have time, but a minute probably wouldn’t matter. Their chances of making it away were so slight, the odds wouldn’t change much just because she switched shoes. He trudged out to the coach and grabbed her bag along with the extra Winchester the driver must have forgotten. He thought of taking a horse, but the animals were exhausted and someone from the station might notice a horse being unhitched and led away.
When he got back, she had pulled her wild hair down out of a ridiculous nest of curls and was braiding it in one long, midnight braid. The woman was practical.
“Ready, Anna?”
As she shoved her feet into lace-up leather boots, she said, “My name is Annalane.”
“All right.” He watched her, thinking he liked looking at her more than listening to her. The quick Northern accent grated on him. “If you can’t keep up . . .”
“I’ll keep up,” she said. She didn’t seem one inch shorter. The woman reminded him of a willow. He smiled, remembering how he didn’t have to lean down to kiss her; he only had to turn his head to cover her mouth with his.
McCord tossed her worthless hat in the hay. “I won’t leave you, Anna, don’t worry. But tell me if you need to slow down.”
“I’ll keep up,” she repeated without commenting on how he’d just thrown away the only hat she’d ever thought looked good on her. She packed up her carpetbag and moved it behind her as if she thought he might toss it as well.
He smiled. The woman wasn’t far from wrong. He might have tried if he’d had the chance.
They walked out the back of the little barn and headed into a stand of trees that wound along a stream now busting its banks. Anyone watching the station would have had to be within three feet of them to notice them passing.
He’d expected her to slow him down, but she matched his steps. They moved for two hours, with her never more than a few steps behind him. When he climbed, he’d turn and offer his hand. She’d accept the help only as long as needed, then let go. She never complained.
The rain now became their ally, blanketing the sounds, erasing footprints.
He left the stream reluctantly and moved into the rocky hills. If he remembered correctly, they could cross over on foot and save a few miles. The boulders also offered some protection. The outlaws would have to leave their horses if they decided to follow on the uneven ground.
She bumped into him from behind. “Sorry,” she said, sounding out of breath.
McCord turned. “How about we stop for a few minutes.” It had been almost twenty-four hours since either of them had slept.
“I’m fine.” She lifted her chin.
He grinned. “I know, but I’m a little tired. Ten minutes’ rest and then we’ll climb some more.”
They moved between two huge stones and found enough shelter to avoid the rain. It was so dark he could barely make out her outline, huddled on a rock a few feet off the ground, but he could hear her teeth rattling. Pulling his flask from his pocket, he offered her a drink and was surprised when she took it.
When she handed the flask back, he told her to turn around and lift her feet out of the tiny trickle of water that streamed between the boulders. When she followed orders without speaking, he straddled the rock she sat on and pulled her back against his chest. “I’ll rest on the rock, you rest on me. We won’t be very comfortable, but we won’t be as cold.”
She hesitated, then leaned back against him. He propped the rifle at his side and circled her with his arms. She felt as stiff as stone.
“Relax, Anna, I’m not going to attack you.”
“I know,” she said without relaxing.
“How do you know?” He smiled at her in the dark. “I’ve already done it once tonight.”
“You had to do that to plan our escape. I shouldn’t have taken offense.” She leaned into him just a little. “I’m surprised it worked. I’m not the kind of woman men lose their heads over. You’d think one of those three would have noticed.”
It took his tired brain awhile to figure out what she was saying. She didn’t think of herself as attractive.
He wanted to argue, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t believe him. Slowly she warmed in his arms, and he felt the moment she relaxed into sleep. Her body seemed to melt