The next thing Jude heard paralyzed him with fear. It was the sound of the stagecoach door squeaking open and Callie’s voice calling out.
“What’s going on?” she asked in a tentative voice.
Jude’s heart raced. This can’t be happening. Didn’t she know not to call attention to herself? His gaze didn’t leave the bandit’s face, but he saw Callie out of the corner of his eye stepping down from the coach. “Get your ass back inside,” he ordered. Jude knew what a man with loose morals might do with a vulnerable girl like Callie. If Jude got himself shot, he wouldn’t be able to protect her. Anger over that realization coursed through his veins. The girl had been mistreated her whole life, and Jude wanted nothing more than to see to her safety. At the moment, however, his ability to protect her was severely compromised.
“That’s my friend you’re pointing your gun at, JJ,” Callie said, fear and anger in her voice.
Of all the things Jude might’ve thought she’d say, that would have been low on his list of possibilities. Jude and the bandit continued to stare at each other. The bandit’s face contorted into a confused expression that mirrored his own feelings. A moment of confused silence hung between the men before the agent broke it.
“Callie?” the bandit said without looking at her. “Tell me that’s not you.”
“In the flesh,” she snapped, “and like I said, that’s my friend. You’d better not shoot him. I’d never forgive you.”
Jude’s confusion only deepened, but the bandit’s seemed to end. He groaned. “I can’t very well put down my weapon until your friend and his guard do. You make that happen, Miss Callie, and I’ll leave your party in peace.”
None of the men made any move to relieve themselves of their guns. “Well, Jude?” Callie said. “You heard him. Put down your weapon. He won’t rob us.”
How did Callie know this man? And how were they on what appeared to be friendly terms? Jude knew those questions would have to wait. He didn’t see a better way out of the situation, so he lowered his gun and set it next to him with a silent prayer that he was making the right choice. After a slight hesitation, Billy did the same.
True to his word, the bandit shucked his Remington. “I’ll be leaving then, and y’all can thank the little lady for escaping today with your tin and tricks. You’re lucky I owe her a favor.” He moved his horse forward. “Didn’t think I’d see you again, Callie.”
“Me neither. Don’t you ride with a gang these days, JJ?”
He nodded once. “When I have to. But I heard tell there wasn’t a guard on this here coach and thought a holdup would be as easy as lickin’ butter off a knife. Didn’t reckon it’d be carrying the best gunslinger since Wild Bill, or I’d’ve brought all the boys.” With that, he laughed, neck-reined his horse, and galloped away.
Jude stared at the cloud of dust the agent left in his wake, still trying to understand what had just happened. The rest of the group seemed just as stunned, save for Callie who walked over and stood below where Jude sat. Her soft touch on his leg caused him to look down at her.
“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Big, concerned green eyes locked with his.
He still felt too flummoxed to find the right words to form the right questions. He removed his Stetson from his head and his bandana from his pocket. Wiping his brow and neck soaked the material with his sweat.
“He’s not the worst man I’ve ever known, but I know for a fact he’s dangerous,” Callie said. “I was so scared. I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
Her wavering voice brought Jude to his senses. He swung down and collected Callie into his arms. She lay her cheek against his chest, and he ran his hand over her head down her wild blond hair.
“Jesse James?” he inquired quietly, for her ears only.
She nodded and he gave her a squeeze. “You saved us all from being robbed or turned to buzzard food. I can’t thank you enough, darlin’.”
She lifted her head from his chest and looked up with a smile. He returned the smile and felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to kiss her. Her eyes sparkled, and her lips looked full and sweet. She might as well have begged him for a kiss, looking up at him like that.
Then the moment of fear he’d felt when he heard her voice after she opened the coach flashed through his memory, causing his smile to vanish. “If that bandit was a stranger, you wouldn’t have left the coach, right?”
She shrugged and broke eye contact. “I don’t know. If I thought I could help, I might’ve.”
“Wrong answer,” he said, raising his voice. “That was an unusual circumstance, and I can’t say you did anything wrong. If God forbid this happens again, you will stay put and not call attention to yourself. Is that clear?” His voice had raised to a near bellow, and his hands tightened around her back. He stared hard into her face, and he could see her every emotion cross it, starting with surprise, then rebellion and annoyance, followed finally by submission to his will. This last expression on her face relieved him greatly, but he still insisted she speak.
“I asked you a question, Callie.”
She swallowed and nodded. “It’s clear, Jude. I will stay put.”
“What happens if you disobey me?” His voice was stern, and he felt a twinge of guilt for speaking to her so sternly after she’d gotten him out of hot water, but the thought of her putting herself in harm’s way compelled him to drive the point home.
Her eyes widened and she studied him, likely surprised that he was speaking to her this way also after the large favor. She opened her mouth. “I-I get…”
“You get what?” he growled, taking her chin in his hand firmly and forcing her to keep focus on his face.
“P-punished.”
“That’s right, and how will I punish you?” He knew she felt embarrassed and uncomfortable, but he didn’t care. In fact, that was all the better if it would prevent her from putting herself in danger in the future.
