Give Me A Texas Outlaw Bundle with Give Me A Cowboy

by Jodi Thomas, Linda Broday, Phyliss Miranda

  Larissa wet her dry lips. “You may as well let me go with you, because I’m not going to stop following you. And like I told you earlier, I have talents that you might need before this is all said and done.”

  He mumbled something under his breath. In one swift motion, he jerked the bridle from the ground and slipped it over Arabella’s head. Then he slung the saddle that had taken every bit of strength she’d had to remove back onto the horse’s back.

  “Please don’t make me ride out at this time of night,” she begged, stifling pure panic that threatened to be her undoing. “Arabella might step in a hole and break a leg.”

  “Grab your bedroll,” he growled.

  “You can’t ask this of me. Just wait until daylight.”

  Diamond paused to stare. “I’m not heartless, ma’am. I’m going to take you down this draw where I’m camped. You’ll be safer. Besides, no reason to have two separate campsites.”

  “You’re saying I can stay?” she pressed in a breathless voice, daring to hope.

  “For now. I’ll decide what to do with you after some shut-eye.” He turned to lead Arabella down the incline.

  Larissa scrambled after him, unable to keep back the smile that persisted. At least she’d have time to think of valid arguments to make when dawn arrived, the main one being that she had no sense of direction. There was no way she could find her way back to the ranch. She didn’t even know where they were or in what direction the Four Spades lay. The most sensible thing would be to go with him. If only she could think of a way to inform him of the decision she’d already made and try her best to persuade him to her way of thinking.

  His camp seemed orderly enough, but she quickly saw he hadn’t made a fire. He probably had his reasons for that.

  Johnny Diamond pulled the saddle and bridle off Arabella and hobbled the mare alongside his Appaloosa and the packhorse. Larissa liked that he took good care of the animals. That said something about a man, especially one who was an outlaw.

  He turned to her. “Do you want something to eat? I didn’t build a fire because I didn’t want to advertise my presence, but I can rustle up some grub if you’re hungry. Some jerky maybe?”

  Larissa spread her bedroll a short distance from his. “No, thanks. I brought some cold biscuits and ham left over from breakfast. I ate it back down the trail. I’ll be fine until morning.”

  Whatever she did, she didn’t want to be a bother and have him kick her out on those grounds.

  “Then I reckon I’ll turn in. It’s been a long day.”

  She watched the way his shirt drew tight across the hard planes of his chest when he yawned and stretched and dropped onto his bedroll. She quickly ducked her head before he noticed her ogling him. The man clearly didn’t sit behind a desk all day. Even if she hadn’t glimpsed his rippling muscles, she could’ve told that much by his sunbronzed features.

  No, Johnny Diamond was at home in the outdoors.

  When she settled down and felt it safe to do so, she glanced his way again. The cagey outlaw removed his holster and laid it beside him within reach. Somehow that simple act made her feel warm and protected. Earlier he hadn’t wanted her to stay where she was above the embankment. Said she’d be safer here with him. She certainly wouldn’t dispute that.

  Shifting her weight, trying to get comfortable, she wondered where her sister was and what she doing.

  Please, God, watch over Beth and protect her from the evil intentions of her captors. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared up at the star-filled sky.

  “Diamond?”

  “Yeah,” he answered.

  “How much time did the kidnappers give my father to pay the ransom?”

  “Why?”

  She propped herself on an elbow to look at him. “I just want to get a clear picture of what we’re up against.”

  “What I’m up against you mean. I have five days.”

  A quick intake of air almost choked her. It would be near impossible to find Beth in that short a space. “Do you think you can find her by then?”

  “Don’t know why everyone keeps asking me that. I’ll get your sister back.”

  Larissa suspected the steely confidence he projected into his voice was for her benefit alone, but she appreciated the effort nonetheless. A lump formed in her throat.

  “What’ll happen to her if you should fail?”

