Tales of Western Romance

by Baker, Madeline

“You mean they weren’t Indians?”

  “No, I mean they were…soft.”

  He frowned at her. “Soft?”

  “They were, you know, wimps.”

  He lifted one brow. “Wimps?”

  She searched her mind for a word that meant something similar in the eighteen hundres but couldn’t think of any. “They were weak, and not just physically. Do you know what I mean?”

  “I think so.”

  There was nothing weak about Gray, she thought. His body was strong and well-muscled. He knew how to survive in the wilderness. Of course, she couldn’t really fault Wade, Will, or Luke for not having any outdoor survival skills since they were all city-born and worked in offices. Still, she knew instinctively that Gray could protect her. It was, she discovered, quite a turn-on, knowing he could take care of her.

  When he kissed her again, she closed her eyes. And for the first time in her life, she made love with no guilt and no regret.

  Chapter 7

  In the morning, she woke expecting to be filled with a sense of guilt, but there wasn’t any.

  Gray smiled at her and she smiled back, happier, at that moment, than she had ever been in her life.

  “Mornin’,” he drawled.

  “Morning.”

  “We need to get goin’,” Gray said.

  “Can we get something to eat first? I’m starving.”

  “Sure. We’ll go over to the Grand and then we’ll head out.”

  Bonnie nodded. In spite of what they had shared the night before, her cheeks grew warm when Gray rolled out of bed, completely unabashed at being naked in front of her.

  “You gonna lay about all day?” he asked, reaching for his trousers.

  “No.” Gathering her courage, she threw back the covers, slid her legs over the edge of the bed, and grabbed her shirt. Her cheeks grew hotter under Gray’s appreciative gaze.

  She had never been intimate with Wade or Will, and had only made love to Luke twice, in the dark. Neither experience had been satisfying. Certainly nothing like last night. But Wade and Will and Luke had been boys. And Gray was all man. Just looking at him turned her bones to liquid.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never get out of here,” he said with a wicked grin.

  “Sorry,” she murmured, but she couldn’t stop looking.

  “I reckon we can wait awhile,” he said, and dropped his trousers on the floor.

  * * * * *

  Bonnie blew out a sigh as they left the hotel dining room. The prices in the past were amazing. Imagine, paying a dollar for a breakfast of hot cakes, bacon and beans.

  She shook her head as she followed Gray down the street. Miners and wagons stirred the dust in the road, prostitutes paraded shamelessly in front of the cribs, boldly advertising their wares. She overheard some of the men talking about Madam Dirty Em and Madam Mustachio. When she looked at Gray for an explanation, he shrugged and said, “Whores.”

  “Oh.”

  Gray shrugged. “The population here is mostly men. I heard the miners lined the streets and cheered when the madams arrived back in ‘76.”

  Wide-eyed, Bonnie trailed after Gray as he bought supplies and blankets, then headed for the livery barn where he bought a used saddle and bridle.

  Bonnie smiled at the livery owner as he led the horses out of the stable, felt a shiver run down her spine when her gaze met that of a tall, reed-thin man wearing a black frock coat and a stovepipe hat. The stranger seemed overly interested in watching Gray saddle their horses. Or maybe the man was just admiring the stallion, she thought. Either way, he made her uncomfortable.

  A short time later, the supplies were stowed in the saddlebags and Gray was lifting her onto the back of the stallion. The colt frolicked at the mare’s heels as they rode out of town.

  For her part, Bonnie was glad to see the last of Deadwood.

  Gray seemed lost in thought as they rode along. She didn’t know what he was thinking about, but she found herself thinking about home and wondering how she would ever find her way back. Not that she was anxious to go back, not when it meant leaving Gray. She felt comfortable with him, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe, because she could be herself with him. She didn’t have to worry about impressing him, or pretending to be something she wasn’t.

  “Where are we going now?” she asked after a while.

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “There was a man back at the livery. I can’t be sure, but I think he recognized me.”

  “The tall, skinny man in the frock coat?”

  “That’s him.”

