Kim and Leah exchanged quick looks before hurrying to the mouth of the cave.

"Mac!" Leah said, dropping to her stomach to reach out to him. Between the two women they managed

to pull him inside.

Mac leaned against the wall of the cave. "It's my leg. It's not too bad, but it's bleedin' a lot so if you ladies have anythin' to wrap it with, I'd sure appreciate it."

Both women tore their petticoats away as they fired questions at him.

"How did you find us?"

"Is Justin hurt badly?"

"Where's Wesley?"

"How are we going to get out of here?"

"Do you have anything to eat?" This was from Kim.

"Hold on a minute," Mac said. "Let me look at my leg. I thought so. Bullet went through. It stunned me so

bad I nearly fell off that ledge."

"Does it hurt much?" Leah asked.

"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'treal sure that maybe he wasn't shootin' at a bear.""Bears don't live in caves," Kim said, looking around her suspiciously.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 awhat 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?" Macbellowed."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."I saw Wesley," Leah whispered. "He's coming down the cliff on a rope. It'll all be over soon."

"One way or the other," Kim said, burying her face in her arms. "I hope nothing happens to Wesley."For the next few minutes Leah lay paralyzed with fear. "Please, God," she prayed, "don't let anythinghappen to Wesley. I'll be obedient from now on and never get into any more trouble and I'll always askfor help with chimneys and murderers."

"If we get out of this alive I'm going to make you repeat that every morning," Kim said. "And I'm quite sure Wesley will help me."

Leah had no idea she'd spoken aloud. "If," she began.

"You two shut up," Mac said. "You're distractin' me."

In the next minute there were several shots fired, then came the awful sound of a man's scream as he fell.

Leah didn't breathe.

"Who was it?" Kim said with a gasp. "Not Wesley?"

"I can't be sure*" Mac began.

"Leah!" came what she knew was the sweetest voice she'd ever heard. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she whispered, then started running, tripping over Mac as he was rising, ignoring Kim's calling her back. She tore down the side of the cliff on the way to the bottom.

Above her came Mac's voice. "Stanford, you better get to the top quick 'cause your wife's comin' after

you. And I can tell you she's got no more sense 'n to climb down that rope after you."

"About as much sense as your wife's got, Macalister," Wesley shot back across the ravine. "Linnet's at the top holding the rope."

"Goddamn you, Linnet!" Mac shouted. "I told you to go get help."

Leah was halfway up the opposite wall before Wesley came sliding down to her, pulling her to him.

"I don't know whether to beat you or make love to you. Leah, you almost got yourself killed. Why didn't

you stay at the farm?"

"I'm glad I didn't because John came sometime and took one of Kimberly's notes and Justin had already run off and Bud and Cal couldn't have helped me because they weren't there and."

"Shut up, Leah," Wesley said, putting his lips on hers.

"Yes sir," she said obediently.

end.