Montana Sky

She might’ve died if I hadn’t taken care of her. Isn’t that right?”
    “Yes.” She wouldn’t be sick, refused to be. “You didn’t hurt her.”
    “I wouldn’t have harmed a hair on her head.” He caught the joke, slapped the rock, and howled. “A hair on her head. Get it? That’s a good one.” He sobered, the change abrupt and frightening. “I love her, Will. I love her and you and Tess just like a brother should. And I’ll look out for you. And you have to look out for me. Blood’s thicker than water.”
    “How do you want me to look out for you, Jim?”
    “We got to have a plan, get our stories together here. I figure I’ll take you back and we’ll tell everybody that somebody dragged you off. You didn’t see, but I went off after you. Didn’t have time to send out the alarm. We’ll say I chased him off, scared him off. I’ll fire a couple of shots.” He patted the rifle. “He ran off into high country, and I got you away safe. That’ll work, won’t it?”
    “It could. I’ll tell them I never saw his face. He hit me. I’ve probably got a bruise anyway.”
    “I’m sorry about that, but it works out real good. We’ll go back to the way things were, all right. Couple months more and the ranch is free and clear. I can be foreman now.” He saw her eyes flicker, her instinctive cringe. “You don’t mean it. You’re lying.”
    “No, I’m just thinking it over.” Her heart began to thud at the rapid change of his moods. “We have to make sure it sounds right or else—”
    “You’re lying!” He screamed it so that the rocks echoed. “You think I can’t see it? You think I’m too stupid to see what’s going on in your head? I take you back, you’ll tell them everything. You’ll turn me over, your own brother. Because of Ham.”
    Wild with fury, he sprang to his feet, the knife in one hand, the rifle in the other. “It was an accident. There wasn’t anything I could do. But you’ll turn me over. Youcare more about that old man than your own family.”
    He’d never let her go. And he’d kill her before she got two yards. So she pushed herself to her feet, teetered once until she could brace them apart, and faced him. “He was my family.”
    He tossed the rifle down, grabbed her by the shirtfront with his free hand, and shook her. “I’m your blood. I’m the one who matters. I’m a Mercy, same as you.”
    Out of the corner of her eye she saw the knife wave. And the clouds smothered the moon and killed the glint. “You’ll have to kill me, Jim. And once you do, you won’t be able to run fast enough or hide deep enough. They’ll hunt you. If Ben or Adam finds you first, God help you.”
    “Why won’t you listen?” His shout boomed over rock and hill and hung in the heavy air. “It’s Mercy that counts. I just want my share of Mercy.”
    She closed her aching hands into fists, stared into his desperate eyes. “I haven’t got any mercy to give you.” Rearing back, she thrust her stiffened hands into his stomach and whirled to run.
    He caught her by the hair, yanking back until stars erupted in front of her eyes. Sobbing in pain, she rammed back with her elbow, caught him hard. But his grip stayed firm. Her feet slid out from under her and she would have gone down but for the hold on her hair.
    “I’ll make it quick,” he promised. “I know how.”
    Ben stepped out of the shadows. “Drop the knife.” His pistol was cocked, aimed, ready. “You so much as break the skin on her, I’ll blow you to hell.”
    “I’ll do more than break skin.” Jim angled the knife under her chin. His voice was dead calm again. He felt the control seep back into him, the command. He was in charge. The woman pressed against him was no longer his sister but just a shield. “All I do is jerk my wrist, and she’s dead before she hits the ground.”
    “So are you.”
    Jim’s eyes flickered over. His rifle was just out of reach. Cautious, he moved back a step, keeping the knife edge atWilla’s throat. “You give me five minutes’ start, and when I’m clear, I’ll let her go.”
    “No, he won’t.” She hissed as the knife bit in and the first trickle of blood oozed down her throat. “He’ll kill me,” she said calmly, kept her eyes on Ben’s. “It’s just a matter of when.”
    “Shut up, Will.” Jim flicked the knife under her chin. “Let the men handle this. You want her, McKinnon, you can have her. But you put down the gun, and you step back until