“You’ll spank me,” she said in a whisper. Pink stained her cheeks, and she blinked her wide eyes rapidly.
Satisfied, he nodded and released her chin. “That’s correct, and don’t you forget it.” He walked to the coach, where he opened the door and peered in. “You folks all right?”
The two women were fanning themselves, and the senator appeared white as a ghost. “We’re fine,” Annie said in a shaking voice. “Is Billy…?”
“I’m fine too,” Billy said, appearing next to Jude. Annie let out a whimper of relief upon seeing her husband. Jude left them to their joyful reunion, announcing that they would be on their way in five minutes and Callie would be joining him in the box. He winked at her and was pleased to see her face break into a smile once again.
When they resumed their journey, Jude handed Callie his revolver, which she held in her lap as she watched for trouble.
Jude had a lot of questions. “How did you come to know Jesse James? I can’t picture him visiting orphans’ homes in between robbing banks and murdering people.”
“I snuck out of the home a lot, one of the reasons I got locked in the closet as often as I did. I met Jesse James outside the saloon a couple years back.”
Jude felt a spark of anger at the reminder that she’d often been locked in a closet without food and water. He hated the thought of her scared and alone. He also hated the thought of her wandering the streets without supervision. “Do I want to know what you were doing outside of a saloon?”
She looked at him with her wide, innocent eyes, which made his heart ache. “I went there to ask Sam for food when I was hungry. He was at the saloon most nights after his long days of rounding cattle.”
“I see.” The wind was picking up, causing dust to cloud around them. Jude handed Callie a clean bandana from his trousers’ pocket. She wrapped the blue material around her nose and mouth. Raising her voice to continue her story, she said, “One day I went to the saloon looking for Sam, and Jesse James called to me from a hiding spot behind a barrel in the alley next to
it. Of course, I didn’t know it was him at the time. He said he was real hungry and asked me to fetch him some vittles. Well, I know what it’s like to be hungry and in trouble, so I didn’t ask questions about why he was hiding. When Sam gave me food that day, I shared it with JJ.”
Jude slowed the horses to a walk as they traveled over semi-rough terrain. The wheels beneath them rattled, and the jolting added misery to an already miserable stretch of dust and wind.
“When I delivered the food, he told me he couldn’t repay me with money,” Callie continued, “but he said if I was interested in learning how to shoot, he would show me. So that’s how he paid his debt. He gave me shooting lessons and told me I was a quick study.”
Jude let out a low whistle. “I can’t believe he admitted to you that he was Jesse James. Seems risky.”
“Oh, he didn’t tell me,” Callie explained. “He told me to call him JJ. It was only after he was long gone that I saw a wanted poster with his photograph and put two and two together.”
“Ah, that makes more sense.”
The two of them fell into silence. He replayed the events of the day in his head and lingered on Callie’s explanation of the circumstances surrounding her acquaintance with Jesse James. He had a hard time getting the thought of Callie hungry and thirsty in a dark closet out of his mind, and he also struggled to push out the image of her wandering the streets alone. These thoughts caused a powerful feeling to brew in his chest that he’d never known before. It felt similar to anger—certainly as strong as that—but unlike anger it also felt painfully tender.
Later, when they’d stopped at a swing station to sleep for the night, Jude unrolled his blanket next to Callie’s. When it became dark and he heard her whimper, he understood where her fear came from. Without hesitation or concern for propriety, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek. “You’re not in a closet, darlin’. I’ve got you.” He felt her body soften and relax against his. Lying there with the girl in his arms, he realized what he was feeling toward her. It could only be one thing, and it wasn’t something he could easily ignore.
God dammit, Jude, he said to himself as he breathed in the floral, musky aroma of her hair. Why’d you have to go and fall in love like a damn fool?
Chapter Eight: Sweet on You
Callie woke up several times during the night. Feeling a man’s arms around her was new to her, and it felt so pleasant that she didn’t want to miss it by sleeping. Better than pleasant, she felt safe while she lay in Jude’s arms listening to his snoring, which provided a steady reminder that she was not alone. Her body felt alive. A churning in her nether regions ignited her imagination. She imagined Jude stroking her body, especially the ache between her legs that seemed to grow stronger as the night went on.
When morning came, she opened her eyes to find Jude rolling his blanket next to her. Seeing that she was awake, he smiled. “How’d you sleep?”
“Very well,” she lied, yawning and sitting up.
She shyly watched him button his shirt and slide his belt around his waist. She found herself wondering if Albert was handsome like Jude. This had never concerned her before. She then felt guilty for having unwholesome thoughts about Jude. Soon she and Albert would be married, and Jude would be driving his stagecoach a thousand miles away. It wasn’t right for her to feel for Jude the feelings she was meant to have for Albert.
She shook off her amorous thoughts. “You snore really loud, you know,” Callie informed him as she stood and gathered the end of the blanket into her hands. She smirked at him as she rolled the material.
He regarded her for some time with a serious expression. She couldn’t find a trace of amusement in his features. Crossing his arms, he said, “You snore also. In fact, before last night, I’d have wagered it wasn’t possible for such loud noises to come from such a small woman.”
