by Connie Mason
"I'd like to wait until Zach returns so he can attend our wedding. That's only another week."
"I'll wait a week, no longer," Jess said, climbing out of bed.
Meg watched with avid appreciation as Jess poured water from the pitcher into a bowl and washed himself. The play of muscle and tendons across his shoulders and chest, his taut buttocks, the long sturdy columns of his legs; everything about him suggested strength and virility. She'd do anything to keep him from wasting away in prison.
Jess dressed quickly and walked back to the bed.. "Stay here, I'll bring up some fresh water and clean towels. When you're finished, pack your belongings. You're moving to town with me immediately."
Meg didn't try to dissuade him. She knew she'd be better off in town. Remaining out here alone now that Arlo knew where to find her was dangerous. But she meant what she'd said. She wouldn't marry Jess until that damned wanted poster had been destroyed. She and Jess would enjoy no peace until the threat to his freedom had been eliminated.
Unfortunately there was still Arlo Skully to contend with. Perhaps between them she and Jess could find a way to diffuse the danger Arlo presented should he remember where he'd seen Jess's face.
Arlo Skully watched with interest as Jess and Meg rode into town. He followed at a discrete distance until they reined in at Jess's office and entered the house together. He hadn't missed the fact that Jess carried a carpetbag that obviously belonged to Meg into the house, and rage seethed through him. Meg was his. He was her first and he meant to be her last. That little piece of paper annulling their marriage meant nothing to him. In his mind he and Meg were still husband and wife, and he was already contemplating the ways in which he could capitalize on her mature beauty and sex appeal. She was much more attractive to men now than when she had been as an innocent sixteen year old.
# # #
"You haven't been eating right," Meg scolded after she'd unpacked her clothes and went down to the kitchen to fix Jess something to eat. "There's nothing in the larder."
"I eat most of my meals out," Jess confided.
"Surely not all your patients pay with cash, do they? What do you do with the produce and livestock offered in payment for your services?"
Jess flushed. "I give everything to my poorer patients."
Love for Jess grew by leaps and bounds. "You're a good man, Jess Gentry."
Jess sat down and pulled her into his lap. "Shall I show you how bad I can be?"
Meg's cheeks pinkened and she pushed to her feet in mock indignation. "Not now. I just heard the bell over your door jangle. You have a patient waiting for you and I need to buy provisions at the store."
"While you're at it," Jess said, "stop in at the sheriff's office and pick up your reward. He asked me to tell you it's come in."
Jess went into his waiting room to greet his patient and Meg put on her battered wide-brimmed hat and prepared to go shopping. No bonnet for her, she thought as she adjusted the hat on her head. At least she wasn't wearing trousers. The townspeople would just have to get use to her wearing a man's hat. Some things she was willing to forego for society's sake but others she was not.
A buzz of conversation followed in Meg's wake. She knew she was grist for the gossip mill but she was used to it. The upstanding citizens of Cheyenne treated her with contempt simply because they were jealous of her ability to excel at a man's profession in a male oriented world. That and the fact that she lived with a man to whom she wasn't married.
Meg was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Arlo Skully sidle up beside her.
"You cause quite a stir in this town," Arlo said.
Meg started violently. "Arlo, you startled me. I didn't hear you approach."
"What are you doing with Gentry? I saw you ride into town with him."
"None of your business."
He grasped her arm. "I'm making it my business. I'm still you're husband."
She wrested free. "You're nothing to me. I'm going to marry Jess Gentry."
Fury contorted Arlo's features. "Over my dead body!"
"Perhaps that can be arranged," Meg hissed. "Out of my way, Arlo, you no longer frighten me. I've grown up since you bought me from my parents."
"So I see," Arlo said, leering at her breasts.
Just then two women passed by. Deliberately they pulled aside their skirts and sniffed the air as if they smelled something rank.
"Look at her," the older of the two woman whispered in a voice loud enough to carry. "Shameless hussy. Her lover hasn't been gone a week and she's already consorting with another man."
