by Joannie Kay
“I’ll keep an eye on her for you, Walker. I wouldn’t want anyone to think they could take advantage of her, either.”
“I appreciate that, Tanner. Thanks.”
When they arrived at the Gorman place it didn’t take more than a few minutes to realize they didn’t need to worry about the Gorman Brothers. There was no sign of them anywhere, and the shack they lived in was burned to the ground and still smoldering. Their horses were gone, too, and they had obviously moved on. “They’re long gone by now,” Tanner stated. “Out of my jurisdiction, for sure. I’ll send out a few wires to warn other Sheriff’s in the area, but it’s pointless for me to go after them.”
“Well, come on back to my place and we’ll have supper.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Tanner replied. He didn’t get many home-cooked meals, and now that he knew Jessie wasn’t holding a grudge for him, he felt welcome to show up at the ranch again.
* * *
Jessie had been trailing the boys for over two hours, and was starting to worry that somehow she’d passed them without realizing. Angie said they rode out only fifteen or twenty minutes before she got back to the ranch, and she should have overtaken them by now. She heard a gunshot, and felt her stomach muscles tighten in fear. She took off at a gallop, common sense telling her to slow down and not barge into a situation until she knew what she was riding into. It could be Indians, and she was going to have to keep her wits about her if Billy was in trouble.
* * *
Walker made no attempt to hide the fact he was angry as he examined Lee’s and Denver’s faces, and he actually muttered a curse when he learned that Sam shoved Angie when she tried to stop him. “Are you hurt, Angie? I can get Doc for you?” he offered.
“I’m fine, Walker. Just my pride is a bit dented,” she said, blushing. She didn’t like talking about her bruised bottom in front of the handsome lawman that Walker introduced her to moments ago.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble for me to fetch Doc, ma’am,” Tanner insisted, looking at the pretty woman intently. He knew she was a widow, and probably wouldn’t welcome his attention, but he was smitten, and there was no other word for it.
“Please don’t trouble yourself, Sheriff.” Angie blushed again. “I’m fine. Honest I am. Oh, drat! The baby is awake and my hands are a mess!” She reached for a towel, and Tanner stopped her.
“I’ll fetch him, ma’am,” he insisted, and hurried to find the little baby in the parlor where Angie had him sleeping on a pad on the floor where he would be safe. He scooped the smiling baby off the pad and carried him to the kitchen. “Here’s your Mama,” he told the little guy. “What’s his name, ma’am?” he asked, bouncing the little guy and making him giggle.
“Andy,” Angie answered with a smile. “He likes you.”
“I like him, too,” Tanner smiled, and then looked at Walker. “Well, friend, are we riding out or waiting here like Jessie said to do?”
“Riding out. I don’t like the idea of Jessie out there alone, and Sam doesn’t like her. I don’t want her hurt like he hurt Lee and Denver… and Angie. Billy should have let Sam go and let me deal with him,” Walker stated.
“Walker, I am not tattling, but Billy took a rifle with him and a box of ammunition,” Mrs. Gibbons said softly.
“What?” Walker was stunned. It was a hard and fast rule that the guns were off limits without express permission.
“Not to shoot Sam,” Mrs. Gibbons quickly interspersed. “But for protection, in case of Indians… or trouble of some kind. Sam isn’t armed, and Billy was worried. Of course, Jessie is worried about Billy, and she hurried out after them. I truly thought they’d be back by now; those boys didn’t have much of a head start on her.”
Walker headed out the door, Tanner right behind him, and the two men rode out to find Jessie and the boys. Walker had a serious feeling he would be taking his belt off very soon. Sam ran away after fighting with Lee and Denver, and there was no way he could overlook the fact he’d shoved Angie to the ground. Billy rode out without express permission, and took a gun, which he was forbidden to do. And then, there was Jessie, who wasn’t supposed to be riding off alone, either. Walker shook his head. Taking in Sam had created a whole bunch of problems, and he was going to have to deal with him firmly.
