Raven’s Prey(17)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

It surprised her that he should even have mentioned the idea, though. Altruism didn’t seem to have much place in the life of a loner like Judd Raven. The hour and a half spent guiding people through the plane wasn’t easy on him, Honor realized. If she had been feeling in a more cheerful frame of mind she might even have found his controlled tension rather amusing.

The Cessna, as she had guessed the previous evening, occupied a very important place in his life and every time one of the children touched the controls with an overeager hand or clambered over the seats she could almost see Judd wince in pain. But he hid his anxiety well and he didn’t cut the time short for anyone, not even the youngest. Still, when everyone had had his or her chance to play pilot and the door to the Cessna was firmly locked again, Honor could see the relief in Judd’s face.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit in the pilot’s seat, too?” he murmured as he double-checked the plane.

“No, thanks. I hate small planes and this one especially.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “How about sitting in the pilot’s lap, then?”

Honor blinked, taken aback by the hint of teasing in his voice. “If that’s another attempt at a heavy-handed pass, forget it. I’m not interested in going to bed with the man who’s going to get me killed.”

He sobered at once, the faint trace of humor gone as if it had never been. “You are the most obstinate female I’ve ever met.” He pocketed the keys and took her arm, following the rest of the crowd back into the village. “What would it take to make you quit playing this weird game, Honor?”

“A little trust on your part might do the trick.”

“Can you blame me for being a bit short on trust? Your story is ludicrous, Honor. What I can’t figure out is why you’re sticking to it. The longer I know you the less I can buy the possibility that you’re genuinely mentally ill.”

 “Well, that’s a step in the right direction* I suppose.” She sighed. “Is it going to change anything, though?”

“The fact that I’m more confused than ever by you? No, probably not in the long run.” He hesitated and then said slowly, “But I might be willing to make one more compromise.”

Stunned, Honor dug in her heels in the dusty road and tugged at his arm until he turned to look down at her. “What kind of compromise? What are you talking about?” The hope in her eyes was painfully evident. Judd couldn’t have missed it if he’d tried.

“I might be willing to give you another day or two here in Mexico, Honor, on one condition.”

“What condition?” she demanded suspiciously.

“That you’ll stop fighting me every inch of the way. If you’ll give me your word I won’t have to tie your hands at night to avoid getting beaned with the frying pan. If you’ll promise you’ll stop accusing me of wanting to get you killed. Little things like that. How about it? Can you agree to those strenuous terms?” he growled.

“I’d probably agree to anything that delayed your efforts to get me back to Arizona,” she admitted candidly. “Yes, I’ll agree to your terms. How long do I have?”

“Say to the end of the week? We’ll fly back on Saturday.”

Saturday. He was adding two more days on to the original number for which she had bargained. Four days in which to try and establish some kind of trust between them. Honor smiled, her gratitude plain in her wide, hazel eyes. “Thank you, Judd.”

He stared at her for an instant longer and then took her arm again. It was a hell of a price to pay for one smile of gratitude, he thought. What was the matter with him? Why couldn’t he forget his curiosity and the strange attraction he was experiencing for Honor Knight? She would be furious if she knew that the real reason he had elected to extend his stay in the village was simply because he wanted to indulge himself, not her.

It was stupid. There was [_no _]logical justification for his impulsive decision to give her an extra two days in Mexico. Now he was committed to four whole days in this remote village. It was an idiot thing to do. He should he getting the job over and done and returning home to New Mexico. He had other work to do.

Well, it was too late to back out of the promise. That single smile of gratitude was probably all he was going to get by way of thanks, too. But damn it! It was infinitely more pleasant to have her smile at him than to see the anger and fear in those huge hazel eyes.

Then Judd corrected himself. Yes, it was very pleasant to see the smile, but what really intrigued him now was the possibility of seeing passion come to life in her eyes. He had managed to arouse some spark in her this morning and his whole being longed to know what the flame would be like if he could kindle it fully.

“That’s the third compromise you’ve gotten out of me, lady. Are you satisfied?” he asked almost whimsically as they reached her cottage.

“Are you telling me you think you’ve been a very generous man?” she asked, throwing herself down onto the cot and folding her arms behind her head. She watched as he moved across the room to put on more hot water for coffee. Today her bird of prey had shown another side to his nature and she was still trying to assimilate it. His patience with the local people as he showed them over the Cessna and his surprising offer to grant her extra time both provided a great deal of food for thought.

“You sound as if you don’t think I’m capable of generosity,” he remarked, not looking at her as he measured coffee into the cups. He added an extra spoonful to his own and Honor winced at the thought of how strong it would be.

“Frankly, when I first saw you last night I wouldn’t have bet so much as a dime on the possibility of your having a generous streak in your nature. 1 decided almost at once that your name fit you very well.”

“Raven?” That brought a faint look of satisfaction to the line of his mouth. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Ravens are good in the air, you know. There’s not another bird that can bring them down in the sky.”

“Is flying your whole life, Judd?” Honor asked impulsively. “Have you always made your living at it?”

“Ever since I got my license when I was sixteen. Crop dusting, charter work, ferrying, you name it.”

“Do you often take on odd jobs like this one?” For some reason Honor chose to refrain from using the word “kidnap” to define his present employment. She found she didn’t want to break the fragile truce that was developing between them. There was no telling just how far his generosity really went, after all.