The Bounty

by Beth Williamson

  “We sure do get ourselves all twisted up, don’t we?” He paused. “Nicky, about what you heard yesterday. You know I was trying to protect you, don’t you? He recognized you, magpie.” His voice was thick as he stared into her eyes in the growing darkness. “I didn’t want him to go after the law or, God forbid, try and take you in himself. I didn’t know him well enough to figure out what he’d do.”

  Nicky mutely stared up into his darkened face. Was he really telling the truth, or trying to keep her on a short leash? Did he? Didn’t he?

  “Let’s go.” He dropped his hands from her waist and started toward the house.

  Nicky followed, watching as his long legs carried him up the six steps to the front porch. In the darkening twilight, he was a foreboding figure. He turned to look at her questioningly. Without a word, she followed him up the steps, willing her heartbeat to slow down. Now was not the time to get cow-eyed over the man who considered her a commodity, not a partner.

  I am a bounty, nothing more.

  Tyler raised his hand and knocked on the door. As they waited, the silence was markedly uncomfortable between them. Tyler turned and looked at Nicky. She was startled to see the depth of his exhaustion in the purple rings that seemed to be permanently fixed under his eyes, which she was sure mirrored her own. Neither one of them had slept much since he’d captured her, but it was more than lack of sleep, so much more.

  A tiny woman with nearly white-blonde hair, who looked to be Nicky’s age, timidly opened the door. She eyed the two of them warily through the small crack with enormous gray eyes fringed by layers of dark blonde lashes. She looked like a beautiful doll.

  “Yes?”

  Nicky pulled off her hat, letting her curls loose. “Rebecca, it’s me, Nicky.”

  Instantly, the wariness vanished from her face, and pure joy replaced it. She flung the door open and stepped forward to embrace Nicky. The petite blonde was wearing a lavender confection of a dress with ruffles and lace.

  “Oh, Nicky, I’m so glad to see you. It’s been so long.” She stepped back to gaze at her friend and raised one blonde eyebrow when she spotted the sling. “Please, come in.”

  She glanced at Tyler suspiciously, then turned to Nicky with questioning eyes.

  “It’s okay,” she hesitated. “This is my husband, Tyler.”

  Rebecca’s eyebrows rose in surprise at Nicky’s unexpected nuptials, but grinned at both of them as she ushered them inside. “My, you are tall. I’m going to get a crick in my neck looking at you.”

  Tyler grinned down at her and tipped his hat.

  “Belinda,” she called. “Come down. We have guests.”

  After an equally petite brunette wearing a yellow dress made her way down the narrow staircase, Nicky hugged her, too. Tears stood in the three women’s eyes as they held hands. They had shared something ordinary people don’t, a bond that would last the rest of their lives.

  “It’s so good to see you, Nicky,” Rebecca murmured.

  “You, too,” said Nicky huskily. “I can’t believe it’s been six months.”

  “Too long,” Belinda chimed in.

  After another careful hug, the three finally let go of each other.

  Nicky, Tyler, and Rebecca went into the parlor, while Belinda went to make coffee. Tyler’s massive size dwarfed the room and his hostesses. While Nicky was tall, these two were just barely over five feet, and Tyler looked like a giant. He smiled at Rebecca as he sat on the settee next to Nicky. She sat stiff-backed, her eyes narrowed at her husband without acknowledging that what she was feeling was jealousy. He scowled at her. She scowled right back.

  “So Nicky, what brings you to us?” Rebecca questioned.

  “I need your help,” Nicky said.

  “Of course. Anything.” Rebecca’s gray eyes reflected concern as she reached out to cover Nicky’s hand with her own.

  Tyler broke in before Nicky could speak. “I want to know what you can tell me about Owen Hoffman.”

  Rebecca jumped as though she’d been bitten. One hand fluttered like a small bird to her mouth as the color drained from her face. “Hasn’t Nicky told you?” Her voice was barely audible.

  “Yes, ma’am, she has, but I need to hear it from you and your sister,” Tyler replied, gentling his voice.

