Quickly, she drew an A in the dirt, praying they’d see it.
*
“Where are we going?” Annabelle asked as they rode north toward the hidden money. Beau needed to keep the Harris gang guessing as to his original destination, but he knew they were all headed to the same location.
“I think I’m going to have to limit the number of questions you ask each day. Maybe then my poor ears will get a rest,” he said, teasing her, enjoying the way she bantered with him.
She was a lively filly with a womanly figure that had caught his attention when he first laid eyes on her. He wondered how his hands would fit around her waist and how she would feel snug against his body or how her full lips would taste beneath his own. Those were things a man was better off not thinking about. But with this slip of a woman, it was damn hard not to.
“I’m smart enough to know we’re headed north. But there are not many towns in this direction.”
He hadn’t tied her hands again, after seeing how much they’d hurt after he’d released her. He’d never thought about the circulation being cut off, but only how he could keep from waking up in the middle of the night with her standing over him with a gun in her hand. The woman was damn fine looking but crazy as a loon to be chasing after bad guys alone.
“You’re right.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me anything else?” she asked, clearly frustrated with him.
He let her stew for a moment or two. “We’ve been zigzagging. Never going in one direction for too long, hoping that if someone followed us, we’d lose them.”
No, he wasn’t a bad guy, but she didn’t know that. She didn’t know he was just a sheep in wolf’s clothing trying to right a wrong. Yet, he liked the idea of her playing Little Red Riding Hood. To his hungry eyes, she looked mighty tasty.
“Even my sisters.”
“Anyone.”
After he’d told her about the dead man across the road, she’d promised him she’d behave as long as he didn’t tie her hands. And so far, she’d kept her word. But he had a sneaky suspicion that sometime today, before nightfall, she’d pull some kind of trick. And he’d be prepared.
“You know my sisters are on their way.”
“Sugar, I’m terrified.”
“You should be.”
Three women did not frighten him. Still, he’d rather be traveling alone. Annabelle slowed him down and was a nuisance, and yet, he didn’t mind gazing at her. She was an excellent horsewoman and knew how to ride without sitting in one of those side saddles.
When he looked at her skirt, he saw it was full enough she could sit a horse and have her skirts billowed around her, covering all but the tops of her ankles, which her boots hid.
No, she was all wrapped up like a proper lady, yet she wasn’t one of those pampered women who fainted at the mere mention of an improper word.
“Again, Mr. Samuel, where are we going?”
The woman had grit. And he admired that about her. Annabelle McKenzie could hold her own and curse as unexpected as a fifth ace in a poker deck. Stubborn, mule-headed, mouthy, and a pain in his ass were also words to describe her pretty little self.
He shook his head, knowing this was going to be a long day, unless he found a farmer soon. The quicker, the better. But even as they wandered in the wilderness, like the Israelites, off the main trail, it was hard to find civilization. So far, they’d ridden the better part of the day and had no sight of anyone other than themselves and a few startled deer.
“Sugar, the less you know the better, unless you enjoy five randy outlaws.”
She flashed her bluebonnet eyes at him like she was setting the prairie ablaze. “Would you please stop saying that? If you’re doing it to scare me, it worked. I’m here, aren’t I? It’s losing its effectiveness. Now, it’s just making me mad. So mad that if they rode up this moment, I’d probably kill the whole lot of them and you as well.”
He laughed. “Well, I guess mad is better than scared. But I’m still not telling you where we’re going. And I’ve never seen a woman who could fire a gun well enough to kill a man, especially one without a pistol.”
“Then you haven’t seen my sisters and me. Our papa taught us how to protect ourselves. Anytime you want to contest me in a shooting match, I’m game.”
If he were a betting man, he’d guess that somewhere on Miss Annabelle McKenzie there was a hidden pistol. Somewhere beneath all those lacy petticoats, she was concealing a weapon. And he couldn’t blame her. A pretty woman like her needed protection.
“Well, I will certainly keep that in mind. Don’t want to make you angry enough to become a free lunch for the coyotes.”
“Hrmph,” she said, her blue eyes raking him.
