Montana Sky

it all to you, to Lily and to Tess. And he gave me nothing.”
    He inched forward, closer to her, the knife gleaming in his hand, his eyes gleaming in the dark. “It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.”
    She closed her eyes and waited for the pain.
     
    C HARLIE RACED THROUGH THE HILLS , NOSE TO THE ground, ears at alert. Ben rode alone, grateful for the moonlight, praying that the clouds that gathered thick in the west would hold off. He couldn’t afford to lose the light.
    He could almost swear he smelled her himself. That scent of hers, soap and leather and something more that was only Willa. He wouldn’t picture her hurt. It would cloud his mind, and he needed all his senses sharp. This time his quarry knew the land as well as he. His quarry was mounted and knew all the tricks. He couldn’t depend on Willaslowing him down or leaving signs, because he couldn’t be sure she was . . .
    No, he wouldn’t think of that. He would only think of finding her, and what he would do to the man when he did.
    Charlie splashed into a stream and whined as he lost the scent. Ben walked his horse into the water, stood for a moment listening, plotting, praying. They’d follow the water for a while, he decided.
    That’s what he would have done.
    They walked through the stream, the water level stingy from the lack of rain. Thunder rumbled, and a bird screamed. Ben clamped down on the urge to hurry, to kick his horse into a run. He couldn’t afford to rush until they’d picked up the trail again.
    He saw something glint on the bank, forced himself to dismount. Water ran cold over his boots as he walked through the stream, bent, picked it up.
    An earring. Plain gold hoop. The breath whooshed out of his lungs explosively as his fist clutched it. She’d taken to wearing baubles lately, he remembered. He’d found it charming and sweet, that little touch of female added to her denim and leather. He’d enjoyed telling himself it was for his benefit.
    He tucked it into his front pocket, swung back on his horse. If she was clearheaded enough to leave him signs, he was clearheaded enough to follow them. He took his horse up the bank and let Charlie pick up the trail.
     
    “H E SHOULDNT HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID .” VOICE shaking, Jim sawed at the rope tying her ankles. “He did it just to show me he didn’t give a rat’s ass about me. About you, either.”
    “No.” The tears that sprang to her eyes weren’t pity, but sheer relief. With her bound hands she reached forward to massage her legs. They were horribly cramped. “He didn’t care about either of us.”
    “It made me crazy at first. Me and Pickles were up at the cabin when I heard, and I just went crazy. That’s why I killed the steer that way. I had to kill something. Then Istarted thinking. I had to get back at him, Will, make him pay. I wanted you to pay too, at first. You and Tess and Lily. I didn’t figure they had any right to what was mine. What he should’ve left to me. I thought I’d scare them off. Nobody’d get anything if I scared them off. I left the cat on the porch. I liked seeing Lily scream and cry over it. I’m sorry about that now, but I wasn’t thinking of her as kin then. I just wanted her to go away, back where she’d come from. And for Mercy to go to hell.”
    “Can you cut my hands loose, Jim? Please, my arms are cramped.”
    “I can’t. Not yet. You just don’t understand it all.”
    “I think I do.” The feeling was back in her legs. They were stinging as the blood surged back, but she could run if she saw an opening. “He hurt you. You wanted to hurt him back.”
    “I had to. What kind of man would I be if I took that from him? But the thing is, Will, I like killing things. I figure that’s from him too.” He smiled and a flash of lightning haloed him like a fallen saint. “Nothing much you can do about what comes down through the blood. He liked killing too. Remember that time he had you raise that calf, right from pulling it clear of its mother? You raised it up like a pet, even named it.”
    “Blossom,” she murmured. “Stupid name for a cow.”
    “You loved that dumb cow, won blue ribbons with it. I remember how he took you out that day. You were twelve, maybe thirteen, and he made you watch while he killed it for beef. Teaching you ranch life, he said, and you cried, and you went off and got sick. Ham damn near came to blows with the old man over it. You never had a pet since.”
    He took out a cigarette,