by Lyn Horner
“Shhh. Jessie’s asleep,” Tye whispered from out of the shadows, where he sat keeping watch. “She went out like a snuffed candle when I finally persuaded her to lie down.”
“Just as well,” David whispered back, quietly closing the door.
“Did ye find him?”
“No.”
“Damnú! I was hoping you’d corner him and put an end to his miserable life.”
“So was I. But it’s too dark now. We’ll head back out at dawn. Maybe we’ll have better luck then.” Kneeling, David spread out the bedroll he’d toted in.
“Aye, maybe,” Tye said, sighing wearily.
In no mood to talk or to sleep, David volunteered to keep watch for a while and offered Tye his bedroll, agreeing they would exchange places in three hours.
A while later, slouched in the chair Tye had vacated, with his .44 near at hand on the table, David listened to Jessie’s even breathing and considered the bitter question she had posed before Stanton showed up. Why did he care so much about what happened to her? He wanted her, sure, more than any of the women he’d briefly been involved with over the years. None of them had taken root in his mind the way she had, he acknowledged. But what made her so different?
She behaved so recklessly at times that he wanted to shake the daylights out of her. Yet, that reckless streak made her as fearless as a Sioux warrior when angered. He grinned, recalling how she’d hurled herself at Stanton, ready to tear him apart. Then he felt sick, realizing how close she’d come to getting killed. Part of him damned her fierce temper, but another part of him admired her raw courage. It also didn’t escape him that she’d done it in an attempt to save his life.
Something else he admired was the loyalty between her and her brother. True, Tye had been furious with Jessie earlier – although David doubted now that he really would have struck her – and they might squabble like quarrelsome jaybirds now and then, but they obviously cared deeply for each other.
A little envious of their closeness, he thought back to Grand Island and Jessie’s determination to stay and tend him while he recuperated. She’d gone against her brother’s wishes there, David was certain, because she’d felt responsible for him getting hurt. Which she was to an extent, but not altogether. He’d charged Wolf Gerard without thinking and he’d paid for his mistake. He smiled ruefully, thinking his bad judgment had outstripped Jessie’s on that occasion, but what mattered was the strong sense of duty she’d shown by staying to take care of him. He respected that.
David suddenly sat up straight, chagrined to realize he’d just listed several qualities he wanted in a wife: courage, loyalty, duty. But did they outweigh Jessie’s temper and all the past antagonism between them?
Christ! He couldn’t seriously be thinking of marrying the little hellcat. He’d have to be completely loco. Yet, his mind kept going over the same set of facts, plus one other grave consideration. If Stanton eluded capture, and David had a gut feeling he might, Jessie wouldn’t be safe unless she was so well guarded or so far away that the varmint could never get to her.
That fact was what finally made up his mind the next day.
Although he and the others found traces of blood along the canyon, they did not find their slippery quarry. Despite his injuries, Stanton had somehow escaped down the steep trail in the dark. Where he had run to was anybody’s guess.
Sundown was fast approaching when David again returned to Tye’s cramped shack. Facing Jessie, he blamed himself for the fear in her eyes when he delivered the bad news. He should have gone after Stanton immediately last night instead of letting him get away. But the sight of Jessie lying on the floor like a broken doll had stopped him.
“Damn the rogue!” Tye burst out as David hung his hat and coat on a nail by the door. “D’ye think there’s any chance he’ll yet be tracked down?”
Worn out from a virtually sleepless night and a long, frustrating day in the saddle, David dropped into the lone chair. Resting his elbows on his knees, he lowered his head and raked a hand through his sweat-slick hair. “I don’t know. The marshal headed on down to Sandy to find out if Stanton’s been spotted there. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Tye paced from the door to the back wall, and back again. “And if he’s already been there and gone? Then what?”
“Word will go out to other peace officers around the territory, I reckon.”
“And then we wait and see again.” Tye’s disgusted snort pretty much summed up David’s opinion, too. “Well, there’s one good thing, at least. I got a quick look at him after ye shot him. He wasn’t a pretty sight. He’ll not find it easy to escape notice, I’m thinking.”
