brushed her hair, and the warmth of his body called out to hers. Despite her doubts, she would have

done anything he asked if only he hadn't taunted her once more.

"Are you beggin' yet, Sister?" he asked. When her spine stiffened at the insult, he smirked, then turned away and disappeared into the shadows that threatened the firelight.

Charlie stayed on the outskirts of the firelight watching until Angelina slept; then he returned to his bedroll. Near dawn he dozed for a short while. For once he did not dream. Odd in itself, but especially odd considering the conversation he'd had with Drew Winston only a few hours before. Still, he found himself thanking a God he hadn't believed in since he'd stood over the graves of his sister and his mother for the brief respite and the badly needed rest. Maybe Angelina was getting to him after all.

The way she'd looked at him in the firelight the night before had almost been his undoing. He'd wanted her with a desperation he'd never experienced in his life-and wanting someone that bad could never be good.

Despite the challenge he'd issued to her that he could make her beg for him, Charlie knew in his heart he would never force a test of that boast. He used the words to make her angry whenever she sidled too close to what remained of his heart. Last night she had gotten closer than ever before.

A metallic clank drew his attention, and he rolled over, sitting up and pushing his hair out of his eyes. Angelina stood over the fire making coffee. At his movement, she glanced at him. Her face held a weariness that betrayed her exhaustion.

"Good morning," she said.

"Mornin'." Charlie stretched and got to his feet. He looked over at the lump in the remaining bedroll. "How's the Yank?"

"Still asleep. But his fever's gone. I think he needs the rest for his body to recover from the poison and the fever."

"Well, he can sleep it off somewhere else. We've got to get a move on. We'll rig up some way to haul him and drop him at the first house we find."

Angelina slammed the lid onto the coffeepot and set it on the fire with a clatter. "He needs me. After all I went through to save him, I'm not going to leave him now."

"Yes," Charlie said, "you are. We saved his life. That's more than enough. We've got to get over the border before he's well enough to come after us."

"Won't do any good, Coltrain."

Charlie looked away from Angelina's angry face and met the laconic gaze of Drew Winston. The Ranger had managed to hoist himself up on one elbow, but the effort had caused his face to pale to a shade resembling clay.

"Why not?" Charlie said, walking around the fire to put himself between Angelina and the lawman. Though Winston had no weapon, Charlie didn't trust him not to use Angelina to get what he wanted.

"Because I'll follow you wherever you go, no matter how long it takes."

"Rangers aren't allowed to pursue over the border."

Winston's lips thinned, turning up at the edges into a smile that held little humor. "I'm on leave. Right now you can consider me under the same rules as any one of the bounty hunters on your tail, which means I have no rules but my own."

"Hellfire," Charlie muttered.

"I hope you roast in it soon," Drew said.

"Stop it!" Angelina cried out.

Both men turned to her in surprise.

"What's the matter?" Charlie asked.

"I don't want to hear any more about hell and death. I've spent a whole night trying to save your life"-

she shot a glare at Winston-"and I've done nothing but help save your hide"-she glared at Charlie- "since you saved mine."

"I would like to thank you for saving my life," Winston said.

Angelina nodded, her shoulders held stiff and her hands twisted together tightly. "I'm just glad we were here when you needed us."

"I don't know about the we part, ma'am. But I'm glad you were here."

She lifted her chin and stared the Ranger in the eye. "You'd be dead this morning if Charlie hadn't been here."

"How you figure?"

"I suspect you don't remember since you were delirious, but Charlie carried you down to the stream and

bathed you in the water until the fever broke. I couldn't have managed that on my own."

Winston frowned darkly. "I'm not going to thank him."

"I don't expect you to," Charlie snapped. He could think of little he would have liked less than thanks

from a Yankee. "I didn't do it for you anyway. I did it for her. It would have suited me just fine if you had died."

"Feeling's mutual, Coltrain."

Angelina made a disgusted sound and turned away. She stomped down the path toward the stream without glancing back. Charlie watched her go. She'd come back when she calmed down, or he'd go get her. Right now he had some questions to ask the Ranger, and he'd prefer Angelina didn't hear them.

