The Outlaws: Jess (19 page)

Instead of packing up and moving on like he'd
intended, Jess spent the following days treating his patients as if
nothing were wrong. He made no effort to see Meg during that time,
though the oversight cost him dearly. Meg had made it perfectly
clear that she didn't want him as badly as he wanted her.

One day Miss Polly Gallagher, the grocer's
daughter, was carried into the office by her father. It seemed the
pretty Miss Polly had tripped over a barrel of pickles and sprained
her ankle. Her worried father hovered nearby while Jess bandaged
the pert miss's well-turned ankle.

"Thanks, Doc," Mr. Gallagher said as he paid
Jess for his services. "Do you mind if I leave Polly with you while
I hitch up the horse and buggy? Can't have her walking home on that
ankle."

"That's fine," Jess said absently as he
stowed away his gauze and bandages.

"You're very talented, Doctor," Polly
simpered after her father left the office. "Do you mind if I speak
my mind about something?"

"Say whatever is on your mind, Miss
Gallagher."

Polly cleared her throat and sent him a
coquettish smile. "The whole town is talking about you and that
Lincoln woman," she said slyly.

Jess's head shot up. "Oh, really? What are
they saying?"

"That you and that female bounty hunter have
become...close. Rumor has it that you saved her life."

"I suppose that's true enough," Jess
allowed.

"Meg Lincoln is a disgrace to womankind,"
Polly sniffed. "What she does for a living is unnatural and
disgraceful. She has no reputation to speak of. Why, everyone knows
she's mistress to that disreputable old cripple she's living
with."

Jess hung onto his temper with difficulty.
"Miss Lincoln is an extraordinary woman," he said with curt
dismissal. Polly Gallagher might be pretty but her spitefulness
detracted from her beauty. Unfortunately Jess knew she was only
repeating the town's opinion of Meg Lincoln.

Polly held out her leg to inspect her
bandaged ankle. "It's too tight," she whined.

Jess lifted her foot and examined the
bandage. His eyebrows arched upward when Polly raised her skirts
past her trim calf to expose a dimpled knee. He smiled grimly,
aware of the game Polly was playing. A game in which he wasn't
interested. He hadn't met a woman yet who could compare with
Meg.

"The bandage is fine, Miss Gallagher," Jess
said as he yanked her skirts down to her toes. "Rest your ankle for
a few days and you'll soon be fit as a fiddle."

Polly flashed him a brilliant smile. "You
have such gentle hands, Doctor Gentry. You must be lonely here all
by yourself. You need a wife to take care of you."

Her hint couldn't have been more blatant.

"I have no time for a wife," Jess said
curtly. "Ah, here comes your father."

Polly spared her father an impatient glance
as he walked through the door. "If you ever find yourself in need
of
respectable
female company," she stressed in a coy
whisper, "remember me."

"I'll try," Jess replied, wondering what Miss
Polly would say if she knew he was an outlaw. She'd probably run
screaming for her papa.

Zach was working in town at the hardware
store now and Jess ran into him occasionally. Though they spoke
briefly whenever they met, Jess didn't once ask about Meg. Taking
about her would only open wounds he wasn't prepared to deal
with.

Over the course of the next few days, Jess
had come to a decision. As much as he hated to leave Cheyenne and
abandon his patients, he knew the time had come to leave. After
much soul searching, Jess realized there was but one course open to
him. He had to return to Dodge and prove that the Gentry brothers
had been falsely charged with a crime they hadn't committed.

Jess had his saddlebags all packed and his
medical bag newly stocked and was about to lock the front door for
the last time when he saw Zach running down the street toward his
office, waving something in his hand. Jess's heart took a serious
tumble. His first thought was that something terrible had happened
to Meg.

Zach was winded and unable to speak when he
finally reached Jess. Jess helped him inside, easing him into a
chair.

"Breathe deeply, Zach. Do you need your
medicine?"

Zach shook his head. "I'll be...all
right...in a...minute, Doc. Here, read...this." He thrust the paper
clutched in his hand at Jess.

It was a telegram from a lawyer in
Philadelphia. Jess read it through and handed it back to Zach. "I'm
sorry about your wife, Zach. Do you intend to travel to
Philadelphia to settle your wife's estate? According to the
telegram, there's a considerable sum involved."

