“Good heavens, no. Why would I do that?”
“People have different reasons.” He shrugged. “Well, for instance, if you knew someone really well and he was going to be hung, you’d go, wouldn’t you?”
“No, of course not. I wouldn’t want to see a friend die. But what kind of friends would I have that one was going to be hung?”
“Well, maybe someone who didn’t do what they were hangin’ him for. What would you do then?”
She gazed at him for a long moment, slid the skillet back over the coals. “I’d ride in, guns blazing, and rescue him. If I was sure he didn’t do it.”
Again that smile. “I’ll just bet you would, too.”
She thought about the conversation for a while. Renner crawled out of his bedroll, gazed bleary-eyed at her and then Zach, scratched his head, and headed off into the woods. Taking care of his bodily functions, she reckoned.
“Talky fellow,” Zach said and rubbed his shot leg like it might be hurting some. Probably was. No telling where he rode in from.
“I’m sorry I shot you. It was a momentary thing. I reckon James Lee fixed you up last night. He’s good at that sort of thing.”
He laughed. “Yes, he is. It was a momentary thing?”
“Yeah, you know. When I think of it, if I had stopped to think about it at the time, then I wouldn’t ’ve done it. A momentary lapse in judgment, James Lee would say. He’s a lawyer and talks that way sometimes.”
“Well, at least I’m comforted by that, I think.”
“You gotta admit, you provoked me, not stopping when I told you to.”
“I didn’t stop ’cause I was mad as hell. That old boy bumping me and showing my hand cost me the pot, and he never even said he was sorry. Then along comes this bit of a girl waving a gun and telling me to stop when the man I’m whacking on is almost twice my size. He could have taken care of himself, I’m sure, given the chance. Might even have killed me. You ever give that a thought?”
“I could’ve stopped him. Where’d you learn to fight that way?”
“Learn a lot of things in war.” He stared past her in silence.
Renner came back before she could respond and poured himself a cup of coffee, grabbed a couple slices of fatback, shot a quick look at Zach, and retreated as if he might be interrupting. He’d never been friendly toward her, so she didn’t think anything of it.
She handed Zach a plate and tin cup. “Help yourself.” For some reason she felt more tender toward him, and that made her mad, so she spoke downright curt.
“You learn to gamble in the war, too?”
He poured himself some coffee and fished a chunk of fatback from the skillet she’d pulled to the side of the fire, then peered up at her. “You might say so. It’s a quick way to make easy money. Turns out I’m pretty good at it.”
“Cards are cards. You get good ones, you get bad ones.”
His smile raised goosebumps on her arms. He didn’t quit gazing at her that way, she was going to have to break her vow to leave men alone. Bet he knew how to do plenty to a woman, things James Lee had never thought of. Turn Sister Maria on her ear.
“It has nothing to do with the cards you draw. It’s all in how you use them to your advantage. You ever play poker?”
“Nope. Want some more fatback?” She forked the browned slabs out onto a rock near the fire and layered a few more in the skillet.
“Only if you got plenty. Your man will be wanting some when he comes in.”
“There’s plenty, and he’s not my man.”
“Oh? Sorry. The way you two were going at it yesterday, I decided you were either hitched or fixing to be.”
“We were. I mean he thinks we are, but I’ve changed my mind.”
“Cold feet. It’s natural. You love him?”
She stared off toward the horizon, a slash of green against the pale blue morning sky. “If it’s any of your business, I don’t know. I can’t figure out what love is, and even if I could I wouldn’t be getting married to someone who bosses me around like he does. We’ve been friends for a while now. He helped out my family. I’m grateful. I’ve about decided that’s not a reason to marry someone. Especially not when there’s so many reasons not to.”
Too late she heard the soft thud of horse’s hooves in the mud and turned to see the subject of her conversation climbing down off his horse, his face dark as storm clouds.
How much had he heard? Plenty, from the looks of things, and she raised a hand toward him. “Sorry, James Lee.”