The second woman nodded her head in vigorous agreement. "She shouldn't be allowed on the streets."
"You should consider leaving town," Arlo said after the women moved on. "I've purchased two ticket on tomorrow's train. One for you and one for me. Taking you away from here is the best thing I could do for you. You aren't right for the doctor. You'll ruin his reputation and destroy his practice if you keep company with him."
Meg knew Arlo was right. Marrying Jess was a bad idea, but, dammit, she loved him. Together they could stand united against the gossips...couldn't they?
"I have better things to do than standing here listening to you," Meg replied as she stepped around Arlo and continued down the street.
Arlo easily caught up to her. "Tell your new lover I'm going to remember where I'd seen him one of these days. Something tells me he's not going to like it."
Meg didn't bother answering, but fear stiffened her spine. If Arlo remembered Jess from the wanted poster, all was lost. Stealing the poster from the sheriff's office would not matter if Arlo remembered Jess. She couldn't bear the thought of Jess going to prison.
She spun around to face Arlo. "What will it take for you to stop trying to recall where you've seen Jess?"
"That important is it?" Arlo asked slyly. "Well now, we ought to talk about this in private. I've taken a room at the hotel. Come with me now."
"I...can't. Jess is expecting me. Do you want money? I have five hundred dollars waiting for me at the sheriff's office. You can have it if you leave town and don't come back."
Arlo stared intensely at her. "This is getting damn interesting. What could the doc have in his past you don't want revealed?"
"Nothing! Jess is a good man. Everyone likes him."
"Like hell. I don't like him."
"Just go away, Arlo. Please."
"Not without you. Come up to my room."
"Later," Meg hedged. "Tomorrow."
"Our train leaves at three o'clock."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Arlo."
"I'm not going anywhere without you."
"I'll bring the five hundred dollars. It's yours if you agree to leave Cheyenne and forget me and Jess. Think about it."
Finding herself in front of the grocery store, she turned on her heel and hurried inside. A matron perusing the merchandise saw her, gave a snort of disgust, and quickly moved to another part of the store. She was joined by two other women, obviously mother and daughter. They made no effort to hide their disdain. Meg gave her list to the clerk, made arrangements to have the provisions on her list delivered, and promptly left the store.
Once Meg exited, the three women hurried over to the clerk. "Where are her groceries to be delivered?" the older woman asked curiously. "Doesn't she usually take them with her?"
"She asked to have them delivered to Doc Gentry."
"Whyever for?" the second matron intoned.
"You know, Kate," the older woman confided, "my husband told me Meg Lincoln and Doctor Gentry are close. You don't suppose...surely he wouldn't...it doesn't bear thinking about. Doc Gentry is too good to be taken in by a whore. Someone has to tell him."
"I'll do it, mother," the daughter declared. "Doctor Gentry treated my sprained ankle not long ago and we had a rather interesting conversation."
"I'm the one who should talk to him, Polly," her mother intoned. "You're too young to speak plainly."
"I think P
olly is right," Kate argued. "Doc Gentry is a young man and Polly is an attractive girl. Let her tell him about Meg Lincoln. He's new to town and probably isn't aware of the bounty hunter's unsavory reputation."
The matter settled between them, they left the store.
Meg continued on to the sheriff's office. Bufford was just walking out the door when she arrived.
"Miss Lincoln, I was hoping you'd stop by," Bufford said. "I have your reward money. Came in on the train yesterday."
He returned to his desk and removed a bulging envelope from the middle drawer. 'Here you are. Five hundred in cash."
Meg took the envelope and placed it inside her reticule. "Thanks, Sheriff, that was quick. Do you mind if I look through those wanted posters again?"
Bufford frowned. "I was hoping Doc Gentry might have changed your mind about bounty hunting."
"I'm seriously considering retiring, but I'd still like another look at those posters. Just in case I happen to run into one of those outlaws."
