A Mail-Order Chance

by Janelle Daniels

  “Don’t stop me. You’re not in charge.”

  Dec stepped forward, but his guns were lowered. “If you take her, she’ll only slow us down. This isn’t why we’re here. If you want a woman, we’ll stop in the nearest town.”

  Ellie’s heart froze. McCoy would never touch her that way. Ever. One way or another, she’d make sure of it.

  The arm around her waist squeezed tighter. “I like this one just fine. She won’t slow us down too much. And by the looks of her dress, I think someone will pay a high price to get her back. Think of it like a bonus.” The loathsome man snickered in her ear, and the stench floating out of his mouth made her gag.

  Dec stepped forward, and McCoy lifted his gun again. “I don’t care about putting a bullet in you. I could easily claim one of these folks did it, and Jesse won’t even blink. Casualties happen.”

  She saw the exact moment when Dec chose to let the man have his way. The fire in his eyes banked, and he shrugged.

  That same infuriating shrug he’d performed earlier after laughing at her. And now he didn’t care what happened to her. Why had she thought he would help? He was just as rotten as the man holding her. There was nothing noble or redeemable about either of them.

  But she would not be taken so easily. If Dec wouldn’t help her, she’d help herself.

  She squirmed and twisted, trying to get out of the man’s hold, but his fingers dug into her arm, drawing blood where his nails pierced. When she continued to squirm, despite the pain, he shook her so hard she bit her tongue.

  “If you don’t settle down and do what you’re told, you’ll be sorry.”

  She would never be sorry for fighting. She would never be cowed. It didn’t matter how badly he hurt her, she’d never go willingly.

  She barely spoke above a whisper, but she knew both men could hear her. “I don’t care what you do to me. I won’t make this easy.”

  McCoy spun her around, spittle flying with the movement, and it took every ounce of mettle she possessed to hold her ground.

  His eyes widened in rage at what he must’ve seen in her eyes. “While you may not care what I do to you, I doubt you would be so cavalier about me shooting that boy over there.” His head nodded off to the side, and her gaze slowly moved in that direction.

  He pointed his gun at the small boy, cocking the trigger as if he’d shoot, just to prove how much he meant what he said. “One more peep out of you, anything you do to prove you aren’t a docile little kitten, and that boy’s brains will end up all over this train, thanks to you. You got me?”

  Her eyes trailed back to the boy’s and his mother’s terror-filled eyes, before Ellie finally nodded, bowing her head. She couldn’t allow anyone to die because of her.

  “Good.” The train’s whistle blew, and he called out to the room, “If anyone gets any stupid ideas about following us, just know we’ll shoot you before you even see us.”

  He didn’t need to tug her out the door, she willingly went with him.

  Her gaze met Dec’s, and he gave her a slight nod.

  She was in deep trouble. She might be riding off with them like a docile lamb, but once they were away from other hostages, all bets were off. Because without a little boy’s life hanging in the balance, she would kill them.

  That was a promise.

  Chapter 2

  Ellie’s rear end was about to fall off. She’d had her fair share of long periods in the saddle where she’d walked funny for days after, but none of those times compared to the last several hours. Sitting in front of her kidnapper, she bounced up and down like a rag doll as they raced at neck-breaking speeds.

  At first, she’d tried to move with the horse, refusing to lean against the disgusting man who’d taken her. When it proved impossible, she’d opted for abuse, bruising her own body rather than lean against her enemy. She would never willingly touch him.

  He’d learned that quickly enough, after the first few attempts to settle her against him failed.

  “Stop!” he yelled from behind her, and she thought she’d gone deaf.

  Jesse, the leader of the six-man band of outlaws, whipped his horse around, the scowl on his face as black as his clothes. “What’s the problem?”

  McCoy dismounted, dragging her with him. She didn’t know why, but she immediately sought out Dec. Not that he would do anything to help her. In fact, he reclined on his horse off to the side, as if he was annoyed by the stop.

  McCoy pushed her forward. “She’s the problem. She’s making the horse tire early.” She glanced back at him. “So help me woman, I’ve tired of your defiance.” He raised his hand to smack her, but she didn’t cower.

  In fact, she glared, almost daring him to do it. If he laid one finger on her, he’d be the first to die. She swore it.

  “Stop,” Jesse said, and miraculously, the man’s hand lowered. “You won’t lay a hand on her, yet.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. The only reason she’s here is for ransom. And frankly, we don’t have time for this crap. She rides with Dec.”

  Jesse, Ellie was starting to realize, ruled with an iron fist. McCoy swore under his breath and roughly pushed her toward Dec. She tripped on her skirts and fell. Humiliated, angry tears burned her eyes.

  McCoy spit on the ground next to her, before lowering his voice. “Jesse won’t always be here. Next time, woman, you’ll pay.”

  He mounted and rode off to catch up with the others who’d taken off with their leader.

  Dec rode forward and reached an arm down. “Come on.”

  She wanted to refuse, to stay on the ground until everything disappeared around them, but she knew he wouldn’t leave her there. The men knew she was worth something because of her dress. The stupid, horrible dress she hated. It’d painted her as a target, not just for more money, but for something else she couldn’t tolerate thinking about.