  “He looked like an undertaker.”

  “Close. I think he’s a bounty hunter.”

  “Oh. That’s not good, is it?” She tried to recall what little she knew about bounty hunting, but the only thing that came to mind was an old Steve McQueen movie where he went out looking for people who had skipped bail.

  Gray reined his horse to a halt. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to her.

  Relámpago stopped beside the bay.

  “What’s this?” Bonnie asked.

  “A reward poster. It was tacked to the door of the livery.”

  Bonnie unfolded the paper and found herself staring at a rough sketch of Gray’s face. It wasn’t particularly good, but there was no mistaking who it was. “Wanted for murder. Jackson Gray Hawk. Five hundred dollar reward,” she murmured. “Dead or alive.”

  He nodded, his expression bleak, as she returned the poster. And then he clucked to the bay.

  Relámpago followed Gray without any urging on Bonnie’s part. Lost in thought, she paid little attention to where they were going. The words ‘dead or alive’ kept repeating themselves in her mind. But it was the look in the cold brown eyes of the man in the frock coat that worried her most.

  They rode all that day. Bonnie didn’t complain. The more miles they put between themselves and the bounty hunter, the better.

  It was full dark when Gray decided to make camp. “No fire tonight,” he said, unsaddling their horses.

  She nodded.

  They ate jerky and cold beans for dinner and washed it down with water.

  Later, lying on her back beside Gray, Bonnie gazed up at the sky. Millions of stars glittered overhead. She could see the silhouettes of the horses grazing in the distance. She sighed when Gray drew her closer.

  “We have to get away from here,” she said. “Far away.” She traced his cheek with her fingertips. “We have to figure out a way to get Relámpago to take us back to my time,” she said, nodding. “You’ll be safe there.”

  “There’s just one thing – I’ve never heard of anyone telling that stallion what to do or where to go.”

  “Well, there’s a first time for everything,” Bonnie said.

  “What do you see me doing in your time?” he asked curiously.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. What kind of work do you do here?”

  “Work.” He chuckled. “Honey, no one’s gonna hire a half-breed for any kind of decent job. Oh, I could empty spittoons in one of the saloons, or sweep the livery and muck the stalls.”

  “That’s terrible. So, how did you earn a living?” She asked the question, not certain she wanted to hear his answer.

  “Playing poker.”

  “Oh, so you’re a gambler. They have gamblers in my time.” Lots of them, she thought. They played in Vegas and Tahoe, there were tournaments on one of the cable channels. Of course, she didn’t know if the kind of poker they played in her time was the same as what they played in the Old West, but how different could it be? “So, what do you say?”

  Gray shrugged. “We can try tomorrow, if it’ll make you happy,” he said, slipping his arm around her shoulders. “But for now, I’ve got other things on my mind.”

  “Oh, you do, do you?”

  “You got any objections?”

  His hand slid up and dow
n her back, sending shivers of anticipation along her spine. “What do you think?” It was crazy, she thought, crazy that she had fallen for Gray so hard, so fast. They had nothing in common, and yet she felt as if she had come home, as if she had been looking for him all her life without knowing it.

  Gray gazed deep into her eyes, warming her through and through. “I’m glad you got lost,” he said, brushing a kiss across her jaw. “Glad that Relámpago found you and brought you here.”

  “Me, too,” she murmured as Gray drew her closer. “Me, too.”

  He undressed her slowly, each kiss and caress evoked sensations she had never known before. She lost herself in the touch of his lips, the stroke of his hands, the husky timbre of his voice as he whispered love words in her ear.

  Never had she felt so loved, so cherished. She watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he quickly shed his own clothes, then lowered his body over hers. She gazed up at him, thinking she had never seen anything more beautiful than Gray silhouetted against a blanket of stars.

  She whispered his name as his body melded with hers. Whatever the future held, she knew she would forever remember this man, and this moment.

  * * * * *

  Bonnie woke with a start, wondering what had roused her from sleep, and found the answer on the other end of the rifle pointed at Gray’s head.

