Mistaken Outlaw Read online

  “Are you okay?”

  Jessie nodded silently. She was more that okay. She might have had a nightmare, but it brought with it an idea that happiness was within her very grasp with this stranger.

  4

  Jessie slept through Jason waking up and barely stirred as he left the house. She faintly remembered him smoothing back her hair from her forehead. As the sun streamed through the window directly in her face, she sat up slowly. She looked around the one-room farmhouse. She saw that the fire had been banked and a cast iron pot hung on the swing arm yet again. They’d finished off the stew last night and, obviously, Jason had started dinner for them before heading out to work.

  Jessie made a mental note to ask Jason where he actually did work. Most men she knew from back home were either ranchers, vaqueros or shop owners. Could he be a shop owner? He didn’t look the part of a rugged cowboy. Instead, she could picture him in a suit easily. The man didn’t strike her as a hunter or fighter, but rather more of a sedate lifestyle. Perhaps he was a banker? Or worked at the post office? There was so much she didn’t know about him and found that she wanted to ask. Maybe she could trust him as well? she thought and pushed it away.

  She never wanted anyone to know that she’d been accused of horse theft. Instead, she wanted a fresh start and didn’t think that would be possible here. While she’d run for quite a while blindly in the darkness, would it ever be far enough away from where she was captured? What if they found her?

  She needed to keep herself busy or she’d go mad thinking of what the future could bring. Good, bad or otherwise. It was foolish to hope that, perhaps, Jason could grow to care for her when obviously he was just being nice. Being nice doesn’t mean you kiss a woman like that, does it? she thought idly and smiled to herself.

  Jessie really liked him a lot. She liked his caring ways, his easy smile and competitive nature. Just thinking of how he’d crowed with delight at winning against her made her laugh aloud. She had, in turn, won quickly and gloated with joy. It was probably the most fun and lighthearted night she’d had in some time. And it was with a stranger that had found her half-frozen.

  Pushing back the covers, she made the bed and checked the pot. They would be having beans tonight for dinner. That meant since he started dinner, she’d be doing the dishes. Frowning, she tapped her foot as she thought of how to get the upper hand on him, like she’d done at checkers, and then smiled happily.

  She’d make cornbread to go with the beans and, perhaps, something for dessert. He couldn’t claim to have cooked dinner if she’d helped out. Could he? Besides, they never really calculated who won more games. Well, she did… but he cheated and cooked dinner anyways. Two could play that game!

  Jessie quickly made the cornbread and racked her brains at what to fix with the ingredients she’d found in the small pantry. In the end, she thought she’d try her hand at making a very simple teacake. Her mother used to make them when she had company coming and it was nothing to whip it together. The problem was, she never stuck around long enough to actually see the cake cook. She used to take off with the bowl and spoon in order to lick it clean of the sweet batter.

  She grabbed an egg, the flour, a bit of molasses and carried them to the table. Mother had used sugar, but molasses was sweet, too. Shaking her head, she quickly put the molasses back and peeked in the small cans that lined the shelf, finding sugar in the third can she picked up. For a man alone, he had a well-stocked pantry. Then she remembered that he’d been married before. His words echoed in her head.

  She had a beautiful heart and I miss her.

  Perhaps Jessie was imagining that there was more between them than there actually was. She liked the man and thought he was kind. But how do you compete with a woman that passed away? Did she even want to try to compete? Confused, she went to work whipping the egg into a froth in the bowl the way her mother did. She added a bit of sugar and flour, mixing it again. A small round pie plate sat propped up on the shelf. She’d never cooked over an open fire, but heat was heat. Whether it was a spit turning over a fire or a pot belly stove, it was hot enough to cook. The problem was propping the cornbread and the pie tin in the hearth so they didn’t fall. As she glanced at the fireplace, she saw that if the fire died down she’d be able to place the pans almost near level as long as the wood didn’t collapse. She would not stoke the hearth, but let it fade a bit so she could cook the cornbread and the makeshift cake.

