Compromised Hearts Page 7

  “No? You’re making her name a scandal at every post and stop between where you started and the valley. That could easily catch up with her.”

  “Then I’ll be there to divert it.”

  “You mean to stay with her?”

  “I believe I do.” He frowned when James returned to their side without Emily. “Where’s Em?”

  “Stepped outside for a moment. She said she was feeling warm. I think the punch has gone to her head.” James saw Pamela go out the same way Emily had and scowled. “Now, what’s she up to?”

  “Nothing good,” Cloud grumbled and set off hoping to stop a confrontation that could cause him a great deal of trouble.

  Emily sighed with pleasure as she sat down on a rough bench and a cool breeze eased the heat in her face. She was feeling both warm and lightheaded. It occurred to her that the ‘doctored’ punch she had had so much of could be the cause of that. She hoped some fresh air would instill her with a more sober attitude. The last thing she wished to do was to become drunk and foolish, an embarrassment to both Cloud and herself. Liquor, she reflected, was a troublesome thing.

  And here comes another troublesome thing, she thought crossly as she spotted Pamela approaching her. Even the thought that Pamela was at least not still clinging to Cloud did not ease the annoyance Emily felt. The expression on Pamela’s face told Emily that the woman wanted some sort of confrontation, most likely an unpleasant one. Emily decided that she was more than a little tired of facing Cloud’s seemingly endless collection of discarded lovers. This time, she decided, she was not even going to try to be polite.

  “I believe you can guess what I wish to speak to you about.” Pamela crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at Emily.

  “You look just like my old schoolteacher.”

  “What?”

  “When you stare down your nose like that, you look just like Miss Teasdale.”

  “Stop talking nonsense. I’ve come to talk about Cloud.”

  “Ah, what a surprise. Know him well, do you?”

  “Of course I do and I must say, it surprises me that he would take up with such a prim miss from the east. You can’t possibly give him what he needs.” She smiled with sweet remembrance. “He’s all man.”

  “Every inch of him.” A double entendre, Emily thought with surprise. I have just uttered my first double entendre. She wondered if she was learning a little too much from Cloud. “I believe you’re trying to tell me that you’ve known Mr. Ryder very well indeed.”

  “Very well indeed. I have been his lover for years. No woman could know him as well as I do.”

  “Oh, I think I may have collected an idea or two. I think you’d best turn your interests elsewhere. Cloud seems very slow to come to the sticking point and you aren’t getting any younger.”

  Pamela glared at her. “No woman in her right mind would give up a man like Cloud Ryder. So strong, so well-formed.”

  “Oh, quite. I particularly like his right leg.”

  “What?”

  Cloud stopped just short of the two women, feeling as surprised as Pamela sounded. Then he started to smile. Emily was feeling the effects of the punch. Recalling how she was after a few drinks of beer he wondered, with an inner laugh, if it might be a kindness to warn Pamela.

  “His right leg.” A small part of Emily reeled in shock and cried out in dismay over the way she was talking, but she was enjoying herself too much to heed it. “It is quite perfect, you know. I do not believe I have ever seen a man with a more perfect right leg.”

  Gritting her teeth, Pamela hissed, “You’re trying to make a fool of me, but I won’t stand for it. I suggest you find another way to travel and another man to take you.”

  “You mean, leave that beautiful right leg behind? Oh, I don’t know if I could do that.”

  Since Pamela looked very close to striking Emily, Cloud decided he had best put a stop to the meeting. “Emily.”

  To her consternation, when Emily looked at Cloud she felt color heat her cheeks. It was one thing to be outrageous before a woman who annoyed her, quite another to have her slightly scandalous talk heard by a man, particularly the man she was talking scandously about. She heartily wished he would stop grinning so.

  “Kind of you to keep Em company, Pamela, but we’re headed back to the cabin now.” Cloud took Emily by the hand and urged her to her feet. “Tell James when you get back inside.” He watched Pamela flounce back inside and shook his head. “Sorry about that, Em.”