* * *
Jessie was upset. She’d been following the Indians who’d captured Sam for the last hour, but she hadn’t seen a sign of her brother. Where could he be? Had he’d seen the Indians and headed back to the ranch for help? Or, was he lying dead or injured somewhere? She’d assumed that he had been the one to fire a weapon, but from the blood soaking Sam’s shirt, he was the one who was injured by one of the Indians who was carrying a gun. Finally, the braves stopped and they quickly tied Sam to a tree, even though he put up a fight, or as much of a fight as he could with an injured arm. Two of the braves taunted him, and Sam spit at them, calling them names. They merely laughed and set about making camp. Jessie knew that once the men ate they would probably turn to Sam for their amusement and entertainment. Somehow she had to get to the boy and cut him free and get him out of there.
A bit later she realized that one of the Indians had some whiskey. The braves were getting drunk, and that would work to her advantage. A couple of them went to sleep while two others continued to drink and tend the rabbits they were roasting over the fire. Jessie crept closer, determined to rescue Sam.
* * *
“Isn’t that Billy?” Tanner asked, pointing.
Walker urged his mount to go faster, toward the redheaded youth.
“Walker, the Indians got Sam. I come to get help. We got to hurry. They took him over an hour ago now.”
“Show us the way,” Walker ordered, his fear for Sam mixed with his fear for Jessie. He said a prayer that they would get to them in time.
* * *
Jessie was as quiet as possible, and she used the darkness to her advantage. She came up behind Sam and whispered, “Don’t make a sound, Sam. I’m going to get you out of here.” She cut the ropes binding him to the tree, and then asked, “Are you able to walk?” He nodded. “Okay, try to be very quiet, and let’s get out of here before they miss you.”
Sam followed Jessie to where she left her horse, and once she was mounted, she pulled him up behind her and said, “Hang on. We’re going to ride hard and fast now.” She took off, just as she heard one of the Indians let out a yell! “Damn,” she whispered. She pushed her mount as hard as she could, but was sure the Indians were gaining on them. “Did you see Billy?” she demanded of the boy. She could feel him trembling against her, and she didn’t know if he was afraid, or if it was from the loss of blood.
“No. Is he out here, too?” Sam asked, his voice weak.
“He came after you,” Jessie said. “I haven’t seen him.”
“I’m sorry, Jessie,” Sam said. “I can’t believe you helped me. I ain’t been nice to you.”
“We’ll talk about it later, Sam. Right now you just hang on to me. I’ll get us out of here.” As soon as she made her promise, she heard the Indian’s yipping and yelping behind them. She urged her mount to run even faster, praying the horse wouldn’t step into a hole or take a stumble in the dark. She felt a bullet whiz by them, and decided they were going to have to take a stand. “We’re going behind that rock, Sam. When we get there, you stay down. I’m going to have to fight.”
“Can you really shoot?” he asked in disbelief.
“I sure hope so,” she answered, and then drew her gun as they used the large boulder for protection. She took aim and fired, and one of the men cried out as he hit the ground.
Suddenly, she heard gunfire coming from the other direction and she smiled. It had to be Billy, and from the sounds of it, he brought help! Just then one of the braves came closer, his face an angry mask of rage, and Jessie shot. Walker called out, “Jessie, you okay?”
“Yes! I’ve got Sam!”
“I’ve got Billy,” he called back, and she felt tears of re
lief sting her eyes. They weren’t out of this yet, but at least they had a chance now.
Walker saw the rest of the braves turn tail and run when they realized that Jessie and Sam were no longer alone. He hurried forward to pull Jessie from behind the rock and hugged her tightly. And after he hugged her for a moment or two, he gave her a shake. “You are in so much trouble with me, Jessie Ames! You could have been killed!”
“I’m fine, but Sam is injured and we need to get him home so I can tend his wound. It isn’t safe to stand around here like this. I’m not sure that group of Indians was alone, Walker. We need to ride.”
Walker knew she was right, but it was all he could do to control the overwhelming urge he felt to turn the redhead over his knee and give her a spanking she would never forget. He promised himself the satisfaction of applying his hand to her bare butt before the day was done, and then clamped down on his temper as he looked at the youngster responsible for all of this mess. “Are you all right?” he demanded.