  “Belinda’s my cousin, but we’re as close as sisters.” Rebecca’s eyes were wide, her voice jumpy.

  “Just tell me what you can remember.”

  “Please, Rebecca, I need you to tell him everything,” Nicky pleaded softly.

  Rebecca nodded, then took a deep breath and slowly began to tell her heartwrenching tale. She told of being on holiday in San Francisco with her family, and taking a walk with her cousin, Belinda. They were kidnapped, bound, and gagged. Before they knew it, they were in some seedy place in the Barbary Coast, the drinking and gambling pit of the city. The boy, Jacob, had been there when they arrived. Rebecca thought that perhaps his family had sold him for money. Her voice cracked occasionally as she spoke. Nicky felt the bile rising in her throat anew at the horrors the two women and the boy endured, that were forced upon them by their kidnappers.

  Belinda came in with a tray of coffee that Nicky took from her shaking hands. Dismay was evident on her delicate face as she was forced to relive the ordeal through her cousin’s retelling, but she sat next to Rebecca and held her hand tightly. They looked like two frightened birds in their brightly colored dresses and matching gray eyes. Belinda began to add her own observations to the story. A rancher purchased the three of them within a few days, and they were transported to Wyoming in a carriage with blackened curtains, bound hand and foot.

  They had been in Owen’s root cellar for two weeks when Logan and Nicky found them. The twins had saved them from more savage humiliation at the hands of the rich man. Nicky cursed silently as her hands itched to curl themselves around that perverted son of a bitch’s fat throat.

  “When we returned to North Platte, we vowed that we’d never reveal the details of this nightmare. Poor Jacob, when we arrived here, he couldn’t… Well, the first time Nicky came to us, he thought she was there to bring him back to Wyoming, back to that place. It wasn’t Nicky’s fault, mind you. He just didn’t understand no matter how many times we tried to explain it to him. But how could he possibly understand? He was a child. He just couldn’t go on, so he, well, he decided to end it in his own way.”

  Nicky squeezed her eyes shut as the memory of finding Jacob hanging from the attic rafter flashed vividly in her memory. Another person dead because of her. So much pain, so much suffering, so much guilt. Tyler reached over and laced his fingers with hers. Nicky opened her eyes and stared at their intertwined hands.

  Rebecca continued. “We were able to go on as spinsters, and open our own seamstress shop. To this day, we haven’t told a soul of our experience. And the only reason I did it today was because Nicky asked. Without her and her brother as our guardian angels, we wouldn’t be alive today.”

  ———

  Tyler had carefully studied the two women while they spoke. He trusted his gut instincts when it came to people. Still…there was always doubt when Tyler was forced to trust someone, anyone, even his wife.

  Rebecca must have sensed Tyler’s disbelief as his blue eyes probed her and her cousin. She stood, her spine nearly snapping as she straightened, and walked over to him. She rolled back the sleeves of her pretty lavender dress, exposing deep, ugly scars on her wrists and arms.

  “You can’t be bound for weeks and not have any marks,” she whispered, conveying to him that her scars only began at skin level. Those buried within her heart and soul would probably never heal completely. Her shaky hands pulled the sleeves back down as she sat next to an equally pale Belinda.

  “You didn’t believe Nicky,” Rebecca stated.

  Tyler didn’t respond, but he inwardly winced at her honesty. God Almighty, how did he get saddled with such point-blank women? Nicky slowly withdrew her hand from his as her friend spoke the bruta
l truth out loud. He didn’t believe her or trust her. How could she possibly think he loved her?

  “You thought her an outlaw and who knows what else…you didn’t believe her, but you married her?” Rebecca’s incredulous voice swept over him along with a wave of shame. She studied him with shrewd eyes.

  Nicky cleared her throat, breaking the tension momentarily.

  “Actually, we started off at odds. Tyler is a bounty hunter hired by Owen to bring me back to Wyoming,” she said, voice low.

  Startled gasps from Rebecca and Belinda met her statement. Belinda looked about ready to faint. Rebecca looked like she wanted to find the nearest skillet and backhand his head.

