Foxfire Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

him. Without a by-your-leave, she untied one side of the tarp, raised it, and stared at the load underneath. For a long minute she frowned, not recognizing what she was looking at. Then she said, "Oh my Lord. You're packing bags of money! Good God."
    Hanratty stepped forward, but Tanner waved him back. There had never been any realistic hope that Fox wouldn't learn what he was carrying. "It's gold coins," Tanner said in a low voice, tying the mule into the short train.
    Fox looked around as the sun popped over the horizon. "Did you steal this money?" she demanded, stepping close so no one could hear her furious whisper.
    The question offended him. "It's my money."
    "All right, let's suppose I believe that. But actually, it doesn't matter, because you aren't taking bags of money on this trip!" Spinning, she opened the tarp on the far side. "Four bags total. Damn it. What were you thinking? This is flat unacceptable."
    "The money is the whole purpose of this trip."
    She looked around again, glared at Hanratty, Brown, and Peaches, then leaned in close. "This money is going to paint big targets on our backs. Don't you understand that? Every outlaw in the territory will be looking for us. It's too dangerous."
    "Nobody knows about the money except the people standing right here. And I've taken precautions. Hanratty and Brown are here for the sole purpose of guarding the money."
    "Don't tell me that no one knows about this." Now she had her fists on her hips and was leaning up on her tiptoes to look him in the eye. "A bank teller knows. Probably others in the bank. The Carson bank is too small to keep this many coins on hand, so a telegraph operator knows. Whoever guarded the money until the bank picked it up knows this money went to Carson. It's too early for the bank to be open, so you probably kept the coins in the hotel vault. Whoever opened the vault for you knows. If each of those people tells one other person a whole lot of people know you are moving a whole lot of money. Exactly how much money did you think you were going to take through the wilderness?"
    "Fifty thousand dollars." Opening his jacket, he reached for the telegram.
    "Oh Christ." She turned in a full circle, then looked up at him, shaking her head. "I won't do it, Tanner. Either you take that mule back to the bank, or you find yourself a new scout. I'm not crazy enough to beg outlaws to come get us."
    "The money goes with us."
    "Then I quit."
    "Read this first," he said, putting the telegram in her hand. Turning, he faced east, not knowing how she would respond.
    She read aloud, anger clipping her tone. "If you want to see your father again bring fifty thousand in coin to Denver stop. Arrive by May first or your old man dies stop."
    Tanner heard her draw a long breath before she swore and then read the telegram again, the anger draining out of her voice.
    "Somebody's kidnapped your father," she said, frowning at the money mule. "Have you checked to make sure this isn't a hoax?"
    "It's not a hoax." He turned and studied her face. She was no longer spitting mad, but she wasn't happy. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. "You read the telegram. If I don't get this money to Denver, my father dies."
    Without saying anything more, she walked to the edge of the staging area, folded her arms across her chest and turned her face in the direction of the rising sun. When she took her hat off and slapped it against her thigh, the sun lit her long braid like a column of flame.
    "Peaches?"
    When Peaches joined her, they both stood with arms across their chests, staring at the sky. Tanner smoked and waited, watching them, wondering if he could find Denver on his own.
    Finally he heard her say, "It's his daddy. I'd do the same thing." Watched Peaches nod then murmur, "We got to go."
    "All right," she said, walking back to the horses and mules. "Move the money mule to the middle of the train." Her gaze swept Tanner and his guards. "That money is your responsibility, not mine.