Chapter Four

Callie woke when Welles kicked the fallen log she was laying her head against. She didn't remember falling asleep or even laying down, but she must have sometime during the night. Jess was still tied to the oak tree, still looking at her, those blue eyes still stormy and forbidding.

"Go down and get some water from the pond," Welles said. "I'll watch him."

For once, she didn't bother telling Welles what she thought of toadying little bootlicks and snatched up the bucket he'd found somewhere. Once she reached the pond, she knelt down in the long grass and splashed cold water on her face. Then she stopped, waiting for the pond surface to smooth so she could see her reflection. How dirty she was. Hawk's blood was still on her hands, a streak of it on her neck, splotches of it on her coat and on her jeans. Her hair—

"Where'd you get hair like that?"

Her hair was tangled and frizzled up in the morning's dampness and had grass and bits of bark stuck in it. She swiftly ran her fingers through it, smoothing it down, pulling out the debris. It took only a minute or two to plait it into one long, loose braid that she let hang over her shoulder. Hawk had always liked her to braid her hair. She wondered if—

She scrubbed her hands in the pond water and washed her neck. She tried to get the worst of the spots out of her clothes, but there wasn't much she could do at this point. Still, she looked a little better by the time she got back to where Welles was waiting for her.

He took a deep drink of the water and then took more of the jerky from his pocket and started eating. She held out her hand, and he gave her some, too. Then she noticed Jess was still watching her. Or was it the jerky?

"What about him?" she asked Welles.

"What do I care about him?"

"He's not gonna be much of a tracker if he passes out in the road."

Welles looked at the prisoner, faintly disgusted, and then handed her another piece of dried meat. "Go on then. I'm gonna go take a look around, make sure we ain't been followed. Don't let him out of your sight."

She nodded. "I won't."

Once Welles was gone, she went over and crouched beside Jess.

"Hungry?" she asked, waving the jerky in front of his nose.

He frowned and looked off into the trees. "I'll do."

Nettled, she stood up and was about to walk away when that low drawl of his stopped her.

"I'm about lamed sitting like this all night," he said. "If you want me to find that money, you'd best let me get the knots out of my bones."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Like I told Scott," he said, "it ain't my money." His eyes swept over her and then turned cold. "And I know you're not likely to give me any share in it. If finding it will get me out of here alive, then that's what I'll do. Whatever else, I know I'm dead if I don't."

"Got that right," she said, her voice low and hard. "And don't forget it."

She cut the thongs, and he groaned softly as he eased his arms down to his sides and then struggled to his feet. He looked at the water bucket and then questioningly at her.

"Go ahead," she told him.

He dropped to his knees and filled his cupped hands with water, taking it down greedily and then scrubbing his wet hands over his face and the back of his neck. She sat on the fallen tree again, eating jerky with her gun on her lap, watching as he reached his hand inside his shirt to rub his shoulder. His grimace deepened as he switched to the other shoulder and then started picking at the knot that held the bandage to his left forearm.

"You'd best let that alone, Jess."

He glared at her, wiping every bit of pain from his expression as he went on with what he was doing.

"All right. Fine." She went over to him, leaving her gun back at the tree. "I don't want you to think you have a chance at that," she told him, "and I sure don't want you to forget that Welles is looking for any excuse to put a bullet in you, and he'll be coming back here any minute now."

Jess's hard expression didn't change.

"Won't do if you get that infected," she said, swiftly undoing the knot and then the bandage, and then dipping her bandana in the water. "Hold still."

She cleaned the long cut, quick and efficient.

"That bandage's none too clean, but I guess it'll have to do for now."

"Needs washin'." His eyes flicked toward the pond. "No good sullying the drinking water."

"You'd love to go down there, wouldn't you." She crumpled the bandage in her hand and then snatched up her gun. "You just don't move. Like I said, Welles'll be right back, and he wants to kill you. Don't give either of us an excuse."

The pond was only a little ways off. She could see Jess most of the time, and if he tried to get through that brush, she'd sure hear him. It took her only a minute or so to rinse out the bloodied bandage and wring it dry. Then she turned to go back to where she left him. After a few steps, she stopped, half concealing herself behind a tree.