  The bounty hunter had found them.

  The man in the frock coat tossed a pair of handcuffs at Gray. “Put those on, real slow.”

  A muscle ticked in Gray’s jaw as he picked up the cuffs and locked them in place.

  “Get up, real easy,” the hunter said. “I’ve saddled your horses. Mount up.”

  Bonnie did as she was told, ever aware of the long rifle in the bounty hunter’s hands. She knew, as sure as she knew her own name, that he would kill her and Gray without turning a hair. His next words confirmed her worst fears.

  “The flyer says dead or alive. Dead’s easier.”

  Gray nodded curtly. He glanced briefly at Bonnie, then grabbed the saddle horn in his cuffed hands and swung up onto the bay’s back.

  Bonnie took up Relámpago’s reins and pulled herself into the saddle.

  The bounty hunter threw a loop over the bay’s neck and secured it to the pommel of his saddle. After sliding the rifle into the saddle boot, he mounted his horse and moved out, heading west.

  Bonnie and the stallion trailed behind. She had the distinct feeling that the bounty hunter didn’t care if she followed or not.

  They rode without stopping for hours. Gray had always taken time to rest the horses and give her a chance to stretch her legs, get a drink, and take care of nature’s call. After six hours, she decided the hunter was a robot or something. He didn’t seem to need to rest, or eat, or relieve himself. He just kept going, like the Energizer Bunny.

  She would have stopped but she knew he wouldn’t wait for her.

  It was late afternoon before he halted alongside a narrow stream to let the horses drink.

  With a groan, Bonnie slid off Relámpago’s back. Hoping her legs, which felt like rubber, would hold her, she staggered toward the stream and buried her face in the cool water. Never had anything tasted so good!

  When Gray started to dismount, the hunter said, “Stay put, ‘breed.”

  Bonnie looked up at Gray; then, keenly aware of the hunter’s cold brown eyes watching her every move, she plucked the canteen from Gray’s saddle horn, carried it to the stream and filled it with water, then carried it back to Gray.

  He took it from her with a faint smile.

  She stared up at him as he drank. How could he look so calm, so unconcerned? Surely he realized the danger they were in.

  “Mount up, woman,” the hunter growled. “We’re leavin’.” He didn’t wait to see if she complied. Swinging into the saddle, he clucked to his horse.

  Bonnie took a moment to relieve herself, then quickly pulled herself onto Relámpago’s back and hurried after Gray.

  Her back and shoulders were aching by the time the hunter decided to make camp several hours later. She groaned as she dismounted. She was so stiff and sore, she was certain she would never walk normally again.

  “Undo his cuffs,” the hunter said, handing Bonnie the key. With his rifle trained on Gray, he then ordered her to cuff Gray’s hands behind his back. When that was done, the hunter lashed Gray’s ankles together and secured the rope to a tree. After that he unsaddled the horses and turned them out to graze.

  It soon became obvious to Bonnie that the hunter had no intention of feeding her or Gray. Again conscious that the hunter was watching her, she rummaged in Gray’s saddlebags and pulled out several pieces of jerky and a can of peaches. She stared at the can, wondering how she was supposed to open it without a can opener.

  Setting it aside, she went to sit beside Gray. “Here,” she said, and held the jerky to his lips. He hesitated a moment and she knew he was embarrassed at having to be fed. “I know you’re hungry,” she said, “I can hear your stomach growling.”

  He glared at her, but took a bite.

  Bonnie looked up, startled when the hunter thrust the can of peaches at her.

  She muttered, “thank you,” as she took it from his hand, surprised to note the fork jutting from the can.

  It wasn’t the best meal she had ever eaten, but she was grateful for it. She offered Gray a drink from the canteen and then quenched her own thirst. Setting the canteen aside, she spread their blankets on the ground, then stretched out beside Gray.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this,” he whispered.

  “Where’s he taking us?”

  “Probably back to Lead to collect the reward. Reckon he’ll stay for the hanging?”

  “Gray, don’t talk like that.”

