Page 2

Chapter Two

B laze pushed the dark hair out of his eyes after he finished securing his and Bernadette’s horses to the nearby trees for the night.

As much as he hated to bind an animal to one place, he couldn’t risk the horses running off.

He patted the steeds’ necks. “If there was a fence, you’d both be able to run free in a pasture tonight. ”

Bernadette’s horse didn’t respond, but his horse neighed as if to tell him he was forgiven. He gave the animals another pat then made his way toward the camp. Though Bernadette was in front of the fire, she crossed her arms and shivered.

He rummaged through his leather sack until he found one of his thicker shirts. He took it to her just as Zeke was heading in her direction with a jacket that he had packed. Blaze intercepted Zeke before they reached her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Blaze asked.

“I noticed Bernadette was chilly, so I thought I’d offer her my jacket,” Zeke replied. His gaze went to Blaze’s shirt. “My jacket is warmer than that shirt.”

“This shirt is made from fleece that came from the best goats on my ranch.”

Zeke’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Oh?”

“Yes. You won’t find fleece like this anywhere else. The secret is in what the goats eat. You keep a pasture fresh, and goats will give you excellent material to work with.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but this is made of real leather.”

“Fleece is warmer than leather, even if that leather makes up a jacket,” Blaze pointed out.

Zeke frowned.

Blaze didn’t enjoy engaging Zeke in these petty arguments, but Bernadette was his intended, not Zeke’s. He gave Zeke a shooing motion. He waited for Zeke to step away before he closed the distance to Bernadette and offered her his shirt.

“Here you are,” Blaze told her as he wrapped the shirt around her shoulders.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”

When Lucas claimed that Bernadette was innocent, he hadn’t been lying.

Bernadette was a good ten years younger than him.

But she had this look about her that let him know nothing bad had ever happened to her.

Well, not until Bower and his men had kidnapped her.

And even then, Bower and his men had only tied her up for a ransom.

That was good, of course. It was nice that Bernadette was oblivious to how hard life could be.

Then again, it might have been nice if she had endured some kind of hardship so he was certain she could manage life on a ranch.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “I’ll bring you something hot to eat. You’ll sleep well tonight.”

She thanked him, and he went to his supplies. He glanced Zeke’s way to make sure the deputy wasn’t going to take this opportunity to go over to her. Thankfully, the younger man stayed in the area designated for him.

Blaze pulled out the food for the evening’s dinner.

The beans, potatoes, and dried fruits were a long way from the kind of meal he would provide for her on the ranch, but it would do for now.

He couldn’t let Lee and Wilson keep getting away with their crimes.

Yes, Arizona was safer without Bower and his men running around, though Cooper was still on the loose.

But Cooper had never done anything before.

Only time would tell if Cooper was going to be a serious threat.

Right now, he was just deadwood, and in Blaze’s experience, deadwood didn’t do anything without a leader.

Lucas set more branches by the campfire while Gail sat next to Bernadette.

Blaze took another glance in Zeke’s direction and saw that he had collected his own food supplies for the night.

Satisfied that he was still leaving Bernadette alone, Blaze placed his things in a skillet then headed over to Lucas.

“I don’t think it’ll take too much time to get Lee and Wilson,” Blaze said. “They know their way through the area, but I do, too.”

Lucas wiped bits of bark off of his hands. “If anyone can get them, it’s you.”

Surprised, Blaze asked, “You don’t have faith in Zeke?”

Lucas winced, and Blaze could tell that Lucas didn’t want to come out and say anything against the deputy. That was something Blaze not only admired, but he respected it, too.

“You’re a good man, Lucas,” Blaze said before Lucas was forced to offer a response. “I’m glad you’ll be my brother-in-law.”

“Well, I feel better knowing you’re marrying my sister. I didn’t realize Arizona was so dangerous.”

“It’s not any more dangerous than anywhere else.”

“I don’t know,” Lucas replied. “We don’t have bandits kidnapping ladies in Pennsylvania.”

“Maybe not, but I’m sure you have police out there.”

