Lady Outlaw (20 page)

“I knew you couldn’t rest for more than a day.”

“I’m only coming down for breakfast,” she said, tilting her chin with all the haughtiness she could muster.

“How’s the arm?”

“Much better.” She carefully rotated her shoulder as proof. “I can work today, honest.”

“You’re easier to boss when you’re injured.”

Jennie rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand another day of confinement to the house or the porch. Besides, who is working for who on this ranch?”

He ignored her. “I’ll strike a deal with you. You go back to bed after breakfast and then you can come into town with me this afternoon.”

“You’re no fun,” she said with a pout.

Chuckling, Caleb leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Though not as exciting as kissing him on the mouth, his touch still released flurries in her stomach. “May I escort you downstairs?”

“Yes.” She linked her arm through his and they moved down the stairs.

He’s so good to me.
Her cheeks warmed as Caleb glanced at her, his blue eyes bright with tenderness.
I want to be the same to him.

From the back of her mind, a thought marched forward:
Then give up taking money from stage bandits.
Jennie frowned.

“Something wrong?”

She shook her head, forcing a smile. “Perhaps I’m a little more tired than I thought.”

After breakfast, Jennie returned upstairs. She lay down on her bed and shut her eyes, but she couldn’t sleep. There were too many things to think about. She still needed one, maybe two more jobs from Nathan to eliminate her debt to the bank. And she only had two weeks to do it.

With a sigh, she sat up and stared at the walls. Fretting about the money wouldn’t accomplish anything. What would she do until lunch? She reached out to finger her brown and cream dress, rubbing the fine material over her fingertips. What a lovely wedding dress it would make. Her cheeks warmed at the thought—Caleb had only confessed his feelings for her, not proposed—but she would’ve accepted him without hesitation if he had asked for her hand in marriage the other night. She imagined herself in the gown, her hair done up fancy, standing next to Caleb who would look so dashing in a suit.

It was just an idle fantasy for now. She needed to finish with the mortgage, and leave her shameful actions in the past. Only then would she truly be ready to be the wife that Caleb deserved. But surely that day would come soon—the day when she’d be clear of the debt and could leave the whole messy business behind her. She could hardly wait. Once that day came, if Caleb didn’t propose soon, she might just ask him herself!

The dream of her own wedding made her think of her parents. Had they truly been in love when they had married? Did her mother regret the promises she’d broken by leaving? A fierce longing to speak with her mother about love and marriage brought the sting of tears to Jennie’s eyes.

A knock sounded at the door, jerking Jennie back to the present.

“Just a minute,” she croaked over the lump in her throat. She straightened her blouse and opened the door. Her grandmother stood there, frowning.

“You have a visitor.”

“Who?” Jennie peered past her toward the stairs.

“A Mr. Blaine. He’s in the parlor.”

Nathan?
That could only mean one thing; he’d found a job. Jennie rushed out the door and started down the stairs, but her grandmother called after her.

“I’ve never said a word about that man coming around or the fact that you’ve never introduced him.” Grandma Jones gave her a stern look that made Jennie squirm. “Whatever your past relationship, I think he needs to know where your feelings now lie.”

Jennie’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She wasn’t trying to string Nathan along. After today, she hoped she wouldn’t have to worry about him coming around anymore. “I’ll tell him,” she answered quietly.

Before her grandmother could chastise her further, Jennie hurried downstairs to the parlor. She pushed through the partially opened door, hoping Nathan hadn’t overheard her grandmother’s warning. He stood, hat in hand, appearing out of place even in the humble parlor.

“Did you find me a job?” she blurted out.

“Good morning to you, too.”

“Have you found something?” She sat down in a nearby chair.

Nathan tossed his hat onto the sofa and took a seat for himself. “You are one lucky lady, Jennie Jones.” He grinned. “Some fellow talked to me in the saloon yesterday, tipped me off to a big job tomorrow. Four men will be robbing the stage heading east from Nevada to Beaver.”

“How much?”

Nathan leaned forward, his dark eyes sparkling. “How’s five thousand dollars sound to you?”

Jennie’s mouth dropped open. She’d never taken so much money before. Even after giving Nathan his half, she’d still have more than enough left over to pay off her loan and buy herself more cattle. The idea of being so close to freedom made her light-headed. “You’re certain that’s the amount?”

“I asked the man three times. Some mining company is transferring funds to a bank up north.” He leaned back, stretching his arm along the top of the sofa. “It’s gonna be a bit dicey for those robbers, though. The mining company’s sending the cash with an armed guard and a seasoned stage driver. That means those four men aren’t likely to be partial to you waltzing in and taking that cash away from ’em.”

“I’ll do just fine.”

“
We’ll
do just fine.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“If these gentlemen suspect you’re coming, like those other ones did, you might do better with some help.”

She could see his point, and his assistance would come in handy with her injured arm. She didn’t need to get herself shot again. “All right.”

“Now here’s my idea of how we’re goin’ pull this off....”

* * *

Half an hour later, she and Nathan had devised a detailed plan to steal back the bank money.
A rather good plan,
Jennie thought, crossing her arms loosely. Only one thing troubled her, nibbling at the edges of her excitement—having to lie to Caleb and her family, again.

“I’m off, love.” Nathan put on his hat and stood. “I’ll meet you west of Beaver tomorrow.”

He crossed to her chair and held out his hand to help her up. She ignored him and stood on her own, but Nathan stepped closer. Jennie wanted to move back, but the chair stood directly behind her.

