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don’t intend to walk.”
    Lacey mulled that over for a moment, then gasped as
realization struck her. “Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head at him. “You’re
not taking my horse.”
    Matt nodded slowly. “Your horse. And you.”
    Lacey shook her head again. “No. I’m going after my father.
I don’t care what you do.”
    “I’m afraid you don’t have any choice in the matter,” Matt
said firmly.
    “Oh, really?” Lacey retorted. “Well, we’ll just see about
that.” And so saying, she ran toward Cinder, grabbed the halter rope, and swung
onto the mare’s bare back, intending to ride away from Matt Drago as quickly as
possible.
    She screamed in bitter protest as Matt’s hands closed around
her waist and yanked her from Cinder’s back.
    “Put me down!” Lacey shrieked, pummeling Matt’s face and
chest with her puny fists. “Put me down this instant!”
    Matt’s hands tightened around Lacey’s waist as he tried to
avoid her angry fists. He swore under his breath as her fist smashed into his
nose. Lacey gasped as she saw a thin trickle of blood oozing from Matt’s
nostrils. Good Lord, had she broken his nose? Well, it served him right!
    “Let me go,” she demanded, and when he still refused to
release her, she began to kick him, her booted feet slamming into his shins.
    “Damn you, you little hellcat!” Matt growled. “Cut it out
before I take you over my knee and teach you some manners.”
    “Manners! Oh, I wish I were a man, Matt Drago! I’d teach you some manners,” she cried petulantly, and when he still refused to unhand her,
she lashed out at him, her fist striking his wounded shoulder with all the
force at her command.
    Matt released her immediately, a vile oath erupting from
between his clenched teeth as bright shafts of pain danced up and down the
length of his arm.
    Lacey’s moment of triumph quickly turned to remorse when she
saw how pale Matt’s face was, and noticed the bright red blood seeping from
under the bandage on his shoulder.
    “Oh, Matt,” she murmured, instantly contrite. “I’m sorry.
Here, sit down and let me look at your arm.”
    He didn’t argue, only sat down heavily, his lips compressed
into a tight line, his dark eyes glazed with pain.
    “Does it hurt?” Lacey asked anxiously.
    “What the hell do you think?” Matt rasped.
    With gentle hands, Lacey removed the sodden bandage. The
wound was bleeding again, and it was all her fault. Silently chastising herself
for taking unfair advantage of him, she made a clean dressing and pressed it
firmly over the angry wound, then wrapped it with a strip of clean cloth.
    “I’m sorry, Matt,” she said again. “Truly I am.”
    “I’m sorry, too,” Matt grated, and before Lacey was quite
aware of what he was about, he had caught both her hands in one of his and tied
her wrists together with the bloody bandage she had removed from his arm.
    “Oh!” Lacey cried in exasperation. “You’re despicable, you
swine! I hope they hang you! Twice!”
    “I need that horse, Lacey,” Matt explained calmly. “I can’t
leave you out here alone. And I don’t intend to spend the rest of my life
cooling my heels in the Yuma pen for something I didn’t do.”
    Lacey made a face at him. “Don’t all convicted men
claim they’re innocent?”
    “I guess so,” Matt allowed wearily. “I don’t know about
anyone else. All I know is that I didn’t kill that kid.” He shook his head
ruefully. “At least, I’m pretty sure I didn’t.”
    “Pretty sure?”
    “I was drunk. But, dammit, I couldn’t have killed a man and
forgotten it. I’ve never been that drunk.”
    “What are you going to do with me?” Lacey asked, tugging
against the cloth that bound her wrists together.
    “I’ll take you back to Salt Creek with me, and then you’re
on your own.”
    Lacey shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “No, Matt,
please. I’ve got to go after my father. Don’t you understand? I’ve got to find
him. He’s all the