“Mmm. But until he’s brought in . . . .” Letting his words trail off, David looked up at Jessie, standing nearby with her back to the stove. She’d been stirring a pot of stew when he walked in, and he noticed that she still held the spoon, in a white-knuckled grip, as if it were a weapon. She wore a faded blue calico dress he remembered from Grand Island and had her hair pinned back, giving him a clear view of the livid bruise on her left cheek. It was beginning to turn greenish yellow around the edges, but it would take days to fade away.
“Ye believe he might still come after me?” she asked, blue eyes wide with dread.
He hesitated, then nodded regretfully. “I think he’s going to want revenge more than ever.”
His answer caused Jessie’s mouth to go dry, and she found it hard to breathe. Turning away, she dropped the spoon back in the iron cook pot. “Nothing has changed then. I must be gone from here, and soon.”
Tye cleared his throat. “Before we discuss that, I’ll have those answers we spoke of last night, if ye please.”
She whirled to face him, thinking him like a dog gnawing at his favorite bone. “Tye, for mercy’s sake! This is no time –”
“Jess, I know you’re frightened,” he said, cutting her off, “and ye only want to put distance between yourself and that filthy bugger, Stanton. And I don’t blame ye a bit, but there are other matters to consider.” He glanced sternly at David. “If the captain has stolen your honor as ye implied last night, then I mean to see him stand by ye. ’Tis my duty as your brother.”
“Sweet Mary!” Face flooding with heat, Jessie clamped her hands to her waist. “Tye Devlin, ye sound just like Da, and I’ll not have it, d’ye hear? And contrary to what ye think I implied, my honor is firmly in my keeping, thank you!”
“Better listen to her, Devlin, or you’re liable to end up wearing that stew,” David joked, coming to his feet. “And it smells too good to waste.”
“This isn’t funny,” she snapped. She could kick him for his flippancy. She also wanted to kick herself for opening her mouth last night about what happened in Mrs. Wilson’s parlor, with Tye standing right there listening.
Instead of firing off the harsh response she expected, David raised his hands in a placating gesture and chuckled. “Easy, darlin’, don’t get all riled up. We’ve got things to talk about.”
He took the wind out of her sails with the endearment. Going still, she wondered at his oddly affable mood, and his last remark.
Turning a serious face to Tye, he said, “I give you my word Jessie told you true. She’ll come to her husband unsullied.” While she absorbed the fact that he no longer believed she had given herself to Blake Stanton, he smiled at her and added, “When she marries me, that is.”
“I’ll be damned!” Tye blurted, while Jessie gasped in shock.
“Marry! You?” she cried, grabbing the corner of the table to anchor herself to the earth.
He shook his head, wearing a wry expression. “I know. It’s the last thing you expected, but it makes sense if you think about it.”
“Makes sense?” she parroted, blinking rapidly.
“Yup. I figure we can help each other out. I’ve been thinking of settling down and starting a family, see?”
She nodded dumbly, her pulse hammering in her ears.
“But I’ve got to have a wife first
.” Grinning, he casually pointed a finger at her, then crossed his arms. “Now, if you’re wondering what good this’ll do you, the answer is simple. As my bride you’ll be safe from Stanton at CampDouglas while I carry out my mission. Then we’ll head for Texas.”
“Texas!” Jessie shouted simultaneously with Tye. She sent him a stunned glance as he flopped down on the end of the bunk, gaping at David.
David chuckled again at their reactions. “That’s right. It’s time I went home. My father got hurt in a fall a while back and he needs help with the River T. Uh, that’s our . . . his ranch. I’ve put in a request to resign my commission, and it should be approved by the time I round up the deserter I’m after. Sometime within the next couple weeks, I expect. Then we’ll be on our way.”
Jessie stared at him, speechless with disbelief.
“So, what do you say?” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Will you marry me, Jessie?”
