Captive Bride Read Free Page B

been thorough in his preparations.
    The faint sound of dripping water caught her attention. It sounded like it came from the back near the animals. Above, great teardrops of rocks hung from the ceiling looking like they were going to fall at any minute.
    Abby gathered her courage, took a deep breath and went to meet him. He hunkered down by the fire and poured water from a canteen into a coffeepot, then set it over the flames. Soon, the invigorating aroma of coffee filled the air. She sat opposite him, tucking the blanket around her legs, and held her hands out to the beckoning warmth. In a few minutes, he handed her a cup of the steaming liquid. She wanted to throw it at him but that would be a stupid thing to do. As she sipped the hot coffee, the feeling slowly returned to her hands and feet. With it, her bravado returned. “When are you going to tell me who you are and why you’re doing this? I don’t know you. I’ve never done anything to you.”
    He lifted his head and met her gaze. “Like I said, you’ll find out soon enough.”
    She jumped to her feet, spilling the coffee and losing her grasp on the blanket. It fell to her waist. With a gasp, she jerked it back up. “That’s right. I’ll find out real soon because my father will be here anytime.”
    “No, he won’t. The rain has washed out all our tracks. Even Silver Feather will have trouble following tracks that don’t exist.”
    She hadn’t thought of that. He knew more about her than she realized. Evidently, he’d done his homework. “Well, I’ve heard tell he can follow any tracks anywhere, even in the dark. Besides, my father will have fifty men or more combing these hills. Sooner or later, they’ll find us. You can bet on that. I’d hate to be you when they do.”
    “Maybe they’ll find us, maybe not,” he said with a shrug. “There’s hundreds of caves and tunnels up here. It’s like a rabbit warren. By then, it’ll be too late.”
    A gasp tore from her lips. Her heart beat so loudly she was sure he could hear it. “What? What do you mean?”
    “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re the means to an end, that’s all.”
    “What...end?”
    He shoved himself to his feet.
    “Are you going to answer me?”
    “Nope.” He locked gazes with her. “You keep saying when your father comes. You never say when my fiancé finds me. Kind of strange, ain’t it?”
    His words startled her. Indeed, she’d barely thought of Philip during these terrifying hours. Why not? She stuck that thought in a corner of her mind. She’d examine it later. “Of course I know Philip will come looking for me. He is my intended. Nothing short of death would keep him away.”
    He quirked a dark eyebrow at her. “If you say so.”
    “Well, I do say so. He loves me. How dare you suggest otherwise?”
    He shrugged. “I just asked a question, that’s all. I’m hungry. I think I’ll fix some grub. What about you? You hungry?”
    She wrinkled her brow. She was starving—she hadn’t had any breakfast or lunch, but the idea of accepting his food stuck in her craw. Just then, as if in answer to his question, her stomach growled.
    He grinned at her, smirked was a better word, then walked toward the cache of supplies. “I guess that’s a yes.”
    “That’s a no. I don’t want anything from you—except my freedom,” she yelled at his retreating back.
    She sank down on her seat and considered what he’d said. Why hadn’t she thought about Philip? The man she loved? Didn’t she? For the first time since she said yes to his marriage proposal, doubts assailed her. Was Philip her choice? Or her father’s? Her stomach tightened into knots.
    As her captor swaggered across the floor, her gaze followed him. With a predatory grace, he picked his way soundlessly across the rocky ground, probably unaware that he did so. He took his hat off, then tossed it aside. Dark hair fell to his shoulders. He tugged his shirt over his head, and his