“What do you mean, get rid of her?” he asked.
It seemed she’d finally found a subject that interested him. Shrugging, she fought back the tears stinging her eyes. “I don’t think he’ll put her down, but he’s concerned that the horse is mean. And if she is, then she’s no good for riding, no good for breeding.”
“Wouldn’t you feel mean if you were kept in a small enclosure all day?” he asked.
“If someone could break her, I’d take her galloping across the ranch. We have two thousand acres. That ought to be enough freedom for her. I love her. I can’t stand the thought of losing her,” she explained.
“Maybe he’ll just put her out to pasture,” he offered.
She shook her head. “He’ll probably sell her off or take her back to her original owner. My father believes everything should have a purpose.”
“So why are you telling me all this?”
Why, indeed?
“I don’t know. I suppose because you were visiting with Duchess the other night.”
“I wasn’t visiting with her,” he retorted. “I just walked to the corral and she was there.”
“Well, pardon me all to heck. I thought maybe you might care, but I forgot that you’re an outlaw and don’t care about anything or anyone other than yourself.”
Frustrated with the outlaw, Amelia kicked Starlight’s flanks and sent the mare galloping toward home. She didn’t know why she bothered to give the time of day to Jesse Lawton.
He was the most unsociable creature she’d ever met, and her attempts to be his friend only frustrated her. She didn’t know why she’d blurted out her worries about Duchess. She’d been looking for a sympathetic ear, and Jesse didn’t have a sympathetic bone in his body.
So much for her worry that she’d feel bad sending a man to prison. She could send an outlaw like Jesse to prison with pleasure.
He obviously didn’t care about her troubles. For the next eighteen hundred days or so, she’d be certain to avoid him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Amelia Harper had the prettiest smile Jesse had ever seen. And until this moment, he hadn’t realized she’d never bestowed one quite like it on him.
But she was sure flashing it at the cowboys who had gathered around her at the corral. It seemed he wasn’t the only one she’d told about her father threatening to get rid of the mare.
Every cowboy with a pair of spurs was determined to break that horse for her.
Jesse stood off to the side near the corral while the cowboys gathered around the judge’s daughter the way bees were attracted to the brightest flower in the field. He thought about going to the bunkhouse, but he enjoyed watching her when she was happy—as she seemed to be right now.
Although he didn’t particularly like seeing how Mitch Monroe was looking at her. The ranch hand wore a wide grin that said he thought he was something special, and that Mitch figured Amelia thought the same thing. Of course, the way she was gazing up at Mitch, maybe she did think he was amazing.
Jesse didn’t want to contemplate the reasons that notion bothered him. He knew Amelia would never favor him. His past would always serve as a wall between them, and that was just fine with him. Or at least, he told himself it was.
Still, he couldn’t quite forget she was the one who had been responsible for getting him some new clothes. He hated to admit how much he enjoyed wearing them. He didn’t feel quite so out of place. And the men weren’t looking at him with as much challenge in their gazes as they had that first night.
“What kind of reward are you gonna give the fella who breaks that ornery mare for you?” Mitch asked.
Amelia glanced around before announcing, “Well, I was thinking something special. Since you’re all invited to my birthday dance, the fella who breaks Duchess gets the first dance.”
Mitch moaned. “Ah, Amelia, that’s not special. Reckon every fella here will get a dance by night’s end. You’re asking us to risk our bones for something every fella might get. It needs to be something precious.” He grinned broadly. “How ’bout a kiss?”
Before she could answer, the cowboys were whooping. Even from this distance, Jesse could see her cheeks turning pink.
“Mitch Monroe, that’s an awfully bold request,” Amelia chastised.
Mitch widened his grin. “I’m a bold cowboy, darlin’. A kiss from you is worth risking a bone or two.”
Jesse wondered where the judge and her brothers were, wondered how they’d feel about Mitch’s suggestion.
Amelia glanced around. Jesse thought she looked a bit uncertain. Then she thrust up that delicate chin of hers.
