Only 06 - Winter Fire

land.
    â€œUte’s right,” Case said. “Your sister thinks the sun rises and sets in you.”
    Conner lifted his head suddenly. His eyes caught the sun and turned a deep, pure green.
    â€œI would die for her,” he said matter-of-factly.
    Case didn’t doubt it.
    â€œShe’d rather have you alive,” he pointed out.
    â€œI’m planning on staying that way.”
    â€œGood. That means you won’t argue when I tell you to go back and get the third revolver, the one that wasn’t all filed down and slicked up.”
    For a moment the boy looked like he was going to argue. Then he smiled.
    â€œUte said if I got you to teach me, I should listen.”
    One of Case’s black eyebrows lifted in silent query.
    â€œHe said you were the only man he knew ever to walk away after a Culpepper shootout,” Conner explained.
    â€œI damned near didn’t. That’s why I’m going to teach you more than shooting. I’m going to teach you about the Culpeppers. All their nasty tricks from ambushes to taking hostages and selling them as slaves to the Comancheros.”
    â€œHave you had a lot of experience with the Culpeppers?”
    â€œMy brother and I have hunted them since the end of the war.”
    Conner started to ask why, saw the look in the other man’s eyes, and thought better of it.
    â€œHow many have you gotten?” he asked instead.
    â€œNot enough.”
    Conner didn’t ask any more questions.

17
    â€œ C ould you take the chow up to him?” Lola asked.
    Sarah looked at the cornbread and venison stew the older woman was holding out to her. She tried to think of an excuse not to take Case’s supper to him.
    He was standing guard on the rim.
    Alone.
    In the past three days, she had become very good at not being alone with him. Two days ago she had even slipped off to hunt silver by herself.
    Her ears still burned when she thought of his response to that solo ride.
    Being stubborn is one thing. Being a damned fool is another. The next time you go silver hunting alone, I’ll track you down and bring you back tied across my saddle .
    Sarah hadn’t gone out looking for treasure by herself again.
    Nor could she bring herself to hunt with Case. Just the thought of what had happened the last time they were alone was enough to make waves of heat and cold go through her.
    She told herself it was embarrassment.
    She wasn’t sure she believed it.
    â€œI’m missing one of the goats,” Lola explained. “That little black and white female with the particular fine hair.”
    Immediately Sarah forgot her own concerns. “How long has she been gone?”
    â€œShe wasn’t with the rest of the herd when Ghost brought them in just now.”
    Sarah took the plate.
    â€œI’ll take Case’s supper,” she said. “Go look for that goat. She’s the best of the bunch.”
    Lola gave Sarah a gap-toothed smile and hurried off.
    â€œBut if Case yells at me for going up to the rim alone, I’ll sic him on you,” she called after the other woman.
    A laugh was Lola’s answer.
    Sarah didn’t bother to chase down a grazing mustang for the trip to the rim. It was quicker just to walk. And that’s what she wanted—to get this chore behind her as fast as possible.
    When she reached the rim, the sun was sliding down the edge of late afternoon into evening. As always, the immense serenity of the land beneath the golden light called out to her. Motionless, she stood and looked out over the endless networks of shadow canyons hemmed by sun-struck pinnacles, buttes, and mesas.
    The stark lines of the land were more beautiful to her than any gently rolling green hills could ever be. The richness and subtlety of the stone desert’s colors, the wind tasting of cold and mystery, and the vast sweep of the land all gave a lift to her spirits.
    Nearby a hawk soared on the updraft caused by the cliffs that rimmed Lost River Valley. The bird’s flight was both powerful and effortless, a wild song sung in the silence of Sarah’s soul.
    Smiling, she half-closed her eyes and absorbed the peace of the moment.
    Eyes narrowed as though in pain, Case watched from behind a screen of nearby brush. It took all the discipline he had learned in war and vengeance not to walk out and make love to her again, drinking the smiling mystery of her life.
    Why did she come up here? he thought. For the last