Spirit's Song (22 page)

Jesse grunted softly as he shoved Ravenhawk’s gun into the waistband of his trousers. “Obliged.”

Ravenhawk glared at Jesse, his dark eyes filled with anger and condemnation.

Frey drew his gun, then gave Ravenhawk a little shove. “Let’s go.”

Jesse wrapped one arm around his bruised ribs, a faint smile playing over his face as he watched Frey hustle the Lakota off to jail. Ravenhawk wouldn’t be kissing Kaylynn again anytime soon.

He turned as Kaylynn came up behind him.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. “Why did you let the sheriff take Ravenhawk?”

Jesse shrugged, grimacing as a twinge of pain lanced through his side. “He’s wanted for robbery.”

“You hate him, don’t you?”

Jesse shook his head. “No, I don’t hate him. But when I saw his hands on you, I wanted to kill him.”

“Jesse…”

“Ironic, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

He took her by the arm and started walking back to the hotel. “He told me to practice what I preach.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I hit him because he kissed you.” Jesse laughed softly, bitterly. He had no more right to touch Kaylynn, to kiss her, to want her, than did Ravenhawk. She belonged to another man, and it was time he remembered that.

“I still don’t understand.”

“Forget it.”

He opened the door to the hotel and ushered her inside.

“Go to your room and stay there.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need a drink.”

“Jesse, what is it? What’s wrong?” Her gaze ran over his face. “Are you all right?”

“Right as rain, darlin’. Go along now.”

She frowned at him. It was in her mind to protest, to tell him he had no right to send her off to her room like a naughty child, but something in his eyes warned her not to argue, not now.

Turning on her heels, she headed for the stairs. Men! She was fed up with all of them.

Jesse watched her out of sight, then, with a sigh, he left the hotel.

* * * * *

Ravenhawk paced the confines of his cell, four strides up, four strides back, the air turning blue as he cursed Yellow Thunder with every foul epithet he knew. Damn the man!

He paused in front of the cell’s single window, his hands fisted around the iron bars as he stared out into the alley behind the jail. He had to get out of here.

Tension coiled in his gut and he began to pace again. He’d kill Yellow Thunder for this if it was the last thing he ever did. They’d had a deal, dammit, and he’d kept his part. He should have known he couldn’t depend on Yellow Thunder to keep his word, should have known the bounty hunter would double-cross him.

Damn!

* * * * *

Jesse spent the rest of the day holed up in a saloon, quietly working his way to the bottom of a bottle of whiskey.

He was about halfway through the bottle when it began to rain. Tilted back in his chair, a full glass of whiskey in his hand, he stared out the window. It was just a light summer shower, just enough to tamp down the dust in the street. A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. The gray day suited his mood perfectly. He’d been a fool to fall in love with Kaylynn, to think they could have a life together. He never should have touched her, kissed her. Damn! Even now, she was all he could think about.

Emptying his glass, he left the saloon. He spent twenty minutes walking in the drizzle, hoping a cold shower would cool the aching need he felt for another man’s wife even though he knew it was a futile hope at best.

He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.

He needed her more than his next breath.

He loved her…

He paused in front of the hotel. Soft yellow lamplight spilled from the window of her room. Warm. Beckoning…

And he, poor fool that he was, went toward it.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Kaylynn turned onto her side and punched the hard pillow. It had been a long day, and a longer night. She had been tempted to go visit Ravenhawk in jail, but after all that had happened, she was reluctant to leave her room. It seemed every time she took off on her own, she got into trouble.

She wondered where Jesse was, couldn’t believe he had let Ravenhawk go to jail.

She rolled onto her back again and stared at the reflection of the lamplight on the ceiling. Where was Jesse? She had expected him to look in on her, maybe take her to dinner, but she hadn’t seen him for hours. Finally, she had gone to the hotel dining room to get something to eat, then hurried back to her room to wait for Jesse.

Doubts plagued her. She hated them, hated herself for entertaining them, but she couldn’t help wondering if it had been a mistake to let him make love to her. She knew it had been a sin, a betrayal of her wedding vows, but, in her heart, it had
felt
so right. She was hopelessly, helplessly, in love with him. Had she been wrong to think he felt the same? Had his kisses, his sweet words, all been a lie?

A long sigh shuddered through her. Blinking back tears, she was about to extinguish the lamp when there was a knock at the door.

Hope flared in her heart as she jumped out of bed, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and went to the door. “Who is it?”

“Me. Jesse.”

At last. Clutching the blanket with one hand, she unlocked the door. “Jesse!” Her gaze ran over him. His shirt and pants were damp. “What have you been doing?”

“Walking.”

“In the rain?”

He nodded.

With a shake of her head, she stepped away from the door. “Come in.”

