His gaze wandered her face, coming to rest on her eyes. For a moment she thought he was going to take her in his arms. She wanted him to do that. She wanted him to turn away from those men and go back with her. When his gaze shifted to a point beyond her, she turned to find Jose watching them. He probably didn't know what to think, but he was obviously intrigued by their conflict.
He blushed. "I guess you don't need me now."
Alex pulled a wallet from his hip pocket. "Let me pay you for your trouble."
Jose shook his head and waved a hand. "No, I was happy to help." He mounted his horse and looked down at them. "I'll take your horse back to the ranch, since she brought you one. You two be careful. He looked at Carmen. If you need me, don't hesitate to call me."
When he left, Carmen turned back to Alex. "Señor Medena has the children. They're safe and warm." She pulled the cell phone from her pocket. "I've got this to contact them. I'm going to let them know I found you and you are safe. Is there something else you want to add?"
He took the phone from her hand and looked it over. When he handed it back to her, he released a long sigh. "All right, we'll go back together." His gaze found hers again. "But if they follow us…"
"Why would they do that?"
"Because they sense weakness."
She shook her head. "Alex, you've got to let this go. This isn't an endurance test. I know you could catch them, but what would that prove?"
He frowned. "It doesn't prove anything. It merely stops them from doing further harm."
Assuming they didn't kill him in the process. "Let the authorities handle it, Alex. The children are safe now."
"The authorities let them escape."
"Oh, I see - and you aren't going to let that happen. All by yourself, you're going to do what an organization of men couldn't. Alex, you've let this thing distort your reasoning. Let it go."
He stepped around her and walked to the fire, kicking dirt over it. "What if those two men had found you before I had?"
"Then you would have known where they were."
He gave her a wry smile. "I already know where they are."
She frowned. "Where?"
He pointed west of them. "Camped in a dry wash a couple of miles from here. They're thirsty and tired from running. Now they are the ones who are hiding."
"So what were you planning to do?"