Beau didn’t waste any time. He rose, took the three steps to his horse, and jumped on—pain radiating through him when his crotch met the saddle. Quickly, he pulled out the woman’s gun, emptied the chamber and threw the weapon in the dirt where it landed with a thunk.
Good riddance!
Backing up his horse, he turned and galloped down the passageway, making a right at the first street he came too. He’d meander his way through town before taking the road that would get him out of this hellhole.
No wonder that beautiful woman was alone. That sweet face had a tongue that could lash a man into submission or charm him into giving her what she wanted. He needed to put as much distance as possible between them.
Finally, on the edge of town, he kicked Sadie in the sides.
First, the Red River then, the city of Fort Worth—he could only hope he and the Harris gang didn’t meet up along the road, or he would be a dead man.
Gigging his horse, he rode at a fast-paced trot. He wanted to put a far piece of trail between him and Zenith, Texas, before the moon rose.
An hour later, shadows fell across the road, and he knew nightfall would soon arrive. He could continue on, but now a gray horse with a woman rode behind him. She’d been back there for over an hour. And every time he glanced back, she appeared a little closer. Could that she-devil be following him on purpose or was it happenstance that they were going the same direction? He turned off the trail behind some trees and waited.
He watched as she turned into the trees. Oh yeah, she was following him. That she-witch he’d just dumped in town had not given up. That woman had been nothing but trouble. His nuts still ached from the power of her knee. Now he’d have to deal with her again.
*
Annabelle meandered through the trees, leading her horse in the general direction of the ruthless outlaw. What made him decide to get off the trail just as the sun set? Was he making camp for the night or had he spotted her?
She rode along, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but darkness was quickly falling and the idea of sitting in the dark without a fire was not conducive to sleep. Finding Beau Samuel would have to wait until morning.
Pulling her horse to a stop, she slid off and tied him to a tree. In the darkness, she gathered enough wood to last her until morning and set about making a fire.
Their papa had taught them to always carry flint, a few rations, and a canteen of water, but that was all she had. She needed to catch this criminal and get back to town. She wasn’t prepared for a lengthy trip.
And Beau certainly hadn’t proved to be as easy as she’d thought. She hoped by now she would be home, sitting at the table, telling her sisters all about catching her first bounty. But oh no, they would be worried and angry and frustrated that she hadn’t let them know where she was going.
She built up twigs and dried leaves and struck her flint to the material. Soon, she had a roaring fire blazing, casting light. For a moment, she just sat and contemplated her situation.
Maybe she’d left a little too hasty. She had few rations, she had enough money on her to be considered dangerous, and she was following a wanted criminal alone. A dangerous man. A bank robber.
Wouldn’t he just love to rob her and leave her dead along the trail?
The brush rustled behind her and she froze. Her heart pounded in her chest, her blood rushing through her. Of all the stupid, rookie mistakes, she realized she’d left her gun in her saddle. No protection, except the small pistol strapped to her pantaloons.
Rising slowly from the ground, she turned and watched as a cotton-tailed rabbit hopped from one bush to the next, hurrying when he saw her standing there.
She breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head. Relaxing would be difficult, but she could expect animal sounds all night long. There was nothing to fear, but she’d get her gun just the same.
Just as she breathed easy, the sound of a gun hammer being drawn back sent terror freezing her lungs as panic pumped her blood.
“You planning on arresting me while I sleep?” a deep voice drawled.
Beau Samuel, bank robber and handsome hunk, breathed in her ear, sending a trickle of awareness through her. Sometimes the best offense was to act dumb.
She whirled around and came face-to-face with the man from the bank. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to find out why you’re following me. You think you can tie me up and haul me back to town?”
“I didn’t know you were out here,” she lied. She hadn’t heard him sneak up on her, and now she was in a heap of trouble.
“Liar,” he said his lips turned up in a smile that any other time she might have found attractive.
“Where’s your good friend the sheriff?”
“We spread out. He should be along any minute now.”
“Liar.”