“Sorry? Talking our private business with a total stranger? Well, turns out he’s not a total stranger. You did shoot him. Just what in the hell do you mean, you aren’t getting married to me? Why you trailing along after me, then? Answer me that.”
He rarely cussed, so he was mighty pissed. On more than one occasion she’d seen him angry, but never like this. He stomped over to her, grabbed her arms, and pulled her away from the fire to her feet. His fingers clamped tight around her forearms.
“Stop it. You’re hurting me.”
“And you didn’t hurt me? Talking like that! You got something to tell me about our marrying plans, you tell them to me, not some yahoo who doesn’t even have a pot to piss in.”
“Just a minute. You ought not to grab her like that.” Zach moved forward, steel in the words.
“You stay out of this,” both James Lee and Tyra said at the same time.
“Long as you let her go, I will.” He held up both palms and took a step back.
“Let me go.” Her order, way more harsh than Zach’s, did the trick.
He did, but shoved her backward. Just a little shove, but her heel caught on something, she wasn’t sure what, and she fell backward. Strong arms caught her and set her aside.
“You okay?” Zach asked, back turned to James Lee for the split second it took to wade into him. Zach went down, and James Lee kicked him a couple of times.
Tyra jumped into the fray, straddling James Lee’s back and walloping him around the neck and ears. Zach got in a couple of punches from his position on the ground, bloodying James Lee’s nose.
Two fists bunched in James Lee’s shirt, she tried to pull him off Zach. At least give him a fighting chance. “Stop it, right now! Both of you! Renner, dammit, get over here and put a stop to this ’fore they kill each other.”
Renner shrugged. “I ain’t wading into that fight. Let ’em duke it out.”
“It’s not fair,” she yelled, one arm locked around James Lee’s neck. “Zach can’t even stand up.” Right this minute, if she’d had her gun she’d have shot James Lee in the foot he kept kicking the downed Zach with.
“Get off me, woman. Now.” He tossed her aside like a rag doll, and her world went black.
When she came to, all three men were standing over her, two of them with bloodied faces. But Zach was on his feet, though favoring the shot leg, so James Lee had decided not to kill him, anyway.
She sat up, rubbing a knot on the back of her head. James Lee glared at her, and it was Zach who moved forward to help her to her feet. The ground under her tilted, and she staggered against him. He locked an arm around her waist and steadied himself.
She was holding him up as much as the other way around. One of his hands under her arm cupped her breast, and she sucked in a breath. Tilted her head back to peer into his face. He looked as startled as she was, but he didn’t turn loose right away. Probably ’cause he didn’t want to fall on his face.
“This is exactly why no woman belongs on a trail drive.” James Lee didn’t seem to notice anything awry between her and Zach, just gave her a long gaze. “You okay?”
“No, I’m not, but it’s not what you think.” She kept an arm around Zach’s waist to steady him, or maybe to keep him touching her. It felt good, but she lit into James. “I thought we were friends, I thought you loved me. Now I learn I’m only a nuisance to be put up with, placed where I belong, in your kitchen cooking for you and washing your dirty drawers. I’m not goin
g another mile with you, James Lee, not another mile. And you.” She turned on Zach, and he staggered a few steps before righting himself. “You’re probably the same. You all want just one thing from a woman, and then you expect to tuck her away where she’s no bother till you want her services again. Well, I’ve had it with all of you.”
And there was that damned grin from Zach. The one that turned her into wet clay. The man was incorrigible, and she ought to shoot him again. Not in the leg. Maybe in the arm so he wouldn’t be able to crawl away.
Then the most embarrassing thing of all happened. She started to bawl like a baby. And when the men stared at her, clearly unsure what to do next, she stomped off, gathered her bedroll, bags, and saddle. Yanking out the holstered gun, she strapped it on and yelled at them.
“Just in case you were thinking of following me, I’d think twice if I were you.” Not once did she look back to see what they were doing as she went looking for Morgan in the remuda. All she cared about now was getting away from the lot of them. Where she was going and what she’d be doing, she had no idea.