"I didn't know Tilly's parents died and left
her their fortune. According to Mr. Fernwood, I'm Tilly's next of
kin and the money is mine. All I have to do is go to Philadelphia
and claim the estate. Do you know what that means to me and Meg,
Doc? We won't have to worry about money again.

"I can't wait to tell Mary. There's nothing
to keep us from getting hitched now. The only problem is
Meggie."

"Surely you don't think Meg will object to
your marrying Mary, do you?"

"Nah, nothing like that. Meg will be glad for
me. It's just that I don't want to leave her alone while I'm gone.
We both know how folks in these parts feel about her. She has no
one but me, Doc, and you. But you know how stubborn she can
be."

"I do, indeed," Jess muttered. "What are you
worried about? Meg is capable of taking care of herself during your
absence. How long do you intend to be gone?"

"No more than two weeks. Big cities ain't for
me. Will you help me out, Doc?"

"I don't know, Zach. You couldn't have caught
me at a worse time. I've decided to return to Dodge City and try to
prove my innocence."

"Stay, Doc. Two weeks can't make that much
difference. And I'd feel a whole lot better if Meggie had someone
to rely upon during my absence."

Jess's eyes narrowed. "Why do you think Meg
needs protection? Perhaps I'd be more inclined to stay if I knew
the reason behind your request."

Jess watched as Zach seemed to mull over his
next words. "I don't know as I have the right to tell you."

"If you want me to stay and watch over Meg,
you do."

"I'll tell you this much," Zach allowed.
"There's a man Meg has reason to fear."

Jess's attention sharpened. "Is his name
Arlo?"

Zach gave him a startled look. "Did Meggie
tell you about Arlo?"

"Not really. She mentioned his name once, and
when I asked about him she turned stubborn and refused to talk
about him. But I know he's the man who hurt her."

"I reckon I ain't talking out of turn by
telling you Meggie has good reason to fear Arlo. We live everyday
worrying that he'll show up and make Meggie's life miserable.
Meggie is a strong woman, Doc, afeared of nothing but that bastard
Arlo. He's the only man who has the ability to hurt her. It
happened a long time ago, but Meggie is still vulnerable when it
comes to Arlo."

"Do you think this Arlo will show up here and
hurt Meg?"

Zach nodded gravely. "It's possible."

"What is Arlo to Meg?"

"I've said all I can without breaking my word
to Meggie. What do you say, Doc. Will you stick around until I
return? I've got an odd feeling about Arlo. Something tells me this
is a bad time to leave, and my premonitions are usually right."

"So are mine," Jess said, "and my gut tells
me it's time to leave Cheyenne. I'm living on borrowed luck. We
both know what's going to happen when the sheriff takes those
wanted poster out of his drawer."

"I know I'm asking a lot, Doc, but I know
Meggie's well being is important to you. You two can't fool me. You
care for Meggie and she cares for you."

"Perhaps, but circumstances aren't right yet
to do anything about it. That's why I'm going to Dodge. I need to
get this miscarriage of justice straightened out. Meg deserves a
life free from worries. I can't make that happen until I'm a free
man. And that might never happen."

"I understand, Doc, but that doesn't solve my
problem. Two more weeks is all I ask. I've already bought my train
ticket. I leave tomorrow."

How could he refuse? Jess wondered. If Arlo
was a threat to Meg, then he had no choice but to stay and see that
no harm came to her during Zach's absence. The sheriff hadn't
discovered the poster yet, perhaps he could pull this off.

"What does Meg say about this? Something
tells me she's not going to like it."

"She doesn't need to know. Just ride out a
couple of times to see how she's doing and keep an eye out for
strangers. I've never seen Arlo myself so can't give you an
accurate description. Meggie refuses to talk about him."

"Very well, Zach, I'll stick around another
couple of weeks. I don't get around much so it's not going to be
easy watching for strangers when I don't even know what Arlo looks
like."

"Slick, that's all I can tell you. He's a
smooth talker, from what I gather. And he has a mean streak a mile
wide."

"I'll do what I can, Zach."

