Bushedwhacked Bride (27 page)

Dumpling fanned her face with a plump hand. “Where
did Bobby go?”

“He and Co—that is, Clay—went off for a few days on business.”

Dumpling scowled. “Business? What business?”

“They didn’t say.”

Dumpling harrumphed. “When men don’t say, it’s for
sure they’re up to mischief.”

Jessica fought a smile. This girl was no dummy. “You think so?”

“Yep.” Dumpling reached out and petted the kitten. “I’m thinkin’ Bobby’s off chasing some other gal—espe
cially since his brothers keep funnin’ him about me. He’ll
probably never be seen in these parts again.”

“Oh, no, I’m sure that’s not true,” Jessica reassured the
girl. “Clay promised me they’ll be back in a few days, and I’m sure he’ll keep his word.”

Dumpling struggled to her feet. “When Bobby does re
turn, he’ll have some explaining to do. If he’s been spark
ing another gal, I ain’t taking him back. I have my pride,
after all.”

Don’t we all?
Jessica thought. She reached out to
squeeze Dumpling’s hand. “I can’t blame you at all, but
I’m sure Bobby has been true to you. Why, he talks of you constantly.”

Dumpling brightened. “Does he?”

“You bet.”

The girl’s smile faded. “Still, he’d best come back with
a pretty good story, or I’m fixin’ his britches.”

Amen,
Jessica thought, watching Dumpling march
back down the steps with head held high.

***

Several long, excruciating days passed. On Saturday afternoon, Ma was off in town buying supplies, and Jessica
was in the bam, hunting for eggs the hens had hidden,
when she heard the door creak open.

“Jessie? You in here?”

He was back! The deep baritone of Cole Reklaw’s
voice was music to Jessica’s ears. “Cole!” she called, al
most dropping her basket in her haste to cross the barn.

He stood in the doorway, looking a bit
trailworn but glorious, with a shaft of sunlight spilling in from behind him and outlining his tall body. He wore a well tailored apricot-colored shirt
that was stretched taut over the muscles of his chest and arms, and dark brown trousers that clung
to his hard thighs and long legs. Beneath his black western hat, his dark hair gleamed, and a sexy stubble of
whiskers shadowed his jaw.

Setting down her basket and rushing forward, Jessica all but collided with him, knocking off his hat. He
laughed and caught her close, then leaned over, quickly
kissing her, his warm lips thrilling her senses. Absorbing
his heat and strength, breathing in his exciting male
scent, Jessica felt as if in heaven. She looked up to see
him gazing down at her with tender amusement in his
dark eyes.

“So you missed me, woman?” he teased.

Realizing how forward she must have seemed, Jessica
stepped back. She felt color creeping up her face. “Well,
you’ve been gone five days. I was concerned.”

“Counting the days, eh?”

“Oh, hush.”

He chuckled.

Forcing a casual tone, she asked, “Was your trip suc
cessful?”

“Very.”

“Where did you go, Cole? And what did you do?”

“We saw a Wild West Show up in Central—Buffalo
Bill Cody himself.”

“Did you? What else did you do?”

He shook a finger at her. “Oh, no, I’m not going to let
you bait me.”

“Bait you?” she countered indignantly. “You disappear
for five days, and I have no right to know?”

He closed the door and leaned against the wall, lazily crossing one leg over the other. “Well, that depends.”

“On what?”

“On what we mean to each other, Jessie.”

Feeling a new surge of heat, Jessica knew just what he
meant. “So you’re not going to tell me.”

He shrugged. “It was business.”

“Business with another woman?”

He dimpled. “Kiss me, sugar, and maybe I’ll tell you.”

Instead she punched him in the arm. “Oh! I might have
known you’d never change.” She turned to leave.

He caught her arm. “Just where do you think you’re
going?”

“Out.”

His expression was darkly determined. “Oh, no, you
don’t. I told you we were settling this when I got back.
No more games, Jessie.”

“No more games? You’re the one playing games here,
Cole, refusing to answer my questions.”

