Just A Little Bit Dangerous

“If we run into heavy weather or one of us gets hurt—”

“I’m sorry you’re so upset about the radio.”

“You’re damn straight I’m upset! I can’t believe someone would do something so incredibly stupid. Even a convict!”

“I hate to point this out, but I think you’re angry because I got the jump on you.”

He shot her an incredulous look. “What?”

“I nearly got away. That chaps your ego. That’s why you’re so angry.”

“I appreciate you pointing that out to me, but I’m particularly angry because we’ve got over five hours of riding ahead of us and heavy weather moving in.”

“Look, I’m sorry I put you in a tough spot. But I’m sure you’ll get out of this just fine. This isn’t personal. It’s just that…I can’t go back.”

He choked out another humorless laugh. “I hate to be the one to break this earth-shattering news to you, Blondie, but you don’t have a choice.”

“I can’t go back. I won’t.”

He glared at her. “If you’ve got any other quick-escape schemes up your sleeve, I strongly suggest you put them out of your mind because it’s not going to happen. Got it?”

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand perfectly. You escaped from prison. It’s my job to take you back. End of story.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Look, we can do this the easy way, or I can use force. It’s up to you. But I can tell you, if you choose option number two, it’s only going to make it harder for you.”

“Cowboy—”

“Don’t argue. Let’s go.”

“Please, don’t do this.” Despite her best efforts, her voice quivered with the last word. “I can’t go back.”

He regarded her with those cool, gray eyes. “You should have thought of the consequences before you murdered someone.”

Even after nearly a year of being called a murderer, the word still made her shake inside. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Lady, do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard that?”

“I don’t care how many times you’ve heard it. I’m innocent.”

“A jury says you did it. The warden wants you back. That’s all I need to know.”

Abby knew her claim of innocence fell on deaf ears. She knew what it sounded like—a murderer’s desperate ploy to buy time. She would never convince this man that she was innocent. The only person who could do that was Dr. Jonathan Reed at Mercy General Hospital in Denver. A man who’d held her heart in his palm—and crushed it right before her eyes.

“I’d rather die than go back to prison,” she said after a moment.

He frowned at her. “You keep pulling stupid stunts like the one with the radio and that can be arranged.” His boots sloshed with water as he stalked over to her. “Get up. We’ve got some ground to cover.”

By the time they reached the mule a few minutes later, it was snowing. Abby had always loved snow. It made the world look fresh and new and untainted by life’s problems. It reminded her of home and those endlessly long winters she and Grams had spent on the farm back in Calloway County, Kentucky, before Paps passed away.

She wondered if life would ever be that simple again.

A few feet away, looking miserable and cold in those wet jeans, Cowboy Cop shrugged into his duster. Scooping his hat off the ground, he brushed at the dried grass and set it on his head. “Come here.”

Warily, she stepped over to him and stuck out her chin. “If you’re thinking of brutalizing me because I tossed your stupid radio, I should warn you I have a really good lawyer. Jackson Scott Sargent specializes in police brutality and he’s won every case—”

“Shut up and turn around.” Frowning, he extracted the handcuff key from a small compartment in his belt.

Realizing with some surprise that he was going to remove the cuffs, she turned her back to him and offered her wrists. “Oh, well…thank you.”

He removed the cuff from one wrist. “Don’t thank me because I’m just letting you wear them in front because you’re going to get up on that mule—”

“Wait just a—”

“And you’re going to need to hold on to the horn with both hands because she’s got a gait like a truck with four flat tires.”

“I don’t know how to ride.”

“I don’t care.”

“If I fall off—”

“I’ll leave you where you fall.”

“If I get injured in any way, my lawyer, Jackson Scott Sar—”

“Shut up about the lawyer, lady, will you?”

“I’m merely forewarning you what could happen if I don’t get back to Buena Vista in the same healthy condition in which I left.”

“I’ll remember that next time you do something stupid like fall out of a tree or trash our only means of communication.”

She started to back away, but he tugged on the cuff. “Give me your other hand.”

“Please—”

“Not after the stunt you pulled. Give me your hand. Now.”

Resigning herself to being cuffed and forced to ride that obstinate-looking mule, she stuck out her hand. Far too efficiently, he snapped the cuffs into place. “Feel better?” she asked nastily.

“Sure do.” He walked over to the mule. When she didn’t follow, he raised his hand and beckoned her with his index finger. “We’ve got snow moving in, Blondie. Let’s move.”

Abby wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of this. Evidently, Cowboy Cop was a by-the-book guy and took his job way too seriously. Well, she’d just have to keep her eyes open and hope for an opportunity. If one didn’t arise, she’d just have to make her own. She didn’t relish the idea of spending a cold, wet night out in the snow, but knew the weather might turn out to be an advantage.

She followed him over to the mule.