Teagen sent word that there were problems in the back pasture. The hired hand who brought the message asked Sage to help him pack for a summer camp. Sage rounded up the equipment.
No one was surprised when Teagen didn’t return that night. Jessie lay awake, thinking of how tender he’d been and wishing him near. Deep down she knew he wouldn’t be away if the ranch and maybe even their lives weren’t at stake.
Her friend was turning into her lover. Jessie was afraid to even think something so wonderful lest it vanish like so many of her hopes. Teagen came to her that night in her dreams. When she woke without him near, her body ached with longing, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was somewhere beneath the stars feeling the same.
She pulled the pillow he’d slept on to her and slept curled around it until first light.
Little by little Jessie felt herself grow strong. Without the morning sickness, she ate well and put on a few much-needed pounds. Each morning and evening she’d sit on the porch and watch for any sign of him. She knew he was watching over her; she could feel it.
As the days passed, Martha spent an hour each morning checking on Sims, then just before dark she’d step over to the bunkhouse porch and drink a cup of coffee with him. Jessie and Sage watched but neither commented.
Sage worked awhile every afternoon in the barn, and Jessie took on her share of the load. They talked of the canning to be done now that fall grew near. Martha brought out a bolt of material of hunter green and said it was time the girls all had new dresses. The women cleaned and washed and baked, but no one spoke of Teagen being gone. Martha left him a meal each night and tossed it to the pigs in the morning.
Jessie couldn’t tell if Teagen being gone was unusual, or if Sage and Martha feared voicing his absence might bring on worry.
Nights were Jessie’s only time to dream. She’d imagine, if Teagen came in early, that he’d carry her out on the porch after the girls were in bed. They’d talk and laugh. Then, without a word, they’d undress and crawl into bed. Some nights he just held her to him. Some nights they would explore each other.
She’d whisper how she loved sleeping next to him almost as much as she loved waking up to the feel of him touching her. He’d learned her body.
In her fantasy, one night he’d ask if she were ready, and when she said yes, he’d make love to her.
In the waking hours, she’d blush at her dreams. Surely if he missed her as dearly as she did him, he would make it in at least one night. She feared she was making more of their few nights together than he was.
Jessie needed to talk to someone about her feelings. She needed to talk to her best friend. She needed to talk to Teagen.
CHAPTER 26
AT SUNSET, AS HE’D DONE THE THREE PREVIOUS nights, Teagen walked away from the campsite and looked in the direction of the ranch house. Twice last night, while asleep in his bedroll, he’d turned over and reached for Jessie. It bothered him that she had moved under his skin so easily. He told himself not to let her matter too much. She had only married him to keep her children. He wasn’t about to start wishing for more than she planned to give.
Their last night together had been magic, and he reminded himself that he was rooted in reality with no time for feelings to clutter up his mind.
A man doesn’t get used to a woman after a few nights in bed. He’d slept alone all his life. It seemed he should be more natural alone, but asleep his body craved her, even if he wouldn’t let his mind admit it.
As the night darkened around him, Teagen opened and closed his hand, swearing he could feel her. The need to touch her was a physical ache within him. But he couldn’t go to her. Not yet. Not till he knew the ranch was safe. The way he felt about her, raiders would be on the porch before he noticed, if he were in her bed. Better to stay away and do his job.
“Evening, Teagen. Dreaming of home?” Roak’s voice shattered his thoughts.
“Something like that.” Teagen faced the kid. “You just drop by to chat?”
Roak shook his head. “I come to tell you the little news I know. Word is that the band planning to take over your operation is waiting for more arms.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if there is a band. All we’ve seen are a few tracks.”
“Someone set the fire and shot Tattor Sims.”
“That could have been a lone horse thief thinking he’d cause a distraction with a fire so he could take a horse. Sims just got too close, so the thief shot him.”
Roak shook his head, but said, “Could have been.”
“You seen more than a few of the outlaws you claim are waiting to attack?”
