mares.
The breeze shifted, bringing with it the murmur of male voices from the campsite. Willow relaxed slightly, knowing that she had a few more minutes before Caleb came after her. She wished she could be gone before Caleb sought her out, but that would be too dangerous. If only a few minutes separated them, he would come after her and catch her. She needed time to put enough distance between them that chasing her would be futile.
Ishmael scented Willow and nickered softly. She put down the saddle and quickly opened the bedroll as though she planned to sleep in the meadow with her horses. The blankets were lumpy with the various things she had between the layers, but she doubted Caleb would notice in the dark. Her carpetbag would have been too obvious, so she had left it behind.
Willow sat down and wrote quickly, saying what had to be said despite the pain it cost.
Matt, I’m sorry I’m not the innocent girl you remembered. Forcing Caleb to marry me won’t change what happened.
Don’t come after me. Let me shed the past and start all over again as a widow. I won’t be the first such widow, and I won’t be the last.
If you ever see our brothers, tell them I think of them often and remember them with love.
Willow paused, her courage faltering at the thought of what she had to say next. But it must be done. Caleb must understand that he had no duty to her.
Caleb, take your pick of the mares as payment for bringing me to my brother. Please take the other three to WolfeLonetree. He can have one if he’ll care for the other two until I can come for them.
If you do that, you have no other duty toward me. We are both free to begin over again.
After a few minutes, Willow went out among the horses, silently saying good-bye. The mares took the nighttime visitation with the same gentle spirit they took everything that came to them from their mistress. Tears burned behind Willow’s eyes as she felt the velvet muzzles snuffling over her, nudging her, asking to be petted and loved.
Caleb will take good care of you. Better than I could. He’s strong enough to get you to safe pastures.
Ishmael’s head came up and he nickered softly, looking into the night past Willow’s shoulder. She turned around slowly, knowing who would be there.
«It’s too late to start sleeping apart,» Caleb said, gesturing toward the place where Willow had left her bedroll and her saddle at its head as a pillow.
Willow shrugged, not trusting her voice.
«Come back to bed with me, honey. Nothing has changed.»
She shook her head with a weariness that was apparent even in the moon’s pale light.
Caleb’s hand shot out, catching Willow’s arm as she turned away. Willow made a startled sound. She had forgotten how quick he could be.
«Please don’t touch me.» Willow’s words were un-inflected, remote.
Caleb’s eyelids flickered at the distance in Willow’s voice, but he didn’t release her. «You’re my wife.»
«I’m your whore.»
His breath came in with a ripping sound. His other hand shot out. He pulled her close, imprisoning her in his arms, wishing there were sunlight so he could see her eyes.
And then Caleb saw Willow’s eyes, and wished the moon were less bright.
Her eyes were no more alive than her voice. A fine tremor moved through her body as she stood within his arms. Once that trembling would havesignalled the depth of her passion for him. Now itsignalled a terrible combination of shame and acceptance.
«You’re not my whore,» Caleb said in a savage voice. «You were never my whore!»
«Fancy lady. Whore. Call it what you will. It doesn’t change what happened, what I am.» Willow turned away as much as Caleb would allow her. «Let go of me.»
«No,» he said, and pulled her tight against his body.
Caleb’s flat refusal was unexpected, as was the arousal he made no effort to hide.
Willow was shocked. She hadn’t expected him to require her presence in his bed tonight. She hadn’t really believed that he thought of her as his whore.
She had been wrong. But then, she had been wrong about him before.
«I see,» Willow said. She forced her hands between their bodies and began unbuttoning her jacket with fingers that shook. «You want to rut between my legs again.»
His hand came down hard across her mouth. «Stopit. You’remy woman, not my whore, and you goddamned well know it!»
Caleb’s eyes were narrow slices of silver in the moonlight. His mouth was a black line. His face was utterly savage.
Willow could see the rage in Caleb, taste it, feel it. He was more angry than she had ever known any man to be. Without warning, he moved his hand and replaced it with his mouth. He was so quick that she had no chance. She was held within the fierce cage of his arms, no way to turn, no escape, nothing but the urgent pressure of his mouth breaking open hers, leaving her defenseless against his kiss.
Motionless, Willow waited for the intimate thrust of Caleb’s tongue. It didn’t come. Instead his mouth gentled and his tongue coaxed hers in a sweet seduction that was more threatening than any forced claiming would have been. It was the same with his hands sliding softly over her body, spreading pleasure in their wake, making her tremble.
Despair washed through Willow. Caleb knew her too well. Helplessly her nails bit into his upper arms as the wildness in her sensed the outlet he was offering and clamored for release.
«Yes,» Caleb said savagely, biting Willow’s neck with fierce restraint as he felt the sleek pain of her nails. «Come to me. You’re hurt and angry and don’t know what to do. Take it out on me, Willow. I’m not afraid of the passion in you. Let it free.»
The realization that Caleb knew about the wildness that seethed beneath her unnatural calm wrenched a sound of despair from Willow’s lips.
«Stop, please, stop,» she begged in a shaking voice. «Leave me some pride, Yuma man. Even a whore needs a little pride.»
A chill went over Caleb. «Stop staying that. Do you hearme? You’renot a whore.»
«Prove it! Let me sleep where I like. Let me sleep alone!»
There was a silence that stretched until Willow wanted to scream. The only signs of her turmoil were the tremors that shook her randomly. None of the emotion showed on her face. She simply watched Caleb with the eyes of a stranger as she waited to find out whether she was woman or whore.
And he knew it.
«Sleep where you please whenever you please,» he said coldly. «I’m damned sick of being treated like a conscienceless seducer by you and your brother.»
Abruptly, Caleb released Willow and stepped back.
«Let me know when you get over your sulking and want to be treated like my woman. Then I’ll let you know if I still feel like being your man.»
17
Not until Willow was miles beyond the valley’s narrow entrance did she dismount and remove the shreds of her riding habit from Ishmael’s feet. The stallion snorted as the last thong was taken off and the scraps of material fell away. He stamped impatiently.
«I know,» Willow said quietly, stroking Ishmael’s neck, soothing her edgy horse. «The rags bothered you, but they kept your hooves from making noise on the rocks.»
Unhappily, she looked at the sky. Dawn lay just over the eastern horizon, bleaching stars from the night. She wished she could simply go to ground and hide for the day, but that would be certain disaster. It was much too close to the valley for her to be safe. She had to ride fast and hard through the day and the next night as
