The urge to ask Hannah to marry him was strong, but Jackson held off, not wanting their life together to begin in bed. He wanted to propose properly. He wanted to give her what she deserved. A wedding, a home, and a family.
A shiver went through him, and he jerked against her.
Her voice was soft. “Tell me what happened to you, Jackson. Why do you refuse to kill?”
Her words yanked him right out of the nice warm cocoon he’d felt himself slipping into. The memory of his past was painful, and the only time he let it come into his mind was when he was dreaming and had no control. But she deserved to know what had happened. Once they were man and wife, she would have to live with his nightmares.
“When I was ten, the Civil War was in its last days. The South was desperate for soldiers. They would take just about anyone, including boys. My southern family wanted their son to be in the ‘Great War.’ So they signed me up and shipped me off right after my tenth birthday.”
He shuddered at the memory, his chest tightening with the pain of how he’d joined the regiment, marching, carrying a gun, and helping shoot boys, men, anyone who wore the color blue, until…
“It was quite an adjustment to a scholarly schoolboy like myself. Sure, I played war with my friends, but the reality was a hundred times worse than I’d ever imagined. Before the Battle of Sayler’s Creek, I ran away. I deserted.” His chest ached from the memories of what had sent him bolting like a coward.
“Oh Jackson, you were a boy. A child. How could anyone hold you accountable for running away?”
“I couldn’t kill again. I couldn’t pull the trigger and end a life. I just wanted to go home.”
She rubbed his back. “You were so young.”
“There was so much blood everywhere. Men moaning and dying.” Jackson shrugged, trying to shake off the memories, which still haunted him. “I told everyone the general sent me home, told me he wanted me to live. But I lied. Three days after that battle, Lee surrendered and most of my platoon was dead.”
She lay motionless in his arms. “What about your family? What did they say when you returned home?”
He shook his head. “That was the worst part. They were all dead, even my mother. Died from typhoid. I was lucky. A family took me in and raised me until I went out on my own.”
Brushing her hair back, he kissed her neck. She turned in his arms and gazed at him, her eyes shining with a sweetness that filled his soul. How could he ever live without her?
“You’re a good man, Jackson Colster. You’d be dead if you hadn’t run. Thank you for telling me and thank you for tonight.”
Leaning down, he kissed her on the lips, wanting to fill her with joy again, but knowing their time was at an end. Reluctantly, he released her mouth. “We need to get back before Margaret sends a group looking for us.”
“I don’t think I should go back.”
“Then I’m staying here with you. I’ll be fired from the church, or Margaret will move in as well,” he said. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
She reached up and caressed the side of his face with her hand. “I don’t want you to be fired. And there’s not enough room here for all of us.”
“Then I guess we better get back,” he said, happy that she would return with him. He didn’t want her far from his side for even a little while.
“All right, I’ll go back with you.” Her brows drew together and she bit her lip. “I hope I don’t get you fired for having sex without the bond of marriage.”
He smiled, unable to think of what had happened between them as a sin, knowing he would soon make it right. “I’ve committed worse sins, but this one was well worth every minute spent in your arms.”
He hadn’t led by example, yet he hoped what he shared with Hannah had been healing to her. And he had every intention of making her his wife as soon as the time was right. In fact, he wanted it sooner rather than later because he didn’t know how he’d resist her now he’d laid with her. Oh yes, they needed to get married soon.
She reached up and touched his lips. “We better go. Margaret will be worried.”
“Yes,” he said, and they both stood and dressed.
He’d found paradise in her arms tonight, and once everything was settled, he had every intention of making her his, permanently.
When they returned to the house, Margaret was waiting. She turned and glared at both of them, looking like she’d caught two kids playing hooky from school. “Just where were you, missy?”
“I went back to the cabin I’d stayed in before I rescued Jackson,” she said softly, feeling like there was evidence of their actions showing on her face.
“Didn’t you think about the danger of being out there alone?”
“I did, but mainly I didn’t want to endanger you or Jackson any longer. I thought if I stayed away, then maybe the bad guys would leave you alone, and those women from church would be satisfied.”
In some ways, she wanted to thank the women for coming over and sending her running. Because of them, Jackson had come to find her, and now she realized she’d fallen deeply in love with him.
If they survived until the calvary arrived, then she would have to leave, so he could have his church. Because no matter what he said, she didn’t believe his parishioners would ever accept her as his wife.
“Those women are never happy and can you blame them? They want Jackson to marry their daughters.”
He hung his hat on a peg beside the door. “Never happening.”
“No, it’s not going to happen,” Margaret said, scowling at him. “You’re going to m—”
“What happened while I was gone?” Hannah asked, interrupting the woman. She didn’t want Margaret to say those words. She didn’t want anyone to force Jackson into marriage, and she still believed she would be departing as soon as Elliott was caught. She’d leave here broken hearted, deeply in love with a man she could never have.
Margaret shook her head. “You missed a luncheon. Next time those women get together, I may serve them a dose of castor oil just to clean out their systems of all the poison they hang onto.”
