Now as they rode into town, dusty, trail weary, and tireder than a body should feel, she wondered if she’d made a mistake.
They halted their horses in front of the hotel, and he slid off his saddle. He helped her alight from hers. She gazed at him, drinking in the sight of his handsome face, knowing they only had hours left together. Sadness leeched from her every pore.
They walked into the hotel, and she waited while he signed them in as a married couple. Carrying their saddlebags upstairs, she regretted her decision with each step. She couldn’t wait to turn him in because with every moment, it became harder and harder.
She loved this man, wanted to spend the rest of her days with him, but he was an outlaw. A man who had done wrong, when he’d robbed those banks. Yet, she knew he was a good man, worthy of her love. So, what did she do? Her sisters or Beau? Justice or lawlessness?
She groaned as the thoughts spun through her head, like a never ending whirlwind, trying to decide. Sometimes she wished she’d never met him, never followed him because then her heart wouldn’t be splintering with each breath.
He opened the door to their hotel room, and she walked through the entrance. In the middle of the room was a double bed, a tub peeked from behind a partial screen, with a chamber pot tucked in the far corner.
She dropped her bags to the ground. A bone chilling tiredness overcame her. She just wanted to crawl into that bed and sleep for hours, but she knew that wasn’t possible.
He glanced at her, uneasiness in his expression. “I have to leave for a couple of hours. When I get back, we’ll grab some dinner. Then tomorrow you can take me to the sheriff’s office and turn me in.”
Did he really think she was stupid? “How do I know you’re coming back? How do I know you won’t go off and leave me in this room, while you head out of town?”
“I promise you I’m coming back. We have some things we need to discuss. Look I’m leaving my saddle here, and I’m only taking the saddlebags with me.”
Exhausted, she knew she could never force him to stay, but she didn’t like the fact he was leaving.
“I need to run an errand, and I promise as soon as I return and get a bath, then we’ll spend the evening together.” He brushed a curl away from her face.
His fingertips felt warm, and a shudder of desire rippled through her. She leaned her head against his shoulder. God, how she loved this man, and turning him in was twisting her insides like a wrench, stretching her tighter and tighter.
“Take a bath and rest because I’m not going to let you sleep tonight,” he whispered into her ear as she curled her body against his.
She swallowed, pain rising up in her again. He said he was coming back, but would he? And how could she turn in the man she loved for a bounty? But how could she walk away from the money that would finish paying off the farm and let her sisters stay home and not hunt criminals? How could she let the man she loved hang?
Annabelle couldn’t turn Beau into the law. She just couldn’t. No matter what the consequences, his blood would not be on her hands. She loved Beau; she’d never turn him in.
He leaned back and stared at her, his green eyes questioning, his expression sincere. “Are you okay?”
She smiled and tried to appear happy, when she was dying inside. This journey had been for naught. She’d lost her virginity and her heart and would return home empty handed and heartbroken. “I’m fine. Just tired. You go do what you have to.”
He stared at her, questioning, searching her eyes. Then he walked to the door, turned, and gazed at her one more time. “I wish we’d met sooner, Annabelle, before my life went bad.”
“Bye, Beau,” she said softly as he closed the door.
Pain burst inside her chest like an explosion, almost knocking her to the floor. He wasn’t coming back. He was running and that made her choice easier. She wouldn’t have to choose between him and her sisters. Though she knew there would have been no choice, her sisters were family. She would have had to let Beau go. Now, she could leave and not look back.
She’d always love him. She could never have turned him into the sheriff. She could never have collected the bounty or been the person responsible for him hanging. This way, he walked out of her life a free man.
Only, she’d be left with a broken heart and possibly a baby growing in her belly.
Glancing around the inside of the hotel room, she realized she couldn’t stay here another minute. She was leaving, going home to her sisters where she would be surrounded by their love and comfort.
If only she’d known the misery she was chasing when she left Zenith following Beau. She’d have run back to the farm and her chickens faster than the speediest racehorse.
But to fall in love with the outlaw she was pursuing was the worst possible luck. She glanced around the room. His saddle lay on the floor. Maybe he was coming back.
