The Outlaws: Sam

by Ten Talents Press

  "What about Rusty and the hands? They're all your friends."

  "It's not the same," Andy said sullenly. "You go without me, I'll wait here for Papa."

  Lacey sighed. "Don't be difficult, Andy. There are reasons we must leave now."

  "There are provisions in your saddlebags," Yellow Bird said. "Take care of Andy, he is a good boy and I have grown fond of him."

  Lacey kneed her mare and they shot forward, leaving the Indian village and memories of loving Sam behind. She might even be carrying his child. It wasn't something she'd regret for then she'd have another part of Sam to love.

  Darkness had descended by the time Lacey and a weary Andy reached the ranch. No one was about; it was suppertime and the cookhouse was ablaze with light. Lacey debated whether to make her presence known immediately or wait until the hands finished their dinner. The choice was taken from her when the cookhouse door opened and Rusty stepped outside. He headed toward the barn, saw Lacey and stopped dead in his tracks.

  "Miz Lacey, is that you? Praise God, you're home."

  He hurried over, lifted Andy from the saddle and helped her to dismount. "Are you all right?"

  "We're both fine, Rusty. Come into the house and tell me what's been going on in my absence."

  "I'll carry the boy," Rusty said, scooping Andy into his arms. "The poor mite looks plumb tuckered out."

  "I have a friend named Sitting Bear, Rusty," Andy said. "He's my age. I've never had a friend my age before."

  "Sounds like you had a grand time, Andy," Rusty replied.

  They had just reached the porch when the door flew open and Rita rushed out. "Senora! Andy! Por Dios, you are home."

  "Rita, what are you doing here this late?"

  "Rita's been staying at the house since you left," Rusty explained. "She wanted to be here when you returned. We're all powerful happy to have you home again, Miz Lacey."

  "Si, Senora," Rita agreed. "It is true. Are you hungry? I can have something ready pronto."

  "Take Andy to the kitchen and feed him, Rita. I'll have something later. Rusty is going to catch me up on what's happened on the ranch during my absence."

  "Si, Senora." Rita looked past Lacey, a frown disturbing her brow. "Is Senor Sam with you?"

  Lacey flushed and looked away. "No, Sam won't be returning to the ranch."

  Andy picked up on her answer immediately. "That's not true, Mama. Papa wouldn't let you take me away if he thought he'd never see me again."

  "That's enough, Andy," Lacey said crossly. When Andy's face puckered up and as if he were on the verge of tears, Lacey realized she'd spoke too harshly and immediately regretted it.

  "I'm sorry, honey, Mama is tired. I need to talk to Rusty first, then I'll explain why we had to return home without your papa. Go along with Rita. I know you're hungry."

  "All right, Mama," Andy sniffed as he allowed Rita to take his hand and lead him away.

  "Come into my office, Rusty. I imagine a lot has happened in my absence."

  Lacey seated herself behind the desk. Rusty plopped down in the chair Lacey indicated. "Start with the cattle, Rusty. How do they fare? Any more attempts to rustle them?"

  "The herd is just fine. They've been moved down from the pastures for the winter," Rusty answered. "They'll be ready to drive to the market come spring. I know you need the money."

  "Unfortunately the money from the sale of the herd won't be enough. My only hope is that the bank will accept my anticipated profits from the sale as collateral for a loan to pay my back taxes. Has Taylor Cramer been around?"

  "He came out once, after his aborted attack on the Indian village. He told us Sam wouldn't let Andy leave and that you wouldn't leave without Andy. He said Sam told you to leave but you refused. We haven't seen hide nor hair of him since. I can understand why you wouldn't want to leave Andy, and I knew Sam wouldn't hurt either of you, but Cramer was powerful angry."

  "I can imagine," Lacey said dryly. "I arrived at the Indian camp in the nick of time, Rusty. Taylor and his ruffians launched a surprise attack shortly after my arrival, only it wasn't a surprise for Sam had heeded my warning. I'm sure Taylor's men would have killed indiscriminately, without a care for Andy's welfare. Had I not arrived when I did, innocent people would have been cut down without warning and I could have lost Andy and...Sam."