  “I believe I grow accustomed. My evening is over, is it?” The fresh air having done little to dispel the effects of the heady punch, Emily decided she would not complain.

  “Quite,” he murmured in teasing imitation of her way of speech. Then he picked her up in his arms.

  “I can walk,” she gasped as he strode off across the compound and she put her arms around his neck in a natural reaction to being off the ground.

  “I know.”

  “Then why are you carrying me?”

  “Let’s call it a whim.”

  She blushed and hid her face in his neck when they entered the cabin to face the young girl Cloud had found to watch over Thornton. Emily was sure her name would be on everyone’s lips by morning. Cloud seemed determined to make her a scandal. She sighed. By traveling with him as she was, she was no doubt already a scandal so there was no point in worrying over his occasional outrageousness.

  Setting her down on her feet in the bedroom, Cloud moved to shut the door. “Now why are you frowning?”

  “I’m frowning?”

  “You were.”

  He sat down on the bed and tugged off his boots, watching her closely as she started to ready herself for bed. She looked every inch the fine lady in her rich blue gown, her hair done in what he assumed was the latest fashion back east. The major had had no difficulty in recognizing Emily for what she was—a young, well-bred lady caught up in circumstances beyond her control. Cloud supposed he ought to feel guilty about what he was doing to her and he did sometimes. Unfortunately, protecting her good name meant setting her aside, if only for the nights they spent at various outposts of civilization, and he was not about to do that.

  What he could do, he decided, was try a little harder to keep the women he had known in the past away from her. There were several more places they had to stop at before they reached the valley. Unfortunately, there were also several more women. He was beginning to feel a little ashamed of his past. He was certainly beginning to heartily dislike the way Emily was constantly having to face that past. It would certainly not aid his cause if he asked her to marry him when they reached the valley, something he was more sure he would do with each passing day.

  By the time he was undressed, Emily was standing in only her shift and taking down her hair. As he watched the thick, pale waves tumble free of their restraints, he felt his desire for her strengthen. Moving to stand behind her, he put his hands on her slim hips and nuzzled her thick, sweet-smelling hair.

  “How is it you can be half-naked with your hair down and still look so prim and ladylike?” he murmured as he picked her up in his arms and took her to the bed.

  Staring at him as he lowered himself into her welcoming arms, she winced as she recalled Pamela’s words. She was prim and there was a part of her that constantly wrung her hands in heartfelt shame whenever she made love with Cloud. There was little doubt in her mind that it affected their lovemaking, if only in a small way, because part of her was always holding back. That made her wonder if Pamela was right when the woman said she could not give Cloud all he needed.

  She grew angry with herself when she heard herself ask softly, “But is prim what you need?”

  Cloud knew who was to blame for that question and, as he tugged Emily’s shift off, he decided it would serve him well to do what he could to ease any sting Pamela had inflicted. “Well, let’s just see about that.”

  Sated and sleepy, her arms wrapped heavily around Cloud, who was sprawled on top of her, hi
s head upon her breasts, Emily wondered how something so good could not be enough for any man. She also recalled something she had learned tonight, something she had forgotten upon discovering that she was not really some indiscriminate wanton. Cloud had tricked her. It had really come as no surprise, but some tales the major had told her had clarified her suspicions.

  Cloud would never have left her and Thornton to struggle on alone.

  Her first thought had been to confront him with the fact, to put an abrupt end to the shameful arrangement he had tricked her into. But it had only taken a moment’s thought for her to admit that that was not really what she wanted to do. It would certainly never make her happy. She decided, as sleep started to gain a strong hold on her, that she would just leave things as they were.

  “Emily?”

  “Mmmm?”

  “The answer’s yes.”

  It took her a moment to figure out what he meant, then she smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat. If she had had any doubts about staying with him despite his trickery, he had just dispelled them.

  Chapter Six

  “Just where do you think you’re going?”

