Lady Outlaw (28 page)

The horse loped through the brush, snapping branches, while the others followed. A shout came from inside the cabin. “Someone’s out there, boss. I really heard somethin’ this time.”

Whirling around, Jennie sprinted south toward her own horse. If she could reach Dandy before the men reached her, she’d be fine. She kept her eyes on the ground as she ran, but she could plainly hear the commotion behind her as the men exited the cabin.

“The horses. They’re gone,” someone shouted.

King swore loudly. “It’s Jennie Jones’s doing, I know it.”

“Look there, boss,” another cowhand yelled. “There she is. Running toward those trees.”

Jennie pushed her legs faster, her lungs burning.
Just a little farther.
She ran down a slight incline, but instead of finding her feet back on flat ground, her boot caught on the hem of her dress. She crashed to the ground, her pistol slipping from her grasp. For one horrible moment, she couldn’t breathe. Gulping air, she scrambled to her knees and frantically searched the dirt for her gun. Two sets of ironlike hands stopped her.

“You’re comin’ with us,” a cowhand said, his tobacco-stained teeth showing through his cocky smile. The other, one of the two she recognized, picked up her pistol from off the ground and nodded.

“No.” Jennie fought their hold, kicking at their legs with her boots and pulling back as hard as she could against their hands. But she wasn’t much of a match for men used to wrestling thousand-pound cattle.

As they half dragged, half carried her toward the cabin, she glanced up to see King standing out front, grinning.
At least he won’t have his money,
she told herself as she stared at the Colt revolver in his hand.

Tears of regret stung her eyes, and she willed herself to hold them back. She wouldn’t give these men the satisfaction of seeing her cry. If only she’d left after taking back the money or waited for Caleb in the first place, she wouldn’t be facing the possibility of her own death. Why did she insist on doing everything on her own? Even she—strong and independent as she liked to think of herself—needed help now and then.

“Surprised to see us, Miss Jones?” King asked as she and her captors came closer to the cabin. “We’ve been waitin’ for you.” Even at a distance, she saw the cold triumph blazing in his dark eyes.

She craned her neck to see past the man holding her left arm, hoping Caleb or the sheriff would ride up at that moment. The sagebrush plain stood empty, but there was still One she could petition for help. Not caring what King thought, she dropped her chin to her chest and silently prayed.

God, I’m trying to make things right
.
But I need Thy help. Please give me strength and let me live to see Caleb and my family again....

* * *

Jennie fought back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her as the men dragged her toward the cabin door where King waited.

“Do come in.” He grabbed her roughly from his cowhands and shoved her inside. The others filed in behind them. “I knew you couldn’t resist the lure of five thousand dollars to save your little ranch.”

King pushed her down onto the floor in a corner of the room. Jennie hit the hard-packed dirt with a muffled groan. She watched helpless as the cowboy with her pistol stuck it in his holster.

“I’ve heard all about your robberies,” King bragged, “so I planned this little get-together myself. Had my man Gunner drop hints about today’s robbery to your partner, Nathan. Then we rode out here first thing this morning and robbed that stage.” He waved his revolver in the direction of the cash box before pointing it at her.

Jennie wanted to smile, pleased she’d stolen the five thousand dollars right out from under his nose, but she could hardly swallow, and her head had begun to pound with fear.

She kept a steady eye on his gun as he went on talking. “As soon as I can get to Fillmore, I’ll claim your ranch and join it with mine. I reckon you won’t object—seeing how you ain’t got a cent for that bank president.”

Jennie feigned surprise at the mention of Mr. Dixon, deciding to play along. She even managed a soft gasp from her dry throat.

King grinned, pushing his face so close to hers that Jennie could smell the bacon he’d eaten for breakfast.

“That’s right, missy. Mr. Dixon and I are good friends. We worked out a nice little arrangement for speeding things up for me to get what I want.” He drew back and ran a finger over the barrel of his revolver. “’Course, in the end, he still moved too slowly for me.”

“Did you kill him, too?” she asked, not bothering to hide the bitterness from her voice.

