Free Deep Trouble by Mary Connealy Page A

good and well”—Gabe ripped his Stetson off his head—”that I can’t just ride off and leave you in the wilderness.”
    “Certainly you can. I’d prefer the nearest town a bit southwest if you please, because that’s the direction I’m going. I’ll be walking of course—”
    “I’ll take you!” Like he had any choice, short of tossing her over his saddle and dragging her onto a train heading east. He wondered if the other passengers would support him if he shackled her to her seat. Abusing women was a mighty serious business, so he might have his hands full keeping her on the train until it chugged out of the station. But probably, if they listened to his reasons, they’d side with him and keep the little idiot on board.
    Her stubbornness just melted clean away. “Thank you.”
    “You’re
not
welcome.”
    “Did you have somewhere you intended to go?”
    “I told you I was drifting. I’m on my way to my brothers’, and there’s no hurry, but that’s beside the point. My plans are none of your concern.”
    “Because you don’t have any?” Shannon gave him a smile that seemed to soothe the grizzly in him.
    “That’s right. But I’m not going on the whole treasure hunt. I’m dropping you off at the first place I can and leaving you.”
    Her smile faded, and her chin came up in a defiant little tilt. “That suits me just fine.”
    “Go fill this pot with water so we can get some coffee on.”
    “Yes, Gabe.” Shannon whirled and rushed for the spring.
    “And hurry up. This place feels haunted. I hate it.”

    “I hate this place.” Randy used to be so quiet. Lurene sure wished he’d go back to it. But he seemed to feel comfortable voicing his unwanted opinions.
    Lurene didn’t admit it, but she hated this place, too. They rode into that eerie canyon and looked at those homes built into rock, rising high on the wall. Her eyes went straight to the highest one, and suddenly she realized they had no way to get up there and shake the truth out of that woman.
    “Hey, Shannon Dysart.” Her shout echoed off the canyon wall until it sounded as if a hundred people were calling for Shannon to come out. “We’re back.”
    There was no response.
    “She can’t have died yet. I wonder if we can still collect ransom if she’s dead. I ain’t never tried kidnapping before.” On that ugly comment, Ginger rode her horse forward at a fast clip, as if she weren’t afraid of ghosts one whit.
    Lurene followed, and she heard the men fall in line. They rode up to the base of the cliffs, and the five of them stared up, trying to figure out what in the world to do.
    “It don’t make sense that she’d be dead.” Lobo looked sideways at Lurene.
    “Nope. And it don’t make sense that she’d ignore us. She’s got to know by now that she’ll never get down without help. Maybe she’s scared, but it’ll come to her soon enough that she needs us.”
    “We’ve been half the day riding back here.” Randy swung down off his horse and tied it. “I’m gonna get a fire goin’ and cook these rabbits I shot. I’m hungry.”
    Because it would keep him busy, Lurene didn’t stop him, assuming she could have.
    “If we climb up there and I—” Lurene looked at Lobo, measuring his height. “If I stand on your shoulders, I can—”
    “Nope, not enough. You’ll be a good four feet short.”
    They both turned to look at Ginger who wasn’t all that tall.
    Randy lit a match to the fire. “Why don’t you just use a ladder?”
    “Because we shot the ladder to pieces.” Lurene wanted to do the same to Randy.
    “Not
that
ladder, the one out in the brush.” He nodded his head toward a section of the canyon floor that looked impenetrable with mesquite. “It’s old, but it’s in decent shape, at least as good as the one we used.”
    “Yep, let’s use that one.” Lurene spent her life being calm. She’d learned she could outthink most anybody, and she’d learned to keep that to herself, especially