Until September

by Brenda Jernigan

  She had tried to convince the Daltons to release her, so she could get her story out to the magazine, but they wouldn’t let her go.

  Oh, they wanted their story told. Of that, she had no doubt. They had even let her sketch them, but they had indicated they were afraid that she’d bring somebody back to their hideout. She’d tried to assure them that was a most ridiculous notion. She wasn’t even sure what state she was in, much less the exact location. Leading somebody back to this place would be an impossible task. However, she hadn’t been able to convince them.

  Claire thought they might be thinking about letting her go if she had many more of her coughing spells. But every day they said no. Creek had been eyeing her in a way that made her very uncomfortable for days, and she was beginning to think he might try something.

  She had to get away.

  At first, Claire had been certain Billy would come from her. But that hope had dimmed several days ago. Too much time had passed. If he were coming, he would have had plenty of time to find them by now. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized she had no idea how he could have possibly found her out in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t as if there were signs pointing the way. She didn’t know how anybody knew where they were in this part of the country. It was all so empty.

  The morning had started off like all the rest. After the men had tied her to the chair, Claire watched them take the strongbox outside. She felt completely helpless, but there was no one to help her, so she had to do something for herself. She struggled with the ropes binding her hands.

  Bill stood at the door watching the other men, who were Evidently shooting at something, Claire deduced from the sound. Now, while they were distracted, was probably her best chance to get away.

  Somebody must be smiling down on her today, she thought as the ropes finally loosened from around her wrists. Now she only had one outlaw to contend with, and he wasn’t paying attention to her as he watched the men outside.

  Now was her chance.

  She worked at the rest of the knots until the ropes fell away, and her hands became free. Bending over, she struggled with the ropes around her ankles and was finally rewarded for her efforts when the ropes came loose. She left them around her ankles to give the appearance that she was still tied.

  Glancing around the room, she saw a partially open window. That was how she’d make her escape. She wasn’t too sure where she’d go once she was free, but it was certainly better than sitting here and waiting to see what fate might bring her. After all, she knew what the worst could be.

  The bullets were still glancing off the box, so Claire knew her captors were still occupied. Except for Bill. As if Bill could read her thoughts, he turned and looked at her. Apparently he didn’t see anything suspicious, so he turned back to the excitement outside. After another minute, he succumbed to the temptation and joined the others out front.

  Thank God, Claire breathed. She raised her eyes heavenward. Now was her chance.

  Quickly, she kicked off the ropes and started for the window, but she stopped when she remembered her papers. Grabbing the papers and slipping them into her pocket, she ran to the window. There wasn’t any way she was going to leave her article, not after what she’d been through to get it.

  She took a deep breath and ducked through the half open window.

  She was just about through when someone caught her and began to pull. Oh no! Had someone realized what she was up to ... someone like Creek?

  She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand covered it So she did what any woman would do

  She bit him.

  “Shit!” Billy swore next to her ear. “You bit me.”

  “I didn’t know it was you,” Claire said defensively.

  “Shh,” he hissed. “I’m trying to get you out of here.”

  “It’s about time you showed up!”

  Billy looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Come on.” He tugged her hand. “We’ve got to get out of here, before they discover you’re gone.”

  The gunfire sounded in the background and covered their crashing through the leaves and sticks as they rushed through the woods. Billy hadn’t let go of her hand as he dragged her behind him.

  By the time they reached the horses, the firing had stopped.

  “Hurry,” Billy urged, grabbing her and shoving her up into the saddle. “You’ll have to ride astride.”

  “I’m fine, thank you,” Claire said, then snatched the reins from him. The sorry rascal hadn’t even bothered to ask if she was all right.

  Billy couldn’t help but smile once he’d turned away from Claire. He liked her spunk, but he wasn’t going to let her know it “Follow me. The strongbox will only keep them busy for a little while.”

  He had no more gotten the words out of his mouth when the sounds of shouting drifted up to them from below. “The horses are loose! Somebody help me,” Bill shouted.

  “Let’s ride!” Billy nudged his horse with his heels and they were off. He wished now he’d scattered the horses earlier. He wouldn’t normally have been so careless, but this last week he felt as if he’d left his mind back in Denver.

  He took the lead, and Claire followed as they galloped across an open field. Every time he glanced over his shoulder, Claire was right with him. She handled a horse better than most men. An odd feeling of pride stirred within him that she could keep up.

  When they reached the other side of the field, Billy pulled up and looked behind them. He could see the tops of the outlaws’ heads as they crested a ridge. “We’re going to have to cut through the woods to lose them. Keep low so you won’t run into any low hanging branches and get knocked off your horse.”

  Claire nodded and did as she was told.

  As they raced through the woods, the trees seemed to be a blur. Finally they reached a stream. They galloped right through it Then Billy swung back and retraced his steps into the river. He was glad to see that Claire still followed him.

  They trotted along the winding stream, staying in the water. Once in a while Billy would ride up the bank and then back down again. Claire wondered if Billy knew what he was doing, but she supposed he did. His actions seemed deliberate. If they weren’t, then she was in a lot of trouble.