  Emily stopped abruptly to look at Cloud, then glanced at the clean clothes she carried and back at him. “I would’ve thought that was obvious. I intend to use that creek just down there to wash off three days’ worth of dust and Carolynn’s less than delicate aroma.”

  “Let her go, Cloud. Can’t hurt. Hell, even Thornton looks willing to have a bath.” James winked at the boy.

  “I itch.” Thornton scowled even as he scratched his thin chest. “Mama says water and soap’ll take way the itches.”

  “Well, I can’t argue with that.” Cloud was still reluctant to let them leave but had no real reason to stop them. He shrugged. “Go on, then. Just don’t be too long and keep an eye out for any trouble.”

  “Yes, sir.” Emily strongly suppressed the urge to salute as she turned and hurried away before he changed his mind.

  “Come on, Cloud,” James urged, laughing as he worked on the fire. “We haven’t seen any sign of anything or anyone in days.”

  “I know. But I can’t help but wonder if that’s what troubles me.” He sat before the fire. “Never liked it when it was so quiet.”

  “Well, Emily might not know too much about tramping across the wilderness, but she’s not stupid. She’ll keep an eye open and she won’t stay away from us for too long. Brew the coffee,” he ordered with a smile.

  Although she ached to linger in the clean water, Emily regretfully rinsed herself off one last time and stepped out of the creek. Thornton handed her the towel, and she wrung out her hair and began to dry off. It was not until she had put on her clean underthings that she realized the child, once he had given her the towel, had wandered off. She sighed in slight exasperation when she saw that he had not gotten dressed yet.

  Her exasperation quickly flared into fear when she could not immediately catch sight of him or get any reply to her sort calls. What she had first seen as naughtiness now took on the look of danger. She was just about to go for Cloud and James when she found the boy. Stepping through some thick brush, she saw Thornton’s naked little body squirming in the firm hold of an Indian who was drawing very close to his pony. Once the Indian mounted, Emily knew in her heart that Thornton would be lost to her.

  Frantically looking for something she could use as a weapon, she spied a thick piece of wood. Without a thought to her own personal safety or her lack of fighting skill, Emily raised her club and ran toward the Indian. She did not really aim or consider the best place to strike, but simply swung as soon as the Indian was in reach.

  “Run, Thornton,” she cried when the Indian cried out and dropped the boy. “Get Cloud and James. Go!”

  As soon as the boy had run off, she turned her full attention to the Indian, who quickly recovered from his surprise. She decided that she did not like the way he looked at her, as if he were deciding that she would be a bigger prize than a little boy. Neither did she like not knowing what to do next. She thought it a little cruel for her mind to clear enough to remind her of her complete lack of fighting skills at such a moment.

  The Indian brave looked very young but, to her dismay, he also looked fierce, strong and agile. Even if she had any real skill, she doubted it would do much good against him. Her only hope was that he faced her unarmed. It seemed that, whatever his plans were, he did not intend to murder her.

  The Indian charged her. She swung her club and struck him, but he barely faltered. With a soft cry, Emily was thrown to the ground. Her crude weapon was quickly lost as she was caught up in a frantic wrestling match. Despite her fierce struggle, she knew it would be a short battle and prayed that the men would come.

  James saw Thornton first. “Good thing the sun’s near set or that boy’d be burnt bad.”

  The smile that had begun to spread over Cloud’s face when he first spotted the naked little boy faded quickly when Thornton cried, “Mama! Gotta go help Mama.”

  Catching hold of the boy, who nearly ran into him, Cloud demanded curtly, “What’s happened to your mother?”

  “An Injun grabbed me, then Mama hit him, and he’s gonna grab her. Come on! You got to help!”

  Cloud did not really need the boy’s tugging on his arm to make him move. He stood up, caught Thornton up under his arm and started towards the creek at a steady lope, James at his heels. Thornton breathlessly directed them and answered Cloud’s curt questions.

