The man laughed. "Easy. His brother is the sheriff of Fremont."
The look of fury on her face was almost comical, except lives were in danger.
Turning to Dora, Jesse said, "That's forty miles down the road."
"No," the jeweler said. "Leo saw him at the Colorado River saloon here in town."
It couldn't be coincidental the two men found themselves in Austin at the same time. And Leo sold the shipment to Roy?
He took a quick glance at Dora, and she said, "Let's go."
"Thank you so much. You've been a big help," he said, hurrying out the door.
In a matter of moments, they rode toward the saloon.
"Why would he purchase the miracle drink from Leo?" Dora asked as their horses trotted to the cantina.
The very same thoughts swirled through Jesse's head like a tornado churning the prairie, with no conclusion. None of this made sense. Had Leo pulled another con?
When they arrived at the saloon, they tied their horses and entered the darkened room. Not yet busy, they glanced around and found Roy drinking a beer.
They walked up to his table and he jumped and tried to run. "How the hell did you find me?"
"No wonder a wanted poster was never issued on Leo. I guess your brother, the sheriff, didn't want anyone pursuing his friend regardless that he killed three people," Dora said.
The way the law had helped Leo was unbelievable and yet what could she do?
The man glanced down at his almost full beer glass. "You got nothing on me."
"Oh attempted murder and rape is nothing?" she asked.
The man drank a sip of his beer. His hands were shaking and he looked pale even in the darkened saloon. "Where's the miracle cure?"
"I'm delivering it to a hospital in Houston. They're waiting on the juice and are going to give me a thousand dollars," he said, not looking at them.
"How much did you pay Leo for the wagon full?" Jesse asked, already seeing a swindle job.
"Five hundred dollars. I'll double my money when I reach Houston."
Leo's last con. Though something didn't seem right. Why would he still be sitting here? If he left today, he would be partway there by now. "So, you still have the wagon?"
"Yes, and you can't take it," he said his words slurring. Was the man drunk?
A frown crossed Dora's face. "Why aren't you on the road? That's a lot of money and I thought you'd be headed that way by now."
What would a hospital want with snake oil? Somehow Jesse knew the man had been lied to.
Roy closed his eyes, his head falling forward. "Leaving in the morning. They want to buy the balance of his stock."
The redness of his eyes, the way his hands were a blueish color alerted Jesse. "Did you drink any of the miracle cure?"
The man glanced up at him, his eyes pleading for help. "Yes."
"Didn't you hear us say it was poison? That a kid died?" Dora asked, frustration filling her. The man had been warned and yet he drank some anyway.
"Leo told me what you said was all lies and encouraged me to drink it to cure my joint pain," he whispered. "But I don't feel good."
Jesse shook his head. "Come on, man, we need to take you to a doctor. That stuff is poison and killed my sister. If we don't find you help, you'll soon be dead."
Roy tried to stand and started to fall as Jesse caught him. "Where's the wagon?"
"In the back," he said. "Promised me the miracle cure was great and I'd make my money back and then some."
Together, the two of them let him wrap his arm around their shoulders and they half carried, half dragged him out of the bar.
"Leo is dead," she said.
The man sighed. "Why do I keep following people like him? Twice this week he's gotten me in trouble and this time, I may die."
Jesse didn't say much knowing the man probably would perish.
"Mrs. Tennyson, I just want to apologize for what happened to you," he said.
If the man hadn't been dying, Jesse would have shown him how he accepted his apology. But the man was already turning that horrible blue tint and if he drank a full cup, there wouldn't be much they could do to help him.
"Apology accepted. Now does anyone else have any of this poison?"
As they reached the wagon, Jesse helped him inside and Roy sighed. "Not that I know, ma'am."
"Good," Dora said, tying Jesse's horse to the back. "We'll get you to a doctor and then we're going to destroy whatever's left."
"Once again, Leo took my money." Shaking his head, Roy leaned back against the seat. "We better hurry. I'm not feeling well."
Climbing up in the wagon, Jesse sat beside the man and clicked the reins to the horses. By the time they located the doctor’s office, Roy had died.
Sadness overwhelmed Dora as they walked into the hotel room. One last night together. One last night that had been marred by the death of Roy. One last victim of Leo.
Dropping her saddle bags on the floor, she sank down at the table where last night they had drank too much whiskey. The day seemed a thousand hours long. First with them waiting for Leo and then his shooting, the sheriff, and finding the poison.
The miracle cure was all drained from the bottles and they'd taken the empty glass and shown the lawman. Later, they sold the team and the wagon. Leo would no longer need them, and Jesse had a wagon and team for the children to ride in already.
"Is there any whiskey left? I think after today, I could use some.”
“You said you were never going to drink again,” he said, grinning at her.
“Today calls for a little liquor. A small sip, nothing more.”
"Agreed," he said and found the nearly empty bottle. Just enough for them each to have a glass.
After he poured the liquor, she raised her drink to his. "To a great partner. To the end of my marriage and a new beginning in life."
A beginning she wasn't really sure she still wanted. With no family, she needed money to live on. So, a bounty hunting she would go.