Charlie turned back to Winston. The lawman eyed him with ice-cold hatred. After what he'd heard the

night before, Charlie understood why. He didn't like it, but he understood-all too well.

Well, the best defense was always a good offense, so he dove right into the Ranger with the question he knew would throw the man off balance. "Who's Claire?"

Winston's eyes narrowed. "You're the one who killed her. But I suspect you didn't know her name.

Names don't matter to men like you. Only the killing."

"Listen, Yank. You did a lot of accusin' while I was swimmin' with you in the stream down there. But

whatever you might have heard, I don't kill women."

"Right, and I'm Frank James. Don't try to fool me, Coltrain. I know what you did."

"Where did this happen?"

"Where the hell do you think? Bloody Kansas. Your territory."

"When did I supposedly do this deed? If you did your homework you'd know I left for Second Chance,

Missouri, at the end of 1868."

"In November. Before you left for Missouri. I'm not a complete idiot, Coltrain. I checked with Jake

Parker in Second Chance. You arrived there in December. I plan to see that you pay for killing Claire with your life."

Charlie sighed. He could tell by the set of the man's chin he would get no more out of Winston. But there

was something about the situation that didn't ring true-something at the back of his memory that nagged at him. He knew from past experience, if he let it go for a while, the answer would bob to the surface of his mind eventually like a dead fish in the river.

"And just where were you when your woman died?"

The lawman scowled. "In the army. Remember the war?"

"Yeah, it was over in 1865."

"Some of us had to stay on and finish the job. The country was a mess."

"So you stayed in the army, went south and made the Rebs follow the rules. And whilst you were bein'

patriotic, someone up and killed your woman?"

"Not someone," the Ranger said through his teeth. "You."

Charlie glanced down the path toward the stream. Nothing was being accomplished trading insults with

the Yank. Time to get Angelina and be on their way. Whether she liked it or not, the Ranger was going to be off their hands as quickly as Charlie could find a little piece of civilization.

"What's the story with her?"

Charlie brought his gaze back to the lawman. "None of your damn business. Just remember who saved your life and leave her out of this. It's between you and me."

"Oh, I remember who it's between. Just because you wage war on innocents doesn't mean I do. Does she know about you?"

Charlie scowled. "All she needs to."

"How the hell did you get a nun to help you out?"

Charlie's gaze sharpened. He didn't like this line of questions. "How do you know what she is?""The priest in Blue Creek was pretty talkative. If it hadn't been for him, I'd've still thought she was awhore. Though there was something about her eyes when she was in that big bed-she made me think of-" The lawman trailed off with a grimace.

"Listen, Yank. I've got her with me because I can't leave her alone out here. You've seen how she is. She wouldn't last a day. She's got nothin' to do with me otherwise."

"For her own good, huh? I find that hard to believe. What's in it for you, Coltrain? Who is she really? Some kind of heiress? You plan on collecting a ransom for her?"

"You don't know me, Yank. You know nothin' about me. I'm leavin' you first chance I get, and then I don't plan to see you again in this lifetime. But if I ever find out you touched her"-Charlie jerked his head in the direction of the stream-"I'll come after you, and then we'll see who pays for what with his life."

"You're never going to be free of me, Coltrain. For the rest of your life, I'll be right there, one step behind, maybe two. And one day, you'll find me out in front, just waiting for you to catch up."

Charlie had no doubt the Ranger spoke the truth. It was a fact of life-old age slowed even the best. He might be able to run for a few more years, but eventually he was going to get caught. If not by this young man, then by another. He was destined to swing at the end of a rope. His stepfather had often told him as much. Now it looked as though, at least in one case, the useless bastard had spoken the truth.

Angelina stayed by the river until Charlie came for her. She could hear the two men talking, though, unlike the night before, she could not hear what was being said.

When Charlie walked up behind her she could tell by the staccato crunch of his boots on the ground he was not happy. Neither was she.

"Time to go, Sister. I've got the Ranger loaded on a travois. We can go slow so he doesn't get jostled too bad. We should reach a town or a house some time today."