Roak shook his head again. “Just the two who come in for supplies and drink at the little cantina. They usually wait around for the stage. I’ve seen them pick up a package now and then. I followed them once and got close enough to see their campfires.”
“Did you go in?”
“Couldn’t get close enough without being shot at.” Roak pointed to the east. “They’re camped on the other side of the river about five miles into that worthless rough land. Ground’s so rocky out there a man’s lucky if his horse don’t go lame crossing it. I hunted out near there as a kid. If their camp is in those rocks, you can bet they’re not sleeping in comfort.”
Teagen swore. It didn’t make sense. An outlaw doesn’t hang around for a month waiting to raid. It’s not in their nature. “Why do you think this gang is waiting to attack me?” he asked, not expecting Drummond Roak to give him an answer. “Maybe they just think they’ve found a place no one will look for them. The leader might like a hard place to spread a bedroll.”
The kid smiled. “Maybe he’s planning to drive you so crazy worrying that you’ll kill yourself.”
Teagen swore again and muttered, “It’s a short drive to crazy these days. I could probably walk.”
Roak didn’t bother to argue. He just checked his gun and said, “You ready to ride over and take a closer look? There’s no moon tonight. If we were on foot, we might get within sight of the camp. Then we could quit guessing how many men are out there; we’d know.”
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” He almost added that memories of Jessie would keep him up all night anyway, so he might as well be out scouting.
Teagen moved toward the horses, thinking that it was funny the turns life takes. He’d never liked the kid, but Roak was the only man who could go with him where he was headed tonight.
Most men would consider it suicide to even think of sneaking into an outlaw camp, but if anyone could get away with it, Roak could. He’d offered to go alone, but Teagen insisted on backing him up.
They rode in silence to the river, then climbed off their horses and swam beside them. Roak’s horse Satan took to the river without slowing as if the chore were nothing new to him. Teagen’s bay balked but swam once she was forced in.
The current was not as strong as it could have been. During the heavy rains of spring Teagen doubted either horse or man would make the far bank. But even with the rain the night of the fire, the river was still low and fairly calm.
When they reached the far bank, both men collapsed in the tall grass while their horses rested.
“Now tell me again why we didn’t use the perfectly good bridge a mile downstream?” Roak said in a low voice that barely reached Teagen’s ears.
“They could have someone watching the bridge.”
“Like you do?”
Teagen frowned. He hadn’t mentioned the man he kept near the bridge since the day Sims had been shot. But, in truth, he wasn’t surprised Roak knew about the guard posted.
“How often are you on my land anyway, Roak?”
“Often enough to keep an eye on Sage. I don’t give a damn about your land or all them horses you McMurrays have. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing of value is Sage.”
“Then why are you helping me?”
Roak sat up and dumped his gear from the sack he’d tied to Satan’s saddle. “I figure Sage would be real unhappy if something happened to you. Though for the life of me, I can’t tell why all those women you got love you. You’re the meanest man I know. You tied me up in your barn and would have turned me over to the sheriff just for borrowing a horse. He would have hanged me.”
“Well, I didn’t turn you over, and he didn’t hang you.” Teagen had wondered many times if he would have gone through with turning in the boy. He’d decided he probably would have tried, but after some arguing, he would have let Sage or Martha talk him out of it.
He stood and grabbed his own gear. “So, we might as well get on with the business of getting us both killed tonight. My sister might be sad at my passing, but she’ll be relieved to be rid of you.”
They were both grumbling and not speaking to each other as they strapped on guns and pulled on boots.
“When I get back,” Roak mumbled to himself, “I’m going to kiss your sister right in front of you.”
“Like hell you are.” Teagen answered in the same low whisper.
“You think you can stop me?”
“I won’t have to. Sage will. If you kiss her, you’ll be running from flying lead.”
Roak dried his horse with the sack he’d carried. “I don’t much care. It would be worth it. I feel like I’m dying every day from wanting to. If I kissed her, she could only kill me once.”