Hannah smiled and tried to hold back the smirk she could feel lurking on the edges of her mouth. She shook her head as she walked toward the bedroom. “You know, Margaret, I tried to warn you they wouldn’t take kindly to me.”
“You did, but they’re Christian women. I expected better from them.”
“Give it time, ladies,” Jackson said. “Nothing happens overnight, and forgiveness seems to be the hardest emotion of all for people. They’d rather hold a grudge long past the time they’re six feet under, pushing up daisies. We’re making progress, but now, we need to capture Elliott and the madam.”
“Yes, while you were gone, one of the men came by and said he saw the man riding down Main Street. Elliott has returned.”
Chapter 14
Jackson had been careless, and now he suffered for having failed to be more alert.
The men had come into the church, and before he could respond, they had knocked him out.
And here he sat in a room in the bordello, being used as bait to trap Hannah. They knew once she learned Jackson had been taken, she would come for him, and they would then force her back to work in the brothel.
He stared at the man who had hurt Hannah. Since his days in the Civil War, he’d never had the urge to kill another human being. But if Jackson had a gun now, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Elliott. And while Jackson was a godly man and tried not to hate anyone, this man made it next to impossible.
Elliott tightened the rope around Jackson’s wrists.
“Don’t you think you’ve hurt her enough, Elliott?”
“Did I ask for your opinion?”
“So, how did you kill her mother?” Jackson knew it was probably stupid, but he couldn’t resist poking at the man. He wanted Elliot to feel a smidgeon of the pain Hannah had suffered.
“Am I going to have to gag you?” Elliott stood and walked in front of Jackson. “I
t’s over. You might as well give up fighting. Hannah will come when I send her a note telling her we’re going to kill you if she doesn’t turn herself in. Then we’ll have both of you.”
“And you think she’s just going to accept working in the brothel again?”
Did this man not know his stepdaughter at all? There was no way Hannah would meekly do Elliot’s bidding. He’d already harmed her once. This time, she would fight him with her last breath. And that’s what scared Jackson most of all.
“If she wants you to live, she will.”
“But I’m not going to stand by and watch her do something she hates. You’ll never convince her to work for you again.”
Elliott laughed and leaned against a table. “It doesn’t matter what you like or want.”
“Because you’re going to kill us,” Jackson finished for him.
Jackson wasn’t afraid of dying, but he didn’t like the idea of giving up, and he wasn’t going to let this man win. He’d go down fighting as long as he could.
“Everyone has to die sooner or later. Hannah is a valuable commodity who can bring in cash if she accepts her position. You’re just the bait to keep her in line.”
Jackson shook his head, his hands working behind his back, trying to untie the rope that held him prisoner. He had to get loose before Hannah realized he was missing. Jackson had no doubt she would kill Elliott if she thought he’d harmed Jackson.
Twisting his hands behind his back, Jackson worked frantically, pulling at the knots as the rope rubbed his wrists raw. He only needed a few more minutes, and then he would be free to tackle Elliott.
“You’re a wanted man, Elliott. The poster is hanging down by the sheriff’s office. You’re not going to last much longer.”
“That’s what you think. I have plans. Big plans and neither you nor Hannah are going to mess them up,” he said, taking a sip of his whiskey. “Now we wait for the sun to go down. Then I’ll send for Hannah.”
Hannah walked down the middle of Main Street. She wanted them to know she was coming, fully armed and ready for a fight. She wore both of her six-shooters on her hips and had her petticoat pistol hidden in her skirt. She’d never killed a man before today, but she refused to shirk her duty. She would do whatever it took to save Jackson.
Walking through the swinging doors into the saloon, she thought it was odd the place was almost deserted, only a few people inside.
Mrs. Hutchins walked down the stairs. “Hannah, its lovely to see you. What brings you back to the brothel?”
“Where’s Jackson?”
“One of the girls is taking care of him upstairs.” She laughed, the sound so evil Hannah wanted to slap the woman. “It just goes to show you all men are the same. They like a pretty girl.”
Jackson would never lay with a woman in the brothel. Mrs. Hutchins was lying. She was trying to upset Hannah, so she’d make a mistake.
“I don’t believe you. What has Elliott done with him?”
Tim had told her Elliott and the sheriff had taken Jackson. She knew he was in this building somewhere, and she aimed to find him.
“Whatever makes you think Elliott is here?”
Like a queen, Emily strolled the rest of the way down the stairs into the saloon. Memories flooded Hannah, and she bit her lip to keep them at bay. She didn’t want to think about what went on upstairs. It was so different from what she’d experienced in Jackson’s arms, but she had to find Jackson and rescue him before they killed him.
“Look, I know it's me you want. You bring Jackson out and I’m yours.” She was lying. She knew she was lying, but she didn’t care. She would never willingly go back to this lifestyle. It had never been a choice, and it wasn’t today either.
“Follow me,” Mrs. Hutchins said, leading Hannah up the stairs.
When they reached the top, she stopped. “Your guns. I can’t allow you to have your weapons any longer.”
“Not until I see Jackson. I’m not staying unless you prove to me you have Jackson and you release him.”
