by Lisa Rae
Looking around the sparse room she sees a trunk, a table with a lamp, pitcher, bowl, and towel on it, two crudely made chairs, and the little bed she was resting on. Nothing that told Julianna anything more about who Gabriel was.
As Julianna laid back and covered up with an old handmade quilt, she drifted off to sleep thinking about Gabriel … Would Gabriel return her safely back to her father? Or would he keep her here as a prisoner in this outlaw camp as his woman? She fell asleep also wondering if he would make her his woman in every sense of the word …
*
After depositing Julianna gently onto his small bed, Gabriel went out to care for their tired and hungry horses. He had built a crude corral behind his little shack when he moved into it. Knowing his big bay horse was close, in case he needed to make a fast get-a-way, made him rest a lot easier.
The Phantom gang had pushed their horses hard to get back to the hideout, before the angry posse could catch up to them. Gabriel gave both their horses two large scoops each of grain, to replenish the nutrients they had lost. Then he brushed them down. He put the bridles and saddles away, and hung the saddle blankets up to dry. When the horses had finished their grain, he took them to the upper mountain meadow to graze.
Gabriel then headed towards two shacks that were bigger than the rest here in the outlaw camp. One was the cook’s shack, the other shack was a saloon. Gabriel went into the cook’s shack to see Barry Zimmerman, the camp cook, about rustling up some grub for Julianna.
“I hear you brought yourself back a woman?” Barry asked with a smile on his scrubby whiskered face. “I thought Angel was your woman? I doubt she is going to be happy to see you’ve replaced her. Why don’t you send Angel over to keep me company. I’ll take care of ‘er!”
“They will get along just fine,” Gabriel replied a bit rougher than he intended. The thought of another outlaw putting their hands on his sweet Angel, did not set well with him.
The angry look on Gabriel’s face told Barry to tread lightly, so to change the subject, Barry asked Gabriel, “What can I get for you?”
Glad that Barry was smart enough to change the subject Gabriel replied, “I need a plate of food to take to Julianna, then I’ll come back to eat.”
Barry handed a plateful of fried chicken and potatoes to Gabriel. “Here ye are. I’ll have yours ready when you get back.”
Taking the plateful of food from Barry, Gabriel headed for the cook shack door, as Clayton and Ted walked in. “Gabriel after you eat, why don’t you join us over at the saloon for a few drinks,” Clayton offered.
Gabriel just nodded his head in acceptance as he headed out the open door. The last thing he wanted to do right now was spend more time with those two, but he needed to keep up a good image with the Phantom outlaw gang. Now was not the time to ruffle any feathers.
When Gabriel returned back to his little shack, he found Julianna sound asleep. Knowing Julianna needed her rest, he didn’t wake her. He put the plate of fried chicken and potatoes on the table in case she woke up and was hungry. Gabriel walked over, looked down at how peaceful she was sleeping, and pulled the homemade quilt up around her small shoulders. Then he headed back to the cook’s shack to eat.
Clayton and Ted had finished eating their supper, and were gone when Gabriel entered the cook’s shack. There were a few men from another gang, sitting over at a table by a dirty window drinking coffee and eating. Gabriel went to the back of the cook’s shack and sat in the corner at his preferred table, with his back to the wall, as Barry brought him a large plate of fried chicken and potatoes.
Gabriel took his time eating his supper. He wasn’t hungry, but knew he needed to eat. He couldn’t help think about his past, and how it would affect Julianna …
Chapter 3
By the time Gabriel finished up his supper of fried chicken and potatoes, he was in a foul mood, and headed for the outlaw camp’s saloon to drown his deadly thoughts, with the very men he wished to kill!
Gabriel normally did not drink much whiskey. He liked to keep all his senses about him in case there was ever any trouble. After downing a whole bottle of rye by himself, he stumbled out of the camp’s saloon, and over to his little shack back by the canyon wall.
“Dora, Dora,” Gabriel mumbled as he stumbled over to the small bed, looking down on Julianna asleep. In his drunken haze, Gabriel mistook Julianna for Dora as he struggled to get all his clothes off, and climbed into the little bed with her. He smelled Julianna’s faint perfume of lilac, and he snuggled up to her saying, “I love you, Dora.” Then he kissed her cheek before falling asleep.
