Lawfully Yours, page 4
“Lies again,” she whispered to herself.
“Who lied?” he quipped silently, pushing his hat up with his index finger. This was Emily’s first real look at the man who’d taken her hostage. He was strikingly handsome in the daylight. Just like the fuzzy image through the milliner’s window glass had shown her when she first spied him. Tanned skin, dark brown hair that lay in waves on his head and a dusting of growth on his angular jawline. It was the yellowish eyes that really struck her. She’d never seen such a golden-brown color before and it looked like a pool of liquid gold as he stared at her. She found herself watching his lips move as he spoke again.
“So, who lied?”
“What?”
“You said someone lied. Are you implying that I did?”
“I thought you fell asleep.”
“No, I didn’t. But if you thought I was asleep, so would anyone else coming up on us. And it would give me the advantage, now wouldn’t it?”
Nodding, she glanced away from his piercing eyes. If he was that handsome in the light of day, she could only imagine what a fright she must look. Glancing down quickly, she inspected her torso to make sure her bosom was still tucked into the dress and blushed. Casually looking around, she saw that his lip had curled into a smile. He’d seen her inspection of the dress and guessed why she’d looked.
“You bosom is covered. How are your wrists this morning?”
“Fine.”
“How are they really?” he questioned again, this time arching a dark eyebrow upwards as he studied her.
“What do you care?”
“Prickly little thing, aren’t you? I’m just asking if you are hurting and need to see a doc.”
Emily shook her head no. She didn’t want to see anyone right now. She wanted to get cleaned up. She was desperate to wash away the filth on her and the last twenty-four hours. As if he read her mind, he pointed to a pile of clothing next to her.
“That’s for you. There is a stream just beyond that hedge. I looked this morning and the creek is low, but it should work for you. Just be careful sliding down the sides. It’s pretty steep. And when the rains are here, it floods pretty badly. There is a rope tied to a bush, so you can easily get up and down the banks.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly and then hesitated.
“What?”
“Do I have privacy?”
“Do you intend to run?”
“No.”
“Then I will stay here and check on you shortly. That should give you plenty of time to wash up. If you need help back up the hill or if there is a problem, just shout. If I have to come find you…” he trailed off with a hard stare. “It won’t be pretty.”
“Do you have soap?”
“It’s in the pile of clothing. Do we have an agreement, Miss Jessup?”
“Yes. You won’t have to search for me and you don’t have to threaten me at every turn. I don’t know where I am at. So, you have the upper hand, bounty hunter.”
“It’s Cade,” he corrected again and pushed his hat back down, hiding his face. “Time’s a-wasting for your bath.”
Emily picked up the pile of clothing and felt the large brick of soap inside. She didn’t have a brush, but there was no way she was missing this chance at cleaning up. She could only imagine how atrocious she looked right now. Stepping through the bushes and bramble, she glanced down and saw exactly what Cade meant when he said it was steep. The sides of the creek bed had been worn away over time from heavy rains. There at the bottom was at least a foot or more of the deep of water, with several spots looking significantly deeper.
Sliding down the dirt embankment, she held the rough rope tightly to slow her descent. The strain made her wrists ache from the tight grip she was trying to maintain to hold herself in place. For a moment, she was almost afraid that she’d not be able to get back out of the creek and remembered she could call for Cade when she was finished. Finally reaching bottom, she set the clothing on a branch that extended over the water.
Glancing down, she saw the massive amount of staining on her dress and gasped. She must look like a harridan! She quickly plucked the offensive dress off of her and wadded it up. There would be no saving it! She saw that her chemise was also stained, but not nearly as bad. Perhaps she could wash it up and make it salvageable.
Since she was alone for a brief amount of time, she would not dare remove any of her under clothing. Instead, she’d bathe in it and scrub at the dirt until clean. Stepping into the cool water, she smiled. It wasn’t too bad and not unmanageable. A few small minnows darted here and there in the water. The current wasn’t rough at all, rather like a caress on her skin. Relaxing, she sat down on the rock bottom and sighed happily. Pulling the pins from her mangled hair, she lay back and scrubbed her scalp repeatedly. Her wrists stung from the lye soap and the cool water, but it was welcomed.
It had only been twenty-four hours, but it seemed like forever since she’d been captured. What she didn’t understand was the why of it. He’d given an excuse saying he was curious, but was his curiosity only worth a few dollars? Could she buy her way out, purchase her freedom from him? She had already tried once and failed.
She sat up in the water, her chemise sticking to her. It revealed more than it kept hidden from sight. She would need to dry off before putting on the clothing he provided. Standing, she steadied herself on the slippery rock bottom and frowned. The sun wasn’t reaching the base of the creek bed yet. It would be some time before she was dry and Cade would be here prior to that. She was sure of it. Grasping the clothing, she saw that he had given her a long, pullover shirt that nearly served as a dress and a pair of pants. There’d be no gown or fancy dress. It was men’s clothing, but it was clean.
“Miss Jessup?” she heard his voice loud and clear above the creek near the bushes. “Do you need assistance coming back up the bank?” She knew he was testing her to see if she was still there. Part of her was tempted to be silent to see what happened and rub his nose in the fact that she had listened. However, a bigger part of her wanted him to see her clean and presentable.
