Lawfully Yours Read online

  Lawfully Yours

  Ginny Sterling

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Afterword

  Lawfully Mine - Elias Jessup’s story

  Lawfully Wild

  A Perfect Bride

  Also by Ginny Sterling

  Lawfully Saved by Patricia Pac-Jac Carroll

  About the Author

  Jenna, thank you so much for the invite – I am

  thrilled to be working with you again!

  To my beautiful husband, you are my everything.

  One

  1880

  Cleburne, Texas

  Emily Jessup stared at the strikingly beautiful courthouse on North Caddo Street. It loomed towards the sky, intimidating to behold. Scrollwork along the building showed quite a bit of money was spent towards the construction making it quite the behemoth in the small town. She prayed that she’d be lucky enough to never see the inside of it. She and her brother, Elias, had left home long ago desperate for a better life. They wanted a bit of those funds used for the courthouse, a bit of financial security. Her parents had been hard-working people all their lives, but never seemed to be able to get ahead. It was always a struggle to put food on the table or keep the fires going in the hearth, but her parents were happy.

  They were not.

  It might be okay for Elizabeth and Edward Jessup to have beans for dinner repeatedly because it was cheap and filling. But for Emily and Elias, it was disheartening, soul crushing. She yearned to be spoiled and pampered. Elias wanted top of the line splendor adorning him and the respect it brought with it. When Emily donned the watered silk gown for their first robbery, she understood how he wanted to be looked upon.

  With her threadbare, cotton work dress gone, the looks from townspeople had gone from one of veiled disgust or callous disregard… to a look of admiration and jealously. It felt good. Decadent. Sinful. Honestly, it felt great! She was acknowledged for the first time in her life. Hats were tipped towards her. She was smiled at and flirted with. The silk was soft against her skin and practically whispered as the fabric moved effortlessly as she walked confidently down the street. It gave her a sense of pride and belonging to be dressed to the nines. Flashing money around like there wasn’t a care in the world was new and exciting.

  It was the road that they were taking to get there that was nerve wracking. Their means to an end kept her up at nights and made her stomach hurt with a bad case of nerves. Emily was a beautiful young woman ripe for the picking. She knew it. She’d been blessed with her mother’s chocolate brown eyes and dark, thick hair. The combination was striking and with a faint bit of rouge on her cheeks for coloring, it was devastating. That was Elias’s trick game.

  She was bait.

  In order to be able to gain their monies, Elias had come up with the bright idea of robbing someone just like Billy the Kid. They’d overheard tales of the gang’s escapades and his eyes had alit with a fire that was majestic to behold. Emily had balked initially until he swore on a bible never to kill anyone. They would lift their purses and leave them behind. This meant that her face would be well known and seen, thus keeping them on the move until they could disappear for good. That is, once they had enough money.

  The deal had been struck one evening after they’d all gone to bed hungry. She’d been tired of it and was done starving. A fat, juicy steak, creamed spinach, fingerling potatoes and gravy had haunted her that night. She vowed then and there to never be hungry again. Her brother had taken a dollar and bought a large slab of bacon. They’d eaten until their hearts’ content, leaving plenty for the next day. Being full at night was something so strange. Foreign. When Eli had been kicked out by their father, it sealed her own fate. She’d gathered her things and left with him, never looking back.

  Elias promised no killing, but the guns were necessary for their protection. Emily absolutely hated guns. The resonating pops made her jump in fear. Their guns, hers included, would be loaded but they wouldn’t fire unless it was absolutely necessary. In her mind, she knew that she’d never pull the trigger. It would never be necessary to her unless something or someone threatened her world, her life. Just the idea of pulling the trigger made her flinch. Guns brought death and she wouldn’t be a part of it. Instead, she had a nasty switchblade tucked neatly in the bodice of her gown for protection. The offending gun only had one round and remained strapped to her thigh where it could be hidden. If she ever had to reach for that gun, it would be a darned desperate event!

  Tonight, would be no different than any other job they’d done. She prayed, yet again, that they would never find themselves in that massive courthouse she watched from the milliner’s shop across the street. She stood nearby, pretending to admire the hats in the glass windows. But in reality, she watched the men as they walked by, noting their dress and looking for clues.

  Elias was at the local bar playing cards. It was the same process each time. She would watch the streets and he would talk to the locals to find out who was the richest man in the area. It was vital knowing what he looked like and who to hit up. It was also important to know how to address him. Some men liked to be played, coached, coddled while others wanted to be respected or admired. That was how she sidled up to them, by playing them for fools.

  Glancing back at the glass, she stared at the dingy pane and realized that there was a man in the reflection in the distance behind her. She couldn’t make out his face in the glass, but it was evident she was being watched. Emily dropped her drawstring bag and knelt down to retrieve it, sneaking a peek over her shoulder. The man was quite eye-catching, standing tall on the far side of the street. He steadily met her gaze and tipped his hat boldly, causing her to blush and dart nervously inside the milliner’s store.

