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thought she probably remembered how he’d adamantly refused knowing about any gold. And he still didn’t know of any. But would she believe him after this?
    “But—” Afraid she might blurt something out and ruin the crude plan he was concocting, Charlie did the only think he could think of to keep her quiet. He curved his arm around, pulled her close, and kissed her. Her lips were cool and sweet and tasted of sunshine. 
    Looking down into her face was too much for him—he didn’t want to see it if she was angry—so he pressed his cheek to hers.
    “We’ll be all right,” he whispered against her warmth. “If you just keep quiet.”
    He expected the glare he got, but it made him smile anyway as he put one foot in his horse’s stirrup and swung into the saddle, then reached down for Opal.
     
     
    ~~~~
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
    How had things gotten this bad this quickly?
    Opal clung to Charlie’s middle, her chin against the back of his shoulder. He seemed so calm, unruffled, even though they were surrounded by three rough men with rifles trained loosely on them. With each of the three men carrying lanterns, the swaying, odd circles of light created strange shadows. The ground beneath the horses seemed to get steeper and steeper as they moved toward the mountains.
    Yet being with Charlie, she still felt safe. She knew he’d do everything in his power to keep the cutthroats from hurting her.
    And she couldn’t forget the press of his mouth against hers. Her first kiss, and it had been everything she’d imagined:
    Heart-stopping.
    Pulse-pounding.
    Dizzying.
    Who could have imagined her father’s foreman could ignite such an intense reaction?
    “Where are we going?” she whispered, when she couldn’t hold her silence any longer.
    He shook his head slightly, then addressed their captors. “You fellas mind if the wife and I switch around a bit? She’s been in the saddle all day and gettin’ a little tired.”
    They were allowed to stop for a few moments and Charlie shifted them around so she sat across the saddle in front of him and could rest her head on his shoulder.
    She couldn’t help tensing at the intimate position, but Charlie tucked her head against his neck, his chin against her forehead, and urged the horse to move forward again.
    After a few moments, he whispered against her temple. “There’s an old miner’s shack nearby.”
    She slid her arm behind his back and pinched his side. He didn’t move, but huffed a warm breath into her hair.
    “There’s no gold in it. Your pa checked the shaft pretty thoroughly when he added this area to his spread.”
    The momentary hope thrilling through her flitted away and as it did, exhaustion took its place. She sagged against Charlie, allowing him to support her weight.
    He seemed to sense her melancholy and growing fear, because he used the hand not holding the reins to squeeze her to him. “Several of your pa’s men are out looking for you-us,” he murmured, almost silently. “They might not catch up to us tonight, but if we can last until morning…”
    He didn’t finish his sentence but Opal could guess what he’d meant. The cavalry would arrive in the morning, so all Opal and Charlie had to do was stay alive until then.
    “Whatever you do, just stay close to me.”
    His nearness was difficult to bear. She’d responded to his kiss, relied on his warmth and strength now. But her feelings for him also unnerved her. She had to remember he was still on her father’s payroll, was still loyal to Frank. She knew she could trust Charlie to keep her alive, but something inside her wanted to trust him for more—and she wasn’t entirely sure that was a safe option.
    Unable to fully relax, she became aware of Charlie’s tension when at last a crude shack rose out of the darkness ahead of them. A trickle of water sounded nearby. A stream? The bandits sat straighter in their saddles and started murmuring excitedly, but Opal couldn’t tell their exact