But could he fall in love with her and marry her? So much was uncertain, and she feared more than anything she’d only get her heart broken. She’d suffered enough at the hands of men. She’d never give her heart, unless she was certain her love was returned.
Elliott walked into the saloon and looked around. He’d been gone for three weeks, and during that time, the only thing that had changed was that he’d gotten a bullet hole in his arm. Emily was going to be upset with him that he hadn’t brought her a new girl, but things hadn’t gone as planned.
“Where’s Mrs. Hutchins?” he asked the bartender, who was busy restocking the shelves, preparing for the night.
The man turned and glanced at him, raising his brow at the sling Elliott still wore around his arm that was damaged when the bullet ripped a gash from his shoulder to his elbow.
“She’s in her office,” the bartender answered.
“Thanks.” Elliott hurried to the back. When he opened the door, she glanced up.
“Welcome back. Where’s my new girl?”
A sigh escaped him. “That damn preacher and my stepdaughter rescued her. Plus, I took a bullet for my efforts.”
The madam frowned. “Maybe it's for the best. Those two are stirring up all kinds of trouble here in town. How’s the arm feeling?”
“It’s better. Still sore as the dickens, but at least I can ride. I honestly think she wanted to kill me.”
Emily shook her head. “Elliott, she knows the truth. She knows you didn’t owe me money and just sold her to me. You could be in danger.”
Fear spiraled through him, gripping his insides like moss, sending blood coursing through his veins. The girl scared him, but he’d never admit that fact to anyone. And for Emily to warn him, she must be concerned too.
He laughed. “From that mousy spit of a girl? I’m surprised the sheriff hasn’t put her back to work in your brothel.”
“He tried, but she’s being protected by that preacher. Together, the two of them have the town all riled up.”
Shaking his head, he stared into the cold eyes of the woman he hoped to partner with for a long time. They were good together, but did she realize how much she could do for him? How she could restore his life to the luxury he’d once held until his family had seen it as their job to send him packing? “That girl has learned how to shoot. She could always ride a horse, but I’ve never seen her fire a pistol so accurately.”
The madam smiled an evil grin that made Elliott shiver. “She’s telling everyone in town she’s a bounty hunter.”
A chill washed over him. That spineless twit had caused him nothing but trouble.
“In fact,” the madam said laughing. “She’s hung a wanted poster right outside the sheriff’s office with your face on it.”
He cursed beneath his breath. That was exactly what he didn’t need. It wasn’t the sheriff he was afraid of or even that stupid twit, but some other reckless outlaw who thought he would make a quick bundle on bringing in Elliot.
“If you don’t want to swing from a rope, Elliott, I think you need to take care of your stepdaughter.”
He frowned. “She’s going to ruin everything. I’m going to have to kill her. ”
“No, let’s try kidnapping her, but if that doesn’t work, I think I know how you can catch her,” the woman said smugly. “Some things a woman can see on the face of another woman very easily.”
“What?”
“That preacher. Get the man, get the girl.”
Chapter 11
Hannah and Margaret had long ago given up on Jackson coming in for supper. Concern that something had happened to him filled Hannah, but he’d told them he would be late returning.
He’d gone to visit one of the members of his church who had an ailing wife. They lived outside of town and still Hannah worried. She should have gone with him. She could have waited while he’d visited with the family. But no, she’d stayed here, hoping to locate Elliott.
Rumors were floating around town that he was back, and she so desperately wanted to catch him and confront him about the death of her mother. Instead, she waited, while itching to get this fight over with.
“Hannah, I’m going over to Essie Jones’ house tomorrow. I think you should go with me.”
Turning toward the widow, Hannah searched for a polite way to tell her no. After the disastrous tea, she realized she had no place in this small town. Once this was over, she was moving on.
Being accepted by the two women had done more to scare her than make her feel like she was welcome. She couldn’t think about marrying Jackson and being a preacher’s wife. That wasn’t possible for a woman like her. She couldn’t let them convince her she would be welcome. And if she began to believe in the possibility, it would be a crushing blow when she was rejected. As soon as her business here was completed, she needed to leave town forever.
An ache grew in her chest at the thought of never seeing Jackson again, and that shocked her. She’d never expected to have feelings for any man ever again, yet at the thought of Jackson, her body warmed like she’d been out in the sun too long.
There was no future here for her. The best thing she could do would be to continue her life as a bounty hunter, moving on from town to town, never setting down roots. Yet that sounded like such a lonely life. A life she’d never pictured for herself. Not that she’d ever imagined being a whore.
“We just have to keep trying with these ladies. They can be a stubborn group, but they really do have big hearts. And once they welcome you into their homes, they’re quite lovely.”
Oh no, she wasn’t going to expose herself to another of Margaret’s schemes to ingratiate her into Jackson’s church. She’d had quite enough. She’d opened her mouth to tell Margaret not no, but hell no, when the back door was suddenly kicked in.
There was no warning, nothing, just a boot shoving the door open, sending it crashing against the wall. Two big burly men came rushing in. She yanked her firearm out of its holder, and the man slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground, sending her gun flying.
