Warmth rushed through her body, filling her from her toes to her forehead, crackling like lightning. The man was impossible. “But not everyone in town would know it’s a lie.”
Simon cleared his throat. “Excuse me, while this conversation is quite interesting, even entertaining… Can we go, Sheriff?”
“What is it with you and this prisoner? Why are you after him?”
“I’m after all wanted men.”
“Even those who aren’t in your jurisdiction? Who's back home taking care of the town, Sheriff? Who’s looking out for the good folk in Zenith?”
Zach frowned. “This is a special case. And we’re headed back to Zenith right now.”
“You’re going east and Zenith is north. Are you lost?” Meg asked staring at him, watching his reaction.
“You caught me. I got turned around. Now we’ll go north,” Zach responded with a smirk. “Remember, ladies, if you come after me again…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Meg said as a sliver of fear spiraled through her, sending shivers through her midsection. She knew he was serious. And while she didn’t want to be tied up, she wanted to get to Zach. And she was willing to risk it all. “The next time I catch you, Sheriff, I’ll leave you in the middle of town, with no bath tub to cower in. Think of that on your journey back to Zenith.”
“Can we please stop with the threats and get going?” Simon asked, interrupting them again.
Meg started laughing, the sound almost hysterical. “I’ve never seen a prisoner so excited to be going to his own hanging. Your prisoner is mighty familiar with you, Zach.”
“Simon, not another word,” Zach shouted.
“I’m finding this little exchange very interesting,” Ruby said. “If we were in the school yard, I’d think they liked each other.” She glanced over at Simon.
Meg turned to glare at Ruby. “He doesn’t like women who wear pants.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Ruby said. “His manhood is challenged by a woman in pants.”
Zach shook his head. “Keep talking. You’ll both be naked soon.”
“What now, cowboy?” Meg asked, wishing he would just leave. “I think we’ve slung enough threats, and you’ve given enough ultimatums.”
A frown creased his forehead. “Don’t follow me, Meg. I’ll bring your clothes out to the farm next week. Don’t let me see you before then.”
“I don’t take orders from you. What about our guns?”
He pulled her gun out of his holster and took the bullets out. He did the same with Ruby’s revolver and handed them back to Meg. “Okay, ladies, you know the drill. Turn around, and I’ll tie you together again.”
“Damn you, Zach,”
“Watch your language, Meg.” He tied them up then blew Meg a kiss. “See you in Zenith.”
“See you in hell!”
Chapter 3
In the pre-dawn light, Meg, stood in the middle of the road, tied to Ruby, as their horses munched on the grass along the edge of the road. God, she’d been so stupid to let Zach catch them. But she thought she’d had enough of a head start on him she could beat him to town. Now, she stared at the backend of his horse carrying him down the dusty road. Mentally, she was throwing daggers at those broad shoulders, wishing just one would halt him in his tracks.
“Meg, I’m tired, I’m dirty, and I just want to find the nearest hotel and sleep,” Ruby whined.
Something wasn’t right. Zach wasn’t telling her the truth. She’d find him and soon learn the real reason he was taking this man back to Zenith. Though why he rode east when he was suppose to be going north, she had no idea. And if he thought a simple threat of undressing her was going to stop her, he was dumber than a claim jumper.
“He’s taken our prisoner. We have to go after him.” Meg gritted her teeth, clenching her fists until her nails dug into her hand, sending sharp pains through her palm. She wanted to ride after them and take Simon back. She wanted to make Zach pay for the way he’d left them behind. Tied up, in their pantaloons, no access to weapons, they would be unable to defend themselves from any traveler who happened along the road.
“Do you still have that knife?” Meg asked, hoping Ruby had put it back in her boot.
“Yes, on the count of three,” Ruby replied, her voice tired. “One. Two. Three.”
They squatted down until she could reach her boot and pull the knife free. Slowly they rose back to standing height. Meg tried to wait patiently for Ruby to cut the ropes, but she wanted to get on the road to catch Zach.
“This is getting to be a habit. Next time, we take all of his rope with us when we leave,” Meg said, thinking when they caught up to Zach, she would make certain he couldn’t follow them.