  “I won’t.” Again his voice brimmed with quiet resoluteness. “You’d best get some sleep and quit worrying your pretty little head. Daylight will come before you know it. And I have a far piece to ride.”

  They did indeed, but Larissa wasn’t finished. “Where do you suppose those men have taken Beth?”

  A deep sigh troubled the night air. “Most likely to a border town. That’s where their trail seems to be leading.”

  “I hope they’re not being mean to Beth.” She’d heard tales about outlaws and criminals and what such men were capable of. She didn’t know how she could bear it if they were mistreating her sweet, loving baby sister.

  “If they want to continue drawing breath, they’d best treat her gently.”

  The sudden venom spewing from Diamond’s voice startled her. She knew he meant every word of the threat and that gave her comfort. And somehow she knew the money her father paid him played perhaps only a tiny role. She suspected he’d do the job if he received no compensation at all.

  Her outlaw did what he did out of a deep sense of justice.

  Larissa lapsed into silence. For a while she listened to the sounds of the night. The howl of a lonesome coyote. The whisper of the gentle breeze rustling the tall grasses. The gentle babble of the small stream, thankful for the deluge several days ago that briefly gave the creek life.

  And Johnny Diamond’s quiet breathing just feet away.

  Though he slept, she had the feeling that the slightest sound out of the ordinary would awaken him instantly. He’d spring up with his Colt in hand, ready to battle any threat, real or perceived.

  A big smile stretched across her face as she flipped over and got comfortable.

  She’d never felt so protected by anyone. Not even her father. Especially not her father. He kept her from harm because it was his duty—and the fact he’d fight tooth and nail to keep someone from taking what was his, not because he valued his own flesh and blood.

  Dunston Patrick had shown her no love or softness. Every chance he got he voiced regret that she hadn’t been born a son. Daughters were of little consequence to the great cattle baron except for what they could do for him.

  But her father’s worst sin of all was rejecting Beth, blaming the girl for his beloved wife’s death in childbirth. Were he half the man of Johnny Diamond, he’d go after Beth himself, instead of hiring it done. If he truly cared.

  Her thoughts turned to how she could sway the outlaw to take her with him.

  Johnny Diamond’s eyes popped open at the sound of someone rifling through the provisions he’d taken from the packhorse’s back.

  Lying still, he glanced around the campsite. Light from the pink dawn revealed Larissa Patrick. Curiosity kept him from moving. He’d lie there and see what she was up to. He didn’t have to wait long. She drew out the battered coffeepot and a tin of coffee.

  Johnny propped himself on an elbow. “Morning.”

  Larissa jumped and whirled. “You scared me.”

  He sat up and pushed to his feet. “Serves you right for sneaking around and making yourself at home with my belongings.”

  A flush crept up her face and settled in both cheeks. “I was just going to make some coffee for you. I’ll put everything back where I found it. I thought you might like some stout brew before we ride out.”

  He reached for his holster and strapped it around his hips. “Time to get up anyway. I’ll scare up some firewood. A pot of coffee sounds real nice and I think a fire will be safe enough.”

  Some spindly shin oak grew near a limestone outcropping several hundred yards away so he headed in that direction
, keeping an eye out for dead branches. With luck he found enough to build a passable fire. It wasn’t long before Larissa handed him a cup of the hot brew where he was seated on a big rock.

  “Have you given any thought to letting me ride with you?” she asked with hope lacing her words as she sat on another rock opposite him.

  A glance at her and his heart caught in his throat. Her large expressive eyes seemed to see past the ugliness that so often had scarred his life. That the thick fringe of her lashes gave her eyes a dark sooty appearance didn’t help to slow the blood rushing through his veins.

  He took a swallow of the coffee and scalded his tongue. He willed his heartbeat to a slower gait before he trusted his voice. “You have me over a barrel and I think you know that, ma’am.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I believe you know exactly what I’m talking about. I can’t spare the time to take you home and it’s too far and too dangerous for you to go back by yourself.” Johnny pushed back his hat with a forefinger. “The only solution is to take you with me and pray to God that I can get you and your sister back home safe and sound.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Diamond.”