“All right. A kiss it is.”
More whistles and whooping from the men followed her pronouncement.
“I’m gonna break that horse for you, Amelia,” Mitch said.
Her smile blossomed. “Be careful, Mitch.”
“Don’t you worry none. Just have that thank-you kiss waiting for me when I get back.”
Jesse didn’t want to ponder what her kiss might taste like or acknowledge the spear of envy that shot through him when he thought about her kissing someone else. Someone else? When had he started thinking about her kissing him?
Mitch sauntered into the corral with a confidence that Jesse found irritating. From the moment Tanner had introduced Mitch to him earlier in the day, Jesse had felt disgust toward him emanating from Mitch.
Tanner had saddled the horse and was holding it at the ready in the center of the corral. He’d covered the mare’s eyes with a large bandanna to keep it calm. It seemed everyone wanted to make sure Amelia kept the mare.
Amelia moved up to the fence, and the remaining cowhands followed, all crossing their arms over the top railing.
Jesse was off to the side, not part of the group. Frank Garrison moved up to stand at Amelia’s right. He seemed like a decent enough fella. At least he wasn’t making promises about breaking the horse that he couldn’t keep. Wasn’t prodding Amelia to give him a kiss.
Jesse shifted his gaze to the corral. Tanner was holding Duchess while Mitch mounted her. Mitch gave a brisk nod, and Tanner ripped away the bandanna. He scurried toward the corral and scrambled over the fence near the spot where Jesse stood.
Duchess wasted no time in bucking off her rider. Mitch landed with a thud that stirred up the dust around him. The horse kicked the air another time or two before trotting over to a distant corner.
Everyone seemed as disappointed as Amelia that Mitch hadn’t met with more success.
“I’ll give it a try,” Frank announced, but his voice didn’t carry much confidence.
Jesse figured the cowboy would be lucky to come away with everything intact. A horse could sense a rider’s mood.
Mitch got up and started hitting the dust off his britches. “No, I’ll try again.”
Standing beside Jesse, Tanner mumbled, “I know Mitch is sweet on Amelia and wanting that kiss, but I swear that horse is more stubborn than most of the women I know.”
“That’s because he’s trying to break her,” Jesse said quietly.
“How else are you going to ride her?” Tanner asked.
“You tame her.”
Tanner propped his elbow on the fence and stared at Jesse. “You say that like you know how to do it.”
Jesse shrugged. “Maybe I do.”
Mitch had started twirling a lasso within the confines of the corral, slowly walking toward Duchess.
“That’s just gonna spook her,” Jesse told the foreman.
“Mitch, hold off!” Tanner yelled.
The cowhand turned around, the rope going limp in his hand. “I gotta catch her so I can ride her again.”
“I’m gonna give Jesse a chance to tame her,” Tanner suddenly announced.
Jesse couldn’t have been more surprised if Tanner had proclaimed Jesse to be a free man.
Mitch barked out his laughter. “What’s an outlaw know about breaking a horse?”
“Reckon we’ll find out,” Tanner said. He nu
dged Jesse’s shoulder. “Go on. Show us what you know.”
Jesse felt as though he’d gotten railroaded into doing this. He hadn’t volunteered to do it. He’d only mentioned that he might know how. Saying no was on the tip of his tongue, but he made the mistake of sliding his gaze over to Amelia.
She was looking at him as though he had the makings of a hero. Backing out was no longer an option—not because he considered himself a hero, but simply because he couldn’t bring himself to disappoint Amelia. He didn’t take the time to reflect on the reasons he was feeling as he was.
He simply bent his body and slipped between two slats of the fence.
Glaring at him through narrowed eyes, Mitch held the rope out to him.
Jesse sauntered past him. “Won’t need it.”
“You’re gonna land on your backside, boy,” Mitch called after him.
Jesse didn’t think so, because he knew something Mitch didn’t. He knew the horse. And the horse knew him.
