Bushedwhacked Bride (11 page)
Though he appeared somewhat bemused at her terminology, he tipped his hat. “My pleasure, ma’am. And you
did ask.”
He had her to rights there, and she could hear his broth
ers chuckling. “Hey, Cole, quit sparking the lady and let’s
ride,” urged Luke. ‘Time’s a’wasting.”
“I’m ready,” Cole replied with ill humor, striding to his
chestnut horse and mounting with fluid grace. “You’re
the ones who insisted we bring the
lady
along.”
There it was again—that derogatory inflection on
“lady.” Jessica’s blood boiled.
Gabe let out a whistle. “All right, gentlemen. Head
out!”
Watching the men gallop away, Jessica panicked as she
realized she had no idea how to mobilize her own horse. The animal evidently recognized her ineptitude and fear.
When she nudged its sides with her thighs, it only
snorted. When she yanked on the reins, it neighed and stamped a hoof, then turned its head around and tried to bite her! Hastily she lifted her foot to avoid the animal’s
teeth.
“Stop that!” Jessica scolded, prompting only an indignant whinny. Then the beast lowered its head and began chewing on grass and ignoring her.
Meanwhile, the men were already yards ahead! Jessica
felt her face flaming. She was mortified, defeated by a
mere beast of burden. Humiliating though it was, she
knew she had to ask for help. Cupping a hand around her
mouth, she yelled at the departing cloud of dust. “Hey!
Wait for me!”
The men wheeled their horses and regarded Jessica in
consternation. “What ails you, woman?” Wesley called out. “Ain’t you never been on a horse before?”
“Nope,” Jessica admitted cheerfully.
Laughter erupted. “Well, I’ll be hanged,” said Billy.
“A gall-durned greenhorn,” scoffed Gabe.
Meanwhile, Cole spurred his horse and galloped back to Jessica’s side. “You might have told us,” he drawled.
She glowered.
He grabbed her reins. “Hold on tight now.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. “To what?”
“The saddle horn.”
Jessica had no sooner gripped it than Cole galloped off,
her horse lurching into motion behind his, prompting her
to squeal in fear. It was all she could do to hang on, her
bottom bouncing hard in the saddle as they bounded
along. Then she felt herself slipping to one side, and
shrieked bloody murder.
“S-stop!” she stammered. “Please stop! I’m falling off the d-damn horse!”
The men pulled up again, all appearing disgusted.
“Lady, you’re a pain in the butt,” declared Luke.
“Females,” scoffed Wesley. “All useless sissies. We should have left you behind.”
But Cole, appearing amused, only shrugged. “The lady
can ride double with me.”
“W-with you?” Jessica stammered.
“Hey, how come you get her?” protested Gabe.
“Didn’t you boys just ask to leave her behind?” Cole
reasoned. “Besides, it’s
my
idea this time.”
The boys grumbled to one another, but didn’t protest further to Cole. Jessica realized the boys had developed
something of a code for dealing with her. The first man to come up with an idea got “dibs”—whether it was to pull
out her chair or to ride double with her.
However, since Cole had been the first one to baldly
proclaim he would bed her, the knowledge of their “sys
tem” didn’t exactly comfort her now.
Cole edged his mount close to Jessica’s. “All right,
sugar. Hop on behind me.”
“Hop on—where?”
“You heard me.” He slid forward in the saddle, pa
tiently waiting.
Somehow, Jessica managed to clamber on behind him.
She restrained a groan at the feel of Cole’s muscled back
against her breasts, her thighs nestled close to his own,
and the male scent of him tempting her senses. “All right.
I’m here.”
“Yeah, you sure are,” he agreed huskily.
“Cole—”
“Hold on tight.”
Biting back her frustration, Jessica was forced to place
her arms around Cole’s trim waist, only enhancing their
proximity.
“Ah, sugar, that feels good,” he murmured.
“Shut up.”
Chuckling, Cole wheeled his horse about, then slapped
the riderless palomino across its rump. “Hee-ah! Head
home.”
The horse whinnied, turned, and galloped homeward.
“All right, boys,” Cole said. “We’ve wasted enough
time.”
As the group rode off, Jessica began bobbing in the saddle again, her bottom taking a pounding, her breasts rubbing provocatively against Cole’s back.
She heard his low, suggestive chuckle. “You need some
riding lessons, sugar.”
“And you’re the man to teach me?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” came his cocky reply. “I’m
the man who can teach you just about everything you
need to know.”
Jessica was on the verge of issuing a sharp retort when she bounced hard, then heard Cole’s moan of pleasure as
her breasts collided with his back. Oh, she was going to be black and blue before the day was over!
Then as she bobbed once more, Cole spoke in a slow, sexy drawl. “Actually, sugar, why don’t you just keep on
doing what you’re doing? It feels fine.”
Jessica could have killed him.
Chapter Ten
“If you look, sugar, you can see the mine from here.”
