Lipstick and Lead Series: The Complete Box Set With a Bonus Book

by Sylvia McDaniel

  Annabelle couldn’t feel her hands any longer. The sound of a gunshot had startled her out of a deep sleep. The first restful moment she’d had all night. The boom of the gun had frightened her, especially when she opened her eyes to a cold campfire and no Beau. After a long, anxious night, that no-good badman had gone off and left her alone, with her hands tied behind her back. Helpless.

  And Annabelle hated the feeling of having no control.

  A crunch of a twig alerted her that someone approached. Troubled, she jumped and rolled to a sitting position. Beau stepped into camp.

  “Where the hell have you been? Did you hear that gunshot? Was that you? You go off and leave me tied up, alone without the benefit of a weapon?”

  There was a coldness about his face that was disturbing this morning. His emerald gaze fell on her and his brows rose in a mocking glance.

  “Good morning, Miss Mary Sunshine. How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, his voice all fake cheery. “Was the hotel bedding up to your standards?”

  If her hands hadn’t been tied, she would have shown him exactly how she was feeling and it wasn’t pretty. Her hair was hanging down, her hands ached and she’d sleep very little the night before. She missed her bed. “I can’t feel my hands. They’re numb.”

  “Let me untie you and then you go and do whatever it is women do first thing in the morning. As long as you’re nice. No tricks.”

  She snorted as he stepped over to her and helped her to stand. Then he began untying the ropes that held her wrists bound. “Don’t go far. There were riders out on the road this morning.”

  “My sisters?” she asked hopefully.

  “No, the Harris gang,” he said quietly, his voice more serious than the moment before. “They’re some mean hombres.”

  “How do you know them?” she asked.

  He sighed the sound heavy in the stillness of the dawn. “God, woman you are full of questions. Just do what I say.”

  The outlaw was certainly not a bright and early kind of guy. He was a grump of the worst sort this morning. But she wasn’t going to let that trouble her. She didn’t care what kind of mood he was in, she needed answers and she wanted to go home. Preferably with him tied up and riding behind her.

  “I want answers.”

  “And I want gold. Hope you get what you want.”

  Aargh, he was the most infuriating man she’d ever met. Even more than that worthless man specimen she’d worked for as a waitress. Were all men a pain?

  He finished untying the ropes. Needles tingled as the blood flowed back into her wrists and slowly her fingers. She moved her shoulders as she clenched and unclenched her hands. When she thought she had enough feeling back in them, she swung her fist at his head. He caught it in mid-air.

  “What are you doing? I said no tricks. Do you want me to tie you back up?” he asked, his brow drawn together in a frown.

  “Trying to pay you back for tying me up and then leaving me alone. You scared me and I don’t scare easily,” she said, stepping to within inches of him, staring into his emerald gaze.

  The corner of his mouth lifted in a curl. “Well, I didn’t think you wanted to go to the bushes with me, but next time I’ll be sure to take you. As for tying you up, I like sleeping without worrying that you’re going to hornswaggle me while I rest. Now are you going to behave yourself and go do your business or do I need to go with you? I’d be happy to help.”

  “Just let me go,” she said knowing she sounded as dejected as she felt.

  Annabelle felt worn out. What had she been thinking to follow this outlaw out of town, instead of going home and telling her sisters that they were missing a bounty? But oh no, she’d thought this would be so simple that she’d be home before supper time with the money to pay off the bank loan.

  Now her sisters would be worried sick and furious when they learned the truth. And Annabelle would gladly sit at home and watch the chickens scratch in the dirt where she belonged. Not sleeping out in the country, going hungry and riding until the muscles in her buttocks screamed enough.

  “Go do your business,” he said softly and gave her a little push on the back.

  But most of all, she was scared of Beau Samuel. While he seemed a nice enough man, he was a criminal. A thief who’d robbed a bank and obviously had no wish to die of throat trouble by hanging from a tree.