  "I'm surprised Cramer didn't return to the Indian village for another try. I wonder why he didn't appeal to the sheriff for help? Sam is wanted by the law."

  "That is a puzzle," Lacey said. "I can understand why hired ruffians wouldn't want to go up against Indians, but that doesn't explain why Taylor didn't bring the law into it. The Indian village is small, a sheriff's posse could have easily overrun the camp."

  "Maybe Cramer never reported the incident to the sheriff," Rusty ventured.

  "I'll ride into town in a day or two and see if I can learn what Taylor is up to. For some unknown reason, he wants the B&G badly enough to marry me."

  "The grazing is good when we have enough rain, but not any better than Cramer's land," Rusty offered. "Water might be a consideration, but the same river runs through both your land and Cramer's. It's a pure puzzle to me, Miz Lacey."

  "I'm puzzled, too," Lacey said on a sigh. "I wonder if my marriage to Sam has been annulled yet?"

  "I don't know, but I'll be sad to see it happen. How did you convince Sam to let you take Andy?"

  Lacey took a sudden interest in her fingernails. "I didn't convince him. He went off with a hunting party. I promised I wouldn't leave while he was gone."

  "You lied?" Rusty said on a note of disbelief. "That ain't like you, Miz Lacey."

  "I did it for Andy's sake," Lacey defended. "Sam is a wanted man. Andy's future was at stake. What kind of life would my son have with a man on the run?"

  "I reckon you did the right thing," Rusty reluctantly admitted, "but I ain't so sure Sam will agree. He might show up at the ranch mad as a hornet."

  In her mind, Lacey pictured Sam and Yellow Bird intimately entwined on a sleeping mat. "That won't happen. Sam appreciates his freedom too much to return. Showing his face around these parts is dangerous."

  "What about Cramer. You ain't gonna marry him, are you?"

  Lacey's face hardened. "No, but perhaps I'll let him think I will. Taylor is up to something, Rusty, I'm just not sure what. Don't worry, I'd give up the ranch before marrying Taylor. He would have let his hirelings kill Andy had I not intervened. I couldn't marry a man like that."

  "Them words warm my heart, Miz Lacey. I appreciate your confiding in me." He searched her face. "You look worn out. Go get yourself something to eat and go to bed."

  "I will, Rusty. You've been a good friend to me and Andy."

  "Hob asked me to look after you before he died and that's what I aim to do." He rose to leave. "Just don't start getting too curious about Taylor, it might be dangerous."

  "I'll take care, Rusty."

  Lacey went to the kitchen after Rusty left, intending to collect her son and tuck him into bed. She found Rita there alone.

  "Where's Andy?"

  Rita smiled. "The poor bambino fell asleep before he finished his meal. You were with Rusty so I carried him up to bed myself. Sit down, Senora. I kept your food hot. Eat, then it's up to bed with you."

  Lacey appreciated Rita for more reasons than she could count, just as she did Rusty and the hands. Not only were they protective of her and Andy but they had made allowances for her lack of ranching skills. But she was learning, and God willing, she'd not lose the ranch she so loved.

  Lacey ate sparingly of the food Rita placed before her then trudged up to bed, more weary than she had imagined. She'd gotten little sleep the night before and had ridden hard to reach the ranch by nightfall. Without bothering to undress, she flopped across the bed and fell immediately asleep.

  Sam and the hunting party returned to camp triumphant. The game had been plentiful and the women had set to work immediately, dressing the meat and setting it out over the fire to dry in pre
paration for their trek south. Sam looked for Lacey among the women and failed to find her. When he saw Yellow Bird hurrying over to greet him, a terrible premonition set his heart to pounding.

  The expression on Yellow Bird's face was contrite, and Sam's fears escalated. "I am sorry, Sam."

  Sam dismounted, gripping Yellow Bird's shoulders hard enough to elicit a groan of pain. Immediately his hands fell away.

  "What is it, Yellow Bird? Tell me. Has something happened to Lacey or Andy?"

  "You told me La-cey would not leave, that she promised to be here when you returned."

  Sam's mind raced. "Lacey's gone? Are you sure? Did Andy go with her?"

  "Yellow Bird nodded. La-cey took An-dy with her."

