"Here," she said encouragingly.

"Drink this." She held a canteen to his lips.

Ryder used what remained of his strength to clamp his lips shut until Anna Leigh laid her gloved hand over his nose. When he sucked in his next breath she trickled water down his throat. He stared at her for a long time. Her eyes were not cruel, merely frank. Looking into their light blue gaze he felt as if his will were being leached, his energy sapped. He tried to speak, but in spite of the water she had given him, his mouth was dry. He felt her hand slide into his. With her free hand she was undoing the buttons of her blouse. He shut his eyes and slept. Davis Rivers was in command now, and he rallied his men.

They fought hard and took the advantage. The battle was a bitter one.

Many men died without clearly seeing the enemy. Some scaled the rocks, but there was no quarter given. They were hunted down, and none of them made it to the top of the canyon rim. The battle was over by noon.

Five of the surviving men set grimly about the task of collecting the dead. Others removed foodstuffs from one of the wagons to make room for the bodies. Second Lieutenant Rivers called in another group and gave them specific instructions. One soldier was sent back to the fort for reinforcements. Rivers assigned himself and a private to go in search of Ryder McKay and the senator's daughter.

"That half-breed son of a bitch is going to have a lot to answer for,"

he told his men. They kept on working--time was short--but they exchanged knowing glances. Private Patrick Carr was the first to spot Anna Leigh. She was hatless and walking away from a grouping of boulders that would have afforded her some protection from the sun.

Carr and Rivers pushed their mounts hard to get to her. They knew she had seen them when she dropped to her knees in an attitude of prayer and exhaustion.

Carr dismounted swiftly and knelt beside her. His eyes grazed her face, her hair, and her clothing. The assessment only lasted a few moments, but it was enough for the private to draw his conclusions.

From his saddle Rivers regarded Anna Leigh. Her hair was disheveled, matted to the crown of her head by a rivulet of blood.

Dust streaked her face. The bridge of her nose and her cheeks were sunburned. Two buttons were missing from her blouse, and there was a rent in the seam of the sleeve. Even though her leather skirt was tan and meant for traveling, it was covered by a film of dust.

Private Carr raised Anna Leigh's hands and examined them. The manicured nails were broken and bloody. Carr glanced at Rivers.

"Looks like the son of a bitch has more to answer for than we thought."

Davis Rivers said nothing.

"Did he leave you here?"

he asked Anna Leigh. Her sob was wretched, but she managed to shake her head. She let Private Carr help her to her feet and leaned heavily against him.

"He's over there." Anna Leigh pointed in the distance behind her.

"In those boulders. He said they would shelter us." Her pale eyes darted pitifully between her rescuers.

"How did you get away from him?" Rivers handed her his canteen.

"The shots... they distracted him. I hit him with a rock." She shuddered delicately, causing Carr to hold her more tightly.

"I was afraid after that .. . My horse bolted and Ryder's mare wouldn't let me mount. I didn't know what to do. I stayed there with him until it got quiet again, then I came looking for someone."

"Good girl," Carr said. He asked Rivers, "You want to stay with her while I check out McKay?" Rivers shook his head.

"I'll go. Wait here. We're going to need him to show us another way down. We'll never get these horses down by the route we took."

Anna Leigh nodded.

"He told me that. He knows another route."

Second Lieutenant Rivers kicked his mount in the flanks. His mare was high-strung from combat, but she was still game. She covered the ground quickly in the direction of the shallow cave. Ryder was lying on his side, knees drawn toward his chest. There was blood at the back of his head and there were scratches on his face and neck. His jacket was lying on the floor of the cave, but he still wore his shirt. It was open at the throat, and where the second lieutenant could see Ryder's skin, he saw evidence of claw marks.

"Looks like she got some of her own back," Rivers said with certain satisfaction. He saw Ryder move slightly. Rivers grimaced, took him by the wrist, and jerked him hard to his feet.

Ryder came up, staggered, and dropped to his knees like a felled tree.

Rivers yanked him up again, this time by a handful of Ryder's thick hair. Half-dragging, half-lifting, the second lieutenant got Ryder McKay to his own mount. Ryder's vision was clearing at the edges, but his arms and legs still felt too heavy to move. He was aware of Davis Rivers, of the second lieutenant's intention to put him on his horse, but he couldn't cooperate. More importantly, he wasn't certain he should.

"Where's Miss Hamilton?"

he asked. The words were slurred, but Rivers was able to make them out.

"Carr's got her. She's going to be fine, no thanks to you." Ryder tried to think what that meant, but he needed his concentration to help Rivers get him in the saddle. There was no time to explain about Anna Leigh and the canteens. Ryder wanted to see Lieutenant Matheson and warn him about the real danger. He allowed himself to be pushed unceremoniously into the saddle and registered some surprise when the second lieutenant tied his wrists to the leather horn.

"What-"

"You can ride like that," Rivers said tersely.

"I've seen you sit a pony without any reins at all."

Ryder's struggle was to keep his head up. He didn't know how he was going to find the strength to guide his mare. And now Rivers was asking him a question about the route down to the canyon floor.

He tried to think. It was important for him to get there. He had to tell Matheson... He had to--"

"Which route, McKay?" Rivers demanded again. Out of the corner of his eye Ryder saw Rivers raise one arm and make a gesture to someone in the distance. Ryder turned his head slowly, careful not to lose his balance, and saw Anna Leigh sharing a mount with one of the company privates. He said something unintelligible, but uncomplimentary, under his breath and nodded to Rivers.

"This way," he rasped. As he led them all by a longer, less dangerous route to the canyon floor, Ryder began to consider what he'd say to Matheson. His foggy mind still couldn't make sense of the ropes around his wrists when the one who deserved stringing up was Anna Leigh Hamilton. He planned to use words to that effect when he came face-to-face with the first lieutenant. By the time Ryder's mind cleared enough for him to understand his predicament, he was already chained and under guard and on his way back to Fort Union. New York City At the knock at her door, Mary looked up from her reading.

"Come in," she said quietly. Twenty-four hours had passed since she'd shared her news at dinner. Her mother hadn't spoken to her in all that time. In fact, Moira hadn't come out of her room. Mary knew who to expect. Jay Mac walked in carrying a tray.

"Disappointed?"

he asked.

"Disappointed?"

"In it being me here and not your mother." Mary shook her head. She was wearing a nightshift and her robe. Her legs were curled under her on the chair. She put down the book and made room on the small end table for her father to set the tray down.

"I don't anticipate Mama will have a change of heart any time soon,"

she said.

"I'm quite happy to have you here." Jay Mac took a seat in the large Boston rocker while Mary poured tea for both of them.

"I've tried talking to her," he said.

"I know. I don't think she's ready to hear."

"I've been thinking the same thing." Mary handed him a cup of tea.

"You didn't go to work today."

"No. I thought I should be here in case she needed me."

"You mean you stayed in case Mama and I argued again." Jay Mac didn't even try not to look guilty. He sipped his tea and enjoyed the peacefulness of Mary's company.