  Hours later, she carefully put the two dishes onto of the logs, nearly burning her fingers. She pulled up a chair and stayed close by to make sure it didn’t burn. Hearing a horse’s gallop in front of the house, she scrambled out of her chair and backed away nearly stepping directly into the fireplace. Could they have found her or was Jason back?

  Slowly, she made her way towards the window and peered through the glass. The waves in the glass distorted the figure and made her heart race. Scared, she reached up and pulled the rifle off the hooks above the mantel. The warmth of the metal gave little comfort. Her heart hammered and her knees knocked together. Holding the weapon carefully, she put it directly behind her skirt. If it wasn’t loaded it would make a very large club. If it was, that was another story. She closed her eyes and said a prayer that it wasn’t the law that arrived, but Jason coming home.

  The door opened, and his beautiful smile greeted her… and promptly fell.

  “Where’s my gun?” he asked carefully, staring at her.

  “It’s here. I was frightened,” she told him in a shaky voice. There was no reason to evade the question. It would be hard to hide the fact that she was antsy.

  “So, you needed to get that rifle? What were you scared of?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Something,” Jason countered with finality, taking off his jacket and scarf. “I know you don’t want to talk about it. But if you are scared, maybe I can help you.”

  “I am not sure you can.”

  “But I can certainly listen and try. In fact, we can talk over a rematch after dinner. That is, once you clean the dishes.”

  “I won last night and you cheated by preparing the beans. I bet it was so that you could claim that you fixed dinner, but guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I made cornbread and cake… oh my word! The cornbread!” she exclaimed, whirling around as she realized that she’d forgotten it on the bed of coals. The edges were browning heavily where it sat cooking. The small cake was also done as well. She grabbed a poker and carefully drug the pans out of the fire. Jason walked over with a grin and a contraption that looked like pliers.

  “Can I help?” She watched him squat down and pinch the edge of the pan, lifting it up off of the stone hearth. He carried it quickly over to the table and set it down. Returning, he did the same but, this time, she took the time to really look at him. He was a fine figure of a man, not as thin or gangly as what she originally thought. “Thank you.”

  “I should be thanking you. Cake sounds like quite a treat. What’s the occasion?”

  “I stomped you last night in checkers,” she answered glibly, making him burst out laughing.

  “Then we’ll definitely be having that rematch, Missy.”

  “I’m not scared,” she teased and stuck out her tongue playfully. As she did so, there was a booming knock at the door. Jessie’s eyes got wide as she felt the blood drain from her face. Jason looked at her curiously and waved her back behind the door. He held out his hand for the rifle and didn’t break eye contact with her until he turned to the door and opened it. The rifle was just on the backside of the door, his hand resting at the tip of the barrel. It would be there if he needed it in a moment’s notice.

  Jessie clasped her hands together in prayer, staring at Jason’s profile.

  “Hey, Mister. We are on the lookout for a woman in these here parts. Brown hair about yea tall?” She recognized the voice! It was one of the men that had been holding a pitchfork in an effort to keep her still. They were here! Her knees almost collapsed underneath her and she found herself sagging against the wall to remain upright.

  “I’ve seen lots of them in this area. Most of the ladies in town are brunettes, quite frankly.” Jessie listened to him speak. Jason’s voice was easy, confident, yet his answer was evasive. Could he be attempting to cover for her?

  “Well, this woman, she’s a sneaky one. She went and stole Mr. Buford James’ prized horses. Then she had the nerve to blame it on someone else.”

  “Oh? Who was that?”

  “Don’t rightly know. Never saw him.”

  “Really? But you are sure that this woman took the horses?” Jason said skeptically. A dark eyebrow raised just over the wire rim of his glasses, showing that he didn’t believe the tale.

  “Reckon so.”

  “You saw her steal them from his barn?”