“I haven’t run away yet,” she called. “And yes, I could use help coming back up the bank. It’s quite steep.”
“Yes, it is. Do you think you can manage to hang on to the rope and I can pull you up? If not, tie it around your waist loosely.” Emily wasn’t keen on having rope tied around her waist or any part of her body again and passed on that idea. She’d hang on to that rope despite whatever comes. “Let me know when you are ready.”
“I’m ready. Just be quick, please, when you pull me up.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I just prefer not to dangle at the end of a rope at any point in my life.” Emily paled as she realized what she had just said aloud and the irony of the statement. “Literally and figuratively so, Mr. Singleton!”
“I’ve got you on the count of three, hold tight. One. Two. Three!” Emily nearly lost her grip as the rope suddenly jerked almost out of her hands. Clenching it tightly, she locked her elbows as he pulled her bodily up the side of the steep facing. As she got closer to the top, she saw that his brow was creased, and his face was strained as his arms moved quickly to propel her upwards. As she got to the top, she was able to get to her knees on land. He dropped the rope and smiled sheepishly. “That does smart, doesn’t it?” he admitted, showing her his hands. His palms were red, and his smile faded when he saw the bruises circling her wrist where the blood had been washed away.
“I am truly sorry that I caused that.”
“You were only doing a job, right?” she quipped and could have sworn she saw him flinch before he hid away his reactions behind a deadpan mask.
“Just a job.”
They walked silently back towards the tree where she’d slept and sat down. Thankfully, he’d not said much about her apparel. The shirt was extremely long, and she’d thrown on the overly large pants at the very last minute. She’d nearly lost them coming up the side of the creek but had managed to keep them on. Curious, she watched him sit back down under the mesquite like he was in no hurry to head out.
“Let’s talk about your job. I’m curious about something.”
“What’s that?”
“Why aren’t you in a hurry to be rid of me?”
“Who says that I’m not?”
“Well, you certainly aren’t saddling up yet.”
“No, I thought I’d give the city time to up the bounty on your brother and give him time to get closer. We’ll go into town tomorrow.”
“Why? Are you that desperate for money that you’d go after the little criminal? Can’t you catch the bigger prize?”
“What makes you think they aren’t one and the same?”
“Elias isn’t Billy the Kid or Texas Jack!”
“Don’t you think they start out the same way?”
“No! No, I don’t. Billy the Kid wanted the adventure, the fight. So, did Sam Bass. We don’t want adventure and we don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“So, why’d you do it? Why’d you entice all those men and rob them?”
“Because we were starving, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? We were hungry and starving, so we found a way to buy food and clothing. Is that so wrong?” she cried out angrily, staring at him. Her hands bunched at her sides as she stared at his impassive face. He really didn’t budge, did he?
“Haven’t you ever done something that you regret and know is wrong, but you do it anyway? Wrong or not, you go forward because not doing it makes you feel like you are dying slowly inside. We were starving to death slowly, a day at a time. Can’t you understand that?”
Emily slid boneless to her knees as she thought of her brother. “And now? My brother is out there a wanted man, a condemned man, for shooting a worthless snake that attacked me. He was protecting me. How is that any worse than what the man did? Is it better to attack me in the eyes of the law?”
“Your brother has got to be stopped before he can’t come back from a path he has gone down. Where does it stop? Yes, he was protecting you. So was I, in that alleyway. I am the law where I travel, and your brother is a criminal. He had the will, but not the right to do so. Pure and simple.”
“Simple? I see. So, there is no flexibility in your defined world. No space for interpretation? You plan on using me as bait to draw him out, too.”
“Yes.”
“Then you are no better than he is. You plan on a pretty girl drawing out a man to where he is left vulnerable and then preying upon his weaknesses. You are the same type of man, you just view it differently because it makes you feel righteous and justified. It makes you feel important. You are just a sad, lonely man feared by many.”
“I am a man that believes in justice.”
“You believe in your definition of what justice is… whatever that is to you at the time. Your justice is based on your opinion of the law.”
“I won’t have this debate with a woman that has stolen, lied and tricked people to get by.”
“You mean you won’t discuss it with me because of my point of view. The view of a young woman and her brother starving to death slowly coming from a woman that wants to better her life? That view is wrong to you, foreign. You don’t want to see that there was a reason. It was never malicious.”
“But it was wrong. A sin.”
“Oh, ho! Are you going to sit and judge me, too, lawkeeper?” she asked angrily. “You don’t have the right to judge me, so don’t have the audacity to do so. You’ll be eating today, won’t you? You’ll ride your horse, collect your money and go on your merry little way feeling high and mighty! How about you skip a few meals? Do it several days in a row, in fact! And walk because you can’t afford a horse! How about you lose some real necessities and see if it doesn’t make you desperate?”
“My morals keep me strong and on the right path.”
“So, you are implying that I have none?”
“No, I’m saying that they might be questionable.”
