The Outlaws: Jess (6 page)

"Very well, I'll stick around for the time
being," Jess agreed somewhat reluctantly. "Meg is an exceptionally
strong woman. I don't know how much longer she'll follow my advice,
but you have to promise me something first."

"What's that?"

"You have to keep Meg home after she
recovers. Don't let her continue to endanger her life. She's a
woman, for godsake!"

Zach bristled angrily. "Meg is more than a
woman. She's a damn good bounty hunter, one who's made a name for
herself in these parts. But I reckon you're right," he said more
reasonably. "I worry about her constantly when she's out. I tried
to earn money to support us but no one would hire me. And decent
jobs are scarce for women like Meggie. She preferred bounty hunting
to the jobs she'd been offered in town."

"You'll just have to try harder to support
Meg," Jess scolded. "For starters, you should marry her."

"Marry Meggie?" Zach said, as if the idea was
abhorrent to him. "I wouldn't...I couldn't..."

"I could think of a lot of reasons why you
should," Jess said, turning away in disgust. If Zach didn't want to
make an honorable woman of Meg it was none of his concern.

"Truth is," Zach confided gruffly, "I have a
wife back East. We never suited one another and she refused to
accompany out West. Since neither of us had any desire to marry
anyone else, we never bothered to divorce. Had a daughter once,
too."

"Does Meg know about your wife?"

"Meg knows everything there is to know about
me."

"If Meg is satisfied with this arrangement,
then who am I to interfere? Where can I bed down? I noticed a barn
outside. I've slept in worse places during the war."

"I never fought in the war," Zach reminisced.
"I was too busy hunting down fugitives from the law. It was a hard
life, but I earned enough money to buy land and build a decent
house."

He paused, suddenly lost in memories. Then he
cleared his throat and said, "No need to sleep in the barn. There's
a room in the attic. Nothing fancy, just a cot and washstand. You
should be comfortable enough."

Jess nodded. "Sounds fine. I'll bring in my
saddlebags."

"Good. You do that while I bring Meggie her
dinner. You'll find the stairs to the attic right through that
door," he said, indicating a door located at the rear of the
kitchen.

Jess found his horse in the barn where Zach
had taken him earlier. Jess fed the tired animal a measure of oats,
rubbed him down, and returned to the house with his saddlebags. He
dropped them beside the attic door and strode down the hallway
toward Meg's bedroom. The door was open and he paused in the
doorway, frowning when he saw Zach carefully spooning food into
Meg's mouth.

Meg looked up and saw him.

"I should check Meg's bandage one last time
for blood," Jess said as he approached the bed.

"Soon as she's done eating, Doc."

Meg pushed the plate aside. "I've had
enough."

"No, you ain't, honey. You gotta get your
strength back, don't she, Doc?"

"Zach is right, Meg," Jess concurred. "How do
you feel?"

"I slept most of the afternoon but I'm still
tired. And I hurt. But I suppose that's normal. I'll be on my feet
in a day or two."

"Like hell," Jess argued. "I should have
listened to my better judgement and insisted that you stay put for
another day or two before attempting the journey home. The ride
wore you out. Maybe even set you back some. You're not getting out
of that bed until I say so."

Meg's chin tilted stubbornly. "After you're
gone I can do as I damn well please."

"I forgot to tell you, Meggie-girl," Zach
explained. "I asked Jess to stay on a few days, until you're
feeling better. Since he ain't headed anywhere in particular, he
agreed. You're to do as he says, hear? I ain't taking no more
chances with your life."

"What does that mean?" Meg challenged.

"It means your bounty hunting days are over,"
He said sternly. "I don't want to lose you, honey."

"You won't lose me, Zach," Meg said, touching
his face.

Jess didn't know how much longer he could
watch the tender display between Meg and her lover. For some
unexplained reason he wanted it to be his face Meg was
caressing.

"If you've finished eating, I'll check your
bandage before I turn in," Jess said, interrupting the poignant
moment.

"I'll take the dishes to the kitchen and
clean up," Zach said, relinquishing his place to Jess. "I'll come
back when the doc's finished.