  “He married me to save me some embarrassment, and so I didn’t have to spend any more nights in a jail cell.” Nicky looked at Tyler with her own unreadable expression. “Somewhere along the way, we stopped being enemies, and started being…friends.”

  “Any more nights in jail?” Rebecca repeated, with a delicate lady’s snort. “Just what in the name of all that’s holy is going on here?”

  Tyler didn’t respond to his wife’s look. He didn’t think he could, so he stared at the pretty patterned carpet beneath his dusty boots. Somehow, these two women had convinced him that Nicky’s version of her brother’s death was true. Logan had given his life for these three women and one innocent boy.

  How could she call him her friend after he did all he could not to believe her? And still, she was with him. He shook his head slowly.

  “How did you hurt your arm, Nicky? And your face. It looks like you’ve been fighting,” Belinda said.

  “Horse threw me,” she answered lightly. Tyler heard the undertone of tension in her voice. “I wasn’t looking where I was going and found a gopher hole. And, ah, my face, well, we had a little trouble along the way.”

  Tyler nearly snorted at her description of a “little trouble”. He had to do something for her. She deserved to be free. He didn’t know how to make up for his words to the rancher that had cut her so deeply. He just didn’t know what to do. Dammit, how am I going to fix this? It was easier this way, he told himself. She hated him already, so when he left her in a few days time, it wouldn’t be as hard on her. He kept trying to make that thought stick, but all he could remember was the pain in her beautiful face when she heard him call her a bounty—nothing more than money in the bank.

  But he could help clear her name. And dammit, that’s what he was going to do. He could give her back her life, even if she lived it without him.

  ———

  Tyler crouched down on one knee in front of the two cousins, holding his hat in his hands like a penitent speaking to his preacher. Nicky couldn’t help but notice the appreciative looks Rebecca and Belinda gave his handsome face and form, even if Rebecca was shooting daggers out of the other side of her face. Nicky’s stomach lurched with the unknown feelings of jealousy. Both of them were far prettier and feminine than she. She was dismayed to remember that she was a tall, gangly thing, with arms that were too long, callused hands, cursed curls that wouldn’t behave, and ugly freckles splashed across her face. What man would look at her and her beautiful friends in the same way? None, she answered herself. Why, she even smelled like a horse.

  “You ladies have to repay the favor to Nicky. You’ll have to come back to Wyoming with us and clear her name.”

  The room was deathly silent after Tyler’s proclamation. The night songs of the crickets could be heard faintly through the closed window. Nicky stared at Tyler with her mouth unhinged. Rebecca narrowed her eyes, and Belinda shrank back a little bit further into the settee.

  “I’ll guarantee your safety, ladies. Nothing will happen to you.” Tyler’s voice was firm and sincere. “If you tell your story, and Nicky tells hers, she might be a free woman. Otherwise, she’ll have to spend the rest of her life with men like me chasing her.”

  Nicky was both angry and elated. She was angry at Tyler’s obvious manipulation of her friends, and elated that she might, just might, be free. Free to have a life with Tyler, to have children of her own, to stop running and hiding, to see her family again. Oh, Jesus, if he was wrong, and took that away from her, the devastation would be more than she could bear. Should she hope for it, or not believe it at all and save herself the pain later?

  Rebecca sighed heavily, then looked at Belinda. After a moment, she turned to Tyler and nodded. “For Nicky, we would do anything. We owe her more than we can ever repay her in a lifetime.”

  He smiled broadly. Nicky knew the power of that smile, and it wasn’t lost on the cousins either. She curled her hand into a fist. How could he shamelessly charm them? What did she mean to him? An obligation to be fulfilled? A bounty to retrieve? If they returned, and the sheriff didn’t believe her, he’d still get his reward. She decided not to plan on hoping for the best, it was safer that way. She couldn’t count on life being rosy for her, ever.

  A coldness settled over her like a blanket as she watched Tyler discuss the travel arrangements with Rebecca and Belinda. No matter what happened, Tyler would be covered.