Most women would have been fussing about the pace they were riding, but so far she’d kept up with him. She hadn’t even complained when they’d ridden through some tall brush. Her dappled gray mare had a blaze of white on its face, and she controlled that filly with excellent horsemanship. Better than any woman he’d ever seen ride and even a lot of men, but still she was a woman.
And he needed to find a farmhouse and leave her behind, before his thoughts got him into all kinds of trouble that he didn’t need.
“What can you tell me about the sheriff in Zenith? You said you knew him.”
“I do. He’s sweet on my sister, but why should I tell you anything? You’re not sharing information, so why should I?”
Beau shook his head. “This is why women should stay at home.”
She glanced over at him, sending him a look that could have singed his shirt and pants. And maybe even his skin too.
“Stay home and do what?”
“Raise children, run a home, cook for their family.”
Annabelle pulled on her reins, leading her horse around a cedar bush that was over six feet tall. When their horses came back together side by side, her blue eyes narrowed at him.
“And what happens to a woman when her man, who brings in all the money, dies? Who takes care of her and the children then? Do you think she’ll be able to go out and earn as much money as her husband was making?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I never thought much about it.”
Somehow he’d found a touchy nerve. Her feelings were hemorrhaging, running her mouth like a doctor with a bunch of leeches.
“And if she does find a job, do you know what she’ll have to put up with?”
“No,” he said quietly, knowing that she would soon tell him.
“Let’s just say I’d have probably ended up in jail if I’d had to remain a waitress much longer. Some man would have placed his hands in the wrong spot, and I would have blown out his lamp permanently.”
He laughed, suddenly understanding what had caused that sore spot. A cowboy had undoubtedly played fast and loose with the waitress. And yet, he had a sudden urge to pulverize the man for causing Annabelle to suffer. “I guess you don’t have many suitors.”
She stopped and gave him a look that was both haughty and disdainful. “No. I don’t. A strong woman needs an even stronger man. I haven’t met one yet I thought was a catch.”
Guiding his horse around an oak tree, he glanced over at her and smiled. “That almost sounds like a challenge. Do you think I’m a tough man?”
“You’re an outlaw. You rob banks for a living and prey on the weak. You may be physically brawny, but I also want a man who is powerful in character. You’re damn weak.” A frown drew between her brows, like it hurt to think.
People always had thought badly about him, once they learned who his family was. He could be a saint, but the taint from his blood would darken his reputation.
“Hey, you don’t know that,” he admonished.
She glanced over at him, her eyes mocking. “If you were strong of character, then why aren’t you making a living without being a thief?”
He closed his eyes and kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t say a word. He couldn’t explain to her that none of this was his fault.
“Some things can’t be helped,” he said quietly.
God, she was a daunting woman, and he liked that about her even more. Years had passed since he’d met a woman he was intrigued enough to pursue. One that was his equal.
Who knew what she wanted? Whatever it was, Annabelle had the guts and the determination to go after her desires.
“So, what do you want in life, Miss Smart Mouth?”
She gazed at him like he’d taken a wrong turn in a cattle drive and was leading her over a cliff.
“A man who will give me his heart and be by my side until I take my last breath. A couple of kids and a nice farm to raise them on. Somewhere that’s peaceful and quiet. Not an outlaw.”
He nodded his head and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck. The spring day was hot and humid, like the air was saturated with moisture.
“Doesn’t seem like you’re asking for a lot.” Desolation descended on him. Of all the places for him to meet a woman who grabbed his fancy, now was not the time. He needed his wits about him, just to keep them both alive.
“You wouldn’t think so, but sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to achieve.”
“I agree.” Not only hard, but he reckoned a good home was impossible for him.
They rode along in silence, her brow furrowed as if she was deep in thought. Somehow, he had a suspicion that couldn’t be good for him. What kind of trouble was brewing in that head of hers?
“What part do you have the hardest time attaining?” he asked.
She frowned. “That’s a little personal.”
“Just asking, trying to pass the time. Do you have a farm?”
“Yes, it belongs to my sisters and me.”
“We’ve already established that you have no man,” he said with a laugh.
