Kate's Outlaw (Steam! Romance and Rails) (10 page)

She shook her head. She had nothing to say. Not yet. Not until after she faced Jake. She would demand he confess his crimes and face justice. And if he lied, she’d consign him to hell.

###

From outside the barred windows came the sound of footsteps. The iron door of the jailhouse creaked open and a flash illuminated the narrow passage between two cramped cells. Jake occupied one, being the only prisoner locked up for the night, unless they were hauling in another.

Light shot through the bars, piercing the darkness. He lifted his arm, squinting around his splayed fingers with his good eye, the one that wasn’t nearly swollen shut.

“On your feet,” the guard ordered. “You got a visitor.”

The straw crunched as Jake shifted his legs so he could stand. His movement stirred up an awful stench. How long had it been since this place was cleaned? Never?

Using the brick wall behind him as leverage, he climbed to his feet. Every part of him ached and his side felt like someone had stuck him with a burning stick. Probably a broken rib from one of Charley’s well placed blows. Was his cousin hurting this bad? He must’ve been well enough to get away, or he’d be sitting in one of these cells.

The guard moved the light. It reflected off a woman’s pale skin and red hair.

His heart stumbled.
Redbird.
Did her arrival mean she hadn’t betrayed him? Or was she coming here to gloat?

She drew close to the bars. Her eyes burned like blue flames. Not gloating, but not happy to see him, either. Why would she be? He’d landed in jail.

The guard hung the lantern on a hook outside the cell. His mouse-colored mustache twitched in a smile. “You want me to stay, ma’am?”

She spoke without taking her eyes off Jake. “I can find my way to the door. You can leave.”

The man raked Kate with a look that made Jake long to strangle him. “All righty then. When you wind up your visit, bring that lantern back to the office. He don’t need it out here.”

Jake threaded his fingers through his hair and picked out a piece of straw. He hung back against the wall until the outside door clanked shut. He hated that Kate had to see him like this—trapped behind bars, beaten and bruised, stinking worse than a dead possum—and he debated maintaining his distance so he wouldn’t offend her further. But his feet moved forward. He couldn’t seem to stop them.

“Hey…” His voice sounded rustier than the hinges on the barred doors. “They shouldn’t have brought you in here. They could arrange for us to meet somewhere cleaner.”

Kate didn’t move a muscle. The flames in her eyes were trapped in ice.

The ache in his side spread to his chest. He curled his fingers around the bars. “Are you angry because I left without telling you? I didn’t want to frighten you—”

“No. You didn’t tell me about Charley because you didn’t trust me.” Her expression was as flat as her voice.

He stirred the embers of anger, nursed as he’d waited and wondered whether it was her fault he was in here. But he couldn’t manage even a tiny flame. He didn’t want to be angry with her. He wanted to hold her. Given how she stood there, stiff as a starched collar, he didn’t reach through the bars to try. “You didn’t trust me, either. Or you wouldn’t have talked to Stevens and sent that bluecoat after me.”

Her brows slashed down. “I didn’t send
anyone
after you. I didn’t even know you’d left the hotel until Eden came to my room and told me you were in jail.”

“Then how did
the major know I was at the hotel with you?”

Her face grew hard like it was cast in clay. “
We had a conversation after you went to your room. The major wanted to ask me some questions. Questions about you.”

Jake’s side began to burn. He shifted his position, but didn’t let go of the bars for fear his knees would give way. “What sort of questions?”

“What you looked like, where and when I met you.” She crossed her arms. Was she going to reveal how she’d answered those questions? “I understand your
friend
ran away. Now why would he do that?”

Jake frowned
, confused by her shift in direction. “What are you saying? Tell me straight.”

“Straight?” Her arms dropped to her sides and her hands fisted. She looked like she wanted to pummel him even worse than Charley had done. “You want it straight? Fine. Then try this. You stole the railroad payroll. You and Charley.”

The accusation struck him square in the chest. How had she—? The major must’ve discovered something, shared his suspicions with Kate. “Is that what they told you?”

“Is it true?”

Despair crept over him, followed by a sense of resignation. Or was it relief? This day of reckoning had been coming for some time. He’d known it, but he’d wanted to put it off for as long as possible. He could put it off no longer.

Jake rested his forehead against the bars, closed his eyes.
“It’s true.”

“So, you admit it. I wondered whether you’d lie.”
The disdain in her voice wrung his heart. Never again would she look at him the way she had in the peach orchard or in front of the hotel. What he’d seen in that look, he hadn’t dared name because he couldn’t offer her the kind of promise it would demand. But she’d made him believe for a moment he could give her the world. He’d felt good about himself, and he hadn’t felt that way in so long. Maybe never. 

He opened his eyes. Then wished he hadn’t. Her gaze stabbed him worse than the knifing injury in his side.
His hands slipped on the bars, he couldn't hold on, no more than he could hold onto Redbird. She’d flown from his grasp.

“Jake?”
Concern warmed her voice. Her hands closed over his like she was trying to keep them in place. “Are you…about to swoon?”

Swoon?
He’d never swooned in his life.

He gritted his teeth
, forced his legs to straighten. “No. Not swooning.”

She
searched his face. “Are you sure?”

“Just need to wrap…my ribs.” He spoke in choppy sentences. If he kept his breathing shallow, his side didn’t hurt as much.

Her hands moved to his wrists and her fingers circled them, pressing against bruises inflicted by handcuffs. He bore the pain without flinching. Having her touch him was worth the momentary discomfort.