“Let’s go to a hotel and rest,” Ruby pleaded. “We can head to Zenith tomorrow. Then after we get home, you can go to the jail to make sure he turned Simon in.”
Rest sounded wonderful, but she couldn’t leave Simon with Zach. She couldn’t just give up on their quarry. She wanted that bounty, if only to keep Zach from having him. She wanted to pay off their small farm. She wanted that money to start her dress shop.
“No,” Meg said sharply. “We’re going to catch Zach and Simon. He’s not been gone long. It’s daylight and should be easy to find them.”
“And get tied up naked?” Ruby asked. “You’re my logical sister, but you’re so tired you’re not thinking straight.”
The memory of Zach laughing at Meg in the bathhouse made her stomach churn with a side of revenge. Sure, she’d gotten to him once, but now they were playing a game of hide and seek, and she had every intention of winning. “We’re going to get our prisoner back, and we won’t be tied up naked. We’re going to win.”
The ropes slid off their arms as Ruby cut through them. “I need to rest, Meg.” She sat down on the ground. “I’ve not slept in what feels like days. I’m tired.”
For Ruby to be whining, she must be exhausted. Meg was tired, but the thrill of the hunt, spurred her on. The excitement of knowing she was going to win, if she had to die trying.
“Do you want me to leave you and go on alone?” Meg asked. “I could leave you in town.”
“We do this together, not alone.” Ruby gazed at her, her blue eyes flashing determination. “This thing between you and the sheriff… You’re getting a little obsessed.”
Meg laughed then held out her hand to her sister, yanking her up from the ground. “I’m not obsessed. But it is personal. I’m not losing this bounty. I’m going to take Simon back.”
This was the second time Zach had left them tied up, and now the recapture of Simon had become her objective. She was going to win, by golly, or die trying.
As they walked to their horses, Ruby gazed at Meg, her blue eyes shadowed with concern. “When you let it get personal, is when you get hurt. You need to let this one go, Meg.”
“No,” she responded, not even pausing to think. With Zach’s interference, this pursuit had become very personal. “I can drop you off at the hotel, if you don’t want to continue.”
Ruby took a deep breath. “No, I’ll keep going, so hopefully, I can protect you. You’re worse than a sharp stick in the eye.”
Meg shrugged. “I think the first thing we should do is put some clothes on. It’s a good thing we carry an extra set, or we’d be riding into town half-naked. I’m sure we’d receive quite a welcome. Not the kind I’m looking for.”
“You know she’s going to follow us,” Simon said, as they rode back the same path Meg and Ruby had traveled earlier.
“Probably,” Zack acknowledged, trying to calculate how long it would take for them to get out of the ropes. He couldn’t help but be worried that he had taken their clothes and left them without a weapon. What if some harm came to them because of his actions?
“Would you really leave them tied up and naked?” Simon asked. “I mean that doesn’t sound like a law-abiding sheriff, if you ask me.”
“No one’s asking you, and no, I wouldn’t have left them
naked.” Hell, he hadn’t expected his lungs to freeze and his breath to stop when he saw Meg’s breasts peaking thru the top of her chemise, his John Henry hardening at the sight of her long shapely legs. With her standing so proudly in her pantaloons and chemise, her breasts high and firm and so damn tempting, he’d wanted to forget about both Simon and Ruby. He’d wanted to take what he saw and to hell with Simon.
“You know, I think we’re going to find us a nice place and bed down for a while. We’ll get some rest and let her keep searching. Hopefully, she’ll give up and go back to Zenith thinking we’re there,” Zach said.
No, he would never leave Meg naked, but it hadn’t hurt to plant that idea in her head with the hope that fear would keep her from riding after him. Still, his gut instinct told him to get prepared, she was on her way.
Simon shook his head. “I could use some shut-eye. You guys have been dragging me all over this country tonight. I haven’t ridden this much since…”
Zach glanced over at him. “Since when?”
Had Simon almost slipped and told Zach something that could tell him about his way of life? His living on the fringes of the law, just one wrong step from the noose?