“Do you like that word?” She shrugged. “Don’t be surprised when the sheriff comes riding in here.”
“I just call it like I see it. You’re lying. You just don’t give up, do you?”
“Why should I?” Annabelle said, staring at him trying to muster courage.
“What’s your name Miss Smart Mouth?”
“Annabelle McKenzie, bounty hunter.”
He threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“I’m taking you in,” she said, incensed that he would laugh at her.
“I outweigh you, I have a gun pointed on you, and I’m stronger than you. Sugar, this is a battle you’re not going to win.”
“And I’m smarter than you.”
He shook his head. “You keep thinking that.”
Glancing down at his gun, she looked up at him. “You really think a big strong man like you needs that gun pointed at me?”
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “You’re dangerous.”
“Are you headed to the Red River?” she asked, wanting to know where he was headed in case she lost him. She had no intentions of letting him get away a second time.
“No.”
“Then why are you on this road?”
“Lady, it’s none of your business why I’m on this road.” He shook his head. “Wait a minute. I’m asking the questions, not you.”
She smiled at him. When she got away, at least she’d know which direction to follow him.
“I’ll just have to go through your saddlebags to see what I can learn about you.”
Thank God, she’d strapped the money in a secret pouch inside her skirt. He couldn’t find it. If he did, he’d steal it, and then Meg and Ruby would be furious she’d lost some of their bounty money. And she couldn’t blame them. They’d worked hard to get the farm out of debt.
“Let me tell you what you’re going to find,” she said. “Empty bags.”
“Liar.” He frowned at her.
She shrugged. “Believe what you want. I’d gone into town to buy some supplies. There’s nothing in those saddlebags, except for some feminine things I need. Do you understand?”
Come on, she thought, he didn’t appear to be that dense.
His eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yes, I thought you wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself by going through those rags.”
His brow drew together. “Lady, for some reason I think you couldn’t tell the truth if it slapped you upside the head.”
In two long strides, he reached her horse and drew open the first saddlebag. It contained the wanted posters.
Dang! Dang! Dang!
Why had she thought this would be so easy?
He pulled them out and his was on top. He held it up. “You know, I don’t think the artist caught my best side? Do you?”
She frowned. “He left off your horns.”
A smile spread across his face as he laughed and shook his head. “Woman, you have a smart mouth, and it’s going to get you killed,” he said. “I was hoping you’d learned a lesson this afternoon and wouldn’t follow me.”
“There’s five hundred dollars riding on your head. I’d follow you a long ways trying to earn that cash.” That would be the final payment on the farm. They’d be completely debt free and her sisters would no longer have to hunt lawless men.
“Are you hungry? Do you need the money?”
“No,” she said, surprised.
“Then why are you out chasing outlaws for money? It seems to me a woman like you would have a husband and a passel of kids by now.”
The gun in his hand was pointed at her midsection and that made her uneasy. It could so very easily go off. “Who says I don’t?”
He considered her comment, staring at her like he wasn’t certain if she was telling the truth or yet another lie. “Is your husband waiting somewhere up the road and together the two of you were going to make some extra cash?”
“Oh, he’s waiting somewhere up the road, that’s for certain.”
The idea sounded good, and if he were stupid enough to believe it, then she’d let him. So far, her luck with men hadn’t been good. One wife-cheating restaurant owner and nothing else. Was she ugly as sin or unappealing in some way?
He shook his head. “Why would a man send a woman alone to capture me? None of this makes sense.”
She smiled and cocked her head. “Maybe I’m just a lonely woman trying to get home. Maybe I’d forgotten all about our little run-in behind the sheriff’s office.”
“Liar.” He gazed at her, his eyes a deep dark green that shone brightly in the firelight. And those dark lashes, they could flutter and set a girl’s heart quivering. “And you’re not too good at tall tales.”
“Why, thank you. I’ve never wanted to be known as a woman who could lie well.”
