“A mite. The worst thing is I don’t think I’ll be able to walk on it very much. Here.” He handed Kim a piece of jerky from a pouch on his belt. “Now, ladies, as for your questions. You were easy to find because you couldn’t have left a bigger trail if you’d used a broad ax. I don’t know nothin’ about Justin. Lynna and me visited the Stanford farm and she found your letter. I sent Lynna back to Sweetbriar to spread the alarm and sent somebody after Wes. I been outside all day but had to wait until dark to get in here to you.”
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but why didn’t you go after John?” Leah asked.
“He’s holed up in a little cutback in a rock wall across the ravine. To get down there without him knowin’ it I’d have to come down from the top with a rope and I ain’t got a rope with me, but more’n that I wasn’t real sure that maybe he wasn’t shootin’ at a bear.”
“Bears don’t live in caves,” Kim said, looking around her su
spiciously.
Mac only glanced at her. “I didn’t figure on gettin’ shot while I was climbin’ up here. I must be gettin’ old.”
“I think we ought to—,” Leah began.
“Don’t listen to anything she says,” Kim interrupted. “What do you think we should do?”
“We’re gonna sit here and wait. Wes and some of the other men will be here soon and I hope they’re smart enough to come prepared. I ran off like a—what the hell!”
His exclamation was because Kim had leaned forward and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “I just love men,” she said with a sigh. “They’re so sensible.”
“I’d ask for an explanation for all this,” Mac said, “I’d really like to know why two damn fool women ran off after some murderer like the Dancer, but to tell you the truth, I found out a long time ago that women’s reasons for things usually make me madder ’n hell, so if you don’t mind I’d just as soon talk to John Hammond as you two. I want both you women to lie down on the floor back there, make yourselves as little as you can, and no matter what happens, stay there. You all understand me?”
“I do,” Kim said pointedly.
“If you’re planning something, maybe I can help,” Leah said sincerely.
“The last thing I need is—,” Mac began, but a gasp of pain from Leah cut him off.
Kim had grabbed Leah’s arm and dug her nails in. “Leah’s going to do just what you say, Mac. Aren’t you, Leah?”
“I was just asking,” Leah said defensively.
“Go! Now!” Mac was seething and both women obeyed his orders.
On his stomach Mac crawled near the opening of the cave. “Come on, Hammond, you not man enough to take on two little women and a wounded man?” Mac shouted across the ravine. “You havin’ trouble with us?”
His answer was two shots fired into the cave. Both Leah and Kim covered their heads with their arms as the shots echoed above them.
“That wasn’t even a good try, Hammond,” Mac yelled.
For hours Mac yelled and John shot into the cave. Leah’s ears were ringing and she could tell Mac’s voice was giving out. Ignoring Kim’s commands to the contrary, Leah crawled forward on her stomach until she was beside Mac.
“Your leg’s bothering you, isn’t it?” she asked. “Why don’t you take a rest?”
“I want all of Hammond’s attention on me,” Mac said hoarsely. “Look across there.”
At first Leah could see nothing, but as she concentrated and strained her eyes, she saw a figure against the lighter rock.
“Hammond, did you kill Revis? I heard how you were there. Is that why the man gave my name?” Mac bellowed.
“Who is that?” Leah whispered.
“From the size of him, I think it’s Wes,” Mac answered.
“Are you angry, John, because two women discovered who you were?” Leah screamed.
Mac put a hand to her throat. “Don’t you ever disobey me again. Now get back into that corner.”
Meekly, Leah crawled backward to lie beside Kim.