  After what seemed like an hour, they emerged from the woods and stopped. Billy turned, and, shading his eyes with his hands, he scanned the dark woods. He seemed to be listening, as well.

  “I think we’ve lost them,” he finally said. “It’s getting late, but we’d better ride a little farther before we make camp.”

  “Where are we?” Claire asked.

  Billy chuckled and shrugged. “I wish I knew.” “That wasn’t the answer I was looking for,” Claire said in a weary voice.

  Billy smiled, reached over and patted her hand. Then they started riding.

  When they stopped again, it was late afternoon. The sun was low in the sky, but they still had a good two hours more of daylight. They could probably ride farther, but Claire was ready to get to town so they could find a nice hotel and a hot bath. She looked around. She had to admit this was a lovely place. It was a grassy spot nestled in a clump of cottonwood trees near a lazy brook. It would be a wonderful place for a picnic, Claire thought. Of course, that would require food. “How much farther to town?”

  “I have no idea,” Billy said as he dismounted.

  “You know that is the second time you’ve said that. It’s especially distressing since you’re leading,” Claire told him as she leaned on the pommel. “Where are we going to spend the night?”

  “Right here,” Billy replied as he took Spot’s reins and led her over to a tree.

  Claire looked around. “But I don’t see a house.”

  Billy turned and looked at her, and then drawled, “Don’t reckon you do. Have you ever slept outside?”

  “Of course not,” Claire replied primly as she slid from her horse and walked, rubbing her sore bottom, to where Billy was undoing the cinch of his saddle.


  “Then tonight will be a first, sweetheart,” Billy said, lifting the saddle from his horse. He hefted his saddle to the ground, and then turned to Claire. “Here Let me unsaddle your horse.”

  Claire could see that he was laughing at her, and she didn’t appreciate it one bit. She was tired, she was hungry, and she was in no mood to be laughed at “I can do it myself,” she snapped.

  Billy said nothing as he untied his bedroll from his saddle and dropped it on the ground.

  Claire snatched die saddle from her horse and very nearly collapsed from the weight of it. She staggered, but managed to drop it at her feet. It was heavier than she’d anticipated.

  Billy stepped in, and picked up the saddle and tossed it next to his. “Here You take the blanket and spread it out on the grass while I build a fire.”

  Claire did as he told her. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was ignoring her. Didn’t he care? Of course he didn’t. Why should he? After all, she was just a job to him. But he could at least ask how she felt or something.

  Billy was busy gathering small stones, which he brought to the edge of the grass. He arranged them in a circle and then went back and started picking up dried branches and small limbs.

  Claire turned toward the babbling brook. What a wonderful sound it made, and it looked so refreshing. Today had been hot, so the water looked very inviting. She’d never in her life bathed outdoors, but she felt so grimy, she’d do anything to feel clean again.

  Hadn’t she said she wanted to do things she’d never done before? She’d never thought she’d be doing anything like this, however. The cool water was calling her. So far, she’d left home, ridden a train, spent time with outlaws, so what difference would bathing in a creek make? She smiled.

  “I think I will go to the stream and bathe,” she found herself telling Billy.

  “Wait a minute,” Billy said. He walked over to the saddlebag. He reached in and pulled out a white cloth, which he handed to Claire.

  “What’s this?” She started unwrapping. There in the middle was a big cake of white soap.

  “Oh my goodness,” Claire exclaimed. “It’s the answer to a prayer.” She sniffed at the soap. It was nothing fancy, there was no scent, but it was precious to her.

  Billy grinned. “I thought you’d enjoy your bath more with that. You can leave the cloth and the soap on a rock, and I’ll wash up after you do.”

  “Thank you,” she said and started for the river. Funny, she’d thought he would have said something about her bathing in the creek, but he acted as if it was something he did all the time. Did this mean there were no bathtubs out here? No, that couldn’t be. Women wouldn’t stand for cold baths all the time. She was sure there would be a bathtub where she was going. At least, she fervently hoped so. If there weren’t, she’d rectify that right away. In the meantime, she’d worry about the problem of bathing in a stream. Outside. Where anybody could see her.

  How wicked, she thought.

  When she reached the water’s edge she found a spot with a sandy bank located near some scrub bushes. The creek tumbled over several layers of jutted and round boulders, then fell a short distance into a small pool at the base of the waterfall.

  Heaven. Surely she’d found a little bit of heaven. This place was beautiful and seemed unspoiled by human hands. Her own little Garden of Eden.

  Claire stepped out of her gown, took out her little brown bottle and looked at it More than half of the medicine was gone, but she’d have to make it last until she rejoined Aunt Ute.

  Claire shook her dress out in front of her to rid the garment of the dust from travelling. She sneezed as the gray cloud rose in the air and tickled her nose. This dress would never be the same again, after all the abuse it had received in the last week. Oh, how she’d love to wash it, but then she’d have nothing to wear but her underclothing, and that wasn’t the proper thing to do. So she tossed the garment on one of the bushes so it could at least air out while she bathed.

  As she stepped out of her many layers of petticoats, she decided she wouldn’t need all of them since she would be sitting astride to ride, so she’d use one as a towel.