“I’ll be okay,” the boy replied. “It’s just a scratch.”
“Boy, you and me are going to have us a serious talk. What were you thinking to ride out here like this?” Walker was angry and having trouble hiding it.
“Walker, this isn’t the time or place,” Jessie gently scolded as Billy came running, his eyes filled with shock.
“Good God, Jessie! What are you doing out here?” Billy demanded.
“I came after you and Sam,” she said simply.
“I told Mrs. Gibbons to tell you to stay put; I knew I could bring Sam back, and it was my responsibility… not yours,” he said, and then added, “I saw the Indians take Sam, and knew I didn’t have a chance to save him by myself. I went to get Walker. I knew he’d be on our trail by then. If I’d known you were out here, I wouldn’t have left you alone,” Billy said guiltily. “You’re a girl, Jessie. You shouldn’t have.”
“That’s enough talk!” She cut him off before he got her into even more trouble with the livid Walker. “Let’s move. Sam is injured and needs attention.” She noticed Tanner then, and gave him a smile. “Thanks for your help, Tanner.”
“Girl, you got guts, I’ll give you that, and you can be glad you’re married to Walker and not me. I’d already be cutting a switch if I was him.”
Jessie turned on her heel and grabbed her horse’s reins. “Sam, let’s go home,” she called to the youngster. Since we’re the smallest ones here it just makes more sense for us to ride together.” He mounted behind her, and she said, “Just hold onto me, Sam, and if you start to get woozy, tell me and we’ll stop. Right now, we need to keep moving. I don’t know if the Indians or Walker is more of a threat,” she whispered, more to herself than to Sam, but she heard the boy chuckle in amusement.
Walker was alert to every little sound they heard as they rode toward the ranch. It would be several hours before they arrived, and he was going to make sure they didn’t run into any more trouble. If he and Tanner had left the ranch just a few minutes later, the outcome could have been a lot different. Jessie was good with a gun, but she was only one little girl against several men… men bent on vengeance since she took Sam from them. And, what on earth was he going to do with that boy?
Jessie wasn’t a fool. Walker was going to have way too much time to fret over what might have happened, and she was going to be lucky if he didn’t cut another switch and stripe her backside again. She didn’t see how she could have done anything but what she did. After all, she was an adult, and she couldn’t let her brother go off alone after Sam. And, she couldn’t very well leave Sam to the mercy of the Indians. She’d done what she had to do… and she couldn’t say ‘sorry’ for that.
Walker had plenty of time to envision little Jessie’s bare butt turned up for the spanking he planned to give her. He was going to take great pleasure in watching her delicate pale skin turn pink, then dark pink, red, and finally a deep dark red, and then he was going to start all over again and spank her for scaring him half to death! In the short time they’d been married, she’d done one reckless thing after another, and he was beginning to think he was simply going to have to give her a daily spanking just to head off her tendency to get into trouble! It didn’t help matters, either, to have Tanner telling him he needed to cut a switch. The last time he did that, he felt guilty for days. No, this time he was going to use his hand. Flesh to flesh. More personal that way. He was going to spank Miss Jessie until she begged him to stop, and then he was going to spank her all over again! Yes he was!
The silence as they rode was both good and bad. At least Walker wasn’t scolding and making threats, Jessie decided. But, it also meant he was brooding. Even Billy was upset with her and giving her looks of frustration every time she glanced in his direction. Tanner was quiet, too. Jessie wished she knew of something that would lighten the mood, but if she spoke now, it would only serve to inflame Walker’s temper. He was still alert and listening for Indians, in spite of the fact they were now closer to the ranch and the Indians rarely came this close to settled land… unless they were on the warpath.
“Are you holding up okay, Sam?” she whispered over her shoulder when she thought she felt him shiver.
“Yes, Miss Jessie. I’ll make it okay. I don’t think we need to worry about the Indians now. They was drinking pretty heavy, and I ‘spect they went back to that once we got away.”
