Taming of Jessi Rose (22 page)

“Behave yourself, little brother,” Two Shafts warned.

“Yes, mother,” his brother shot back, grinning.

Inside the store, the obviously terrified Abe Thomas stood behind the counter with a pasted-on smile. “You boys aren't here to rob me, are you?”

“No, Abe, they're not,” Jessi said. “They're just here to buy.”

He cast a quick look out of the door. “Uh, now, Miss Jessi, you know I can't—”

Griff tossed a box of cartridges on the counter. “Morning, Abe. How are you?”

Abe's eyes widened. He stammered, “Uh—uh—”

Percy West entered the store, flanked by three of his men, and announced, “What he's trying to say is, he doesn't do business with the likes of you. Mr. Darcy's orders.”

It was quite obvious that Percy had been in a fight. Although Griffin's face still sported bruises, and the swelling around his left eye had turned a bright, reddish purple, West looked like he'd been wrestling with a bear. His lip was split, both eyes were discolored, and his jaw bore the marks of having been hit by many mighty fists.

Preacher was at the far end of the store, looking at chaps. Ignoring West, he held up a pair, looked them
over critically, then walked them over to the counter. “I'll have these. How much?”

Over on the other side of the store Jessi could hear the Terrible Twins engaged in what sounded like an argument. Neil July was saying, “I'll bet you ten dollars you can't do it.”

Two Shafts was weighing the heft of a big bullwhip. “I'll take that bet.” He then turned to West standing a few feet away and said, “My brother's betting I can't take that gun out of your holster with this. I say I can. Hold still.”

Before West or anyone else could react, the whip uncoiled like a blast of lightning and snaked not around Percy's gun but around his right ankle. Shafts gave the snake a hard yank and a blink later Percy was flat on his face on the floor. Jessi stood there stunned as did the onlookers peeking in the doorway.

Two Shafts turned to his brother and volunteered in mock sheepishness, “I guess I'm more out of practice than I thought. Are you okay, Percy?” he asked, recoiling the big whip and placing it back where he'd found it initially.

West, hand against his busted and bleeding nose, looked absolutely furious as he struggled to his feet.

Griffin passed him on his way back to the counter and said, “
That's
why we don't take them out much.” He then paused a moment to survey the damage to West's nose and advised him sagely, “You really ought to have a doc look at that.”

Jessi stood there trying not to laught out loud. Was this the kind of fun the Twins had been talking about? If so, she certainly enjoyed their brand of humor, although she doubted West would agree.

It's hard to be intimidating when you're bleeding like a stuck pig, but West tried his best. Jessi assumed he was voicing some sort of threat, but due to his injury
and the hand covering it, she couldn't understand a word he was saying and evidently no one else could either because Preacher looked back at West and said, “Speak up, man, we can't understand a word. Two Shafts, apologize again. Maybe that's what he's babbling about.”

“I'm sorry, Percy. I'll get it right next time.”

West's eyes widened visibly. He didn't look to be wanting a next time. Shooting them all malevolent looks, he left, taking his stunned companions with him.

A grinning Griff turned back to Abe. “Now, as I was saying, how much for the cartridges?”

“Darcy will burn me out.”

“No, he won't,” Neil July assured the shopkeeper, as he fished some penny candy out of a glass jar. He popped a jaw breaker in his mouth and said, “Mr. Darcy doesn't want to tangle with us. He likes living too much.”

Abe looked to Jessi. She could only shrug in reply. Abe was going to have to make up his own mind. He could stand and fight, or he could continue to cower behind his fear.

“Okay,” he finally said, “I'll sell you what you want today, but that's as far as I go.”

Griff nodded.

Abe added, “And you'll have to give me your word that you boys will back me if Darcy finds out.”

Griffin said, “Just let us know.”

Their shopping now completed, the Clayton gang mounted up and headed their horses back up the street. In town the whispering and the speculating began as soon as Jessi and her hands rode away.