No, he had enough money to purchase a new saddle. He was gone, and she had to leave too.
She pulled out her little pot of lipstick and smeared the paint across her lips. The time had come for her to go home. Now she was ready to face the journey.
*
Beau glanced back at the hotel; an odd feeling squeezed his chest. Annabelle was not acting her usual feisty self and that concerned him. He walked down the street, hurrying toward the office, knowing this day would bring all kinds of surprises.
His boots rang out on the wooden sidewalk as he turned the corner away from the hotel. Music spilled out into the street as he passed one of the many saloons on Weatherford Street.
Two men with their hands wrapped around each other’s neck burst from a window into the street, barely missing Beau.
Fort Worth was a barely controlled town on the edge of the prairie, where cowboys experienced their last taste of liquor and women before heading up the trail to Dodge City to deliver cattle. And many a cowboy over indulged before he went out onto the prairie for six months.
He saw the Pinkerton office and pushed open the door, walking in. A man sat behind the desk. He glanced up, a smile appearing on his face when he saw Beau.
“Agent Samuel, good to see you,” he said, rising and stepping out from behind the desk. “I hope you brought back good news.”
Beau reached in and pulled out the bank bag. “The Wichita Falls bank job’s money and the Harris gang is no more.”
“Great work,” the man said, slapping him on the back.
Why didn’t it feel like great work? His mission was accomplished, and he felt empty as a gutted steer.
“I wish I could tell you I did the work, but actually, a lady named Annabelle McKenzie took the gang out,” he said. “She saved my hide.”
Quickly, he told John Pinkerton about the killing of the Harris gang, making certain he understood Annabelle had killed the men. “I’d like for her to receive whatever reward is on these men. She could use the money.”
“I’ll make sure she receives the cash,” he said.
“Wait until I tell her I’m an agent,” Beau said. “Right now, she thinks I’m an outlaw, and she’s ready to turn me in.”
John laughed, his voice ringing out in the small office. “Well, you do have an outlaw brother we still haven’t caught. You haven’t seen him, have you?”
Beau shook his head. “If he finds me, he’ll kill me. He hates me that much.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But then, I guess working for us doesn’t make your life easy.”
“I’ve been disowned by the family. After the attack on the farmhouse that killed my brother and injured my mother, you guys pretty much destroyed any chance I have of reconciling with them,” he said, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice. How did this ass think it’d helped his relationship with his family? They hated him.
The man nodded. “I’m sorry, Beau. Really I am. We didn’t know your mother and brother were there. We were trying to flush out James, but it didn’t happen.”
Beau hated this part of his job. He really hated working for the Pinkertons, and he knew they had only hired him hoping to learn inside information on his brother. But there was nothing to tell. Once he and Jesse had gotten into a fight over Joshiah’s murder, their relationship had ended.
Now, Beau was alone.
The image of Annabelle came to mind, and he thought of how she’d changed his life, made it less lonely, yet soon they would be parting ways and it was for the best. With his job, he didn’t need to endanger a woman or family.
“I’m sure you want to rest up for a few days, but I’ve got another assignment for you. It’s down near San Antonio. The bank there would like someone to guard a gold shipment against the Bass gang. He’s been hitting a lot of banks, and they need protection for their cargo.”
“When?” he asked.
“Not until next week. You’ve got a few days off before you have to go.”
Beau thought of Annabelle back in their room. He could have tonight and part of tomorrow with her before he had to leave. Time enough to tell her the truth. Time to let her know she would be receiving the bounty on the Harris gang.
“I’ll take the job.” It would be a good excuse to give Annabelle and send her home.
“Great. I’ll wire them. And great job on the Harris gang. That’s one less set of thugs we have to worry about.”
“Thanks, John. I’ll leave the day after tomorrow.”
Beau walked out the door of the office. Now he wanted to get a haircut and look for something to give Annabelle. The woman didn’t have any fancy trinkets. He wanted to give her something to remind her of him.