Breathless, Jessica was still clinging to Cole’s waist as the group of outlaws at last halted on top of a high, dra
matic ridge. Below them, down a rugged plunge of wooded hillside, a narrow dirt road snaked its way
through the canyon. Next to the road, a stream rushed by,
its waters tinged a grayish yellow by metal runoff. In the distance to the west, Jessica could just make out the hazy
outline of the mines—a group of rambling gray buildings
sprawled in a mountain pass, with gouges in the hillside above, and a sluice emptying into the stream below.
“Is that the mine where your father worked?” she
asked.
Cole twisted about in the saddle, raising an eyebrow.
“Your ma told me about your family history this
morning.”
He grunted. “Nope, both my pa’s worked in the old
western branch of the mines, which the owners over-tun
neled and closed down years ago, after too many cave-
ins. This eastern branch was opened up when they hit a
major vein five years ago.”
Jessica snapped her fingers. ‘That’s right. Your mother
explained that the town of
Mariposa
was formed soon
after that strike occurred.”
“Now they have this mine tunneled out, too, and on the
verge of collapse,” he added grimly.
Jessica was about to comment when, next to them,
Billy pointed at the gorge and whispered tensely, “Hey,
Cole, lookie there! I see the dray!”
Jessica strained in the saddle to peer over Cole’s shoul
der. She spotted the heavily laden wagon, pulled by a team of workhorses, just appearing on the road to the
west of them and plodding slowly toward them.
“That’s what you’re going to rob?” she asked Cole.
“Yep.” He viewed the scene with a hand shading his
eyes, then grinned at Billy. “Only a driver and one old
poke riding shotgun. You’d think they’d have learned bet
ter by now.”
“Easy pickins’,” agreed Billy. “Like shootin’ fish in a
barrel.”
Puzzled, Jessica glanced at Billy. “How did you boys
know this shipment would be coming through this after
noon?”
Billy pressed a finger to his mouth. ‘Trade secret, ma’am.”
She smiled nastily. “Do you have a spy at the mines?”
As the boys exchanged alarmed glances, Cole twisted
about again, glowering at Jessica. “Lady, you’d best
stow the curiosity before it takes you straight to the bone
orchard.”
“Oh, spare me your melodramatics. I’m not impressed.”
Perplexed, Cole glanced at Billy, who gave a shrug and
said, “Don’t bellyache to me. You wanted her along.”
Billy turned to the other brothers. “Ready to ride, boys?”
Eager nods greeted his question.
“All right, let’s do it!” Billy declared.
“Wait a minute,” Cole put in. As the other men reined in their horses, he swung to the ground, then offered Jessica his hand. “Get down. You’re waiting here.”
“No!” she protested. “I’m along for the ride—for
everything.”
“Yeah, and if you get shot, Ma’ll never forgive us.”
“What about you?” Jessica mocked. “Would you
care?”
Cole reached up, grabbed her about the waist, and slid
her to the ground, letting her body rub slowly, sensuously against his own. Jessica stifled a moan and glared at him.
Ignoring her surly look, he drawled, “Don’t count on it,
sister. And you’re fixin’ to get your hide blistered if you
don’t start minding a sight better.”
“I’m not some puppy you can order about.”
“You’re going to do what I say, anyhow.”
“Yeah, lady, Cole is right,” remarked Gabe. “It’s too dangerous to take you along. You could trip us up.”
Though exasperated, Jessica realized it was futile to
argue further; she couldn’t win against all five of them.
“Very well. Besides, if I remain here, I’ll be able to take lots of notes.”
All five men chuckled. “See you do,” mocked Cole,
tipping his hat and swinging back up into the saddle.
Jessica watched with bated breath as the men rode off,
heading down the tricky incline. Soon they were ob
scured in the wooded hillside, and she didn’t see them
again until the dray was rounding a bend. Suddenly Cole,
Billy, and Gabe materialized in front of the dray, firing
their weapons into the air and causing the confused work
horses to buck and stamp. Luke and Wes attacked the
wagon from the rear.
Confuse and conquer, Jessica thought grimly. The out
laws were good at their nefarious work. Within seconds,
the dray had been halted and both driver and guard had
thrown down their weapons and surrendered.
Jessica had to shake her head at the outlaws’ ingenuity
and audacity as they tied up the two men and threw them
into the back of the dray. Quickly the four younger boys
loaded their saddlebags with gold bars, while Cole tied
the remaining sacks of gold to the backs of the two work
horses. Within minutes, the group rode off, leading the
workhorses and hooting their victory.
Soon the desperadoes arrived back in the clearing,
faces aglow with victory. Jessica strode forward to face
them with hands balled on her hips. “It’s shameful the de
light you men take in your sinful doings.”
Cole swung down to grin at her. “Sin is always fun,
sugar. How ‘bout a victory kiss?”
Before Jessica could protest, Cole hauled her close
and soundly smacked her lips, while his brothers hooted catcalls.
Her face was flaming. “You thief.”
Cole grinned unabashedly. “I’m a bandit, sugar, and I
take what I want.”
“Hey, no fair!” protested Gabe. “How come we don’t
git no victory kisses from the lady?”
