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  “So, Miss Powell…” He drained his coffee. “Would you like to explain to me why you’re wandering around in the Black Hills? Alone.”

  Layla looked at him over the rim of her mug. Darn it, she had such fine eyes. They glowed in the firelight and danced with something akin to mischief. He wondered what Etu was thinking about her. So far, his companion had retreated into the quiet dignity he habitually displayed around white women. Perhaps he was sussing her out, trying to decide if she could be trusted. If she was suitable. If she was even worth the trouble.

  And right now she seemed like a whole heap of trouble.

  “Well…Mr…uh…” the young woman continued.

  “Charlie is fine, Miss Powell.”

  “Well then…call me Layla,” she announced. Her tongue flicked out with the final syllable and he had to fight the urge to leap at her just to suck it. Again, his reactions confused him. This was a woman. A soft, curvaceous female. He hadn’t been interested in the fairer sex in a long while. If he ever had been. So what was it about this one that was stirring his body and creating such heat?

  The thrill of the chase. It had to be that. Or knowing who she was, while she had no idea about his identity.

  “Okay, Lay-la.” He grinned. “You gonna explain?”

  She eyed him and he could see her calculating carefully before speaking. So she was a bright one too. Fool enough to run off alone but not fool enough to spill the beans without thinking it over first.

  “I…uh…I…panicked.”

  “You panicked?” Charlie frowned. “A man trusted you to keep your word and you pocketed his money then panicked? If you didn’t want to keep your promise to Mr Jackman…why didn’t you just write him to say you’d changed your mind?”

  “I didn’t have time. I just didn’t think.” Layla placed her mug on the floor at her feet then hugged her knees to her chest.

  “You’ve had weeks!” Charlie spat. “You could have let him know well before now.”

  “Seems like you’re mighty angry for your boss, Charlie,” Layla replied, and her voice carried her curiosity. “Anyone would think you was personally offended.”

  Charlie cleared his throat. “I guess it might sound that way, Layla. But ya know. He’s really been through the mill.” She had no idea! “Plus, I just can’t stand folks who take advantage of the trust and generosity of others. And something about your reason for fleeing doesn’t quite add up.”

  He got to his feet. Trouble was, he actually could understand her reason for running. Marrying someone you’d never met, let alone fallen in love with, was a crazy-ass idea. He’d been damn near terrified himself when he’d set out with Etu to collect her. But it had seemed like the best solution to their situation and he thought he’d also be helping Layla out. She needed a home and a man to support her – she’d conveyed as much in her letters – and he wanted to make Etu happy. His lover had longed for a woman to share in their life for a long time but Charlie had been reluctant to get another female involved. After last time. But he’d finally given in. Life was short and Etu deserved happiness. A mail-order bride had seemed like an option. Find a young woman needing a home then bring her into their world. It wasn’t like there was a surplus of females around in the area or that women were easy to meet, so placing an advert had been a solution. But it had been a risk. There were so many things that could have gone wrong.

  And now that he’d seen Layla, he wasn’t at all sure that it was a good idea. She was too darned good looking for his liking for a start. He had no doubt that Etu would find her attractive but would she feel the same? And how would she feel about what she was getting into? Surely a woman as fine looking as her would have had men falling over themselves proposing? But that wasn’t what he’d read in her letters. The woman he’d corresponded with didn’t seem too confident at all. She’d sounded downright grateful to have an option. She had come across as lonely. Vulnerable. Sad. It had made him feel a bit like a knight in shining armour. An old cliché perhaps, but it had made him want to rescue her.

  Looking at her now, he was flooded with doubts. It was a good job he’d seen her first. Beauty could be dangerous. Plus she had obviously experienced doubts about the marriage or just played along with the whole thing in order to steal his money. She was a thief. Dishonest and likely impure. Now he should end their agreement and return to the homestead with Etu. Surely that was the best thing to do.

  Once he’d got his money back, of course.

  ****

  Layla had panicked. She was telling the truth. But if she was totally honest, the pocket full of coins had been comforting and the prospect of getting away from Deadwood and making a fresh start had appealed to her too. She hadn’t had any money since…no, she wouldn’t think about him right now. She’d have to do the decent thing here and just give Charlie what she owed Mr Jackman.

  Then what?

  What exactly would she do? Return to Deadwood and go beg Al Swearengen to take her in? That’s what the other young women with no hope did in Deadwood. She shivered. Could she really sacrifice herself to that life? Surrender to being pawed by foul-breathed miners and travel weary cowboys every night whilst feigning enjoyment? She knew that many of the soiled doves tried to numb their misery by taking laudanum but she’d seen the effect of the drug on the women. They were no better than walking corpses and once they started using opium, it was near impossible to stop. It was a fate worse than being placed in the cold Deadwood earth. But it was an option.

  Or, she could stick to the original deal and hope that Mr Jackman still wanted her. What a choice for a young woman. But then, all women’s choices were limited, so why should she hope to be different?

