Once Upon The Prairie (The Brides Of Courage, Kansas, Book 1)

by Lenny Davis

Chapter 6

  Once he was back in his tent, Jesse's thoughts immediately went back to his meeting with Mina Morlock the night before. He was faced with conflicting emotions. Neville Morlock and the Black Thirteen had it coming. They deserved to get punished. To take up arms against them was only right and fair. They needed chastised.

  But she was presently at the ranch, too.

  Standing motionless, he admitted to himself that he had never met a more beautiful woman in his life. If she was indeed the rancher's wife, he had no right to allow his thoughts to dwell on her, though.

  Perhaps she was Neville Morlock's sister?

  That was hardly the case, Jesse figured, considering Neville's all-round ugliness as compared to her fine lines. There was no way those two had the same parents. Plus, there was the age difference. This lady Mina was at least twenty years younger than the rancher. No, this was his wife. Bought with promises of a sweet life and lots of cattle dollars.

  Jesse knew, it wasn't right to warm up to another man's wife even in thought life. But he found it hard to turn down his memories of her royal poise and the queenly air that had surrounded her when he saw her standing under the willow tree. Such women were hard to find. Perhaps one in a million was like that.

  Breathtaking.

  When Jesse closed his eyes, he could clearly see Mina's white face in the moonlight. There was such a sadness about her. Even now he felt the urge to step up and embrace her, just to calm her, just to afford her a moment of safety. He longed to tell her that everything would be all right one day.

  But who was he to make such promises to another man's wife? He might never see her again.

  For a second or two they had locked eyes last night. The moment had not been easy and casual, it had been intimate. She had held his gaze until he blinked and looked away, because it wasn't proper to look into the eyes of another man's woman. But now the moment and the memory of those black eyes haunted him. Jesse couldn't remember ever having looked into the eyes of a woman this way before. She was different from anybody he had never met.

  The cowboy shook his head as if to get the fog out. He had serious business to attend to. Anger boiled up in him again. No fat rancher had the right to deprive his men of their fair wages. He couldn't allow their women and children to go hungry. This was about life and death.

  But what about Mina Morlock?

  The last thing Jesse wanted to do was put that woman in harm's way. She needed to be out of the picture and far away once the lead started flying. He racked his brain about how to accomplish that.

  If he sent her a message to warn her of the upcoming raid, she might walk over and tell her husband. Then Morlock might get all of his cowhands together to defend the ranch. They'd be prepared. In that case there would be an ugly battle. More men than just the goons of the Black Thirteen would die. This might turn into war on the prairie.

  Then he'd be an outlaw for sure.

  Jesse shook his head. That was not what he had in mind. Neither for himself nor for his men and their families. And not for the common cowhands over at the ranch, either. For the most part, they were just simple, honest and hard-working fellows. They didn't need punished. But the goons of the Black Thirteen did. And Morlock.

  Would Mina rat him out?

  That depended on how much she disliked her husband.

  Even then. Jesse knew that some women went to great lengths and defended even grossly abusive husbands.

  Should he just let her live through the raid and hope for the best? He cringed. His men wouldn't shoot at any women or children. But what of the Black Thirteen? The goons might actually take Mina Morlock hostage, threatening to kill her if they weren't granted safe conduct.

  Then what?

  Jesse couldn't help himself. He closed his eyes again and looked into Mina's eyes.

  Mrs. Morlock, he thought, will you stall my raid?

  The Mina Morlock in his mind's eye looked straight at him and remained silent. Jesse tried to read in her eyes what she was telling him. After a minute of quiet contemplation he decided that Mina Morlock hated the Black Thirteen just as everybody else. This was a hurting woman. Why should she defend her tormentors? Jesse decided, she wouldn't betray him.

  As soon as he had reached his conclusion, he got out a sheet of paper and sat down. He dipped a sharpened gander's feather into the inkwell and began to write a brief warning for Mina, telling her to go back to the willow tree tonight, where she would be safe. Once done, he folded the letter up and sealed it with a drop of wax. The dark-red seal shone like a drop of blood.

  Fitting, he thought grimly.

  Jesse left the tent, looked around and called Rudy over, a young man he knew to be trustworthy. The kid was barely fifteen, but already had a reputation of being dependable.

  Jesse handed him the letter and charged him with riding over to the ranch, where he was to hand the letter to one of Mina Morlock's personal maids, for her to pass it on to her mistress.

  "Give it to nobody but one of her girls," Jesse insisted. "But be smart about how you hand it over. Do tell her it's very important. And hurry. This message needs to arrive well before the sun is down. And if the Black Thirteen wants to question you, then eat this letter before they get a hold of it. They'll shoot you if they find it on you."

  "Yes, sir." Rudy said and saluted. Honored to be trusted with such an important task, the young cowboy turned on his heel and darted off towards his horse.

  Jesse smiled as he looked after the boy.