  “Sorry. Get some sleep. Gonna be another long day in the saddle tomorrow.”

  Bonnie kissed his cheek, then closed her eyes, wondering how Gray was going to get any rest with his arms bound behind him. But that was the least of his problems. Somehow, they had to get away from the hunter.

  She was on the brink of sleep when an idea formed in her mind. Relámpago, she thought. Somehow, she had to get Gray on the stallion’s back and hope that Relámpago would carry Gray away from danger. Where that would leave her, she had no idea.

  Chapter 8

  Bonnie groaned. She had thought yesterday’s journey had been difficult, but today was even worse. Again, the bounty hunter pushed them hard, stopping only once to rest the horses and let them drink. As if suspecting they might try to escape, the hunter kept his hand on the rifle and a wary eye on Gray.

  Bonnie was a nervous wreck when they made camp for the night. Time was running out. Gray had told her they would reach Lead sometime tomorrow.

  Later, lying beside Gray, Bonnie wondered when the bounty hunter slept. She hadn’t slept well the night before. Every time she woke, the hunter had been awake, sitting by the fire, his rifle across his knees.

  He was sitting there now, staring into the fire.

  She stared at him for a long time. He never moved. Was he asleep? Was it possible to sleep sitting up?

  Heart-pounding, she sat up slowly.

  The hunter didn’t move.

  She took a deep breath. If he said anything, she would say she had to relieve herself.

  “Bonnie.” Gray’s whisper stopped her in her tracks. “Where are you going?”

  “Shh.”

  On tiptoe, she moved into the darkness searching for a rock or a tree branch. Just when she was losing hope, she found a good-sized rock. Taking a deep breath, she picked it up. Now, for the hard part. She’d never done violence in her life. Step by slow step, she crept up behind the hunter. Lifted her arm. And brought the rock down on his head.

  He toppled sideways without a sound.

  With hands that trembled, she reached into his pocket for the handcuff key, then hurried back to Gray.

  “You damn fool,” he hissed.

  “Shut up and hold still.”

&nbs
p; “I am holding still. You’re the one shaking.”

  It took three tries before she managed to get the key in the lock. As soon as his hands were free, Gray untied his ankles and stood. “Get the horses. I’ll get the rifle.”

  With a nod, she picked up the bridles and hurried to where the horses were gathered.

  She had just slipped the bridle over Relámpago’s head when a shot rang out. A moment later, Gray was beside her. Wordlessly, he vaulted onto the stallion’s bare back, hauled her up behind him, and slammed his heels into the stallion’s sides.

  With a snort, the stallion broke into a run as another shot rang out in the night.

  Bonnie glanced over her shoulder. The bay mare, the colt, and the hunter’s horse were strung out behind them. In the faint light of the camp fire, she saw the hunter sighting down the barrel of the rifle.

  “Hurry!”

  She buried her face in Gray’s back, flinched as another gunshot broke the stillness of the night.

  When she risked another glance over her shoulder, all she saw was darkness.

  “We made it.” She pressed her cheek against Gray’s back as relief flowed through her. “Gray, we made it.”

  He grunted softly. It was then she felt the wetness seeping through his shirt beneath her hand. “Gray? Is that…are you bleeding?”

  “Yeah. He got me…with that last shot.”

  She went cold all over. Gray had been shot and they were miles from help of any kind.

  Why wasn’t he stopping? They had to…to…do something about the bleeding. What, she didn’t know.

  She wrapped her arms tighter around Gray as he slumped over the stallion’s neck.

  “Relámpago!” she hollered. “Whoa!” She clung to Gray, certain he’d break his neck if he fell off when the horse was going so fast.

  Thunder echoed overhead and she glanced upward. The sky, clear just a moment ago, was suddenly dark, shutting out both moon and stars. A brisk wind sprang up. A bolt of lightning split the night, triggering a memory of another night. Only it had been raining then.

  She closed her eyes, her arms tight around Gray. “Home, Relámpago.” She whispered the words like a prayer. “Please take us home.”