  She turned and glared at him. “Paws off, mister.”

  “Then go do what you’re told.”

  “No one tells me what to do,” she said defiantly. Right now, she just wanted to irritate him as much as she felt frustrated at her own silly mistake.

  “We’re breaking camp in less than five minutes. You can either go to the bushes or you can hold it all day. I don’t care. Your choice,” he said. He turned and started to pack his saddle bags.

  She frowned suddenly realizing he intended for her to go with him. Last night, he’d said he would leave her tied up where her sisters would find her. What had changed and why? “I’m not going with you.”

  This morning he seemed tense, unlike yesterday. For a moment, he didn’t say anything but rolled up the bedroll. He kicked dirt over the fire and tried to erase signs of their camp. She watched him, studying his actions.

  “You don’t want the Harris gang to find you?” she asked.

  “You’ve got four minutes before I put you on your horse and we roll out of here.”

  “I’m not going with you,” she said again, her voice rising. He was going to make her go with him to keep his location a secret. What had she gotten herself into? She just wanted to go home.

  “Sugar, I tried to get you not to follow me. Now, I have no choice, but to take you with me.”

  “No. I’m not going.”

  He looked up at her from tightening the cinch on his saddle. “I’m not leaving you here alone, with the Harris gang searching for me. Not unless you want to be the center of their attention and I don’t think you really do. But then again, Miss Sassy Mouth, you may enjoy the attentions of more than one cowboy at once. Maybe you like being treated like a whore. ”

  Her mouth dropped open at the realization of what he was telling her. Her breath froze in her lungs as her eyes widened. She licked her lips rapidly and swallowed. “Just let me ride back to Zenith. I know the way.”

  She was less than a day’s ride away from home. She could be home by suppertime, tell her sisters what they needed to know about Beau and once again take up her role as head bookkeeper, farmer, and chicken wrangler.

  His expression was one of sympathy and that frustrated her even more. Because she knew, he would force her to go with him.

  “Again, that gang is going to be circling back. A woman alone on the trail would be like Christmas and the fourth of July arrived on the same day for them. And from the looks of what they did to that feller across the clearing, you’d be pushing up daisies when they were done with you.”

  She stammered, her pulse racing as realization smacked her in the gut. “That shot…that shot this morning was them killing a man?”

  His face tightened, his mouth drawing into a frown as his eyes darkened and something painful lingered for a moment in his gaze.

  “Yes, you’ve got two minutes before we leave. When we find a farmhouse, I’ll leave you behind with a farmer and his wife, but don’t go riding off alone. A pretty woman like yourself would be like candy to starving men.”

  He’d called her pretty. She swallowed and knew she had no choice. Her adventure would continue. “I’ll be quick.”

  “Good girl. As soon as you’re done, we ride.”

  Annabelle found her a bush and quickly finished her business. Of all the stupid things she’d ever done in her life, leaving town without her sisters was the biggest mistake she’d made. And now she was riding off with an outlaw to escape more outlaws and hoping that Meg and Ruby were on their way to rescue her. Hoping that her beloved sisters didn’t run into the Harris gang. Quickly, she drew an A in the dirt hoping they’d see i
t.

  “Where are we going?” Annabelle asked as they rode north towards the hidden money. He needed to keep the Harris gang guessing as to his original destination, but knew they were all headed to the same location.

  “I think I’m going to have to limit the number of questions you ask each day. Maybe then my poor ears will get a rest,” he said, teasing her, enjoying the way she bantered with him.

  She was a lively filly with a womanly figure that had caught his attention when he first laid eyes on her. He wondered how his hands would fit around her waist and how she would feel snug against his body or how her full lips would taste beneath his own. Those were things a man was better off not thinking about. But with this slip of a woman, it was damn hard not to imagine.

  “I’m smart enough to know that we’re headed north. But there are not many towns in this direction.”