 

The next morning, Jessi awakened at dawn to the smell of bacon frying. In the kitchen she found Neil July alone at the cast-iron wood-burning stove. As Jessi came closer to the stove, she saw that there were biscuits al
ready baked and waiting, coffee brewing, and eggs sitting in a bowl. Since she distinctly remembered him using all the eggs on hand yesterday, she asked him about them.

“My brother found some this morning,” he explained, as he began cracking the dozen or so white orbs into the bowl.

Jessi dearly wanted to know if “found” meant the eggs had been purloined from the coops of her neighbors, but she thought it best not to ask.

“Shafts said the lady was real nice.”

“Yep, she sure was,” Two Shafts concurred, coming in from the back porch. “I bought them with the gold Cheno gave us. She said her name was Mrs. Cornell. She also said to tell you hello.”

Jessi stared. “You bought those eggs from Lydia Cornell, and she told you to tell me hello?”

Jessi could see the Twins staring at her, but for a moment she was speechless. Griffin's gold notwithstanding, Lydia Cornell would rather be naked in the front pew of the Vale A.M.E. Church than speak to Jessi. “Are you sure she said her name was Cornell?”

“Yes. You look like you don't believe me.”

“I believe you, I just don't believe Lydia Cornell. She'd rather eat raw pig's feet than say anything to me.”

“Well, she was real cheerful.”

“Was she drunk?”

“Didn't smell any liquor on her.”

Jessi had no way to explain Lydia's actions and wondered what in the world had come over the gossipy woman.

Jessi was still trying to figure it out when Griff and Preacher entered the kitchen and said their good mornings. Her mind still churning, she gave them a mumbled reply. She didn't notice how quiet the kitchen had become until she heard Griff call to her.

When she looked his way in answer, she saw that all the men were standing around the table waiting, for what she had no idea.

“We're waiting on you, boss,” Griff explained. “Neil hates it when his food's served cold.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. My apologies, Neil.”

She hastened over to the table. “You could've started without me.”

“No, we couldn't've.” Preacher declared. “Where I was raised, the lady sits first.”

Jessi almost told him that she wasn't a lady, but since they were all waiting so patiently for her to take her seat, she kept her sarcasm to herself and sat.

After the Preacher blessed the food, everyone dug in. They were the most polite bunch of outlaws she'd ever shared a meal with. They said please and thank you, didn't curse, and didn't scratch. She was all but certain their manners weren't this stellar all the time, but she found it oddly pleasing, knowing they were on their best behavior just for her.

By the time afternoon rolled around, the pleasure had turned into a serious case of irritation. She hadn't minded them opening the door for her each time she needed to go out or apologizing when a curse flamed the air, or even when Griff volunteered to take on her stable chores, but when Two Shafts refused to let her carry her own saddle the few feet from her mount to the porch, she'd had it. Finding Griffin still in the barn, she told him firmly, “I can carry my own saddle.”

Setting aside the pitchfork in response to her whirlwind entrance, Griffin, having no idea what she was fuming about, asked, “Does this have anything to do with my making love to you?”

“What?” Jessi asked, baffled. “No, Griffin it does not.”

“That's too bad. Well, go on, then.”

She shook her head, wondering where all of her steam had gone. “Are you sure?”

“I sure as hell do want to make love to you.”

Just a look from his eyes could call up her passion. “You are incorrigible, but then, you're well aware of that.”

“Yep.”

The lie Jessi told about being able to keep a lid on her desire until the Twins and Preacher departed had been just that, a lie. They hadn't made love since his friends moved in and it already felt as though she and Griffin hadn't been intimate for months. It also seemed as if her need for him grew stronger with each new sunrise. Who knew that she would want him every hour of every day or long to sneak into his bed at night and let herself be filled with his passion.

Griff had been spending the last few days wondering if she'd marry him. Not only did he not want to sleep without her, he didn't want to live without her. He decided he most definitely was in love and had a hard time seeing a future that did not contain her and Joth. He didn't know what her response would be, but he needed this rawhide woman to make him complete and hoped she shared his feelings. “Marry me, Jessi.”