Callie gasped, mortified. She felt warmth blooming over her cheeks and around her ears. “I do not!”
Jude’s lips twitched and she saw the twinkle in his eye. He knew he’d embarrassed her and didn’t hesitate to continue. “I woke up in the middle of the night, and for a moment I thought I’d wandered into a bear’s cave.”
She dropped her bedroll and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re pulling my leg.” Whether or not it was true, he had managed to embarrass her as she had tried to do to him, and she didn’t like the change of events. A growl of frustration reverberated in her throat, causing Jude to laugh.
“It sounded just like that, only quite a bit louder,” he told her.
“I hate you,” she said, and stomped her foot.
“No, you don’t,” he replied, still laughing. He strode to the door. Before he walked outside, he half-turned and said casually, “I’m getting sore on you saying you hate me. Say it again, and I’ll turn you over my knee, bare your bottom, and give you a very hard spanking. I’ve warned you about lying.”
Callie flushed even more imagining Jude loosening her drawers and revealing her most intimate places to his eyes and touch. She couldn’t think of a smart retort, or even a dumb one, so she only stared at him. He seemed to know the effect his threat had on her because he gave her a knowing look and a devilish wink before he left the cabin.
When they were all set to leave, Callie sat in the box seat once again. Jude seemed different during the next stretch. He didn’t make much conversation with her but would often inquire into her comfort and health. Callie felt perfectly fine, but Jude thought she looked feverish, so he insisted that she drink half a canteen of water. She grumbled about it, but it was of no use arguing with him. Jude was a stubborn man. She felt so full of the liquid afterwards that she thought she would burst, and soon she needed to relieve herself. Jude pulled the team to a halt and stepped off the coach as she did. He made like he would follow her until Callie spun around and growled at him, “I don’t need help pissing, Jude.”
His brows lifted and he folded his arms. “First of all, that language is unbecoming of a lady. Second, I don’t like you walking to where I can’t see you. There are coyotes, Indians, and bandits around these parts.”
She groaned. “None of which care to see me relieving myself, I imagine. I need privacy.”
Jude’s lips quirked up for a moment, but then he sobered and rubbed a hand along his beard in the gesture Callie now recognized as a sign that he was thinking. “If you don’t want me along, I’ll ask Annie to go with you.”
Callie opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “It’s either me or her.”
When she didn’t say anything, he pivoted and walked over to where the passengers were assembled, stretching out the soreness from the first few hours of the journey.
“Annie, do me a favor and join Callie, if you please. I don’t want her off by herself in these parts.”
“Sure thing,” Annie said. She flapped the fan in front of her face and walked toward Callie wearing a warm smile.
Callie smiled upon seeing her friendly expression. She felt bad about annoying Annie and Billy with her humming a few days back, and had made efforts to talk with them. To her surprise and relief, it was just as Jude had told her. When she started treating them respectfully, they responded in kind. Annie and Callie hiked about twenty paces away from the rest of the party and Annie stayed near while Callie rounded a bush to achieve some semblance of privacy.
“You know he’s sweet on you, right?” Annie said when Callie had finished.
Callie smoothed her skirt down. “Who?” she asked, surprised by the comment.
“The driver, of course, dear. Haven’t you noticed the way he looks after you? He’s had a soft spot for you ever since the beginning of the journey, and now he might very well be wanting to escort you to the chapel.”
Callie felt shocked by Annie’s assertion. She hadn’t considered that Jude might be struggling with the same feelings for her as she shamefully felt toward him. She inhaled sharply. “That can’t be. I’m engaged to another, and Jude is very principled.”
Annie flapped the fan in front of her face. “That makes no difference. He may not act on his feelings because of that, but the fact remains that he’s mighty smitten with you.”
Callie shook her head, not believing what the older woman was saying. “I know he likes me all right, but he’s always bossing me around and lecturing me about needing to behave. I frustrate him.”
Annie threw back her head and laughed. “That’s just more proof that he’s in love with you, ducky. Don’t you know that men are frustrated by the women they love? You frustrate him because he wants to hug and kiss you. He bosses you around because he wants to take care of you. Plus, men tend to be bossy, especially men like him.” She jutted a thumb in his direction. “He’s used to being in charge. Then here you come, a lady who challenges him, and he’s all balled up by it. You’re one of a kind, and you done tickled his fancy something fierce.”
Callie looked into the distance where Jude stood, still unconvinced that Annie knew what she was talking about. If she was right, Callie didn’t know what was to be done about it.
Annie seemed to notice her consternation. She wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders and directed her back to the coach. “Don’t fret about it. You didn’t do anything wrong, you were only yourself. If you weren’t already engaged, I might suggest you open yourself up to courtship—the driver seems a good man, and he makes an honest living—but as it stands, he’ll just have to find himself another woman.”
Callie nodded and allowed Annie to lead her back. When they reached the coach, Annie gave her hand a squeeze and returned to her seat next to Billy, while Callie stared at Jude. He set the hoof of one of the rear horses down—he always checked the horses’ feet for debris when they stopped—and observed Callie, who then realized she was gaping at him. She cleared her throat and looked away.
“You all right?”
Corralling Callie Page 7