Ever since coming to Kansas from the workhouse in England three years ago, she had dreamed about taking off and seeing this beautiful country. She spent years learning the ways of cowboying in the west, dreaming of being a man who could do all the things her sex was constricted not to do. Sometimes hating that she was a female. Now that she was free to do just that, she couldn’t figure which way to go first. Fear blossomed inside her. How would she survive? It might not be so hard if everyone thought her to be a man. Other women had done just that. Not a lot of them, but plenty, and she’d heard the tales from old-timers who’d come to work for the Englishmen in Victoria.
Riding away from camp, she listened for one of the men to come after her. Surely they wouldn’t let her go off by herself. But all was still. After a while she halted Morgan on a rise, and gazed out across the Texas hills cut by morning sunlight. Mist rose from water gathered in low spots; copses of trees threw images across the gleaming surfaces. Down to the south, a large herd of longhorns began to move out after an all-night stay, their hooves kicking up globs of mud, bawling carried on the wind. Oh, how she loved these wide open spaces, the glory of their beauty, the peaceful sounds of life.
Dragging in a deep breath that picked up the smell of fires from overnight camps of the cattle drives, she spared one last glance over her shoulder. No sign either of them was following her. She spurred the sure-footed Morgan down the incline into the valley that curved off to the southwest. Looked like a good way to go. Certainly not toward Wyoming, but she had time to think more about that. She’d need some supplies for the trail. Blair gave her money every month, and she’d stuck most of it back, so she had enough for a while. When it ran out she’d get work, maybe as a man. First chance she got she’d chop off her hair, turn herself into a man, and be on her way. To hell with James and Zach and all men.
Excitement filled her, a feeling of joy that knew no bounds. At the bottom of the hill she dug in her heels and sent the gelding into a gallop. She was free.
****
Zach accepted the loan of a pair of britches from a contrite James Lee.
“You going after her?” It was none of his business, but Zach asked anyway.
“Hell, no. And have her shoot me on sight? She’ll be back by dark. She’s just a kid, doesn’t know what she wants from one minute to the next.”
That was precisely why he would’ve gone after her, had she been his friend. She could get in real trouble real quick by herself in this untamed land, and meanness lurked everywhere. Outlaws ran wild from here into New Mexico Territory, and they spared no one. But he didn’t want this man kicking him around anymore, so he kept his mouth shut, accepted his help, and was on his way by the time those stupid Aberdeen cows began to move south. He saw disaster in James Lee’s plan to breed them with his longhorns that were ideal for the tough life they had to lead in Texas. Wolves might carry off half his short-legged defenseless cows before spring calving time rolled around. At which time they’d eat the newborns. He’d never owned a ranch, but he had rode for a few brands in his younger days, right after the war.
It was best to leave James Lee to his convictions or take a chance on being kicked around some more. His body couldn’t take much more of that. He almost lit out in the direction Tyra had gone, but he didn’t want another bullet hole in his body. The one he already had gave him enough problems, especially walking or riding, but hell, that didn’t leave much he could do with no pain. Besides, there was Josh to think of. He chuckled to himself. First time he’d been shot and held no animosity toward the shooter. Just a vague curiosity about what it might be like to bed a wild one like her.
James Lee said she was just a kid, but he saw a grown woman there, all the same. Old enough to make her own decisions, even down to who she married. Damn if he didn’t admire her for resisting tying up to a man like James Lee, who could blow hot or cold in the blink of an eye. Man like that could be dangerous. So could he, come to think on it.
With one last glance in the direction Tyra had gone, he turned his horse south. By the time James Lee arrived with those lazy, fat cows, he and Josh would be headed west or they’d be dead. He didn’t like the odds, but no one was hanging his brother for something he didn’t do.
