in itself because he hadn’t realized he was feeling old in some ways. But she’d made him feel eighteen and full of all the hunger as if it were brand-new again.
He wished Buddy and his friends to the devil, then realized it didn’t matter what they did today. If they were up to something, he couldn’t stop it singlehandedly. If they weren’t, then he’d find out soon enough.
The day he’d intended to spend relaxing with Sky, the private adventure he’d been hoping for for the two of them, had damn near evaporated between two visits and a bear. Was he going to let go of what remained of this day?
No.
Rising, he walked around the table and held out his hand to her.
* * *
“Still thinking?” Cap asked sarcastically.
Buddy figured Cap was in a rotten mood because of the weather. His guys had fanned out, seen damn near nothing and one of them had just limped back in with a nice bear wound down the back of his butt and leg.
“That guy needs a doctor,” Buddy remarked, ignoring the question. “Bear claws are filthy. Infection’ll kill him.”
“To hell with him.”
“What was he doing screwing around with a bear cub anyway?” Buddy asked, using his own best sarcastic voice. “You guys grow up in a city?”
“Shut up, Buddy.”
“I’m serious, Cap. You don’t mess with cubs. The mother is never far away. Trying to get himself a bear claw? Deliver me from idiots.”
“He’s paying for it.”
No question of that, Buddy thought. “He’s lucky he ain’t dead already. How’d he escape?”
Cap visibly gritted his teeth. “That damn ranger came riding into the woods. The bear headed back for the cub.”
“Guess he owes Craig his life,” Buddy said with more than a little satisfaction.
“Watch it, Buddy. You don’t want to make me mad.”
“Whose property is this?”
Cap glared at him.
In spite of his apparent bravado, Buddy wasn’t feeling all that brave. Four armed men had grown to eight. How many more were coming? He once again wondered if he’d made the biggest mistake of his life by inviting Cap here. Sure, the guy had big plans, and Buddy wasn’t opposed to them. The cataclysm was coming, and giving it a nudge wouldn’t make much difference.
But having Cap run the entire show afterward didn’t appeal to him.
“So what’s the plan, Buddy?” Cap asked again, mockingly. “Your big plan for getting them off our back until we’re ready. I’m still waiting.”
“The woman,” Buddy said. “The artist. She’s out there alone a lot. We disappear her.”
Cap raised a brow. “Thought you didn’t have the stomach for killing.”
“I’m not talking about killing her. We just arrange a little accident to keep her out of the way. She disappears, the whole damn service and the local cops will be looking for her.”
“So?”
“So we help with the search. But we know where she is. So we save her and we’re the good guys. They’d leave us alone after that.”
Cap looked thoughtful. “Easier to kill her.”
“That’ll just cause more trouble and we won’t look like the good guys.”
“So we help with a search and rescue, save the bitch, everybody thinks we’re wonderful and leaves us alone?”
“That’s it.”
Cap frowned into his beer. Time slipped away, but Buddy could see the wheels spinning.
“It has possibilities,” Cap said. “Real possibilities. Let me think about it.”
Satisfied, Buddy sat back and reached for another beer. Cap wasn’t the only one who could make a good plan.
One last qualm rippled through him. “Just make sure you don’t kill her. On top of that hiker last month, they might get suspicious.”
“Accidents happen out here all the time, and we didn’t do that hiker.”
“Right.” But Buddy didn’t quite believe it. He took a long swig of beer, trying to deaden his doubts. Another bottle or two and everything would be fine.
Chapter 12
Sky looked at Craig’s hand, her heart starting to pound, then up at him.
“Come lie with me,” he said so quietly she could barely hear him above the drumming rain.
She caught her breath. Never had anyone asked her in that particular way, and for some reason the way he phrased it was as exciting as any touch might have been. Her entire body leaped in response and she took his hand.
An almost wistful smile appeared on his mouth as she rose. He drew her into his arms, gave her an amazingly gentle kiss, then released her.
Disappointment was barely born before she understood. He pulled the bedrolls from the corner and spread them on the floor, one atop another for cushioning.