“Never mind,” Simon said and looked away.
“In fact, let’s get off the road and wait for them to pass,” Zach said, pulling his horse into a groove of trees far enough off the road they were no longer visible, the brush hiding their horses.
Zach knew he would be unable to rest until he was sure Meg and Ruby passed them by. Until he knew Meg was chasing rabbits in the wrong direction, he would be hard pressed to get some shut-eye.
“You get some sleep, and I’ll just crawl up a tree somewhere and wait for them to pass,” he commanded, thinking of how he’d surprised Meg when he’d dropped the blanket over the top of her from the tree. Occasionally, it felt good to outsmart the other person. Occasionally, it felt devious to be the one delivering the surprise.
After helping Simon off of his horse, Zach set up his bedroll, leaving his prisoner tied up with his eyes closed. Laid out, Simon quickly began snoring. Then Zach crept off to watch for Meg and Ruby.
An elm tree grew close to the road, and Zach climbed up high enough the branches and leaves would shield him from view. About thirty minutes later, he heard horses. He watched as Meg pushed her horse, not at a full run, but a steady gallop. She passed beneath him, and he couldn’t help but smile. Both girls had put on other clothes they must have had in their saddlebags.
Tension flowed like a stampede of cattle through Zach as he realized he’d been worried about leaving them on the trail in their undergarments. As they rode off, he felt an emptiness he’d never realized before. He liked sparring with Meg; he liked kissing her even more; and even though they had some unresolved issues, he was looking forward to their next encounter. Once he had Simon safely tucked away, he would pay a visit to her farm.
Then he would find Mary Lowell and hear her version of Simon’s story.
Was he being led on a wild goose chase? Had Simon killed her husband?
Riding through the countryside, the warm spring sun beat down on Meg and Ruby as they searched for anyone who’d seen the two cowboys. Zach and Simon were missing. No one in Dyersville mentioned them, and so she’d headed north to Zenith, hoping he’d been honest and was taking Simon to jail. Yet, her gut told her he’d lied. With every mile, she sensed they were further apart, and yet she didn’t turn back.
They rode as fast as they could push their horses without killing them. Exhaustion seeped from Meg’s every pore, and she knew they’d have to stop and rest soon. They couldn’t keep going at this pace. Yet, they rode on trying to find the elusive sheriff and his captive. Somehow, he’d given them the slip.
Meg looked back over her shoulder to where Ruby was at least four horse lengths behind her. “Can you get a move on?”
The closer they came to Zenith, the more discouragement overwhelmed Meg, leaving her tense. The closer they came to Zenith, the more Ruby slowed. The closer they came to Zenith, the more Meg knew Zach had won this time.
He may have won a skirmish, but she’d win the war.
“I’ve not slept in almost two days, so forgive me if I’m a little saddle sore and weary. I’m ready to call it a night, Meg.”
Meg sighed. They were still a good day’s ride from Zenith. Zach and Simon had to be just as tired as they were. They’d be looking for a place to hole up for the night. Meg and Ruby’s horses were exhausted, they were exhausted, and the search seemed exhausted. They had to stop, rest, and regroup.
“We’ll stop in the next town we come to,” Meg promised to encourage Ruby, knowing she’d pushed the horses and the two of them about as far as she could safely.
An hour later, they arrived at a spot in the road that had a small rooming house, a bank, a general store, and a barbershop/bathhouse. Meg’s insides cringed at the sight of the bathhouse, and yet, for a moment, she wanted to storm into the building to make sure Zach wasn’t hiding in there.
“Come on, let’s see if we can get a room, and get some rest,” Meg suggested, throwing her leg over her horse and sliding to the ground. Her legs felt wobbly and stiff from sitting such a long time. Her buttocks ached from the hours spent in the saddle.
“Thank God. I’m so tired I’ve been dozing.”
Ruby swung her leg over her saddle. The stirrup twisted on her foot, spinning Ruby and sending her spiraling to the ground. She landed with a loud thud beneath the horse. The tired mustang panicked and started running down the street, dragging Ruby behind.