  Sam cursed fluently. "She promised! I trusted her! Damn her to hell! She lied. She looked me in the eye and deliberately lied."

  Sam set his foot in the stirrups and started to mount.

  "Where are you going?"

  "After my son."

  Yellow Bird tugged urgently at Sam's leg. "You are not thinking clearly, Sam. Do you wish to spend your life in prison? That is what will happen if you returned for your son. Let them both go."

  "You don't understand, Yellow Bird. I didn't know I had a son until a few months ago. I love that boy and I don't want to spend my life without him."

  "You have no choice, Sam. La-cey lied to you. She cannot be trusted. She told me she does not want you. She is going to marry another man."

  Sam released his foot from the stirrup. "Lacey told you that? When?"

  "Many times. She made no attempt to hide her scorn for you when we spoke together. I saw her shortly before she left. I asked her to walk to the river with me to fetch water. She declined. Had I any idea she planned to leave, I would not have left her. She and Andy were gone when I returned."

  A wealth of emotions coursed through Sam, but he couldn't say precisely which one hurt the most. Once again he had trusted unwisely, and once again Lacey had betrayed him. After the passionate night they'd spent together he'd been so sure things might work out for them. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

  Sam had been anxious to return to camp and tell Lacey that he believed her about everything, that he trusted her. He'd already accepted that she hadn't betrayed him to the Yankees, and that the sheriff had learned about the bank robbery from another source, but he had trusted in vain. He'd become so enthralled with Lacey that he believed all her lies. How could he have been so gullible?

  Yellow bird tugged on Sam's arm. "Come with me. I have food prepared. You are tired and not thinking clearly. When you've had time to think you will realize that La-cey's leaving is for the best. I can be everything she was not to you, Sam."

  Sam shrugged her aside. Nothing Yellow Bird said registered above the sounds of anger roaring through his head. He valued her friendship but she couldn't reach him on a personal level. Not like Lacey, who had reached him on every level possible between a man and woman. What a fool he'd been, he'd thought as he strode angrily toward the beckoning silence of the forest.

  Sam, where are you going?"

  "Somewhere to think."

  "I will come with you."

  "Suit yourself, but I warn you, I won't be fit company."

  "La-cey is a bad woman," Yellow Bird said, running to keep up with him. "Let me comfort you."

  Sam into the darkest part of the forest, then abruptly dropped down beneath a lofty elm. He paid little heed to Yellow Bird as she sat down beside him. Sam's thoughts ran amok. If he went to California he'd never see Andy again. If he stuck around here, however, he could end up in jail. What a mess he'd gotten himself into. He would have been better off had he never encountered Lacey again and learned he had a son. But he did have a son, one he couldn't abandon.

  "What are you thinking, Sam?"

  "About the cruel jests life plays on unsuspecting fools."

  "I would not be cruel to you, Sam. Do not leave. Come with me to our winter camping grounds. Let me be the woman you need."

  Sam stared at her, seeing the woman who had saved his life, a woman who would never betray him, a woman who freely offered the love Lacey withheld. Could Yellow Bird provide the solace he craved?

  Grasping her slender shoulders, he pulled her against him, molding her soft body to his. No time like the present to find out, he thought as he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her eager lips.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kissing Yellow Bird was a mistake. There was no fire, no uncontrollable passion, no sensation except a pleasant feeling of soft lips opening beneath his. Even as her body moved sensually against him his mind began to reject her. His sex was limp and flaccid. Not even close to arousal. Perhaps he was tired.

  He tried again, pulling Yellow Bird beneath him, touching her breasts, cupping her between her legs. Still nothing. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never had a problem bedding a woman before, no matter how exhausted he was. Damn Lacey! What had she done to him? He rolled away and lay on his back, one arm flung over his eyes.

  "Sam, please do not stop."

  "It's no good, Yellow Bird. I can't do this. Any man would be proud to make you his. It's not you, it's me."

  "I won't give up, Sam. I can wait. One day you will come to me. I do not want you to go to Cali-fornia."

  Sam sat up, gazing absently into the distance. After a long pause, he said, "I can't go to California and leave Andy behind. Perhaps I will go with your people to their winter camp. It's not nearly as far away as California."

