“I’d have been quite upset if there’d been a snake in that mess. Madder than a hornet, actually. I’d have shot you for good measure then, just so you could have felt a bite, too,” she threatened with a grin, pushing her hat from her face. The feisty woman didn’t wear a bonnet like other women did. She wore a large brimmed hat that covered quite a bit of her face, protecting it from the sun. As she pushed the hat back, he was stunned by the beauty before him. Bright, clear blue eyes stared at him and she had a small, upturned nose. The bridge of her nose had freckles sprinkled all over it.
“What happened? Did you see who took her?” she asked, her brow furrowed with concern. “How can I help? I’m a bounty hunter and I bet the rat that took her is wanted. If he took your sister, then he’s probably done other heinous things in these parts!” she snarled emphatically and stuck out her hand in a manly fashion.
“I’m Holladay. Nice to meet you.”
“Holladay?” Eli muttered with surprise and found himself suddenly bending towards her extended hand, turning it over and placing a kiss on her knuckles. “Holidays are my favorite. Shall we celebrate?” He found himself grinning as she jerked her hand out of his, holding it against her chest and looking irritated.
“It’s Ellen Holladay, not that kind of holiday. Find your sister by yourself then, you wretch,” she smarted off and began to walk away.
“Look, Ellie…” he said suddenly, darting after her only to come face to face with her rifle again as she whirled around and swung it up towards his face. He came to an immediate stop and put his hands in the air. Her intense, hard eyes locked with his for several moments as she stared down the barrel.
“It’s Holladay. Not Ellie, Ellen or any other name that crosses your lips. Holladay. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now, good luck with finding your sister,” she dismissed him and turned to walk away again.
“I could use your help,” he said suddenly.
“I offered, and you decided to take my help the wrong way. I don’t need a man. And I don’t need your help. You need mine… and on my terms. Are we clear?”
“Crystal clear.”
“Good. Now, if you are hungry, why don’t you join me and let’s talk about this mangy rat that took your sister? I need as many details as you can give me.”
Elias quickly grabbed the reins of his horse and moved to follow the drenched woman that was striding away. His eyes about popped out of his head as he found himself staring at her bottom. Those pants were entirely too clingy when wet and revealed too much! He’d give his eyetooth to see her in a ball gown right now just to see how truly spectacular she really looked.
Shaking his head, he followed her as she walked down some ways towards a small grove of trees that lined the creek bed. She turned and promptly waded into the water and pulled herself out once she got to the other side. Eli rode his horse across and then dismounted. As Holladay disappeared beyond a tree, he quickly followed her and saw that the grove parted, and a rabbit was quite well done on a spit just above the fire. She frowned as she stared at the rabbit.
“Well, dinner is burned now. We’ll eat it just the same, I reckon,” she said bluntly, sitting down and yanking off a water-logged boot. Inside was a grimy, dripping sock that he watched her yank off. It seemed that everything she did was deliberate, rushed or angry. He wondered if he kissed her, would she’d be rushed then? Or would she pull that gun on him again? Shaking his head at the image, he stared as she wiggled her toes and yanked off her other sock.
“What?” she snapped. “Wet feet lead to problems. I need my socks to dry out, so you’ll just have to live with me walking around barefoot for a bit. Not everyone has pretty-boy boots like you,” she muttered, pointing at his boots as she stood up.
Glancing down, he saw that they were, indeed, much nicer than her boots. Hers were flopped over and the leather scuffed in several places. His were emblazoned with a branded, curling design that had then been rubbed with wax to make them nearly waterproof. She apparently didn’t have that luxury or simply didn’t care. That is why he’d bought them: they were gorgeous boots.
Watching Holladay walk around in her wet clothes, he saw that she hung the socks carefully on a low branch and returned back to her pack. Opening it, she pulled out two beaten up metal plates and pointed at his waist absentmindedly as she knelt by the handmade spit.
“Gimme that.”
“What did you say?” he strangled out, shocked, as she pointed directly at his groin area. As she knelt, her pants were pulled tight against her backside making him lose all cognitive function.
“Give me your blasted knife and get your mind out of your pants. In fact, if you keep it up pretty boy, you can get the outta here,” Holladay said glibly, rolling her blue eyes at him and frowning.
“Knife?” he repeated blankly.
“Yes, your knife. So, I can cut the rabbit?” she reminded him, quickly standing and putting her hands on her hips. “I need your knife because I lost mine in the creek because of your cursed snooping around in these parts. You owe me another one, by the way. A new, sharp knife.”
“I think I owe you some new boots, too,” he said apologetically, handing over his blade that had been tucked in the scabbard near his holster.
“I don’t need your boots or your pity. Just replace my knife and we’ll call it even. Now, if we find your sister we’ll talk about rewards then, not now.”
Blushing, Elias felt humiliated that he hadn’t thought of Emily at all in the past several minutes. She could be mistreated or manhandled, and yet he was here gawking at the delicious-looking bounty hunter he’d happened upon. She really was quite a looker, but he could also see why she was alone. Miss Ellen Holladay had a strong personality that could put off a weaker man.
