The Outlaws: Jess (13 page)

"I can rent a room for you at the boarding
house," Jess offered. "I'm making enough money to pay for your
keep."

"What will I be, your whore? The townspeople
already hold me in contempt for choosing a profession not suited to
my sex. No thanks, I'll stay here where I belong."

"Dammit, Meg, my life is complicated right
now. I can't give you anything beyond what I just offered. I want
us to be together. I don't want you to stay here with Zach."

"If you think I want an offer of marriage
from you, you're dead wrong," Meg said stiffly. Marriage is not in
my future. I'm perfectly happy the way I am, with what I'm
doing."

Jess arose abruptly and began pulling on his
clothing. "Does placing your life in danger make you happy?"

Meg nodded emphatically. "Why not? It pays
well and puts food on the table."

Jess buttoned his shirt and slammed on his
hat. "I won't have it, Meg. You're not going chasing after
criminals again and that's all final."

Meg's chin notched upward. "You and who else
is going to stop me?"

"I'll have another talk with Zach. If your
lover can't stop you, I will."

Meg reared up out of bed, apparently
unconcerned about her nudity as she faced Jess squarely, hands on
hips, jaw jutting pugnaciously.

"Zach is the father I wanted all my life but
never had until he found me half dead on the prairie and nursed me
back to health. He was a rough, hard living bounty hunter when we
first met, but he showed me a softness no one else had ever seen. I
became the daughter he lost years ago. When he took the bullet that
ended his career, I decided to become what he had been. I owe him
my life."

Perhaps for the first time, Jess honesty
considered what Meg had been telling him for weeks. Could it be
true? Her explanation seemed logical enough but the fact remained
that Meg hadn't been a virgin.

"You weren't a virgin," Jess reminded her.
"Who was the man in your life if not Zach?" His eyes narrowed. "Or
were there more than one? Why were you slonr on the prairie? What
happened to you?"

"My past is my own business," Meg defended.
"You have no right to judge me."

"I wasn't judging you. I'm merely curious.
Lord knows I'm no saint."

"Maybe someday I'll tell you, after you tell
me your secret. Are you wanted by the law, Jess?"

Jess's gaze settled on her breasts and he
felt himself grow hard and thicken. He directed his gaze elsewhere
so he could think. Making love to Meg had definitely complicated
matters. What was he going to do about her? Should he tell her
about himself?

Meg had finally convinced him that her
relationship with Zach was purely platonic, but what about his own
feelings for Meg?

Jess hadn't had a woman in a very long time,
and he didn't want to confuse lust with deeper emotions until he'd
had time to sort them out. Especially since he wasn't presently
free to nurture emotional ties. Besides being wanted by the law, he
carried an abundance of guilt for not accepting responsibility for
Delia Wingate's pregnancy.

"Jess, are you gong to answer my
question?"

"I have no secrets," Jess lied. "None that I
care to divulge."

Meg yanked the sheet from the bed and pulled
it around her. "You'd better leave, Jess. Please don't come back. A
relationship between us will only complicate matters. I don't want
marriage and neither do you. Satisfy yourself with whores, for I'm
not about to become one. My life is here with Zach."

"Promise me one thing."

"I know what you're going to ask and the
answer is no."

He grasped her shoulders and gave her a rough
shake. "Dammit, Meg, I care about you. It doesn't matter what you
are or what you've been, chasing danger is not what I want for
you."

"What
do
you want for me, Jess?"

Jess flushed and looked away. He wanted her
to keep herself safe for him. He didn't know how he would do it,
but he was determined to prove he wasn't an outlaw. Even if he had
to return to Dodge and face down Mr. Wingate. But he couldn't tell
Meg that. Not yet...maybe one day.

"I want you near, where I can keep an eye on
you. Soon, perhaps after I've taken care of...certain matters, we
can talk further about our...feelings. About the future."

"I don't really think there is a future for
us, Jess. I'm not going to give up bounty hunting. I enjoy my
independence. I've learned the hard way that men can change
overnight. They aren't what they seem. They'll turn on you when you
least expect it."

