The Innocent and the Outlaw (Outlaws of the Wild West)

by Harper St. George

  The entire gang spoke Spanish, so Hunter was fluent after riding with them for years, and replied back in that language. It was best the girl not know what they were saying. “She admitted to being Campbell’s stepdaughter, but she doesn’t know anything about Miguel. This was a waste of time.”

  Cas’s booted feet sounded heavy on the bare wood floor as he took a step to cross the few feet separating them from the door until he stood before them. “She’s all we have.”

  “Campbell took your brother to get to us. Miguel didn’t have anything to do with the shoot-out. Campbell will make contact soon enough once he’s figured out what he wants.”

  Cas scowled, the anger vibrating off of him almost tangible. “And that coward will pay with his life.” Nodding to the girl, he said, “We’ll keep her until he comes out of hiding.”

  Hunter swallowed a curse, even though the proclamation came as no surprise. The last thing he wanted was to sit with the girl while they waited for Campbell to crawl out from whatever hole he’d disappeared into, though he knew his brother was right. They needed leverage when dealing with Campbell. He still thought they had a chance to track him down, a chance that dwindled the longer they wasted time chasing the wrong lead. There were still plenty of scum out there who knew Campbell and someone knew where he was hiding. “Send Zane back to town and put out the word that we have her. Afterwards, we can take her to a safe place and keep looking. Campbell will come out of hiding soon enough. He wants you more than he wants Miguel dead.”

  Cas shook his head and his brow furrowed. “I’d like to believe that. Hate is a bitter thing. He could kill him just to spite me.”

  “He won’t. We’ll find him, Cas. Campbell’s been around too long to hold a death grudge over Hardy’s death. There were witnesses there that day. They saw him draw on you first. Campbell just wants to shake us up. It’s extortion.”

  Cas nodded and his gaze jumped back to the girl. “Has she told you where she lives?”

  “Northeast of town. We hadn’t got to the specifics yet.”

  “You believe her?”

  Hunter smiled. “Not a damn word. She’s smart.”

  “You seem impressed, Brother.”

  “Intrigued.”

  “Don’t get too intrigued. She’s not just another one of your women. She could be the key to Miguel.”

  “She could be.” Hunter shrugged, aware of the heat of her small body at his back. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy her company.”

  “Save it for Susanne Harris when you get home.”

  Grimacing at the reminder of Susanne and all the other scheming socialites waiting to throw themselves at him upon his return to Helena, he shook his head. Their attention came from the fact that he was heir to a mining fortune and almost no one there knew he was an outlaw. It didn’t hurt that he wasn’t hard to look at as well, but his looks weren’t what had them all scheming for marriage. Aside from a couple of indiscretions when he’d been too young to know better, he gave socialites a wide berth. “You’re an ass. You deserve Susanne.”

  Cas flashed a smile, but the moment of levity was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Just don’t forget our purpose.”

  “I’ve never let you down, brother. This one is smart, but she’s also afraid. If she knew where Miguel was taken she would’ve given him up. I have the feeling her loyalty to Campbell doesn’t extend as far as you think. I’ll find out where she lives and you can ride out there.”

  Cas nodded in agreement. “I’ll take Zane with me. If Campbell isn’t there I’ll send him into town and come back here to question her myself.”

  Hunter leveled a long stare at his brother. Though they’d only discovered each other’s existence in adulthood, Hunter knew him as well as if they had been raised together. It was Cas’s loyalty to his younger brother mixed with a heavy dose of guilt that made him talk so hard.

  Switching to English, Hunter turned back to the girl and asked her exactly where her farm was located. Still glaring at his brother, she told them, keeping her voice firm and full of the contempt she felt for Cas. A little spark of pride surprised him as he watched her face them down. Fear and uncertainty shone in the depths of her eyes, but she kept her voice steady and her body didn’t tremble. Her chin even rose a notch in that cute little way she had. He found himself smiling at her before he even realized it and crossed his arms over his chest, glancing down briefly as he forced himself to look as fierce as he was supposed to be.

  Despite what had happened before they had been interrupted, Cas was right. She was Campbell’s daughter. As much as Hunter would enjoy that seduction and especially how it would rankle the old son of a bitch, he wasn’t in the habit of seducing his enemies. Besides that, there was a purity about her. She must have seen horrible things living with her stepfather, but they seemed to have left her unmarked. She wasn’t like the others in her world and for some reason he admired her a little.

  “If you’re lying, querida, you’ll have to face me come morning,” Cas warned in his slightly accented English, a wink and the hint of a smile softening the words, but not the threat. Hunter placed a hand on his brother’s chest and lightly pushed him back, not stopping until they reached the door.

  “We’ll find him.”

  Cas nodded, holding her gaze just a little longer before turning to leave, but the moment he opened the door, a shot rang out and a bullet splintered the flimsy wood at the top of the frame.

  “Get down,” Hunter called back to Emmy, and drew his Colt as he moved back to crouch in front of her. Cas drew his own gun and immediately shot back, the inside of the cabin filling with the explosion of the bullet being fired, before he laid himself flat against the wall. Another shot quickly rang out, this one so close that it had to be Zane returning fire.