  Hearing the bell indicate her entry, she let out of her breath she had been holding and moved towards the back of the room. Dust motes floated in the stream of light flooding the windows as she moved farther away from the door. She bumped into a display and caught it just in the nick of time to prevent it from falling to the wooden floor.

  “Can I help you, Miss?” The clerk looked at her easily with a warm smile on his aged face. The store must be his pride and joy, because he looked to be sincerely interested in her sudden entrance. She idly wondered if they got much business or if it was simply because a pretty woman had walked in.

  “Oh, I am just glancing about. Do you mind if I look at the hats?”

  “Of course not, help yourself and let me know if I can be of assistance.”

  Nodding, Emily moved towards the wall and glanced out the window. The tall man had not moved one inch. Instead, it looked like he’d tethered his horse and was leaning casually back against a post that held the signage for the courthouse. Picking up a hat and holding it up for inspection, she squinted and watched him through a large array of feathers that stood straight up from the crown of the hat in her hands.

  The man was gorgeous and obviously watching her every move. She noticed that he had a gun strapped to each leg and his arms were crossed against his chest. A large-brimmed hat kept his face in the shadows, but she could make out the shape of his face and the hard line of his lips. He meant business and it made her heart pound.

  “Sir, I think I will take this hat,” she said carefully, glancing back at the clerk. “However, I do believe there is a man watching me outside. Do you have a back door to this building that I could leave through? I’m frightened,” she admitted, allowing her lower lip to tremble as she batted her eyelashes to make a single tear fall from her eyes. “He’s been staring at me
a while and I am quite uncomfortable. I want my brother to protect me and he is just down the street. I don’t know what I am going to do!”

  “Miss! Please don’t cry!” he assured her quickly, his thick brow creasing with worry. He yanked off his apron and threw it on the counter with feigned outrage for her. “You’ve nothing to be afraid of, I assure you. What man is watching you? Can you point him out without giving yourself away?”

  “Oh yes. It’s the dark one that is leaning against the sign. What a shame that on my first visit to my new home that I feel so threatened by such an ogre.”

  “Him?” he said quickly with a smile, the relief evident on his face. “Miss, you need have no fear. That is Cade Singleton. I assure you, he wouldn’t hurt a hair on your head. He’s a bounty hunter and probably after his next paycheck. You wouldn’t be it. I guarantee it!” he said with a hearty chuckle. “He catches the outlaws. You, Miss, are a lady through and through.”

  Bounty hunter? she thought nervously and felt faint. Could there be a bounty on their heads? They had only been doing heists in the area for a few months and were nowhere near as notorious as some outlaws! “Oh! Thank you so much for the reassurance. I feel so much… safer,” she praised breathlessly, feeling her pulse beat anxiously in her throat. “But I insist on reaching my brother. Is there a back door I could use? If he is watching for an outlaw nearby, then I am not safe, am I?”

  “You’ll be fine. I promise you. Cade Singleton is efficient and has quite the reputation in this area. Why, I bet he already has eyes on the man he’s after,” he assured her again, making her temper rise. The dunderheaded clerk was simply not picking up on the fact that she had no intention of leaving this building through the front door.

  “Can you show me some dresses or bolts of silk? Maybe something new from your storeroom? I might simply have to get a dress made to match this pretty… uh…” she stared at the hat she’d picked up and realized it was actually quite awful looking. The straw bonnet had some lime green silk flowers on it and was decidedly not what she would have chosen if she’d actually been looking. “This lovely shade of spring! Maybe something in a blue with green lace? What do you think? Maybe a feather pattern to match this plume here?” she gestured, pointing at the massive expanse that she had used earlier to hide behind.

  “I think that’d be pretty. Wait here and I will see what I have.”

  “I think I will come with you, sir,” she pushed with a tight smile. “I may decide to purchase two bolts of fabric instead of one since this seems to be the most fashionable place to shop. I can’t wait share this location with my family.”

  Emily saw that he still hesitated and finally gave in, leading her back into the building. Sure enough, there were boxes stacked high and several bolts of material on shelves in the back room. A back door was bolted from the inside and practically glowed. The sun was shining through the cracks around the frame, as if it were being illuminated to show her path.

  “Those are perfect. I will just fetch my brother and be back shortly. He’s buying,” she said quickly and moved towards the exit door. Tuning out the clerk’s voice, she yanked up the bar of wood that had bolted the door shut. Hearing a distant bell chime, she realized that the front door had opened to the shop and that was her cue to get out now! She exited the building blindly into the glaring sunlight. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust as she got her bearings. It was a moment she did not have, if the bounty hunter was hot on her heels!

  She’d stepped right out into an alleyway that was used for delivery wagons. There were ruts in the dirt path and several unmentionables from the horses that had travelled along the road. Glancing over her shoulder, she delicately picked up her skirts and gingerly began her brisk walk down to the bar where Elias was sure to be waiting. As she reached the end of the line of shops, there was a gap between the buildings and she peered carefully around the wooden corner. She could see the horse, but the man was no longer there. She was positive he was on her trail and not far behind her.

