chest, ignoring her startled cry of surprise. His hand cupped the back of her head, and as he was moving toward her, he whispered, 'I never had a chance, did I?'
She didn't understand what he meant, and he was too busy kissing her to explain.
His mouth was warm and firm against hers. It wasn't a friendly kiss. He made sure of that. He coaxed her mouth open, and his tongue swept inside to mate with hers. She began to respond, timidly at first and then with growing passion. He melted away her inhibitions in a matter of heartbeats, and, Lord, she tasted as sweet and fresh as he remembered. He couldn't get enough of her. Passion flowed between them as his mouth slanted over hers again and again, and when at last he forced himself to pull back, he couldn't seem to draw a proper breath. Her own shortness of breath was music to his ears.
The hell he was her friend.
'Now do you want to shake my hand?' he asked, driving his point home.
His sarcasm was lost on her. She was blissfully content snuggled up against him. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and her eyes closed in sweet surrender to the moment.
He held her for a long while in his arms. His hands tenderly caressed her back, and all he wanted to think about was her soft body. Unfortunately, thoughts of Ezekiel Jones kept intruding.
'What are you thinking about?'
'Ezekiel Jones,' he said.
'I knew it had to be something unpleasant. You're squeezing the breath out of me, and your muscles have become rigid.'
He forced himself to relax and loosened his grip on her. 'Is that better?'
'Yes,' she answered. 'I should probably get off your lap, but I don't want to move,' she admitted. 'I was also thinking about Ezekiel. Do you think he was telling the truth when he said he had gotten away with murder? Or was he just trying to scare us?'
'I think he was telling the truth, and I'd sure be interested in finding out the particulars. You told me Ezekiel changed his name. Do you know what his real name is?'
'Henry Stevens,' she answered. 'I heard Lewis call him by his full name once. Ezekiel became furious and threatened dire consequences if he ever called him by his real name again. The stupid man was yelling so loud most of the choir heard him.'
Adam filed the information away. Henry Stevens. He wouldn't forget the name again. Had Ezekiel changed his name because he was a wanted man, or had the crime gone unreported? Adam decided to find out as soon as possible.
'When we get to Salt Lake City, I think I'd like to pay a visit to the marshal's office.'
'I doubt anyone's there. Don't you remember Mr. Steeple told us that three U.S. marshals were in Middleton, investigating the bank robbery?'
The plan came to him all of a sudden, and he found himself smiling in anticipation. His idea was perfect, and if it worked, it would be well worth the risk. Ezekiel would get what was coming to him, and Adam wouldn't have to kill him. There were a lot of ifs involved. If he could find a safe place for Genevieve, and if he could trick Ezekiel into following him to
Middleton, and if the marshals were indeed there, then Adam would lead the bastard right into their hands.
'I think we should split up,' she said.
She'd spoken his thought aloud. 'Is that so?' he asked.
'Yes,' she said. 'One of us should lead Ezekiel north, while the other takes the money to Kansas.'
He shook his head. 'The money should go in a bank until I've dealt with Ezekiel and his friends.'
'Are you crazy? There are bank robbers roaming these hills. They'll steal it. My plan makes sense.'
'I've got a better plan. We'll find a safe place for you, and I'll take care of Ezekiel.'
'It's out of the question. This is my problem and I have to solve it.'
'No, it's our problem, but I'm going to solve it. 'You aren't going with me. I would be worried about you the entire time, and I wouldn't be able to concentrate on what I needed to do.'
'Such as?'
'Putting an end to Ezekiel's terror tactics.'
'It's very sweet of you to be worried about me, but, Adam, I won't be left out. Do you expect me to sit quietly in a parlor somewhere while you put yourself in such danger? I won't hear of it.'
He smiled. 'I wasn't thinking of putting you in a parlor. I have another place in mind where I can be absolutely certain Ezekiel won't go near you or the money.'
'There isn't any such place.'
He kissed her again just to get her to stop arguing with him. 'Trust me, Genevieve. I've thought of the perfect place.'
Chapter Eleven
He put her in jail. Even though she had to admit it was a perfect place to keep the money safe, she still wasn't happy about Adam's choice, because she knew he expected her to stay inside while he went gallivanting after Ezekiel and his men. If she had had a few minutes alone with him, she would have let him know just how unhappy she was, but the jail was crowded with lawmen, and she wasn't about to criticize Adam in front of strangers. She. did glare at him though when he suggested she might be more comfortable inside one of the empty cells.
She sat down in a chair next to Sheriff Norton's desk, put her satchel on her lap, and folded her hands on top. Adam stood behind her. After removing a stack of papers from his chair, the sheriff sat down and tilted back against the wall. He was an older man with a big belly and melancholy eyes. His face reminded Genevieve of a hound dog's. His jowls extended past his chin, and when he smiled-which seemed to be most of the time-the folds of extra skin on either side of his face wrinkled up to his ears. He was very kind to her and Adam, and she liked him immensely. His voice radiated fatherly concern when he asked how he could be of help, and he listened patiently without interrupting once while Adam explained why they were there.
Two U.S. marshals leaned against the wall and listened. The men were so similar in appearance and attitude they could have been brothers. They were about the same height, nearly six feet, and had the same worn and world-weary expressions. The more muscular one was named Davidson, and the other was called Morgan.
Their presence should have been a comfort, but they made her nervous instead. Their gazes seemed to bore right through her. There was an air of danger about them as well. She couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors they must have seen that would have turned them into such frightening men. Her mind conjured up one horrible possibility after another, and before long she was fighting the urge to jump up and leave.
She really wished they would stop staring at her. She kept expecting one of them to pounce on her, and she glanced over at them every other minute just to make sure they hadn't moved.
Adam must have sensed her unease because he put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.
After he had finished explaining their circumstances to the sheriff, including details she wished he hadn't mentioned, Marshal Davidson suggested that Genevieve look through the posters of wanted men to see if Ezekiel was one of them.
The sheriff pointed to a knee-high stack of papers on the floor in the corner behind him. 'There they are, but I'll wager you it will take you the rest of the day to sort through them.'
'Adam, are you certain Jones and his friends are following you?' Morgan asked the question but watched Genevieve all the while.
'Yes, I made sure they could easily follow my tracks to Middleton.'
Davidson took a step toward her. She visibly jumped and then became angry.
'Gentlemen, what are you staring at?' she demanded.
The marshals glanced at one another before turning back to her. Davidson raised an eyebrow and looked a little sheepish, but Morgan maintained his glacial expression. She didn't think the man had blinked in the past five
