“I want to help you get Brewer,” she said. “But I don’t know if I can do ... everything possible to get to him.”
Placing his finger under her chin so he could lift her head a bit, Clint looked straight into her eyes and told her, “I didn’t ask you to come for you to share a bed with him. I asked you to come because it seemed like you had a stake in finding him, and I could tell you knew how to handle yourself around men.”
“I don’t know if I should be insulted by that last part.”
“You know what I mean. You can twist men around your little finger, and don’t even pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s in the way you move, right down to the way you smile just a little when you get a man to step the way you want him to step.”
She lowered her eyes and looked back up at him with a wry grin. “Am I that obvious?”
“No. That’s another reason I wanted you to come along. If you want to part ways now, I’m sure there’s plenty you could tell me about Brewer that may be a big help.”
“I don’t want to leave,” she said. “I just ... don’t want him touching me.”
“I’m not going to let you out of my sight, Patricia. I promise. Even if you ride in to meet with Brewer, I’ll be able to see you and come get you the moment something goes wrong.”
“Can you really promise that?”
Nodding, Clint said, “Yes. The moment anything goes wrong, I’ll get you out of harm’s way or kick down as many doors I need to in order to get to you.”
“I don’t really say this to many men, but I believe you.”
Before Clint could say another word, he felt Patricia’s lips press against his own. She turned so she was facing him and then straddled his hips so she could take his face in her hands and kiss him long and hard.
Even after their lips separated, Patricia kept her mouth close enough to him so Clint could feel her breath move from his mouth to his ear. “We may not get more time together for a while,” she whispered.
Clint’s hands found their way under her skirt and massaged her generous backside. “Then we’d better not waste it,” he said.
Soon, Clint was sitting with his back to the rock and Patricia was still straddling him. She’d gathered up her skirts so he could pull aside her panties. Patricia couldn’t wait another second before unbuckling Clint’s belt, pulling his jeans down and massaging his cock in one hand.
“Do you ever do this in a bed?” Clint asked.
Patricia grinned and guided his rigid penis between her legs. “If you know where we can find a bed, I’m willing to go there, but not if I have to wait to get you inside of me.”
Letting out a sigh as he felt her envelop him, Clint said, “I guess there’s nothing wrong with some fresh air.”
“No,” Patricia whispered as she began rocking back and forth on top of him. “Nothing at all.”
Once she got a smooth rhythm going, Patricia placed both hands against the rock behind Clint’s head. That way, Clint was able to pull her dress off and grasp her breasts with both hands. Patricia arched her back and took in a quick breath when she felt Clint’s teeth brush against her nipples.
When she felt his tongue on the same spot, she slipped her hand around the back of his head and held him there.
The faster Clint’s tongue flicked over her nipples, the faster Patricia pumped her hips. Soon, she was bucking on him and holding on with all her strength. When she got too tired to keep pumping, Clint reached around to grab hold of her so he could take over.
Patricia’s round buttocks filled his hands perfectly. There was just enough for him to grab on to so he could move her back and forth. He did most of the work with his hips, however, and thrust up into her again and again.
Before too long, he took a breath and just savored the feeling of being inside of her. Patricia’s body was warm and soft against his. Her hair rustled in the breeze and brushed gently along the side of his face. Clint rubbed her backside and then ran his palms along the small of her back.
Patricia straightened her back and gently ran her fingers along Clint’s chest. Now that she’d caught her breath, Patricia leaned all the way back until she needed to brace herself with one arm behind her back. Her legs opened wide, but she managed to keep Clint inside of her.
Watching her move and stretch was enough to get Clint rock hard once more. He watched her breasts sway as she stretched backward. He sat up a bit and then felt Patricia start to pump her hips again.
Their legs were entwined and their hips were moving in perfect rhythm as they both thrust back and forth. Clint slammed into her again and again, each time stronger than the last. Patricia closed her eyes tightly and clawed at the ground behind her as Clint drove himself deeper and deeper between her legs.
As his orgasm approached, a cool breeze washed over them. The touch of the air against bare skin had the same effect on both of them and pushed them straight into a powerful climax. As the pleasure swept through them, their hips met one last time.
Sweat glistened on Patricia’s skin.
Clint struggled to catch his breath.
Straightening themselves up and walking back to camp was the last thing on their minds, so they sat in the moonlight for a little while longer.
THIRTY-FIVE
The desert wasn’t much more than a wide stretch of dry trail. It was, however, a perfect way to cover somewhere that didn’t appreciate visitors. Even though Clint had barely gotten a chance to feel thirsty, the desert was just big enough to look like it might be able to go on forever. That was just a trick of the landscape. Once they rode over a ridge of tall rocks, everyone could see trees and green pastures sprouting up in the distance.
“We need to head that way,” Liddell said, pointing to the west.
Clint looked in that direction, but nothing caught his eye. “How much farther?”
“Ten miles. Maybe twenty.”
“That can make a big difference in this sort of terrain,” Ed pointed out.