Emily’s body clenched tightly in rage. She felt her spine straighten as she stood there in the clothing provided by him that was utterly too large for her frame. Her hands shook against the urge to reach out and strike the bland expression from his handsome face. Eyes that stared at her, piercing and cold, watching her every move. Taking several deep breaths, she realized she was grinding her teeth and her breath was near whistling from the volume that she was gasping inwards and outwards in anger.
“Someday, you will do something questionable that conflicts with your sense of justice, bounty hunter. Something that you know in your steel, cold, little, decrepit heart of yours that is wrong but feels right at the time. I sincerely hope that I can be there to see it when it happens. Mark my words, I will rub your snide face in that event with joy,” she snarled and abruptly turned her back on him.
Several minutes ticked by in silence, giving Emily time to calm herself. Her palms ached from where her fingernails had dug into her hands to keep from harming him. She’d not be goaded by him, nor sink to the level he accused her and Elias of being at. They had a goal and were near it. It wasn’t a lifelong goal or ambition. Stealing had been a means to an end that they both hated, her more than him.
“Are you finished with your tirade?” she heard Cade calmly ask from behind her.
“Quite! I am done talking to you,” she bit out.
“Then we’ll be going. I plan on making it to just outside of Dallas tonight.”
“So, you can trap my brother?” she asked over her shoulder tightly. Her heart sank as she saw no response. No physical indication that he’d heard her. Instead, she watched him closely as he folded up the horse blanket where she’d slept. He strapped the saddle onto the mare, climbing on. As he sat there, she realized that not only had she been staring at him, but he’d extended his hand to help her mount the horse. Emily found herself blushing at being caught admiring his form. The man irritated her to no end and seemed to be doing his best to alienate himself. Perhaps, when she’d insulted him by calling him a sad, lonely man… it had been true.
Five
They rode in silence most of the day. Emily didn’t want to talk to him. She was angry with him, herself and the situation she was in. Cade’s lack of compassion and concern, heck his sheer callousness towards her hurt. The man didn’t care one whit for anyone or anything. He was simply doing a job. His job had been to capture her, which he’d done. And now he’d be entrapping her brother.
Elias? She could cheerfully throttle him right now. Emily had wanted to be done, but there was never enough for him. The entire day’s events had felt wrong. But instead of listening to his little sister, he’d brushed her off. His hotheadedness would be the end of him one day and she didn’t want to be the reason for it! She could see his face in her mind as he came charging around the corner to her rescue… straight into a trap. He’d pulled his gun and shot at the bounty hunter who held that wretched old man in the air by the throat.
This, in turn, led her to be angry at herself. Emily was mad that she’d drank the potent alcohol that had gotten her into this situation. She should have stuck firmly that this was a mistake and insisted on getting out of town. She’d given in and cooperated one more time to humor her brother. He was protective of her and hadn’t ever made a mistake before.
Now, she was filled with anger and regret. She regretted her mistakes. But more than that, she was angry at the attraction she felt to the icy lawman. She found herself staring at him repeatedly. She played in her mind the way his lip curled when he smiled, which was rare! The way he moved as he got onto the horse and the look in his eyes when he saw that the rope had cut her. The way he smelled and felt when she’d lay her head on his back – and the way it comforted her. All of it was insane! She wanted to believe that somewhere deep down inside was a real person that might have a single care in the world that she could play upon to free herself… but did she want to be free of him?
Emily already knew the answer and it sickened her. She wished she could have met the handsome bounty hunter under different circumstances. Any woman would swoon at the idea of a tall, dark, gorgeous lawman rushing to her aid. Her fuzzy memory caught glimpses of the heroism he’d shown during her rescue… that landed her in the manure. She smothered a laugh behind her hands as she imagined the rank smell again and what he must have thought of her. It was funny, in a sad, sick way.
“What’s so funny?” he asked her, glancing over his shoulder as they neared a town. She could see the buildings in the distance on the horizon.
“Nothing.”
“Look, I know you are upset.”
“You have no idea right now what I am thinking or feeling,” she cut in quickly.
“I am trying to make amends. Can you give me a second to say something?” he quickly began, his voice speaking over her as she started to launch into a tirade on how insensitive and cold-blooded he was. Emily clamped her mouth shut and glared at his profile.
“Thank you. Like I said, I am offering to make amends and apologize for your injury. I thought you might like to get some real clothing and some food. There is a place just up ahead that serves the best steaks. I try to stop there each time I come this way.”
“Each time you take someone into custody?”
“Sometimes.”
“So, you take all your victims, outlaws, and ruffians to dinner? Or just me?” Emily gaped as she saw his cheeks actually flush red and a small tick started in his jaw. “I’m sorry, that was wrong of me. I couldn’t resist asking.”
“No, you are right. I usually come by myself and figured we could both use a meal. I’m exhausted from staying up last night. I want a meal and a bed. I thought you might like the same.”
“Not your bed!” she blurted out, jerking backwards. Emily nearly lost her seating on the back of the mare, grasping on to his arms to hold tight. The mare danced around skittishly as she regained her seat.
“Your own bed, thank you. You’re very pretty, but I’m not planning on being one of your victims tonight. If you can stand my company a bit longer, I will buy dinner.”