He had his back to her and was easing his shirt off his shoulders, wincing at every movement. When he finally had it off, he stuck it into his belt so he could use both hands to wash his face again and then run wet fingers through his thick black curls. Afterward, he braced his hands against the small of his back and started stretching out again, rolling first one sleek-muscled shoulder and then the other, arching his back and neck, flexing his upper arms, slow and alluring and unaware. Yeah, just like a mountain cat, lean and wild and beautiful. It was gonna be a shame to have to kill him.

He leaned over to scoop up more water and then splashed it over his chest. He was using his wadded-up shirt to dry himself when she moved a step closer and snapped a twig under her boot.

He spun and clutched the shirt against his chest, blue eyes blazing when he saw her looking at him.

She looked him boldly up and down. "Don't rush on my account."

"What am I?" he growled. "Show stock?"

He'd covered the upper part of his chest, but she could still see the hard-cut muscles of his stomach, and she gave him a sly grin.

"Ain't only men can look."

He ducked his head and looked up at her, a little trickle of water running from the dark curl that had fallen back over his forehead. "I ain't never had a lady look at me like that before."

"Well, now I know you're a liar, or ain't you never been around anybody but old ladies and them prim Sunday School cats who faint if a man so much as takes off his neckerchief?"

He gave her a reluctant, knowing grin, and put his shirt on again, not bothering to button it. Then he held out his left arm. "You get that bandage washed?"

"Yeah." She swallowed, realizing her mouth was suddenly dry. "You'd best come sit down while I wrap up your arm again."

He sat beside her on the fallen tree, looking at her when he thought she didn't notice and then swiftly looking away. What would those eyes look like when they were smoldering with something besides anger? Or maybe she already knew.

"There," she said as she tied off the bandage. "Now, you'd better eat something if you're gonna be any use trackin'."

She handed him the last of the jerky, and their fingers touched as he took it. He pulled away as if he'd been burned.

"What's the matter?" she spat. "You think it's catchin'?"

"Might already be caught," he breathed, wetting his lips. "Might be if we were anyplace else, any time else. Maybe if Welles wasn't coming back."

Something like fire washed over her, and she could hardly catch a breath. "What do you mean?"

He touched the long braid over her shoulder, tracing his fingers down the length of it. "No good thinkin' of what can never be. I only know that if I had a woman like you, I wouldn't be such a fool as not marry her."

"Liar," she whispered, feeling her lips drawn helplessly closer to his. "Liar."

"Yeah," he said, pulling back from her and then looking out toward the road, "just as well. Some things might make a man wind up with lead poisonin'."

Welles came through the trees a second or two later. Jess gave her a warning look and started eating the jerky she had given him.

"All clear from what I can tell." Welles gestured toward Jess with his gun. "Time to get moving, boy. The boss is waiting for us. You wouldn't want anything to happen to Grandma back at the camp would you? "

Jess glanced at Callie, covering a smirk. "No," he said, all wide eyed and earnest. "I'll find the money. I swear it."

"All right. Get moving. Come on, Callie."

Welles led them back to the ditch that held the deputy's body, and Jess tracked from there. About three miles back toward the camp, he found where Hudson had briefly stopped the night before.

"We've been here," Welles growled. "We didn't find anything."

"You don't know how to look," Jess said.

He tracked through the trees for awhile and across a narrow stream. Finding nothing on the other side, he went back to the stream and waded down it a little ways. Finally, Welles prodded him in the back with the muzzle of his gun.

"What are you doing? Leading us in circles?"

"I'm trying to find your dadgum money for you," Jess said. "Why don't you just let me?"

"How do you expect to find it if you're all the time looking up at the sky instead of at the ground."

Jess stopped stock still where he was and wiped the sweat off his face with one hand. "Like I said, you don't know how to look."

Welles prodded him again, and Jess spun on him.

"You shove that gun in my back just one more time, Welles, and you might as well use it, because I won't be taking one step more."

Callie tugged at Welles' arm. "We're wasting time. Hawk'll be waiting for us."

"Not much longer," Jess said.