The sting stunned her for just a moment as she lay there, while the world tilted crazily.
“Get up,” he screamed, pointing his weapon at her. He could so easily kill her, and she knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
She sprang from the floor, throwing herself into the arms of the gunman, knocking him to the ground. Reaching for his weapon, he rolled her, pinning her to the floor. While his arms held her down, she kicked him between the legs, and he collapsed on top of her, groaning.
The other man attempted to grab Margaret, but she took off running through the house, shrieking like the devil himself was chasing her. A chill surged up Hannah’s spine as she watched the woman run toward the place where Hannah knew there was a gun hidden.
The man caught her by snatching Margaret’s gray hair, and she squealed even louder, the sound blood curdling, sending fear racing through Hannah, reminding her that the older woman was a lot more fragile than she let on. It was more than Hannah could stand. Another person could not hurt because of her, especially not Margaret, who had accepted Hannah almost from the first, who’d protected her, and tried to help her fit into Jackson’s life.
“Stop,” Hannah called. “Leave Margaret alone and I’ll go with you.”
“No,” Margaret yelled at the top of her lungs, and the man backhanded the widow.
Hannah screamed, “Stop! If you hurt her, there’s going to be a fight.”
Jackson sprung through the door, pulling the man off Hannah. Slowly, she rose from the floor.
Jackson pointed his gun on the man who held Margaret, while holding onto the outlaw by his arm. “Let her go,” he demanded.
She could see the goon’s indecision, but then he looked at the pistol in Jackson’s hand as men from the church filed through the door, weapons drawn. Slowly, the intruder dropped his pistol to the floor and raised his hands.
Margaret turned around and yanked the hair on
his head.
“Ouch!” he cried.
And she smacked him in the face. “How does that feel? Serves you right for pulling my hair. Didn’t your mother ever teach you that’s not polite. Only bullies hit women.”
Staring at Jackson, Hannah longed to throw her arms around him, but she held back. There were men from his church in the room and hadn’t she decided they had no future? But why did the sanctity of his arms look so inviting? Why did she want to rest her head on his chest?
Hannah walked to the older woman’s side while Jackson tied up the two men. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, dear. A little rattled, but certainly none the worse for the rough and tumble.”
As Jackson approached them, he reached out and touched Hannah’s cheek. She jumped, surprised at the tender touch of his fingers on the bruise she could feel forming. His fingers were gentle, and she stared into the warmth of his gaze. She’d forgotten how the intruder’s punch had struck her cheek.
“You’re going to have a bruise,” Jackson said softly.
A man came up them. “What should we do with these two?”
Jackson’s eyes were gazing into hers, and she could tell he didn’t want them to be intruded upon, but they had no choice. She could see the way he watched her wistfully.
Reluctantly, he turned toward the man. “Let’s take these two to the sheriff. He should put them in the calaboose.”
“I’m going with you,”anna
Hannah said, staring at Jackson, knowing she needed to get out of the small house and breath some fresh air. She needed time to think about what had just happened and if she was endangering the people around her.
“No, stay here with Margaret,” he said.
“No,” she said, refusing. “I’m going with you. I need to get out of here for just a little while.”
“Okay,” Jackson said, staring at her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Just shaken. Besides, I want to see these two put in jail.”
“Well, someone has to stay here since the door is now barely hanging from its hinges,” Margaret said.
“I don’t think they’ll bother us again tonight, but I’m going to have one of the men from church stay with you,” Jackson replied.
“You two be careful and make sure those bullies stay in jail. We don’t need any more trouble tonight,” Margaret said.
Jackson and another man tugged on the ropes and hurried the men out the door with Hannah following closely behind.
What a way to end the night…another confrontation with Hide Town’s sheriff.
All Jackson could think about was what if he’d been five minutes later. What would have happened? Clearly, they wanted Hannah, but would they have killed her or returned her to the brothel?
His heart beat fast at the thought of them injuring the woman who’d already been through so much. No woman had ever made him want to watch over her, protect her, keep her safe. She deserved so much more than her past. He’d already failed her once; he wouldn’t let it happen again.
Her soul was gentle, she was kind, and any woman who could get in Margaret’s good graces was first-class. And he liked her. He liked Hannah a lot. So much he was beginning to feel nervous about the idea of her leaving town. After this was over, he didn’t want her to go.
Touching her on the arm, he guided her up the stairs to the sheriff’s office. One of Jackson’s helpers from church pushed the two goons into the office.
“What’s this?” the sheriff asked, staring at the group of them, leaning back in his chair.
“I’m filing charges against these men for breaking into my home and assault and battery.”
“You boys do that?” the sheriff asked.
They both glanced down at their feet. They weren’t exactly boys. They were young men who Jackson suspected of working for the madam.
“We were taking care of business.”
“What kind of business?” Jackson asked.
This felt like a set-up. Only two people in this town wanted him and Hannah gone, and one was sitting right here in this room. Would they talk openly in front of the sheriff?