With a laugh, King cocked his gun. “No, Miss Jones. He ain’t standing in my way of having the largest cattle operation in the territory. You are.” He pressed the cold metal against her throbbing temple. “You understand, don’t you? I can’t have you tryin’ to win the place back again.”

“Boss...” one of the cowhands interjected.

“What is it, Smith?” King shot a glance at his men while keeping the gun against Jennie’s head.

The man didn’t respond right away, and in the long pause, Jennie managed a quick sideways glance in his direction. With a pained expression on his face, the cowboy stared at the dirt floor. Jennie noticed the other two were also looking everywhere but at her and King.

“Well, boss,” Smith answered, “I—I know you said you might have to shoot her, but can’t we just rough her up a bit instead?” Murmurs of agreement sounded from the other cowboys, apparently giving Smith the courage to continue. “I don’t mind wounding stage drivers,” he said, his voice stronger, “but killin’ women?”

Jennie hardly dared believe his words. Hope beat sharply in her chest. Could she somehow turn these men against King and escape? They could easily gain the upper hand in number and weapons.

Turning slowly, King brandished his gun at his men. “You wanna repeat your pretty little speech, Smith?” The venom in his tone made even Jennie shiver, blotting out all hope.

Smith lowered his head. They were clearly too afraid to go against their boss.

“Good,” King snarled. “’Cause if any of you liver-bellied boys think you can bail out now, you’re wrong. If you try, I’ll keep the small fortunes I promised ya, and you’ll be lucky if I don’t plant a bullet in your backsides, too. Is that understood?” All three men nodded.

“All right, then.” King turned to Jennie. “Now we can get on—”

The cabin door flung open, banging against the opposite wall and sending a tremor through the old building. King whirled around, his eyes wide with surprise. His men scrambled to draw their guns. A man with a dirty bandanna over his mouth and nose appeared in the doorway, a shotgun in his hand.

Jennie recognized his dusty clothes and blue eyes at once.
Caleb.
Relief flooded through her, calming the frantic beating of her heart. Two young women Jennie didn’t know, one blonde and one dark-haired, cowered behind him, their hands tied. Who were they and what was Caleb doing with them?

She leveled a gaze on his partially covered face, trying to communicate that she recognized him. But he ignored her. Something in his rigid stance told her to keep quiet, let things play out without her interference.

“Who in tarnation are you?” King demanded, aiming his revolver at Caleb’s head. Jennie swallowed hard. She hoped Caleb’s plan—whatever it might be—would work.

Caleb lowered his shotgun, but only a little. “I’d ask you the same question. This here’s my hideout and I don’t take kindly to strangers using it for their hostages.” The girls’ crying rose in volume. “Silence,” he barked at them before turning back to King. “Seeing how you’ve got me outnumbered, though, I’d be willing to share it with you gentlemen.”

“We’re conductin’ a little business meeting.” King trained his gun on Jennie again. “So if you don’t mind steppin’ outside, I’d like to finish up.”

Caleb lifted a hand in surrender. “Fine by me.” Pushing the girls ahead of him, he headed out of the cabin. Jennie watched numbly as the door swung shut. She rushed to her feet, but King pushed her back to her knees.

“Sit down, Miss Jones.”

Caleb,
she wanted to scream.
Come back.

As if he’d heard her thoughts, the door opened again and Caleb stuck his head inside. “Could you show me the spot where you hid your horses? I need to get mine out of sight, too.”

King exhaled loudly. “They ain’t hidden—this young lady let ’em go.” He pressed the gun harder against Jennie’s temple. She swallowed, trying to ignore the ache behind her eyes and praying Caleb had a good plan.

“That little slip of a thing released your horses?” Caleb chuckled. Jennie scowled at him. This was no time for jokes.

“Is that funny to you, boy?” King growled, swinging his gun from Jennie to Caleb.

“Nope.” Caleb sobered immediately. “If you do need some horses, I’ve got a few extras.” He straightened up, his tall frame filling the doorway. “I’ll sell ’em to you cheap. Send one or two of your men out here to pick what you want.”

