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sure his supplies were still there. Satisfied that they’d weathered the storm, he climbed on the horse and prepared to bid his unusual companion farewell.
    “Which way do we go?” Raven asked. “Do we continue along the trail, or do we make our way to the canyon floor below?”
    “Now wait just a minute, ma’am. There is no ‘we.’ I’ve got a gang of Mexican bandits behind me who think I separated them from the location of a lost treasure. You’d better find yourself another traveling companion.”
    “Lost treasure?”
    Hell, he’d done it now. Not only was there a treasure-crazed band of outlaws behind him, the woman beside him had that same glaze of recognition in her eye. Had she followed him? Did she know about the treasure and expect him to lead her to it?
    At that moment, Raven led the way, nudging Onawa into a trot.
    Tucker swallowed his protest and followed. “Don’t expect me to take you to any treasure. I don’t know a thingabout it. I just helped an old prospector who bragged about finding it.”
    “The treasure will wait. We must hurry,” Raven said. “Your pursuers ride hard. They mean you harm.”
    Damn, he didn’t want to have to kill anybody. He’d done enough of that as a soldier, fighting first his own kind, then the Indians. For the last few years, he’d managed to avoid trouble. The only time he used his gun now was in self-defense or to kill for food. Yet he was beginning to feel a kind of tension settle over him. Even Yank didn’t have to be urged.
    “All right. The horses need water. We’ll make our way to the river. We can find better hiding places there.”
    Raven nodded.
    Tucker peered over the edge of the trail and winced. “I don’t suppose you know the way down, do you?”
    “No, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll find it.”
The spirits will guide you
, a voice said as clearly as if someone had spoken.
    Raven glanced at Tucker, who was studying the trail behind them. She could feel the urgency building inside her, but she didn’t know if it came from their pursuers or the man beside her.
    As the horses moved along, Raven emptied her thoughts. She could almost feel the earth tremble, as if she were riding across the plains, a herd of buffalo coming toward her, a herd of cattle behind, the cliff on one side and the mountain on the other. Sometimes, if she waited, she’d hear the sounds of drumbeats and chanting, signaling the coming of a vision.
    She glanced up and caught sight of a single black bird over her, flying along as if it were some kind of totem, protecting her.
    Nah’ni chita-ini
. Look, O maid, behold me.
    And Raven understood she was to follow. Therewould be no vision. Instead the spirits had sent a visible guide to lead them.
    The trail came to the intersection. The bird overhead flew straight, following the trail that had begun to drop. It let out an urgent squawk and dipped over the edge of the canyon rim before disappearing from sight
    The sun went behind a cloud, and the earth turned cool for a moment as the mountain cast its shadow across the trail.
    Tucker swore.
    Raven shivered and wondered what lay ahead.
    The bird gave a final cry from somewhere in the canyon below.

3

    More than an hour passed before Tucker reined Yank to a stop and measured their progress.
    Between his headache, his sore ribs, and the woman riding in front of him, he was having difficulty focusing on the task at hand.
    A fine pair they made. Both had been on the trail and both had fallen, yet she didn’t even seem alarmed. It was almost as if she’d expected him. If he were a superstitious man, he’d be looking over his shoulder. The one thing he did know was that being with him put her in danger. More than that, he was entirely too conscious of her as a woman. What in hell was she really doing here and where were they going?
    The treasure had to be the answer. She must be looking for it too. If she didn’t know about it, he couldn’t for the life of himself figure out why