Hard to Hold. Karen Foley
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“Take the next turnoff, and follow the signs to Spotted Canyon.”
“Okay then,” he murmured, almost to himself. “This could still work out okay. We’re still headed in the general direction of Paradise Valley. I’ll just drop you off wherever it is you’re going, and then I’ll head to my cabin.”
Maddie almost choked on the spurt of semihysterical laughter that burst forth before she quickly composed herself. She couldn’t believe he was still preoccupied with reaching his cabin. She didn’t respond, but instead stared resolutely through the windshield, determined to ignore him.
“So,” he continued conversationally, “what’s a nice girl like you doing in a situation like this?”
Maddie slanted him one look of warning before turning her attention back to the road. She pointed to a turnoff that was barely discernible in the distance.
“Take this next right.”
Colton looked at her in surprise. “You sure it’s this one?”
It was a dirt road, surrounded on either side by brush and rocky terrain. Maddie knew that it wound steadily upward into the foothills. It had been several years since she’d traveled it, but there was no doubt in her mind this was the correct road.
“Yes, I’m sure. Now do you mind if we don’t talk, and just drive?”
“Sure.”
She breathed a sigh of relief when they turned onto the dirt road, one of hundreds of narrow, rutted routes that twisted their way through the hills.
When she had first boarded the Greyhound bus back in Elko, she had planned on traveling straight through to Reno. She would figure out how to get her brother back once she got there. But then, of course, she’d made the stupid, stupid mistake of taking this man hostage. She’d been formulating a plan on how to come up with the cash she needed, and it involved gambling, but she couldn’t very well waltz into one of the casinos with this man strapped to her side. She’d been in near despair as to what her next course of action should be, when he’d mentioned a cabin in Paradise Valley.
It was then that she knew what she had to do.
2
COLTON GLANCED OVER at the woman. She was slumped against the door, and he could see she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She held the gun loosely in her lap. They’d been driving for nearly four hours, negotiating the uneven dirt roads that threaded their way through the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and climbed steadily upward into the more heavily timbered forests. Several times she had directed him to take a certain turn, but had otherwise been silent.
“It’s going to be dark soon,” he commented. “I don’t know about you, but I hear nature calling. Mind if we stop for a quick break?”
She didn’t look at him. “Can’t you hold it?”
“Nope.”
Turning her head, she gave him an assessing look. “Okay, but it has to be quick. We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?” He gave a rueful laugh. “Looks like we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“I know exactly where we are,” she answered tersely. “You can pull over here.”
He stopped the truck and was about to get out when she surprised him by laying a hand on his arm. He paused and looked first at the slender fingers, and then at her, arching an eyebrow in query.
She actually blushed, and then snatched her hand back as if it had been burned. “I’ll take the keys.”
Colton glanced down at the set in his hand, then shrugged and dropped them into her lap. “Fine. But if you’re thinking you’re going to leave me here, I’d reconsider. We’re almost out of gas.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“What would be the point? It’s not like there’s a gas station beyond the next bend.”
“How much farther do you think we can drive with the gas we have left?” Her voice was low, but Colton could hear traces of anxiety.
“Fifteen miles. Maybe. We’re on rock bottom empty.” He didn’t tell her he had a reserve tank that would get them an additional fifty miles. He watched with interest as her entire body seemed to sag with relief at his words.
“That’s more than enough. We only have another five or so to go, and I know there’s an old gas station on the other side of this mountain. At least,” she amended, turning to gaze distractedly out the window, “there used to be.”
Colton wondered how long it had been since she’d traveled through this area, and why she needed to reach Reno. He climbed out of the cab and was just about to step away from the road and into the nearby woods when her voice stopped him.
“Right there is fine.”
He angled a glance at her over his shoulder. She leaned across the bench seat and was once more aiming the useless gun at him. “What, now you want to watch?” He injected just enough derision into his voice to make the color bloom in her cheeks.
“Of course not. I just want to keep you in sight. I won’t look.”
Colton sighed. “How about I just step in front of the truck with my back to you?” She nodded, and he moved to stand in front of the hood. He discreetly relieved himself, acutely aware of the amber eyes that watched him from behind the windshield.
As he prepared to climb back behind the wheel, she lowered the pistol and began fiddling with the latch on his glove compartment. “I don’t suppose you have anything to eat stashed in here, do you? A candy bar or something?”
Alarm bells jangled in Colton’s head as he recalled exactly what he had stashed in the glove box: his service revolver and a two-way radio. He couldn’t let her find either, or the game, such as it was, would definitely be up. He didn’t doubt his own ability to overpower her if she should get her hands on the weapon, but neither did he trust her to handle it responsibly. She could shoot him without meaning to.
“Nothing but junk in there,” he assured her quickly, “but I do have some water and snacks in the back. If you’ll let me, I’ll be happy to grab some for us.”
Her hands fell away from the glove compartment, and she gave him a brief ghost of a smile. “Thanks.”
He retrieved two bottles of water and a bag of pretzels from beneath the canvas tarp. He tossed them lightly onto her lap and held out his hands for the keys. She snatched up one of the bottles, uncapped it and drank greedily for a long moment before she finally noticed his waiting hand. Slowly, she lowered the bottle.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I guess I was thirstier than I realized.”
She handed him the keys, and Colton pulled back onto the road, but he was conscious of the woman as she drained the water bottle and started in on the pretzels.
“When did you last eat?” he asked, keeping his voice casual.
Madeleine, nibbling on a pretzel, flushed. “I don’t remember. Yesterday, I think.”
“You think?”
“It’s been a crazy couple of days. Eating didn’t seem to be a priority.” Her tone was defensive. “Oh! Turn here.”
She indicated a road that was little more than an overgrown trail. If she hadn’t pointed it out to him, Colton might not have seen it. Branches and underbrush dragged along the side of the truck as he made his way along the road, and he winced inwardly, wondering what it was doing to the finish. He wasn’t fussy by nature, but he hadn’t lied when he’d told her the truck was brand-new. He’d barely broken it in.
Suddenly, the trail opened up, and a clearing lay ahead. Colton leaned forward