The boy nodded toward Hannah. “We wanted a piece of that girl. After all, she was selling it over at the brothel a couple of months ago. We thought we’d get our share for free.”
Rage all but blinded Jackson, and he clenched his fists to keep from smashing them into the boys’ faces as he watched Hannah recoil like she’d been slapped.
Then she shook her head as she walked up to them. “That’s the most bull-hockey I’ve heard since I returned to town. You work for the madam. You thought to take me back to where you think I belong. Well, what about your sisters? How would you feel if Elliott stole your sisters and sold them to the madam?”
Jackson almost choked. While she wasn’t physically hurting them, she was putting fear into their hearts, letting them know what happened to young women in Hide Town.
The younger of the two men’s faces blanched, and he swallowed hard.
“What kind of whore do you think your sister would make?” she said softly, gazing into each one of their eyes. “Should I tell Elliott how pretty they are? A young virgin could make the madam and Elliott a lot of money.”
Both young men had large families with younger sisters. Hannah must have known them. Hell, she’d probably gone to school with them.
“Sheriff, let us go,” the younger man said.
“Oh no,” Hannah said. “Jackson and I are pressing charges. You’re going to be locked in here where you can’t help your family, and I’m going to whisper their names to Elliott.”
The older one hadn’t said a word, but suddenly he exploded. “You’re a crazy bitch.”
Jackson watched in fascination at how she was using her knowledge against the men. He knew she would never do what she was saying. In fact, she was trying to stop Elliott and wanted to see him hanged. But still, the realization of the fear of what if it had been their sisters was interesting, if not painful, to watch.
“You keep Elliott away from my family. I’ll kill that man if he touches my sister. You understand.”
Hannah smiled at the two men. “No, I won’t stop him from getting to your sisters. Why should I? You attacked me. Unless you tell me who sent you after me. Then I’ll do whatever it takes to make certain they remain safe.”
Jackson stepped back and let her talk. He knew, regardless of what these men told them, Hannah would never let any other woman be forced into the bordello, but these boys didn’t know that about her. They didn’t know she was trying to stop her stepfather and the madam. No telling what the madam had told them to bring Hannah back.
“Now men, I’m not sure Elliott has even returned to town,” the sheriff said, his dark eyes worried.
The younger man glanced between the sheriff and Hannah. “Sheriff, you’ve got to stop him.”
Jackson watched her play the men, hoping they’d confess who’d sent them because they both knew it was probably the madam or the sheriff.
Hannah leaned up against the sheriff’s desk, crossed one ankle over the other, looked at the men, and sighed. “I’m sure Elliott is starting to get desperate. He lost me, Melissa, and Beth, so I feel certain they need another girl.”
“All right. The madam hired us to bring you back,” the youngest confessed.
“All you had to do was keep your mouth shut,” the older goon said. “Now, we’re not going to get paid.”
“I don’t care. Nobody hurts my family, especially my sister.”
The sheriff stood and moved to put them in the cell. “You boys are going to spend some time in here. Think about your loose lips.”
“Thank you. Now I can file charges against the madam. Do you hear me, Sheriff?”
“I do. But can you prove it?” he asked. “This boy’s word is useless. He’s a known drunk, and I’ll need more than his testimony to file charges.”
“Hey, I’m not a drunk,” the young man said, defending his h
onor.
“I’ve arrested him more than once for being drunk and disorderly,” the sheriff said matter-of-factly.
“You have not,” the boy cried.
Jackson shook his head, cringing inside. It was so clear what was happening. But what could he do?
Hannah clenched her fists and raised one at the sheriff. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to get the madam soon. You can tell her I said so.”
“Now, don’t be making threats against her, or I’ll be putting you in jail.”
“Wouldn’t you like that,” Hannah retorted.
Jackson was getting that tingly feeling of warning in his spine. He had to get her out of here before the sheriff trumped up charges against Hannah and put her behind bars.
He touched Hannah’s elbow, thinking it was time to go.
Suddenly, Hannah straightened and glared at the sheriff. “Where’s my bounty? I don’t see Daniel Gunter. He’s not in the jail.”
The sheriff turned and smiled at her. “Oh, didn’t you hear? He escaped this morning. We haven’t seen him.”
As she shook her head, Jackson knew she was just about ready to go off on the sheriff. He stepped up beside her. She didn’t seem to realize she was in danger of landing in jail if she opened her mouth and started in on the lawman. Jackson had to protect her.
“Of all the lousy things you’ve done—”
“Let’s go, Hannah,” Jackson interrupted her. Then he grabbed her arm and dragged her to the door.
“You’re not going to get away with this. You’re not.”
The sheriff stood back and smiled at her, while Jackson was doing everything he could to get her outside.
Finally, when they were on the wooden sidewalk, she pulled away from him. “Let go of me.”
The urge to wrap her in his arms and comfort her was strong, but he knew that would only last a moment, and her hurt was much deeper.
“Hannah,” he said softly, “let it go. You can’t win that battle.” He motioned for the other men that were with them to go on back to the house.
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