In her sleep, Julianna dreamed of a strong muscular naked man curled up to her backside with his big arms around her, holding her tight. She could feel his steady breathing as his chest rose and feel against her small back, and his warm breath on her delicate neck. Then he kissed her cheek saying he loved her, as she sighed happily.
*
As consciousness came to Gabriel, he wondered why his head was pounding like a sledgehammer? Then the smell of lilacs invaded his senses slowly, bringing his memory of the previous night back to him.
At supper Gabriel had started thinking about Clayton, Ted, Victor, and Dora. He ended up in such a bad mood, he went and drowned his thoughts in a bottle at the outlaw camp’s saloon. Luckily Victor was in bed healing from his bullet wound, and Clayton and Ted were busy playing poker with some other outlaws, or Gabriel may have shot them right then.
Gabriel then remembered stumbling home drunk. Once inside, he looked down at Dora, who looked so beautiful asleep in his small bed. He took his clothes off and …
Wait, it couldn’t be Dora he laid next to, because Dora was dead! Just then Gabriel’s brain registered … . Jules! He had climbed in bed with Julianna naked, and had kissed her goodnight!
He needed to get out of that bed and get dressed, before Julianna woke up and saw him like this. He had promised her he would keep her safe. What would she think if it looked like he was trying to bed her? He knew that answer, she would condemn him …
Why did he care what she thought of him? As soon as this was over, Gabriel would take Julianna safely to her loving father, and would never see her again.
Julianna started to stir, and before she woke completely, Gabriel jumped up and donned his clothes so fast you would of thought the shack was on fire.
With a faint memory of last night’s dream still in her head, Julianna woke up to find Gabriel standing on the other side of the room looking disheveled. She assumed he had slept in his clothes too, and thought no more about it.
Gabriel pointed to a clean towel, and the bowl and fresh pitcher of water on the table. “I hope you slept good? Why don’t you clean up while I go tend to the horses. When you are ready, I will take you to breakfast.”
“Yes, thanks, that sounds really good. I’m so hungry I think I could eat a horse right now,” Julianna replied.
Happy that Julianna didn’t seem to know what happened when he came home last night, Gabriel smiled and grabbed the plate of fried chicken and potatoes he had left on the table. He took it outside with him and tossed it to the camp dog, as he headed to take care of the horses. “Here you go boy, eat up.”
Inside, Julianna washed up and did her best to fix her hair and dirty clothes. With no mirror to use, she had no idea how disheveled she may look. Why was she worried about how she looked to a bunch of outlaws? Or was it just one outlaw that her looks mattered to?
Cleaned up as best as she could, Julianna puts her boots on, and walked outside to find Gabriel waiting for her at the hitching rail. He must have cleaned up back at the horse trough, because his face shined in the bright sun and his shirt was now tucked in to his pants.
As they were walking to the cook’s shack, Gabriel explained to Julianna how their outlaw camp had a saloon, cook shack, blacksmith, and a mercantile store that sold all the necessities, from ammunition, clothing, to grain for their horses. They also kept chickens, hogs, a milk cow, pigs, and a herd of
steers to butcher as needed, out in the high mountain meadow.
Julianna couldn’t help but be amazed at how well this outlaw gang was fortified against an attack, or the stormy winter weather when travel was not possible. The Phantom gang could probably hold up a year here without ever leaving the hideout. That last thought scared her … Would she be stuck here forever?
Entering the cook’s shack, there were a few outlaws still there eating their breakfast, who looked up at Julianna when her and Gabriel walked in. Holding her head high, Julianna followed Gabriel to his preferred table in the back, and sat down across from him.
She could hear the outlaws quietly murmuring to each other about her and someone named Angel, but Julianna was too hungry to care at the moment. Barry came over with two platefuls of scrambled eggs, fried bacon and potatoes, and biscuits. Julianna thanked him with a timid smile. Barry smiled back and quickly returned with cups of steaming hot coffee for them.