God, if she could just get out of this. If she could manage to turn the guns on him, tie him up, then drag him back to Zenith and collect her bounty, she’d never do this again. She’d never thought bounty hunting was easy, but she’d never considered how close, how involved you had to become with the criminal in order to catch them. How risky. Innocently, she’d thought it would be so much simpler. Birthing a calf was easier than catching a criminal, though probably messier.
She’d leave bounty hunting to Meg and Ruby and go back to taking care of cows. Smelly, stinking, mooing cattle, who didn’t have the sense to get out of the rain.
“So, what’s it going to be, sweetheart? Are you going to tell me the truth or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”
Beat it out of her? Really? Of course, he was a wanted outlaw. A dangerous man who could hurt her. But then again, was he just trying to scare her? Inside, she was quaking, but she was determined to appear as if she wasn’t worried.
“Tell me about the beating. What exactly would you do to me? Not that I’m lying to you, but I’m just considering all my options here.” She hoped he was trying to intimidate her and wasn’t serious about harming her. From their interaction, he seemed more of a smart aleck than a truly evil man.
He frowned at her and shook his head. Taking a step toward her, he stood close enough she was forced to look up. “Lady, I should have known you were going to be trouble when I ran into you at the bank.”
“Did you rob that bank?” she asked.
“Hell, no.”
“Are you planning on robbing the bank?”
“There you go again, asking the questions. I’m in charge here. I’m the one with a gun pointed at you. I’m threatening to beat you.”
Yeah, he was threatening to beat her, but he really didn’t seem the type. For an outlaw, there was something oddly decent about him.
She shrugged. “I just wanted to know the answer to my questions. I mean, you’re wanted for robbing a bank. You could have been scouting our little bank. I have money in there. I may need to withdraw it all before I see you in town again.”
He shook his head. “Answer my question.”
“Could you repeat the question? I’ve forgotten it since we started talking.”
“Why are you following me?”
“Simple. Five hundred dollars. You’re my bounty.”
He didn’t respond, but grabbed her arm and then dragged her over to his waiting horse. With the gun still pointed on her, he reached inside and pulled out some rope.
“What are you doing?” she asked, a feeling of unease skittering down her spine, wondering what he intended to do with the rope.
He didn’t say a word, but shoved his gun into his holster and spun her around like she was a spindle top, tugged her arms behind her back, and tied her wrists together.
“Why are you tying my hands? It’s very uncomfortable.” This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. She needed her hands available to fight him off. To get to her gun. To escape and return with her sisters. She should have gotten Ruby and Meg before coming out on this trip.
“I’m not interested in your comfort.”
“Why are you so mean? Are you proving to me that you can be a bad guy?”
Beau stopped and looked at her. A smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Sugar, I don’t have to prove anything. I know I’m one mean son of a bitch. And you want to take me into the sheriff. Did you think I was going to faint and say please take me to my hanging?”
She shook her head. “A girl can hope.”
He chuckled then reached down and traced his finger along her mouth. “You’ve got one smart mouth.”
A shiver trickled down her spine, igniting areas of her body in a way she’d not experienced before. She didn’t know if it was fear or some other emotion she hadn’t yet identified.
How was she going to get out of this while she was tied up? She’d left a note in the sheriff’s office when she’d gone in to get Zach, but he was long gone and the office was empty for the day. Hopefully, he would be on his way here in the morning. She would do her best to ride this out until then.
Beau didn’t say a word but marched her back to the campfire. “Get comfortable. It’s going to be a long night.”
“I need a bedroll.”
He glanced over at her horse. “You don’t have one?”
“No, but you do,” she said with a smile.
“Who rides out without a bedroll? Do you have any supplies? Anything?” he asked, staring at her like she was crazy.
“Yes, I’ve got a few supplies.”
“You followed me on a whim. Greenhorn mistakes like that can cost you your life.”
“I’m not a greenhorn,” she spit out.
“Well then, you’re not very smart.”
Annabelle had to bite her lip to keep from saying anything. She’d followed him without much thought as to her actions. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done, but he’d have to torture her before she’d ever admit to her error.