might even divide his own numbers, which would make it simpler for the law authorities, whom she intended to have waiting for him when he eventually showed up in Wyoming.
Jocelyn didn't know how Colt had greeted her de-cision to go with him, for she had sent a servant to tell him. There was the strong possibility his offer hadn't been sincere and he would be furious that she had once again called his bluff. After all, she really didn't understand why he would do this for her when she knew how much he disliked her company. But if he had been sincere, then she could only conclude that he was so fed up with the job she had forced on ' him — which had now become extremely risky as well as bothersome — that he was willing to do anything to get it over with. Traveling without the encumbrance of the vehicles would get them to Wyoming in half the time, maybe even less.
She was ready when he came for her around mid-night, dressed in one of her more sturdy riding habits, with a full-length fur-lined cloak draped over an arm, her rifle in one hand and a small valise in the other. I Colt did no more than remove her tall, short-brimmed 1 riding hat to replace it with one he had brought along, a man's widebrimmed hat in the same style as his, I which surprisingly fitted. She didn't object. She didn't dare. She was going to have to get used to doing things as he directed, or risk heaven knew what, a thought that didn't sit well with her, but she supposed she would get used to that too.
She noted right off, despite there being no words f exchanged between them, that Colt didn't seem furi-I ous. But then most of the time it was impossible to I tell what he was feeling. However, if anything, he I seemed rather relaxed in his manner. He even flipped 1 her new hat down over her eyes after he'd placed it I on her head, something a playful relative or friend * might do, but not her taciturn guide.
But he wasn't wasting any time in getting started, so she didn't wonder about his attitude for very long.
He led her out of the hotel through the back and down several streets, not to the stables, but to an alley where his brother was waiting with the horses.
"You see anyone?" he asked Billy.
"Not a soul."
Billy stepped back as Colt tossed Jocelyn up onto Sir George, then secured her valise for her. She had to spend a few moments quieting the animal, who didn't like such proximity to Colt's stallion.
"Don't forget what I told you, kid," Colt was say-ing. "Just keep to the flats with the mountains on your left, and you'll have no problem leading the oth-ers straight into Cheyenne. I'm trusting you to show up at the Rocky Valley on your own. If you make me come looking for you again, you'll wish to hell you hadnt."
"I'll be there," Billy replied in a somewhat grum-bling tone. "But I'm still not going back to school."
"You can take your objections up with your ma when you return to Chicago, which is what you should have done in the first place."
At that point Billy grinned. "She didn't think I was serious about not wanting to be a lawyer, that I mean to take up ranching instead. Now she knows I wasn't kidding."
"You proved your point all right. What good it'll do you is debatable, though."