The Outlaw Bride (24 page)

“I don’t know. I never had a dog before.” As the words came out, he knew they were true.

Jacob closed Rachel’s carrying case, his efforts resulting in a crinkling sound. He started to reopen the strings. “I think I may have crumpled something.”

“No!” Rachel grabbed the case and shoved it back beneath the seat. “I mean, it was just my list of supplies. It isn’t important now.”

The sun was slipping over the mountains in the distance. Rachel glanced at the darkening horizon, hoping that the inky blur didn’t signify an approaching storm.
She’d heard enough about what a storm meant out here. A shallow river could turn into a raging torrent.

She was afraid that Brother Joshua’s God would send a rainstorm to punish her for her dishonesty about Jacob’s identity. He still could. She’d prayed that God would send her a man like Jacob, but now she’d committed a sin by lying to him.

She could show him the paper. It would tell Jacob who he was and give him a name—Ben Callahan.

But that paper could also take him away.

“So, report,” Perryman demanded, leaning back in his chair and puffing on his cigar.

Jerome smiled. “They got Callahan in jail.”

“I know that. The sheriff sent for me last night to make certain nothing was missing. What about the girl? She’s the one who can ruin my plans.”

“She’s at the hotel with her ma and pa. They come in on the morning stage.”

“Dan Miller is here, in Sharpsburg? Why wasn’t I told?”

“I’m telling you now. I just got back from town. He made a deposit at the bank too. Seven thousand dollars. Reckon she was serious about paying for them cows and them mortgage payments too.”

“He brought the money. Damn! They might not have believed the girl, but Dan Miller, that’s another story. And you haven’t found any trace of the other brother?”

“Not a trace. There’s been talk that a missionary wagon train picked him up. I put the word out that there’s a reward for his return. Wouldn’t hurt to have a little help running young Ben down. We could still—”

“Too late,” Perryman said. “It’s become much too
public. All on account of that Josie Miller. I’m thinking she started it, maybe I’ll just let her finish it. Send somebody to watch her. I want to know every move she makes. Why don’t you put a little scare into her?”

“How little?”

“Did I say little? Let’s make sure she understands how serious I am.”

Jerome smiled.

Callahan paced the small room where he’d been locked, growing angrier with each minute. He’d never felt so helpless, even when he’d been in the Kansas prison. At least then he’d had nothing at stake. Now he had Ben, the ranch, and—Josie.

He drew in a sharp breath. For most of last night he’d relived the day they’d spent together—at a time when he should have had Ben foremost in his mind. He remembered how she smelled, her touch on his bare skin, the way she’d responded to his kisses. His gut clenched at the way she’d let him love her, at her wild and free response. But all that was physical. That was all they shared, all they
could
share. She was the most aggravating, stubborn woman he’d ever encountered. Nothing he said made any difference to her.

What she’d done last night to save his life was beyond justification. What gave her the right to promise those ranchers that she’d repay the money they’d lost? It was his problem. He and Ben were responsible, and he and Ben would find the answer. The truth was, he felt as if she’d taken off his trousers, and it was time he put them back on. If he could just get out of this room.

A knock on the door shattered the silence.

“I’d let you in, but the door appears to be locked,” he snapped.

There was a smattering of smothered conversation. “Mr. Callahan, we’re Josie’s grandfathers. I’m Teddy Miller.”

“And I’m Roylston Sinclair,” a more somber voice added. “We’d like a word with you.”

“You can have several. But you’ll have to yell for me to hear you through this door.”

More muted words. Then, “Josie seems to be smitten with you. How do you feel about her?”

“That’s private!” he roared.

“He’s in love,” Teddy Miller said confidently, then added, “She says you’re innocent of the charges.”

“I am.”

“If Josie says you’re innocent, that’s all we need,” Sinclair added. “Shall we break you out?”

Teddy snorted. “And how are we going to do that, Sinclair? We don’t even have an ax. And if we had one I doubt either of us could chop down a door.”

