The Outlaw's Heart

by Amy Sandas

Anxious for a bath and a real meal, Eve quickly started to shed her layers of clothing. Doing her best to keep the dirt from ending up all over the clean floor, she carefully folded each item after she removed it and set them all in a pile on top of her boots. It didn’t take her very long. She had intentionally kept her wardrobe simple the day she’d left her Boston home for the last time.

  Standing in the last of her undergarments, she carefully lifted her camisole over her head, hoping it wouldn’t stick to the wounds that were still raw and open.

  “I think I found something that’ll fit you.”

  Eve jolted and spun around at Jane’s entrance, but it was clear by the other woman’s expression that she had already seen Eve’s bare back. Jane’s face darkened with fury, and her eyes flashed as she muttered vehemently, “That goddamned son of a bitch.” Tossing the clothes to the bed, the suddenly furious woman spun on her heel and strode swiftly down the hall.

  Eve’s stomach dropped. Every instinct made her want to hide. Or run. But all she could do was stand there, clutching her camisole to her chest as embarrassment burned under her skin.

  She was still frozen in place in the middle of the room when Maddy came rushing in. “What on earth?”

  Eve could only stare back at her in wretched silence.

  “What happened?” Maddy asked again, her tone gentle despite the sharp concern in her eyes. “Jane can be a bit hotheaded, but there are only a few things that’ll get her that fuming mad.”

  Tears gathered in Eve’s eyes, and she closed them tight to hold them at bay.

  The older woman came forward. “What is it?”

  There was no point in hiding it. Jane wasn’t likely to keep what she’d seen from the other woman. With a deep breath, Eve turned around.

  “Oh, honey.” Maddy’s compassionate response was nearly more than Eve could take. She bowed her head and allowed the tears to fall.

  * * *

  Gabriel had just finished in the barn and was approaching the house when the screen door flew open and Jane stepped from the house onto the front porch.

  The small, lean-muscled woman was clearly furious, and her fierce gaze was pinned on him. “You better have a damn good explanation for what I just saw, or you’ll be staring down the barrel of my gun,” she stated through gritting teeth, her hand hovering over the Colt strapped to her hip.

  Gabriel stared back at her, every muscle in his body primed. But he was not one to take action without knowing the cause. “What did you see?” he asked.

  “You think I don’t know what a beating looks like?”

  His blood suddenly ran ice cold, and his lungs seized as though he’d just been dunked in a mountain stream after winter thaw.

  He took ground-eating strides across the porch, stepping past Jane into the house. He knew which room Maddy and Jane reserved for guests, having made use of it a time or two in the past. He didn’t stop until he filled the doorway.

  Maddy must have heard him coming. She stood sentry a few steps inside the room, blocking further progression. A quick glance over her head revealed a hip bath steaming in the corner, a neatly folded pile of the woman’s clothes on the floor by the bed, and Eve standing in the center of the room with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

  He met Maddy’s gaze and saw sympathy there…and silent pity.

  What the hell?

  Jane came up behind him. He could feel her angry tension, but he didn’t bother turning around. He took another step into the room. The short shake of Maddy’s head had him stopping his advance.

  “How long has this young lady been in your company, Gabe?” Maddy asked. Though her voice was gentle, there was a thread of something stern and unbendable beneath it.

  “Two days.”

  The older woman shifted her attention to Jane and gave a little shake of her head before she took a step back and to the side. The gesture seemed enough for Jane to relax her defensive stance beside him but did nothing to ease the grinding dread stuck in the back of Gabriel’s throat.

  He quickly took in the appearance of the woman standing still and silent before him. She was barefoot; her small feet peeked out from beneath the quilted blanket that looked as though it had been grabbed off the bed and tossed over her shoulders just before he’d arrived. She stood in profile, facing the bath. Her chin was level, and she stared straight forward as though she’d prefer not to acknowledge the drama around her.

  “Show me.”

  His words hung in the room for a long moment before Maddy said softly, “You don’t have to…”

  “Show me,” Gabriel repeated, speaking directly to Eve.

  She turned her head, and her gaze slid to meet his. She looked…defeated. Shamed and weary.

  His stomach tightened, and his hands clenched in fists as a sudden urge to fight claimed him. He couldn’t protect her if he didn’t know what threatened her. “Trust me,” he urged in a low tone.

  The truth shining from her gaze was like a knife to his gut.

  She didn’t trust him. Not even a little.

  But she still moved to obey. It was more likely that she had no strength left to resist than that faith in his protection had her turning in place until she faced away from him.

  Her pale hair was still loosely pinned up at the back of her head, but several strands had slid free. The slight dishevelment only added to her vulnerability. He almost stopped her, hating the indignity of the moment. But then she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, and in the next second, she opened the blanket and let it fall the floor.

  The knife in Gabriel’s gut twisted harshly as he took in the sight before him with furious disbelief.

  She wore only her white cotton pantalets, the waistband resting on the feminine curve of her hips beneath a trim waist. All down the full length of her narrow back—from her shoulders to the swell of her hips—were crisscrossed marks that could only have come from a whip.