He stepped inside and she closed the door.

“You’ll catch a chill,” she said, though it really wasn’t cold. Without thinking, she wrapped the blanket she had been using around his shoulders. Too late, she remembered she was wearing nothing but her chemise.

Jesse grinned as a becoming blush pinked her cheeks.

Kaylynn stared at him, wondering why she was so embarrassed. They had made love not long ago.

“Want the blanket back?” Jesse asked.

Kaylynn shook her head. “No. Keep it.” She sat down on the bed and drew the covers over her. “Where have you been?”

“Nowhere.”

Pulling Ravenhawk’s gun from his waistband, he placed it on the top of the dresser, then crossed the floor.

Kaylynn wrinkled her nose when he sat down on the edge of the mattress. “You’ve been drinking.”

“Yeah. A little.”

“A little?”

“All right. A lot.”

“You smell like a saloon.”

“How would you know?”

“I guess I don’t. Is everything all right?”

He shook his head, his gaze moving over her. What could be right when she belonged to someone else?

“You should get out of those clothes,” Kaylynn said. “You’ll catch your death.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said with a shrug.

“It matters to me.”

“Does it?”

“You know it does.”

“Kay…” He clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her. She was beautiful, so beautiful. Her hair fell over her shoulders, her skin glowed luminescent in the light of the lamp. Damn. He stood abruptly. “I’d better go.”

“No.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Don’t leave.”

“It’s for the best.”

“Please, Jesse, stay with me.” She didn’t want to be alone anymore. Sometimes she felt like she’d been alone her whole life, until she met Jesse.

“Kay, I can’t stay here and not touch you. Want you.” He swore softly. “I’d better go.”

“Stay,” she whispered. “Stay with me.”

He nodded, and she looked up at him, her smile more radiant than the sun, and he knew he couldn’t leave her, knew he would do anything she asked, anything at all, just to see her smile. Unbuckling his gunbelt, he tossed it on the chair, then sat down on the bed and removed his boots. He took off his shirt, too. His pants were cold and damp, but he left them on.

Leaning back against the wall, he slid his arm around Kaylynn’s shoulders and drew her up against him. She snuggled against him, her head resting against his chest, one of her legs pressed close to his. He could feel the warmth of her breast, the length of her leg through the blankets, smell the faint lingering fragrance of the soap she had bathed with.

“Kay…”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with love and longing, and he felt something stir deep inside him, felt a crack in the wall he had hidden behind since he lost Abigail all those years ago.

“I love you, Jesse.”

“Don’t. I’m no good for you.”

“You’re perfect for me.”

When she looked at him like that, eyes shining with hope and love, he could almost believe it.

“You’re not going to leave Ravenhawk in jail are you?”

“Still worrying about him?” Jesse asked, unable to keep the edge of jealousy out of his tone.

“He saved our lives.”

“Did he?”

“You know he did. He kept Mazza busy so I could hit him over the head.”

“He wants you.”

“I can’t help that.”

“No, I guess not,” Jesse allowed. He kissed the top of her head. “I guess every man who sees you wants you.”

She tilted her head back so she could see him better. “But I only want you.”

Jesse blew out a deep breath. “What about your husband?”

“I’m never going back to him! Never. I’m going to sue for a bill of divorcement when I get home.”

“And what if he won’t give it to you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come away with me, Kay. We’ll go away somewhere, make a life for ourselves.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she said, sighing, “but I have to go home. I want to see my parents again. I want to divorce Alan so you and I can be married…”

Her voice trailed off and a rush of heat pinked her cheeks. “I’m sorry. You never…I mean…”

“Kaylynn.”

“It’s all right.” She looked away, embarrassed. He had never mentioned marriage. Just because he had made love to her didn’t mean he wanted to marry her, spend his life with her.

“Kay.” He cupped her chin in one hand and lifted her face toward his. “I’d marry you now if I could. You know that, don’t you?”

She looked up at him, the memory of the night they had spent making love burning bright in her memory. Her mother had always said that intimacy wasn’t the same for a woman and a man, that when a woman gave her body to a man, she gave him her heart and soul as well, but that wasn’t always true for men, that they were often ruled by lust.

“Kay, I never meant to shame you,” Jesse said. “Or hurt you.”

“You didn’t.”

“I think maybe I did.”

“No, Jesse. It was wonderful.”

He held her tighter. “All right, Kay, I’ll take you home.”

“Jesse?” She slid her fingertips over his chest, ran her hand over the muscle in his arm. “If Alan won’t give me a divorce, I’ll go away with you. Anywhere you want.”

“Kay!” Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her with all the love and hope in his heart and knew that, even though he would never be worthy of her, he would never willingly let her go.