  "Running Buffalo will be pleased. You make me very happy, Sam Gentry."

  "Don't hold any false hopes, Yellow Bird. I can't give you what you want."

  "One day I will change your mind, Sam. I will never give up on you."

  Sam felt nothing but pity for Yellow Bird. He wasn't capable of loving her, neither emotionally nor physically. He'd suspected it for a long time and now he was certain. And he knew the reason why. He'd never stopped loving Lacey despite her many betrayals, despite his effort to forget her over the years.

  "Go find your bed," Sam said gruffly. "The hour grows late."

  There was a dull sameness to her days since Lacey returned to the ranch. She immersed herself in bookwork, trying to balance the losses against the meager profits, but nothing had changed since the last time she'd gone over the figures. She still owed five years back taxes, which were due the last day of the month, only three weeks away. Had Uncle Hob told her about his financial woes before he'd died she wouldn't have been so shocked when she'd learned the truth.

  Andy moped around as if he'd lost his best friend and nothing she said or did seemed to lighten his mood. He asked about Sam so often Lacey was forced to tell him that Sam was had to leave Texas to keep from going to prison. To Andy's credit, he steadfastly refused to believe Sam was capable of committing a crime.

  Lacey chose a mild, sunny to ride to town to reapply for a loan. The first time she'd asked been turned down, but this time she had a healthy herd waiting to go to market. She considered it a good bargaining point, but would the bank? After the spring drive she'd have hard cash in her hand as proof that the ranch was profitable. But that was spring and this was now.

  Lacey went to the barn for her horse. Andy skipped up to join her. "Are you going somewhere, Mama?"

  "I have business in town, honey. I won't be long."

  "Can I come?"

  "Not this time. Rita will keep an eye on you."

  "What if Papa comes and wants me to go with him again?"

  Lacey dropped to one knee, her hands lightly grasping Andy's slender shoulders. "I explained why Sam won't be returning to the ranch, Andy. You're getting your hopes up for nothing."

  "Papa isn't an outlaw," Andy said belligerently.

  "I don't believe he is, either, but the law thinks so. Why don't you see if Rita has taken the cookies she was baking out of the oven. I'll bet she has some nice fresh milk to go with them."

  "You think?" Andy said, his eyes alight with pl
easure. "I hope the cookies have chocolate in them."

  "I wouldn't be surprised," Lacey said as Andy ran off. She wished she could be so easily distracted. There seemed to be no end to her worries. If it wasn't the ranch, it was Sam.

  Sam. Did he hate her for lying to him? Had he turned to Yellow Bird for comfort? Lacey had been torn between her son's welfare and her love for a man who didn't deserve it. In the end, her son had come first. She'd had to deny her own feelings to keep Andy from being hurt. That's what a mother did, even if it broke her heart.

  Lacey rode at a leisurely pace, planning to reach the bank about the time it opened. The shade on the bank door was just being raised when Lacey drew rein at the front entrance. Dismounting, she draped the reins over the hitching post and waited for the clerk to unlock the door.

  "Lacey! Is that you? Thank God you've returned!"

  Lacey spun around, stiffening when she saw Taylor Cramer hailing her from across the street. He was standing in front of the saloon, talking to some unsavory looking cowboys. She kept her distaste under control as he hurried over to join her.

  "Lacey, I'm so glad you're safe! I've been worried sick about you and decided to hire men for another rescue attempt." He gestured toward the cowboys milling around him. "We were just discussing strategy." There was a biting edge to his voice when he said, "I'm surprised Gentry let you go."

  "I'm here, that's all that matters," Lacey said. "You no longer need those men. Pay them off and let them go."

  "What about Andy? Is he still with Gentry?"

  "No. Andy is home with me."

  "Wonderful," Cramer said with little enthusiasm. "I have good news for you. That's why I was anxious to get you away from Gentry. Your annulment has been granted. You're a free woman, Lacey. We can marry immediately. Today, if you like."

  A buzzing began in Lacey's head. She was no longer married to Sam. After six years she really was free. Why did that make her feel so sad?

  "I can't marry you, Taylor."

  Cramer's eyes narrowed. "Of course you can."