For the past two nights, with Tanner’s permission, Jesse had returned to the corral and bedded down beneath the vast expanse of black sky and twinkling stars…and Duchess had kept him company.
“What’s going on?”
Amelia nearly jumped over the railing at the unexpected boom of her father’s voice. He wedged himself between her and Frank. Her brothers took up their posts on the other side of her.
They’d all been in her father’s library going over the ledgers. She’d hoped they’d stay there until Duchess was broken. She didn’t want her father to see any more injured cowboys.
More than that, she didn’t want her father to see her give Jesse his reward if he did manage to break Duchess. Had Jesse heard her promise to give a kiss to anyone who broke the horse? She never would have agreed to Mitch’s suggestion that a kiss should be the prize if she’d truly believed someone could tame Duchess. But after all these weeks, with no one having any luck, she’d felt safe in offering a kiss, because she didn’t think anyone would collect it.
She’d simply been engaging in a little harmless flirtation with Mitch. She certainly hadn’t expected Jesse to take part in the contest.
“Jesse’s going to try to break Duchess,” she said, surprised to find she sounded out of breath with anticipation. Not only might her horse get broken, but she’d have the opportunity to openly watch Jesse without having to slide sly glances his way.
With all the men surrounding her, she’d still been acutely aware of Jesse’s presence a short distance away. She knew Mitch was sweet on her. Mitch was more reputable than Jesse. Mitch warranted her undivided attention. Yet Jesse intrigued her.
“Amelia, it’s time to admit that purchasing this horse was a mistake,” her father said quietly.
“I love her.”
Her father sighed. “It’s a horse, not a person.”
She glanced up at him, her heart in her eyes. “Please, don’t send her away.”
“We’ll see.” He looked back toward the corral, and Amelia did the same.
Her heart began to pound at the sight of Jesse standing beside Duchess—simply standing beside her and rubbing her neck as though he had all day to do so, as though the sun hadn’t already begun to set and invited in twilight.
She thought she detected Jesse’s lips moving. Was he talking to Duchess?
She had a penchant for talking to animals, but she’d never expected that anyone else did other than an occasional “giddyap!”
But Jesse seemed to be sharing secrets with Duchess, and Amelia was surprised to discover she was envious of the attention he was giving the horse. He certainly never seemed interested in talking with her!
As Mitch hoisted himself over the fence, men moved out of his way so he could stand beside her father.
“Likely to get himself killed,” Mitch said, “but I don’t reckon that’ll be any great loss.”
“Losing a life is always something to be mourned,” her father said.
“Didn’t mean no disrespect, Judge; just figured with him bein’ an outlaw and all…” Mitch’s voice trailed off, no doubt because her father didn’t seem to be listening.
He was concentrating on Jesse. Amelia wondered if he was worried about Jesse leaping on the horse’s back and escaping to freedom.
Jesse gripped the saddle horn with one hand.
Amelia held her breath.
Without using the stirrup, he managed to throw himself onto the saddle in a fluid movement that Amelia had barely a second to appreciate before Duchess began bucking wildly.
But unlike Mitch, who had lost his balance and his hold with the first kick of the mare’s hind legs, Jesse hung on. Although Amelia wasn’t certain that hanging on was the way to describe the manner in which he rode the horse.
He didn’t hold his body stiffly as Mitch had. Instead, he seemed to flow with Duchess, almost as though they were one. With one hand clutching the saddle horn, he raised the other for balance.
Duchess began to kick less, to take several quick steps before bucking again.
A few more steps. A twist. A kick. A gallop. A trot.
And then she was cantering around the corral as though it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do.
At that moment, Amelia thought she could have heard a leaf land on the ground as an unnatural hush descended around them. No one had expected the horse to settle into an easy lope. No one had expected Amelia to have to keep her word and give a kiss to the outlaw.