  Gabriel took a deep breath to dispel the heat in his lungs and pushed down the bile rising in his throat. He forced his hands to uncurl from tight fists as he took a measured step closer. Maddy muttered a stern sound of warning, but he ignored her and took another step.

  The most obvious wounds were several days old. A few of the slashes had broken the skin. Scabs had formed and cracked in an effort to heal the exposed flesh. Other stripes were raised and swollen welts, still deep purple in color, while some milder ones were turning green and yellow around the edges.

  And beneath these was evidence of older wounds—long healed, but still visible on her pale skin.

  Gabriel took another step closer, and her slim body tensed with a subtle flinch. She feared his approach, and yet she did nothing to protect herself or to stop his advance.

  That is what he had seen in her expression before she’d turned around, and perhaps at other moments in the last few days.

  He had mistaken it for resignation. But he knew better now.

  It was a strong determination to endure.

  He knew that feeling well.

  “Who the hell did that to you, girl?” Jane asked angrily from the doorway.

  There would be no answer. He knew well enough now that Eve kept her secrets close, tucked safely behind the shadows in her blue eyes.

  Fury rolled hot and wild through him. Instead of unleashing it as he wished to, he crouched down to pick up the blanket she’d dropped. Standing again, he gently placed it back over her shoulders. She grasped the edges and enclosed herself in the soft covering, but she did not turn around.

  Then he turned away and strode from the room.

  He heard Maddy speaking softly behind him, but he didn’t bother making out her words as he continued down the hall and back out into the fresh air.

  He felt sick and angry as hell.

  The repeated, deliberate violence inflicted upon Eve was nothing
shy of evil. Whoever had done that deserved the worst punishment imaginable. It didn’t matter that she was safe now, whether she believed it or not. If she were his woman—

  Gabriel stopped, bringing a sudden halt to his angry, ground-eating strides and the racing direction of his thoughts.

  She wasn’t his woman.

  It was not his responsibility to avenge past wrongs against her. His job was to take her to Luke. Luke would decide her fate—her future. And if she asked it, he might even see a way to claim justice on her behalf. Though he went about it in unexpected and often unlawful ways, Luke was dedicated to seeing righteousness prevail when more conventional methods failed amidst the lawlessness of the western territories.

  Gabriel preferred to remove himself from such things. He had been content to accomplish the tasks set for him. It was easy then to remain unattached to the outcome of their endeavors. He never interfered with Luke’s role as leader and never questioned the man’s decisions.

  At the moment, it took far more effort than he liked to admit to remind himself of that.

  Eleven

  After Eve finished her bath, Maddy insisted on applying a salve to her back. Eve tried to refuse the offer, but the older woman was adamant. Her touch was soothing, but it was difficult for Eve to relax under the gentle ministrations.

  She had always been an easygoing child, naturally kind and agreeable. Her mother often brought it up as contrast to her older brother’s stubborn determination to go his own way. As an adult, she knew what was expected of her, and she did what was required in order to avoid disappointing anyone. Most people assumed her acquiescence was due to a biddable nature.

  In truth, it was an overabundance of pride that most often guided her.

  She hated feeling as though she might not live up to other people’s standards. That she could fail in anyone’s expectations, however unreasonable.

  Her pride had kept her from revealing to her friends that her marriage was not the fairy tale it appeared. And pride had kept her under Matthew’s thumb…believing she could change things. Believing she could change him. If she could just figure out the right things to say, the right things to do.

  Such a fool she’d been—for far too long.

  She closed her eyes as she thought of Gabriel gazing upon the evidence of her weakness and her shame. He had been all fire and fury when he’d come into her room, yet she hadn’t felt the slightest bit of fear. Because he was always so obviously in control of everything he did and everything he felt. The two words he’d uttered—Show me, so low and commanding—had resonated deep in her bones. And when she’d met his gaze, something strange had happened to her. It was an odd rush of strength. As though he had gathered his stoic resolve and conveyed it to her with a look.

  In that moment, she saw no point in denying his request.

  She had been surprised, however, by the low sound that had issued from his chest. It was like the growl of a fierce predator. Instead of frightening her, the sound had reverberated within her, making her muscles tighten and her belly clench with a strange, elemental reaction.

  And then, when he’d stepped up behind her and replaced the blanket, she’d felt the brief weight of his hands on her shoulders and had almost wanted to lean back against him.

  It made no sense.

  “That should do for now,” Maddy said as she rose to her feet. “More should be applied in the morning, and I’ll send a jar with you for your journey.”

  “Thank you,” Eve said.

  “Would you like to come down for supper, or would you rather eat up here?” the older woman asked.

  “I think I’d prefer to take my meal here, if that is all right.”

  “Of course, honey.” Maddy walked to the door, but before leaving, she turned back. “You know, I’m likely overstepping, but I figure I’ve reached an age where I can claim that prerogative. I’m not going to make any guesses as to who might have done that to you. But I can see this incident wasn’t the first. Some scars take a while to heal, even after they’ve stopped hurting. I know that truth very well.”

  Eve didn’t respond; she had no idea what to say. But Maddy didn’t seem to be expecting any sort of reply.