“You’re right, Miller. Mr. Callahan, perhaps we’d better find help.”

Callahan groaned. It was clear that Josie had not learned her expertise from her adoptive grandparents. “Just send Josie over here. Tell her I want to see her—now!”

“Oh, I don’t think we can,” Mr. Sinclair said. “I never thought she was anything like my wife, but in the middle of all this trouble, Josie’s shopping.”

“Shopping? Josie? What’s she buying, cattle?”

Teddy Miller let out a deep laugh. “Nope, she’s buying a ball gown, if they even have one in this one-horse town.”

A ball gown? Perryman’s party. “When is the ball?”

“I believe it’s tomorrow night,” Teddy answered.

She’d told him she was going, but Callahan couldn’t
believe what he was hearing. He was in jail, still charged with stealing the ranchers’ money, and his attorney, the woman he’d taken into his heart—then changed it to his bed—was going to a ball being hosted by the mastermind of the crime of which he was being accused. He didn’t know what she was going to do, but it had to involve the jewelry. And it had to be dangerous.

And Callahan didn’t believe for one minute that she was taking him along.

If Josie went through with her plan to repay the ranchers’ money and advance them funds for their mortgages, Perryman wouldn’t be able to foreclose on the ranchers. He stood to lose a lot of money. Worse, if she found any trace of the jewelry, he’d go to jail. Josie held all the cards. She could ruin Perryman.

Callahan knew that Perryman would have to get rid of Josie.

“Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Miller, I know I’m a stranger to you, but you have to listen to me. Josie could be in danger.”

“Danger?” they both repeated at the same time.

“Perryman will find a way to stop her from making good on the ranchers’ loans. You have to get me out of here.”

“Maybe we’d better tell the sheriff,” Miller said.

“Damn it, man, he can’t stop Perryman by himself. He’ll be outnumbered. There were at least five men in the gang that held us up.”

“And there’s four of us, counting Teddy, Dan, the sheriff, and me,” Sinclair said confidently.

Callahan could just imagine how much help the grandfathers would be. “Just get Dan Miller and Will Spencer over here!” Callahan shouted. “Get them all over here, including Josie.”

The grandfathers agreed and left the stable.

Callahan considered their options. He hoped Sheriff Spencer and Dan Miller could be convinced of the danger. Even so, the chances of two men taking Perryman weren’t good. He had to get out. If the sheriff wouldn’t release him, then the grandfathers would have to do it.

An hour later, he was still wondering where the hell Josie was.

Josie stared at the only dress left in the general store. “What am I going to do, Ellie? There isn’t a ball gown in the store.”

Ellie studied the garments hanging on the rack. “You’re right. They’ll send you to the servants’ entrance. Unless …” She pulled a blue embroidered shawl from the shelf and held it against a blue and white striped walking dress which was several sizes too small for Josie. “I can take the bodice off, and I believe there’s enough material in this skirt to let the waist out. If I can find needles and thread and some ribbon, I think I can make it fit.”

“I’m not sure even you can stretch that into a ball gown that will fit me. Why didn’t I bring more clothes?”

Ellie grinned. “I think it’s because you had your mind somewhere else.”

Her friend was right. She had barely thought of anything but Callahan since that first afternoon when she undressed him and treated his wounds. Even now she blushed, remembering the man—not just his body, though that was something to remember. “He is hard to forget,” she admitted.

“A real scandal,” Ellie said. “Josie Miller’s fallen for an outlaw.”

“What am I going to do, Ellie?”

“About Callahan? Prove his innocence and marry him.”

“About a dress, I mean,” Josie said. “Besides, Callahan isn’t interested in marriage.”

Ellie laughed. “Don’t be too sure about that. I have an idea where we might find a dress. There’s a saloon at the edge of town. Maybe that’s the answer.”

Josie frowned. “I want a dress, not a drink.”

“Exactly. Let me pay a little visit to the girls there. I’ll bet we can come up with something.”