Meg's words stunned Jess. "Did I hurt you,
Meg? Was I cruel or brutal? Didn't I give you the pleasure I
promised? Who hurt you? What man made you distrustful of
males?"

"You didn't hurt me. Perhaps you're that
exceptional man like Zach, who wouldn't hurt a woman. I don't know
you well enough to judge. You did give me pleasure, the kind I
never experienced before. As to who hurt me..." She shook her head.
"I'm not ready to talk about that with anyone."

"Very well, keep your secrets, but don't
expect me to keep my distance. Not after what we just shared. And
don't make the mistake of thinking I'll let you risk your life
again. Zach is in agreement with me. One brush with death should be
enough to persuade you to give up the dangerous life you were
leading. If I have to tie you down to keep you from chasing after
criminals, I'll do it."

Meg's eyes blazed defiance. "Don't threaten
me, Jess. I'll do as I please and you can't stop me."

"What if I've just given you a baby?"

Meg blanched. "You didn't..."

"I might have."

Only then did Jess realize why he hadn't
taken precautions. He was a doctor, he knew how to prevent
pregnancy. If he made Meg pregnant, he'd have to marry her. Was
that what he'd wanted all along? For fate, or God, to take a hand
in his life? Did he care for Meg enough to marry her despite all
the problems he had to overcome.

He didn't know. The only thing of which he
was certain was that he wouldn't hesitate to marry her should she
become pregnant with his child.

Would Meg marry
him
? That question was
far more difficult to answer. Baby or not, she'd probably reject
his offer and live her life according to her own dictates. It was
obvious that Meg didn't trust men. Had little use for them, in
fact. He'd give the man who hurt her a good thrashing if he knew
his name and where to find him.

"This conversation is ridiculous," Meg said.
"It's highly unlikely this one encounter will result in pregnancy.
And since I don't intend for it to happen again, we have nothing to
worry about."

Jess gave her a tolerant smile but said
nothing, since their thoughts on the subject were poles apart.

"I reckon that's my cue to leave," Jess said.
"My office is probably full of patients awaiting my return. But
before I go..."

Grasping one end of the trailing sheet
covering Meg, Jess reeled her into her arms, like a fish on a hook.
"Kiss me good-bye, love."

"You've had all the kisses you're going to
get from me. Neither of us need the complication of a relationship
right now."

"You're right about that, Meg," he admitted.
He kissed her anyway. A long lingering kiss that made her blood
thicken and her heart pound. Then he released her. "This isn't
finished between us by a long shot. You wanted me as badly as I
wanted you. It will happen again, take my word for it."

Meg watched Jess leave with a heavy heart.
She was so confused. She'd let Jess make love to her and that was a
miracle in itself, considering how she felt about men in general.
But, oh, how he'd made her body sing, her soul soar. She could very
easily become addicted to Jess Gentry. She wouldn't have known
lovemaking could be enjoyable had Jess not shown her.

To her credit she knew better than to let
emotion rule her life. Both she and Jess harbored secrets neither
was willing to reveal. And Jess's determination to change her into
the woman he thought she should be according to the dictates of
society and his own preconceived notions of a woman's place, didn't
sit well with her.

Forgetting Jess Gentry was best for all
concerned, Meg decided as she began to dress. What she needed to do
now was resume her life as it had been before Jess Gentry. A visit
to the sheriff's office was in order. Perhaps he had a new batch of
wanted posters with new faces, new outlaws, for her to bring to
justice.

Meg had no intention of visiting Jess when
she made a trip into Cheyenne two days later. Her emotions were
still too raw where Jess was concerned to see him again. If her
life wasn't so complicated or Jess so secretive about his past,
their future together wouldn't look so bleak.

Pushing thoughts of Jess from her mind, Meg
drew rein in front of the sheriff's office and dismounted. She had
important business to conduct today and couldn't afford to let her
mind wander.

The sheriff looked up from the document he
was perusing and smiled at Meg as she entered the office and closed
the door behind her.

"Howdy, Miss Lincoln. I reckon I know why
you're here."

"Hello, Sheriff Bufford. Anything new come in
lately?"