  She rested a hand on her skirt and felt the telltale shape of her gun.

  She froze. The men were gone, and her one bullet could give her the edge she needed. If she could injure him and steal his horse, she might have a chance of escaping.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked with concern, and her hand paused on its way to the gun.

  He hadn’t tried to hurt her, and she had a feeling he might be a little sympathetic toward her. She didn’t need to kill him. In fact, it went against everything she was to simply shoot him. Perhaps she could use him to escape instead.

  He was strong and could protect her if needed.

  “Only on my arm. A scrape.”

  “Is it bleeding?”

  She shook her head, finally bringing her gaze to meet his. “Will you help me? My father owns a large cattle ranch in Texas, and my fiancé is a wealthy miner. I’ll make sure you receive a reward if you bring me to him.”

  He vaulted off the horse and gave her a sad smile. “I can’t let you escape.”

  “You don’t understand. My fiancé will pay a fortune for my return.”

  Whether or not that was true didn’t matter.

  He shook his head. “I can’t leave the gang.”

  “You mean you can’t leave your share of the pot,” she spat. It all came down to that.

  His jaw hardened. “No. I can’t. Now, I don’t want to manhandle you, but I will. Get on.”

  If he’d still been on the horse, she would’ve pulled out her gun and shot him. But as they were, there was no way she’d be able to extract it, aim, and fire before he stopped her. She’d have to save her shot for another time.

  She rose slowly, cringing at her sore muscles.

  “Let me help you,” he said gently, before boosting her into the saddle.

  She didn’t say thank you. Frankly, she wasn’t grateful. She wasn’t grateful she was being taken against her will. She wasn’t grateful he’d rejected her plea of freedom, and she certainly wasn’t grateful to be riding with a man who sounded like sin, and smelled like leather and pine and heaven.

  He launched himself behind her an
d urged the horse to canter.

  She gasped when fire shot up through her legs and into her back.

  He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she stiffened against his touch. His breath tickled her ear before he said, “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you, and if you do what I say, I’ll do my best to get you back to that fiancé of yours. But you can’t keep riding this way. Save your strength. Lean against me and fight another day.”

  He was right. All she’d been doing was exhausting herself. She needed to save what energy she had.

  She collapsed against him and let him adjust her so his thighs cushioned her. The stinging in her limbs immediately subsided, and she sighed with relief.

  He didn’t mock her, didn’t taunt. He just held her, moving them both with the horse’s rhythm until the swaying soothed her.

  In his arms, she was safe for the moment.

  It was the last thing she thought before exhaustion took over, pulling her into sleep.

  Declan was ready for murder when Jesse finally called to break camp for the night.

  The woman in his arms shot upright at the announcement, shaking, and he could only imagine what images were running through her head.

  He wanted to reassure her he would keep her safe, but he couldn’t do that. If Jesse thought he was soft, they’d both be lucky to get out of there alive.

  Because, while she may think they were holding her for ransom and would release her once they received money from her fiancé or father or whoever, Declan knew Jesse would never let her go. She’d seen his face, had heard all of them speak... knew some of their names.

  Jesse O’Malley didn’t leave loose ends and Declan was her only hope for making it through.

  He got off his horse and strode away when she reached out for his assistance. The men snorted at the woman’s distress, but he had to push that from his mind. He couldn’t go easy on her. If he did, Jesse would hand her over to someone else, then Declan wouldn’t be able to protect her.

  She huffed and slowly crawled off the horse. She had to be hurting. He’d seen the way she’d bounced in the saddle earlier. A woman as delicate as she appeared to be would have bruises running from her neck to ankles from a day like this.

  And there were several more days of hard riding ahead.

  He wanted to curse at the circumstances. This whole situation would be a lot easier to handle if he’d only had himself to protect. With her abduction, things were much more complicated.

  “Stay put,” he called out loudly behind him as he went to start a fire.

  He looked over his shoulder and saw her gaze darting around, taking in everyone and everything around her. She was planning.

  Interesting.

  He’d assumed she was some helpless, pampered, rich lady, but right now, he wasn’t so sure. The intelligence sparking in her eyes spoke volumes. Perhaps they’d make it out of this alive after all.

  That was, if she didn’t do anything stupid.

  Jesse and McCoy, the lowlife he’d been partnered with during the heist, argued on the other side of the clearing. He could just imagine what bone of contention McCoy was harping on this time.

  Declan’s eyes trailed back to the woman who’d fallen asleep in his arms during their ride.

  She was in so much trouble, and she didn’t even know it.

  He walked back after stoking the fire and tossed her a piece of jerky. “It’s not much, but until we get to the hideout, it’s the best we have.”

  “Thank you.” She tore off a chunk with her teeth and chewed in silence.

  His eyes narrowed as he watched her. The meat was as tough as nails and tasted awful. But she didn’t seem to mind. She was either so out of her mind with exhaustion, was plotting an escape, or was somehow used to such food, but he’d put his bet on the first two. No lady who could afford a gown like that, would eat poorly. Plus, judging by her figure, she was well-nourished.