  The other woman smiled sadly and continued. “When I was young, my father decided it was his duty to purge me of my sinful ways. He did it for my own good, he said. For a while I believed him. I believed I deserved those beatings.” Soft brown eyes met Eve’s with firm intent. “I was wrong. No one deserves that kind of treatment. I ran away and never looked back. Now, I’ll say again that I don’t need to know how you came to be traveling with Gabe, but if you’re running from the person who did that to you, Gabe and those boys up in the mountains might be able to help you.”

  Eve could see the sincerity in the other woman’s expression. Maddy truly believed what she said. But Eve could not imagine seeking help from anyone, let alone a gang of outlaws. The last time she had placed her faith in someone, she’d wound up nearly broken by the experience. Still, feeling a need to somehow set the woman at ease, she replied, “I will consider it.”

  Maddy smiled and left the room.

  Eve rose to her feet and removed the towel she had used to cover herself while Maddy applied the salve. She replaced it with the soft flannel nightgown from the pile of clothes Jane had gathered to lend her.

  Tomorrow, she was expected to ride into the mountains, getting farther and farther away from the reach of civilization. If Matthew were looking for her, he was not likely to find her where she was going, but she was still heading toward the outlaws’ hideout, and she had no assurance of what would happen to her once she got there.

  * * *

  The next morning, Eve woke to a curt knock on her door.

  “Twenty minutes.”

  The sound of Gabriel’s voice had her coming to full wakefulness in an instant. She dressed in the flannel undergarments, woolen stockings, split riding skirt, and flannel shirt she’d been given. After her bath the night before, she’d secured her hair in a single braid to keep it from getting tangled as she slept. She decided to leave it as it was, rather than try to twist it in a chignon, and stuffed her remaining hairpins into the deep pocket of her skirt, in case she’d want them later.

  A wave of reluctance flowed through her as she left the room. Facing everyone after what had been revealed the day before was not something she relished. Aside from the embarrassment she already felt at having been so exposed, she dreaded seeing a look of pity in anyone’s eyes. But she couldn’t hide forever. So, she decided to face them with as much dignity as she could manage.

  As she reached the kitchen, the smell of coffee mingled with the savory scent of bacon. Maddy was at the stove, stirring something in a pan as she spoke to someone else in the room. “The sun has barely topped the horizon. You can spare enough time to eat a full breakfast and enjoy some coffee.”

  “It’s best we be on our way.”

  It was Gabriel. The sound of his voice and the way he reduced his sentences to the shortest possible form were becoming too readily familiar to Eve. She stopped outside the door, where she still couldn’t see him and he couldn’t see her.

  A flash of heat swept through her as she recalled his heavy gaze on her bare back.

  She could endure this. She had to.

  Forcing herself past her hesitation, she stepped into the kitchen.

  “Ah, good morning,” Maddy said, waving Eve forward with a plate in hand. “Come have a seat at the table and eat some breakfast.”

  She set the plate down in front of the chair across from where Gabriel was seated, which meant Eve could no longer avoid looking at him.

  He seemed too big for the table. He sat upright with his feet braced wide beneath it and his shoulders completely obscuring the back of his chair. A steaming mug of coffee was wrapped in one hand while the other rested on his thigh.

&
nbsp; Eve looked for any sign of pity or curiosity. But his expression gave away nothing of his thoughts. His eyes were another story. Though she couldn’t read anything specific in their dark depths, she felt something in his intent gaze that made her insides tighten.

  She did her best to ignore the odd reaction. Or at the very least, to not reveal it.

  “Coffee?” Maddy asked, approaching with a mug.

  “Yes. Thank you,” Eve replied, accepting the hot brew gratefully. She preferred tea but would accept anything that might fortify her for the journey ahead.

  She had learned from Maddy the night before that it would take them a few more days to get where they were going and the way would be difficult.

  Though Eve was a passably good rider, she had never done anything of this sort.

  “Now, eat your breakfast. Jane is just making sure your saddlebags are packed with everything you’ll need over the next few days,” Maddy said. “It can get quite cold at night. Be sure to keep your coat secured and your head covered.”

  “Maddy,” Gabriel interrupted quietly, firmly. “She’ll be fine.”

  “Oh, I know you’ll take good care of her. It’s just gonna be rough for someone who’s not used to such travel.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Gabriel repeated, and Eve got the strangest sense he was speaking more of her capabilities than his own as escort.

  No. He was not an escort. He was her captor and an outlaw. She needed to keep thinking of him as such.

  Not ten minutes later, they were ready to head out.

  A large gray gelding had been readied for Eve, already loaded with full saddlebags and a blanket roll. Jane had come into the house just as they’d finished breakfast and handed Eve a large coat made of sheepskin. “It’ll keep the chill away,” she’d said gruffly before she’d turned away to grab a piece of cooling bacon off a plate on the counter.

  Eve was immediately grateful for the warmth of the coat—and her woolen stockings and flannel underclothes—as she stepped out into the early morning. There was frost on the grass, and her breath left her lips in visible puffs.