“I sure hope so.” Jessie was fervent in her prayers. She settled into quiet again, not about to draw Walker’s attention. It would be humiliating if he stopped to cut a switch in front of the others, and somehow, she didn’t think the man would hesitate to do just that if he was provoked enough. That wouldn’t go over well with Billy, either. Jessie just held her breath, and hoped the silent man’s temper was cooling.
Walker was still mad as hell at his tiny wife and struggling to control the urge he felt to drag her down off that stallion and paddle her cute little butt. The only reason he hadn’t given into the temptation hours ago was because of the Indians. Now he didn’t want to do it because it was obvious to him that Sam was in considerable pain and trying hard to keep it to himself and not complain. The boy needed his arm tended to, and they didn’t have what they needed to help him out here. The best they could do was push the horses and get home. Once Sam’s arm was taken care of, and everyone else bedded down for the night, he would have Jessie to himself. And then she was going to learn that he was a man of his word. He was going to set her sweet butt on fire!
Chapter Nine
Sam was quiet the entire way home, but so was everyone else. Sam was in pain from the gunshot wound in his shoulder, but Jessie knew the main reason they were all quiet was because they were listening for any sign of the Indians. Jessie was still trembling from having to kill two of the braves when they came after her and Sam after she rescued him from their camp, but she decided she would give in to her emotions later, when she was all alone and could cry in peace. Before that could happen, they had to get home and she had to deal with Sam’s injury. When the lights of the ranch finally came into view, they were all relieved. Lee and Denver came outside and offered to stable the horses, and Walker thanked them. Billy said he would give them a hand, and Walker didn’t argue.
“Come on, Sam. I want to take a look at your wound,” Jessie said.
“Sam!” Mrs. Gibbons exclaimed when they walked into the kitchen. “What has happened to you?” The concern in her voice was obvious.
“He’s been shot, Mrs. Gibbons,” Jessie explained. “Could you get me a basin of water and a clean cloth?” she asked as she gently pushed the boy down on a chair so she could see what she was doing.
“I can tend it myself, Miss Jessie,” Sam said.
“I’m sure you can, but I am going to do it for you,” she told him. “Let’s get this shirt off.” She reached for the buttons on his blood soaked shirt, but he squirmed away.
“No!” Sam tried to get off the chair, but Walker’s firm hand on his other shoulder prevented that from
happening.
“You’re in enough trouble, youngster. You listen to Jessie now.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam bowed his head. “I don’t want to take off my shirt,” he pleaded desperately.
“Why not, Sam?” Jessie asked. “I’ve seen Billy without his shirt a million times.” When he didn’t answer, she spoke gently, “I only want to help you, Sam.”
To her surprise, Sam looked at her tearfully. “I believe you, Miss Jessie. You ain’t like that other woman, and I’m real sorry I was mean to you ‘cause of her.” He paused a moment and then whispered, “My back is marked,” he whispered. “She said it would make anyone sick to look at me.”
“Who said that, son?” Walker kept his hand on Sam’s shoulder, offering support now.
“My brother Pete’s woman. He always left me with her when he went away, and she was mean. She whipped me over and over. She told me that if I told anyone, especially Pete, she’d do it again until I died the next time.”
“She’s not here right now, Sam, and I promise I won’t be sick. I want to help you if you’ll let me,” Jessie offered again, and waited until he nodded before she helped him remove his good arm from the sleeve and then she eased the other side down his left arm.
Walker was filled with absolute rage as he saw the scars on Sam’s back. Some were old, and some were so recent that Walker realized Sam had to be in serious pain when he came to the ranch. “Sam, by all I hold sacred, no one is ever going to beat you like this again. I give you my word on that,” he promised the boy, his voice deep and laced with anger.
Sam looked up at Walker in surprise. “Even after what I done today?” he asked, sounding more like a little kid than ever before.
“I won’t pretend that I approve of what happened today, Sam, but no one is ever going to beat you again.” Walker’s voice was firm. “Do we need to send for Doc, Jessie?” he asked quietly, aware that the redhead was quickly cleaning the wound on his arm and doing her best to keep it from hurting. She had tears in her eyes and Walker could see she was struggling with her temper, too.