Liddell shrugged and snapped his reins. “We already got through the worst of it. Besides, if you ain’t gonna listen to me, why’d you bring me all this way?”
Unable to deny the man’s point, Ed and Clint kept their eyes on Liddell as he led them over the hills and toward a dried-out riverbed that stretched lazily toward the northwest.
“If we keep heading this way, we should be able to reach the camp before dark,” Liddell said.
“How big of a camp is it?” Clint asked.
“I think it used to be an old farm, but I don’t know what the hell someone would raise out here. Maybe it was a ranch.”
“So a few small buildings and one or two big ones?”
“Only one big one,” Liddell corrected. “And it ain’t even as big as a barn. There, you can just start to see it now.”
Clint looked to where Liddell was pointing and spotted the outline of a large rooftop just poking over the top of some trees. He called for everyone to stop and then took the spyglass from his saddlebag.
After squinting through the lenses for a bit, Clint said, “I don’t see anyone moving, but I can’t really see much more than the top of one building.”
“There could be men swarming through there,” Ed said angrily. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us we were this close?”
Liddell shrugged and replied, “It’s been a while since I came this way. I only been here three times, and two of them, I went straight through that village I told you about.”
“All right,” Clint announced as he collapsed the spyglass and tucked it back into the saddlebag. “I want Ed to scout ahead just to make sure Brewer’s still here.”
Liddell was already shaking his head. “That’s not a good idea. If someone sees him—”
“Nobody’s gonna see me,” Ed interrupted.
Without missing a beat, Clint said, “If he’s not there, we can pick up his trail and hunt him down. If he is, then we’ll do what we came here to do.”
“I still don’t
like it,” Liddell said.
“We got you out of Callahan, didn’t we?” Clint asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then this should be cake. Go on, Ed.”
Already anxious to get moving, Ed snapped his reins and raced toward the buildings in the distance.
Clint and the others watched him go. Just to be safe, Clint took the rifle from his saddle and made sure it was ready to fire, in case Ed needed to be covered on his way out. But in a matter of minutes, Clint didn’t even have a target.
There was no sign of Brewer or his men.
There wasn’t even a trace of Ed.
“What now?” Liddell asked impatiently.
“Now,” Clint replied, “we wait.”
Half an hour passed, and Clint felt every second of it drag by like a snake through molasses. When he caught a bit of movement in the comer of his eye, his entire body reacted to it. He twisted in the saddle, brought the rifle to his shoulder and sighted along the barrel, only to find Ed grinning back at him.
“You can get yourself killed sneaking up on someone like that,” Clint warned.
But Ed was too pleased with himself to even notice the rifle in Clint’s hands. “They’re there, all right,” he said. “Looks like Brewer is gearing up to leave soon.”
Clint lowered the rifle. “That means it’s time to get to work.”
THIRTY-SIX
At one time, the spread had been a pig farm. By the looks of it, however, that time had been very long ago. The house and woodshed were a mix of rotting timber and a few new planks that had been quickly nailed on to replace the ones that had completely turned to dust. The barn was just big enough to stay standing by leaning in on itself like a giant house of cards waiting to get knocked over.
Only two men could be seen amid all that old wood. One leaned against a wall and the other sat on an old stool. Both of them kept their heads bowed after spending the entire day being cooked by the Mexican sun.
The man on the stool perked up first because he was closest to the edge of the property. As soon as he moved, the man by the wall followed suit and gripped his Winchester rifle anxiously.
“Someone’s coming,” the man on the stool said as he got up and drew both pistols from his double-rig holster.
The man who’d been leaning against the wall took a careful look around while making his way toward the old house. “I’ll tell Chuck.”
The man who remained didn’t say another word. His eyes narrowed and tried to see past the trees as his ears were filled with the sounds of snapping branches and heavy steps. When the branches in his line of sight actually began to move, he raised both arms and sighted between the pistols in his hands.
“Don’t shoot,” came a voice from the trees. “It’s Rand Liddell.”
“Who the fuck is Rand Liddell?”
Liddell emerged from the trees with both hands in the air. “Mention that name to Brewer. He’ll know who I am.”
The man’s fingers slowly tightened around his triggers. He eased up slightly when he saw the shapely legs standing just behind Liddell’s. “Who’s that with you?”
“A welcome home present.”
The inside of the house was every bit as dirty and rundown as the outside. Although there were a few odd pieces of broken furniture strewn about, they did nothing to make the place seem any more livable. Despite all of that, Brewer strutted inside the place as if it were a castle.
“Well, well, well,” Brewer said. “How the hell are you, Rand?”
Doing his best to push down the impulse to punch Brewer in the face, Liddell took the other man’s hand and shook it. “I’ve been better. Hard time in a hellhole like Callahan can do that to a man.”
Brewer was already circling Patricia like a vulture. Reaching out to run some of her hair between his fingers, he said, “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
“I’ll just bet you are.”