"Help yourself," Bufford said. "They're still where you left them. Haven't found the time to look at them yet."
"Weren't you on the way out?" Meg asked.
"Yeah. Deputy Taylor just sent word that there's a bawl brewing at the Whistle Stop and I thought I go over and try to stop it before it got out of hand."
"Don't let me stop you. I'll just look through the posters and leave when I'm finished."
"That's fine with me. Leave them on top of the desk when you're done with them. I suppose it's time I took a look at them."
Meg waited until Bufford had disappeared down the street before removing the posters from the drawer. She hadn't expected the opportunity to remove Jess's poster to arrive so soon. She had merely stopped in to the sheriff's office to collect her reward and fate had been kind to her.
It took but a moment to find Jess's poster at the back of the drawer where she'd shoved it. Excitement thrummed through her as she carefully folded it and prepared to stash it in her redicule.
"What do we have here?" a harsh voice asked.
Stunned, Meg looked up and saw Arlo standing in the doorway, watching her closely.
"Where did you come from?"
"I followed you. When you remained after the sheriff left, I grew curious. What have you got in your hand?"
"Nothing that would interest you."
She stuffed the poster in her reticule and snapped it shut. "Excuse me, I must be going."
Arlo sprang at her and grasped the reticule from her hand. Wrenching it open, he removed the poster and tossed the reticule back to her.
"Give me that!"
Arlo held the poster just out of her reach as he scanned it, then he burst out laughing. "Now I remember. Gentry is a fugitive from the law. He's wanted in Kansas for bank robbery. I recall seeing the wanted posted when I passed through Dodge City not long ago. I would have remembered it before long on my own. This puts a whole differed face on things, doesn't it?"
"Nothing has changed," Meg gritted.
"I beg to differ with you. You were worried enough about the sheriff seeing this to steal it. Are you worried enough to save Gentry from prison?"
Meg stiffened. "What are you getting at?"
He gave her a lethal smile as he carefully folded the poster and slipped it into his jacket pocket. "Just this. You either come with me tomorrow or I give this to the sheriff. What's it going to be? How fond are you of the saintly Doc Gentry? Or is he a doctor at all?"
"Of course he's a doctor," Meg hissed. "A darn good one. For your information, the charges against him are false. He never robbed a bank. It was all a mistake."
"I'm sure it was," he returned snidely. "You never gave me your answer. Do you want me to show the sheriff the poster when he returns?"
"No, damn you! Putting Jess behind bars would be a travesty."
He eyed her narrowly. "You really are fond of him, aren't you? Enough said. Meet me at the train station at three tomorrow afternoon. We'll make a good team. You're no longer an innocent sixteen year old. You can do whatever it takes to bring men to my card game and I'll fleece them of their money."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Meg asked indignantly.
"It means you can use your body as long as it benefits me. But I'm the one you'll save your passion for. The rest will be only a game to us."
"You're mad!"
"Am I? I thought I was being generous. I could show this poster to the sheriff whether or not you decide to leave with me. I'm trying to please you."
Meg closed her eyes, picturing the man she loved behind bars. The vision was so distressing she knew she couldn't allow it to happen.
"Very well, what do I have to do to prevent you from showing the poster to the law?"
He gave her a smug grin. "Whatever I tell you to do. Meet me at the train station tomorrow and we'll take it from there."
Chapter Twelve
Jess was still treating patients when Meg returned home. The groceries she ordered arrived soon afterward and she busied herself putting them away. When she finished, she peeked into Jess's waiting room to judge how long it would be before she should start supper and saw him deep in conversation with Polly, one of the women she'd seen at the store. She opened the door wider and listened to the conversation.
"It's common knowledge that realize you're smitten with Meg Lincoln, doctor. Some of us feel that there are some things about her you should know."
"I have a strong suspicion you're about to give me advice I neither need nor want," Jess said on a long suffering sigh.
"Someone has to," Polly said primly. "Meg Lincoln has a colorful past. She's not someone you should be seeing."
