Dangerous (13 page)

“I don’t want you dead either, just yet. I’ve got to get paid for your bounty and the five hundred dollars cash you promised me. I’ll be a rich woman, while you swing from a noose.”

Beau shook his head and then crawled up on his horse. “Damn, woman, you are one stubborn miss. No matter what I do it’s the wrong thing.”

She looked over at him and smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. “Glad to know I’m getting under your skin. Now, you know how it feels.”

“If I didn’t think the Harris gang would find you and kill you, I’d leave you at the next farmhouse and go on my merry way.”

“Do it,” she dared him. “I’ll leave and go find my sisters. We’d have you arrested before sunrise.”

He couldn’t win. And yet, he enjoyed watching her try to outwit him. She was the only woman he’d ever met who could take what he gave her and give it back double. And it made him wonder how she’d respond when he made love to her.

Beau raised his eyes heavenward. “I know I’m a sinner, Lord, but please save me from this crazy woman.”

Shaking her head, she laughed and rode away. “You’re in so much trouble, Beau. You best be saying your prayers.”

Beneath his breath, he mumbled. “I am. Lord, help me get out of this mess.”

*

Two hours later, sitting on their horses hidden behind trees and bushes, they watched as the Harris gang rode down the trail. As the dust settled, Annabelle heaved a sigh of relief. “I feel better with them in front of us.”

She’d feel even more relief when her sisters caught up with her. She was glad to know they were actively searching for her.

Well, she’d left them another little clue in the grass. Hopefully, they’d found her secrets pointing them where she was headed, and they’d keep looking in the right direction.

“That just means they could be waiting for us around the next bend,” Beau said, his eyes watching the men’s backs disappear.

“Always have to spoil it for me, don’t you.” Now, she wouldn’t feel safe.

He grinned at her. “Well, it’s the truth. We’ve got to remain alert until we reach Fort Worth.”

“And how long will that take?” She wanted to find her sisters and go home as soon as possible. Beau Samuel was much too tempting a man. And he had a price on his head.

“At least four days. That’s if I can find the bank money quickly.”

“Another week with you.”

“Think about how much you’ll have to tell your sisters.”

Patting her horse on the neck, she glanced at him. Oh, he thought telling her sisters was funny, but Annabelle knew differently.

“You have no idea what my sisters are capable of doing to you when they find you. They’ll hurt you if they think you’ve acted improper with me.”

“What if you act improper with me? Who’s going to protect me?” he asked.

She shook her head at him, feeling her body tense with frustration. “Beau Samuel, it would be wise for you to tighten your smart mouth. Your mother must have had a time with you.”

He shrugged then turned his horse, heading deeper into the woods away from the trail. “I was probably her easiest son to raise. Her nicest one, as well, though she never appreciated me.”

Beau led them in a northwesterly direction away from the trail and the Harris gang. Hopefully, they would continue north, but there was no guarantee. She glanced around, looking for moving bushes or trees, wishing it was her sisters she would see, not the gunned wild bunch they’d just witnessed.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” she questioned.

“There were my two older brothers Frank and Jesse James, sisters Susan, Sarah, Fannie, and brother Archie Samuel.”

For a moment, Annabelle felt her heart skip a beat at the realization. Her lungs seized and she could hardly breath. “Are you telling me Jesse James is your brother?”

He laughed. “Yes, ma’am. He’s my older half-brother.”

“Oh, dear God,” she said. “Why did you tell me? I can see why you wouldn’t want the world to know you were Jesse James’ brother. Why are you telling me?”

“I don’t know. You’re easy to talk to.”

“Does the gang know?”

He glanced over at her and smiled. “It’s not something I share with everyone. No, they don’t know.”

She shook her head. “God, I’m certainly glad I chose you to follow out of the bank. Nothing like bringing down the wrath of the James clan when you hurt one of their own.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a laugh. “That’s why I’m grateful Beauregard John Thomas Samuel is my name. I added on the Beauregard to keep people from connecting me to the Samuel family and therefore Jesse James.”

She shook her head, not understanding his connection to the James gang. “If you didn’t want to be recognized as a James brother, then why did you become an outlaw?”

He shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing, yet just from his actions, she knew she’d hit a nerve.

“It would be hard to be a good man and live in the shadow of your brother,” she said. “In fact, I’m sure your sisters were considered renegades as well.”

The movement was subtle, but she saw the way his hands clenched on the reins. “It was the hardest on our mother. She loved all her kids and still does. But when people turned against Jesse, it broke her heart.”

“An outlaw family,” she said.

They were only words, but Beau’s stomach tightened, and his mouth turned down into a grimace. Yet, he couldn’t explain why to her. If you were a member of the James or the Samuel family, you were an outlaw. A wanted man, regardless. You were guilty before you committed any crimes.

“Let’s ride,” he said, clicking to his horse and urging him on. There was plenty of daylight left, and he wanted to put a lot of country behind them. He’d come to Texas after leaving the family farm in Missouri, needing to put as much distance between him and his brother’s reputation.

Only now, he longed to visit his mother, see his sisters, but would they accept him back into the fold after he’d left them?

W
ith every step her horse took, Annabelle felt like a knife stabbed her tailbone. Her muscles ached from the hours in the saddle. She’d had very little rest in the last twenty-four hours. If it weren't for the fact she was getting pierced in the butt every time her horse moved, she’d go to sleep. Beau wanted to make it before dark, but she feared the sun would set before they arrived. Their bodies were tired, and the horses were showing signs of fatigue.

“Did you hear that?” Beau asked.

“Hear what?” she said, forcing herself to become more alert. She needed to help watch for signs of the Harris gang, yet she could barely keep her eyes open. “No, I didn’t hear anything but the birds chirping.”

He pulled his horse to a stop.

Then she heard it—the sounds of crying. “That’s a baby.”

A frown marred his forehead. “Maybe it’s from a farm?”

“Why would a baby be outside?” she asked.

They came out of the bushes within twenty yards of a couple with two small children and a baby. The wheel of their wagon had come off, and the man was struggling to put it back on.

The couple gazed at them warily. Annabelle could see the fear in the woman’s face.

“Hello? Looks like you’ve had some trouble.” She tried to put the woman at ease.

Beau was already sliding off his saddle. He ground tethered his horse and went to help. The man was showing Beau where the pin had snapped on the wheel and how he was trying to fix it.

The outlaw was trying to help a stranger fix his family’s wagon.

Every time she thought she hated Beauregard Samuel, he did something nice, either for her or someone else to make her reconsider.

Annabelle swung her leg over and slid off her horse then walked over to the woman. “Hi, I’m Annabelle, and that’s my husband, Beau. We’re from Zenith.”

“Nice to meet you,” the woman said. “I’m Irene and that’s Jack, my husband.”

“How old are your children?”

“They’re four and two years old and the baby is six months,” she said. The baby began to cry again. “Sorry, he’s teething, and he’s been very fussy.”

“Are you from around here?” Annabelle asked.

“Yes, we live about five miles down the road. We were almost home,” the woman said, glancing over at the toddlers.

They seemed like a nice family, and Annabelle felt a moment of jealousy. This was what she wanted, a family of her own with children and a loving husband—someone to talk to, besides the chickens, when her sisters were gone.

There would come a day her sisters found husbands of their own and moved away from Annabelle and the farm. She could be living alone.

There was a moment of silence, and then the woman turned to Annabelle. “How about you and your husband?”

“No babies,” Annabelle responded, wanting to correct the lie she’d told this woman and tell her they weren’t married. But if the Harris gang stopped them, the couple might tell the outlaws Beau and Annabelle weren’t married.

“I’m so glad your husband is helping mine. I was worried he would get hurt trying to fix the wagon. It was so nice of you to stop and help us,” she said, gazing over at the men who were squatted down, talking about the best way to fix the wagon.

How would the woman feel if she knew the man helping her husband was Jesse James’ brother? Would she still feel grateful? Doubtful.

And though Annabelle knew Beau was an outlaw, how many men would stop and help a couple in need? Wouldn’t most rob the family since they were in a dire situation? She watched as Beau lifted the wagon while the man slid the wheel back on. Then they worked together to tighten the wheel.