  Once near the creek, Cloud set Thornton down and ordered the boy to stay put. He and James silently approached the spot where Thornton had last seen the brave, carefully watching in case there was more than the one Indian Thornton had seen. Despite their stealth and all Cloud’s efforts to restrain his first bloodthirsty impulse when he saw the Indian handling Emily so roughly, the Indian saw them before he and James could act. With a snarl of fury, the brave put Emily in front of him, one strong arm wrapped tightly around her throat and a knife pressed to her side.

  Emily froze when she felt the pinch of the knife at her side. It held her attention more than the fact that the Indian’s tight grip on her throat threatened to cut off her air. Her heart beat so fast it hurt. She looked at Cloud, torn between wanting him to help and wanting him to stay out of the matter for fear he would put himself into grave danger.

  “Easy, Cloud,” James whispered. “Hell, it’s just a kid.”

  It took Cloud a moment to calm himself, fear mixed with anger twisting his insides. He was surprised at the emotions raging through him when he saw the danger Emily was in. In times of danger he had always been known for his coolness, but it was proving very difficult to stay cool this time.

  As he brought himself under control, he studied the Indian who held Emily. James was right. He was a boy, although Cloud knew the Indian was probably considered a man by his people. It was very clear that the Indian youth was man enough to appreciate Emily. A little hard talking, perhaps some bargaining, Cloud decided, was the safest route to take.

  When Cloud began to talk to the Indian in a language Emily did not recognize in the least she was startled. The Indian gave a slight start as well, revealing that he shared her surprise and causing the knife to prick her skin. She hid her wince, afraid that any sign of distress or pain from her could only cause trouble. With every ounce of strength and willpower she had, Emily fought to at least look calm.

  “He wants Em, doesn’t he,” James murmured when there was a pause in the negotiations.

  “That’s damn obvious,” growled Cloud. “He ain’t easy to talk to. Pigheaded youth.”

  “He holds the trump card.”

  “Not completely. He can’t move, can’t take his prize off and, if he hurts her, he’s dead.” A little crossly, Cloud told the Indian that in the youth’s own tongue and felt a spark of hope when the youth frowned.

  “You do not want the woman dead.”

  The mere thought of such a consequence sent a tremor of alarm through Cloud b
ut none of that revealed itself in his voice when he spoke. “No, but I would rather her dead then taken by another. She is my woman.” That tactic seem likely to work and he decided to stay with it.

  It was several more moments of what was clearly a tense negotiation before Emily felt the Indian’s hold on her start to ease. Whatever Cloud was telling the Indian it seemed to be working. She remained still, fighting the panicked urge to break free, for she knew the Indian would react quickly enough to get a firm hold on her again, perhaps even use the knife on her. When he suddenly let go of her, she was too startled to move; then she realized that he still had a firm grip on her hair. “Cloud?”

  “Easy, Em.” He fixed a stern gaze upon the Indian. “I had to promise him some of your hair.”

  “My hair?”

  “He thinks it’ll be a powerful medicine.”

  Even as Cloud explained she felt one sharp tug on her hair. Clutching the place on her head where the pull had stung, she whirled around and caught one brief glimpse of the disappearing Indian, a hank of her pale hair clutched in his hand, before she was caught tightly in Cloud’s arms. With one helpless look at him, she fainted.

  “Em!” Cloud caught her up in his arms as she collapsed. “Emily?”

  James hurriedly looked her over, then sighed. “Just a faint. Poor kid was scared clean to death, I’ll bet. She just gave out.” He hastened after Cloud as he strode back to camp.

  “Mama! He killed my mama.”

  “She ain’t dead, Thornton,” Cloud said quietly as James picked up the frantic little boy. “She’s just fainted.”

  Tainted?” Thornton’s gaze stayed fixed upon Emily even as he clung to James.

  “Yes, it’s like a little nap. She’ll wake up soon.” He paused for a moment until James finished collecting their clothes, then started toward their camp again. “She just got too scared, Thornton. Woman’s apt to do this when she gets real scared.”