  “Another thing—don’t call me mister. Johnny will do, or just Diamond.”

  “I can do that.”

  Hell, if he told her to eat a horse dumpling she’d probably be agreeable as long as she got her way.

  “We’re going to ride hard and travel fast. I’ll leave you behind if you can’t keep up. Your sister’s life hangs in the balance. Remember that when you get so bone weary you don’t think you can ride another mile.”

  “I understand.”

  “And no complaining. I don’t want to know when your stomach rumbles, your body aches, or you need to visit the necessary. And another thing—I like the quiet. I can’t abide someone who prattles on and on.”

  “You won’t regret this, Diamond.”

  “I already do.” He could see the handwriting on the wall and they hadn’t ridden out of camp yet. Just trying to keep his thoughts from constantly wandering to her would be nigh impossible. Keeping from kissing her would tax him to the limit.

  “I won’t be any trouble. I promise.”

  She didn’t know that trouble seemed to be her middle name.

  Chapter 4

  Larissa stooped at the water’s edge to wash the few cooking utensils they’d used. Johnny found his gaze drawn to her trim figure as he broke camp.

  The woman enticed him. And he didn’t like the feelings she’d awakened in him. He mentally listed all the reasons why he couldn’t—wouldn’t—give in to the needs she made him acutely aware of.

  Number one, she was far too persistent, in fact to a fault. Any other woman would’ve turned back and gone home.

  But then, that could be reason to admire her, he reckoned.

  Number two, he couldn’t concentrate on the job Dunston Patrick had hired him to do with her around. And if he couldn’t keep his focus on the task at hand it’d get someone killed, either Beth, Larissa, or him. Maybe all three of them.

  Number three, it was downright uncomfortable the way his body hummed when she came near him, as was the current that arced between them when they touched.

  And number four . . . He stopped. The biggest reason of all was the way his body betrayed him. A certain part of his anatomy refused to listen to any scolding. It was constantly trying to leap to attention. He’d run out of ways to hide the evidence. She’d notice before long and then what?

  No, he didn’t have good sense in letting her ride along.

  He rolled up his bedroll and laid it beside his saddle. That Larissa had taken it upon herself to help with the chores without being asked hadn’t escaped him.

  Clearly, the woman made herself useful to repay him for not running her back to the Four Spades. He turned his head to hide the grin that spread across his face.

  He prayed that the decision to let her come wouldn’t rear up and bite him in the butt. She could be of some help, he grudgingly admitted. Larissa knew what her sister looked like whereas he had only a vague description. Sometimes a man had only a split second to react in a situation and needed to have confidence in his choices. She could possibly give him that.

  He gave her another sidelong glance as he doused the campfire, using sand rather than water so it wouldn’t smoke and give away their location should anyone happen to be in the area.

  With the hot embers buried with sand, he threw Blue’s saddle over his shoulder and headed toward the mount, still aware of where Larissa was and what she was doing every second.

  Indeed, how could he not?

  It seemed she’d aroused every last fiber of his being.

  Keeping Blue Boy between them, he boldly admired the handsome woman who was no bigger than a sack of feed. He bet he could practically put his hands around her waist and touch his fingers on the other side. And though the top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest, she had bountiful curves in all the right places.

  Definitely all woman.

  A red-blooded, warm woman who put herself in danger to save her little sister.

  Blue Boy snorted and tossed his head. Johnny gave himself a mental shake. Nothing could be gained from dreaming for something that was out of his reach. He was an outlaw, plain and simple. He couldn’t change that fact. And until today he’d been perfectly content with his life. But now, he found no pleasure in doing as he wished and the devil take anyone who spoke a word against him.

  Living by the gun had become a way of life for him.

  There was no denying that he’d oftentimes enjoyed the rush of adrenaline when he’d squared off against an opponent.