  He hadn’t tied her hands again after seeing how much they’d hurt after he’d released her. He’d never thought about the circulation being cut off, but only how he could keep from waking up in the middle of the night with her standing over him with a gun in her hand. The woman was damn fine looking but crazy as a loon to be chasing after bad guys alone.

  “You’re right.”

  “Aren’t you going to tell me anything else?” she asked. clearly frustrated with him.

  He let her stew for a moment or two. “We’ve been zigzagging. Never going in one direction for too long, hoping that if someone followed us, we’d lose them.”

  No, he wasn’t a bad guy, but she didn’t know that. She didn’t know that he was just a sheep in wolf’’s clothing trying to right a wrong. Yet, he liked the idea of her playing Little Red Riding Hood. To his hungry eyes, she looked mighty tasty.

  “Even my sisters.”

  “Anyone.”

  After he’d told her about the dead man across the road, she’d promised him that she’d behave as long as he didn’t tie her hands. And so far she’d kept her word. But he had a sneaky suspicion that sometime today, before nightfall, she’d pull some kind of trick. And he’d be prepared.

  “You know my sisters are on their way.”

  “Sugar, I’m terrified.”

  “You should be.”

  Three women did not frighten him. Still, he’d rather be traveling alone. Annabelle slowed him down, was a nuisance and yet he didn’t mind gazing at her. She was an excellent horsewoman and knew how to ride without sitting in one of those side saddles.

  When he looked at her skirt, it was full enough that she could still sit a horse and her skirts billowed around her, covering all but the tops of her ankles, which her boots hid. No, she was all wrapped up like a proper lady, yet she wasn’t one of those pampered women who fainted at the mere mention of an improper word.

  “Again, Mr. Samuel, where are we going?”

  The woman had grit. And he admired that about her. Annabelle McKenzie could hold her own and curse as unexpected as a fifth ace in a poker deck. Stubborn, mule-headed, mouthy and a pain in his ass were also words to describe her pretty little self.

  He shook his head knowing this was going to be a long day unless he found a farmer soon. The quicker, the better. But even as he wandered in the wilderness like the Israelites, off the main trail it was hard to find civilization. So far, they’d ridden the better part of the day and no sight of anyone other than themselves and a few startled deer.

  “Sugar, the less you know the better, unless you enjoy five randy outlaws.”

  She flashed her bluebonnet eyes at him like she was setting the prairie ablaze. “Would you please stop saying that? If you’re doing it to scare me, it worked. I’m here, aren’t I? It’s losing its effectiveness. Now it’s just making me mad. So mad that if they rode up this moment, I’d probably kill the whole lot of them and you as well.”

  He laughed. “Well, I guess mad is better than scared. But I’m still not telling you where we’re going. And I’ve never seen a woman who could fire a gun well enough to kill a man, especially one without a pistol.”

  “Then you haven’t seen my sisters and me. Our Papa taught us how to protect ourselves. Anytime you want to contest me in a shooting match, I’m game.”

  If he were a betting man, he’d guess that somewhere on Miss Annabelle McKenzie there was a hidden pistol. Somewhere beneath all those lacy petticoats, she was concealing a weapon. And he couldn’t blame her. A pretty woman like her needed protection.

  “Well, I will certainly keep that in mind. Don’t want to make you angry enough to become a free lunch for the coyotes.”

  “Hrmph,” she said, her blue eyes raking him.

  Most women would have been fussing about the pace they were riding, but so far she’d kept up with him. She hadn’t even complained when they’d ridden through some tall brush. Her dapple gray mare had a blaze of white on its face and she controlled that filly with excellent horsemanship. Better than any woman he’d ever seen ride and even a lot of men, but still she was a woman.

  And he needed to find a farmhouse and leave her behind. Before his thoughts got him into all kinds of trouble that he didn’t need.

  “What can you tell me about the sheriff in Zenith? You said you knew him.”