"Got a new batch of posters in yesterday.
Haven't had a chance to look at them yet. I heard your last venture
nearly cost you your life. Why don't you retire and let someone
else go haring off after outlaws?"

"Not you, too, sheriff," Meg vented. "You're
not going to side with those people who think I should stay home
and take up sewing, are you?"

"You've got plenty of guts, Meg, and lots of
savvy, but sometimes it takes more than guts and savvy to bring in
a dangerous outlaw. How does Purdee feel about your profession
after your recent brush with death?"

Meg flushed, recalling the argument she'd had
with Zach

on the same subject. He wasn't aware that her
trip to town today involved a stop at the sheriff's office. He'd
assumed she'd wanted to see Jess and had encouraged the visit.

"Zach isn't crazy about the idea of me riding
out again but he'll come around when he learns I have no intention
of giving up bounty hunting."

"It's your life, Meg," Bufford said as he
removed a stack of wanted posters from a drawer and slapped them
down on the desk. "See if there's something here you're interested
in. Take your time. I'm off to make arrangements to escort a
prisoner to Denver."

He rose, picked up his hat, and shoved it
down on his head. "Oh, by the way, I have something that might
interest you. Ever hear of a man named Duke Fremont?"

Meg shook her head.

"Fremont is a slick card shark and ladies man
who raped and brutally beat a young girl in Denver after she'd
spurned his attentions. The poor girl died, but not before she'd
identified her assailant.

"I just learned that Fremont is in the area.
He must be desperate for money for he broke into Jake Floyd's
house, robbed him of all the cash he had on hand and raped his
daughter."

"What's he doing in Cheyenne?" Meg asked.

"Looking for easy pickings, I reckon.
Cheyenne has earned itself quite a reputation."

"What makes you think he's still around?"

"He was spotted yesterday skulking around the
vacant Floyd place. I rode out there when I heard but found
nothing, though I did see indications that someone had been out
there. I'm going to form a posse and track him down as soon as I
deliver my prisoner. Fremont is probably still in the area."

"Give me a shot at him first, sheriff," Meg
pleaded. "Zach and I need the money. There is a reward out on him,
isn't there?"

"Got word from Denver yesterday. The dead
girl's parents are offering five hundred dollars for his capture,
dead or alive."

Meg's eyes narrowed as she calculated how
long five hundred dollars would last her and Zach.

"Perhaps I'll look through the posters,
anyway, before I decide to go after Fremont. There might be
something more attractive here."

"Suit yourself. You can let me know what you
decide when I return."

Meg sat down behind the desk and picked up
the posters, studying each one carefully. Most of the outlaws
weren't worth pursuing, either because the rewards weren't hefty
enough to warrant wasting her time or they were last seen in parts
too distant from Cheyenne to make pursuit practical.

She had reached the bottom of the pile when a
face she knew as well as her own literally flew off the page and
smacked her in the face. With shaking hands, she picked up the
poster bearing badly drawn images of three men. The headline
beneath the poster proclaimed the Gentry brothers, Rafe, Jess and
Sam, fugitives from the law. They had robbed a bank in Dodge City,
Kansas. Armed and dangerous, the poster warned. A reward of five
hundred dollars each was offered for their apprehension.

Though the image was not the best, Meg easily
recognized Jess, the man who had taught her that lovemaking needn't
be painful.

Jess.

An outlaw.

Hadn't she always known Jess harbored a
secret? Hadn't she always suspected something like this? But seeing
it in writing was more damning than anything she could have
imagined. Thank God the sheriff hadn't seen the poster. Jess, a
bank robber? It just didn't fit. Jess was a skilled doctor who went
out of his way to save lives. She took a furtive look around,
intending to stuff the poster into her pocket when the sheriff
returned, making it impossible to conceal the poster.

"Have you decided on anyone?" Bufford
asked.

"I...oh, I believe so."

"Can I have a look?" Bufford said, craning
his neck for a look at the poster Meg held in her hand.

"I...decided to go after Fremont," Meg said,
quickly shuffling the posters together so that the one picturing
the Gentry brothers ended up on the bottom. With any luck, Bufford
would forget about the posters.