  ———

  That night, as Nicky was finishing up her bath, Rebecca asked her quietly if she and Tyler needed separate bedrooms. She must have sensed the tension between them, and didn’t know what to make of it. They obviously had feelings for one another, but the situation they were in was precarious at best. Nicky paused a moment, and then shook her head with a grimace.

  “No, better put us in one. He barely lets his prisoner out of his sight.”

  Rebecca looked shocked at Nicky’s words. “Prisoner? Pshaw, Nicky, he’s doing all he can to help get your good name back, and you think he still thinks of you as his prisoner? Every time I see him look at you, his eyes get soft and…dreamy. I daresay that man loves you.”

  A ray of hope shone briefly into her soul, but she shut the door before it could sneak in any further. Although she wanted to believe Rebecca with every bit of heart she had left, Tyler was not likely to ever look dreamy, especially about her. And his cruel words to the rancher just proved he was after one thing only. The bounty.

  Deep down inside where the most fragile part of her heart lived, she was confused and a little lost. Why did he want to clear her name? Did he really want a future with her? Or was he just using her?

  “One room, Rebecca.”

  “Okay, Nicky, but mark my words, that man is in love.”

  After she helped Nicky slip into a nightgown over the splint, Rebecca led her upstairs to a comfortable guestroom. She crawled into bed, promising her friend she’d see a doctor in the morning to check her arm. The nightdress was so soft it felt almost unreal. She could hardly even remember what one felt like up until now. Her life had held nothing soft for more than three years. Her burning eyes closed with unshed tears as Rebecca left the room quietly. Her last thoughts before slipping into unconsciousness were of Tyler’s smile, his touch, his kiss.

  ———

  Rebecca found him on the porch, cleaning his rifle with ruthless fastidiousness.

  “Mr. Calhoun? Your room is up the stairs, second door on the right. Nicky’s already in bed. Poor thing was completely exhausted.”

  Tyler stopped his task, ready to be berated by yet another female bent on changing his life. He could almost hear her thoughts ready to bust out and smack him.

  “She insisted on one room. Said something about a prisoner not being out of your sight.”

  He thanked God it was dark or Rebecca was sure to see Tyler’s cheek color as he softly cursed. “She has every right to be angry and suspicious, ma’am. I haven’t given her reason not to be.”

  “At least you’re honest, Mr. Calhoun. I respect that in a person.” She softened her tone. “Sooner or later you’ll have to tell her that you love her.”

  Tyler cleared his throat. “Do I?”

  “Do you have to tell her, or do you love her?” Rebecca’s keen gaze watched him closely.

  “Do I have to tell her?” His voic
e was low, painful, almost a whisper.

  “Yes, you do. She needs to hear it.”

  “I’m not a man of flowery words, Miss Connor.”

  She sat beside him on the bench. “You don’t need flowery words, Mr. Calhoun. A woman needs to know her husband loves her.”

  “She’s the first person I’ve cared about in a long time,” he said as he stared out into the darkness. “But I’ve made too many mistakes already. I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, and I just can’t subject her to life as the wife of a bounty hunter. If you knew how many times she’s been in danger the last month, your hair would turn gray, and the minor ‘trouble’ was not minor. Jesus Christ, my pardon for that, she’s been hit by other men more than once this trip, and I couldn’t stop it. No, it’s no life for a woman even if I love her more than life itself. I’m just not good enough for her.”

  “She’s pretty tough. Resilient, too.”

  He shook his head. “Believe me I know, but I can’t stand the thought of her being in constant danger. There are men who would love to get their hands on me, just to torture me to death. If they got their hands on my wife, I’d go plumb loco.”

  “You’re not willing to make a new life with her then? Give up the bounty hunting for good?”

  “I would give it up in a second. In fact, I think I already have. But that doesn’t mean those men I’ve captured would. I’ve put quite a few of them behind bars, and they won’t be behind them forever.” He ran his hand down his face. “I couldn’t take the chance of losing her.”

  Rebecca frowned. “You’re going to lose her anyway if you continue on this path. Love means taking chances. If you don’t, you’ll live the rest of your life regretting it. She won’t accept anything less than all of you—heart, body, and soul. So you’d better think long and hard about your cowardice.”