Secluded with the Rogue

Chapter 9

Nine

T he next few days passed with breathtaking swiftness. Bethany basked in Zach’s company, trying to enjoy each moment but unwilling to mention the future or the decisions that had to be made. But behind every new conversation, beneath each night she lay sated in his arms, lurked the knowledge that their time together was short.

Their supplies were dwindling. All the food was gone. They’d eaten the last can of beans for supper last night. Zach had made several hunting trips during the last few days but had no luck. Though he’d brought back an armful of wood with each trip, they’d been forced to spend the better part of the day in darkness, lighting a fire only at mealtimes to conserve what little they had.

Late in the afternoon of their thirteenth day in the cave, Bethany sat in the first chamber, bundled in blankets as she waited for Zach to return from hunting when she heard several deep voices shouting. She couldn’t make out the words, but she knew it wasn’t Zach, and there was more than one man.

Her blood ran cold as she scooted across the cave floor. She crawled down the tunnel and held her head cautiously outside to see what was happening. As she’d feared, no less than three armed men were making their way toward the cave, no doubt following the trail she and Zach had forged during their many trips back to the wreck site.

She cast a quick glance around the rest of the canyon, praying Zach would stay hidden. Her heart broke when she realized she wouldn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye to him. But perhaps fortune was smiling on her after all because if he wasn’t here, he couldn’t stop her from protecting him.

Sighing, she pushed to her feet and waved, trying to draw the men’s attention. “I’m here,” she called. “Oh, thank God! I thought no one was ever going to come!”

The man in the lead waved his hat in the air. “We see you, ma’am. Stay right there. We’re coming.”

Bethany waved back, then ducked back into the cave, panic sweeping through her as she thought of all she had to accomplish in the ten minutes or so before the men reached her. Somehow, she had to drag enough of her things back to the first cave to make them believe she’d managed to survive all this time here by herself.

She also had to write a quick note and leave some money for Zach, telling him what had happened and begging him to find her in Texas as soon as he could. Brushing away a few annoying tears, she set to work, preparing to give the best performance of her life.

Z ach watched from beneath a small stand of pi?on trees as the band of rescuers loaded Bethany on the back of a horse and took her away from him. It had been one of the worst hours of his life—seeing them arrive, knowing he couldn’t return to say goodbye to Bethany without being seen.

He’d crouched in his hiding place like the worst sort of coward, vacillating between letting them capture him and knowing if he did nothing, if he stayed hidden, Bethany would put her plan into motion, ensuring his freedom. Perhaps he’d known all along this would happen—that when the time came, he’d be too weak to keep her from saving his worthless hide.

Long after they’d disappeared from his view, Zach remained where he was, shivering and starving, feeling as though his world had ended. How could he bear a life without Bethany in it? But how could he do as she wanted and live off her charity, knowing there was always a chance someone might recognize him, which would put her in danger?

As dusk fell in a brilliant array of red and gold, he pushed himself to his feet, gasping as his cramped muscles came back to life. He stumbled back to the cave, wondering if his problem would be solved for him. He had a gun and the clothes on his back. Several hundred miles lay between him and Bethany’s sister’s house in Texas. He didn’t know if he could make it, even if he tried.

The first cave was empty, but Bethany had put a few more logs on the empty fire circle they’d first used, obviously trying to convince her rescuers she’d spent all her time here, drawing their attention away from the second cave.

Using a makeshift torch out of one of the logs, he made his way to the second cave, glad to see she’d left him most of the blankets and some of her warm winter clothes. Using his torch, he lit the remaining wood in the fire circle. Shivering, he stripped off his wet, freezing clothes and stretched them out on one of the warm rocks near the pool but stopped when he saw a letter and a small pouch sitting near the edge.

Bending down, he discovered the pouch held a small fortune in gold coins, more than enough to give him a fresh start wherever he chose. Unaccountably annoyed by the gift, he grabbed the letter and stepped into the steaming pool, holding it up to the flickering firelight to read Bethany’s parting words.

D ear Zach,

I don’t have much time, not nearly enough to say everything I wish, but I think you know how much I love you and how much I want to build a life with you. I know you’ll be angry with me for proceeding with my plan, but I’m going to do it anyway. Forgive yourself and trust in me. You don’t have to run anymore. My sister’s address is written at the bottom of this page. Please come and find me. But if you feel that you cannot or don’t care as much for me as you’ve pretended, please take the money I’ve left for you and go somewhere safe. All I want is your happiness.

L ove,

Bethany

B linking back a rush of impotent tears, Zach tossed the letter far away from the water so it wouldn’t get wet, then submerged himself beneath the steaming depths, holding his breath until his lungs threatened to burst. By the time he broke the surface, he’d managed to gain some semblance of control over his rioting emotions.

He had no idea what he’d done to deserve such selfless generosity on his angel’s part, but the time had come to make some very difficult decisions. Did he spend the rest of his life trying to show her how much he loved her, trying to become worthy of her faith in him, or did he deprive himself of her love in a selfless gesture of his own?