“Oh, my God,” Meg shouted. Her heart slammed into her throat, fear zipping through her bloodstream, as she watched in horror as her sister was towed down the street on her back.
Meg jumped back on her horse, spurring him after the runaway animal.
The exhausted mustang was not running at full speed, and Meg raced after the wayward horse, careful to avoid her sister’s bouncing body. Leaning over she grabbed his reins and pulled the animal to a halt. She jumped off her horse and ran back to Ruby. “Are you all right?”
Her sister lay in the street, her hair and face dusty, moaning. “Meg.”
“I’m here, Ruby. Are you okay?”
“My leg. It hurts.”
“Can you sit?” Meg asked, staring worriedly at her sister. That had been close. Too close. All because Meg had pushed them to their limit. A careless mistake could have cost Ruby her life, and even now, she could be seriously injured.
Meg gently pulled Ruby’s foot from the stirrup and helped her sister to a sitting position. She swayed in Meg’s arms. Then she screamed, her face blanched of color, “Oh, my God, my back is on fire. It burns, Meg. It burns.”
Meg glanced at Ruby’s back and could see her dress had been ripped and shredded in several places as the horse dragged her down the street over pebbles, rocks, and a hard, dusty surface.
“You need a doctor,” Meg determined.
Blood seeped from Ruby’s forehead where a rock had cut her, fear reflected from her gaze, and pain left her face ashen. Meg couldn’t believe this was happening. Not now, not when they were going to rest. Not when she wanted so badly to go after Simon tomorrow morning. But Ruby was seriously injured. Nothing was more important than her sister. Nothing. No bounty, no Simon, not the farm, only Ruby.
A man came running to her side. “Is she okay?”
“No, can you take those two horses to the corral for me?” Meg asked, needing the horses taken care of and fed, but knowing she’d never leave Ruby’s side.
“Yes, ma’am.”
What if they didn’t have a sawbones? What if all they had was a healer? Right now, Meg just wanted someone to give Ruby some relief.
“Is there a doctor in this town?”
“Yes,” the man responded, gazing worriedly at Ruby.
“Tell them at the corral I’ll be down later to pay for their care,” she told the older man, who she hoped was honest. “Thank you.”
He
pulled the horses down a side alley.
She had to get Ruby out of the middle of the street. There were times when she wished Annabelle was with them to help out. This was one of those times.
Meg halfway picked up Ruby. “Can you walk?”
Ruby took a step and screamed. “My ankle. I can’t put any weight on my ankle.”
Concern pounded like a hammer hitting an anvil in Meg’s heart. If only they had stopped to rest earlier, none of this would have happened. If only she hadn’t been pushing them to their limits to find Zach and Simon.
She half-carried Ruby, hobbling down the dusty street to the rooming house. When they stumbled in the door, a woman came running around the counter. “Oh, my God! What happened?”
“Her foot got caught in the stirrup, and the horse spooked. He dragged her down the street. Do you have a room?”
“I’ve got a room, and I’ll send someone to fetch the doctor. He lives about a mile out of town. Let’s get her settled into bed.” The middle-aged woman wrapped her arms around Ruby, helping Meg carry her sister into the room. “Her back is going to be sore.”
Her back was going to be black and blue from the looks of the scraps and burns. Even for an old tired horse, her mustang had held up well on the trip. Maybe too well.
Ruby moaned. “Hurts so bad.”
The woman pulled back the quilt on the bed, and together, they tried to lay Ruby down gently without hurting her back any more than necessary.
Meg stared in shock at her sister, her face pale as she moaned in the bed. Meg had to help make Ruby more comfortable and take care of her, the best she could.
“Do you need some help with what’s left of her dress?” the kind woman asked.
“I think I can get it from here. If you’d just send for the doctor, I’d be grateful,” Meg responded. She took out her knife and cut the dress away from Ruby’s body. It was ruined, and there was no sense in making her remove the tattered garment.
The woman watched Ruby, her face grimacing at the sight of her wounds. “I’ll send for him right now.”
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