“She’s safe a ways back.” She looked again at the two dead men on the ground. “Why did you shoot one and not the other?”
“I didn’t shoot the first one. Caroline did. I didn’t shoot the second because I didn’t want to give away our position. I wanted to get you out of there. Here,” he said, handing over her gun.
She grabbed it and pulled the hammer back. “So, Caroline is alive?”
He nodded. “She was shot in the arm. Lost a lot of blood, but she wouldn’t let me come for you on my own. The girl’s a fighter.”
The bitter flare of jealousy came to life inside of Jess. He may not have slept with Caroline, but it’s what he’d gone there to do. He had no idea he’d been drugged instead. “Well, isn’t that sweet of you to say?” she mocked as she scanned the rocks.
“Yes, I do believe it is,” he answered casually.
Her lips screwed into a point, and she buried the barrel of her gun in his groin. He squirmed and turned so that his back was pressed against the rock. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I ought to shoot it off right now, knowing you went to Juliet’s only days after bedding me.”
“Whatever happened to ‘I hold you to nothing, Val’? Or have you forgotten your own words so easily, you little hypocrite?”
“I was giving you an out I never expected you to take. Or at least not so quickly.”
“Can we have this discussion without a gun in my balls, please?”
He held his breath until she slowly pulled her revolver back. When the weapon was pointed in a safer direction, he reached out and pulled her against him, covering her mouth with his for a long, searing kiss.
“Now, shush,” he said when he released her. “There’s three more men to kill before I can tend to your jealousy.”
She sank back down on the dirt, a small smile tugging at her lips. It disappeared a moment later when a third man emerged from the rocks higher up. He had scrambled up for a better vantage point and Jess wasted no time firing her gun, sending his body back down to the ground.
“No!” Val whispered urgently, then shook his head. “You should have waited until they all appeared. Now, it’ll take longer to flush the last two out.”
Jess scowled and whispered back. “It would have been nice for you to tell me the plan beforehand!”
“I thought you would know.”
Her mouth hung open for a long second. “Why would I know a thing like that? You think I do this every day?”
“Shhh…” he said, silencing her as he peered toward an opening in the rocks. “I see movement between the rocks.”
They waited, but no one appeared. After several long minutes, Grant stepped out into the open, and he was holding Caroline before him as a shield. He backed against the rock and held his gun to her temple. She looked weak and fragile, but unafraid.
“Come on out, Jessie,” Grant said. “Unless you want to see an innocent woman die for you.”
Jess glanced over at Val, whose features hardened. They both slunk down behind the rock, and she chewed on her lip, waiting for him to speak. Finally, he turned to her, a look of pure disgust on his face.
“You think I look like that guy?” he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “I don’t know whether to shoot him or you for the insult.”
She rolled her eyes and huffed. “Can’t you ever be serious?”
“I am being serious. He’s uglier than dog shit.”
“Val, what about Caroline?”
“Let’s wait and see where the other guy is. I don’t want to make a move knowing he’s probably watching us from somewhere we can’t see.”
Grant’s voice reached them behind the rock again. “My patience is at an end with you today, Jessie. You have until the count of ten to come out before I pull the trigger.”
Jess’s heart beat against her ears. “I’m going out,” she told Val as Grant started counting.
“No, you’re not.” Val grabbed her wrist.
“Two…three…four…”
“I still have you to protect me,” she assured him. “Grant doesn’t know you’re here.”
“No, Jess,” he said, fear flushing his features.
“Six…seven…eight…”
“He doesn’t want to kill me,” she said with finality. “I’m going.”
“Nine…ten.”
She stood upright, and Grant smiled in triumph. “Don’t just stand there. Come on over here.”
She began walking toward him. “Let her go.”
His smile was sinister. “Sure thing. Just as soon as you give me your gun.”
She sighed and tossed the gun toward him. “Now, let her go.”
He nodded and released Caroline. “See? I’m a man of my word.”