  Alternatively…the last idea that unfurled like the petals of a flower in her mind seemed like the best one. She could take the money and stick to her plan: run away. She’d just have to convince these two men that she was a little miss innocent, maybe even try to have a bit of fun whilst doing so, then she could escape while they slept. She could get some sort of revenge for the way that Henrik had treated her. It wouldn’t, sadly, be directed at that lying, two-faced toad but it might make her feel better to regain some control in her life. Hell yeah! That was what she would do.

  “Uh…Charlie?” She assumed what she believed to be her sweet and innocent tone. “I could really do with…uh…it’s the coffee.” She smiled at him from beneath her eyelashes.

  “You need to relieve yourself, Miss Layla?”

  She nodded. “Urgently.”

  “Okay. Etu, I’ll take her back through the trees…give her a bit of privacy.” Charlie gestured at the way they’d come.

  “Sure, Charlie,” Etu replied, looking up from the fire where he was warming some cans of beans. “Just…ya know…take care.” Layla watched as the two men exchanged a knowing glance. They didn’t trust her. They had no reason to. These men were no acorn calves so this wouldn’t be easy.

  Charlie helped Layla to her feet and she walked ahead of him towards where the trees thickened. Would she be able to gain his trust? She wasn’t sure if she was capable of reading him well enough to do it. But she would try. What other option did she have?

  “Charlie?”

  “Layla?”

  “Why don’t I give you this now?” She pulled the bag of coins out of her pocket and offered it to him.

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “Go on….” she purred. “Take it. Then you know that you can trust me.” She’d watch where he put it then steal it back later. She needed that money. It was all she had in the world. Even if it wasn’t rightfully hers.

  Charlie opened his hand and Layla pressed the money into his palm. His upturned fingertips brushed her wrist and a lightning bolt pierced her core. She met his eyes. Her heart thundered and her body flooded with heat.

  What did this mean? This wasn’t part of the plan. She was meant to play him then get away. But just the touch of his fingertips had sent her into sensory overload. She inhaled slowly and
locked her knees to still their trembling.

  “Layla,” he whispered.

  “Charlie.” She moved towards him, pulled by some magnetic force beyond her comprehension, crushing his hand between them. She licked her lips, looked at his full mouth. He leant slightly towards her and she raised onto her toes. She was drawn to him like a bear to a bee hive. Instinctively. She just wanted to be near to him again. Encompassed by his strength and vitality.

  “Layla.” He spoke again and her heart plummeted as his eyes changed. For a moment she could have sworn she’d seen something akin to tenderness, or even desire there, but it had gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I thought you wanted to…uh…”

  She blinked. Of course. She had to get a grip. She’d only just met this man and she was acting like a wanton light skirt. She should be playing easy not actually falling for him. He was just so attractive. It must be the lack of food and water making her irrational. She’d feel better once she’d eaten. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about this man that she was reacting to on a level that she was unfamiliar with. It was like a primitive part of her was responding to him, as if the female instinct to be with the alpha male was rousing its needy head and pulling her towards him.

  Human contact was a powerful aphrodisiac. Contact with Charlie had muddied her brain and sapped her ability to think rationally.

  She sank back onto her heels. “Yes. I do. I’ll just be a moment.” She tore herself away from him and forced her feet to turn.

  Visibility was better now than when Charlie had found her. Although the moon was thin, the clouds had cleared completely and everything was bathed in a silvery glow. It made the woods appear a little spooky and reminded Layla of tales she’d heard in her youth about the hills being haunted. According to legend, the souls of Sioux warriors seeking revenge wandered through the trees. She shuddered. Good job she had some male company. Being out here alone overnight would have been pretty scary indeed. Though in fact she should be afraid of the company she was being forced to keep.

  Once she’d walked a little way off, Layla attended to her call of nature. Her breasts throbbed beneath the tight binding that she’d wrapped around her chest and she needed to get it off. Stupid disguise. Charlie had known she was a woman straight away. She should have put more effort in. But then, falling asleep during the afternoon and leaving a trail behind her…it was as if she actually wanted to be caught.

  But she hadn’t. She had wanted to get far away from it all. To start afresh. If it was possible for a woman to start over in this crushing, horizonless society.

  She unbuttoned her shirt and tugged it out of her trousers then hung it on a branch. She had dressed in her father’s clothes and they hung off her female curves but they were all she’d had. She reached around her rib cage and unwound the torn sheet she’d used to flatten her breasts. When they were free, she rubbed them hard, trying to relieve the aching. She’d abandoned her corset when dressing up as a man but she still wore her chemise. The gauzy material offered little protection against the night air and her nipples stiffened like mountain peaks.

  She pulled the shirt back on and buttoned it then tucked it in. It no longer hung straight down over her chest. Instead two large mounds protruded, showing quite clearly that she was in fact a well-rounded female. Well, maybe her curves would serve her well and allow her to get her own way. Or at least to indulge in some fun as she tried.

  Fun. Something she might have forgotten how to have. Since Henrik’s betrayal.

  She emerged into the clearing to find Charlie waiting for her. He pushed his Stetson back on his head and appraised her.

  “Well, Miss…uh…Layla. You look…kind of…”

  “Different?” She put her hands on her hips in an attempt at confidence.

  “For sure,” he smiled. “But I can’t quite figure out what it is.” He roamed her body with his eyes and her heartbeat quickened as he paused at her breasts. He couldn’t exactly not notice them.