Elias, however, loved a challenge and excitement. He nearly rubbed his hands together in glee at the thought of making the lovely bounty hunter wrap around his finger. “I really appreciate you offering to help me find Emily, Miss Holladay.”
“It’s just Holladay – and you’re welcome. Grab a plate and let’s talk.”
3
Ellen Holladay struggled with keeping herself indifferent with the handsome stranger. She had heard someone moving around and then silence, instantly putting her on edge. She was still coming down from the high of capturing her first true bounty by herself. She’d split the last few captures with other lawkeepers and realized that she could do it alone, no matter what others thought of her.
As she heard the rustling, she slowly drew her rifle from the makeshift holster that hung on her saddle horn. She kept the rifle loaded and ready in case she needed it. Slowly, she silently waded into the creek. She bit her tongue in an effort to keep from crying out at the cool water that suddenly hit her warm torso. Moving slowly as to not create any noise, she glided up towards the cattails. They were a perfect place to hide, for her and whoever was out there watching her.
Her arms burned as she held the rifle awkwardly above the water to prevent it from getting wet. Taking her position, she prayed there were no snakes hiding in the massive brush of greenery and held her breath. Slipping the rifle between the stalks, she ever so gently moved it forward until her vision broke through the cattails. As she moved forward, her eyes locked with the deepest set of dark brown eyes she’d seen. They looked like twin pools of hot chocolate. Smooth, warm and decadent.
Locking her knees, she kept from losing her grasp on the rifle and her stance as she felt her body respond. Have mercy! she thought and realized that the man was staring at her intently.
It only took moments and she found herself inviting him to her camp. What in the world was wrong with her? A pretty face, a husky voice and she was melting like a bit of bacon grease on a hot stove! The stranger, Elias, was searching for his sister who’d been kidnapped. She felt compelled to help him as it was her sworn duty.
She believed in upholding the law ever since she’d grown up on the streets. She’
d seen her fair share of theft, injury and murder – all of it leading to capture. Holladay didn’t want to be captured. She wanted to be free, but also to be respected. That was one thing she’d noticed: criminals were never respected. They were shunned, feared or hated. She was alone in the world and that was hard enough without being hated for trying to get by.
She listened to him, enraptured and fascinated. Elias’ voice could charm a snake out of its skin. But deep in her gut, she knew something wasn’t right. He was avoiding telling her something and cleverly disguising it.
“Tell me about the man that took your sister again,” she demanded as she realized that she’d missed the last few words he’d said.
“He was tall, very tall. It was dark outside, so I didn’t see much but he grabbed her and put her on his horse. I ran for my horse and they disappeared.”
“Tall isn’t much of a description. Did you see any features or characteristics that might help identify him? What’s your sister look like? What was she wearing?” she asked clinically, avoiding looking at the handsome man’s concerned eyes.
“Emily looks a lot like me. Brown hair, brown eyes. She was wearing a fancy dress that was light blue.”
“Fancy dress, huh? She’s the prim and proper sort?”
“She’s very ladylike”
“Unlike me.”
“Now, I didn’t say that Miss Holladay,”
“No, I did. I just thought it was strange that your proper sister was dressed all fancy like and you are here wearing dusty pants and a sturdy work shirt with those fancy boots. You look almost like you are out of sorts.”
“Fancy?” he said, grinning at her, making her bare toes that were warming by the fire curl as she ate her rabbit. She liked the way his lip turned up on one side and his eyes crinkled. He sure was a handsome figure and easy on the eyes.
“Fancy.”
“Maybe elegant or stylish?”
“Why do you need to be stylish if you are herding cattle on a farm, Mister? Those boots probably cost the same as a good milk cow or bull.” She stared as she saw a glint dart across his eyes, confirming her suspicions she’d had before. He was either not telling her the complete truth or hiding something.
“Let’s stop talking about my fancy boots and talk about you,” Elias told her smoothly. “Tell me about yourself, Miss Holladay, and how you became a bounty hunter. That’s mighty honorable of you and a tough job, I’m sure.”
“You don’t need to know anything about me other than I am offering to help. Eat up and get some rest. We’ll need to head out first thing in the morning after your sister. You look like you are ready to drop.”
“I am pretty beat,” he said quietly, yawning loudly.
“Then rest – and don’t try any funny stuff or I’ll put a bullet between your eyes,” she promised. “Can you put out the fire since my boots are still wet?”
“Yes, ma’am”
Holladay preoccupied herself with cleaning up the plates as he kicked dirt onto the fire. It would be a long, cold night for her in the wet clothes. She couldn’t dare take a chance on changing when something didn’t sit right with the handsome stranger’s story. Who was Elias and why didn’t he introduce himself with his last name?
She watched him lie down and practically fall asleep almost instantly. His face looked almost angelic as he lay peacefully, a thick set of eyelashes that would make any woman envious. She shook out a horse blanket and placed it over him, shaking her head wryly. She’d never have done that for any other bounty hunter. What was it about this man that made her want to take care of him?
Getting up the next morning, she quickly broke camp before he awoke. It seemed that Elias was a looker and apparently a talker. He was doing his best to engage her in conversation and she was trying to avoid it. The man was flat out stunning, making her look anywhere but directly at him. The last thing she needed was to be infatuated with some man that was going to disappear one day.