Chapter 33
Val bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. Damn, fool-headed woman. First, Jess left her safe perch and then she threw away her only weapon. She was right about one thing, though. Grant was unaware of Val’s presence, and it gave him an advantage. He studied the man as Jess made her way toward him.
Dot was shoved away and stumbled to the ground, forgotten for the moment. She tried to stand repeatedly but kept falling to the ground. Grant tied Jess’s wrists together and began leading her away, but she pulled back.
“We need to get her to a doctor.”
Grant laughed. “That wasn’t part of the deal. You said to let her go, and I did. Now, enough of this. Let’s go find your sister and get out of here.”
He jerked her wrists and she stumbled forward, falling to her knees on the dirt and leaving Grant completely exposed. Val put his finger on the trigger. A flash of sunlight glinted off a piece of metal in the rocks and he watched the last missing man’s body rise above a rock and take aim at Dot, who struggled to crawl across the sand.
Val’s eyes flicked from Grant to the other man, his gun shifting back and forth. Dot or Jess? If he shot Grant, Dot would be killed before Val could fire at the shooter. If he saved Dot, Grant would know where he was and it would compromise Val’s chances of saving Jess. With time only for instinct, he swiveled and fired at the man in the rocks. The body fell forward on top of the boulder while the gun skittered down to the desert floor.
Grant gathered Jess and held her before him. Val cursed and spit on the ground. What the hell was he supposed to do?
“Well, well, well, Jessie. I didn’t realize you had so many friends,” Grant said aloud. “Or perhaps that’s your little snake of a sister out there, hoping to finish what she started three years ago. Come on out, Marlena! I promise if you come out now, I’ll forgive you for shooting me and stealing my horse.”
The truth hit Val like a gust of wind, and he heaved a deep breath. It was Marlena who shot Grant that night and rode Jess to safety. It was Marlena who was wanted for murder. It explained why Jess was so protective of her. She wasn’t running for her own life. She was running for her sister’s. Though she never told him the truth, he understood and loved her all the more.
Her voice, struggling through the pain of Grant’s grip, sliced through his innards. “Do you really think she is stupid enough to believe your lies, Grant? Marlena will never submit to you.”
“We’ll see about that.” He put the gun to her head. “Marlena, I’ll shoot your sister if you don’t come out here.”
“No, he won’t kill me!” Jess called out. “Don’t believe him. Stay where you are.”
“Nobody said anything about killing, sweetheart.” He lowered the gun to her outer thigh. “I’m just talking about making you scream.”
Blood pumped through Val like thick chalk. He wasn’t afraid to die if it would save her, but there was no one else to protect her. If he stood up, Grant would kill him and take Jess back to her prison in New Mexico. That is, if Grant didn’t want her dead. Val wasn’t so sure. The gleaming scar across her neck told a different story.
Grant pressed the barrel of his gun to her leg and cocked the hammer. The vision of a bullet blasting t
hrough her leg was too much for him to bear, so he stood before Grant could carry it out. The man’s face registered his shock.
“Now this is a surprise,” Grant said as Val came into clear view. “Don’t tell me you took up a lover on your travels, Jessie.” He held Jess in place with an arm around her neck and aimed his gun at Val. “She’s a sweet piece of meat, though, ain’t she? I especially love the mewling kitten sound she makes right before…”
“Shut up, Grant,” Val said. “I’ve got no interest in anything you have to say.”
“Ho, now. Temper, temper.”
“Why don’t you be a man and stop hiding behind a skirt?” Val spun his revolver and slid it into his holster. He widened his stance and lowered the brim of his hat, a display that he was prepared to duel. “Or are you too weak to face a man on equal ground?”
Val focused on Grant’s features. His hair was dark and wavy. His face bore the scruff of weeks of travel. His eyes were a deeper brown than Val’s, and contained all the evil in his nature. Val saw the man’s black soul in those eyes, and his fingers twitched beside his gun, waiting for the slightest movement.
Val locked eyes with Jess, and winked.