“Excuse me,” the woman said to Annabelle. “Would you mind holding the baby, while I excuse myself for a moment? I never seem to get time to go to the bushes alone.”

Annabelle chuckled. “Of course.”

She held out her arms for the baby, and the woman placed him into Annabelle’s arms. For a moment, she felt awkward. Years had passed since Ruby was a small child. In fact, her mother had still been alive when Ruby was a toddler. The memory of her mother and her sisters made her release a sigh. God, she missed all of them—her mother and now her sisters. Surely, they would realize they’d lost her trail and come back, but what if they ran into the Harris gang?

It was a constant worry.

The baby gazed up at her with a frown on its face.

“Hello. I should have asked your mother your name.”

The child reached out and grabbed a piece of her hair.

“No. No, I still need that hair. Soon you’ll have your own.” She rocked the baby in her arms, swaying from side to side. For a brief moment, she imagined he was her baby, and the only person she could think of who could possibly be his father was Beau. But that was crazy.

Someday. Someday, she would have a husband and children. Someday. Her heart squeezed painfully and she sighed, longing pumping through her veins. And Beau…

Beau would hang for the crimes he’d committed. There was no future with an outlaw.

She thought of Beau’s mother. Three of her sons were outlaws, men hunted by the law, who would probably die an early death. She gazed down at the child, and her heart ached for Beau’s mother. Regardless of what her children had done, she still loved them. She didn’t want them to die.

A moment later, the mother came back. “Oh, thank you. I needed that break. You’ll learn that with toddlers and babies you never get a break.”

“I’m sure that’s true.” Annabelle handed the baby back to his mother. “He was very good. What’s his name?”

“George,” she said.

“He’s a cute little fella.” Annabelle wished she and Beau could get going again. She didn’t like lying to people, and she felt like everything she said to this woman was a lie.

The men stood up and shook hands. Annabelle could see the wheel was restored.

“Thanks for helping us,” the man said to Beau.

She felt a rush of pride. The family had obviously needed assistance, and Beau had stopped and offered his help. How many outlaws would have done such a thing? But Jesse James’ brother had lifted the wagon, giving the family support. People would assume he was a killer, just like his brother. Personally, she would never have believed this tale if she hadn’t seen with her own eyes how he’d lent a hand to a stranded family.

“Looks like your buckboard is fixed,” Annabelle said to the woman.

“Your husband was so kind to stop. I don’t think Jack could have lifted that wagon without him,” she said, trying to herd her children to the repaired vehicle.

What Beau had said about people suddenly made perfect sense. Would anyone believe Jesse James’ brother helped a stranded family? She was Ruby McKenzie’s sister, the girl expelled from school for charging boys to kiss her. Did that mean Annabelle would let a boy pay her for kisses? Absolutely not.

Yet, wouldn’t most people compare Beau to Jesse and not give him a chance?

An ache began in her midsection. No wonder he’d turned to a life of crime. Not many people would give him a chance, but rather assume the worst about him.

“No problem. You might want to try to make it home tonight. There’s a dangerous gang running in these parts,” Beau warned them.

After loading the wagon, Jack helped his wife into the vehicle and then handed up their children to her. He turned and shook Beau’s hand. “Thanks again. I appreciate it. I hope you reach Fort Worth safely.”

“Thanks,” Beau said.

The woman waved to Annabelle, and they drove off leaving her and Beau behind.

“Do you think we should follow them, just to make certain they reach their home okay?” Annabelle asked as their wagon bounced along the trail.

She didn’t want to delay her and Beau reaching the Red River, but she also worried the Harris gang would find the family and hurt them.

“No, they’re headed in the opposite direction. I think they’ll be okay. They’ve got almost two hours left of daylight,” Beau said, gazing over at Annabelle. “Let’s get going.”

“Yeah, we lost some time there.”

“Some things can’t be helped,” Beau said and climbed on his horse.

“You surprise me. I’m glad we stopped and helped them.”

He grinned at her. “Yeah, all outlaws have black hearts and eat small children. You wouldn’t think they would stop and help someone.”