  “He’s taking off!” Zane’s voice carried inside as he ran toward his horse. “I’ll get him.”

  Cas looked out, keeping an eye out for any other shooters. “Campbell’s man. Looked like O’Brien.”

  Hunter looked to the girl for any reaction, but she didn’t seem particularly upset if she recognized the name. “We can’t stay here. There could be others out there.” Staying could put her in danger and they couldn’t risk that.

  Nodding in agreement, Cas said, “Go to the cavern. We’ll find her farm, get the word out that we have her and meet you there.”

  Cas took one more look into the darkened clearing around the shack and then made for his horse. Hunter holstered his gun, intending to collect the saddlebags.

  There was another shot, this time much further away in the direction Zane had ridden chasing O’Brien. He looked up to make sure there were no riders coming toward them and saw that her face was pale. “You okay?”

  She nodded, a jerking motion that she tried to disguise by turning her face to the fire, making him think she wasn’t.

  Pausing in the act of repacking, he gripped his hands into fists to keep from reaching out to her. “Do you know him?”

  “O’Brien? No, I mean, the name is familiar.”

  At that, he rose to his feet and walked the few steps to stand beside her. Before he could stop himself, he was touching her shoulder. “This isn’t me interrogating you. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” To his surprise, she didn’t flinch away from him and her eyes were wide with fear when she looked up at him, making his gut tighten with something he couldn’t risk identifying.

  “Ship only just met him a few months ago. I don’t really know him.”

  “I don’t like that you had to be pulled into this.” He wanted to tell her that he wouldn’t allow Cas to hurt her, that everything would be fine, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t say a damn thing to reassure her until she told them everything she knew. Yet, even knowing that, he couldn’t stop himself. Before he quite realized what he meant to do, he was lifting her chin up just
a fraction higher so that she looked him in the eyes again. “Campbell took someone very important to us.” The flair of surprise in her eyes confirmed what he had already suspected—that she knew nothing about what her stepfather had done. “I believe that you had nothing to do with it, but you will be with us until we can get him back.”

  Her heavy eyelids sank closed as she realized exactly what he was saying. In the flickering light of the fire, he could faintly see the blue veins beneath the pale and delicate skin, only emphasized by the fan of her incredibly long lashes. Dark smudges of color marred the skin beneath her eyes, fatigue making her appear only that much more delicate, but strong at the same time, he conceded when she opened her eyes again to stare up into his. The spark, the fight, was there just as strongly as it had been before. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to fight him. There were so many other more enjoyable ways they could spend their time.

  Hell, all he really wanted to do at that moment was kiss her. He wanted to pierce the heat of her mouth with his tongue and taste her. He wanted to pull her tiny body against his and feel her melt into him as her resistance faded and hunger took over. Only the realization that he was on the brink of closing the short distance between them and taking her mouth made him rein in his thoughts, but he still couldn’t stop touching her. His thumb traced along the line where her alabaster skin met her red bottom lip, smudging the rouge a bit, touching her without crossing that ever-changing line in his head. He imagined the blunt tip slipping into the wet heat of her mouth to press against the rough silk of her tongue.

  “And what if something bad happens...what if you don’t get that person back?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Do you think that will happen? Would Campbell risk you like that?” She flinched, jerking her chin from his grasp and making him feel like an ass for asking the question. She was worth so much more than Campbell’s petty vengeance. Hardy had been a consummate drunk and an incompetent bank robber who had almost been strung up twice before. He’d wanted to make a name for himself by taking out one of them and Cas had responded in the only way he could. By drawing faster. It wasn’t fair that she would pay for that.

  “Let’s get out of here while we can. Put your boots on.” He grabbed the bedroll and saddlebags and went out to tie them to his horse. Once they were secure, he went back inside and used his boot to scatter the small fire until it went out and then turned down the lantern. She had put on her boots and looked ready to bolt, so he took her arm and led her to the horse. Grabbing her waist, he lifted her up and then mounted behind her before taking one last look around. There were no signs of any other men, but he wouldn’t rest easy until they were miles away.

  He took a moment to put on his gloves before pulling her into the cradle of his thighs and picking up the reins. “Tell me your name.” He didn’t think he imagined the slight jump she gave at his question, but when she answered her voice was as firm as before.

  “Tell me your name,” she challenged, turning her head just a bit to catch a glimpse of him.

  This was the girl he liked. He liked her bristly and challenging so that he could break down her defenses as he had earlier. He liked how she had become almost supple in his hands. He liked teasing her.

  Dammit, he liked her.

  Fighting a smile, he inclined his head in graceful defeat. “All right... Emmy...we can do it your way.” He pressed his knees to the black, nudging the horse forward to take a path along the creek. It’d be the best way to hide their tracks.

  “No, tell me your name. What am I to call you? It seems like we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

  “Will we? Is that because you just gave us the wrong directions to your farm?”

  But she was quick and didn’t rise to that particular challenge. “It’s because Ship isn’t at my farm. I told you I don’t know where he is and until you believe me—which I don’t see happening—we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

  A vivid image of all the many ways he wanted to spend time with her came to mind, but he pushed it aside and cleared his throat. “My brothers will be back tomorrow and we’ll see. If you’ve been truthful then you have nothing to worry about.”

