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Chapter Three

An hour into the overland journey Eva was still feeling exceptionally pleased with her ingenious scheme to attach herself to the stubborn bounty hunter. Of course, she wasn’t so smug to think that just because she had stunned and outmaneuvered Raven that he would take the assignment to avenge Lydia’s humiliation. She figured she had some fast talking to do before that happened.

However, he hadn’t shouted her from the depot, denouncing her claim. It was a start. Either she had caught him completely off guard while he was hung over or he hadn’t wanted to make a scene in public. Maybe it was a little of both. Whatever the case, he had kept his trap shut and they were sharing the same stagecoach that was headed south.

Eva glanced discreetly at Raven. She knew he wasn’t sleeping at the moment. He was like a lounging panther, intently aware of his surroundings, ready to pounce at the first sign of danger. Beneath those long thick black lashes, she could see a slash of golden green.

Although she knew he wasn’t going to let her completely off the hook for duping him, she enjoyed her reprieve and played her new role to the hilt. She even spun the simple gold band on her finger—the one that had belonged to her departed mother—calling the other passengers’ attention to the ring that implied marriage.

She smiled cordially at the woman across from her, who looked to be a few years older. The thin brunette with the sad smile also wore a wedding band.

“Are you meeting your husband, ma’am?” Eva asked.

The brunette nodded. “He’s an officer at the army post near Canyon Springs. I’m returning from a visit with my family in St. Louis.”

Within five minutes, Eva knew her fellow travelers by name. Clara Morton had left her seven-year-old son with his maternal grandparents for a month. Delbert Barnes, the effeminate little bookkeeper, wore thick, wire-rimmed spectacles. He had a bald spot on the crown of his head and a cleft in his chin. He was on his way to Pueblo to begin his new job as an accountant with a coal smeltering company.

The other two men looked like gamblers, judging by their frock coats, brocade vests, snappy black hats and expensive pocket watches that dangled from gold fobs. Eva reminded herself that gamblers were a nickel a dozen in the area. They frequented saloons that catered to miners. One look at the rings on Frank Albers’s and Irving Jarmon’s fingers suggested their hapless opponents at gaming tables had lost their bets and paid their debts by surrendering their jewelry.

Irving Jarmon had a long, horselike face and large horselike front teeth. His tuft of hair reminded Eva of a horse’s mane. Frank Albers was average height and slim build. His blond head seemed too large for his thin-bladed shoulders.

Frank Albers and Irving Jarmon—if those were their real names—claimed they were headed to Mineral Wells, before venturing to the mining towns in Devil’s Triangle. According to reports, visitations to the numerous bawdy houses, gaming halls and saloons were the order of the day in Mineral Wells.

She wondered if that’s where she’d find Gordon Carter—con man, shyster and God knew what else. She suspected he planned to lay low in the isolated mining camps before reappearing in society to fleece another young, unsuspecting heiress.

“Stage stop ahead. We’ll exchange horses,” George Knott called down from his perch.

Eva stirred on the bench seat, eager for a reprieve from the jostling ride that left her posterior numb and cut off the circulation in her arms, which were jammed between Raven’s broad shoulders and Frank’s narrow ones.

The instant the coach rolled to a stop, a plume of dust rose around it. Like a great cat surging to its feet, Raven exited then pivoted to clamp his hands around Eva’s waist. The instant he touched her, strange fissions of heat rippled through her body. Stunned, she glanced into his hypnotic eyes as he slowly, deliberately lowered her to the ground.

Eva cleared her throat. “Thank you, dear.”

“Anything for you, my sweet,” he purred. “We’ll partake of a cool refreshing drink and enjoy a private moment alone.”

Eva wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with him just yet. He might strangle her and toss her behind a tree as a snack for wolves, mountain lions and such. Nevertheless, he clamped hold of her hand and strode off swiftly, forcing her to scurry to keep up with his long-legged strides.

The reckoning, she predicted as he led her out of earshot. She expected him to chew her up one side and down the other—and he was entitled because she felt a little guilty about the deception. But she wasn’t one to give up easily. Especially when it came to an important cause like avenging Lydia’s shame and recovering Hodge and the money Gordon had extorted.