The woman made a move toward her like she intended to take the guns, and Hannah whipped both six-shooters out, pointing them at the madam. “Take me to Jackson, or I promise you’ll be so full of holes you won’t float in brine.”
The woman scowled, raising her fist. “You’re going to regret this.” Then she glanced down at the guns and back into Hannah’s eyes. For the first time, Hannah thought she saw fear in the woman’s gaze.
A calm sense of satisfaction filled Hannah. No matter what happened today, before she left, the madam would wish she’d never brought Hannah into the brothel.
“No,” she said defiantly. “No more regrets.”
The madam gave her a bewildered look. Never before had Hannah stood up for herself. In the past, she’d tried to run away, but she’d never been impertinent to the woman. This Hannah was stronger, more secure, and no longer afraid.
“Follow me,” the madam said, walking down a hall that contained her private quarters. She opened a door and stood to the side. “He’s in here.”
“You first,” Hannah said, pointing her guns toward the madam, indicating she should go in the door.
The woman shrugged and walked inside.
Glancing around, Hannah stepped through the door, but the moment her eyes landed on Jackson’s slumped form sitting in a chair, she panicked. The man she’d fallen in love with was being held hostage, and she’d do whatever it took to get him released. “Jackson.”
Her stepfather stepped out of the shadows, lunging at her, knocking one of her guns out of her hands. She screamed as he backhanded her across the face, sending her to her knees. He grabbed the other gun from her hand, and she pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the sleeve of his shirt but missed his flesh.
He tried to pry her fingers off the cool metal, causing one to snap. Pain radiated up her hand, and the gun fell to the floor.
“Damn you!” he screamed. “You’ve caused enough trouble. I should just kill you.” He towered over her.
She scooted back and slowly rose from the floor. “What did you do to Jackson?”
“You two seem mighty sweet on each other. Did our little Hannah enjoy her time with the good preacher?”
“Shut up, Elliott.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she knew she couldn’t let them see her cry, or it would go worse for both of them. But Jackson just sat there, his head hanging like he’d been knocked unconscious.
“I caught him untying his hands and had to show him he’s not getting away!” Elliot shouted. “And neither are you. You two have stirred up more trouble than a den of rattlesnakes.”
“Fine, I’m here. Now let Jackson go.”
Elliott’s mouth turned up in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You didn’t really believe we would let him go, did you?”
Hannah knew she had to get control of this situation. She had to manipulate Elliott. “The Texas Rangers have been spotted right outside of town.”
He stared at her a moment. “You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. When I shot you, we contacted them. We’ve been waiting for them to arrive, and they finally showed up. That’s also when I learned that not only did you kill my mother, you killed your first wife. You’re a murderer, Elliott.”
“Your mother was killed because she learned what I was doing for Mrs. Hutchins. She caught me bringing a young woman to the brothel and confronted me. She fell going down the stairs.” He shrugged. “Not my fault.”
Fury rose inside Hannah like a firestorm in July. She ached with the need to yank up her skirt and pull her pistol out, but she feared it would only waste a good opportunity.
A noise from Jackson had her running to his side. He shook his head, and blood trickled down his face from a cut above his eye.
“Did you have to hit him?”
“He was trying to escape.”
“Hannah, don’t do this,” Jackson said groggily.
“Jackson, the Texas Rangers are not far from town. Th
ey’ll be here soon.”
He grinned and let his head fall to his chest. “I knew they would come.”
Unfortunately, Hannah was lying. There’d been no sign of anyone coming. And even if Tim sent a telegram, it would be at least two days before anyone arrived. They could all be dead by then.
Mrs. Hutchins stepped out of the shadows. “I’m going to have one of my men ride out of town and see what he learns.”
And now the madam would get confirmation that no one was here. Hannah was running out of time.
“Good idea,” Elliott said.
“In the meantime, I think Hannah should get back into her saloon girl clothes. We need her working the floor tonight.”
Hannah swallowed, fear racing along her spine. She couldn’t do this again. She just couldn’t, but Elliot held a gun on her that was larger than her petticoat pistol.
“I’ll get her dress,” Mrs. Hutchins said, walking from the room. In a moment, she returned and handed the hated outfit to Hannah including the white gloves that she detested. “Get dressed. You’re available starting now..”
The madam left the room, and Hannah looked from her stepfather to Jackson.
“Don’t do it, Hannah,” Jackson said. “Wait, the Rangers will be here soon.”
She wished they would bust through the door, but her lie would soon be revealed, and all it had bought her was some extra time. But no matter what, she wasn’t going to work in the brothel.
“Strip,” Elliott said. “I might want to partake of your pleasures after I see what you’ve got.”
A shiver rippled through her. He’d die at her bare hands before she let him touch her.
Hannah began to unbutton her blouse. She had to get to her petticoat pistol. She stopped. Maybe she could distract him another way. Slowly she pulled on the white gloves.
“You know, Elliott, I’ve seen the way you look at Mrs. Hutchins. The sheriff is not going to put up with you trying to take his woman.” She suspected he wanted Emily Hutchins, and that was why her mother had had the accident.
Lipstick and Lead Series: The Complete Box Set With a Bonus Book Page 87