His gun still pointed at Caleb, King narrowed his eyes. Was he really considering Caleb’s proposal? Jennie held her breath. She had no idea how Caleb meant to rescue her.

“All right.” King motioned with his gun at Smith and the cowhand with Jennie’s pistol. “Haws and Smith, you go check out the horses. Make sure they ain’t old or feeble.”

The two men followed Caleb outside and the door closed behind them. Jennie released her breath in a soft rush and contemplated her chances of escape. Two men would be easier to handle than four, but she still didn’t have a weapon.

King frowned. “Let’s get this over with.”

Jennie eyed the window. Perhaps she could make it before King shot her. Just as she tensed to move, a loud cry followed by a heavy thud sounded outside the cabin. All three of them turned in the direction of the door.

Please, come back, Caleb,
Jennie silently cried to the walls. Had King’s men done something to him?

“What was that, boss?” the remaining cowboy asked.

“Don’t know,” King snapped, his face turning red with irritation. “Go find out what’s goin’ on. I’ll tie her up.” Glaring down at Jennie, he gripped her wrist hard and added in a low hiss, “I don’t need no more interruptions.”

The cowhand hurried through the door. Before it swung shut again, Jennie strained to see outside as King pulled a rope from his belt. She hesitated too long in her decision to stay put or run, and the rancher had her wrists tied before she could move.

Another shout floated in through the gaps in the logs. King cursed and slammed his fist against the nearest wall.

“Time to end this.” He aimed the revolver at Jennie again. His jaw tightened in deadly resolve, and his lips lifted in a sneer. “Who’s got the upper hand now, Miss Jones? You got no friends or guns to help you this time. It’s just you and me.”

Jennie licked her lips, keeping her chin held high even as she prepared for the inevitable shot.

“Any last words before I pull the trigger?”

“Yeah. Step away from my girl!”

Sucking in a sharp breath, Jennie felt her whole body sag at Caleb’s words. She’d been so focused on the gun barrel trained at her head, she hadn’t heard him enter. Now he stood in the doorway, appearing every bit as strong and capable and handsome as the day they’d met on the trail. The bandanna around his face had been removed, and he pointed his shotgun straight at King.

Still facing Jennie, King didn’t move a muscle. But Jennie detected the glint in his eye just before he swung around toward Caleb.

“Caleb, look out,” she shouted.

Jumping to her feet, she plowed her shoulder into the lower back of the giant rancher. King’s gun blasted above their heads, bringing bits of wood and dirt from the ceiling raining down on them. Jennie hit the floor hard enough to crush the breath from her lungs a second time and cause the room to spin around her. When her vision cleared, she scrambled to sit up in time to see King kick Caleb’s shotgun away. Caleb lunged toward him and drove a fist into King’s gut. The man grunted, but connected a punch to Caleb’s lower jaw, sending Caleb backward.

As the two wrestled each other, Jennie brought her boot to her bound hands and managed to pull out her knife. She twisted her hand and sawed at the rope. A loud groan brought her head up. In horror, she watched Caleb curl into a ball and roll away from King.

“Caleb!” she screamed.

Spinning on his heel, King lumbered toward her, his eyes wild and dangerous. Jennie dropped the knife and tried to crawl away, but she couldn’t move fast enough with her bound hands. King grabbed her foot and yanked her back. She shut her eyes, fear turning her blood to ice in her veins. A grunt made her open her eyes. Caleb had pulled King back to the floor, but she could see the weariness on Caleb’s face. She had to help.

With renewed energy, Jennie found the knife again and cut at the rope until it slipped off. Finally free, she searched the floor for King’s revolver. She located his gun on the floor and picked it up. Standing, she crossed to King and Caleb, still locked in a battle of strength.

She offered a rushed prayer for help and lifted the gun in the air. She waited until King rocked back on his heels, breaking from the flurry of swinging fists and feet. Seeing her chance, she brought the revolver down as hard as she could against the man’s head. The rancher roared with pain. Caleb seized the pause in momentum and plowed a fist into King’s jaw. This time the rancher crumpled to the ground and lay unmoving.