Legend (Legend, Colorado 1)

She climbed the path as it wound higher and higher up the mountain, but she knew within minutes that she had no idea where the petroglyphs were. When she’d come down the mountain she had been dazed and dizzy. Not that she was a whole lot better now, she thought, since she hadn’t eaten in many hours.

“Roast potatoes,” she said out loud to the rocks surrounding her. “Buttered corn and tiny squabs on toast. Rare roast beef; salmon from Scotland. Strawberry tart. Chocolate truffles.”

Mentally preparing a menu only made her feel worse as she trudged up the trail that seemed to branch off in many different directions at once. Her beautiful gown kept snagging on the bushes, but she took her time disentangling the fabric, since she still hoped to wear the dress to her wedding to Gregory. Maybe it would be her act of defiance to wear this dress after the donning of it had forced her to go where she didn’t want to go.

She had no idea how long she walked, but with each step she took, she lost hope. She was never going to find the doorway to go home. She’d starve to death or freeze or be eaten by the unidentified animal she’d just heard cry out. Or maybe those men who were trying to hang the cowboy would return and . . . and . . .

Kady sat down on a rock, feeling utterly and absolutely alone. Maybe this was her punishment for having lived such a wonderful, happy life. Thirty years of nothing much going wrong. No dysfunctional childhood, no one who’d ever tried to thwart her career, the love of a beautiful man who treated her like a princess.

With a burst of energy, she stood and beat her fists against the rocks in anger. “No, no, no, no!” she shouted. “I won’t give it up. I won’t! Do you hear me? I won’t give it up!”

Of course there was no one to answer her or even to hear her, and after a moment she slumped back down on the rock, her head in her hands, and began to cry. Maybe she’d not appreciated her life in Virginia enough and that’s why she’d lost it all.

After a few minutes her energy was spent, and she leaned back against the rocks and closed her eyes. Maybe if she concentrated, she’d wish herself back into her apartment, back into Gregory’s arms. Maybe if—She fell asleep.

Kady awoke slowly, more aware of her stomach than the rest of her body. Did she smell roasting meat? With her eyes still closed, she smiled. Chicken? No, of course not. That was the unmistakable fragrance of rabbit. Rabbit cooked in wine, or baked in a crust, or smothered in twice-whipped potatoes. Carrots. Tiny peas fresh from the pods. Thyme and a lot of pepper.

“Oh!” she said as she nearly fell off the rock, but a large hand kept her from falling. When she opened her eyes, she was at first disoriented, not knowing where she was, but then she looked into the dark blue eyes of the cowboy.

“Hungry?” he asked, holding out his hat. The inside was lined with oak leaves, and on top were the cut up pieces of rabbit.

Kady was so hungry she grabbed a leg and thigh piece and began eating, barely noticing that the meat was cooked incorrectly: too high a heat had been used, so the meat was dry outside and almost raw inside. It was minutes before she could look up from the bone that she’d eaten clean.

With a smile the man offered her another piece and his canteen full of water. “Find what you were looking for?” he asked when she was on her third piece of meat. He was sitting on a rock across from her, lazily leaning back, his long legs sprawled out between them, his boots nearly touching her skirt.

“No,” she said, not wanting to meet his eyes. She didn’t want to accept help from him, didn’t want to be in his debt. Truthfully, she didn’t want to get into trouble with him; he was very appealing.

“You left something behind,” he said as he held up the satin pouch.

Kady didn’t answer him but concentrated on the rabbit.

“You want to explain why you’re carrying a photo of my family and my father’s watch?”

“No,” she said, not looking at him, but she could feel his eyes on her.

“Who are you and where do you live?” he asked softly.

When she finished the third piece of rabbit, she looked up. “Elizabeth Kady Long,” she said. “But people call me Kady.” She was looking about for something to wipe her greasy hands on. The cowboy took a bandanna from his pocket, wet it with the canteen, then bent toward her, took one of her hands, and began to wash it. Kady tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t release her.

“I can do that myself,” she said, but he ignored her. Either she needed some assertiveness training or this man needed a course in believing women were autonomous.

When her hands were clean, he leaned back, so Kady started to get up.

“You might as well stay there since there is no place to go. There’s just mountains on three sides; Legend is that way, and Denver is a two days’ ride past it.”

“Then I’d better start walking,” she said, rising, but his leg blocked her path.

“Get out of my way!” she demanded.

“Not until you give me some answers. Now listen, Miss Long, you saved my life, and I feel that I owe you. It’s my responsibility to take care of you and see that you’re safe.”

“How can I be safe with a man who is about to be hanged? Maybe those men will return and hang both of us.”

“That’s a possibility, and it’s one of the reasons I would very much like to leave this place and get back to town. But I’m not going to leave without you. If you would tell me who takes care of you, I’d gladly take you to them, but I’m not going to ride off and leave you here alone. You can’t even feed yourself.”

At that Kady’s eyes widened. Not able to feed herself was the very last thing she thought she’d ever hear anyone say of her. The accusation was so absurd that it caused her to smile, then give a bit of a laugh.

“That’s better,” the man said. “Now, why don’t you sit back down and tell me what misfortune has left you wandering about the Rockies in a wedding dress.”