Her thoughts trailed off when she noticed the unhitched buggy sitting behind the stage station. Eva thrust out her free hand excitedly. “That’s it!” She set her feet, only to be uprooted by Raven’s superior strength. “That’s my sister’s carriage. Gordon has been here.”

“Good for Gordon and good for you for finding the first piece of the puzzle,” Raven muttered caustically. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I have a few choice comments to make to you. And be warned, none of them are very nice.”

When he halted by the creek, she was surprised that he allowed her time to cup her hands and sip the refreshing drink of cool water from the stream before he launched into his scathing lecture. Apparently, he wanted to wet his whistle, too, before he laid into her.

Rising, he fisted his hands on his hips and widened his stance. His thick brows swooped into a sharp V and he glowered ominously at her. “You think you pulled a fast one on me because I didn’t call your bluff, don’t you, Eva? If that truly is your name.”

“It is,” she confirmed. “What does J.D. stand for?”

“Jordan Daniel.”

“Your white father’s name,” she presumed.

“Yes, not that it’s your concern,” he snapped curtly.

“Jo-Dan,” she mused aloud. “That’s the pet name I’ll use for you.”

His bearded face puckered in a scowl. “No, you won’t. I hate it. Furthermore, I’m not taking this case, even if you did spring for my hotel room. I pay my own way. Always have. I’ll not be kept by a female.”

“It was the least I could do since I interrupted your evening.” She smirked. “After all, I did interrupt your designs on your whiskey bottle. Any of it left, by the way?”

“Yes.” He waved her into silence. “Now listen, lady, this marriage you concocted is a bad idea. In order to remedy that problem, we are about to stage a big argument and you aren’t going to speak to me again.

“I’m going my way to my mountain cabin to train a new horse and you’re going to Canyon Springs…or wherever,” he instructed. “Our disagreement should gain you sympathy from the driver, guard and passengers. Especially if you work up a few crocodile tears. After I abandon you, you can annul this pretended marriage by waving your magic wand of a parasol.”

She lifted her chin rebelliously and said, “No, I like being married to you. It’s convenient.”

He barked a laugh. “Not as convenient as you might think if I continue to ride the stage line until we have to bed down for the night. We’d have to sleep together to keep up appearances, sweetheart.”

Damn, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. When she winced, he noticed. Those green-gold cat eyes missed nothing.

“What? This isn’t the grand love affair you’ve made it out to be for the benefit of the passengers?” he taunted.

Eva drew herself up to full stature. He wasn’t going to intimidate her with that snarly scowl and threats of intimacy. She was sorry to say that she couldn’t resist a challenge. It was one of her many faults.

“I can endure sleeping together if you can, sweetheart,” she countered defiantly.

He gave a sarcastic snort. “I’d hang around until tonight to find out just how far you’d take this charade, but I’ve had enough companionship for one day. I’m heading west after we stop for lunch.”

“Fine, but do me one favor,” she negotiated. “Check the barn to see if a chestnut gelding is stabled there. Maybe Gordon traded the thoroughbred for a mountain pony to make the next leg of his journey. Meanwhile I’ll question the stationmaster about the buggy…. Turn around please.”

He frowned, bemused. “What for?”

“So I can retrieve the money I stuffed down my dress. I want to buy back the carriage,” she explained. “The horse, too, if Hodge is here.”

He grinned scampishly and shook his head. “Being married and all, there’s no reason for me not to watch.”

She rolled her eyes in annoyance then reached into the bodice of her gown to fish out the money she’d brought with her. Despite the blush that splashed across her cheeks, while she watched him stare deliberately at her bosom, she didn’t turn away, either.

He was still staring at her gaping gown when he said, “Checking on the horse is all the effort I’m putting into this case. I’m still taking time off to train a new horse. Maybe you can hitch a ride with your two new friends, Irving and Frank, to check the mining towns for your sister’s missing boyfriend. If you really have a sister and you aren’t making up this tale the same way you made up the story about our marriage.”