In silence, they sat sipping their whiskey. The alcohol traveled down her throat, leaving a nice warm trail.
Standing, Jesse took her by the hand and she gazed up at him, questioning what he was doing. His hands wrapped around her head as he brought her lips to his and she knew. The man had not forgotten and fully intended to fulfill his promise from the night before.
Blood roared in Dora's ears as she leaned into Jesse's kiss, unable to resist the pull of his attraction any longer. The realization she loved this man left her feeling reckless. Consequences be damned, she was hungry for the sensation of his body twined with her limbs, delirious with wanting him, desperate to be possessed by Jesse.
The feel of his mouth plundering her lips as she returned his feverous kisses with a fierceness surprised her. Opening to receive him, she gripped his face and molded them together. The man tasted of sun-kissed days and pleasure-filled nights. Sweet, sinful sensations erupted in a delicious soft moan that escaped from deep inside her.
He gripped her shoulders as though he would never let her go, she relinquished all control as his lips consumed hers. Slowly he pushed her back until her legs bumped into the bed as he pressed his arousal through her skirts into the vee of her body.
From the touch of his muscular thighs to the strength of his sinewy chest, she felt all of him. Every delicious, rock-hard inch.
Sliding her hands down his shoulders, down his muscled back, past his waist, until she grabbed his buttocks, melding the two of them more firmly together. Five long years without a man. Five long years had passed since she experienced love, and tonight, she needed to soak up as much as possible, because this would be her last time forever.
Jesse moaned, his tongue tracing the ridges of her lips, his kiss turning savage as she held him against her, intoxicating her with desire. Nothing mattered at this moment except this man, this kiss, and the hardness of his body taut with need for her, only her.
The rational part of her mind refused to be quiet and war
ned her to step away. But it was too late to stop this crazy risk she was taking with Jesse. She was past the point of control. Nothing could keep her from being with this man.
This man made her stronger, made her do things she tried to resist, and for the first time in years, he made her feel like a woman.
His lips moved to her throat, pushing the soft fabric of her dress away as he slid his hands down the front of her bodice, skimming her curves like a man reading Braille.
"Are you certain about this," she said, tugging on his shirt, pulling the material free of his pants.
"Nothing could stop me," he whispered.
She wanted to touch his naked flesh, run her fingertips over his muscles, down the wisps of hair on his solid chest. She wanted to touch him, make him as giddy with passion as she was. She wanted Jesse, and she wanted him now.
The past be damned, the future was tomorrow, but tonight, she needed to experience the loving embrace of a man. Tired of fighting this thing between them, tired of denying the attraction for him and now there was no longer a reason to stop.
With a final tug, his shirt came free of his pants, and she slipped her hands inside, needing to touch his naked skin. Lightly she ran her fingertips along the hardened muscles of his chest, touching every solid ridge.
Why couldn't she put him out of her mind instead of craving his caress? With one smoldering glance, her senses quivered with anticipation. No man had ever intrigued her like Jesse.
"Dora," he moaned, his lips covering hers once more. Their kiss deepened as his fingers deftly worked at the buttons on the back of her dress until the sleeves slid over her shoulders, down her arms. The cool night air brushed her skin, and she experienced a moment of panic. What was she doing?
And then his mouth touched the sensuous part of her neck, causing her to shiver. His lips trailed past her neck, nipping the curvature of her shoulder. A shudder went through her as his mouth seared a path down her chest. With a final swish, her skirt landed in a pool around her feet.
At this moment, nothing else mattered but wanting Jesse. As her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, her breathing was fast, her pulse pounding. Clumsily, she undid each button, resisting the urge to stop and explore his body.
As she undid the last button, she yanked the garment off his back and tossed it to the floor with the other clothes. A tremor of need ran through her as she reached for the buttons on his pants.
There were no promises for tomorrow. There were no declarations of love, though he had captured her heart. There was only this need to experience his arms around her and be loved.
"Wait, Dora," he whispered, as he tugged his boots off, kicking them across the room as he stood, and she leaned into him and kissed his naked flesh. Gently running her tongue along his chest, his skin rippling from the effect.
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back. Quickly he untied the front of her chemise and pulled the cotton garment over her head, throwing the material in a haphazard way. Bare from the waist up she stood before him.
She stopped and kissed Jesse, leaning into his embrace, unable to bear their bodies being separated. Her lips expressed what her heart knew and her voice could not say as he pulled the string on her drawers.
They dropped to her feet, leaving her naked and exposed. With a kick, she stepped out of her pantaloons. The kiss broke as his eyes raked her with a warmth visible even in the dim light. Standing nude before him, all the doubts she held at bay slammed into her like she'd fallen off a horse.
"Dora," he whispered, "love me."
Maybe she worried too much, but his lips covering hers pushed aside her remaining confusion. No promises for tomorrow, only the satisfaction of tonight.
Reluctantly, he released her mouth, and she felt bereft at the loss. Moving from her embrace, he quickly finished unbuttoning his pants, shucking them and tossing the unwanted garment away.
Now he stood naked before her, all male. His manhood protruded, smooth and long and hard. The moonlight streaming through the window cast an iridescent glow about him.