  She started to remove her chemise when her hand stopped. No, she couldn’t undress completely. She did have a little modesty, so she’d just wear the chemise into the water. It would get clean as she washed herself. Then she’d hang it near the fire to dry.

  The lye soap smelled so fresh as she bathed, and it felt wonderful as it glided over her skin. She ducked under the water to wet her hair. Taking the bar of soap, she began lathering her long, damp tresses.

  A shot rang out. Claire jumped and nearly lost her footing in the water. Had the outlaws found them? No, there would be more shooting if that were the case. But what in the world could Billy be shooting? Another snake? Billy could handle a weapon, so once she got over the initial surprise, she felt very safe. A wicked smile touched her lips. Just the thought of Billy West gave her goose bumps.

  Such a silly reaction, she hissed at herself. Wading over to the waterfall, she let the water rinse the suds from her hair, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about Billy.

  When she was around him, she tended to forget what lay ahead of her and the problems she had. She felt normal when she was with him, and she liked that. Contentment along with several strange feelings confused her when she was near him. It was nothing like what she’d felt for David. And she had thought she loved David. Hadn’t she? Now she wasn’t at all sure. She rarely thought of him anymore, and she thought that was strange. For three years her whole world had been David, and now she didn’t give a fig for what he was doing.

  Shutting her eyes, she enjoyed the cool water slipping over her head as she pictured Billy kissing her like he had at the party. Even the thought of the kiss made her tingle all over. It was like an itch that needed to be scratched.

  Realizing she’d wasted enough time, she stepped out of the cool water. She must have been imagining it, but she was certain she smelled something cooking. Her mouth watered. It sure smelled good. Her stomach grumbled as she wrung the water from her hair. The white chemise clung to her wet body and made her look almost naked. She peeled it off so she could hang it up to dry.

  It sure was taking Claire a long time to get clean, Billy thought as he turned the rabbit over on the fire. His experiences from the wagon train had served him well.

  He figured Claire would be starved. He was. He’d heard her stomach rumble a couple of times. She’d be surprised that they were going to have some meat. He glanced toward the stream. But what was keeping her?

  He could always join her in her bath, he thought.

  No. That would be dangerous, he cautioned himself. Hell, he didn’t even know if the woman could swim. He hadn’t asked. What if she’d drowned? He shook his head, disgusted with himself. Now he had to go and check on her.

  He strode over to the high bushes where she’d hung her dress. Peeking around the bush, he saw Claire as she rose from the water and waded toward the bank.

  He damn near stopped breathing.

  Her chemise was molded to her wet body and left nothing to the imagination. Her breasts strained against the clinging material, and he could see her nipples were tight against the fabric. As she emerged further he could see the dark triangle between her legs, and he quickly jerked away and made his way back to the campfire.

  “Just go ahead and shoot me now,” he mumbled.

  ’Cause there wasn’t any way he was going to make it through the night.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Smoke curled up from the pit, drifted over the meat, as it rose lazily into the dusky air.

  Billy turned the rabbit so it wouldn’t burn as he waited for Claire to return. A sizzling hiss came from the coals as the fat dripped onto the hot embers. The wonderful aroma surrounded the campfire, making his stomach growl. He couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten. He’d been so focused on finding Claire that he hadn’t stopped to eat

  A
few minutes later, Claire returned to the campfire. Billy forced himself to look at her. At least she’d put on her blue dress. It looked different, though. It hung straight to the ground where before it had been fuller. The image of her in her white chemise still burned in his mind, and his body hadn’t yet calmed down.

  “I didn’t know that a bath could feel so wonderful,” Claire said, holding out a damp piece of flimsy material.

  Her chemise. Billy gritted his teeth. The images in his head would not go away.

  “I need to hang this near the fire to dry,” she said as she shook out the garment “Go find a tree limb,” he snapped.

  A few minutes later, she returned with a threepronged limb. She planted it in the ground and then carefully draped the white material over the branches. After accomplishing her task, she sat down on the grass near him and began to dry her hair by rubbing it with a piece of cloth.

  Her skin looked pink and soft... and so very touchable. Enough, he told himself sternly... get your mind, back to the rabbit. “Where did you get the cloth?” Billy asked her.

  “From my petticoat I decided that so many petticoats would just get in the way when I’m riding. And it’s apparent that I’ll be riding for a while.” She shrugged. “So I tore it in half. I left the other half by the stream for you.”

  “Thanks,” he said gruffly. Realizing he was taking out his lack of control on Claire, not that she seemed to notice, he softened his next question. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved. They gave me very little to eat,” Claire said. She stopped drying her hair and looked at the animal spitted over the fire. “What is that, and where did you get it?”

  “Rabbit He made the mistake of crossing my path. At least we’ll have something to eat now. However it will be a far cry from what you’re used to eating,” Billy said as he stood up. “How about turning the meat every so often so it won’t burn? I’m going down to the creek.”

  Claire looked at the rabbit and the fire, before looking back to Billy. “You’re pretty resourceful, Billy West.” She gave him an approving smile.