Lost in thought, he wasn’t aware of the passing scenery, but deep in memories of growing up with Josh, protecting his little brother from bigger boys set on tormenting the young boy who loved poetry more than playing ball or tag. Something had happened to Josh along the way, though. The war had turned Zach into someone else, and he hadn’t ever been able to restore that lost soul. But what had happened to that soft-hearted poet his younger brother was, he didn’t know. He wished like hell he could’ve done more to help him instead of dragging him into the outlaw life.
He hadn’t seen his brother in more years than he cared to recall. And until the wire from Ma had arrived, he hadn’t even known where Josh was. How could he have let all these years go by and not tried to find him? Maybe, if he had, this would never have happened.
Ma’s wire said Josh swore he didn’t do what they said he did. Begged Zach to find him and help him. All the while these thoughts hung around, his horse carried him closer to Cuero, where he hoped he could do what had to be done for his brother. Bust him loose, if that’s what it took. With a hole in his leg, that might be hard to carry out, but he had a few days to strengthen it. Even if he had to crawl, he would not let them hang his baby brother.
The sun climbed the sky, and he pushed on, not stopping to eat. James Lee had packed him some cornbread and fatback, enough to last him to Cuero if he didn’t gobble it all down the first night. He sure hoped there’d be some good poker playing in town, else he might end up shoveling shit in the livery to earn money to get by on. But that didn’t matter. What was important was helping Josh.
A few nights later, he camped outside Cuero beside a creek. Tired, weary and dirty, he needed to bathe. It wouldn’t do to show up in town looking like a camp bum. Waiting for it to get dark, he stretched out beside the fire, listened to water flowing over rocks, and thought about Tyra Duncan. She was a pretty girl, in a sort of foreign way. Beautiful red hair, a complexion like rich cream, and cheeks that flushed the color of peaches when she was excited. He pictured her as he’d last seen her. Giving James Lee hell, green eyes sparkling like ice crystals. She sure was tempting. Maybe, when he got Josh out of this scrape, he’d go looking for her. She’d stared at him long and hard a few times. Made him believe he could have her if he was a mind to. She was a wild one, but he liked that in a woman. Kept ’em from whining all the time over something or the other. And too, she was young enough to crave adventure. Desire to hold her in his arms, his lips moving over her sweet feminine body, caused an ache that called for drastic measures. Long after he eased away the urgings, he stared up at the stars, wondering what the hell was wrong with him, thinking he could handle himself a woman.
At ful
l dark, he stripped down naked, sloshed his dusty trail clothes around in the water, spread them on bushes, and waded into a deep hole. The bullet wound was healing, and he removed the bandana tied around it to use as a wash rag to scrub every inch from head to right down between his toes. Without anything to dry himself, he scrambled up the rocky bank, shivering in the moonlight. His trail clothes were too wet to put back on, so he limped back to camp, favoring the sore leg, and stood by the fire to get warm and dry.
“That’s mighty interesting. A naked gambler in the dark of night.” The feminine voice came out of that dark night, and he like to have jumped right out of his skin.
Chapter Six
She stepped into the firelight, tousled red hair throwing flames of its own.
He must’ve fallen asleep and was dreaming. She couldn’t be here. Since the war he often awoke swinging his fists to fight off crazy dreams. This one he’d gladly enjoy.
“It’s me, Tyra Duncan. Sorry if I startled you.”
“You’re real?” He rubbed his eyes, shook his head. Definitely awake.
“Been watching you a while. Glad to see you’re walking some.”
“I thought you were going the other way.”
“Started to. Changed my mind.”
“How long you been here?” He considered catching her up in his arms, going at her like his body dictated. Instead, he crossed his hands over his stiff salute.
“Having a problem there?”
God, he hoped it was too dark for her to see much. Obviously not, though. “You ought to be careful walking up on a man like that. I could’ve shot you.”
She laughed, pointed toward his crotch. “With that?”
“Christ, woman. Don’t you have any modesty at all?”
“You’re the one who’s naked.”
“You’re the one who busted in on my privacy.”
“I considered keeping my mouth shut so I could watch a while longer, but it only got interesting after you saw me.” She dropped her bedroll and squatted beside it like a man.
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