With a cry, she reached out and touched his face, her hand caressing his cheek and pulling him toward her. "I want you, Jesse."
His lips covered hers and she found herself being laid gently down. The mattress sagged when he joined her on the bed, and she ached with the need for Jesse.
With his mouth, he trailed down her chest until he reached her breasts, and his mouth closed over her nipple. Jesse laving the bud, she gripped his head, her breathing harsh.
Slowly his hands skimmed her body, sending shivers through her while his fingers delved into the soft curls that covered her femininity. When he touched her, she jerked at the unexpected jolt of pleasure that rippled through her. Oh how she wanted him desperately, yet she was afraid.
"I'm going to tease you until you beg me to stop," he gasped, breathing hard to fill his lungs.
A moan escaped her, the sound loud and voracious in the darkened room as she arched against his hand, gripping the sheets against the raging need building with his caresses.
"Jesse!" she cried as she tensed, trying to hold on to the sweeping pleasure that ascended on her as she disintegrated beneath his hand.
For a moment, she lay still, her breathing shallow and fast, her eyes closed while she slowly collected herself. Until a thoroughly aroused Jesse, lying beside her, caught her attention.
When she opened her eyes, she gazed at him, his eyes dark, hungry, and so beautiful, she had to resist the urge to kiss each one.
Why now? Why with Jesse when she didn't want to love him, didn't want these emotions. But there was no denying he made her experience life. Every day, he made her laugh and sometimes made her cry, but most of all, he made her feel alive. And she could not deny she loved him.
Her hand slid past his waist, teasing him, getting just close enough to brush her hand across the tip of his manhood. Watching him, anticipation rippled across his face.
"Now who will be doing the begging?"
Finally, she wrapped her hand around his rock-hard shaft. Gently she slid her palm along the top and grasped her fingers around him and stroked the hot, smooth length of him, gripping him until he grabbed her hand.
Rolling himself on top of her, he caught and held both her hands above her head.
When her hands could not do the job, she writhed beneath him, teasing him with her body.
He slid his body down her breasts, her thighs, still holding her hands captive in his own.
"Enough, Dora," he whispered, his husky voice sending tremors down her spine. "It's past time for me to feel you wrapped around me."
His knees nudged open her thighs, his hands gripped her waist as he brought her hips up to meet him and he entered her in a single thrust.
A moan escaped her, the sound loud in the small room as he pushed into her welcoming body.
"Jesse," she cried, unable to contain the passion their bodies created.
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, staring at her, his gaze hard and unwavering.
"Not until I die," she said as she rose to meet each thrust.
Passion gripped her as he delved into her rhythmically, filling her, melding her to him while she clutched him, relishing in the slide of his flesh against hers.
With every recurring thrust, his moans filled someplace deep within her heart that had been empty for so very long. Sweat glistened on his brow, and Dora reached up to caress his face with her hand.
Opening his eyes, he stared at her, filling her soul as well as her body with sweetness, with a contentment that had long been denied. A pleasure that, even now, was rushing toward her, unstoppable.
As her body went rigid, spasms of desire surrounding Jesse, Dora moaned with satisfaction. Cascading shivers of delight left her clinging to Jesse while he reached his own climax, shuddering, gripping her, as he found his gratification.
Dora breathed deeply the musky scent of Jesse and pressed her lips to the inside of his neck between gasps f
or air. Completely spent, she lay relaxed, sated, and more confused than ever by the sensations Jesse seemed to generate.
Jesse's breathing was fast and shallow as he leaned against her. For several minutes, they held onto each other, their pulses slowly returning to normal.
"Damn, Dora," he said softly. "How in the hell can a man top that?"
Amazed their thoughts were so closely related, she laughed. Yet a part of her heart began to crack. No matter what, they could never be together forever.
The next morning, she sat in the lawyer’s office, knowing this was necessary.
"Mrs. Tennyson, are you certain you want to give this land to these children?"
"Yes," she said, realizing she could never take their home from them after everything they'd lost. This would leave her with nothing. No home, no man, no children, no money, absolutely nothing. But determined, she would survive.
She would persevere, though at this moment, her heart was splintered, aching with the loss of Jesse.
Before the sun rose, she slipped out the hotel room and knew what needed to be done. As much as she loved Jesse, he wanted a son and daughter of his own and she could never give him babies, no matter how much her infertility broke her. She would sacrifice their love to make certain he had the family he desired.
So this morning before he awoke, she packed, dressed, and when she closed the door, it was the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.
Hurrying down the street, she found a cafe and sat contemplating her next move, waiting for the lawyer’s office to open. These last few weeks she felt more alive than ever before. Jesse awakened the woman in her unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and now she would walk away from the man who made her the happiest.
"How long will it take you to draw up the papers?" she asked, coming back to the present. "Sometime today, Jesse Moore will be headed to Dallas to pick up the children. I'd like for him to receive the paperwork before he leaves."
The lawyer nodded and stared at her quizzically trying to figure her out. "You know, there are not many women who would hand over land to their husband's mistress’s kids."
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