Free Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3) by Mary Tate Engels Page A

that or any other room for a couple of weeks. It might fit in with our plans if they think you've left town completely."
    "Will we be safer in the mountains?"
    "I hope so." He rubbed his hand raggedly over his face.
    "Dodge, I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. It was a rough night."
    "Couldn't be helped," he said tightly as he poured more coffee. There was a tension between them that would not go away. They tried to be polite, pretended to ignore the mounting electricity. But something existed that made them both aware of the other's every move.
    When Dodge suggested they go shopping for supplies and groceries for the trip, Tory readily agreed to help him with the chore. That would keep them busy and in the public for hours. And Lord knows, that's what they needed until this rush of physical attraction subsided.
    They were gone all day. First, Tory checked out of the motel, then drove down the highway several miles and circled back to the trailer on a back road. Dodge was waiting for her.
    Then the two of them scouted the stores in Sierra Vista and filled the rear of the Blazer with items needed for the trip. Tory double-checked the lists Dodge had made and helped him organize everything into small boxes that could be easily transferred to pack mules and saddlebags.
    Before returning to the tiny trailer for the night, they stopped in Sierra Vista for dinner.
    Dodge rested his forearms on the table. "You tired?"
    "Exhausted," she admitted. "I won't have any trouble sleeping tonight."
    "Good. Me, either. Ready to go?"
    Tory accompanied him out, congratulating herself on a day well spent and, soon, an uneventful night. Maybe they had conquered their sexual magnetism, after all.
    Dodge unlocked the trailer door, and before she could step inside, he uttered a stream of expletives and bolted inside.
    Tory followed him and looked around at the mess inside. "Oh, no, not again!"
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Stunned, Tory gazed around. Every item in the entire trailer had been turned over—and tossed. The place was a wreck, and Dodge was acting like a crazed man.
    Furious, he plowed through the rubble, throwing things, cursing. His long arms flailed in frustration, his fists impotently thrashed the air. "Damn it! Look at this mess! Just look at it! How dare he break in here? This is Sharkey's place!"
    Last night Dodge had calmed her fears with his strength and self-assurance. And when she'd stayed with him, he'd kept her safe all night. Now was her chance to give him the same reassurance he'd given her.
    "Dodge, please, you're making it worse." Tory reached out to him, but he wouldn't stand still and slipped from her grasp.
    "What the hell does he think he's doing, disrupting everything like this? The map isn't his! It's ours." He flipped on the hall light and gazed angrily into the bedroom. "He has no right to it alone —no right to do this! No right to invade our lives. Why, I'll—"
    "Maybe we should call the police." She followed him, picking her footsteps between the canned goods and skillets and overturned chairs.
    "The police?" he repeated derisively, shaking his head. "Do you want everyone in Cochise County to know what we're up to? Nothing will be safe then."
    "But I don't want anyone hurt, either," she said. "Especially us."
    Dodge gave her a speculative glance, squinting one brown eye. "He's after the map, Tory. Don't you see that?"
    "He? Maybe the intruder is 'she'." She shook her head bleakly. "The map. Where is it? Do you still have it?"
    He clapped his left hand over his heart, and she heard paper crinkling. "Safe. Right here."
    Sighing, her shoulders slumped with relief that she'd given it over to him and forgotten about it. "Good." She moved closer to him and barely resisted the urge to reach up and touch the spot on his shirt he'd patted. Oh, God, he was alluring. Damned appealing, even now in his anger. Maybe more so because he exuded so much power. And masculinity. "Right. It's safe with you, Dodge."
    She looked up at