He pulled her close and ran his fingertips teasingly up
and down her spine. “Very well. I wasn’t in another
woman’s bed, and that’s all that should concern you.”

Much as his statement relieved her, she struggled to break free. “You’re so arrogant. Let me go, Cole.”

He only locked his arms around her spine, until she
could feel the hardness of his desire rising between
them..

“Do you want me to let you go, Jessie?” he asked
huskily.

Jessica could only stare at him helplessly. Lord, she
had missed him so much—devil that he was! By now his
eyes were burning into hers even as the nearness of his body inflamed her. She felt so vulnerable to him.

“Do you want me to?” he repeated softly.

“No,” she admitted.

A sigh of longing escaped her; then Cole was kissing
her. Long, deep, almost punishingly. And she was clinging to him, loving it, mating her tongue with his, running
her fingertips over the muscles of his back.

At last they broke apart, both breathing hard. “Miss
me?” Cole asked.

“Yes”

“Want me?”

She gazed at him in anguish. “Oh, yes.” But even as he reached for the buttons on her bodice, she pushed his fin
gers away. “But you don’t want me.”

He glowered. “What do you mean, I don’t want you?
What do you think I’ve been dreaming of these past five
days?”

She lifted her chin. “You want sex—not me.”

“Sex? Sex I could have with any woman.”

“Then why me, Cole?” she pressed passionately. “You
still don’t completely trust me—or share with me.”

He smiled contritely. “Jessie, maybe it started out that
way, when I first saw you. But not anymore. You make
me want to trust again, to share. There’s so much I’ve
missed about you—your spirit, your smile. Every word
you say. Always something different, always unpre
dictable. You fascinate me, girl.”

She stared at him, desperately wanting to believe him.

“But I’m not ashamed to admit I want your body, too,”
he continued huskily, raking his gaze over her. “After all,
loving you is my only real way to demonstrate my feel
ings. I want the sexy sway of your hips. I want to look
into those proud eyes of yours and watch ‘em melt as I
drive into you . . . again.”

Jessica gazed at him, sinking fast.

“And another thing—we’re going to have us a serious talk about getting hitched,” he went on sternly. “After a
little loving.” Grinning roguishly, he leaned over and
kissed the pulse at the base of her throat. “Make that a
lot
of loving.”

Jessica moaned ecstatically. Why couldn’t she seem to
resist him? “Cole, please—”

But he only gripped her hand. “Come along, sugar. The
waiting’s over.”

Cole tugged her into a nearby empty stall and pulled
her down to her knees with him in the soft hay. Her weak protest was drowned out by his lips, his ravenous tongue. Then she was lost. This time his fingers made quick work
of the buttons at her bodice. His hot mouth took her nip
ple, his tongue lapping eagerly, and Jessica almost
screamed at the pleasure.

“Easy, sugar, easy,” he whispered. “It’ll be so good.
Just you wait.”

Jessica was transported, clinging to Cole, thrusting her
breast eagerly into his hot mouth. “I missed you, Cole,” she admitted achingly. “Really missed you.”

“I know, sugar. Me, too. I missed this.” He demon
strated by nipping her lightly.

Desire staggered Jessica. She sank her fingers into
Cole’s hair and let him devour her breasts with his rapa
cious mouth. His hands cupped her bottom, fingers
kneading through her skirts. Hot filaments of passion threaded their way deep inside her, tormenting her.

It was going to happen, she realized. They were about
to have hot, uninhibited sex again, and she was powerless
to do anything about it. Indeed, she was so overwhelmed
by her need of him that she suspected she would shoot just about anyone who might try to stop them.

His strong hands tugged her dress down about her
waist. She moaned and kissed him eagerly. Her fingers
slid between their bodies to touch his arousal. Oh, he was
rock-hard, so delicious, and she wanted him inside her so
badly . ..

Then suddenly they both froze at the sound of a high,
raucous female cackle out in the yard. Jessica glanced
wildly at Cole to find him scowling murderously.

