The Gunfighter and the Heiress - By Carol Finch Page 0,95
recall who taught her because it triggered memories that still hurt too much to resurrect. Perhaps after a few months she would allow herself to remember a lopsided smile, silver-blue eyes and shiny raven hair. But not now. Not yet.
Natalie cupped her hand over her eyes, then stared up at the rocky crest thirty feet above her. She intended to make the climb, just because the peak was there and she needed to focus on one challenge after another to fill the empty loneliness that had become her constant companion.
Tethering her horse, Natalie began her ascent, using footholds in the rocks. She paused once or twice to catch her breath. Eventually she reached the summit that provided a spectacular view of a canyon filled with jagged rocks, tall timber and an eagle soaring in the cloudless sky. The bird screeched and the haunting sound rippled through her aching soul until tears filled her eyes.
Natalie inhaled a deep cleansing breath of mountain air. She told herself that she had learned pride of accomplishment and self-confidence the past month. She had seen amazing sights and she had only begun her adventures. Yet, something vital was missing. Even her prize horse, the majestic views, her custom-made wardrobe and unlimited freedom didn’t satisfy the gnawing ache inside her. Perhaps in a month…or three…she would allow herself to admit what was missing from her life.
She sank down on the cliff and dangled her booted feet over the edge. She leaned back, bracing herself on her hands and closed her eyes. Yessirree, she was living her dream—
“Nice view, sunshine.”
Crow’s amused baritone voice came from out of nowhere.
“Awk!” Natalie was so startled that she jerked upright quickly—and she nearly catapulted herself off the cliff.
Crow clamped his hand on the nape of her shirt and yanked her backward before she nosedived into a broken heap.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” he murmured against her ear.
Those gone-but-not-forgotten sensations assailed her when he sank down behind her and pulled her against the hard wall of his chest. He settled her between his legs and rested his chin on the crown of her head so he, too, could dangle his legs over the ledge and admire the breathtaking view.
“Where did you come from?” she questioned, her voice nowhere near as steady as she would have preferred.
“Back side of the peak,” he informed her. “Taking the Cheyenne footpath is easier than climbing up the stone face of the crest.”
“How did you find me?”
His quiet chuckle reverberated through his chest and echoed through her suddenly sensitive body. Odd, she’d felt dead for two weeks—adventures or not—and suddenly she felt happy and wildly alive.
“You might be surprised, but people pay me an exceptional amount of money to track missing persons all over creation…if the price—”
“—is right,” she finished for him. “Yes, I know, Crow. I was one of your customers.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, noting he’d cut his hair short and his ruggedly handsome face was clean-shaven. “So why are you here? Are you off to another high-priced assignment?”
“More or less.”
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Since when did you become so vague? I could always count on you to be blunt and to the point…. Oh wait, I remember now. Since I didn’t stick around for your lecture on following your orders of staying put, you’re here to rake me over the coals. Right?”
“You’re right, sunshine. You didn’t stick around…to say goodbye. Rather rude behavior for the high priestess of the shipping world.”
“So you are here to jump down my throat for disobeying you,” she concluded, hugely disappointed.
“Actually, Bart wanted me to send along his kind regards and Chulosa and Teskee wanted me to thank you for your generosity. Suggs and his cohorts are serving jail time, thanks to you.”
Natalie tilted sideways to stare into those hypnotic silver-blue eyes fanned by long thick black lashes. “You came all the way to Nowhere, Colorado, to relay the messages?”
“No, I brought you a gift that you didn’t wait around for me to give you.” He reached into his pocket to display a compass. “Didn’t want you to wander so far off course that you couldn’t find your way back.”
She accepted the gift and blinked back the infuriating tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Natalie was trying to remain nonchalant so her feelings wouldn’t show. She was not going to throw herself at Crow and beg him to take her with him on his next assignment, even if she had to