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He started to sit up, his hands clasping on the material of her shirt and she brought the rock down, hitting him as hard as she dared and gasped when blood gushed from his head. When he fell back onto his blankets and his eyes rolled back in his head, she tossed the rock away. She didn’t wait around to see if he was dead or not. She jumped to her feet and ran toward the horses. “Let’s go!”
Owen was on his horse seconds after she was and they were racing across the prairie moments later. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it was about to burst through her chest. She gave a quick glance to Owen and gave the reins a hard shake to get her horse moving faster.
Her hat flew off her head, the string tied under her chin the only thing keeping her from losing it. It bounced against her shoulder blades, the wind blowing past her face so fast her eyes watered. She squinted to keep dust from filling her vision and the smell of churned earth filled her nostrils as they headed in the direction of Monument Rocks. There was a stagecoach road nearby. She’d seen it herself.
She smiled when she realized what she’d just accomplished. She’d knocked out an outlaw, escaped with nothing more than a big rock and her wits. No one would believe her. Well, Jesse would. He knew she could take care of herself. He’d said as much the last time she saw him.
She wondered what he’d say when he found out. Knowing him, he’d try to make it out to be something trivial just to rile her and enjoy every moment of it. She’d be the one getting the last laugh, though. Once she made it to Dodge City and got the sheriff, it would be her rescuing him instead of the other way around and she’d remind him of it every day for the rest of his life.
The moon was playing peek-a-boo behind the clouds, tossing the valley in shadows. Slowing the horse would have been the smart thing to do but with Jack at her back and the possibility of Indians finding them, she didn’t dare. At least not yet.
The thought of getting caught no sooner entered her mind when she heard something off to her left. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her head to look. A dark shadow moved into her line of sight moments before she felt hands grab onto the material of her shirt. She was jerked from her horse, a squeal escaping her throat as she flew through the air, her bottom coming into contact with something solid a moment later. Looking behind her, Jack’s furious face appeared, blood running the length of his cheek.
He looked away, over to Owen. “Catch that horse, boy, or I’ll kill her now!”
Jack pulled the reins, getting his own horse to slow. When it reached a slow trot, he tossed her to the ground then jumped from the saddle to land beside her. He grabbed her by the hair, jerking her to her feet and pulled her against his chest.
“If you ever try that again I will kill you.”
Alex clenched her teeth to keep from saying something she’d probably regret. She saw Owen and her horse off to the right and felt like a complete failure. Her plan was so simple. Why hadn’t it worked?
The cut just below Jack’s hairline was still bleeding. She should have hit him harder. She should have taken the time to steal his gun or find her derringer. She should have taken his horse.
A list of should have’s filled her head as Jack squeezed her arm and marched her to her horse, forcing her into the saddle. He kept a tight hold on the reins as he climbed back up on his horse. Turning a glare her way, he had them headed back toward camp when he said, “You’ll regret this, Alexandra. I thought we could be friends but you’ve proven you’re not trustworthy.” He lowered his head a fraction, a scowl on his face. “You’ll beg me for mercy in the very near future. I can promise you that.”
Twenty-Seven
Jesse wipedhis mouth with the back of his hand, the coppery tang of blood the only thing he could taste. Lewis staggered a bit, then righted himself and lunged again.
Every man within hearing distance of camp was embroiled in the fight and Jesse had no way of knowing who was winning. His eye was throbbing, along with his head, his knuckles were bruised and sore and he was tiring. Lewis was too if his staggering was any indication.
Lewis pushed him away and spit, huffing for breath. “I can do this all night.”
“And we will if that’s what it takes.” Jesse wasn't sure what happened to Lewis’ gun. The shot he took at him had missed. Good thing. He would have hated to die before getting a chance to knock Lewis in his smug mouth.
They’d rolled around the fire pit, dust filling his eyes and nose and the yells of the other men joined the ruckus to fill the air with enough noise the cattle were getting vocal about their displeasure in it all.
Three shots from a gun echoed across the valley and everyone stopped and looked to see where it came from. Isaac was standing by the chuck wagon with a pistol in each hand. “That’s enough,” he said. “Next man to throw a punch gets a bullet in him.” He looked toward Ben and motioned to a bag near his feet. “Come get your weapon boy and give everyone who deserves a gun theirs back.”
Ben did as told, handing out the weapons to everyone except Lewis and the three men Jack had left behind. Jesse welcomed the feel of the heavy steel in his hand, wrapping his palm around the grip tightly when Ben placed it in his hand. He turned to Lewis and said, “On your knees.”
Lewis stared at him long and hard before grinning and sinking to the ground. “You gonna kill me? That won’t make you any better than these old outlaws.” He looked at Hank. “Him and Silas are the two you should shoot. They tried to take your pretty wife back at the stagecoach. They told me what they had planned for her, too. Said they would have enjoyed every second of it if you hadn’t shown up to get her. You think Jack is going to let her go once you make it to Dodge?” He laughed. “He’s not. He’s going to shoot you first chance he gets and turn your little wife into a worthless whore.”
Jesse never took his eyes off Lewis, ignoring most of what he said. He was trying to goad him into another fight but he wasn’t taking the bait. He had one thing on his mind and that was getting Alex back.
He looked over to where Ben stood. “Find the rest of that rope and get these four tied up with the rest of them. Make sure it hurts when you’re done.”
Ben’s facial expression said he was going to enjoy carrying out the order and took off in a slow jog to fetch the ropes. Jesse walked to the chuck wagon as the men secured Lewis and the others. Isaac was still holden his pistols when he joined him. “How did you get your hands on these?”
Isaac scoffed. “I might be old but I’m not dead yet. I can be useful in a fight.” He laid the pistols down and turned to straighten the pots and pans, hanging them back on the hooks where they belonged. “That cast iron pan does a hell of a job if you catch a body just right. One good whack to the head is all it takes.”
Jesse spotted the pan, the conversation he’d had with Alex about her fighting these bandits with those same pans coming to mind. He snorted, then laughed, his eyes burning with tears as he realized she was right but he’d shave his head bald before telling her. She’d never let him live it down.
It wasnoon when they were close enough to see Dodge City on the horizon. The past three days had passed in complete silence. No one had spoken a word.
Jack was still seething. He kept throwing glares her way and she wondered more than once if he would be true to his word and let her go once Jesse and the cattle got to town. The look in Jack’s eyes said he’d rather just kill her. The thought sent shivers up her spine.
Riding into town was met with a mix of emotions. Jack still controlled her horse. The reins were wrapped around the pommel on his saddle so urging her horse into a canter to get away from him was out of the question. Unless she jumped off the horse and ran, she was stuck with him.