"There won't be any need for you to return,"
Jess said. "I'm going to give Meg laudanum for the pain. She should
sleep the night through."

Zach sent Jess an unwavering look.
"Nevertheless, I'm gonna be right here beside her all night."

Did Zach intend to lie in the bed with her?
Jess wondered, picturing Zach in bed with Meg and not liking it one
damn bit.

"Try not to jostle her," Jess said sourly.
"She's still in considerable pain."

"I ain't gonna hurt her," Zach defended. "You
don't have to warn me. Just see that you practice what you preach."
With a last look at Meg, he picked up the dirty dish and shuffled
out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Meg searched Jess's face. She couldn't
imagine why he hadn't already left for parts unknown. "Why did you
agree to stay?"

Jess shrugged. "You're my patient. I want to
make sure you're completely healed before I leave. Besides, like
Zach said, I've no place in particular to go."

He lowered the blanket and opened her shirt
so he could inspect the bandage he'd changed earlier. "Looks good
so far." He pulled the blanket down further. "You're still dressed.
Do you have a nightgown? You'd be much more comfortable without
those tight trousers."

"There's a nightgown in the chest at the foot
of the bed. Bring it to me and I'll put it on."

Jess found the nightgown and shook it out.
"I'll help you. You can't possibly manage on your own."

Meg groaned inwardly. Though Jess had seen
every inch of her, she was suddenly uncomfortable with the thought
of him looking at her. At first she'd been too ill to care, but now
those incredible hazel eyes touching her flesh made her feel...not
exactly uncomfortable but...tingly all over.

"Just give me the gown, I'll do it myself,"
Meg bit out.

Jess searched her face. "Oh, I understand.
You'd rather have Zach help you."

Meg grit her teeth. What an impossible man!
Whatever gave him the idea that Zach was her lover instead of the
father she had adopted as her own? Her own father had given her
away, without a thought to her welfare.

"No," she said, slowly and precisely, "I'd
rather do it myself."

Jess handed her the nightgown and stood
aside, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Very well. You're
welcome to try."

Meg grabbed the gown with her left hand.
"Turn your back."

Jess complied with incredible good humor.

Meg's movements were clumsy as she tugged at
her shirt with her left hand. She managed to shrug out of it
without help, but when she attempted to pull her camisole over her
head, pain stole her breath away and she whimpered.

"Are you ready to accept my help now?" Jess
asked.

Meg glanced up. He had turned around and was
watching her, compassion etched in every line of his face.

"I can't stand to see someone suffer."

Meg nodded, overwhelmed by waves of stabbing
pain coursing down her right side.

"I'll try not to hurt you." Carefully he
raised her into a sitting position and worked her camisole strap
down her left arm. He did the same with the right strap, lowering
the garment until it was bunched around her waist. Immediately
Meg's hands flew up to cover her breasts.

Jess slanted her an amused glance. "They're
beautiful, you know."

"You're not supposed to notice."

"I'm a doctor, not a dead man. Lift your
hips," he ordered hoarsely as he unfastened the waistband of her
trousers.

Meg raised her hips and Jess slid her
trousers down her hips, over her legs, and off, tossing them into a
chair. His expression was unreadable as he removed her bloomers and
camisole.

Did Jess pause a moment longer than
necessary, stare at her with more heat than a doctor should
display? Meg wondered, feeling her cheeks flame.

"Now for the nightgown," Jess said. "I'll
ease it over your head first, then you can work your left arm into
the sleeve. If it hurts too much to move your right arm, we can
leave it."

Meg had never known such gentleness from any
man save Zach. She felt no pain, at least not from her injury, as
Jess slipped her nightgown over her head and helped her ease her
left arm inside the sleeve.

"Shall we try the right arm or leave it as it
is?" Jess asked.

"I'd feel more comfortable with both arms
inside the sleeves. The nightgown buttons down the front, almost to
the waist, so you'll be able to treat my wound without removing my
nightgown."

"All right. Ready?"

Meg sucked in a steadying breath and held it
as Jess carefully eased her right arm into the sleeve. By the time
he finished, tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, God, Meg, I'm sorry," Jess said, wiping
away her tears with the callused pads of his thumbs.

