Captured By A Cowboy

Moving back to the bed, Raquel plopped down and gave Holt a disgusted glance. “I won’t be in any danger if you leave me alone. I’ll even let you take me to the nearest bus stop,” she conceded regally, “but I don’t really want your assistance or interference. I’m afraid it’s impossible for me to go home with you,” she spouted in her most autocratic tone, her head high with pride.

“That so?” he drawled in the tone he’d used earlier. Without another word, he moved to the bed, pulled off a sheet, and quickly tore it in strips.

If she hadn’t been so exhausted or so confident that he would accept her decision, she might have guessed what he intended. But her tired brain refused to see any point in ripping sheets. When his intention finally became clear, she didn’t move fast enough to avoid disaster.

With a minimum of force Holt pushed her flat on her back and straddled her prone form. He had her hands and ankles bound with the soft but sturdy cloth before she even had a chance to launch a counterattack. “You’re insane!” she screeched, pummeling him with ineffective blows. “Stop this insanity, you crazy cowboy. I’m not going anywhere with you!”

He shifted his weight along the full length of her body and held her bound wrists above her head. “Easy, honey, or you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Snake!” she spat at him m frustration, twisting and turning in an effort to escape his imprisoning weight. “You can’t kidnap me! You’ll never get away with it!”

“Who’s going to stop me? Your employers? The family you won’t let me call?” he queried, then his expression went serious, his face very close to hers. “Would you prefer calling your family?”

“No!” Fear flared in her eyes. “I don’t need anyone and especially not you!”

“You didn’t mind using me earlier,” he returned tersely.

Raquel ground her teeth in frustration, her sadly depleted reserves of strength rapidly failing her. “I’ll scream murder, rape, and anything else I can think of,” she threatened him unwisely.

In response to her outburst he dropped his mouth down to the open softness of hers and stilled the flow of warnings. His kiss was long and deep and breathtakingly thorough as his lips and tongue reminded her of what they’d shared earlier. He plundered the sweetness of her mouth, demanding and receiving her reluctant response. His hands began to caress her slowly and tenderly until he felt some of the tension drain from her body.

Her eyes were slightly glazed when he lifted his head and looked deeply into their shimmering beauty. “Just trust me,” he murmured softly, mesmerizing her while he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief.

“How can I trust you when you tie me up like some rodeo cow?” she hissed with telltale huskiness, the confused wonder in her eyes belying any fear of him or his highly unorthodox methods of gaining her compliance.

“You trusted me with the most intimate gift a woman has to give,” he reminded her, making her blush scarlet.

Then, while she was totally flustered, he took advantage of her momentary calm by swiftly wrapping his handkerchief over her mouth to stifle the threatened screams.

Raquel’s eyes shot sparks of impotent fury, and Holt smiled with a deep, charming smile that heightened her rage. There was no doubt that this fiercely independent lady was fighting mad!

A growling, rumbling sound escaped from behind the cloth. Even though she was a lightweight, he had his hands full trying to subdue his thrashing, kicking, snarling bundle of temper without doing her any harm. He was tempted to crack her shapely behind; he’d been sorely tempted all evening, but he managed to get her loaded in the front seat of his truck without succumbing to any violent urges.

She used every ounce of strength she could summon to fight off her abductor. She had no real fear of him, nor did she mind traveling with him. In fact, it was a convenient solution to her most immediate problem. But some innate sense of self-preservation warned that solving one problem might lead to an even more serious dilemma.

Holt strapped her into the seat belt, effectively securing her upper body. He locked the door on the passenger side, strode around the truck and climbed behind the wheel. Next she lashed out at him with her legs and feet. She didn’t stop struggling until he threatened to lock her in the horse trailer with Buck. Only then did she slump into her own corner and fume in silence.

She was a wildcat, he thought with an inward smile. No doubt about that. But she wasn’t afraid of him and she wasn’t street-wise enough to be left on her own. It was no small wonder that she hadn’t come to serious harm already!

He reached behind the seat and produced a blanket and pillow to make her more comfortable but received only a defiant glare for his thoughtfulness. With a grunt of displeasure she shifted restlessly to find a comfortable position, then curled into a protective ball. Holt put the truck stop behind them and headed for open highway.

Raquel tried, unsuccessfully, to free herself from the binding cloth, but she’d been tied by an expert. Her wasted efforts drained the very last resources of her energy. She was just too tired to fight him any longer.

She’d get some much-needed sleep and think of a new strategy when she’d rested. After all, she thought with derision, she’d become a master of strategy and outsmarted another who was deviously clever. The cowboy didn’t stand a chance!