She scooted up the bed to sit beside him, reaching for his shirt to check the wound. Is it still bleeding?
He let her look, lifting his arm and settling it over her shoulders. A shudder of pure, feminine awareness rippled through her, but she forced herself to concentrate on his injury.
The bandage shed put in place back at the cabin hours ago had held, but blood had seeped through to the surface. I wish we had some way to change the bandage, but theres nothing sterile in this place.
Theres a shop at the truck stop. I noticed it when we passed. We can probably pick up a few things there, he said, his breath gently hitting her ear.
She lifted her head and found his face inches from hers. The air between them crackled with tension. His arm felt heavy on her shoulders, his fingers curling around her upper arm and pulling her closer.
Heat washed over her, swamping her with yearning. But as she felt herself leaning toward him, a flash of memory pushed through her desire-fogged brain. The angry undercover cop, his face red and his eyes dark with satisfaction.
Reno Police. Youre under arrest.
She pulled back, sliding away from his arm. We should go to Reno, Nevada.
THE BUS TRIP from Boise to Reno took over twenty hours. Despite the discomfort from his wounded side, Joe had settled down to sleep an hour out of Boise, suggesting she do the same. Theyd gotten very little sleep in the past forty-eight hours, and they didnt know what would await them in Nevada.
But Jane remained wide-awake, even as they crossed into Utah several hours later. Despite the whirlwind of activity that had started with catching a ride with a big-rig trucker from the Lucky 21 Truck Stop and ended with a mad dash to catch the bus to Reno, Jane couldnt settle down so easily.
Theyd hit the ground running in Boise, searching out a couple of different cash machines so Joe could max out the cash advances on his credit card. Hed also used a credit card to book them two one-way tickets to Portland, Oregon, to throw people who might be tracking his credit-card purchases off their trail.
Theyd used some of the five thousand dollars in cash at a nearby drugstore and another cheap motel, where theyd changed their appearances-a buzz cut for Joe and red hair dye for Jane. Theyd picked up cheap backpacks and some supplies and clothing at a discount store near the bus station, using another couple of hundred dollars from their cash supply. By 10:30 a.m. theyd bought two one-way tickets to Reno, also with cash, and boarded the bus for the long, winding trip to Nevada.
Even though she was exhausted, Jane couldnt stop worrying about what waited for her in Reno. For all she knew, shed been there just once, gotten arrested, and that was the end of it. There was a part of her that wanted to find nothing in Nevada to link her to her past. Every instinct she had was screaming for her to run away and put her past-whatever it might be-behind her.
But her past wasnt going to leave her alone. Clint Holbrook, whoever he had been to her, wasnt going away.
Hed called her his wife. But she didnt feel like his wife. She felt no sense of connection to him, only a deep, grasping fear and a fast-growing hatred for all hed done to hurt the people she cared about.
She glanced at Joe sleeping beside her. Without the Stetson to hide his new buzz cut, he looked more like a soldier returning from a hard war than a cowboy cop.
He also looked pale and a little thin. They hadnt eaten much over the past couple of days, and the infection, though proving mild enough for the amoxicillin to handle, had taken a toll on him. She hated waking him when they reached Salt Lake City, but they had to transfer buses. She shook his shoulder, trying to be gentle, but he started awake, his eyes wild with the surge of adrenaline.
He relaxed a bit as he took in their surroundings. Were in Salt Lake already?
She nodded. We have a long layover. How about we get something to eat?
They joined the throng of travelers exiting the bus at the Salt Lake City station, Joe keeping her close by draping his arm over her shoulders. Theyd agreed on a cover story for their travels-newlyweds on an economy honeymoon. They even wore a pair of stainless-steel wedding bands theyd picked up cheaply at the discount store in Boise.
She toyed with the ring as they left the bus station, staying close to Joe. Outside, Salt Lake City sparkled like a thousand jewels as twilight descended. The setting sun painted the mountains in the east in tones of gold and red, reminding Jane of the Sawtooth Mountains back home.
Her stomach twisted as that word rang in her head. Home. Thats how shed come to think of Trinity, but only because she knew nothing else but those five short months there. That time was the sum total of life as she knew it.
For better or worse, it was time to leave Trinity behind and find out who she really was.
Joe caught her hand as they crossed the street, following the crowd toward a large mall visible a few blocks ahead. They found a sub sandwich shop in the mall and grabbed a couple of sandwiches for dinner. Jane enjoyed the anonymity of the large mall, the sense of safety in numbers. As they ate, she found herself pretending she was just an ordinary woman, having dinner with a friend.