Jesse brought the horse to a halt, swung one long leg back, and dismounted. Holding on to the reins, he started walking toward her. Her heart slammed against her ribs each time his foot landed on the ground, bringing him closer to her.
Step. Thump-thump. Step. Thump-thump. Step. Thump-thump.
His battered hat shaded his eyes, and she couldn’t determine what he might be thinking.
She was trying to figure out if she should warn her father that she was going to kiss the outlaw, or if she should just quickly give him his reward and hope for the best.
Jesse stopped a few feet away from her.
“You probably ought to let one of the hands ride her for a day or two, just to make sure she doesn’t get skittish about carrying another rider,” he said quietly.
She nodded, her voice trapped somewhere behind the knot that had risen in her throat.
“I’ve never seen anyone talk to a horse before,” Robert said. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing of importance. Just something to calm her.”
“Where did you learn to break a horse like that?” David asked.
“Prison.” The solitary word sliced through the air as though it were a rapier, serving as a reminder that he was very different from all the other cowhands gathered around her.
Unlike them, he never had a ready smile. She’d heard him laugh only once. He’d built an invisible wall to separate them, a wall she wasn’t certain she wanted to clamber over or knock down.
“I recall the warden telling me you took good care of the horses,” her father said.
“Yes, sir.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll go ahead and unsaddle this one and brush her down, if that’s all right.”
“That’ll be just fine. Last stall on your right in the barn,” Robert said.
She didn’t think Jesse’s gaze had wavered from her during his entire conversation with her father and brothers. He hesitated before turning on his heel and heading toward the barn, acknowledging with his leaving that the prize she’d offered to the others was forbidden to him.
“Jesse, wait!” Amelia called out.
She scrambled through the slats and walked quickly toward where Jesse was waiting.
“Amelia!” her father called after her.
She knew she should answer her father, but she didn’t know how much longer her courage was going to stay with her.
“Your reward,” she said breathlessly.
“Don’t do it.” His lips barely moved, and his voice was incredibly
low.
But she did. She rose up on the tips of her toes and quickly bussed a kiss across his cheek.
She watched him swallow hard just before he ducked his head and strode toward the barn.
He’d risked breaking his bones, getting hurt in order to tame Duchess for her…and all she’d been willing to risk was a quick peck on his cheek.
Tears stung her eyes because she’d seen the truth in his—if he’d been anyone else, she would have kissed him properly.
But he was an outlaw.
CHAPTER NINE
“What in thunderation did you think you were doing in that corral?”
Standing within her father’s library, Amelia tipped up her chin and met his gaze squarely. “Keeping my promise.”
With his hands gripping the desk as though that action were the only thing that kept him from launching himself over the top, he narrowed his eyes. “And what promise would that be?”
“I promised to kiss whoever broke the horse for me. I didn’t really think anyone would have the gumption to try—anyone other than Mitch. Otherwise I wouldn’t have offered a kiss as a prize. I certainly didn’t expect Jesse to accomplish what no one else had been able to. But once he had, I couldn’t very well go back on my word.”
She felt her brothers scrutinizing her. They stood just off to the side, arms crossed. They weren’t any happier with her than her father was.
With a sigh, he dropped into his chair. “I told you to stay away from him. I know I allowed him to go with you on the trip to town, but I thought you understood it was an exception to the rule and was not to be repeated. Nor did it cancel out the rules I laid down.”
“Tanner was at the corral, and almost every ranch hand. I couldn’t have been any safer than I was. Besides, if he were truly dangerous, Papa, would you have brought him here?”
“That’s not the point, Amelia,” Robert scolded. “Father gave you an order—”
“I’m seventeen years old,” she interrupted.
“Not yet, you’re not,” David said.
“Soon enough,” she reminded him. “For pity’s sake, it was a kiss on the cheek. I doubt anyone thinks anything of it.”
She was trying not to think about it herself, but she couldn’t quite erase from her mind his plea for her not to kiss him. His request had run deep. For a second she’d thought she’d sensed fear in his voice.
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