“Ye make it sound like a business arrangement,” she said past the lump in her throat. It took every scrap of courage she had to ask, “What about . . . love?”
His mouth thinned. “Love is a fool’s dream,” he said cynically. “I’ll give you a home and protection from Stanton. All I want in return is your loyalty and, eventually, children.”
He might as well have driven a knife into her heart. She pressed a hand over that poor wounded part of her and fought to prevent her lips from trembling. She was a fool by his standards because she’d come west in search of love, his love. And despite all the cruel things he’d said to her, and she to him, she still yearned for that “fool’s dream.” What he offered was a mockery, a travesty!
Wanting to scream and cry and punch him in the nose, she clenched her hands and glared at him. “To escape Stanton, I’m to tie myself to ye for life and be nothing more than a . . . a broodmare?”
Tye uttered a shocked oath.
David glowered at her, flushing darkly beneath his tan. “Madam, I’m offering you an honorable marriage,” he gritted.
“Are ye truly? Well, let me tell ye, sir, I find your idea of marriage little better than Blake Stanton’s offer to make me his mistress.”
Tye jumped up from the bunk. “Jessie, you’ve no call to insult the man!”
“Stay out of this,” she snapped. She stood her ground when David stepped close, fists on his hips, and bent forward, eyes drilling into hers.
“That’s the second time you’ve compared me to that yahoo, and I don’t appreciate it. And just how are you going to keep out of Stanton’s reach and manage to support yourself, since the thought of becoming my wife offends you so much?”
“I’ll leave the territory as I was planning to do,” she bit out. “And I’ll manage fine, just as I’ve been doing.”
He snorted sarcastically. “Is that a fact? Where will you run to? What will you do when you get there?”
She dropped her gaze and pushed past him, rubbing her arms. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was considering San Francisco. ’Tis said to be a grand city. I’ll have no trouble finding work, I’m sure.” Her voice quivered, betraying her uncertainty.
“San Francisco’s not like Salt Lake City, Jessie. As naïve as you are, you’d probably fall into the wrong hands again and end up like Ivar Andersen’s daughter.”
Affronted by his opinion of her and startled by his reference to Ivar, Jessie pivoted, frowning in confusion. “What are ye saying? What of Ivar’s daughter?”
“He didn’t tell you about her? Well, it seems she ran off with some slick-talking dude like Stanton. When she came up pregnant he left her. By the time her father found her in some hellhole in Frisco, she was dying. Along with her baby.”
“Oh, no!” Jessie cried in horror. “That’s why he never trusted Blake!” She clapped a hand over her mouth, and tears pooled in her eyes, blurring her vision.
Tye cursed fluently in Gaelic. “For the love of God, Jessie, listen to him and think what you’re doing!” he pleaded.
Feeling her stomach heave, she stumbled to the door. She threw it open and leaned heavily against the rough framework. When she closed her eyes, tears slid down her cheeks. Ignoring them, she breathed deep and willed herself not to be sick.
“Hell!” David swore under his breath as he watched her droop like a wilted flower in the doorway. Why did she always drive him to hurt her? Scowling, he glanced at Tye. The Irishman threw up his hands and shook his head, offering no help.
David swung his gaze back to Jessie. He’d made a mess of this whole proposal business. He should have spoken to her alone, instead of blurting out his intentions in front of Tye. And he should have put it to her differently. Just because he saw things practically, as they really were, didn’t mean she did. She was young and full of romantic notions. She wanted to be courted. But there was no time for that, dammit!
He sighed and walked over to her, halting directly behind her. Aware of him, she stiffened and pushed away from the doorframe. Her warm woman’s scent washed over him like a siren’s song, luring him closer. He raised his hands, longing to pull her against him, but stopped, figuring she’d probably fly into a rage if he touched her right now. Reluctantly, he let his arms drop back to his sides.
“I’m sorry, Jessie. I shouldn’t have told you about the girl. I didn’t mean to nearly put you in a swoon.”