It was plain to see that Raven didn’t trust easily. Besides, she hadn’t offered conclusive evidence. But still…

He wagged a lean finger in her face. “No matter what, sugar, I’ll be gone this afternoon. No more of your clever charades. I’m fresh out of patience and this headache and hangover are hard on my good disposition.”

“Didn’t know you had one,” she couldn’t help but sass. When he pulled a face and muttered something under his breath that she didn’t ask him to repeat, she frowned curiously. “For the life of me I don’t know why this bothers me, but why don’t you like me? Is it because you don’t find me particularly attractive? Because I talk too much to suit your tastes? Because I’m headstrong and pushy?”

“All of that, plus you’re a royal pain in the ass,” he told her bluntly.

“Maybe I am, but I can’t let a thing like that get in my way while I’m serving a noble purpose and I need your help.”

“I’m not helping and the very last thing I need is a wife, pretend or otherwise. Especially one like you.”

Even though his comment stung her pride a bit, she angled her head to peer up at him. “How do you know you don’t need a wife? Have you had one before?”

“No, but I travel light. A wife is extra baggage that might get in the way or become another hazard in my profession. As it is, your charade will cause complications. When I return to Denver, everyone will have heard the news. It’s your job to quell the rumors when you get home.”

“I intend to pretend to be married for a good long while so get used to the idea,” she said stubbornly.

Considering her place in high society, having a pretend husband, especially one with J. D. Raven’s legendary reputation, would discourage insincere proposals from fortune hunters. She should have hired a husband impersonator earlier, she mused. It would have solved dozens of problems.

“Lady, you are loco,” Raven said with a marveling shake of his shaggy black head.

She tossed him a teasing smile as she handed back the comment he’d made to her. “Part of my charm.” She lurched toward the station to inquire after the stolen buggy. “And don’t forget about looking for the horse.”

“Nag, nag.”

“No, Hodge is a gelding,” she insisted, grinning.

He frowned darkly. “I wasn’t talking about the horse.”

Raven stared after the bundle of irrepressible spirit wrapped in calico. He didn’t recall having this much trouble winning arguments until he clashed with a woman who possessed an incredible amount of fortitude and determination.

Muttering under his breath, Raven raked his hands through his untrimmed hair then hunkered down to drink his fill from the clear stream. Despite his irritation with the madwoman, he was unwillingly impressed by her uncanny ability to draw information from the passengers without seeming nosey.

She had even mentioned Gordon Carter offhandedly then inquired if anyone knew him. She had discovered quickly that the passengers didn’t reside in Denver. They were passing through and no one had heard of the con man.

Glancing this way and that, Raven decided to take advantage of the privacy and sink into the cool water. If nothing else, the quick bath eased his hangover and helped to curtail the inappropriate thoughts that hounded him after being nestled beside Eva in the coach.

Watching her dip her hand into her bodice to retrieve her money intensified his unwanted awareness of her. Hell, even their lively debates stimulated his interest. She intrigued and aroused him all too easily. He didn’t want to like her or give her a second thought.

This was going to be a very brief acquaintance, he promised himself. Wife indeed! That had bad idea written all over it. If his longtime associate, Hoodoo Lemoyne, and his only surviving cousin, Blackowl, got wind of this, they would laugh themselves into comas.

The thought of Hoodoo Lemoyne, the crippled man who lived at Raven’s mountain cabin, while he tracked notorious criminals, made him grin. Raven hadn’t been able to get rid of that chattering Cajun any easier than he’d gotten rid of Eva.

Raven just sort of inherited the gabby older man who had been his father’s acquaintance. In addition, Raven thought, now he had a pretend wife and she had more grit and gumption than most men he knew.

Raven blew out his breath, shook off the cold water and dressed hurriedly. He hiked to the barn to watch the stage attendants trot out fresh horses. He glanced around the stalls but there wasn’t a chestnut gelding in sight.

“Did you happen to see the man who left the carriage behind the station?” he inquired.

“No,” the first worker replied. “I showed up for work this morning at seven and the buggy was already here.”

