she said. “Do you think I’m crazy?”
“I can’t answer that question until you tell me the whole truth.”
She wasn’t ready. Not yet. Not until she was certain that she hadn’t shot Wayne Silverman or stolen the loot that was now buried in her cave. “I’m not lying to you.”
“But you’re holding back.”
His scrutiny made her nervous. She got up from the table, walked a few paces, then turned toward the front windows. “I need to go outside. I’m feeling cooped up.”
“Holding back information will do that to you.”
Liam shoved back his chair and rose from the table. Her refusal to come clean was beginning to tick him off. What was she hiding? He wanted to help her, to believe her. But he didn’t have the patience to play evasive games.
On the front porch, he leaned against the railing and looked out on his land. Lazy clouds drifted across the afternoon skies. At the end of the day, the pace of life slowed to a crawl. Even in the mountains, where there were no time clocks, the squirrels took a recess from their constant foraging and the birds returned to their nests.
Liam glanced toward his Super Cub, gleaming white in the sunlight. Probably, he ought to move it inside the shed. But it didn’t look like rain. The Cub would be okay for the night.
Besides, they’d be taking off early tomorrow, heading back to Denver. Kate had to return to her family. He’d probably never see her again. In the life she’d been describing, there was no place for a man like him.
“It’s odd,” she said. “We’ve only known each other for twenty-four hours, but it feels like a lot longer.”
“A lifetime.” Long enough for him to be annoyed with her.
Her sharp chin lifted as she stared straight ahead, concentrating on an unknown future beyond the horizon. Her short hair ruffled in the breeze, and the corner of her mouth pulled into an adorable little frown.
His irritation faded. He’d known her long enough to forgive, to accept her shifts in attitude. Long enough to know that he liked this woman.
“Can I ask you a favor, Liam?”
He nodded.
“When we get to Denver,” she said, “promise me that you won’t leave me alone.”
“You don’t need me to hold your hand.”
“I’d feel safer if you stayed with me.”
He couldn’t deny her request. If she truly was in danger—a possibility that he was beginning to doubt—he would protect her. Grudgingly, he promised, “I’ll stay at your side. For a while.”
But not for long. His place was here, in the mountains. Once they got to town, she’d slide back into her upper-class life. Kate Carradine would be fine. Just fine.
Suddenly, her back stiffened. Her thin neck craned. “Someone’s coming.”
He glanced toward the road. “I don’t think so.”
“Listen. They’re getting closer.”
“Kate, you’re mistaken.”
She grasped his arm and tugged at his sleeve. “Can’t you hear the birds? We need to get out of here. We’ve got to run.”
Chapter Five
When he looked into her wide blue eyes, Liam saw fear that bordered on panic. Unreasonable fear. Terror.
Kate wasn’t playing games anymore. She had sensed the approach of danger. After twenty-eight days in the wilderness, her instincts were honed.
But this time, Liam thought, she had to be wrong. He tried to explain. “Even if there is a car on the road, they aren’t coming after you.”
“We haven’t got time to talk.”
Rationally, he continued, “Kate, I only made one phone call to CCC. Nobody else knows you’re here.”
She grabbed his hand, dragging him down the stairs and off the porch. “We’ve got to hide.”
Though he could have argued, it was simpler to let her have her way. If, in fact, someone was driving up the road to his house, he and Kate could watch from the hillside. When the visitors arrived, he’d show her it was safe. Then, they’d come back to the cabin. No harm done.
“This way.” He took the lead, hiking up a pathway that wound through the boulders to an overlook. Most people would have been winded by the swift, steep ascent, but Liam knew the land. And Kate was agile as a mountain goat.
They reached a ledge where they were hidden in the trees. “Better?” he asked.
“Higher.” She peered up the hillside. “We should go higher.”
Liam heard the sound of a vehicle on the graded gravel road leading to his house. Damned if she hadn’t been right! “No time. Lie flat on your stomach across this rock. We can see the house and the field from here. Nobody will see us.”
She stretched out beside him. Side by side, they watched as a pickup truck pulled up in front of his house. Two men sat in the back. Both carried rifles.
Another two emerged from the cab and strode toward the house.
“Anybody home?” one of them yelled.
The others laughed raucously, as if he’d said something clever.
Liam didn’t recognize these men, but they looked like they could have come from a local tavern in Grand Lake or Eldora. All wore jeans and boots. All were armed.
They sure as hell weren’t trying to be subtle. They swaggered. They yelled like schoolyard bullies who were all talk and no action.
The tallest guy, a redhead, turned to the others. “I’ll do the talking.”
“Aw, man! If you get revved up, we’ll be here all damn day.”
The redhead snarled back, “Are you saying I got a big mouth?”
“I’m saying you ain’t the boss.”
Their voices carried on the thin air. Though Liam and Kate were over fifty yards away, they could hear every word.
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