* * * * *

Kay snuggled deeper under the covers. She had been having the most wonderful dream and she didn’t want to wake up, didn’t want to face reality. She had been having the most wonderful dream about Jesse, and in her dream she had composed a poem. Eyes tightly shut, she tried to remember the words.

“In the quiet of the night…” she began.

“When in dreams my spirit wanders…

his soul finds mine…and together we go walking.

Hand in hand we walk…hearts and souls ever touching…

I tell him the words I cannot say…when we meet in the light of day.

We walk through flowered meadows…and pause by starlit streams…

and our bodies come together…but only in my dreams.”

That wasn’t true anymore, she mused, remembering the day by the lake when Jesse had kissed her. She had read him a poem that day; now she was composing one. The thought made her giggle.

“And so I hurry through each day…and long for sleep’s embrace…

when again our souls can touch…and I can see his face;

And taste his sweet lips on mine…as our souls become entwined…

and know that here, in dreams at least…he always will be mine.”

He always will be mine. The thought made her smile.

“Kay?”

“Jesse!” Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough, sleepyhead.” He grinned at her as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Do you always recite poetry first thing in the morning?”

“Not always.” In spite of her embarrassment, she felt a thrill of excitement stir in the depths of her being as she gazed up at him. She noticed he was dressed, his gunbelt in place. The beginnings of a beard shaded his jaw, giving him a faintly roguish look.

“Hi,” she said again, and slipping her hands around his neck, she drew his head down and kissed him.

They hadn’t made love last night, though they had slept in each other’s arms. She knew somehow that he would not make love to her again until they were married, or until they knew for a certainty that Alan would not give her a divorce.

Joy swelled within her as his mouth closed over hers. She loved him, she thought, loved him with every breath in her body, every beat of her heart.

“I liked the poem.” Leaning down, he feathered kisses along her throat. “Is it from that book you told me about?”

“No.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “I just…” She shrugged. “I just made it up.”

“Oh?” He looked at her, one brow arched. “And what inspired you to write poetry first thing in the morning?”

She stared up at him, mute, her cheeks redder than Georgia clay. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was thinking.

“I think you’d better get dressed,” Jesse said, his voice husky, all his good intentions of the night before weakening.

“I think you’re right.”

“I’ll wait for you in the hall.”

She nodded, saddened because they weren’t going to make love, touched by his willingness to wait, by his understanding of her feelings.

He kissed her once more, quickly, and then left the room.

* * * * *

Hank Frey was hunched over his desk, sorting through a pile of papers, when Jesse entered his office.

Frey glanced up. “Be right with you.”

There was a bulletin board on one wall. Crossing the floor, Jesse thumbed through the wanted posters. He grunted softly when he saw that Phil Barnett had escaped from jail. The man was as slippery as an eel and just as hard to hang on to. Well, some other hunter could go after him this time, Jesse mused. He was through chasing outlaws.

“You’ll need to sign these forms,” Frey said. He pushed a stack of papers across the desk. “The Mazza brothers were worth five hundred each. Three hundred for Claudill. Four hundred for Nash. Polk and Talbot were each worth two hundred. That brings the total to two thousand, one hundred dollars.”

Jesse whistled softly. He hadn’t expected it to come to that much.

Going to the desk, he dipped a pen in the inkwell and signed his name where the sheriff indicated.

Frey nodded as Jesse signed the last paper. “That should do it.” Opening his desk drawer, he withdrew a small money bag and handed it to Jesse. “I’ll need you to count it and sign for it.”

Jesse quickly did as bidden. Twenty-one hundred dollars. He signed the receipt, and then signed another paper for Ravenhawk’s release.

“I guess that’s everything,” Frey said. “I’ll get your prisoner.”

“Obliged.”

Jesse pulled a set of handcuffs out of his back pocket as Ravenhawk emerged from the cellblock, followed by the lawman. Keeping his face impassive, he handcuffed Ravenhawk.

“Well, good luck to you,” Frey said.

“Thanks. Obliged for all your help.”

“No problem.”

Frey and Jesse shook hands, then Jesse ushered Ravenhawk out of the jail and across the street to where Kaylynn was waiting for them. The rain had stopped during the night and the sky was a bright, clear blue.

“I’m surprised you didn’t tell him I was involved in that bank robbery in Silverton while you were at it,” Ravenhawk muttered angrily.

“I thought about it,” Jesse retorted, “but we made a deal.”

“Yeah, we had a deal all right. I kept my end. You broke yours when you had me arrested.”

“And just what did you expect me to do? Frey was involved in the raid on Mazza’s place, remember? He could have recognized you at any moment. I took the heat off you by telling him you were wanted for something else. I saved your hide! I kept my end of the deal.”