A boyfriend, she amended mentally. Since it was her fantasy.
Maybe they had met in college. Joe was probably a few years older than she was, but maybe hed worked a while and gone to college later. Hed majored in criminal justice, of course. Top of his class. Her major had been-
What? What interested her? What was she good at? She had no idea.
What did I tell you about myself? Back in Wyoming, she asked aloud.
Joe looked up from his dinner. Not much, really. You didnt talk about your past. You were all about the present. And sometimes the future.
Did I tell you other things about myself? What my dreams were? What talents or skills I had?
He gazed across the table at her, his expression apologetic. Not a lot. I know you liked music. You could play the piano.
I play the piano? She smiled at that.
Yeah. You said you came to it later in your life and wished you had been able to take lessons when you were younger. You wanted to be better at it.
Did I ever play for you?
His expression softened. Yeah. You did. I have a piano at home. It belonged to my mother, but she died before she could teach me to play. My father thought piano lessons were a waste. I was going to be a rancher like he was, and that was that.
But youre a policeman instead.
He nodded. Call me a rebel.
She laughed. Oh, yeah. Youre a rebel.
He smiled. You used to tease me about that.
About what? Being a rebel?
Being a cowboy. Mom, America, apple pie-
Cowboy Joe, she murmured.
Yeah. His smile faded, and she could almost see him putting deliberate distance between them. Lets see if we can find a clothing store around here anywhere. We need a few more things if were going to spend too much more time on the move.
They spent the next hour looking for a few items to add to their stash of supplies. Joe bought a gym bag to accommodate the jeans and fleece items they bought in case they had to rough it outdoors. They were a couple of months from temperate weather, especially at night. It wont hurt to be prepared, Joe said as they took the last of their supplies to the checkout stand.
They made it back to the bus terminal with a half hour to spare. During the wait to board the new bus, Joe transferred their purchases to the gym bag, while Jane counted up what cash they had left. We still have about $2,000, she told him softly.
Maybe thatll be enough, he answered.
Enough for what?
To make more, he answered cryptically.
The boarding call came before she could ask him what he meant. He picked up the extra bag, gave her a look. Reno, here we come.
She followed him slowly to the bus, terrified of what lay ahead.
Chapter Ten
Double down, mister, Joe said to the blackjack dealer, taking Janes hand and kissing it for luck as hed explained to the dealer the first time hed done it. Jane slanted a look at Joe, amused by the relish with which he was playing the role of the clueless bumpkin for the blackjack dealer.
The dealer arched an eyebrow, looking at the three and the seven in his own hand. Joe held a nine and a two. The dealer laid down another card for Joe. A three of hearts.
Jane flashed a friendly smile at the blackjack dealer, a man in his late fifties who looked like a permanent fixture behind the table. He was older than the dealers shed talked to at the other casinos.
The Painted Pony Casino was the third theyd tried since heading for the strip early that morning. Theyd come up empty at the first two. Nobody admitted to knowing the con man Jane had seen in her dream.
Maybe shed get lucky here.
The Painted Pony Casino was the third theyd tried since heading for the strip early that morning. Theyd come up empty at the first two. Nobody admitted to knowing the con man Jane had seen in her dream.
Maybe shed get lucky here.
Ive always thought it would be fun to be a dealer, she commented airily. Do you have to know any math?
The dealer looked up at her with an amused smile. Can you add up to twenty-one, maam?
Yes.
Thats all the math we want to see going on at a blackjack table, he answered, dealing himself a card. The six of clubs. He glanced up at Joe, who was lightly drumming his fingers on the blackjack table. Newlyweds?
Joe gave Jane a look so besotted that it made her stomach turn flips. Just got hitched, he answered with a sly wink at the dealer. Now Ive got to make a little money to pay the bills.
The dealer uncovered the facedown card in front of Joe-the six of diamonds. He played his own facedown card. A jack of spades. I guess its your lucky day all around, then, mister. He slid the winnings toward Joe.
I used to come to Reno with my family when I was a kid, Jane said as Joe motioned for the dealer to deal him another hand. I can barely remember any of it. There was this guy though-an older guy. I remember he had coal-black hair with just a little gray at the temples. And he dealt that game-whats that game where there are three cards, and you switch them around and around and someone tries to guess where the queen or the ace or whatever is?
Three-card monte, darling, Joe drawled, tapping the eight of hearts in front of him. I dont think folks here at the casinos consider that a proper card game.