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Owen approached the small group, Alex’s bedroll and other belongings tucked under his arm. He sat them by Jesse’s feet and stared at Alex as if it was the first time he’d ever seen her.
Jesse reached for Alex’s things, tossing them under the chuck wagon. “You sleep under the wagon where I can keep an eye on you. Is that understood?” She grinned, victory shining in her eyes. “Don’t get any ideas, darlin’. The first town we hit with a stagecoach line, you’ll be on your way back to Willow Creek. I don’t want you out there watching the herd either. Stay with Isaac and the wagon. You can’t cause too much trouble over here.”
He left her standing by the wagon, the ache in his head starting to pound. He passed Lewis and his buddies, one of them saying something low under their breath. He stopped and turned back to face them. “Have something to say?”
Lewis grinned. “I remember her. She was that pretty little thing back at the Avery ranch, the one you claimed you weren’t sweet on.”
“I’m not sweet on her.”
“Really?” Lewis glanced to where Alex stood. “You seem awful protective of her.”
“She’s Holden’s daughter, in case you’ve forgotten. He left me responsible for the herd and of all you until we get to Kansas. His daughter’s welfare would be included with that.”
Lewis glanced to where Alex stood and Jesse knew keeping her safe around this bunch would be next to impossible. The sooner he got her on a stagecoach, the better off he’d be.
He left Lewis and his little group where they were and headed toward his horse. It wasn’t his turn to watch the herd but he needed time to think.
Alex kepther gaze on Jesse until he disappeared into the darkness. She shook her head, then glared at Ben. “He can’t boss me around.”
Ben held up both hands as if to ward off an attack. “He’s just doing what he thinks is best, that’s all.”
“I can watch that herd as good as any of you men can and you know it.” Ben didn’t argue. He sighed and looked in the direction Jesse had gone.
Alex crossed her arms under her breasts and looked at her things. Jesse had scattered most of it when he tossed them under the wagon. She’d be mad if she weren’t already angry at him for ordering her to stay put.
The herd was restless. Something was agitating them. Probably Jesse. He may have spent the last ten years doing Lord knows what but she knew him well enough to know he was angry enough to upset a whole herd of cattle with just one look.
She blew out a breath and watched the herd shift from right to left, their disgruntled mooing a low rumble in the air. If she were lucky, they’d stampede and run Jesse over. The moment she thought it, she growled in frustration. “I can’t just stand here and do nothing,” she said. “I’m going to watch the herd.”
“Jesse said for you to stay put.”
Alex glanced in Ben’s direction. “You’re welcome to try and stop me,” she said. When he didn’t move, she grinned. “That’s what I thought.”
She walked to the horses, her gaze darting into the darkness for Lewis and his friends. She didn’t see them and assumed they’d gone off to cause trouble elsewhere.
The wrangler found her horse with little trouble and by the time Alex had him saddled, the herd had settled down.
She rode to the far side in hopes of finding Jesse. The last thing she wanted was a fight but she had to convince him to let her stay. She couldn’t prove to her pa she was capable of handling a job like this if she didn’t prove herself. He may not be here to see her but there were enough cowboys present to give him an account of what she did.
Jesse was toward the front of the herd, just sitting there watching them. He was leaned forward, his arms resting on the pommel of his saddle. When he saw her, he shook his head. “Now, why did I actually think you would do as told?”
“Because you’re delusional?”
He laughed. “Apparently.” He sat up and blew out a breath. “What are you doing here, Alex?”
“I told you,” she said. “I want to prove to my pa that I can handle being a rancher.”
“The teaching job not working out?”
His face didn’t give away anything but something in his eyes said he was laughing at her on the inside. She huffed out a breath. “You’re the reason I’m stuck with that job, Jesse Samuels. If anyone should be teaching, it should be you.”
He laughed again. “Oh, I don’t think so. You’re the one who burned the school down. I was just an innocent bystander.”
“Innocent?” she gasped. “You’re the reason it burned down. The fact I accidentally tipped the lantern over doesn’t even count”
He leaned down again to rest his arms against the pommel. “You know, I’ve replayed that day over inside my head a thousand times. Seen it from every direction, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why you ran. Did someone come in?”
She blushed and was glad it was too dark for him to notice. She’d replayed that day inside her head too and every time she did she came to the same conclusion. She ran because, for the first time in her life, he’d scared her. The boy she’d spent her life fighting for one reason or another had finally scared her.