"I know all there is to know about Miss Lincoln," Jess maintained.
"Then you must be aware that she's living in sin with that crippled bounty hunter. Did you also know she's..." her lips compressed, "...slept with every man she's ever brought in for the reward?"
Meg flinched. How could people think that?
"You're jumping to conclusions and condemning Meg out of hand" Jess reprimanded.
"I didn't just make this up," Polly maintained. "You're well thought of in town, Doctor Gentry. We'd hate to see you fall in with bad company."
"I appreciate your concern, Miss Gallagher, but I'm old enough to take care of myself."
"Very well, doctor," Polly sniffed, "but don't say I didn't warn you. No one wants to see you taken advantage of by a...a fallen woman. Think of your reputation."
Meg saw Jess's jaw tighten and his fists clench and was glad she wasn't Polly right now.
"That's enough, Miss Gallagher!" Jess b;asted. "I suggest that henceforth you keep your biased opinions to yourself. I find Meg Lincoln to be a forthright and admirable woman. Furthermore..."
Quietly Meg closed the door on the conversation. She'd heard enough. She felt like an albatross around Jess's neck. Even if he was found innocent of robbery charge, associating with her would ruin his reputation in town. He was a doctor. He had found a place for himself and he needed patients to survive. He was so dedicated that being ostracized would be a terrible blow to his pride.
There was only one thing she could do to protect his identity and salvage his reputation. She needed to get Arlo and the wanted poster out of town. Even if she had to accompany Arlo to do it.
She was resourceful, Meg reflected. It wouldn't be difficult to lose Arlo once they arrived at their destination. Or she could even jump train before they arrived. She knew Arlo. He'd be so angry that he'd forget about Jess in his eagerness to find her.
But what about Jess? Her heart cried? What would he think of her if she ran out on him?
Perhaps it would be for the best, Meg tried to convince herself. He'd hate her for awhile, then he'd forget her, find another woman to marry, one who would be an asset to his profession. With Arlo out of the way and the wanted poster gone, no one would ever know Jess was a fugitive.
The door opened and Jess walked into the kitchen. "I just locked up for th
e day."
She gave him a distracted smile. "I'll start supper. Pork chops and mashed potatoes. I bought some late peaches, too. How does peach cobbler sound?"
"Delicious, but not as delicious as you look right now." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.
"Do you want supper tonight?" Meg asked, gently pushing him away.
"Or..." Jess teased.
"Or we may never eat tonight if you keep this up."
"Very well, but I'm sure going to bed hungry won't hurt me when the rewards are so great."
"Get out of here and let me cook," Meg laughed, pushing him out the door. "I'll call you when supper is ready."
Meg leaned against the closed door and shut her eyes. Guilt stabbed her; the pain was excruciating. She felt as if she had betrayed Jess. And in a way she had. He expected her to marry him, not go off with a man he believed she despised. A man she did despise. What would he think when she disappeared?
A note of explanation might help, but she decided against it. Better that he hate her than pine for her. He was bound to find out she had left with Arlo and he'd probably never forgive her, or understand why it was for the best.
Briefly Meg considered Zach and what he would think about her leaving. She hated to take off with his health so precarious, but Widow Dowling could easily take her place in his life. Zach could marry Peg and live happily with the widow now that his wife was dead.
Time passed quickly as Meg cooked supper. When everything was done, she set the food on the table and called Jess to the kitchen.
"Smells good," Jess said, sniffing appreciatively. "I'm hungry as a bear." His grin told her he was hungry for more than food.
Meg's appetite had disappeared. She pushed her fork around her plate and tried to concentrate on Jess's conversation. She and failed miserably.
"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Jess asked, putting down his fork. "You haven't touched your food. Did Skully's visit upset you more than you're letting on?"
"No, it's not that," Meg quickly denied. Too quickly, obviously, for Jess slanted her a puzzled look. "By the way, I collected my reward from the sheriff."
