Wild Desire

Stephanie sighed deeply. “All right,” she murmured. She swung away from him. “I’ll get the horses saddled and the equipment on the pack mule.” She stopped and turned back to face him. “You never said. You are going to go with me this morning, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m going with you,” Adam said, holding an aching jaw as he smiled at her.

“Are you sure you feel like it?” Stephanie said, her eyes absorbing his injuries once again. “Surely you must ache all over.”

“The long ride will be fine,” Adam said, yanking a clean shirt from the back of a chair. “It’ll do my aching bones good.”

Stephanie started to turn and leave again, but looked at Adam once more instead. “I hate to ask,” she murmured, “but I must. I need to know if Runner is in as bad a shape as you. Did he get beaten as severely?”

Adam pursed his lips tightly together. “I’m not altogether sure,” he said, turning his eyes from her. “We got separated during the fight. I came home when I couldn’t find him around anywhere after I managed to get out of the brawl in the saloon.”

“Perhaps I should postpone my journey to Canyon de Chelley until tomorrow and go and check on Runner,” Stephanie said softly.

Adam started to insist that they go today, when she broke through his thoughts and added, “Yet if I don’t go today,” she murmured thoughtfully, “I may never get a chance to again. If Runner found out, he would be furious and do everything to stop me.”

She nodded and walked to the door. “I shall be waiting for you, all packed and ready, Adam,” she said, swinging the door open. “Please don’t take too long. So much of the good travel time is gone today.”

Adam nodded, then wiped pearls of sweat from his brow. He sighed with relief. He had gotten away with his lies so far. But he knew that

they would soon catch up with him.

He feared that in the long run the depths of his deceit would cause Stephanie to turn her back on him. And if he lost her respect and love, he would lose half his world. He loved her more than he could ever love anyone, the sort of love that only brothers and sisters felt for one another. But a part of his heart had told him long ago that hers would not be an enduring love for him. He was always trying her patience and trust just a bit harder, like a string that was stretched until it snapped.

As much as his aching muscles would allow, Adam continued getting dressed and shaved, then stepped outside and smiled down at Stephanie as she handed him a cup of coffee and a roll.

“You always think of everything,” Adam said, gladly accepting the breakfast.

“Yes, and don’t you forget it,” Stephanie teased. “What on earth would you ever do without me?”

Adam’s eyes wavered as he looked quickly away from her.

Runner had spent the entire night on the knoll, praying and meditating and thinking. At last he had dropped off into a restless sleep. The cry of an eagle had awakened him with a start as it had swept down low over him.

The sun was creeping up from behind the mountains in the distance. Runner felt refreshed, but not reassured by his time alone. Nothing would take away the pain he was feeling.

Stephanie. He couldn’t shake away the vision of her face. He couldn’t stop recalling how it had felt when they had reached the ultimate pleasure of their lovemaking. He would never be able to forget what Adam had told him—that he had been duped by Stephanie.

Knowing not to trust Adam, Runner had started to head his horse in the direction of Stephanie’s private train car many times this morning. But the chance that Adam was telling the truth had stopped him. If Stephanie had already made such a fool of him, he did not want her to have the chance to do it again.

On the other hand, if Adam was telling a lie and Stephanie realized that something was wrong, in that Runner was not coming to see her, she would come to him and question him. If she didn’t come, it would prove that she didn’t care and that all that Adam had said was true.

As Runner entered his village, he immediately saw his mother and father outside their hogan, talking to the woman who was the teacher of the small school on the reservation. As he drew closer to them, he knew that something was wrong. His father’s face was shadowed with anger. His mother’s eyes were sad.

He rode up next to them and dismounted. He didn’t even have to question his parents. His father turned to him and gave him quick orders.

“Thunder Hawk skipped school again today,” Sage said, his hands held in tight fists at his sides. “Runner, you know his haunts. Go. Find him. Bring him to me. He has been disobedient one time too many.”

Leonida noticed the bruises on Runner’s face. “Darling, did you get into a fight?” she murmured, touching his face gently. “I know you were with Adam last night. Did Adam do this to you?”

“Yes, Adam and I fought,” Runner said flatly. “But that is all I wish to say about it.”

Leonida immediately fell silent. She went into her house and began quickly gathering together some food for Runner’s travels. She knew that he had not had time for breakfast.

When she returned, offering him a leather bag, which smelled pleasantly of freshly baked bread, Runner smiled down at her and accepted it. “You are such a good mother,” he said, bending to kiss her cheek. “Such an admirable woman. I wish more were like you.”

Leonida returned his kiss, wondering over what he had said. From what she had noticed about his feelings for Stephanie, he surely felt the same about her.

Yet there was something in his voice and eyes today that told her that he was being tortured from within about something, and she doubted it was over the fight that he had with Adam. She had to believe that it had something to do with Stephanie.