“Who is
that?”
she demanded in a hoarse whisper. “It
can’t be your ma, and it sure doesn’t sound like one of the
boys’ sweethearts.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know who it is, either,”
Cole responded tensely. Already he was tugging up Jes
sica’s dress and buttoning her bodice.

He had no sooner pulled her to her feet, and she was
still smoothing down her hair and frock, when the barn
door banged open. As she and Cole stepped out of the
stall, Jessica stared in horror at a tawdry creature in purple satin who stood there with a cigarette dangling from her rouged lips.

Like Cole, the woman appeared trailworn, her dress soiled and ripped in places, her coiffure ratty. She was
clearly a prostitute, with her heavily painted face and
brassy dyed hair. Behind the woman out in the yard, Jessica caught sight of three other gaudy women, and Cole’s
brothers lounging there talking to them. An unfamiliar
buckboard was parked beyond.

“Well, well,” the intruder purred in her whiskey voice.
“What have you two been doing?”

Jessica glanced at Cole to see him regarding the
woman with scorn. “Cole, who
is
she?”

“Yeah, Cole, honey, tell the lady who I am,” the creature taunted.

Grimly Cole turned to Jessica. “Jessie, meet Lila Lul
laby.”

Jessica received this pronouncement with a gasp. Then
she turned and slapped Cole’s face.

Chapter Twenty-four

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Flinching at the sting of Jessica’s hand, Cole caught her
wrist and glowered. “Ouch! What in hell do you think
you’re doing, woman?”

“You brought her here!” Jessica accused, yanking free.

“I what? Like hell I did. And where’d you get that hay
wire notion, anyway?”

“Don’t lie to me!” Jessica ranted. “Do you think I was
born yesterday? You just arrived, Cole.” Jerking a thumb
toward the hussy who stood grinning beyond them, Jessica added nastily,
“She
just arrived.”

Cole glared at Lila, who smirked back. He turned
back to Jessica and rolled his eyes. “Oh, that. That’s just
a coincidence.”

“Coincidence, hell. I can put two and two together.”

Cole waved a hand in exasperation. “Well, you’ve
come up with six, woman. I didn’t bring her here.” Heat
edly he turned to Lila. ‘Tell her.”

‘Tell her what?” Lila teased back, puffing away.

To Jessica’s horror, Cole whipped out his pistol.
“Damn it, Lila, tell Jessie the truth about how you got
here.”

Lila held up a hand. “All right, sugar. You don’t have to
go off half-cocked.” With a look of disgust screwing up her
rouged face, she said to Jessica, “Yeah, Cole’s right, he
didn’t bring us here. Me and the girls, we followed him and
Billy.”

Cole’s mouth fell open. “You w
hat?”

“Now, Cole, honey, simmer down,” Lila cajoled, bat
ting her eyelashes at him. “Where’s your manners?”

Cole sneered. “I lost ‘em the last time I saw you.”

Lila cackled. “Ain’t you even gonna properly introduce
me to your ladylove here?”

“Her name’s Jessie Garrett,” came the terse response, “and you’d best remember she
is
a lady.”

With a cynical smile, Lila took in Jessica’s slightly di
sheveled air. “Not from how it looks—but then, you never
did know how to treat a lady, Cole.”

As Cole glared, Jessica’s anger spiked. “Of all the
nerve!”

“How come she’s here, anyhow?” Lila asked Cole.

“Not that it’s any of your damn business,” he replied,
“but she’s my cousin from back East.”

Lila harrumphed. “Looks to me like she’s a kissing
cousin. Or were you just helping her adjust her cinch
when I come in?”

While Jessica made a sound of outrage, Cole waved his
pistol. “Enough, Lila. Outside. Let’s find out what’s re
ally going on here.”

“Sure, honey.”

Swaying ample, satin-draped hips, Lila sashayed out.
Without even glancing at Cole, Jessica followed, choking
on Lila’s acrid cigarette smoke and cheap perfume.