  His gaze lingered a little too long on said curves before he forced himself to look away, cursing the blood humming through his veins. He should have more control than that. A physical distraction right now could get them both killed.

  “You’ll sleep with me tonight.”

  “No.” She looked up at him slowly, hate blazing in her eyes. “I will never consent to sleep with you or any other man here.”

  He glanced back at the group, who suddenly had nothing better to do than watch his reaction to her anger-filled retort.

  He gripped her arms, hauling her up from the log she sat on and dragged her into the trees, releasing her once they were out of view and too far away for nosy ears to hear. “I don’t think you understand what’s going on here. If you want to stay alive, you’ll obey me. If not, I can’t protect you.”

  “Protect me?” she scoffed. “How is forcing yourself upon me protection? You can’t possibly think I want to be with you.”

  Rocks settled in his gut. Of course she didn’t want to be with him. He knew that better than anyone. With him came misery and loneliness for any woman who attached herself to him. But just for a moment, he wondered what it’d be like to have a woman like her all to himself. One who didn’t get bored when he had to leave home and track down animals like the ones he currently rode with.

  For Marshal Declan James, life would never be simple. It couldn’t. He had a job to do, and he intended to do it.

  “Unless those men think you’re with me, you’re fair game. Our leader doesn’t condone forcing a woman, but anything can happen when his back is turned.” She stiffened against his meaning. Good. This was serious, and she needed to learn where her place was. “You don’t have to do anything other than sleep beside me. It’ll be enough.”

  She watched him like she would an untrustworthy animal. That’s probably all she saw.

  An animal. One who robbed trains, took hostages, abused women, and killed men without a second thought.

  If he could tell her the truth, tell her who he really was, he would. But doing so would blow his cover and everything he’d worked for. And he wasn’t about to do that.

  He had a job to do, and he’d see it through.

  The fact he’d get a percentage of the money he recovered didn’t matter. What mattered was justice. Bringing the men in.

  Hunting down animals who preyed on others.

  He just hoped his supervisor wouldn’t fire him on the spot once he learned of the robbery.

  Jesse’s gang had just pulled off the largest heist in history. If word got out a U.S. Marshal had participated, there’d be trouble.

  There always was.

  Chapter 3

  Feigning sleep, Ellie lay beside Dec, ticking time in her mind as she listened to each and every man slowly fall asleep.

  He’d left her alone for the most part, not forcing her body to meet his, which she was grateful for. She couldn’t have pretended to be so relaxed with him pressed against her. Even now, she hated how in tune she was to his every breath, the way his fingers jerked in his sleep.

  They were on the ground, but the area was unseasonably warm for November, and the fire chased away any lingering chills. Not to mention the heat which radiated from the body next to her.

  The outlaws were smart to have a watch, but they’d chosen poorly with the man assigned. Already, he slumped to the side, dead to the world as he slept. If they were careless, she’d press her advantage.

  Hours crawled by, and everyone had been asleep long enough that she felt confident in her escape. As she saw it, she’d never have a better opportunity.

  She leaned away from Dec in degrees, her eyes locked on him for any hint her movements had caused him to wake.

  Inch by inch, she scooted farther away, only slowly sitting up once she was off the pallet. Wincing at the creaking in her corset, she eyed Dec a moment, before fully-rising to her feet.

  She tiptoed to the end of camp and dared a look back at the men who snored on like idiots.

  Feeling even more confident, she moved faster, pushing through brush and l
ow-lying branches, as exhilaration and freedom warmed her heart.

  She was almost away, almost safe.

  She could survive out here alone. She’d have to do something about her clothes, but Ellie wasn’t particularly concerned with that. Getting away was the hard part.

  Confident she was far enough away the men wouldn’t hear her, she picked up her pace to a run.

  She’d done it. She was free—

  Crashes sounded behind her, and her eyes went wild. She sprinted as hard as she could, but footsteps crunching leaves and twigs gained on her.

  “Stop running,” Dec called, before swearing.

  She didn’t waste time responding. There was no way she’d ever stop running from him. He must know that.

  He crashed into her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and twisting so he broke her fall. His cushion didn’t help.

  As air left her heaving lungs, her eyes widened and her arms flailed.

  “Easy.” He maneuvered her onto her back. “You’re all right. Don’t fight it and air will come. Easy now.”

  She couldn’t think through the burning pain in her chest. When she thought she might pass out, her lungs finally relented, sucking in a deep breath, before pushing it out again and repeating the process.

  “Good. Just like that.”

  It took her a moment to realize the bodice of her dress sagged in front and the first two hooks of her corset were loose. She blushed, but refused to be embarrassed by it. All women were made the same, and with Dec’s looks, she was sure she wasn’t the first woman he’d laid eyes on. And she wasn’t even all that exposed.

  And why was she even thinking about that at all? The man had just ruined her escape plans.

  “Just let me go,” she said, her voice rasping.

  “I told you I can’t.” His words weren’t harsh, just matter-of-fact. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “You haven’t killed me yet, if that’s what you mean.”