*
Ruby lay beside Deke, her breathing slowly returning to normal, wondering what just happened. The first time they’d been together, it had been enjoyable, but this time there seemed to be so much more. This time Deke had touched her soul and left his mark on her heart.
He curled around her on the bed, pulling her tightly against him, his arms wrapped securely around her. And it felt like the most natural place for her to be in the world. Like she belonged beside him.
And yet, there had been no declarations of love or marriage or even next week. Nothing had been talked about. Just the urge to join, which they’d finally satisfied after all these years of dancing. But was their desire for each other really quenched? Or had they just awakened the beast of longing?
“Was it this good between you and Laura?” she asked out of the blue, wondering if this delicious gratification was only with Deke, unable to imagine she could feel this way with another man.
“No,” Deke said, his body tensing. “Laura was special and sweet. But you…you’re like jumping off a cliff, hoping there’s water below to soften the blow and then plunging into warmth until you climb back to the surface. Being with you is nothing like it was with Laura.”
Ruby frowned, trying to understand what about his marriage to Laura had prompted him to never marry again. “She loved you very much, didn’t she?”
“Yes,” he said reluctantly. “She was happy, and I did my best to keep her contented right up until the day she died.”
“It wasn’t your fault she died in childbirth,” Ruby said. “Lots of women die that way.”
It was hard for Ruby to conceive that Deke would never marry again just because his first wife had died in childbirth.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “It was my fault. A month before the baby was due, she asked me to stay home. I had one more bounty I wanted to catch. Then I wouldn’t leave until the baby was a couple of months old. I promised I’d be home before the baby was born.”
He sighed. “It took me a week longer than I’d planned to catch the criminal, and then he was only worth a hundred dollars. When I got home, she’d been in labor for two days, alone.”
Ruby tensed. “Why wasn’t someone with her?”
This was Ruby’s biggest fear—Annabelle somehow being left alone and going into labor. She’d been assured it could take hours, but what if Beau wasn’t there? What if Ruby or Meg weren’t there to help her? Ruby had promised Annabelle she wouldn’t miss the birth of her baby.
“We lived in her family home about a mile from town. Her mother and father had passed on, and her brother was killed years earlier. My mother, who I asked to watch over her, was ill and didn’t want to risk giving the illness to Laura. Why she didn’t send someone else, I don’t know. But Laura was alone for two days in labor. When I arrived, she was weak, barely conscious, and needing water. I was surprised she didn’t die that night.”
Ruby swallowed; she couldn’t imagine trying to have a baby alone. No wonder Deke felt so much anguish about the death of his wife. No wonder he felt so much guilt.
He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I just about killed my horse getting to the doctor. Then he took his sweet time arriving at the house. It was a mile. A mere mile out of town, and it took him two hours.”
A shiver of angst went rippling through Ruby. “Why?”
“He didn’t believe me that her labor was as far along as it was. So he stopped by to deliver some medicine. By the time he got to the house, I’d delivered the baby. He was stillborn…” His voice cracked. “The cord was wrapped around his tiny throat. Laura embraced him, and whatever strength she’d had left seemed to seep out with her tears. Together, we held our son and wept at his loss. Two hours later, I lost Laura as well. I lost my son and my wife because I chose one last bounty.”
“The doctor not arriving didn’t help,” Ruby said.
“No, but I should have been there.”
A tear trickled down Ruby’s face, and she quickly swiped it away. What could she say that would ease this man’s pain? Tension radiated from his body like the rays of the sun, though they were colder than a Montana blizzard.
“I know you, Deke Culver. You went on that last bounty to make certain you had earned enough money to take care of your family. You would never have knowingly left her alone.”
“No,” he said. “We didn’t need the money. I went on that last bounty thinking that was my last chance to hunt before I became saddled with a family. I wanted the thrill one more time, and it cost me everything.”
For a moment, she was silent. She loved the hunt just as much if not more than he did. Yet, now he wanted to raise horses and she wanted to continue hunting. He’d lost everything doing what he loved. Would she?
“I’m never getting married again because I’m not going to kill another woman with my selfishness. If I’d been home, Laura would be here today. This is my punishment.”
How could she respond to his grief? How could she explain to him he wasn’t entirely at fault? Yes, he should have returned home sooner, but his wife might have died even with him there.
“You don’t know that. You said yourself she was small boned. Maybe it was just her time to die,” Ruby said.
“Maybe, but she would have had a better chance if I’d been there.”
“You’re right. If there is ever a woman again who is expecting your child, then you’re there with her when it’s her time. But even then, there are no guarantees she’ll survive,” Ruby said, her heart aching. He’d made a terrible choice and paid a huge price.
A choice that affected any hope of Ruby having a future with this man because she was realizing that until Deke forgave himself for the terrible choices he’d made, he’d never be with another woman, including Ruby.
“No. I promised myself after Laura I would never get another woman pregnant.”
“Excuse me. I could be expecting a child at this very moment,” Ruby said.
He sighed. “You were the exception. I’m praying we’re safe, but I couldn’t keep my hands off you.”
