Legend (Legend, Colorado 1)

“How can I reach you?” she whispered, then saw the man lift his hand in invitation. “Will we ever be together?” she asked, holding out her hand, trying to reach him. “Will there be a time for us?”

The dark man did not answer, but his eyes smiled, and there was such love in them that Kady drew in her breath and when she tried to smile back at him, her breath caught in her throat. More than anything, she wanted to jump onto the horse with him and ride away to wherever he was going.

But Cole stopped her. With one great stride, he caught her in his arms and swept her away from the opening.

And as quickly as he moved, so did the opening in the rock disappear. One second there was a doorway back to her own time, and the next there was only solid rock.

At first Kady could not believe what had happened. “No,” she whispered, trying to pull away from Cole, but he held her tightly.

“No, no, no!” she screamed, then began to beat him on the chest with her fists. “I don’t want to stay here. I want to go back to my own time. You—” she screamed, then proceeded to call him a few names that he had never before heard a woman say. In fact, from the look on his face, he didn’t know some of the words she used.

He released his grip on her arms. “Kady, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean—”

Shoving away from him, she went to the rock to run her hands over the hard, impenetrable surface. Was it open only at certain times of the day? Or only on certain days? What was the key to reopening the rock?

“Look, Kady,” Cole said, eyes downcast, his demeanor that of a man who was truly sorry for what he’d done. “I am sorry. It’s just that I couldn’t bear to see you go.” Tilting his head, he looked at her through thick lashes. “You can’t blame a man because he’s in love with you, can you?”

“If you loved me, you’d have helped me do what I want to do. You, Cole Jordan, are a very selfish person.”

“If by that you mean that I want you to stay

with me and that I will do everything in my power to keep my wife by my side, then yes, indeedy, I am selfish. When it comes to you, Miss Long, I might be the most selfish man alive.”

“Do you think that is the key?”

“What key?” he asked, confused.

“You being alive. Do you think if I rammed one of those knives of yours into your selfish little heart that maybe the rock would open up again and I could go home? To the man I love?” She almost said “men.”

“You could try,” he said good-naturedly.

Kady threw up her hands in despair. “Now what am I going to do?” she said, mostly to herself.

“Live happily ever after with me?” Cole suggested.

Kady gave him a look.

“I see. Want to try again tomorrow?”

“You have left me no other choice.” She took a step toward the horse, then turned back. “I want a solemn, sacred vow from you. You must swear to me that you will help me get home.”

Cole’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, certainly, I’ll help you get home.”

He had agreed much too readily. “What are you up to?”

“Kady, my lovely wife, it’s late and you must be tired. How’d you like to take a bath in a copper tub and to sleep on a feather mattress with clean white sheets?”

Kady opened her mouth to tell him what he could do with his “clean white sheets,” but every aching muscle in her body threatened to make her regret such words, so all that squeaked out was a helpless little, “With towels?”

“Warmed before a fire.”

“I hate you,” she whispered.

Cole chuckled. “I can see that you do.” With that, he swept her into his arms, then tossed her into the saddle, mounted behind her, and started down a path Kady had never seen before.

And although she was furious with him, it was on the path down that she said, “Did you see him?” When he didn’t answer, she elaborated. “At the doorway, did you see the man on the horse?”

But his look was enough for her to know that Cole had seen no one.