“Yeah, how come?” asked Billy.
Cole swung around. “Because if we don’t hightail it, someone’s bound to come along and discover us. Let’s
ride, boys. We can fight over the lady later.”
Within seconds, Jessica was again mounted behind
Cole on his horse, her breasts once more rubbing brazenly
against his muscled back, her lips still throbbing from his
brazen kiss . . .
***
The ride home made Jessica acutely conscious of how
sore her bottom was getting. Eager to distract herself, she
spoke to Cole. “I’m curious about something.”
“Not again,” he complained.
“Why was the dray hauling gold bars, and not ore?”
He laughed. “The Aspen Gulch Mines is a fully con
tained operation, one of the few in the state with its own stamping mill. That way, the few miners the consortium doesn’t kill underground can be poisoned by fumes from the acids used to separate the metals.”
She whistled. “You sound very bitter. Not that I can
really blame you, after listening to your mother this
morning.”
He grunted. “I think my ma’s been runnin’ off at the
mouth too much.”
That remark chafed Jessica’s pride. “Meaning, you
want me to be your captive, but you don’t want me to get to know you?”
“Well, I’d be happy for you to ‘know’ me in the bibli
cal sense,” he teased back.
Jessica pounded him on the back, but the devil only
laughed.
About a mile from the farm house, Cole held up his
hand to halt the group. “You boys go on and see to our
business. I think it’s best I take Jessie back to the
house.”
“All right, Cole,” agreed Billy, then raised an eyebrow meaningfully. “Just see you mind your manners with the
lady.”
“Of course,” he drawled.
The four boys rode off to the east, leading the heavily
laden workhorses. Cole spurred his mount on toward the
house.
“So, are your brothers going to stash the gold at your hideout?” Jessica inquired sweetly.
Cole shook his head. “Jessie, you’re too smart—and
too curious—for your own good.”
“Count on it,” she retorted crisply. “But I take it you
don’t want me to see your secret cache, either?”
“Yeah. Then I
would
have to shoot you.”
They fell into an uneasy silence until Cole paused his
horse beneath a shade tree next to a stream. He dis
mounted and pulled Jessica to the ground. “We’ll let old
Red rest a spell. He’s been carrying quite a load.”
“Sure,” Jessica said.
Actually she was grateful for the respite, since her rear was very sore and it had been much too long since she’d
visited the “necessary” back at the farm house. Muttering
an “excuse me” to Cole, she ducked into some trees to see
to her needs.
When she emerged, Cole was sitting on a log sipping
water from his canteen. The sight of him quickened Jes
sica’s pulse. Despite the fact that she was thoroughly exasperated with him, he just looked so handsome in the fading light, with his beautifully honed features in profile, his massive body in repose.
Spotting her, he stood. “You want to sit here?”
“No thanks,” she replied gruffly. “But please, go
ahead.”
He walked closer, extending the canteen. “Saddle
sore, eh?”
Rolling her eyes, she accepted the canteen and took a
long drink. ‘Thanks,” she said, returning it to him.
He strode back to the log and resumed his seat. Cap
ping his canteen and setting it on the ground, he asked,
“Well, sugar, what did you think of our exploits today?
Did you take lots of notes in that journal of yours?”
She harrumphed. “I’ll do that when we get back. But if
you want my initial impression—”
“I do.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I think you and
your brothers should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Although he appeared amused, his tone was challeng
ing. “Should we? After the mine owners saw to it that our
streams are poisoned, and we can’t
earn an income
through honest means?”
“Ah, so you’re an environmentalist,” she mocked.
He glowered.
“What
did you call me, woman?”
She waved him off. “Don’t pop your cork. I didn’t in
sult you, and besides, I’ve had entirely enough
machismo
for one day.”
He shook his head, appearing bemused.
“What I’m saying is you must see yourself as having
some kind of higher purpose—like a latter-day Robin
Hood.”
“Robin Hood,” Cole repeated thoughtfully. “Yeah, I
like the sound of that.”
“I suppose you give to the poor as well?”
“Nope.”
Expression indignant, she began to pace. “Well! Here
you are trying to convince me your motives are noble—”
Cole was watching her intently as she moved, obviously savoring the motions of her body. “Am I?”
“When they’re not noble at all.”
He grinned unrepentantly. “You got me to rights there.”
She shook a finger at him. “You could damn well earn
an honest income if you wanted to.”
“Maybe I don’t want to.” He shook his head and eyed
her admiringly. “So full of sass, you are.”
Jessica waved her hands. “Quit trying to be charming. I can’t believe how short-sighted you are.”
He whistled. “I am?”
“What about your brothers?” she ranted. “Their fu
tures? Don’t any of you want to settle down, have wives, children?”
His expression turned downright sinful. “You aimin’ to
give me those young ‘uns, woman?”
She colored, her voice trembling badly. “Will you get
your mind into decent territory for once?”
“Now what have I done? You brought up children.”
“And you’ve twisted everything I said to make it lewd.”