“Why did you and Charley get into a fight?”

“I told him to leave you be.”

Her eyes grew bright, moist. Was she crying for him? The weight on his heart lightened.

Selfish bastard
. Why did it make him feel better to see her grieve on his account? 

He gently twisted his wrists to release her hold, then reached out and cupped her face.
Holding her was awkward with the bars between them. But that wasn’t the worst thing standing between them. “You shouldn’t cry for me.”

“I’m not.”

That hurt, but he deserved it. “Then why the tears?”

“You asked me that once before. Remember?”

“When you wanted to know why I was taking you back. Now you know.”

“Now I know.” She removed his hands from her face
as if she couldn't bear to have him touch her.

He gripped the bars, wanted to wrench them open
, take her in his arms, kiss her until she forgave him.

Anguish twisted her features.
“Why did you let me believe you were a good man?”

“I never told you I was a good man.”

“You never told me you were low-down
crook
, either." She grabbed his sleeve. "What did you do with the money? Did you buy that fancy horse? You certainly didn’t invest it in improvements for your aunt’s home.”

His face got hot. “I didn’t used the money on myself or my family.
I used it for a good cause."

“
A good cause?” She took hold of the bars just below his hands, creating the strange illusion she was the one imprisoned. “What would that be?

He
hesitated. If he lied or refused to answer, she’d forever believe the worst. On the other hand, if he told her the truth and she betrayed him, those white judges would throw their case out. Then what could he do? He sure as hell wasn’t negotiating any deal with her father. The big chief wouldn’t talk to him anyway. He’d want a hanging.

“
If I tell you, you got to swear not to betray me.”

Her brows shot up. “
Me
not betray
you
?” She released the bars and took a step back. “That’s rich. You’ve betrayed me in every way possible.”

He didn't flinch like when she’d hurled the last insult.
Damn it to hell, he should’ve told her before he agreed to come here. He’d wounded her with his distrust. “If I tell you everything, I’m not just putting my family at risk. My whole nation would suffer. I’ve got to have your word.”

“
I offered to help you before, did everything I knew to gain your confidence and that still wasn’t enough. You didn’t trust me then. Why would you trust me now?"

He clenched the bars. “
I
came
here with you, didn’t I?”

“Because I blackmailed you into it.”

“No. I did it because…” He rested his forehead against the bars. What could he say? He’d followed her because he couldn’t bear to let her go? His breath caught at a sharp pain. This time it came from the center of his chest.

She inched closer. Emotions flitted across her face: suspicion, concern, longing.

“I
believe
in you, Kate.” His voice grew rough. He couldn’t hide from her anymore. He didn’t even want to. “You’re a good person with a pure heart. And I do trust you.”

Her hand flew to her mouth, stifl
ing a sob. “Don't,” she choked out. “Don't say things you don't mean."

“I
mean every word.” Should he go down on his knees? Would that convince her? “I trust you to do what’s right. Even if it’s not easy.”

She took a step closer, hurt etched on her face. “Despite what you think, I’m not after revenge. Perhaps your head on a plate, nothing more.”

“You can have it.” Hell, she might as well take his heart while she was at it. “Just give me your word you won’t use what I tell you against my family or my people. I don’t expect you to protect me.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Or was it worry?
Did she care if he went to prison? She might want to throw him down a deep dark hole after he told her what he’d done. “All right. You have my word.”

He heaved a sigh of relief. Now, he could tell her the truth.
“We used the money on a lawsuit to challenge the land grants.”

Her jaw unhinged and her mouth hung open
. If he’d told her he’d used his ill-gotten gains to build a machine to fly to the moon, she couldn’t have looked more surprised. “The lawsuit? Are you saying you stole the money to pay for a court battle?”

Stealing wouldn’t have been his first choice, but he’d plotted the crime, so he had to own it.
“I studied the laws and cases pertaining to treaties, found what I thought was a good defense. But I knew none of our people had enough money to pay for it.”

“So you decided to steal it.” She stepped closer, the straw crackling beneath her boots. The lantern’s soft glow made her face appear a pale oval in the darkness. “And Charley? What’s his part in this? Don’t tell me he wasn’t involved.”

Charley.
How to explain? The answer wasn’t as simple as saying they were family.

Jake pushed away from the bars and began a slow pace, favoring his uninjured side. He wouldn’t blame his cousin for the choices he’d made. On the other hand, Kate deserved to know what had brought him to this.

“Charley was going to steal from whites to get the money we needed. I was afraid he might wind up killing somebody. So I suggested we take what we needed from the railroad. I said I’d do the job with him, so long as he agreed not to hurt anybody.”

She shook her head like she couldn’t believe it. Did she think he’d lied to make himself look better?

“Charley was part of it, but it was my idea to steal the payroll.”

“Like Robin Hood,” she murmured.

Jake stopped in front of her. Had he misunderstood? The pain in his side had flared so hot he couldn’t think straight. He lowered himself to the greasy straw and leaned against the bars. “Did you say Robin Hood?”

She squatted next to him. “Take from the rich railroad baron and give to the poor tribe. A Cherokee Robin Hood.”

He’d heard the tale, but hadn’t made the association. “I guess you could call it that. You could also call it stealing.”

She searched his face. What was she looking for? Some sign of honor and decency in the face of an outlaw. That was only true in stories, not reality.

“I’m not a good person, Kate. I’m sorry if I let you believe that.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I haven’t decided about the good part. But you are very clever.”