  “No, but she had them!”

  “Perhaps, she was rescuing them for Mr. James?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “But if you didn’t see her steal the horses, then how do you know?” Jason questioned yet again. The tone in his voice was challenging. The more he questioned the men, the louder they became. Several were now answering in rapid fire, yet Jason quickly turned it back on them over and over again.

  “She had them, red-handed!”

  “And what did she say?”

  “Not much. She started boo-hooing that she didn’t take them.”

  “Why would you not believe her?”

  “You should have seen her evil, beady eyes!”

  “Evil, beady eyes? Truly?” Jason laughed at this description of what she looked like. Jessie didn’t think it was funny. She’d always thought that she had pretty eyes when she’d seen her reflection in a pond or a windowpane. She’d never imagined that som
eone would describe her as evil looking.

  “They were vicious, too. She ran right at a pitchfork without a care in the world.”

  “Let me get this straight. This poor woman,” Jason held up his hand low on his chest. “About yea high? She was caught with horses that belonged to Mr. James and claimed she didn’t steal them, but because of her ‘evil, beady eyes’ she was guilty? And she was so vicious that you had to hold her at bay with pitchforks to save your life?” he said, gasping in mock horror. “That is terrible! Completely awful!”

  They stood there silently. Jessie peeked through the crack of the door jamb, unable to resist. Sure enough, there were several men standing there with confused looks on their faces, unsure if Jason was making fun of them or agreeing with them.

  “Say,” Jason suddenly drawled. “That horse you are holding looks just like mine actually. You wouldn’t be funning me with all this talk about an evil horse thief, would you? Are you in the process of stealing my own horse from me? Horse theft is frowned on by the law. Are you boys lawmen?”

  “No, and that is our horse.”

  “You aren’t lawmen and you threatened a tiny woman for theft? If you aren’t lawmen and you go about shooting people…”

  “We wasn’t gonna shoot her! We was gonna hang her!” one voice chimed in loudly over the others. Oh yes, that was the man that had shot the horse instead of sending up a signal. He was not the brightest man in the bunch and she almost felt sorry for him.

  “Sir, that isn’t helping your case whatsoever. I tell you what. I am going to let the three of you men leave my property with MY horse. If you are smart, you will quit going from house to house bragging about how you almost hung an innocent woman before you are arrested for attempted murder. I wouldn’t tell a soul that I tried to kill someone! Much less a defenseless woman, would you? Yet here you stand, bragging about it! Perhaps, I should take the law in my own hands since that looks like my damned horse!” Jason ranted, getting angrier and angrier. She stared at his expression and saw the outrage on his face. His eyes looked hard and a muscle ticked in the corner of his jaw. She’d never seen this side of him and it was awe inspiring. He was defending her and quite so!

  “Now, you boys get off my land and don’t come back here for another horse. You hear me?” Jason suddenly swung up the rifle from behind the door and cocked it against his shoulder with a practiced move.

  “If I see you three in this town ever again, I will tell the sheriff how you claimed to have nearly hung a woman and that you were seen with my horse. Half the women in this town have brown hair, including my own relatives! I won’t have you harassing and threatening every dark-haired woman in town, much less attempting to hang them. Are we clear?”

  “You’ve got it all wrong!”

  “No, I think I have it quite correct. A woman alone? Horses? A rope? With no lawmen about and yet… you still have what looks to be my horse!”

  “But it’s not your horse!”

  “Have you been in my barn checking out how many I have?”

  “No, but we can go look!”

  “If you touch my barn or come back here again, I will shoot you where you stand. Clear?”

  “Let’s go, Virgil. He ain’t gonna be much help cause he keeps twisting your words.”

  “They are your own words. Your very actions are confused, and I am here to straighten up this mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Now, for the last time, get!”