Even Brewer wasn’t too distracted to miss the venomous tone in Liddell’s voice. “You know there wasn’t anything I could do about that. Every last one of us were chased down after that asshole rancher set those gunmen on our tail. If them lawmen hadn’t heard all the gunshots, we both would’ve been dead instead of in prison.”
“That was real lucky. Only we both didn’t wind up in prison. I did.”
“What the hell did you want from me?” Brewer asked. “I was lucky to get close enough to pay you a visit. I couldn’t risk anything more.”
Liddell let out a slow breath and nodded.
Sensing he’d put out the flames for the time being, Brewer turned his attention back to Patricia. “Now you’re back and you ain’t alone. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“She helped me get out of Callahan,” Liddell said.
“That true, darlin’?”
Until now, it had taken all of her strength for Patricia to keep from slapping Brewer’s hands away. She had to dig even deeper to get the strength needed to smile at him like she truly meant it. “Yes,” she said with a nod. “It really wasn’t too hard.”
“How’d you do it?”
At that moment, it was hard for her to think back to what she and Clint had talked about that night after they’d made love by the little pond. There were so many better things for her to focus on that would have at least gotten her mind off of where she was now.
But all Patricia had to do was think back a little farther to how Brewer had treated her before. Focusing on what was in store for the rustler, she put on a false grin and recited her lines just as she’d practiced them with Clint. “I got in good with one of the guards, stole a key and passed it on to Rand. It really wasn’t that hard.”
For a second, it seemed doubtful that Brewer was going to believe her. His hand remained on the side of her face as if he was going to tear it off her skull at any moment. Then, he patted her cheek and muttered, “For you, darlin’, I bet it wasn’t hard at all.”
Liddell did his best to cover his relieved sigh.
“How’d you get on this little lady’s good side?” Brewer asked him.
“I didn’t stop to ask,” Liddell replied.
Patricia placed her hand on top of Brewer’s and said, “I needed him to get back to you. I couldn’t bear it all alone in that dreary little town all by myself. All I ever saw there were local boys, prisoners and guards.”
“Last time we met, you didn’t seem ready to do what it took to keep me happy.”
“That’s all different now,” she lied. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
Judging by the hungry look in Brewer’s eyes, Patricia thought he might try to call her bluff right then and there. He nodded and licked his lips, while moving his hand from her face down to her breast. Rather than go any further with her, Brewer looked to Liddell and said, “You did real good bringing her. Are you ready for some action?”
Liddell’s eyes lingered on her and he stammered, “Y-yeah. I sure am.”
“Not with her, idiot. I’ve got another job lined up and I’ve just been waiting to get some more men. We had a dustup with the law not too long ago and I lost some good hands. Now that you’re here, I should be able to make this move and cash in for some real good money. You interested?”
“Hell yes, I’m interested. Why did you think I came all this way?”
“You weren’t too happy the last time we saw each other,” Brewer said in a steady voice.
“That’s because I was looking from behind a set of steel bars,” Liddell replied.
“I heard talk that you wanted to kill me.”
It wasn’t until that moment that Liddell was completely aware of the other man in the room with him, Patricia and Brewer. He didn’t recognize the other man’s face, but he saw the guns around his waist as well as his eagerness to use them.
“I did want to kill you,” Liddell said. “Can you blame me?”
Brewer stared at Liddell with as much emotion as a rock showed to a man’s head before caving it in. Finally, he said, “I suppose not. Sorry I couldn
’t break you outta there. Callahan may be a little shit hole of a prison, but it’s a well-guarded shit hole. I scouted it every time I came to see you and couldn’t find a way to get you free without winding up dead in that swamp.”
Liddell couldn’t help but jump a little when he saw Brewer’s hand snap toward him.
“Truce?” Brewer asked.
Liddell nodded and shook Brewer’s hand. Part of him thought he’d actually succeeded, and the other part waited to feel a bullet tear through him. The bullet didn’t come, but that part of Liddell wasn’t about to ease up just yet.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Clint and Ed were laying flat on the ground, so they could just barely see over the top of a sharp rise. Both of them were watching the old house through spyglasses, and neither one said a word until Liddell was escorted from the house by one of Brewer’s gunmen.
“I hate doing this,” Clint muttered.
Ed let out half a laugh and said, “You’re not doing anything.”
“That’s right. I’m not doing anything and I hate it.”
“She’s going to be fine,” Ed told him.
“You got that right, because if anything looks like it may go wrong, we’re charging in there.”
“No, we’re not.”
Clint lowered his spyglass and looked over at Ed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that something could go wrong at any second. We all knew that going in.” Without taking his eye from his own lens, Ed added, “Patricia and Liddell have their own reasons, but I’m damn surprised the two of us are dumb enough to try this after barely getting out the last time.”
Clint looked through his spyglass again and took a few seconds to find the window he’d been watching before. Patricia was still in the room, although he could only tell because he saw a sliver of her hair and a bit of color from the collar of her dress. “You’re in this for the money,” he said. “I’m the only dumb one.”
“This makes every bit of sense in the world, so long as you’re going by your own law.”
One Man's Law Page 12