No longer nauseated but still shaky, Jessie was surprised by his gruff apology and very conscious of his nearness. She wanted to turn and fling herself against him in a desperate bid for comfort. She also wanted to bolt out the door and run before he said something hurtful again. Resisting both urges, she didn’t move.
“But I won’t . . . I can’t stand by and let you gamble with your life,” he added.
She slowly turned to face him. “Why? Why d’ye care?” she asked, repeating her bitter question from last night. “Surely there are plenty of women who’d gladly be your wife.” One in particular, she thought, recalling her vision of him with that dark-haired female in his arms.
“I don’t want any other woman, blast it!” A muscle jumped angrily along his jaw and his eyes swept over her possessively, touching her everywhere. “I want you!”
Jessie caught her breath, instantly feeling the hot, needy ache he so easily aroused within her. It weakened her knees and made her hunger for his kiss. Seeing a matching hunger in his smoldering green eyes, she knew it wasn’t the tender love he had shown her in her dreams, in her water vision. Maybe she had only imagined that loving expression. But this desire that never failed to flare up between them was real and powerful. Might it grow into something more? Might David change his mind and come to see he was wrong about love?
The anger faded from his expression and he cleared his throat. “You want to know why I care, Jessie? It’s because you’ve got more courage than good sense. No. Let me finish,” he said, touching his finger to her lips when she started to protest, then setting his hands on her shoulders.
“It’s because you stayed in Grand Island when you could have climbed back aboard that train and gone on your way. And because I think, I hope you wouldn’t break a promise, a vow.”
She unconsciously gripped his arms, head tilted back to study him. “If ye mean a wedding vow, of course I wouldn’t break it. ’Tis a sacred pledge.”
He arched one dark brow sardonically. “Some folks haven’t got it in them to honor any pledge, sacred or not.”
Jessie suddenly knew that somewhere, sometime, he had been badly hurt. By a woman who had broken her vow, perhaps?
“I do want you, Jessie,” he murmured, eyes caressing her face, “and you feel it, too. You can’t deny that.” He smiled and kneaded her shoulders. “I promise I’ll do my best to make you happy, if you’ll give me the chance.”
Hope bloomed anew in her heart. Perhaps she had not imagined the gentle man in her dreams after all. Her instincts told her not to turn David away, but to take what he offered and have faith in the future.
She hadn’t trusted her original inst
incts about Blake. She longed to trust them now, about David, but dear God, he wanted to whisk her off to Texas! She had already lost her father. Now she was being asked to move hundreds of miles away from her brother.
“Tye!” she cried, attempting to push free from David’s grip.
He muttered under his breath but released her and turned aside, so that she could see her brother, who had retreated to the back of the small shack. To give them what little privacy he could, Jessie realized with gratitude.
“Aye, Sis, I’m here,” Tye said, quickly stepping forward.
“Texas . . . ’tis so far away,” she said, ignoring David’s frown.
Tye smiled sadly. “Jess, San Francisco is a long way off, too, no?”
She hadn’t thought about that, perhaps because she hadn’t wanted to face the fact. Biting her lip, she nodded reluctantly.
“Ye must do what’s best for you, colleen. And I’ve a strong feeling this is what you’re meant to do.” He sent her a meaningful stare and nodded, letting her know his special sense was telling him she should accept David’s proposal. “Besides, no matter where ye go, I’m still your brother,” he added, smiling once more. “And I’ll always love ye.”
She gave a choked sob and hugged herself. Pressing her lips together, she waited until she was in control before meeting David’s frown. He obviously didn’t care for her emotional display, or Tye’s declaration of love, something he himself couldn’t offer her. Yet, she told herself.
“Very well,” she said, voice cracking slightly. “I’ll marry ye and I’ll go with ye to Texas.” She took a breath to steady herself for what must be said. “But first, there’s something ye have a right to know before we take any vows. Something about me.”
He narrowed his eyes warily. “What’s that?”
She faced him squarely and clasped her hands tightly. “From time to time I, um, see things.”