That uneasy feeling returned when he thought about Annabelle. The woman had wrapped her hands around his heart. He couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel and spend time with her.
*
Annabelle mounted her horse and turned toward Zenith. Tears welled up in her eyes as she headed for home. She longed to locate her sisters, to reach home, her farm and her chickens. Maybe she’d find her sisters searching for her on the way. Regardless, the trail ahead would be long and lonely. No more bounty hunting for her, she was done .
She’d packed her saddlebags with food and water and wore her six-shooter low on her hips and easily attainable. Any smart individual would reconsider harassing her right now. Hurt and angry enough, she’d be tempted to kill the first person who thought about messing with her. Life had dealt her a blow, and she just wanted to get home and let the familiar surroundings soothe her battered soul.
Riding through town at almost noon, she passed several saloons that had music blasting out into the street and were filled with rowdy men. This town was as wild as any she’d ever been to, and poor Zenith looked boring compared to the riotous streets of Fort Worth.
She just wanted to get out of here before Beau spotted her or some randy cowboy thought she was available.
Not that she expected Beau to find her. He was probably on his way out of town by now to escape the noose that waited for him. But she didn’t know if she could see him without catapulting into his arms and riding away with him. The best thing for her was to leave without facing him.
She kept her hat pulled low over her face, her head tilted to where she could see the road out of town. She wanted to put as many miles as possible behind her this afternoon, to get out of Fort Worth and away from Beau Samuel. She doubted he would be looking for her, but she needed distance between them right now.
At the edge of town, she breathed a sigh of relief and gigged her horse. With her heart shattered, tears of relief and sadness flowed unchecked down her cheeks. She was going home.
“Annabelle!” Someone yelled, and her heart leaped into her throat. She recognized that voice. She knew that person.
She whirled around.
Racing toward her on their horses were her sisters and Zach. They pulled to a stop and jumped down from their mounts. She leaped off her horse and threw her arms around Meg, who’d reached her first.
The feel of her sister's soft body wrapping her in an embrace filled Annabelle’s aching heart with joy and relief. She needed the comforting embrace of her sisters.
“Annabelle,” Meg said, hugging her tightly. “We’ve been so worried. Where have you been?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started to blubber like a whale in mating season. “Meg, oh, Meg. I did something really bad.”
Ruby pushed Zach out of the way and surrounded Annabelle, her arms coming around both of her sisters. “Shh… It’s okay, Annabelle. We’ve got you now.”
She’d never been so glad to see Meg and Ruby. She’d missed them more than her next breath. “I want to go home. Please take me home,” she wailed in her sisters’ arms.
“What happened, Annabelle?” Meg asked. “If someone hurt you, I’ll kill him myself.”
She was crying so hard she couldn’t get the words out, but could only sob. She shook her head. “No…leave him be. I fell in love.”
Meg cradled Annabelle against her chest and patted her on the back. “Oh, honey.”
“Please, I just want to go home.”
Ruby shook her head. “Damn, when I learn his name, he’s a dead man.”
Annabelle gave a little snort. “No, Ruby. I didn’t plan on falling in love with him, but I did.”
“Why are you upset instead of being happy?” Meg asked. “What did he do to you?”
She glanced at Zach. “He’s wanted by the law.”
B
eau headed back down the sidewalk to the hotel. He’d gotten a bath, haircut, and a shave. He’d also bought Annabelle a gold heart necklace and a new fancy dress. He’d been gone for most of the afternoon, and he needed to get back to her. Tonight and tomorrow were all the time they had left, and he wanted to be with her as much as possible. He’d even found someone to ride to Zenith with her to make certain she reached home safe and sound. He didn’t like the idea of her traveling alone.
Nor did he like the idea of saying goodbye to her either. While he knew it wasn’t a good idea for them to continue on, he just hated the thought of never seeing her again. Of never kissing and feeling her sweet little body snug against his own.
Annabelle was the first woman to make him realize how much he missed having a woman in his life. She’d helped him grasp that he was a good man, and she accepted that he wasn’t all bad just because his brother was the most wanted criminal in America.