Confusion spread across her face. She searched his eyes, then thinking this was another of his jokes, she began to laugh.

She laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes before she realized she was laughing alone. The pain on his face stopped her heart. “Oh, Griffin, darling, you're serious? Griffin, I'm sorry.”

But it was too late, he was already striding out of the barn door.

“Griffin!”

Shit!
She cursed herself soundly as she took off at a run after him, but by the time she got outside and looked
around, he'd grabbed the first available mount and was heading up the road. “Griffin!”

He did not look back. Dejected, she sank to the porch step and sighed.

“Where's he going with my horse?” Two Shafts asked, running out of the house.

A desolate Jessi didn't reply because she had no idea where he was going or if he would return.

The Comanche looked out at the fast-moving horse and said, “If he runs that pony into a gopher hole, I'll kill him with my bare hands.”

Neil stepped out onto the porch. “Where's Cheno going? He's riding like he's got fifteen Pinkertons on his back.”

“No idea,” his brother replied irritatedly, “but that's my mount he's on.”

Jessi remained silent.

Neil looked down into Jessi's stricken face. “Something wrong, Miss Clayton?”

“Yes,” she answered, then got up and went back to the barn to finish up the work still to do.

Preacher and Neil sought her out in the barn an hour or so later. “He isn't back,” Neil reported.

Jessi didn't like how that made her feel. She focused herself on pitching hay into Buttercup's empty stall instead.

“You want to tell us what happened?” Preacher asked.

“No.”

“Lover's quarrel, I assume,” Neil replied.

Silence.

“We know Griffin as well as anyone, so if you need advice, we're the ones to ask.”

Jessi dearly wanted to talk to someone about this whole thing, but she didn't know either of them well
enough to trust them with her feelings. “Thank you, but it's between me and Griffin.”

Neil said softly, “Maybe if he were here it would be, but he isn't.”

And it's all your fault,
her inner voice scolded angrily.

Jessi stopped her pitching. Both men looked so sincerely concerned she felt compelled to bare her soul. “He asked me to marry him.”

Neil's eyes widened. “Griffin Blake?”

“Yes.”

“And you said no,” the Preacher stated.

“I didn't say no, I was too busy laughing.”

Neil's eyes widened even further. “You laughed?”

The despair returned. “I laughed.” Coming to her own defense, she added, “But I thought he was just teasing. You know how he is.”

“But you laughed?”

Jessi nodded solemnly.

Then Neil began to laugh and laugh and laugh. He laughed so loud and long, Jessi thought he was in the throes of a fit. She should've known better than to confide in him.

As he wiped away the tears, he bowed to her and said, “Miss Jessi, you are truly a rare jewel. Women have fought in the streets over his favors—they've betrayed their husbands—and the very first time he asks a real woman to marry him, she laughs in his face.”

“It wasn't intentional.”

“I believe you, but this calls for a celebration. Do you have any idea how many women I have lost to him over the years?”

“No, I don't.” And she was quite certain she didn't want to know.

“Well, suffice it to say, he has been a thorn in my side for quite some time.”

“You'll have to promise me not to say anything to him about it.”

This time he balked. “Aw, Miss Clayton—”

“Please.”

“He wouldn't be so considerate of me,” Neil grumbled.

“Promise me.”

She could see by his handsome face that he didn't want to, but she was determined.

“Preacher, do you have your Bible?” she asked.

“It's in my tent.”

“Swear to me, Neil,” Jessi said firmly.

“What's he swearing on?” Two Shafts asked, as he came into the barn.

Jessi wondered if the day could get any worse.

Neil replied, “I'm swearing not to tell anybody about Griff asking Miss Jessi to marry him.”

It could.

An incredulous and outdone Jessi stared at him. He'd betrayed her confidence already, then he actually had the nerve to wink at her.

“Hot damn,” Two Shafts yelled. “Give me my money. I told you he was in love with her.”

Upon hearing this, a thunderstruck Jessi watched a disappointed Neil slap two gold coins onto his grinning brother's outstretched palm. “Did she say yes?”