  But she wasn’t being truthful and he could sense the guilt on her as she quickly turned her head away. She was a terrible liar. He didn’t know if he should be pleased or worried for her. It seemed to him that anyone associated with Campbell and his men would need to be proficient at lying if nothing else. Their survival would depend on it. It occurred to him then to wonder what her life with her stepfather was like. Was he cruel to her? Did his men treat her harshly?

  His gaze wandered down her pretty profile, the light from the half-moon making her skin alabaster, before moving further down and noting the softness of her breasts, the trim line of her waist and the flare of her hips pressed against his thighs. She was pretty in a silent way that drew him in the more he noticed her. Had she had that same effect on one of those men? Did she belong to one of them? The thought was distasteful, but he had to acknowledge that it was probably true. One of them would have laid claim to her. And, damn his baser impulses, the fact that she had known a man’s touch made her seem a little less out of reach, a little bit less of an innocent whom he’d be debauching.

  Needing a distraction, he reached behind him to dig out some of the dried beef in his saddlebags. “Here.” She eyed him warily and he couldn’t stop the slight upturn of his mouth. “Take it.” Shoving it into her hand, he grabbed another piece for himself. “Eat it, sweetheart. We won’t get more than a couple hours’ sleep if we’re lucky and you’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”

  “Stop calling me that. I’m not your sweetheart.” She gave a haughty toss of her head as she brought the beef to her mouth with her loosely bound hands.

  “Until you tell me your name I can call you whatever the hell I want.” He couldn’t resist chiding her, wrapping his arm tightly around her waist again until she settled against him, slowly relaxing.

  “You called them brothers. Are you really? The big one doesn’t favor you at all in appearance.”

  He was surprised at her question, but even more surprised with how he answered her. “No, he’s not my brother. But he might as well be.”

  “But the Spaniard is your brother?” When he didn’t answer she continued, “He has your eyes. There’s something about the jawline, too, that’s similar.”

  She was smart. He’d been surprised as anyone the day a man looking very similar to himself had shown up at his home demanding to see their father.

  “He’s my half brother.” There was no real good way to explain the fact that their father had abandoned Castillo and his mother when his greed got in the way of family life. Tanner Jameson had been born the son of a poor dirt farmer in Texas, whose future had looked even grimmer once he’d been wounded in the war and discharged from the military. When he’d heard of the fortune to be made in Montana Territory, that’s where he’d headed, leaving a young wife and child behind and damning the consequences.

  A lucky hand of cards had won him a claim that began the Jameson fortune almost overnight. Soon after, he’d befriended a politician from Boston who’d been on a hunting excursion and wooed his daughter—though it was really the family money he was wooing; Hunter had the impression that his parents had never particularly liked one another. With a better marriage arranged, his father forgot all about his first family.

  It shook him to the core that he wanted to tell her all of that. Instead, he said, “We only discovered the other’s existence a little more than five years ago. I trust them both with my life. To survive what we do, you have to.”

  “And what is it you do?”

  “We protect people from the likes of Ship Campbell and his band of thieves.”

  She looked back at him over her shoulder, her brow furrowed. “I think Ship
would disagree with you. I think a lot of people might disagree with you. You’re not lawmen.”

  “No, we’re not lawmen and I’m sure that Ship would disagree. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

  “Why do you do it?”

  “Someone has to. Can’t let the outlaws take over the world.”

  “But if you’re not a lawman then you’re an outlaw, too.”

  “If you want to put a fine point on it, then yeah, we’re outlaws, too. But the work we do is necessary.”

  “Necessary or self-serving?”

  He shrugged. It was really one and the same. “Both.”

  He met her challenging gaze and though it was too dark to see the emotion they held, he felt that look in his gut. It scorched a path all the way down. He wanted her beneath him. His erection swelled against the confines of his pants with the need to claim her. Not tonight, not while she was his prisoner, but already the fact that she was his enemy was beginning to hold little sway over his desire, a situation he’d never faced before.

  He’d never met anyone like her. It was jarring just how much he liked her. He’d never turn his back on his brothers, and his loyalty to Cas was more important to him than anything else, but something about her made him want to think of a different future. A future where he could have her.

  * * *

  The intensity of his stare should have sent her screaming into the night. It should have at least warned her that she was in over her head. It did neither. It left her body throbbing with a need she was too smart to give in to, but not too ignorant to completely understand. How she could want to give herself so completely to this man, to this enemy who had abducted her solely for the purpose of reaching her stepfather, should have filled her with a self-disgust that would shame her for years to come. But it didn’t, or it hadn’t yet.

  She swung her gaze forward to break his hold and did her best to move forward, to keep space between them. She’d been completely unprepared for how he would overwhelm her. His torso pressed against the length of her back as he leaned forward, a move she thought was deliberate until she realized he did it to navigate them up a slope. Regardless of the reason, he was all around her at once. His smell, the heat of him, the solid reassurance of his large body behind her.