  “Sakes alive!” Emily whispered aloud, nervously. Her heart was pounding in her head, making the sounds of the wagons and horses fade into the background. “Go, Emily! Go!” she coached herself aloud and darted across the way, staring to her right. She looked for any sign of the bounty hunter and just knew… she knew deep down that the hunter was on their trail, on her trail!

  Racing along as fast as her corset would let her, panting shallowly, she finally got to the bar where Elias was. What if the bounty hunter was inside waiting? What if he was behind her like she supposed? Afraid, she yanked open the storeroom door. She desperately stepped up into the building and straight into a dark room. The cool, inky blackness could hide her until she could warn Elias and search her surroundings. Shutting the door quickly behind her, she threw the iron deadbolt blindly. Gulping, she turned around and saw light coming from a curtain that indicated where the entrance was at. She fumbled around, nearly tripping until she pulled the curtain aside, surprising the bartender.

  “Hello there,” she said with a wide grin. “I’m lost, have you seen my brother? Tall? Brown hair?” Play dumb and innocent Emily, she thought quickly and continued on when the man’s cold face did not move. Putting her hand up to her forehead, she pretended to feel faint. “Do you have some water? I’m sheer parched and not used to the Texas heat.”

  “Em?” she heard Elias’s confused voice from the left of where she stood. His worried eyes stared at her from a face that looked so much like her own. He was sitting at a table, cigar hanging out of his mouth and looked shocked to have been interrupted during his card game.

  “There you are, Brother. I am ill and need to return home… now.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes. Right now,” she said firmly and stared at him silently, jerking her head to the side in a motion she hoped that he picked up on.

  “Okay, okay. Let me cash out,” he hedged. Nodding, she watched him as the bartender stared at the both of them, wiping the glasses one at a time with a cloth. It was apparent that he knew something was up and expecting a move from someone in the building. That did little to comfort her either.

  “Elias, I am feeling ill again!” she called out quickly over the din of the room and turned to the bartender. “We’ll just be going now.”

  Emily felt Elias grab her arm as he suddenly pulled her through the crowded bar. “No, we can’t go out this way!”

  “Em, act natural. Tell me what is going on once we get outside,” his voice bit out quietly as he continued walking her forward. She just knew once they got outside that the bounty hunter would be watching them again. Waiting. They walked out the swinging doors onto the boardwalk and Elias slapped his hat onto his head, pulling it down low. Her eyes darted around, searching for him. His tall imagine and dark complexion burned in her mind.

  “Now, what’s this about?”

  “I think we should leave now and skip this town,” she said absently as her eyes hopped from person to person in the street. Her heart pounded with unease. Deep in her gut, she knew he was out there, watching her.

  “Why? I have the perfect guy for us.”

  “No, there’s a bounty hunter here!” she argued, stopping in her tracks and jerking her arm from Eli’s grasp. “You aren’t hearing me, are you? There is a bounty hunter here, for us!”

  “So? He can’t be here for us. There’s no bounty on our heads. Don’t be silly.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Positive.”

  “Eli – I saw him staring at me. He was watching me. I can still feel him watching me,” she breathed nervously. It was uncanny how on edge the idea of him following her made her feel.

  “Emily, relax. Do you see him now?” Eli grasped her arm yet again, pulling her into the street in order to cross the road.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she nearly lost her footing and caught herself. As she looked back to where she’d first spotted him down the road, she saw that the horse was there, but the t
all, handsome man was not. Swallowing hard, she stared at the people milling along the road, looking for any sign of his presence. “No, I don’t.”

  “Then, perhaps, you are overreacting a bit?”

  “Elias Jessup! Don’t tell me I am overreacting,” she blustered out quietly, yanking her arm from his hand yet again. “I don’t like this. I didn’t from the very beginning. The idea of me being followed, hunted, should bother you, too!”

  His hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, tightly, causing her to flinch. She saw his hard eyes glance around them before focusing on her. “Stop it. Here is not the place to make a scene. Fine, you don’t like wearing pretty things or having a nice meal? Stop then. I get you are scared. That makes you sharp and a keen eye. Something that will protect us both. You’re my sister. I would never let you get hurt. We’ve got each other’s backs, always.”

  Emily stared at him, surprised by the tone in his voice. He’d never really been curt with her before. He’d always been protective of her. Maybe she was making too much of all this? “I know, Eli. I’m sorry. Maybe I was overreacting. It just made my hair stand on end, you know?”

  “I know. Let’s get back to camp and get you ready. Our prospect tonight is a big fish. We’ll get him and leave tonight. I promise.”

  “Thank you,” she breathed, relieved. One more act, one more show before they left town. Perhaps there wouldn’t be many left. They were accumulating quite a bit of money and if they were frugal, they could have a very nice life somewhere far away from Texas. Maybe California or Nevada. She’d heard both were pretty and growing by leaps and bounds. It would be nice to be able to start over instead of running all the time.