If she could have reached him, she probably would have hit him. Her blue eyes glared at him. It didn’t take a college degree to know he wouldn’t be sleeping on the blanket if they were still together tonight.
She led her horse across a small stream and into a wide-open field. “Do we have to talk about this?”
He glanced around, scanning the open area and the hills on either side, and laughed. “There’s the problem. You can’t find a man.”
“No. Not many men in town want anything to do with the McKenzie sisters.”
“Why not?” he asked, noticing the clouds were starting to build in the west like a dust storm from a raging herd of runaway cattle. They were white, but almost churning like boiling water in the sky. Springtime in Texas. Cold one minute, warm the next with raging storms between.
“Now you’re asking a lot of questions.”
He smiled and glanced around the countryside looking for anything that moved or a farmhouse. Leaving her behind with a farmer would be safer for him and for her. But he hadn’t seen a farm yet.
She sighed. “We’re not exactly the prim and proper, mild-mannered women that most men are seeking. Meg has worn pants all her life, though she can turn burlap into a ball gown. And then there’s Ruby—wild, wicked, and spontaneous. Since she almost killed that Clay Mullins kid, no man has come near her. I think she prefers it that way. I worry about her. She’s no longer an innocent, doe-eyed young woman. And she takes way too many risks.”
Inside he was trying not laugh. The descriptions of her sisters would send any man running. A house filled with strong-headed, beautiful women, if they looked like her, and three sassy mouths. A smart man would run in the opposite direction. No wonder she’d been unable to find a man to marry her.
“It’s probably better that Ruby has toughened up. Especially if she’s out chasing men wanted by the law,” he said, wondering about the sisters. He’d heard rumors that there were women collecting bounties, but he’d blown the gossip off as dime-novel fiction. Maybe it was true.
“Yeah, anyway, the town has no respect for three women who don’t follow the rules.”
He nodded his head, a smile spread across his face. “What about you? You didn’t describe your part in gaining a reputation. What did you do?”
For a moment, he watched as she considered his question. “Nothing. I’m probably the tamest of my sisters—or at least I was until this trip.”
Oh no, he wasn’t buying that. If she was considered mild mannered or meek next to her sisters, then Lord help any man who tangled with these she-wolves.
“I think you outdid yourself this time. What were you thinking coming after a known criminal? What if I was a killer? I could have murdered you and left you for dead.”
“Hey, I’m not that easy to take on,” she said, her voice rising petulantly.
“Sugar, you weren’t too hard to sneak up on either, were you?”
She drew herself up in the saddle, her eyes flashing with enough spark and sizzle to set the woods on fire. “Look, I may not be as savvy as my sisters when it comes to this bounty hunting business, but I knew how to handle men in the restaurant. They thought I was one of the side dishes, and some of them went away wearing their dinner.”
The image of Annabelle dumping a plate full of food on some poor fool was enough to make him smile. He’d have to be careful around food with her. Wearing his dinner would make him a little perturbed with the beauty.
Annabelle turned in her saddle and stared at him, her voice rising with emotion. “I just want to help my sisters. And I wanted to get away from watching the grass grow for a while. Do you know what’s it like to be alone day in and day out? It gets boring. I found myself talking to the chickens. The
chickens
,” she said with emphasis.
He laughed. “I know. When I spend weeks out on the trail looking for a man, it can get pretty darn lonesome. You’re glad to reach a town and get to talk to people again, until they learn who you are.”
The trail was a lonely place. Even though he enjoyed tracking, it got old. Real old. Especially when the weather turned bad, like now. A storm was brewing.
She stared at him her gaze questioning. “What man were you looking for?”
He realized he’d told her more information than he wanted her to know. “Occasionally, I’ll do a job for the gang and hunt a man, especially if he owes money. I find him and collect.”
A frown flitted across her face, and she shook her head. “Liar. I think they’d want you to kill him.”
The woman was too damn perceptive. She was a nice little filly that he wouldn’t mind taking to the pasture for a tryout. But dang it, no one had accused Beauregard Samuel of killing men without them taking it to the street.