“Just like I can’t keep mine off of you,” Ruby said, snuggling deeper into him, feeling him harden once again.
“We can’t,” Deke muttered. “We just can’t.”
“And I say that we can,” Ruby said, as she turned in his arms and covered his lips with hers. She poured her heart and soul into her kiss, hoping she could heal Deke.
She wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring. She wasn’t even certain she would live past tomorrow, and Lord, she had no idea what would happen between her and Deke, but she wanted this moment. She needed this time with this man, a chance to heal his wounds and satisfy the attraction she’d always felt for him.
He broke off the kiss. “I should go.”
“No, stay the night. Stay because we could both die tomorrow. There’s no guarantee we’ll get out of here alive.”
By the light of the lantern, she could see his frown as he relaxed against her. “Just tonight.”
“That’s all I’m asking for,” she said and pulled his lips down to hers once again.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day, Hannah lounged in the living room of the bordello, knowing the night would be here before she was ready, and she would have to spend the evening entertaining men in her room. If Ruby didn’t take her when she left, Hannah already had the poison to kill herself.
She couldn’t live this way any longer. She couldn’t continue to be pawed by men and used like her body was a vessel for their exploitation. As a young girl, she’d dreamed of a husband and a family and a loving way of life. Now, she awoke each morning with dreams of freedom.
And if possible, revenge against the man who’d sold her into this terrible life.
The whores in the house told her she would come to accept her lot, but she didn’t envision her life spent on her back satisfying unknown men. All she could think about was how to wound the man who’d done this to her. But if she
couldn’t escape, then poison would be her final retreat.
Though, even then, she hoped she could come back and haunt her stepfather.
She picked up a book determined to get lost in a story and no longer think about her situation. Right now, she had to wait and give Ruby time.
A man climbed the stairs, and the women lounging around all instantly perked up, waiting to see who he would choose to wile away the afternoon with.
Hannah shrunk deeper behind her book, hoping he wouldn’t see her.
“Hannah Williams?”
She raised her eyes and gazed at the man.
“Candy from an admirer,” he said, handing her the box.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she stared at him in shock. No one had ever sent her candy before. “Thank you,” she whispered and watched him disappear.
The women crowded around her.
“Who’s it from?” Clara asked.
“I…I don’t know,” Hannah said. She opened the box timidly. She was afraid to let the girls see the note, but all it said was, Yours Truly, GR.
Oh, my God, that meant they were leaving today. The GR stood for get ready. They were taking her away from here. A thrill of excitement scurried down her spine, and she looked up at the women and smiled.
“Hannah has a sweetheart,” Clara said.
“No, but he does like me,” she said.
The women all laughed. “Wait until his wife finds out.”
“He doesn’t have one,” she said, leading them on, letting them think there truly was a man in her life. Maybe that would help her to escape.
“Here have some candy,” she said, passing the box to each one of the ladies. “We don’t get a treat very often.”
“Oh, I get plenty of treats,” Clara said laughing.
Hannah slowly walked to her room, needing some space away from the ladies. Time to pack up her meager supplies and prepare for a long hard journey out of hell.
Grabbing a satchel from under the bed, she filled the bag with the few things she’d collected that she wanted to save—a tintype of her mother, a nice dress, the poison, a book her father had given her when she was a young girl. Everything else in this prison could stay.
Now, the hard part began. Two words meant waiting for two o’clock.
*
Tingles of nerves raced up and down Ruby’s spine like a horse race sprinting at the sound of a shot. She’d checked out of the hotel and set-up the reserved room, like she truly had a private poker game about to start.
Now, all she needed was Rivera to show up and for her to get him out the back door of the hotel without being seen.
Deke would locate Hannah and then come back to the room to help her with Rivera. Last night, she’d held Deke and comforted him while he’d told her about Laura. He’d suffered terrible consequences because of a bad decision, a bad decision anyone, including Ruby, could have made. His tale had made her long to get home as soon as possible to Annabelle.
Wasn’t her sister in the same situation? Hadn’t Ruby told Annabelle just one more hunt before the baby came? Though her husband Beau should be there with her, Ruby felt the need to be at her sister’s side.
As much as she loved being a bounty hunter, remembering family and loved ones came first was something Ruby struggled with. And Deke struggled as well.
The door to the room opened, and James Rivera sauntered in, his spurs jangling in the empty room. He stopped in the doorway and let his eyes roam over her. She had to steel her nerves to keep from shuddering under his perusal.
“Where is everyone?” he said grinning. “Am I the first to arrive?”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Rivera,” she said, schooling the features on her face to not show her hatred of the man who’d killed her father. “Why don’t you have a seat at the table while I pour you a drink?”
“Oh honey, can’t you do better than just liquor? I mean it looks like we’ve got some time before everyone arrives. Why don’t you sit on my lap and let’s get to know one another.”
Revulsion roared through Ruby like an angry tiger. The thought of this man touching her was enough for her stomach to sway like the bow of a ship, leaving her nauseous.