Teagen fought down a laugh. “Knowing my sister, she’d think of a way to double kill you.”
They saddled and rode to the last stand of trees before the heap of rocks blocked all vegetation from the land.
Without a word, they tied the animals and began moving low and slow across the uneven ground. They made it a quarter of a mile before Roak spotted the first guard. His rifle rested in his lap, and his head almost touched his chest.
“He’s asleep,” Roak guessed.
Teagen knew they were risking their lives on that guess. He motioned for Roak to follow, and they both moved silently forward, keeping a close eye on any movement the guard might make.
As they passed out of sight of the guard, Teagen knelt down. In the darkness he felt more than saw how the brush had been broken down. “They must have brought a wagon along here.”
Without debate, Roak began to follow the path. It stopped a few feet short of a boulder twice his height. “The trail just disappears.”
Teagen studied the ground, moving his hand a quarter of an inch above the dirt like his father had taught him. The tiny wave in the dust told him what he needed to know. “The wagon turned around here.”
Roak didn’t move.
Teagen stood and brushed his fingers over the wall of rock. “I’m guessing they lifted supplies up and over this rock.”
“You’re good, McMurray. Must be that Indian blood you got in you.”
“Nope.” Teagen smiled. “Just logic.”
Roak swung a rope he’d brought until he caught a jagged edge of a rock above. He braced his legs and began to climb, walking the rock with ease. When he reached the top, he shook the rope, telling Teagen it was his turn.
Teagen braced himself as he’d seen Roak do, but the kid was more than ten years younger and sixty pounds lighter. Pulling the rope as he walked up the rock was hard work.
When he reached the top, he dropped beside Roak. “You’ve done that a few times.”
“Nope,” Roak lied. “Just using logic.”
If Teagen had had the energy, he would have knocked the kid off the rock. By the time he was breathing normally, Roak had already disappeared into the night.
Teagen followed, figuring if there was a hole between the rocks, he’d follow Roak right down. The thought crossed his mind that his one regret before he fell to his death would be that he hadn’t had another night with Jessie.
Finally, after about five minutes of walking, he saw the flicker of a fire. Halfway between the light and him lay Roak. The boy was so flat against the rock the men below wouldn’t have seen him if they’d looked.
Teagen crept close and lowered himself beside Roak. For a while they were silent. Then Roak whispered, “There’s no way in. I’m guessing it’s a forty-foot drop from here, and we couldn’t do it without waking half the camp up.”
“In daylight we could probably see another way in. All those men and horses didn’t just drop down.”
“In daylight they could see us.” Roak slid back. “There has to be a way into that place.”
Teagen studied the camp. He couldn’t tell how many men slept around the fire. Thirty, forty, maybe more. From the looks of the place, they’d been here awhile. It had been a natural basin lined by trees on one edge. Most of the trees were now stumps, probably used for firewood. The gang had cut down the only protection they had if they were invaded. A few men with good rifles could probably pick half the gang off before the rest could saddle up and leave. He’d bet the way in on horseback was a narrow one.
He searched the rim. It might only take two men to attack, but those who escaped would be headed right for his ranch. What good would it do to kill half the gang and have the other half attack his ranch while he was gone?
There was no more he could do tonight, and until he knew these men were a threat to him and his, Teagen knew he wouldn’t be within his rights to fight.
He also saw no sign that they planned a dawn raid. No horses were saddled. No weapons laid out in ready.
“Let’s go,” he said as he backed away.
Roak nodded and followed, retracing their steps back to the horses.
The boy rode with him to the river, then waved him good-bye. Teagen swam across alone.
When he reached the shore, he turned toward home.
It was an hour before dawn when he made it in. He’d thought he’d just curl up next to Jessie and sleep awhile with her. He knew he’d be welcome. She’d made that plain. He’d have to be careful not to startle her though.
Rain tapped on his jacket and hat as he walked from the barn. The sky was dark and brooding. He’d be riding in mud tomorrow, but for the next few hours all he wanted to do was sleep.