Page 44 of Fool's Gold

He drained the glass and put it on the counter. He turned to look at her and leaned back against the cabinet, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Where do you think you're going?"

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "This is still a free country, cowboy. I don't have to stand here and be interrogated."

A nerve twitched in his jaw. "Yes, this is a free country. But there's an assassin out there, remember? It's not safe to go wandering around."

He was right, and it irritated her to no end. Still, she couldn't stand to be cooped up all day. "He missed, so he must not be a very good assassin."

He arched an eyebrow. "He didn't miss the wolves."

She recalled the revolting slides and shuddered.

"So, I repeat, where are you going?" he asked patiently.

"I need to get some work done. I have a deadline to meet." At his implacable stare, she added, "Besides, I can't handle just sitting around. And I promise I won't go anywhere near the bluff."

"Let's just hope the assassin doesn't think the same thing," he said dryly.

She frowned at his sarcasm. "Quit trying to scare me."

"I'm not trying to do anything. You're scared because there's a real possibility of danger. You can't go alone, so if you go, I go, too."

She bit her lip. The last thing she wanted was for him to tag along. How could she get any work done with him looking over her shoulder?

"You can't spare the time from work," she protested.

He pushed away from the countertop. "Don't tell me what I can't do, wife. I'm still boss around here. Where do you want to work?"

She sighed. It looked like she was going to have a tagalong whether she wanted him or not. "I'd like to take some pictures by the lake. I figured I could get some good shots of wildlife around there."

He nodded. "Yeah, you probably could, but it's pretty far out. If we go this late in the day, we'll have to camp out. Unless, of course," he said humorlessly, "you're afraid to be alone with me."

"I'm not afraid of anything." She bit her lip. She was quite uneasy at the prospect. In their surly moods they'd probably be at each other's throat the whole time.

Still, she could get some beautiful evening shots and she did have camping equipment out in her Jeep. "Okay, let's go for it. I've got all the equipment we need in my car."

"Fine, I think we could use some time alone." He turned and walked out the back door. "Let's go."

She relaxed at his statement. She could get him to see her side of things.

He opened the rear door of her Jeep, then slipped her keys back into his hip pocket.

She frowned at the telling action. He wouldn't give an inch.

She pulled out her bedroll. Underneath was a spare one. They were both attached to backpacks. She turned to Rafe. "Have you ever done any hiking?"

He took one of the packs from her. "Don't worry. I'll keep up." He picked up two canteens. "I'll go into the kitchen and fill these. What about food?"

"I have a week's worth of freeze-dried food in the packs. We won't starve. I'll find Rose and tell her we'll be gone while you're getting the water."

Rafe hobbled around the clearing, setting up camp while Sarah scouted around for photo opportunities. He had to admit, hiking in cowboy boots wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done. But after they’d started, there was no way he was going to admit it. Sarah had known, anyhow. He could see it in the twinkle in her eyes whenever she’d looked his way.

He wiped the trickle of sweat out of his eyes, and looked off into the distance where she was checking out an ant hill. He grinned when she loosened up and smiled. She was just like an excited little kid when she worked. It showed a passionate nature reflected upon other areas in her life.

Such as her uninhibited passion in bed. The errant thought caused a tightening in his groin. He was supposed to be mad at her, not thinking about taking her to bed.

Would two fit in the sleeping bag? He rolled it out and smiled. If they slept on top of each other, maybe.

He turned and walked away from the task to gather firewood, his thoughts growing dark as he thought about her attempt to buy him off. He wanted her, not her money. Would she ever get that through her stubborn little head? But something even worse worried him. Was this pay off just a preliminary to her leaving him? He cast a frustrated glance her way. She was snapping a shot of an eagle in flight. She was like the bird, free and alone, but he wouldn't rest until he had her tethered to his side.

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