“You never did let me explain, Jessie.”
“There was nothing to explain. It was all quite clear,” she said stiffly.
God, how he wanted to shake that composure out of her. “What about you, Jessie? I could say the same damn thing about you. You had your fun. You used me. What if I had insisted on marriage because of it?”
“Don’t be absurd,” she snapped.
“No, you think about it. Who would have been the one to back off then?”
“But you wouldn’t have insisted on marriage,” she said quietly now. “And you never even gave me a chance to find out what I was feeling.”
The hurt in her voice caught at his heart. “I told you I was sorry, and I meant it. You may not have thought it was such a big deal, losing your virginity, but I was so shook up about it I didn’t know what the hell I was saying, Jessie.”
“This is all beside the point. I told you I wanted to forget it.”
“It’s not beside the point when your Indian friend wants to slit my throat because of what you told him.”
“If you must know, I told him very little. He saw that I was upset and drew his own conclusions. He just happens to be very protective of me.”
“What is he to you, if I may ask?”
“A very close friend. And you’ve put off long enough telling me what you’re doing here.”
“How close?”
“Never mind!” Jessie snapped. “What’s wrong at the ranch to bring you here?”
“Nothing is wrong at the ranch.”
“Nothing?” A fiery gleam entered her eyes. “Don’t tell me Rachel sent you after me again.”
“She was worried.”
“Damn!” Jessie exploded. “What are you, a puppy, to jump to her every bidding? She could have gotten you killed.”
“Hold on.” Chase grew uneasy, for White Thunder was watching them closely and frowning.
“You listen to me.” Jessie lowered her voice. “You had no right to follow me. I don’t need a watchdog, and if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be you. This region is a second home to me, but it’s a death trap for you. You’re damn lucky Black Bear Hunter didn’t kill you outright when he found you. And you’d better hope your luck continues, because you’re leaving here alone. I won’t be there to help you. You’ve wasted your time—again.”
At least she had said he would be leaving. But Chase didn’t dwell on that. He was staring at White Thunder by the fire. The Indian had turned away when Jessie lowered her voice. Chase saw only his profile. It reminded him of the scene at the creek. Unbidden, his anger returned.
“When do I get released, Jessie?” Chase asked.
“White Thunder will cut you loose,” she told him.
“Before you call him over here, answer me something, will you?”
Jessie should have been wary. But she missed the icy tone in his voice. “Answer you what, Summers?”
“Am I responsible for turning you into a whore, or did you always have the potential? I’d just like to know if I should feel guilty about that.”
Jessie gasped. “Are... you crazy?”
“That is what you meant by your friend there being a very close friend, isn’t it?” Chase questioned, deliberately cruel. “Or do you just like to put on a show for him sometimes?”
“What are you talking about?” Jessie whispered.
“I saw him with you down by the creek,” Chase snarled. “I wasn’t watching this camp when that other Indian found me, I was watching you. And I wasn’t the only one watching you,” he sneered. “Had he already—?”
Jessie didn’t let him finish. She slapped him viciously. “You bastard! How dare you insinuate something like that? He’s like a brother!”
She was so angry she shook. White Thunder came up behind her and turned her around to face him. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his.
“You heard what he said?” she asked miserably.
“Yes. You are ashamed?”
She didn’t have to answer. White Thunder led Jessie away and asked, “You wish me to kill him for you?”
Chase heard, but he didn’t hear Jessie’s answer. He watched them until they disappeared around a group of tepees on the other side of the camp. Then he closed his eyes. It was odd, but he was quite calm. Maybe he was crazy. Why else would he antagonize a person who held his life in her hands? He didn’t seem to know himself anymore.
Chapter 17
JESSIE knelt beside Chase. It was still dark. She had brought food, and a knife to cut his bonds, and some other things. He was sleeping, and she didn’t wake him. She looked him over carefully, thoughtfully. Why did he have the power to make her cry? Thomas Blair had once been the only man who could do that.
White Thunder had suggested that Chase hadn’t meant what he’d said. He had actually defended Chase, even after offering to kill him for her. She was shocked. But afterwards, alone, she’d considered what he’d said and realized it was probably true.
White Thunder had suggested other things, outrageous things, and she had disregarded them completely. He’d said it might be that Chase felt she belonged to him after what had happened between them, that his accusations were prompted by jealousy. Jessie knew better. Her belonging to Chase was the last thing Chase wanted. He had made that clear enough.
“How long have you been here?”
Jessie’s eyes met his, but she looked away quickly. “I just came.”
She moved around him and slit the rawhide at his wrists. Chase moved his arms carefully, but he gasped when the blood began rushing back into his hands. He shook them, but it didn’t help.
Jessie came back to his side, sticking her knife in her knee-high moccasin. “I brought you food and your belongings.”
He saw the saddle on the ground, with his guns and other things. He looked sideways at Jessie. “Thanks.
I really had my doubts about your helping me.”
“Helping you?”
“To get out of here. After what—”
“I should let you think that.” She cut him off bitterly. “It would serve you right to feel indebted to a whore.”
“Ah, Jessie,” he groaned. “You must know I didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, I know,” she said sullenly. “White Thunder pointed out that you’ve been through a lot today. A man faces death bravely or badly. You handled it badly. Of course.”
He liked that explanation better than the right one and agreed readily. “Yes. Well, I haven’t been handling anything too well lately, have I?”
“No, you haven’t.”
He stood up and stretched, reveling in that simple act. “Thanks for releasing me. I didn’t see anyone else coming forward to do it.”
She shrugged it off, uncomfortable with his gratitude. “Someone would have, eventually. They’re not savages, you know. You ceased to be a prisoner the moment they knew you were here because of me.”
“It didn’t strike me that way.”
“If you were inconvenienced, it serves you right for coming here in the first place,” she told him pointedly. “No one invited you.”
“That’s true,” he conceded. “And I’ll be damn happy to leave. Can we go now?”
“You can leave any time. I suggest you wait until morning, though. A hunting party will be leaving then, and they’ll escort you out of Indian territory. You’ll be safe with them. Otherwise, well...”
He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before he said, “I’d be safe with you, wouldn’t I?”
“Yes, but I’m not leaving.”
“Yes, you are, Jessie. I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
“Don’t you start with me, Summers,” she warned him coldly. “This isn’t open to debate. Even if I were ready to leave tomorrow, I wouldn’t go with you. I don’t happen to like your company.”