“Yes.”

“That means crime is still a problem.” Blaze shrugged. “As long as people want something they didn’t earn, you’re going to have crime.”

“While that’s true,” Lucas began, “not every place has scorpions, Red Ghosts, and caves stuck in the side of canyon walls.”

Blaze chuckled. He couldn’t resist the urge to tease his new friend. “Are you telling me there’s nothing exciting in Pennsylvania?”

“Not exciting like this.”

“Then you haven’t had a life worth living. It’s good that you’re here.”

Though Lucas didn’t seem convinced, Blaze gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Think of it this way; once we get Lee and Wilson, you’ll get the opportunity to find out if the treasure map leads to money or a well.”

“You think the X on the map could refer to a well?”

“That is located in the desert, and when you’re in the desert, a well is as good as gold. We won’t be surrounded by trees for long.”

“It’s time to eat,” Zeke called out to the group. With a look at Blaze, he added, “You don’t need to make anything tonight. I have it all taken care of.” He lifted the pot from the fire and set it on a large rock.

Blaze resisted the urge to groan. Why did Zeke insist on competing with him on everything?

A fleece shirt made more sense than a leather jacket.

And Blaze’s food was much better than the beans and jerky Zeke had packed.

One would think after Blaze made sure no harm came to him or Bernadette in that cave, Zeke would want to work with him rather than against him.

Turning back to Lucas, Blaze said, “I want you to know that I will not touch Bernadette until we wed. After dinner, I will put her bedroll with you and Gail. I’ll be on the other side of the campfire with Zeke.”

If Zeke said anything else to annoy him tonight, he might have to tie Zeke up to a tree. Blaze considered himself to be a patient man, but even he had his limits. Sighing, Blaze put his food away.

When Zeke woke up, Blaze was already moving around the camp.

Zeke frowned. The sun had barely started rising for the day.

How did Blaze get up so early? Zeke was sure that he could get up first since he had fallen asleep as soon as they were done eating.

Pushing aside his frustration, he got out of his bedroll and rolled it up.

Zeke set aside his bedroll and sorted through his supplies until he came across his razor and small mirror.

Even if he was in the wilderness, he wouldn’t neglect his grooming.

Growing up, his ma reminded him that a lawman always maintained a clean appearance.

“People judge you by the way you look,” his mother used to say.

“Make sure you know they are dealing with someone of honor and integrity.” And that was exactly what he did.

Carrying his razor and mirror, he found Blaze by the small stream winding its way through the trees.

Blaze was washing up. Zeke noted the rippling muscles on Blaze’s bare chest. It was frustrating to be around someone so perfect.

Blaze managed to handle everything correctly at exactly the right moment, and he was every woman’s dream come true.

Being next to Blaze only brought up all of the times the kids used to make fun of him when he was growing up.

He had been struggling for years to overcome the ridicule of everyone in town.

The only people who gave him any credit were his mother and his uncle, though he suspected his uncle only did it because of his mother.

He really had tried to capture Cooper at the canyon.

He really had tried to free himself of the ropes so he could get Bernadette to safety before Blaze showed up.

He had rubbed his wrists raw working those ropes.

And he had worked through the night. Just before dawn, he had grown so tired, he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

He had only meant to doze off for an hour when Blaze showed up.

And he really had intended to help Blaze once he got Bernadette out of the cave.

Except…that moment of cowardice had risen up within him, and he hesitated too long.

Now, no one in the group respected him. They thought he was pathetic.

He had to rectify things. He had to prove that he could look danger in the face and fight it.

He had to prove it to them, and then word would get back to Flagstaff.

Then, finally, the people in that town would respect him.

Then his uncle would feel safe letting him wear the sheriff’s badge when he retired.

When it came time for them to get Lee and Wilson, Zeke would prove his worth.

Then everyone would see how capable he was.

Lucas and Gail would see that their faith in him had not been in vain when they hired him.

Blaze would see Zeke as an equal. Bernadette wouldn’t think he was incompetent at his job.