Jess wanted to scream. What was Val thinking? He was no match for Grant in a draw. Even with his superior skill, Grant would never adhere to the rules. The man was without honor. He’d shoot Val as soon as she was out of the way. She pressed herself against him.
“No, Grant,” she pleaded. “Let him go. I’ll leave with you and never run again if you leave him alone.”
Val scowled at her across the distance. “Thanks for your confidence, Jess. Didn’t you see my wink? Have a little faith.” She frowned, nonplussed, but he continued. “Well, Grant? Are you going to fight me fair?”
“I never fight fair.”
He shoved Jess away and swung both arms up, brandishing a pistol in each, and aimed at Val. She fell to the ground and screamed his name, powerless to do anything but watch. The shot was like a thunderclap, blasting the air and echoing off of the rocks. Her eyes fixed on Val’s chest, waiting for the slow spread of blood to coat his shirt, but he turned to her and winked again, this time with a smirk.
The grooves in her forehead deepened, and she turned around to find Morgan standing ten yards behind her, lowering his rifle. She sank in relief. Grant’s knees buckled and blood dribbled from his lips as a small circle of blood grew wider and wider on his torso. His body began to crumple to the ground, but in one last feat of strength his arms rose and he fired his guns.
“Val, look out!” she screamed as the guns went off. Both bullets went wide, hitting boulders nearby with a metallic whistle, making Val jump as his arms flailed protectively.
“Whoa!” he said. “That was close.”
She ran to him, leaping into his embrace and burying her face in his chest. “Always so damned sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He laughed softly. “Not as sure as I am of Morgan.”
She turned as Morgan approached, and she left Val to throw herself at his older brother. Morgan caught her and held her close while she thanked him repeatedly.
“I don’t know what made you come out here, but I am so glad you did,” she told him.
He gave her a gentle squeeze and released her to Val. “I couldn’t very well let Marlena ride off on her own with a man. So, I followed them at a distance. Besides, there was a time not too long ago you did the exact same thing for me and my family.” He smiled down at her before nodding toward Val. “You all right, brother?”
“Thanks to you,” Val said. They shook hands. “Perfect timing.”
“Argyle is with me,” Morgan said. “He’s back with Marlena. She waved us down when she saw us.”
Jess felt a flood of relief. “Thank God Dr. Cameron is here. We need to get Caroline to him. Where is Lila?”
“She’s at Ellie’s, anxiously awaiting the safe return of one and all.”
“Help me with Caroline.”
Val carried the woman, who was now unconscious, to the horses. Once Morgan was in the saddle, Val handed her up to him, urging them to ride ahead. Morgan nodded and kicked his horse. When Val turned back to Jess, she held her bound wrists up to him.
“Would you mind cutting my hands free?” she asked, and he studied the bindings with a curious look.
“Hmm…I don’t know. I sort of like the idea of you being my captive.”
She snorted. “It’s up to you, but you saw what happened to the last man who tried to capture me.”
He laughed and cut the ropes free, massaging her wrists when he was done. “Who am I kidding?” he said. “You and I both know I’m the captive here.”
She sucked in a breath and pinched her lips against the hot emotions boiling through her body. Now that it was over, the freedom, the hope of a love greater than fear, was almost too heavy to bear. Her eyelids trembled, wanting to flutter and hold back the well of tears rushing to be unleashed. There was much to say, but her voice lodged somewhere beneath the ball of emotion crowding her throat, so she leapt into his arms and branded him with her kiss; hot, deep and lasting.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her voice cracked with emotion. “I can’t believe you came for me.”
“You mean everything to me, Jess.” He trailed his thumb softly along the curve of her cheek and a sheen of fresh tears glistened in his eyes. “Everything.”
She took a deep breath and finally acknowledged what her heart had known for a while. “I love you, Val,”
He sighed as his eyes shut. “I’ve been waiting ages to hear you say that.”
