The Return Of David Mckay

She was speechless.

Geneva had turned in her saddle, as well. Spying the telephone, she said, “Oh, David. I should have known….”

Refusing to allow her own exasperation to show, Addy faced the trail again.

What had she been worried about? This wasn’t a guy she couldn’t resist. This David McKay was someone she didn’t know—an obnoxious, arrogant toad.

The next two weeks were going to be a snap.

CHAPTER FOUR

LIGHTNING RIVER LODGE sat above the town of Broken Yoke, on the edge of the front range. Since its nearest neighbor was at least a mile away, it took surprisingly little time to leave the rest of civilization behind.

By way of well-worn wagon trails and hiking paths, they traveled along the rim of the Arapahoe National Forest and passed only four other people on horseback.

Addy had promised Geneva that she would map out a route to the Devil’s Smile that would replicate the McKays’ original honeymoon trip as closely as possible. With the exception of two spots along the way where progress had encroached on the backcountry and the necessary stops to replenish supplies, it was conceivable they could make the entire journey without seeing any other human beings.

Around noon Addy pulled Sheba and Bounder out of the lineup, indicating to Geneva that she should continue in the lead.

“How are you holding up?” she asked as the other woman rode past.

“Just fine, dear,” Geneva replied.

“How about some lunch? There’s a pretty clearing up ahead where we can stop.”

The sun hat bobbed up and down as Geneva nodded agreement.

As David’s horse came abreast of Addy’s, she swung in beside him. After having to listen to him talk on his cell phone all morning, she was glad to see that, for the moment, he’d put away the earpiece that had seemed welded to his ear. However, she noticed that he was now busy with his PDA, his stylus moving so quickly across the pad that he might have been playing video games.

It was maddening to watch.

“Ready to take a break?” she asked, trying not to let her irritation show. The two weeks ahead of them would go a lot faster if they weren’t constantly at odds with one another.

“You’re the boss,” he replied with a shrug.

“There’s a good spot up ahead to have lunch.” The phone in his shirt pocket rang again, and Addy arched an eyebrow his way. “Or maybe you’d like to call for a pizza delivery.”

He wedged the earpiece back into his ear, listened for a moment or two, then said, “Rob, let me call you back. I’m in the middle of something right now.”

“Don’t stop on my account,” Addy said with an air of indifference as he clicked off the phone and removed his sunglasses.

He watched her with a keen, dark interrogation. “You’re annoyed with me,” he stated.

She hesitated only a moment before she shrugged and said, “Not annoyed. Just a little disappointed.”

“Disappointed?”

“Don’t you remember what this area is like? On this trip we’re going to pass through some of the most beautiful untamed country in Colorado. But you’re not going to see any of it because you’ll be too busy with conference calls or crunching numbers on your computer or sending faxes—”

“I didn’t bring my portable fax attachment,” he cut in. His expressive mouth had gathered into amused lines.

“What a concession!”

“I think so.”

She gave him a tight, disgusted look. “The rich, powerful businessman. How does it feel to be a living cliché?”

Immediately Addy knew that remark had hit its target. A person who hadn’t known David so well might not have guessed. But she saw it—the slight narrowing of his eyes, the way his shoulders straightened.

“Look,” he said with exaggerated patience, “I like Colorado. I know it’s beautiful, so you don’t have to sell me on that. And, truthfully, I can use a vacation. But you don’t have to make it your personal responsibility that I enjoy this.”

“As if I would.”

One dark eyebrow lifted in lazy good humor. “You think you’ve won, don’t you? But I’m hoping that in a day, maybe two, Gran will realize there are easier, faster ways to accomplish what she wants, and we’ll be heading back the way we came.”

She felt a quiet, scorching anger toward him in that moment and she didn’t try to hide it. “Right now your grandmother sees this trip as the most important thing in her life. Just for a little while, why don’t you try to pretend this isn’t all about you?”

He said nothing. His gaze moved over her face, and she felt oddly unsettled under his scrutiny.

With his grandmother still out of earshot, he said, “I don’t really want to fight with you, Addy, and I’m sure you mean well. I’m just not willing to take chances with Gran’s health.”

“Neither am I,” Addy tossed back. “I think I know her physical limitations. Probably better than you do. Where were you when she had heart surgery last year?” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, that’s right. Out of the country on business.”

She heard his breathing change and knew she’d gone too far. But really, what right did he have to act as though she didn’t give a damn about Geneva’s health?

The silence went to foolish lengths, and Addy began to feel a touch of embarrassment and guilt. Hadn’t Geneva once told her that she’d deliberately instructed her doctors not to notify David about her heart surgery?

Oh Lord, she couldn’t remember. But if he hadn’t known, why didn’t he say something to defend himself now? Why didn’t he tell her she was out of line? At the very least, why didn’t he stop looking at her like that, as though she was someone he’d never seen before?

Annoyed with herself as much as him, Addy squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. If she let him get to her after less than a day on the trail, two weeks was going to seem like a lifetime.

Where are you, Dani, when I need your lecture about being able to handle this man?

“Listen,” she said and then took a deep breath. “Clover’s gait is the smoothest in our stable, and she’s got a soft mouth, so your grandmother won’t have to do more than crook a finger to get her to respond. I’ve built in downtime in camp so that she doesn’t exhaust herself. You and I could probably make it to the canyon in less than a week, but we’ll take this much slower. I’ve packed extra cushioning for her bedroll and I have a few other surprises for her that ought to make things easier.”

“Sounds like you’ve thought of everything,” he said, and this time she heard no telltale trace of mockery in his tone.

“I’ve tried to. In spite of the way everything turned out for…for us, I’ve always remained very fond of your grandmother.”

She started to pull away, but he reached across the distance that separated them, halting her with one hand over hers on Sheba’s reins. “Addy…”

She waited, braced for some cutting remark. And yet, for a moment it was the touch of his hand on hers that she was most aware of. She felt suddenly filled with a sharp, nameless anxiety.

“I appreciate your efforts,” he said at last.

She moistened her lips, wondering if her cheeks were as pink as they felt. “I’ll do my part,” she promised, her voice taking on a brisk note to keep from revealing her surprise. “You try to do yours.”

“What’s my part?” he asked, releasing his hold to sit back in the saddle.