Zach grabbed Jess's hand and pumped
vigorously. "You've just taken a load off my mind. I'm gotta go see
Mary and tell her to prepare for a wedding as soon as I return.
Thanks again, Doc."

"Take care of yourself, Zach," Jess said in
parting. "Your heart can only take so much. Remember my advice.
Take your medicine and rest when you feel yourself tiring."

What have I gotten myself into? Jess wondered
as he watched Zach limp off down the street. There was only one
thing he knew for sure. If Arlo got anywhere near Meg, if he harmed
one hair upon her head, he'd kill the bastard.

Several medical emergencies kept Jess busy
after Zach left town. Three days passed before Jess finally found
the time to check on Meg. Jess was preparing to lock the front door
for the day when a man barged into the waiting room.

The man was flamboyantly dressed in black
suit, striped red and black vest, and string tie. His fingers were
adorned with flashy rings and a gold watch fob was draped across
his trim stomach. Blood dripped from a rag clamped around his
wrist.

"Can you take a look at this, Doc?" the man
said, holding out his injured wrist.

"What happened?" Jess asked, ushering the man
into his examining room.

"I was running a poker game down at the
Whistle Stop Saloon when a cowboy attacked me."

Jess slanted him an censuring glance. "That
should teach you not to cheat."

The man, obviously a professional gambler,
turned eyes the color of cold cement on Jess. "I've killed men with
less provocation."

"Listen, Mr...."

"Skully."

"Listen, Mr. Skully, either you want your
wound treated or you don't. It's your choice."

Skully pulled away the bloody rag and shoved
his wrist under Jess's nose. "If you weren't the only doctor in
town worth his salt I wouldn't be here. I don't like your
attitude."

Jess examined the wound. It wasn't deep but
would require stitches. "What happened to the man who gave you
this?"

"He's not dead, if that's what you're
wondering. He might have been," Skully allowed, "if the sheriff
hadn't been in the saloon and hauled the cowboy off to jail to cool
his heels."

Jess merely grunted. It didn't take him long
to decide he liked neither the gambler nor his attitude. Looking
into his eyes was like looking into a crypt. Cold and empty,
utterly devoid of feeling.

"This is going to sting," Jess said as he
held Skully's wrist over a basin and poured disinfectant over
it.

"Holy shit!" Skully cried, jerking
spasmodically. "Are you deliberately trying to hurt me, Doc?"

"Your wound needed disinfecting," Jess
intoned. "I'd hate to guess where that cowboy's knife had been
before he cut you. This is going to need stitches," Jess
continued.

"Just get it over with," Skully said,
gritting his teeth.

Jess took his time threading the needle. He'd
never deliberately tried to hurt a patient but the gambler had
rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't know the man from Adam, but he
still didn't like him.

Nevertheless, Jess tried not to cause
excessive pain. The first stitch brought a howl from Skully. The
second went easier, as did each successive stitch. Finally Jess set
the needle aside and applied a bandage.

"You're a lucky man, Mr. Skully. The knife
could have severed a tendon and you'd never be able to deal from
the bottom again."

"Just finish the damn job so I can get out of
here," Skully growled."

"You're all done. Come back in a week and
I'll take out the stitches."

"How much do I owe you?"

"I usually charge a dollar or the equivalent
for an ordinary office visit; sewing up gamblers cost five
dollars."

Skully gave Jess a lethal look and fished a
five dollar bill from his pocket. He looked ready to explode as he
tossed the money at Jess's feet.

"You're pretty damn arrogant for a small town
doctor." Suddenly Skully's expression turned thoughtful. "Have we
met before?"

Jess went still. He was positive he'd
remember Skully if they'd met before. If he looked familiar to the
gambler that meant only one thing. Skully had seen the wanted
poster.

"We've never met."

Skully's cold eyes searched Jess's face. "I
could have sworn I've seen your face somewhere. I've an excellent
memory. One day it will come to me."

Jess sincerely hoped not. The gambler was a
man he didn't want for an enemy.

Skully left shortly after that, giving Jess
another thorough inspection before closing the door behind him.
Jess breathed a sigh of relief. This was a terrible time to be
recognized. The timing was all wrong. He'd promised Zach he'd keep
an eye on Meg during his absence and he wasn't sure he could keep
that promise now.