He kissed her again, but she pulled away before she became lost in the moment and held a lecturing finger up to him. “Just because I love you doesn’t mean I’m not still livid you went to Juliet’s.”
“I can explain,” he began with a boyish grin before she held a finger to his lips.
“Later.” Val’s eyes moved around her face, searching. She closed her fingers around his hands and squeezed. “Let’s get back to Marlena. I want to see with my own eyes she’s all right.”
He nodded, mounting Caroline’s horse while Jess rode Achilles. Before they left, she peered in the direction of Grant’s body, willing herself to believe it was finally over.
“Are you all right?” Val asked. “It’s over now.”
She smiled and nodded. “I guess I don’t believe it yet.”
“Believe it. You’re free.” His lips went crooked in a clumsy grimace. “At least from Grant.”
“What do you mean?”
“We still have a…uh…little issue with Leonard Stacy.”
She shook her head. “Stacy was never after me. The man following me, the fire, all of it was Caroline.”
“Yes, that’s true, but I confronted him about his back room dealings with the railroad companies, and now he wants to kill us both.”
She lowered her chin until it nearly rested on her chest and groaned. “Val, what have you gotten us into now?”
He smiled his half-smirk, the one that made her heart pound. “I’ll tell you on the way back. Let’s go.”
Chapter 34
Two dead rabbits dangled from Val’s fist as he walked back to the camp with Morgan, who carried two of his own kills. Though his brother was anxious to ride through the night and return to Lila, Argyle advised they make camp and allow Dot the chance to rest. The blood loss had weakened her, but the doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound, using a spare shirt to fashion a sling. Val suggested a jackrabbit supper, giving him and Morgan an excuse to survey the area around the camp and make sure there was no sign of Leonard Stacy’s men.
“I think we ought to take turns with a watch during the night,” Morgan said, and Val nodded.
That was all Morgan said about the situation with Stacy, but Val knew his brother.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Val admitted.
“I know you do,” Morgan said. “That’s why there’s no need to say it out loud.”
�
�Yes, there is. You were right, and I was wrong. I should have listened to you.”
“It doesn’t matter, Val. Let it go.”
There was no judgment or anger in his voice, only the calm and coolness that he embodied. He was the most reliable person Val knew, and he felt the unfamiliar sting of tears at the back of his eyes as he cleared his throat.
“I want to thank you, Morgan, for always being there for me.”
Morgan stopped and studied Val’s face. After a long pause he chuckled. “When did you start getting all soft on me?”
Val blew out a breath and wiped beneath his eyes. “It’s that woman!” he declared. “She can take the blame for it.”
Morgan reached out and squeezed Val’s shoulder. “I shall have to thank her for it.”
They laughed and continued walking. The sun was setting on a cloudless sky, painting a purple horizon and a speckled sky of stars. A roaring fire crackled and laughter could be heard coming from Jess and Argyle as he and Morgan approached.
He studied her profile, the proud chin and pointed nose, and the scrunch of her cheek when she laughed, and he grinned. She loved him. There was no greater feeling in this life. But he had yet to make it binding. There was a question that needed asking, but the middle of a desert surrounded by dead bodies was the last place he’d wanted to ask it. And besides, he wanted to be sure her feelings remained the same when they returned to Gold Hill. The emotional pendulum she had likely endured from the first moment of her capture until Grant’s last breath was more than enough intensity for her to suffer in one day.
“Did somebody order jackrabbit?” Val said, interrupting their conversation.
Between Morgan and Argyle’s saddlebags, there was enough water and jerky to go around, but the addition of roasted meat would be welcome. Val glanced at Jess who spared him a smile before looking away to aid Dot when she struggled to rise.
“How are you feeling, Dorothy?” Jess asked as she helped the woman to a sitting position.
“Ugh,” Dot groaned. “Please don’t call me that. Call me Dot. I’ve always hated my name.”
“Why?” Jess asked with a chuckle. “It’s a beautiful name.”
Desert Sunrise (Love in the Sierras Book 2) Page 23