“Same for me,” the second man chimed in. “You might ask the station owner. He’s around all the time.”

The first worker surveyed Raven’s attire. “You’re Raven the bounty hunter, aren’t you?”

He nodded.

“Heard of you,” the man murmured. “Congratulations on your marriage. Your wife is one of the prettiest females I’ve ever laid eyes on. You must be proud.”

Raven was no such thing. He was baffled by the newfound respect he’d acquired because of his association with Eva. The uncharacteristic chattiness from men who usually ignored him was difficult to grow accustomed to. Raven glanced toward the doorway of the station house where Eva was deep in conversation with the potbellied owner, who was only a few inches taller than she was.

“She’s the prettiest female I ever laid eyes on, too,” he admitted.

“How’d you meet her, if you don’t mind my asking?” the second attendant said interestedly.

Raven smiled in wry amusement. “A young kid, a mutual friend, introduced us.”

He pivoted around to amble toward Eva. He was ten feet away from her when the report of a rifle echoed around the rugged canyon walls overlooking the stage station. Raven reacted instantly. He lunged forward to hook his arm around Eva, forcing her to roll across the ground with him. The stage station owner yelped and leaped backward when the bullet whistled over their heads and thudded into the water barrel outside the door. Water dribbled into the dirt, leaving a puddle that could easily have been Eva’s blood.

While Raven lay atop Eva, her lush body melded familiarly to his, she gaped at him in astonishment. He was surprised to note that curiosity, not fear, flickered in her chocolate-brown eyes.

“Here’s another reason why being married to me is unwise. It puts you in harm’s way,” he murmured against her ear. “Criminals dislike me and so do their vindictive kinfolk. I might as well have a bull’s-eye painted on my back.”

“How do you know that someone is shooting at you and not at me?” she retorted. “It could be Gordon. The stationmaster informed me that late last night he bought the buggy from a man who matches Gordon’s description. He bought a saddle and rode off on Lydia’s horse. Gordon would recognize me easily and I predict he would be anxious to have me off his trail.”

Raven rolled sideways then pulled Eva up beside him. He kept her protectively behind him while he scanned the towering peaks that were rife with hiding places behind rocks and trees. Wherever the sniper was lurking, Raven couldn’t locate him. What’s more, it disturbed him to no end that he’d been so distracted and preoccupied with Eva that he wasn’t as attuned to his surroundings as he usually was.

She was a liability he could ill afford. The sooner they parted company the better for both of them, he told himself.

“You okay, ma’am?” the driver questioned—and Raven was quick to note the smell of whiskey on George’s breath.

Eva adjusted her cockeyed hat and smiled reassuringly at George. “I’m fine,” she insisted as she dusted herself off.

“This is one of the drawbacks of marrying a man who has a target on his back,” the driver slurred. “Somebody’s always gunning for him, I reckon.”

“Then I’ll have to take extra good care of J.D., won’t I?” she murmured as she stared adoringly at him.

Raven studied her blankly. He couldn’t recall anyone offering to take care of him. A moment later, he remembered that her comment was part of her act and he shrugged off the pleased sensation that had no business taking root.

“Are we going to be ambushed again?” Delbert Barnes asked warily as he readjusted his drooping spectacles. “I haven’t begun my new job and I could be dead before I start.”

“Relax, Delbert,” Raven said he as brushed off his buckskin breeches and black shirt. “Stay inside each station along the way or in the coach and you’ll be just fine.”

Flustered, the little man fidgeted from one foot to the other, glanced apprehensively toward the stony peaks of the mountains then dashed headlong toward the coach.

Raven had expected a reaction like that from Eva. She, however, was amazingly unruffled by her near brush with disaster. Another blossom of admiration unfurled inside him as he watched his pretend wife walk purposely toward the stagecoach. She halted halfway then turned to wait for him to catch up.

“Surely you aren’t going to pick a fight with me so soon after I was nearly gunned down, are you?” she murmured as he strode up beside her.

“No, but I’m leaving eventually so don’t think I’ve changed my mind,” he said gruffly.

