Eva cleared her throat. “Thank you, dear.”
“Anything for you, my sweet,” he purred. “We’ll partake of a cool refreshing drink and enjoy a private moment alone.”
Eva wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with him just yet. He might strangle her and toss her behind a tree as a snack for wolves, mountain lions and such. Nevertheless, he clamped hold of her hand and strode off swiftly, forcing her to scurry to keep up with his long-legged strides.
The reckoning, she predicted as he led her out of earshot. She expected him to chew her up one side and down the other—and he was entitled because she felt a little guilty about the deception. But she wasn’t one to give up easily. Especially when it came to an important cause like avenging Lydia’s shame and recovering Hodge and the money Gordon had extorted.
Her thoughts trailed off when she noticed the unhitched buggy sitting behind the stage station. Eva thrust out her free hand excitedly. “That’s it!” She set her feet, only to be uprooted by Raven’s superior strength. “That’s my sister’s carriage. Gordon has been here.”
“Good for Gordon and good for you for finding the first piece of the puzzle,” Raven muttered caustically. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I have a few choice comments to make to you. And be warned, none of them are very nice.”
When he halted by the creek, she was surprised that he allowed her time to cup her hands and sip the refreshing drink of cool water from the stream before he launched into his scathing lecture. Apparently, he wanted to wet his whistle, too, before he laid into her.
Rising, he fisted his hands on his hips and widened his stance. His thick brows swooped into a sharp V and he glowered ominously at her. “You think you pulled a fast one on me because I didn’t call your bluff, don’t you, Eva? If that truly is your name.”
“It is,” she confirmed. “What does J.D. stand for?”
“Jordan Daniel.”
“Your white father’s name,” she presumed.
“Yes, not that it’s your concern,” he snapped curtly.
“Jo-Dan,” she mused aloud. “That’s the pet name I’ll use for you.”
His bearded face puckered in a scowl. “No, you won’t. I hate it. Furthermore, I’m not taking this case, even if you did spring for my hotel room. I pay my own way. Always have. I’ll not be kept by a female.”
“It was the least I could do since I interrupted your evening.” She smirked. “After all, I did interrupt your designs on your whiskey bottle. Any of it left, by the way?”
“Yes.” He waved her into silence. “Now listen, lady, this marriage you concocted is a bad idea. In order to remedy that problem, we are about to stage a big argument and you aren’t going to speak to me again.
“I’m going my way to my mountain cabin to train a new horse and you’re going to Canyon Springs…or wherever,” he instructed. “Our disagreement should gain you sympathy from the driver, guard and passengers. Especially if you work up a few crocodile tears. After I abandon you, you can annul this pretended marriage by waving your magic wand of a parasol.”
She lifted her chin rebelliously and said, “No, I like being married to you. It’s convenient.”
He barked a laugh. “Not as convenient as you might think if I continue to ride the stage line until we have to bed down for the night. We’d have to sleep together to keep up appearances, sweetheart.”
Damn, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. When she winced, he noticed. Those green-gold cat eyes missed nothing.
“What? This isn’t the grand love affair you’ve made it out to be for the benefit of the passengers?” he taunted.
Eva drew herself up to full stature. He wasn’t going to intimidate her with that snarly scowl and threats of intimacy. She was sorry to say that she couldn’t resist a challenge. It was one of her many faults.
“I can endure sleeping together if you can, sweetheart,” she countered defiantly.
He gave a sarcastic snort. “I’d hang around until tonight to find out just how far you’d take this charade, but I’ve had enough companionship for one day. I’m heading west after we stop for lunch.”
“Fine, but do me one favor,” she negotiated. “Check the barn to see if a chestnut gelding is stabled there. Maybe Gordon traded the thoroughbred for a mountain pony to make the next leg of his journey. Meanwhile I’ll question the stationmaster about the buggy…. Turn around please.”
He frowned, bemused. “What for?”
“So I can retrieve the money I stuffed down my dress. I want to buy back the carriage,” she explained. “The horse, too, if Hodge is here.”
He grinned scampishly and shook his head. “Being married and all, there’s no reason for me not to watch.”
She rolled her eyes in annoyance then reached into the bodice of her gown to fish out the money she’d brought with her. Despite the blush that splashed across her cheeks, while she watched him stare deliberately at her bosom, she didn’t turn away, either.
He was still staring at her gaping gown when he said, “Checking on the horse is all the effort I’m putting into this case. I’m still taking time off to train a new horse. Maybe you can hitch a ride with your two new friends, Irving and Frank, to check the mining towns for your sister’s missing boyfriend. If you really have a sister and you aren’t making up this tale the same way you made up the story about our marriage.”
It was plain to see that Raven didn’t trust easily. Besides, she hadn’t offered conclusive evidence. But still…
He wagged a lean finger in her face. “No matter what, sugar, I’ll be gone this afternoon. No more of your clever charades. I’m fresh out of patience and this headache and hangover are hard on my good disposition.”
“Didn’t know you had one,” she couldn’t help but sass. When he pulled a face and muttered something under his breath that she didn’t ask him to repeat, she frowned curiously. “For the life of me I don’t know why this bothers me, but why don’t you like me? Is it because you don’t find me particularly attractive? Because I talk too much to suit your tastes? Because I’m headstrong and pushy?”
“All of that, plus you’re a royal pain in the ass,” he told her bluntly.
“Maybe I am, but I can’t let a thing like that get in my way while I’m serving a noble purpose and I need your help.”
“I’m not helping and the very last thing I need is a wife, pretend or otherwise. Especially one like you.”
Even though his comment stung her pride a bit, she angled her head to peer up at him. “How do you know you don’t need a wife? Have you had one before?”
“No, but I travel light. A wife is extra baggage that might get in the way or become another hazard in my profession. As it is, your charade will cause complications. When I return to Denver, everyone will have heard the news. It’s your job to quell the rumors when you get home.”
“I intend to pretend to be married for a good long while so get used to the idea,” she said stubbornly.
Considering her place in high society, having a pretend husband, especially one with J. D. Raven’s legendary reputation, would discourage insincere proposals from fortune hunters. She should have hired a husband impersonator earlier, she mused. It would have solved dozens of problems.
“Lady, you are loco,” Raven said with a marveling shake of his shaggy