Out in the yard, she took in the scene; Cole’s grinning younger brothers stood laughing with three more scarlet
women. All three were dressed similarly to Lila, in cheap,
flashy satin gowns heavily stained by dirt and perspira
tion. All were coarsely rouged, and two of the women
even sported gaudy dyed feathers in their hair.

Pointing in turn to a brunette, a blonde, and a third
woman with raven hair, Lila announced to Cole, “Meet Dolly, Clover, and Ernestine.”

Cole nodded to each. “Ladies,” he drawled.

“Ain’t it great, Cole?” asked Billy, stepping forward
with a grin. “Lila and her gals have come a’visitin.’“

“Oh, yeah, it’ll be just peachy keen till Ma finds out,” replied Cole. He lifted an eyebrow at Lila. “All right.
What’s the story? Why are you women here and how did
you follow us?”

“Well, me and the girls are on the run,” Lila began.

“Again?” he asked.

The whore wrung her hands and assumed a pathetic
air. “Yeah. Well, you see, sugar, after we was run out of
Colorado
City
, we holed up in
Trinidad
. But now the
sheriff run us out of there. We left in something of a
hurry, if you know what I mean.”

Cole glanced ruefully about the group. “Looks to me
like you gals left smack dab in the middle of a busy
night.”

Clover cackled and jiggled her breasts. “You got that
right, sugar.”

At the creature’s crude demonstration, the boys broke
up laughing. Jessica glowered at Cole, and he frowned
back.

Dolly spoke up. ‘Truth to tell, we got no money and no
place to stay.”

“Is that so?” Cole asked Lila softly. “The last time I
saw you, seems like you had just come into a windfall.”

Lila’s garish features twisted with guilt. “Sugar, surely
you ain’t holding that against us after all this time.”

Cole clenched his jaw. “Go on with your story.”

Lila twisted her fingers together. “We’re on our way
west. Figured it’s high time we clear out of
Colorado
. Only
we’re down on our luck, so I figured we’d stop off and see
you and the boys first. We knew your farm was near Mari
posa, but we wasn’t exactly sure where, and we wasn’t too
eager to stop off and ask for directions, if you know what
I mean. Then this afternoon we caught sight of you and
Billy on the trail ahead of us—so we just laid low and fol
lowed your tracks to the farm.”

“So you tracked us like a passel of foxes. What do you
want?”

In a rustle of satin skirts, Lila sashayed closer to Cole
and flashed him her most beguiling smile. “A place to
stay, sugar—just for tonight—and maybe a grubstake?”

His gaze was hard. “I don’t know, Lila.”

“But, Cole,” protested Billy, “how can you say no? I
mean, don’t we owe it to them, for old times’ sake?”

“Yeah, Cole, what’s the harm of allowing the ladies to
stay for just one night?” pressed Gabe.

Before Cole could reply, everyone tensed as Ma’s buckboard appeared over the rise in a cloud of dust.

“Ah, hell,” groaned Wes. “Now our gooses are cooked.”

Appearing concerned, Lila asked Cole, “That your ma?”

“Yep.”

“She don’t take kindly to our sort?”

“Nope.” Cole’s mouth twisted. “She doesn’t take
kindly to
whores.”

At this harsh statement, Lila flinched and Jessica actually felt sorry for the woman. Then Lila became dis
tracted as Ma pulled the buckboard to a halt just feet
away from them.

Jessica grimaced, watching Ma all but leap from the conveyance, grab a shotgun from beneath the seat, then
point it at the newcomers. As the painted ladies cringed
in fear, she demanded, “What in
purple sin hell
is going
on here?”

“Ma, put down that shotgun,” scolded Cole.

“Not till you tell me what evil you rascals have been up
to with these—these harlots! Sweet Savior, I can’t believe
it—harlots on my land! Did you and Billy bring home
these cathouse kittens? If ya did, I’ll beat ya both till you’re dead. Are you fornicatin’ with ‘em beneath my
very roof?”

“Ma, it ain’t like that a’tall,” Billy protested. “They fol
lowed us home.”

“A likely story,” Ma scoffed.

Lila stepped forward. “It’s true, ma’am.”