That is how she was born, according to her mother. Some pretty man came sniffing around and nine months later, Ellen Holladay was born and her father fled. Her mother went back to working in the saloon looking for their next meal ticket. She ran away when the men visiting the saloon began to ask about her, leading her to a life on the street.
Holladay didn’t want to talk about her past. She listened to him talk idly about how he liked the landscape of north Texas and how different it was from where he grew up. First clue! she thought quietly.
“Don’t you ever want to see the world?” she heard him ask wistfully.
“Of course, I do,” she snapped and nearly cringed. While she might not want to be attracted to the man, she didn’t need to sound like a harridan either. “What makes you ask that?”
“I’m just trying to strike up a conversation with you.” She saw out of the corner of her eye that his shoulders were impressive, wide and strong. He shrugged them, and she felt her fingers itch to trace them. She wanted to see if they were as firm as they looked. She shook her head and pinched her arm hard in an effort to clear her mind from the distraction he was presenting.
“Why?”
“Because you are here, and I’d like to talk to you.”
Holladay sighed heavily, letting her own shoulders drop wearily. He wasn’t going to let this go. She might as well shore up her defenses and prepare to be heartbroken, because this gorgeous man was wanting to know more about her. She was bound to fall for him, as attracted as she found herself just looking at him.
“Castles. I’d like to see what a real castle looks like.”
“Castles?” Elias whistled appreciatively. “I’d have pinned you for more of a wild woman, like wanting to see California or Arizona.”
“What is wrong with saying I’d like to see a castle?”
“Nothing. It just makes me think of knights in armor and fairytales. Myths and legends. Are you inclined to stories like that, Miss Holladay?” he asked with a large grin.
“It makes me think of great big fire breathing dragons,” she retorted quickly with a frown. She didn’t want to admit that she was like other girls, with flights of fancy. Who wouldn’t want a handsome knight to sweep in and rescue you?
“Or perhaps courtly gentleman and great sword fights?”
“No. I like the stories of the knights of the round table.”
“What about Guinevere and Lancelot?”
“That’s a story for fools.” She found herself blushing and staring straight ahead from his prying eyes. The man was a keen judge of character and had her pinned. She actually loved the tale of undisputed love against all odds. It was a shame that she found him too late and couldn’t marry Lancelot first.
“Why?”
“Because the woman fooled around on her man.”
“She loved both Arthur and Lancelot.”
“Why in the world are we debating this? Forget castles. How about Mexico?” she quickly asked, changing the subject. She didn’t want to discuss knights, princesses and damsels falling in love. It was uncomfortable to talk about because she assumed that she’d never marry at this rate.
“Ahh yes. I could see that. With that blond hair, you’d be treated like a goddess.”
“Can it, Mister!” Holladay barked out irately, jerking her horse’s reins to bring it to a stop. She patted the horse’s neck in an apology and glared at him.
“What?” he said innocently, his dark eyes wide.
“Don’t be calling me weird stuff like that,” she blustered, feeling her face redden.
“I’m not. I am simply picturing you at some mystical temple deep in the jungle. Perhaps with gold draped around your neck and a leather skirt,” he replied simply, but the wicked glint in his eyes betrayed his voice.
“Don’t picture me like that!” she gaped, appalled. “Where do you want to go? And quit fantasizing about me or thinking of me like that!”
“Well, Mexico is sounding pretty good right about now,” he teased her. “Seriously though, I’d give
my eyetooth to have my sister here safe and we’d take off for Wyoming.”
“You’d leave your farm like that? No notice? What is in Wyoming that has you in such a hurry?”
“Nothing. Just escaping from reality, you know?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Don’t you ever daydream, Holladay? Don’t you ever want to escape, to get away?”
“No, because it can get you shot if you aren’t paying attention.”
“Not if you have someone looking out for you,” he said softly, looking at her pointedly.
“Like you looked out for your sister?” she asked bluntly and cringed as she watched his jaw tighten painfully. She didn’t apologize even though the words hurt. It was true. If he was watching her back and not paying attention, it could lead to injury or death. Being on a trail, just the two of them, wasn’t the safest sometimes. As a woman alone, she always travelled armed to the teeth and cautiously. She fully expected to get caught by surprise one day with a bullet and then her wandering days would be done. She didn’t have a home then and certainly didn’t have a home now. No home and no family meant no worries.
They rode the rest of the day in silence.
4
Elias had been taken aback by Holladay’s blunt statement. There was no malice or bitterness. For her, it was a brutal truth. The only person it hurt was him, because it was accurate. He was supposed to watch and protect his sister, yet he’d sent her from the arms of one monster into another. They rode for hours on end and finally stopped at dusk. He watched her move about the camp, unsure of himself and of her.
Holladay was different than any other women he’d met before. Fascinating, strong and temperamental. She didn’t need anyone and almost seemed proud of it… like she was trying to convince herself and anyone around her that she was tough as nails. She looked it, acted like it, but there was a chink in her armor somewhere. And he was intent on finding it.
Lawfully Mine Page 2