“My offers still stands, Jennie,” he said, his voice low. “We could finish this job and slip away. Leave enough money for your granny and brother to get on just fine, then we’d set our sights for bigger and better things.”

Jennie bit her lip, afraid how to respond. If she told him how she felt about Caleb, would he refuse to help her? Or worse, would he work against her? She couldn’t very well carry out their plan alone, but she had to be forthright. She loved Caleb, and once this job was through, she hoped to bury any connection to this part of her life, including her association with Nathan Blaine.

“I’m indebted to you, Nathan, for all you’ve done.” She forced herself to look him straight in the eye. “But as I’ve said before, I can’t accept your offer, for many reasons.”

“Would it have something to do with that hired hand of yours?”

She blushed. “Yes.”

“That explains the ugly scowl he gave me when I rode up.” He took a step backward, giving her room to breathe again. “Choosing the settled life, huh?”

“We haven’t talked about all that.” She studied her hands.

“Well, since I probably won’t be around to give you my congratulations then...” He grabbed her good arm, yanked her close and roughly kissed her mouth. Jennie shoved hard against his chest, pushing him away. What would Caleb think if he saw them?

Chuckling, Nathan let her go. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

“Get out of here, you scoundrel.” Jennie darted a quick glance at the open door.

“No one saw, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He walked out of the room before turning back. “But you should tell him about it yourself. It’ll remind that fellow of yours what a lucky man he is.”

Jennie’s anger softened a little at the compliment. “Good day, Nathan.”

“Goodbye, Jennie.” Tipping his hat, he headed out the front door, whistling to himself.

Jennie followed, pausing on the porch. She watched Nathan stride arrogantly down the front steps to his waiting horse and shook her head. Even if Nathan’s kiss was meant to inspire grateful jealousy in Caleb, Jennie still didn’t plan to tell him. She had enough explaining to do about Nathan’s visit in general, and then, more lies regarding her plans for tomorrow. Things were looking up, though. Surely her luck would hold out one more time—it had to.

Chapter Fifteen

C
aleb finished hitching the horses to the wagon and headed to the house to collect Jennie. He paused in the kitchen doorway to observe her unnoticed. She sat at the table, a bit of pencil motionless in one hand, her chin resting on the other. She was supposed to be making a list of the things they needed to pick up in town, but she appeared deep in thought instead. She’d been that way since that stranger came by earlier.

Caleb’s jaw tightened at the memory of the man strutting onto the porch as if he had a right to be there. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his jealous irritation. Jennie’s description of their visit had sounded harmless enough.

“We met for the last time,” she’d told Caleb, “about our plan to pull the ranch out of debt.”

He hoped she succeeded in keeping the ranch going, though secretly he was relieved to hear that man wouldn’t be coming around anymore.

Jennie lifted her head and a smile broke across her face. “You ready?”

He nodded.

“I’m just about finished with my list.”

“Go ahead. I can just stand here and stare.” He leaned his shoulder against the door frame, taking in the sight of her. He grinned when she rolled her eyes.

“How am I supposed to concentrate with you doing that?” She ducked her head and scrawled something onto her scrap of paper.

“Maybe you’re not supposed to.”

Her cheeks flamed red, and he chuckled.

“I’m finished,” she said a minute later, pushing back her chair. She started past him, but Caleb caught her elbow and pulled her close.

“Did I tell you good morning today?”

“Hmm.” She scrunched her face in mock contemplation. “Yes, I believe you told me good morning.”

“Have I told you today how pretty you are?”

“In not so many words.”

“You’re beautiful, Jennie.”

She lowered her chin, but not before Caleb saw the love and adoration she hadn’t yet voiced shining in her eyes.

“Have I told you how happy this tenderfooted cowhand is to be with you?”

She laughed softly and stepped closer to him. “I don’t see any tenderfoot here.”

He bent down to kiss her, but Grandma Jones stepped into the hallway. Caleb’s face and neck went warm.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, smiling openly at them, “but I wanted to remind you to get me some dark blue thread, Jennie.”

Her cheeks pink as well, Jennie nodded. “We’re leaving now.”

Caleb followed Jennie outside. He helped her onto the wagon seat and climbed up beside her. Lifting the reins, he gently slapped the backs of the team and guided the wagon toward Beaver.

The sky shone bright blue above them, not a cloud to be seen. The day hadn’t been too hot either, and a pleasant breeze blew across Caleb’s face. He liked working down here, but starting his business in the north, close to the railroad, made the most sense. Maybe he could convince Jennie and her family to come with him in a few months.

“You ever thought of selling the ranch? Starting over up north?”

“Sell the ranch?” Her eyes went dark with anger. “You think I ought to sell the ranch?”

“It’s an idea...”

She angled away from him, her shoulders hunched as if to ward off a blow. “I don’t want to sell the ranch, even if things are bad. This is all Will and I have from our parents. I haven’t worked so hard for so long to hand it over to someone else.”

Caleb reached for her hand. She flinched at his touch, but she didn’t pull away. “Jennie?” He waited until she shot him a glance before he went on. “I thought it might help things if you sold the place to the bank. Then you’d be free from your debt, free to do what you want. That’s all.”

“The ranch is what I want.”

Her chin lifted stubbornly, and Caleb decided to drop the subject. He’d pushed his suggestion far enough. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze to let her know he hadn’t meant to upset her. Though she kept her face pointed forward, she squeezed his hand back. He understood the silent acceptance of his apology.

Once they reached town, Caleb tied the horses to the post in front of the general store and helped Jennie down. Inside, he relinquished the lead to her, following her around the full barrels and shelves while she placed needed objects into his outstretched arms.