Josie turned around. “Fine, let’s go.”

Ellie followed her outside. “Not you, Josie,” she said firmly. “You don’t belong in a place like that.”

“Neither do they,” Josie said, “but they’re there.”

Before Josie could argue, the grandfathers were bearing down on them like a runaway train.

“Where are you going?” Grandfather Sinclair asked.

“To the saloon,” Josie answered without slowing her pace.

Trying to keep up, Papa Miller stumbled, dropped his cigar, then picked it up and stuck it in his pocket. “Callahan thinks you’re getting him out. He wants to see you. We’ve come to take you to him.”

Josie was stunned by the announcement, but she was resolute. “Not now.”

“But he thinks you’re in danger,” Teddy said.

That stopped her. “Why?”

The two old men came up beside Josie. Each held her arm while they caught their breath. Finally, Grandfather Sinclair spoke.

“Callahan believes that Perryman will stop you from making good on your offer to pay the mortgage payments.
He thinks you’re in danger. But don’t worry. We’ll protect you.”

“Thank you,” Josie said, thinking furiously about Callahan’s wild idea. He could be right. Perryman knew she was in the bank with Callahan. He probably knew she’d helped him break out of jail, and he certainly knew that she’d announced their impending marriage and the formation of the cattleman’s association.

At the same time, she reasoned, if something happened to her, Perryman had to know that he’d be in trouble. Dr. Annie and Dan wouldn’t stop until they got to the truth. And the truth was exactly where she was headed—at a fancy ball.

“We’ve bought firearms,” Papa Miller added confidently.

She managed not to laugh at that idea. “Tell Callahan I’m working on the problem. Right now, I’m going to visit some ladies of the night.”

The saloon was almost empty. Two cowboys were leaning against the bar, talking to one of the women. When Ellie and Josie walked inside, the girl looked up, her eyes wide in surprise.

“If you’ll take me to your room,” Josie told the scantily clad bar girl, “I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

“Lord have mercy,” one of the drinkers said. “Did you hear that? I don’t know what this world is coming to. Josie Miller in a place like this. First she’s buying cows, and now she’s buying women.”

17
 

The Green River was in the missionary train’s sight when dark rain clouds appeared on the horizon. A brisk breeze came up, tossing the prairie grass first one way, then the other.

Eli was riding on the seat beside Jacob as he often did, asking questions, passing along information that Jacob’s empty mind absorbed as it hungered for more. More and more, little scraps of memory returned. He could see rows of cotton growing in a field and could hear singing. But the singing blended in with the memory of Rachel’s voice, and he couldn’t be sure what was real and what was imagined.

He seemed to know how to ride a horse, but not drive a team of oxen. He could make biscuits, but he didn’t know how to milk a cow. The most irritating thing of all was his total loss of memory about women. Surely he’d known a woman before. Every time he touched Rachel it
set off a longing that seemed ongoing. He was certainly old enough to have married; he could have children, but nothing felt right about that supposition. And even though he and Rachel were strangers, everything about her did feel right.

The wind grew brisker. “Looks like it’s gonna rain,” Jacob said.

“Maybe,” Eli said. “Maybe not. My pa says that lots of times it just spits lightning and thunder and sets the range on fire without giving us a drop of water to put it out.”

Jacob frowned. A fire didn’t sound good. As if they, too, were worried, the oxen began to pick up the pace. “I’m sure your mother will feel better after Rachel gives her some of her special tonic. It picked up the dog’s appetite.”

“Where is your dog?” Eli asked.

“He followed Rachel when she went down to check on your mama. He doesn’t let her out of his sight. They ought to be back pretty soon,” he added, as much to reassure himself as Eli.

“Pa says Ma don’t need no tonic, she just needs to get over wanting to go back home.”

More dark clouds slid across the sky. White and gray streaks stirred the cloud hanging between the distant mountains like a dingy fat hammock bulging with water.