An impish grin spread across her bewitching face. “Of course not. I’m your proverbial pain in the ass.”

“Exactly right and don’t you forget it.”

And he better not, either.

His tone wasn’t as sharp as it should have been, not if he hoped to convince her that he considered her a nuisance. To his dismay, she noticed the lack of intensity in his voice and looked excessively pleased with herself.

“Help me into the coach, will you, darling? Being knocked off my feet during the ambush affected me more than I first thought. I feel a bit shaky.”

Shaky? This ironclad daisy? Ha! Nothing shook her up that he could tell. Not his terse rejection, his intimidating threats or flying bullets. Raven gave his head a marveling shake as he assisted his wife into the coach.

Wife? The word rang through his mind like a clanging gong. She was not his wife and she never would be, he reminded himself realistically. Let her have her fun while it lasted. By nightfall, he’d be long gone and she could track Gordon by whatever means available—as long as it didn’t include him.

Raven continued to chant that mantra, even when she held his hand and smiled up at him so sweetly during the next leg of the journey. Eva? Sweet? He chastised himself for getting soft when she poured on the feminine charm. He didn’t want to warm up to her. But when he stared at her enchanting face and gazed into those twinkling brown eyes he knew she was getting to him. He’d better put a stop to it quickly if he knew what was good for him.

“Damn, I knew she’d come after me.” Gordon Carter spewed a string of foul expletives as he watched Evangeline and her brawny bodyguard pile into the stagecoach.

He’d botched the perfect opportunity to remove that female thorn in his side…permanently. But his aim had been slightly off the mark. Now, instead of disappearing for a few months to live on the money he’d swiped from Lydia, he had to deal with Eva breathing down his neck.

Gordon had expected as much from that willful woman, which is why he went to roost in the rocky terrain near the line of stage stations that flanked the mountains. He hadn’t considered that she would hire that half-breed bounty hunter called Raven to help track him down. Gordon knew he had to strike suddenly and quickly because getting hold of Eva and making it look as if she had an untimely accident had just become more difficult than he originally planned.

Scowling, he tugged on the reins and led his confiscated horse along the mountain trail. Too bad he hadn’t been able to resolve his problem with one well-aimed shot, he mused sourly. Next time, however, he’d take his time and make the bullets count. On that cheering thought, he mounted the chestnut gelding and trotted off.

“In all the excitement of the ambush I forgot to ask if you gathered any information about the man who stole your sister’s carriage,” Raven whispered in Eva’s ear five miles down the road. “And no, the attendants haven’t seen the horse named Hodge that you described to me.”

“That’s because Gordon rode off on Hodge last night, after selling the buggy to the stationmaster and buying a saddle,” she murmured against his bearded jaw. “I bought back the buggy, of course.”

“If you leave it sitting where it is for too long the owner might sell it twice,” he warned.

“That’s why I left a message to be delivered home so my friend can pick it up.” She squirmed to find a more comfortable position in the cramped space. There wasn’t one.

Raven smirked. “What if the agent isn’t honest enough to forward the message? Let me tell you something, sugar. You won’t get far in this world if you’re too trusting. Cheaters, backstabbers and liars are as thick as mosquitoes.”

Eva stared pensively at him. Cynical and wary though she had become—after dealing with a long line of gold diggers who tried to smooth-talk her out of her inheritance—she couldn’t hold a candle to this bounty hunter. No doubt, chasing bloodthirsty renegades distorted his perception of everyone.

Taking into account Raven’s mixed heritage, she suspected he had encountered racism, bigotry, brutality and who knew what else. The scars on his back indicated that he’d endured difficult times and he’d lost his faith in humanity. Raven had become isolated because of his Native background and insulated by his indifference to other people’s opinion of him.

As much as she wanted to probe into Raven’s past to understand what made him the hard-edged, mistrusting man he was, this wasn’t the time or place. In the coach, whispering in his ear was the extent of the privacy between them. And so, she scrunched down the way Raven had and closed her eyes to catch up on the sleep she’d lost while making last-minute arrangements for this trip.