  “I do. He’s sweet on my sister, but why should I tell you anything. You’re not sharing information, so why should I?”

  Beau shook his head. “This is why women should stay at home.”

  She glanced over at him, sending him a look that could have singed his shirt and pants. And maybe even his skin too.

  “Stay home and do what?”

  “Raise children, run a home, cook for their family.”

  Annabelle pulled on her reins, leading her horse around a cedar bush that was over six feet tall. When their horses came back together side by side, her blue eyes narrowed at him.

  “And what happens to a woman when her man who brings in all the money dies? Who takes care of her and the children then? Do you think she’ll be able to go out and earn as much money as her husband was making?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I never thought much about it.”

  Somehow he’d found a touchy nerve. Her feelings were hemorrhaging, running her mouth like a doctor with a bunch of leeches.

  “And if she does find a job, do you know what she’ll have to put up with?”

  “No,” he said quietly, knowing that she would soon tell him.

  “Let’s just say that I’d probably end up in jail if I’d had to remain a waitress much longer. Some man would have placed his hands in the wrong spot and I would have blown out his lamp permanently.”

  He laughed suddenly understanding what had caused that sore spot. A cowboy had undoubtedly played fast and loose with the waitress. And yet, he had a sudden urge to pulverize the man for causing Annabelle to suffer. “I guess you don’t have many suitors.”

  She stopped and gave him a look that was both haughty and disdainful. “No. I don’t. A strong woman needs an even stronger man. I haven’t met one yet that I thought was a catch.”

  Guiding his horse around an oak tree, he glanced over at her and smiled. “That almost sounds like a challenge. Do you think I’m a tough man?”

  “You’re an outlaw. You rob banks for a living and prey on the weak. You may be physically brawny, but I also want a man who is powerful in character. You’re damn weak.” A frown drew between her brows, like it hurt to think.

  People always had thought bad about him, once they learned who his family was. He could be a saint, but the taint from his blood would darken his reputation.

  “Hey, you don’t know that,” he admonished.

  She glanced over at him her eyes mocking. “If you were strong of character, then why aren’t you making a living without being a thief?”

  He closed his eyes and kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t say a word. He couldn’t explain to her that none of this was his fault.

  “Some things can’t be helped,” he said quietly.

  God, she wa
s a daunting woman and he liked that about her even more. Years had passed since he’d met a woman he was intrigued enough to pursue. One that was his equal. Who knew what she wanted? Whatever it was, Annabelle had the guts and the determination to go after her desires.

  “So, what do you want in life, Miss Smart Mouth.”

  She gazed at him like he’d taken a wrong turn in a cattle drive and was leading her over a cliff.

  “A man who will give me his heart and be by my side until I take my last breath. A couple of kids and a nice farm to raise them on. Somewhere that’s peaceful and quiet. Not an outlaw.”

  He nodded his head and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck. The spring day was hot and humid, like the air was saturated with moisture.

  “Doesn’t seem like you’re asking for a lot.” Desolation descended on him. Of all the places for him to meet a woman who grabbed his fancy, now was not the time. He needed his wits about him, just to keep them both alive.

  “You wouldn’t think so, but sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to achieve.”

  “I agree.” Not only hard, but he reckoned a good home was impossible for him.

  They rode along in silence, her brow furrowed as if she was deep in thought. Somehow, he had a suspicion that couldn’t be good for him. What kind of trouble was brewing in that head of hers?

  “What part do you have the hardest time attaining?” he asked.

  She frowned. “That’s a little personal.”

  “Just asking, trying to pass the time. Do you have a farm?”

  “Yes, it belongs to my sisters and me.”

  “We’ve already established that you have no man,” he said with a laugh.

  If she could have reached him, she probably would have hit him. Her blue eyes glared at him. Somehow he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping on the blanket if they were still together tonight.

  She led her horse across a small stream and into a wide open field. “Do we have to talk about this?”