  Layla flashed a smile as she walked past him. “Well, when you do, you let me know.”

  She hoped that she was projecting a confident manner. That Charlie would believe that she was being honest about her reasons for running. But she couldn’t tell what he thought. He smiled and laughed but his smiles didn’t seem to reach his eyes. They were alert, wary, calculating everything. Constantly.

  But maybe she could use her femininity to her advantage. Maybe.

  ****

  “So why exactly do you need to tie me up?” Layla seethed. In spite of her hopes, it seemed that she’d had no impact at all upon Charlie. He didn’t trust her. He believed that she would try to escape and he had decided to tie her to a tree.

  “Look, I’m sorry, Layla.” His voice gave nothing away as he sat her with her back against the thick trunk. “But I can’t take the risk of you running off.”

  “But I won’t!” She realised that she sounded like a petulant child and she cringed inwardly.

  “Now…I know you’ve given me m…I mean…Mr Jackman’s money back but he’ll still want a word with you. So, I’ve got to ensure that I can take you to him in one piece.”

  “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to try to escape?” Layla raised her eyebrows. Hot tears stung the corners of her eyes and she was mad at herself for becoming emotional. She thought she’d got something of the measure of this cowboy, even though she wasn’t certain of it. He’d given her food and coffee and seemed to be friendly enough. Etu had been quiet but she was sure she could befriend him too…if she just had a bit more time. Although time was a luxury she really didn’t have.

  “Trouble is, Layla,” Charlie said, pulling the rope around her middle so that her arms were pinned to her sides, “I don’t know you at all. So whatever I might think or want to believe about you…I have to take care.”

  Layla sighed. He was right. He couldn’t trust her just like she couldn’t trust herself. She was all action and no thought for the consequences, no matter how many times she decided to be sensible and to assume the air of a prim and proper young lady. It just wasn’t her. If she’d been as wise as Charlie clearly was and not been so hoodwinked by Henrik, then she mightn’t be here right now bound to a tree.

  “There you go.” Charlie crouched in front of her. “How does that feel?”

  Layla wriggled under his gaze. The rope was bound around her middle and try as she might, she could not lift her arms. The bark of the tree was rough behind her but the ground beneath her bottom was soft and spongy with moss. As she shifted, the top length of rope slipped upwards and settled beneath her breasts. It pushed them higher and she bridled as Charlie watched.

  “Is the rope okay there, Layla?” His voice was husky. His eyes darkened.

  “I guess so,” she huffed. But she’d never get out of it.

  “I don’t want you being uncomfortable. It’ll be a long night for you if you are.” He reached out and smoothed her hair back from her cheek then ran a fingertip along her chin. She shivered. Why was he having such an effect upon her right now when she should be mad at him? The slightest touch from him and she wanted to beg him for more. It was infuriating. But the fact that he had touched her might suggest that she was having more of an effect upon him than she’d thought.

  “You could, perhaps, adjust the rope a little,” she replied. Her stomach flipped. If she could just get him to leave enough slack in the rope she might be able to wriggle out of it.

  “This top loop?” he asked, gently fingering where it ran over her arm.

  She nodded. Her heart beat so hard that she could see it moving her shirt front and she bet that he could see it too.

  Charlie pushed his forefingers into the top of the rope and pulled it towards him. The backs of his hands rubbed the undersides of her breasts. Her nipples hardened. She gasped with relief as he pushed the rope lower and freed her aching mounds.

  “That better?” he croaked.

  Layla forced a smile. Pull yourself tog
ether. Be convincing. “Just a little looser. Please?”

  He fiddled with the knot at the back and Layla took a deep breath, filling her chest. She held it until he’d secured the rope again then she slowly released it.

  “How’s that?”

  “Better. Thank you.” Though she couldn’t shake the memory of his hands against her breasts. Her flesh burned there as if scalded. She wondered how his hands would feel against her skin. The impact through her clothing had been enough to rouse her desire. Wanton.

  “Now…Get some rest.”

  “Yes,” Layla replied and watched as he walked back to the fire. Rest. She needed it, sure. Though how she was going to rest when her body was burning with desire and need, when she should be focusing on escaping, she had no idea.

  Chapter Two

  Layla opened her eyes. Her heart thudded like a drum. What had woken her? More importantly, how on earth had she fallen asleep? She was still upright against the tree and her neck ached from sleeping unsupported.

  The fire had died down but the night air seemed milder. An owl hooted in the distance and another one answered nearby. She shook her head. Her sleep had been disturbed by wild animals. She moved from one buttock to the other, trying to relieve the numbness of being stuck in one position.

  A strange noise came from the other side of the clearing. It was a soft moaning, almost like someone was in pain. Had Charlie or Etu been hurt?

  She leant forwards and peered through the gloom.

  Nothing.

  She wriggled her arms and pushed out all of her breath. There was some slack in the rope. Her plan had worked. Good. She used her wrists to push the length up over her breasts. She slid down the tree trunk. The bark raked her back as it pulled her shirt from her trousers and the rope dug into her flesh but soon it was loose enough for her to slip over her neck and her head.