"It's all right, Jess. I'll survive." She
gave him a watery smile. "This will teach me to be more careful
next time."

Jess went still, his expression fierce.
"There won't be a next time."

Meg returned his scowl. "Who's going to stop
me? Bounty hunting is my profession."

"Zach might have something to say about that.
He loves you. I think you love him, too."

"Of course I love Zach," Meg exclaimed,
indignant. "But that has nothing to do with anything. I'm my own
woman. I've learned to make my own decisions. Life is never easy,
Jess, as you probably know. It's even harder for a woman."

"Not if a woman has a husband. Or in your
case, a protector."

"You're so damn sure of yourself, aren't
you?"

Jess heaved a weary sigh. "Meg, I didn't save
your life so you can go out and take risks again. I had a talk with
Zach. He agrees with me."

"You've had a busy day," Meg said sourly.

"You're right. I'm exhausted. I'm going to
give you some laudanum to help you sleep. Zach will be here soon."
He gave her a hard look. "And Meg, don't attempt any strenuous
exercise until I say it's all right. I'm sure you know what I
mean."
"Strenuous..." His meaning finally became clear to her and she sent
him a contemptuous look. "Don't worry,
doctor
, I'll try to
control myself." She turned away.

Jess captured her face between his hands, forcing her
to look into his eyes. "Meg, I how it is between you and Zach, I'm
not blind. As a doctor, I care what happens to you."

"Of course," Meg answered dryly. "As a
doctor."

Meg was startled when those golden flecks in
his eyes turned brittle with emotion. "If I wasn't a doctor, if I
were just a man you had encountered by chance, I'd do this."

Meg watched in utter fascination as Jess's
lips hovered scant inches above hers. His cheeks bore a day's
growth of beard and lines of exhaustion rimmed his eyes, but his
lips...ah, his lips looked so soft and inviting that she felt
herself being drawn irresistibly into his kiss. He let out a long,
slow breath moments before his mouth closed over hers. A tiny moan
slipped past her throat. The sound seemed to spur him on and he
deepened the kiss. His tongue was in her mouth, and his hand...his
hand was on her left breast, surprisingly gentle, shockingly
arousing.

His fingers found her nipple through the
material of her nightgown. Meg felt heat spiral downward from where
he touched her to her belly, and lower, oh God, yes, much lower.
His hand followed the flaming path to the place between her legs
that suddenly felt wet and swollen. She thought Jess must be
feeling the same things she was for he groaned her name into her
mouth. Then abruptly he broke off the kiss and stared at her with
an utterly bewildered look on her face.

"That's what I would do if I weren't a
doctor," Jess whispered hoarsely. "Knowing that you and Zach are
lovers wouldn't stop me, either. You're quite a woman, Meg Lincoln.
You deserve better than Zach, but that's my opinion. Think about
that kiss and how it would feel to be loved by a young, vigorous
man."

He poured a measure of laudanum into a glass
and handed it to her. "Good night, Meg."

Unconsciously Meg drained the glass before
she realized what she had done. Jess watched her drink, then strode
from the room. Meg watched him leave, wondering why he had kissed
her with such passion. Jess Gentry presented a challenge she didn't
need.

Conceited ass, Meg thought, disgruntled. What
made Jess think she would regard him at all? She knew about men.
They were all the same. They took and took and then they used. She
should know. She'd fallen victim to that kind of man once. Not that
she would place Jess in the same category as Arlo. There was no
comparison between the two. And that's where the danger lay. It
would be easy to trust Jess; so easy to...care for him. But she was
afraid. Once bitten twice shy. Besides, men with secret pasts were
better left alone.

Zach arrived a few minutes later. "Is Jess
gone?"

Meg sent him a irritable look. "Do you see
him anywhere?"

Zach pulled the chair close to the bed and
sat down. "What's wrong, honey? You like the doc, don't you?"

"He saved my life. I'll always be grateful to
him, but that doesn't mean he can dictate my life."

"It's for your own good, Meggie-girl. This
latest incident made me realize how vulnerable you are. You could
have died. Even if I wanted to go with you I...I'm not up to
it."