They ate in silence, both having second helpings of everything. After that they sat sipping steaming hot coffee for a while before Gabriel finally spoke, “How would you like to go for a walk to loosen up all your stiff muscles?”
Julianna nodded her beautiful head yes as Gabriel continued, “Later this afternoon I will take you to the mercantile store to buy you some practical clothes to wear while you are here.”
*
Gabriel leisurely led Julianna through the Phantom outlaw’s camp showing her where everything was. As they passed other men and women in the camp, they nodded a greeting to them and continued on. Once they were on the outskirts of the gang’s camp, Gabriel carefully led Julianna along a narrow trail that wound up through steep canyon walls.
After a while of having hiked at an easy pace for Julianna to keep up, Gabriel stopped and pointed to an outlaw up high on a ridge, with a rifle in his hands. “See that man?” When Julianna nodded her head yes, Gabriel continued, “Up every canyon from the camp, there is a guard on watch at all times.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Julianna asked Gabriel.
“In case you get the idea of trying to escape again. I would hate to see you get shot.”
“Why don’t you just let me go? My father would pay a handsome amount for my return! I’m sure you could use the money to leave here and start your life over somewhere new,” Julianna desperately pleaded.
Gabriel turned on her and said harshly, “What do you know about starting over? Do you think a person can just up and forget all about their past? Walk away as if it never happened. They can’t, I can’t!”
Gabriel took in a few deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down, then continued on, “My path has already been decided for me many years ago. I have spent nine years of my life searching for men who I intend to kill, and no-one is going to stop me!”
Julianna’s heart sunk low. She wasn’t sure if it was because he refused to let her go, or if it was from what he just told her about wanting to murder someone in cold blood. She couldn’t believe that Gabriel would kill anyone, except in self defense. She wondered what happened to Gabriel, so long ago, that has him out for revenge?
Now in a dark mood, Gabriel turned back towards the outlaw gang’s camp saying over his shoulder, “That’s enough walking for today. I need to get back to camp. I’ve got things to do.” He headed back down the narrow trail towards camp, without looking back to see if Julianna followed him. After having showed her the sentry up on the ridge, he had no doubts that she would follow him back to camp.
Why did he let her get under his skin? She didn’t mean anything to him. Did she? She was just his hostage for now, till the time was right to let her go home to her father. But when that time came, would he be able to let her go?
*
By the time they reached Gabriel’s old shack by the canyon wall, he had walked himself into an even fouler mood. “You go in and rest. I’ll come back in a couple hours to take you to the store.” Before Julianna could reply, Gabriel was gone and had left her standing alone in front of his small shack.
Julianna went inside the little old shack, and looking at the small bed, realized she was tired and could use a nap. She took her boots off and curled up on the bed, trying not to think about the foul mood Gabriel was in. Instead she thought about the mysterious dream she had last night of a handsome man snuggled up to her, telling her he loved her as he kissed her goodnight.
Julianna sighed, she wished her vivid dream was real, and that Gabriel was … the man in her mysterious dream. She cursed herself for even thinking such a thing, but it was true. She loved the way he called her Jules, she loved his slate blue eyes and sinew tanned body, and loved the comfort she had felt when she woke up snuggled up to him on the trail.
As Julianna fell slowly asleep, she knew it could only ever be a dream. Gabriel didn’t feel that way about her, or he would of tried bedding her by now. Instead he just protected her by letting the rest of the outlaw gang think she was his. Maybe that meant he planned to let her go eventually . . But for some reason that thought didn’t appeal to Julianna anymore.
*
Gabriel had left Julianna standing alone in front of his little old shack as he quickly walked away, headed for the outlaw camp’s saloon. He needed a drink! Damn her! Julianna was unintentionally interfering with his well thought out plans. He had waited too many years to let this perfect opportunity pass by. Soon the time would come, and Gabriel would kill the men he spent many years searching for.
Once he killed those men, Gabriel’s soul would be lost forever. He would be dead inside and have nothing left to offer Julianna … In desperation to not think anymore about Julianna, Gabriel took the bottle of rye and guzzled, before he went over to join a game of poker with some of the outlaws.