  Jessie stared at his harsh profile through tears of amazement. He’d sent them away without so much as a word revealing that she was there. He’d protected her! He stood there in the door frame for some time as they rode off, the setting sunlight illuminating his face like an avenging angel. Closing the door, he strode towards the window and watched for several moments to make sure it was clear. Turning, he finally looked at her.

  “I know you didn’t do it, but how about you trust me enough to tell me?” Jason told her in an encouraging voice as he propped the gun near the door in case they returned.

  “How do you know I didn’t?”

  “Did you?”

  “No.”

  “You are very lucky that you weren’t hung by those idiots. My God, to think that they tried to hang you.” He gave a slight shiver and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. Jessie felt herself collapse as she started to cry in overwhelming relief. She told him everything. Her name, how she’d run off with Bill and how she’d ended up in his barn.

  “I was so scared.”

  “I know you were. I saw your face when you arrived here and just now when they showed up. Did you really think I would give you up?”

  “I wouldn’t blame you.”

  “I would never have a moment’s peace, sweet Jessie.”

  “Can I ask a question?”

  “Ask away,” he crooned holding her to his chest. “You know they were wrong on your height. You are taller than what they said. Plus, you don’t have evil, beady eyes. You have beautiful, caring, brown eyes that shine.”

  “Evil, beady eyes! Humph!” she muttered, making him laugh.

  “That is what you got out of listening to us? Now, what were you going to ask?”

  “Did your wife ever play checkers with you?”

  “No, she said I was too competitive and didn’t like me when I played.”

  “I know you loved her, but she wasn’t right for you.” Jason jerked in surprise as she continued. “You need to lose and quite often, so you can learn some humility.”

  “And I suppose you are the right woman to ‘stomp’ me at checkers.”

  “Absolutely I am,” she said softly, looking up at him. His green eyes stared at her and she could see the love there. “I will beat you at checkers anytime. I don’t plan on ever doing the dishes again.”

  “That sounds like a challenge. Perhaps, I should ask you to marry me so we can play long into the night without raising any suspicion. It wouldn’t be seemly for you to lose every single night.”

  Leaning down, he kissed her tenderly. “What do you think, Miss Gomez. Would you like to marry me and be my partner? I don’t have much to offer but I will always care for you and protect what is mine.”

  “I think that sounds like a splendid suggestion. If you win, I will marry you.” She held herself against him, his arms warm and comforting around her waist. She could hear his heartbeat and sighed in contentment as his voice resonated in his chest. It had been the craziest adventure she’d been on leaving her home so suddenly. Now, she found herself ready to embark on yet another adventure. This time, it was full of promise and the security she needed.

  “And if you win?”

  “I will still marry you.”

  “Then I still win either way.”

  “Precisely.”

  Also by Ginny Sterling

  Lawfully Mine

  Emily and Elias Jessup left their home in southern Texas, tired of living a life of poverty. They soon find out that life is no better alone on their own. With not a penny to their name and no job prospects, the siblings turn to stealing from the rich to survive. Constantly on the run from the law, the two know that their days are numbered before the law catches up to them.

  Ellen Holladay comes across a handsome 'farmer' in desperate search of his sister who has been kidnapped. But can a handsome face and winning smile hide the fact that he is obviously lying to her? When his sister, Emily, is found in the arms of bounty hunter, Cade Singleton - Eli's true identity is revealed.

  Elias willingly turns himself in to Holladay, in an effort to make peace with the woman that has captured his heart. In a strange twist, he suddenly married to her and sworn in as a bounty hunter himself. Can his new wife see past his previous sins, giving him the chance to start again? Can she accept her new husband and the dangers that being a Lawkeeper can bring? Is falling in love worth the risk … and the greatest reward?

  Lawfully Freed

  Dr. Rebecca Tulle has decided to return home for her ten-year high school reunion with the intent to show off how much she has changed since graduation. After years of bullying, she feels stronger than ever before and ready to take on the world. She’d once run away, disappearing off the map, from everyone and everything she’d ever known… until now.