She smiled and pretended like she didn’t have any idea what he wanted. She would put a little sleeping powder in his drink and hope it was fast acting enough he’d soon feel the effects. “Let me get you that drink, first.”
“To hell with the drink. Get your pretty little ass over here and let’s play,” he said, pointing to his lap.
Ruby poured a drink and took it to him. He pulled her onto his lap. Cringing inside, she forced her expression into a smile, while she seethed. Soon enough she’d get even.
“Tell me who’s all playing today.” He grabbed the drink and tossed it down.
She breathed a sigh of relief. He’d soon be drugged.
As she named the biggest players in the saloon, he ran his hand up under her skirt. Nausea rose inside her, threatening to spill as she halted his hand on her thigh.
A knock sounded on the door. Relief filled her and had her leaping from Rivera’s lap, grateful to whoever was at the door. She opened the portal, and Deke stood before her. She couldn’t contain her smile, happiness washing over her like a gentle rain.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Let’s do this together,” she said.
“Okay, but try to block his view of me. I don’t want him to recognize me until the last moment,” Deke said, pulling his gun out of his holster. He walked behind her, his head lowered, his hat pulled down low.
“Here’s our second player,” Ruby said, loud enough that Rivera sighed and straightened up.
He stood and faced Deke.
“I don’t think I’ve played against you…” Suddenly, his eyes widened with recognition. He glanced at the gun pointed at his midsection and made a dash for the door.
Deke moved to block Rivera’s escape.
Ruby grabbed the whisky bottle from the table and smashed the glass over the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. He slumped to the ground.
“Problem solved,” she said with a grin.
Deke started laughing. “That’s one way to get a man’s attention.”
“He wouldn’t drink his whisky fast enough. He just kept stalling, and I was so glad to see you.”
Quickly, she hugged him to her. She felt almost lightheaded with excitement at the idea of leaving this dirty town behind them.
“Let’s get out of here and take you home,” he said, gazing at her, his eyes so full of emotion. “The horses are behind the hotel, and Hannah should be waiting.”
She grabbed Deke’s face and pulled him in for a quick kiss, slanting her mouth over his. Elation flooded her. They had their bounty, the man who’d killed her father. They were going home.
Releasing Deke, she smiled. “Let’s go.”
The outlaw moaned as they placed his arms around their necks and helped him out the door. As they walked into the main area of the hotel, several men checking in glanced up. Rivera groaned and tried to open his eyes.
“Clara is going to be so upset with you for drinking too much,” Ruby said, loud enough the men could hear. “She was expecting you tonight. Let’s splash some water from the horse trough on you. Maybe you’ll wake up.”
Ruby could feel her heart pounding with excitement. Nothing could beat this feeling of stealing a bounty right from beneath their very noses with the men not realizing there was a problem. It was the best aphrodisiac in the world.
The men went back to registering, not bothering them or even acting suspicious. She and Deke stepped outside the back door, and one of Mrs. Hutchin’s goons came around the corner of the hotel.
“Is he hurt?” he asked.
“No, just drunk,” Ruby said smiling, hoping he would keep going and not ask any more questions.
Hannah chose that moment to come around the corner of the hotel into the alley where Deke had secured their horses, including an extra h
e’d rented for Hannah.
Oh God, this was not what they needed.
“Hey, what’s going on? Where are you going?” the goon shouted, noticing her suitcase. He ran toward her, and she swung her satchel at him.
It did very little to stop him until Ruby stuck out her foot, tripping the bouncer. He fell onto his face and slid into the building, hitting his head. He groaned, still moving.
Hannah ran to his side, reached under her skirt, and ripped off pieces of her petticoat. Hurriedly, she began to tie him up with strips of the fabric. When she’d finished with his hands and feet, she took a piece and stuffed it in his mouth, tying the wad around his head.
“Sorry, but I’m not going back to the brothel,” she said, finishing up with a flourish, her breathing heavy, her hands shaking. “I’m not being left behind.”
Ruby and Deke worked to get Rivera tied up on a horse. Together, they lifted him onto the mare and roped his hands to the saddle horn. His head hung limply.
Finally, it appeared they were ready to ride. Deke lifted the puppy and put him in the sling he’d attached to his body. The dog nestled against his chest. “Let’s go.” Deke said.
“Thank God,” Hannah said.
“Let’s go home,” Ruby said, ready to see Rivera back behind bars where he belonged.
The women mounted their horses, and Deke led the way out a side road behind the hotel. In less than ten minutes, they would be out of town and out of Hide Town, Texas, hopefully forever…if they could get behind the buildings and sneak out of town without anyone seeing them.
*
As soon as she’d received his message they needed to talk in private, Mrs. Hutchins had left the saloon and headed to the sheriff’s office.
Walking through town, she noticed how the shops were bustling with business. The restaurant had customers and even the mercantile.
Since she’d purchased the saloon almost three years ago, the town had changed and grown. Sure, it was still a place where more outlaws than law-abiding folks resided, but at least the businesses prospered. She liked to think she had something to do with that, since she’d been the one to bring in the sheriff, making the outlaws know they were accepted as long as they behaved.
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