Ma stared murder at the woman. “Who in hell are
you?”

“Lila Lullaby, and this here’s Ernestine, Dolly, and
Clover. We’s on the run, you see, and Cole—well, he’s an old friend.”

“I’ll just bet he is,” Ma snarled. “Well, what do you
want,
hussies?”

Cole replied, “Ma, they just want a place to stay for
one night.”

“Not while I live and breathe.”

Cole strode forward and calmly pushed the barrel of
his mother’s gun downward. “Ma, what can we do? The
sheriff ran them out of
Trinidad
. They don’t have any
money, and it’ll be dark in a few hours.”

Ma glowered. “Lila Lullaby . . . Why does that name
sound familiar?”

“She and the gals used to hang out in
Colorado
City
.”

Ma gasped, eyes growing huge. “You mean she’s the
one who . . . ?”

“Yep,” Cole replied grimly.

Ma struggled to lift her shotgun. “Then why ain’t you
shootin’ her, son, or stringing ‘em all up?”

Even as a couple of the whores gasped, Cole wrenched
the shotgun from his mother’s hands. “Because I don’t
shoot ladies.”

Ma regarded the painted women in disbelief. “So?”

“I mean, I don’t shoot
females,”
Cole amended. With a
weary air, he added, “Ma, please, only for one night.”

Ma glared at the soiled doves for a long moment, while
the women twitched and avoided her blistering perusal.
At last, with a great sigh, she relented. “Well, son, I
reckon if you can abide
‘em . . . I
suppose we got a Christian duty to give ‘em food and shelter before we send ‘em on their way, even if they is Jezebels.”

“Thanks, Ma.”

Her expression ferocious, Ma turned to the women and
wagged a finger. “All right, you
females
can have the
bunkhouse—one night only. Boys, you’ll be bunking in
the barn. And no hanky-panky, any of you heathens, or I’ll boil up the lot of you up for supper. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,”
came a chorus of male and female
voices.

Muttering to herself, Ma stalked away to the house,
and Lila rushed up to hug Cole. “Thanks, sugar.”

He pushed her away. His voice was hard, his gaze glit
tering with anger. “You heard my ma—bed and board
only.
One night. That’s all you’re getting, Lila.”

“Sure, sugar,” she said, winking.

Jessica moved forward to join them. “Mind telling me
something?” she asked Lila.

Lila looked her over in disdain. “Sure—if I can.”

Jessica gestured toward the buckboard. “Didn’t you
used to have a stagecoach with your initials on the door?”

Lila cackled and drew on the stub of her cigarette.
“Yeah, we sure did, but we sold that broken-down rig to
Buck Lynch right before we girls left
Colorado
City
. You know, we heard tell old Buck finally patched up that rat
tletrap chariot and started up a stage line—only he quit after some gang robbed him.”

Jessica glanced meaningfully at Cole. “Wonder what gang that might have been?”

Cole’s expression darkened. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse u
s . . .”

Not waiting for a reply, Cole grabbed Jessica’s hand
and pulled her away with him. She struggled to break
free.

Beneath a tree, he paused, turning to her sternly and
gripping her by the shoulders. “Don’t you dare go embarrassing me again, or I may just set you in your place
in front of everyone.”

Jessica was incredulous. “Embarrassing
you?
Just what
have I done to you?”

“Don’t you go telling Lila my business.”

“You mean she doesn’t know you’re an outlaw?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“If you’re so suspicious of her, why did you let her
stay?”

He glanced toward Lila. “I had to let them stay, Jessie.
Four women traveling alone like that—it could be dan
gerous, even if they are whores. All along you’ve wanted
to reform me—now you can’t go getting mad at me for
doing something decent.”

Jessica was at once contrite. “You’re right,” she admit
ted. “But who are they and what do they mean to you?
And what’s the bad blood between you and Lila?”

“Maybe I’ll tell you later. For now, would you help me
tidy up the bunkhouse? It’s quite a pigsty, and I’d feel
sorry even for a whore having to sleep there.”