“Deal me in,” Gabriel told them as he laid some money down on the table.
*
Many hours later … Gabriel returned to his small shack in a much improved mood from having won all the men’s money while playing poker. He was smiling and counting the money as he walked into the old shack to find Julianna, quietly sitting at the table reading a penny dreadful, she had found in Gabriel’s trunk.
Julianna stopped reading as she looked up, and hesitantly replied to the shocked look on Gabriel’s face, “I really wasn’t trying to be nosey, but I was so bored when you didn’t return in a couple of hours.” She then continued on, “Is this story in here really about you? It says you held up a bank in Cheyenne and killed two people. Gabe, please tell me this is not true?”
Gabriel’s heart felt completely crushed from the condemning look in her green eyes. How he wished she had never seen that awful story about him. He knew he could never begin to convince her it wasn’t true, so he did what he thought was best to protect her, and lied. “Yes it is about me, and I did what it says.”
Julianna heard his condemning words, but couldn’t believe what she was hearing him say. She had been certain he was going to tell her it was all lies. “I guess I have really misjudged you. I thought you was better than the rest of these outlaws.”
Gabriel wanted so much to take Julianna into his loving arms and tell her he was better than these outlaws, that he wasn’t who she thought he was. Or was he? Once he killed in cold blood, he wouldn’t be any better than the rest of them.
In heartfelt pain Gabriel said, “Let’s get over to the store to buy that outfit I promised you.”
*
As they walked into the mercantile store Gabriel told Julianna, “The lady over behind the counter is Ted’s wife, Ruby. She runs this store.”
As they neared the long counter, Gabriel introduced Julianna to Ted’s wife. “Ruby, I’d like you to meet Julianna. She needs a couple riding outfits, a hair brush, and whatever necessities she needs.”
Smiling Ruby said, “Come with me Julianna and I’ll show you what I’ve got. I’m afraid the choices are limited though.”
Smiling back at Ruby, Julianna followed her to the back of the store, while Gabriel went to grab
a box of .45 shells for his Colt Peacemaker. On his way back to the counter he passed a shelf of books, and stopped to look them over. He grabbed two books that he thought Julianna would like, and put them with his box of .45 shells onto the counter, while he waited for them to get done.
Soon the women had decided on the items that Julianna needed, and were on their way back to the counter. Julianna had the clothes tucked under her arm, and a hairbrush tightly clutched in her hands, like it was a precious treasure. Gabriel could never understand how women fussed so much over such little things, but the thought of Julianna’s brunette hair hanging down her back, all brushed out nice and soft …
While they walked back to Gabriel’s old shack, she was thinking about Ted’s wife, Ruby. It hadn’t dawned on Julianna that any of these outlaws might have wives. Ruby was friendly and seemed like someone Julianna would be friends with back home. But this wasn’t home, it was a camp full of outlaws and murderers. She didn’t understand how Ruby would want to be with an outlaw, or did she …
Once they were back inside his shack, Gabriel deposited his items on the table. “I bought these books for you. I thought they would help pass the time.”
Touched by Gabriel’s kindness, Julianna walked up to Gabriel to thank him, but the words were forgotten as she looked up into those slate blue eyes. For what seemed like forever, they just stared intently at each other, lost in the depths of each other’s smoldering eyes.
Finally Gabriel looked away as he turned and headed for the shack door. When he reached for the door latch, Julianna called to him, “Gabe.” As he looked at her she said, “Thank you.”
He nodded his head, as he was momentarily at a loss for words. When Gabriel found his tongue he said, “I will be back shortly. I’m going to see about borrowing a bath tub for you to get a proper bath in.” And with that, he walked out the shack door.
*
True to his word, Gabriel had come back with a bath tub. With Barry’s help, they hauled in buckets of steaming hot water and poured them into the bath tub. Gabriel also had Barry bring Julianna a plateful of supper. After Barry left the last time, Gabriel said to Julianna as he was headed out the door, “I have things to do tonight, so you will have the shack to yourself this evening.” Julianna nodded in understanding, and then Gabriel was gone out the door.