  Now, he suddenly saw that what he’d mistaken as satisfaction had been reckless and irresponsible behavior. His life was nothing but remnants of blood and destruction.

  Johnny made a vow to change things . . . just as soon as he got Beth Patrick back and safe.

  They rode out just as the sun poked its sleepy head over the eastern horizon. He picked up the kidnappers’ trail and tracked it due south.

  The brilliant orange sun had climbed midway in the sky when the wind shifted and really began to blow. He noticed a red-hazed wall bearing down on them. His stomach clenched as he tasted the grit in the air, which smelled earthy and dank.

  They were riding straight into a deadly sandstorm.

  It was coming fast and hard, too fast to seek shelter.

  He pulled up. Snatching off the bandana from around his neck, he gave it to Larissa. “This’ll protect you somewhat from the sand. Tie it over your nose and mouth. Looks like we’re in for it.”

  From experience he knew the damage biting sand would do to her exposed skin and wished he could spare her.

  “What about you?” she asked, quickly doing as he requested.

  “Don’t worry about me.” He dismounted and rummaged in his saddlebag. He pulled out one of his extra shirts and ripped off a big piece. After removing his hat, he tied the uneven square around his head where it would shield his face. It wasn’t the best in the world, but it’d keep him from swallowing half of the grit in Texas. He wedged his hat back on his head so it wouldn’t easily blow off. Larissa’s hat was also anchored well, he noticed, the rawhide strips tied under her chin.

  “Maybe we can find a cave in those limestone cliffs just ahead,” she suggested, pointing toward them.

  “That’s my thinking,” he agreed.

  They’d ridden less than a mile when the storm overtook them, blotting out the sun and erasing their tracks. Johnny grabbed the reins of Larissa’s mare and added the strips of rawhide to the packhorse’s halter in his hand. He got a death grip on them in order to keep them all together in the zero-visibility sand blast.

  To make matters worse, the limestone cliffs they’d headed for had disappeared. A man could get lost and wander in circles in these situations.

  Sand whipped his clothing and cut into the soft tissue of his eyes. He could barel
y breathe without getting a lungful of the grit. To make matters worse, tumbleweeds slammed into the horses’ legs. It took every bit of strength to control the animals. They kept rearing up, and if he hadn’t had a firm grip on the reins, they’d have bolted.

  It seemed an eternity before Johnny and Larissa reached the rock wall of the cliffs. He helped her dismount. They found refuge of sorts by pressing close to the rock face.

  “Gotta rest the horses a bit!” Johnny yelled, leaning close to Larissa’s ear.

  If she replied, the fierce wind swallowed up her words. He just gave her a nod. As they huddled there, he scanned the area as far as he could see in the brown murkiness for signs of one of the hundreds of caves known to litter the limestone rock. They’d need somewhere to hole up for the night and rest.

  He saw nothing.

  After an hour or so had passed with no sign of the storm letting up, he helped Larissa onto her horse. He walked alongside the cliff, leading all three animals, keeping an eye out for a cave.

  Just when he was ready to give up and suggest they hunker down as best they could under an overhang, he spied the yawning mouth of a cave up ahead. Wasting no time in escaping the brutal wind, he hurried them inside. He lifted his hat and removed the makeshift bandana. Looking around, he could see that, while it wasn’t a large cave, there was enough room for Larissa and him and the three horses.

  Johnny hung his dusty hat on the saddle horn. He then put his hands around Larissa’s small waist and helped her down. She lost her footing and grabbed his arm to keep from falling. The contact jolted through him.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?” He relished her warm body pressing against him and was loathe to let her go.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted.”

  He fingered the strings to her floppy hat that were tied under her chin. Untying them, he removed her hat and the bandana from her face.

  His knuckle grazed her cheek in a gentle caress. He couldn’t have said what came over him to do so, but it seemed as natural as breathing. The pulse in the hollow of her throat beat wildly. Her lips parted ever so slightly.