He looked up at a tree that was a couple of yards ahead of them. A pair of saddlebags hung over a branch, mostly hidden by leaves.

Welles laughed almost soundlessly. "Well, I'll be."

"We can only hope," Jess muttered.

Welles scowled at him and started to shove him with his gun again, but he decided to point with it instead. "All right then. You just shinny on up that tree and bring 'em down. Be quick about it."

Jess did as he was told, climbing effortlessly until he reached the money and then holding the saddlebags against his shoulder as he stood on the branch. He didn't say anything. He only looked at Callie, not pleading, not afraid, just searching her face, clearly wanting to know what she was going to do now. He knew as well as she did what Welles would do next.

"Go on and throw 'em down," Welles ordered when Jess didn't move. "Your mama's waiting for you."

Jess threw the bags into the brush at the foot of the tree, still looking at Callie. "Don't bother to lie, Welles. You know you're not gonna let me get any closer to that camp than right here and right now."

Welles smirked. "Well now, maybe, just could be, you're right."

"Hawk ordered you to bring him back," Callie said. "He's gonna be mad if you don't."

"Can I help it if the boy made a try for my gun and I had to shoot him?"

"I'll tell Hawk," Callie warned. "I swear I will."

Welles looked at her and then scratched under his hatband with the muzzle of his pistol. "No, Callie Beth, I don't think you will."

She glared at him. "And just why not?"

"Because then I'd have to tell the boss what you told little Jess here when you thought I was sleepin'."

She felt the blood sink out of her face. "What do you mean? I didn't tell him anything."

"No? Nothin' at all? Nothin' about wantin' to know what he'd do if he didn't have to turn loose of the money? And what he'd do if he could get it and keep it?"

There was a block of ice in the pit of her stomach. What else had she said? And what had he heard?

"That was just talk. I told him so."

Welles laughed nastily. "And what about this morning? Ain't only men can look? Seems you got quite a show, too."

"You were watching us."

"How long do you think it takes to check if there's anybody out looking for us?" Welles smiled. "Yeah, Scott'll be real interested in what I have to say."

Hawk would kill her. What Welles had seen wasn't much, but it was enough to set Hawk off. He'd told her before what he'd do if he ever caught her looking at another man, and he'd bruised her up real good just so's she'd remember.

"So what's it gonna be, Callie Beth?" Welles asked. "Do I see to Jess here and now or take you both back to Scott like he told me to?"

She looked up at Jess. He still had his eyes on her. He was just stringing her along, wasn't he? But no, he understood. He knew what it was like to have to eat dirt just to get along, what it was like to have nothin' of his own and want nothing but to not be shoved around anymore. He knew what she was as well as she did, but still . . .

"Might be if we were anyplace else, any time else. Maybe if Welles wasn't coming back."

She remembered the fire in his eyes and the enticing curve of his mouth as he'd said it. Maybe he was a liar. Maybe he wasn't. But here she was with only Welles between her and Jess and all the money they'd ever need.

"Well?" Welles pressed.

She nodded toward Jess. "You'd better get him on down outta that tree if you're gonna do it. I don't want Hawk getting mad at me."

"I guess we understand one another then." Welles chuckled and then looked up at Jess. "Do like she says."

Jess set his jaw and didn't move.

"I said come down." Welles waved his pistol. "I can shoot you there just as easy. You won't feel the fall anyway."

Jess swung down, branch to branch, and dropped the last few feet. Then he stood there at the base of the tree with the saddlebags right next to him. He still looked at Callie.

"Nobody's helpin' you," she snapped at him, drawing her gun. "Now get over here and bring the money."

He went to Welles and handed over the saddlebags. Welles passed them to Callie and turned his gun on Jess. "Go on and put your back to that tree."

Jess did, never taking his eyes from Callie. "At least I know my days of takin' orders and eatin' dirt are over."

"Shut up," she spat. "Go on, Welles. Give him to three like you did the deputy."

Welles chuckled and aimed at Jess's head. "One. Two."

He twitched as the bullet hit him and pitched forward to land at Jess's feet.

"Three," Callie said with a smile.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd love to know what you think.