Joline's Redemption (28 page)

His decision made, he rose. His heart hurt, but he had to toughen up. This wasn't his first disappointment, nor would it be the last.

Good thing he found out what Jo was truly made of before he did something foolish like ask her to marry him. His stomach churned at the thought.

At least Jo had the sense not to tell his parents. If word got out that the Hillborne heir had been raised in a brothel—

“What are you doing out here, son?”

Baron jumped. He'd been wallowing in his thoughts so deeply he hadn't heard his father's footsteps. “I … uh …”

“Ahh … It finally hit you that your brother is dead?”

“Something like that.”

Jo was dead to him.

Jo was drowning. She felt as if she were being pulled under in a never-ending whirlpool. Confessing her past to Baron had taken more out of her than she'd realized, and it had ended the first real friendship she'd ever had with a decent man.

But her pain went deeper. When had she started caring for him?

Knowing she'd wounded him so badly made her innards wither. She felt dirty. Alone.

And she'd most certainly lost her job before her first payday.

She wanted to cry, but she'd learned long ago that crying never accomplished a thing.

She wanted to rush back to the store and beg Baron to forgive her—to not hate her.

If only she'd made better choices—

A man lunged out from behind a shrub and snagged her mount's reins. The horse jerked up its head and squealed, but it couldn't get free. The man stared at her, sending Jo's heart ricocheting in her chest. She knew him—from the bawdy house.

He cackled, making the hairs on her nape rise. “I knewed it was you at that store.”

“Unhand me this instant, or I'll scream.” She fumbled in her bulky skirts for her gun.

“Come on down, Sapphire, and let's have us a good time.” He held the horse with one beefy hand and dared to run his other hand along her shoe until he touched her stocking-clad calf.

Jo lashed out, kicking him in the chin. The man stumbled back but held on to the reins. Her hand raced through the folds of fabric, hunting for her pocket. A burst of hope surged through her as she found it—but her gun wasn't there.

The man growled and shook his head. He grabbed hold of her skirt. “Why, you little—”

The cock of a gun silenced him. Jo looked up to see Jack aiming his gun at the man. Relief like she'd never known made her weak.

The man released her and the reins and stepped back. “We was just havin' some fun.”

“It doesn't look to me like the lady was enjoyin' herself.”

The man snorted. “She ain't no lady.”

“She's my sister,” Jack ground out, his eyes narrowed. “I suggest you get out of my sight before I give you another belly button.”

The man's eyes widened; then he glanced at Jo. “We ain't done.”

As he lumbered off, Jo rode up to Jack, both glad to see him and embarrassed.

“Did you know him?”

Jo nodded. “I've seen him before.”

“You shouldn't be riding alone.”

Jo resisted rolling her eyes. “I normally have a gun in my pocket, but I was in such a hurry that I guess I forgot it.”

“That's a dangerous mistake for a woman who insists on riding by herself.”

“Don't worry about me. I've been taking care of myself for a long while.”

Jack stared at her for several moments. “How's that been workin' for you?”

Horrible. Disastrous.
“Fine.”

“Uh-huh.”

She stared at him. Did he know something? “What are you doing in town?”

He looked down the street. “I went for a ride, and God led me here. He must have known you needed help.”

The thought that God might have sent her brother at just the time she needed him took her off guard for a moment, but she didn't want him to know it. She fluffed up her bravado. “While I appreciate your help with that lout, I could have managed him on my own.”

He lifted one eyebrow as if challenging her statement. “We all need others, Jo. No one should have to live all alone.”

She snorted. “That's a fine comment coming from a man who ran away from his family.”

As soon as the words had left her mouth, she realized she was guilty of the same crime.

“I'm not proud that I left you and Lara with Grandpa. It grieved me for a long while—still does.”

“Then why did you wait so long to find us?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed, and he looked down. She thought he might not answer, but then he finally looked up. “Because I knew that if you knew the truth, you and Lara would hate me.”

“What truth?”

“I'm the one responsible for Ma and Pa's deaths.”

“How are you responsible?” Jo nudged her horse, ready to be away from Guthrie.

Jack turned his mount, riding alongside. A muscle ticked in his jaw. He flicked a glance at her. “I was smokin' in my room when Pa hollered at me to come down and do chores. I thought I'd gotten the cigar put out, but I must not have.”

All this time she'd thought her mother had started the fire. “You don't know for sure that's what caused it.”

“There was smoke coming out my window.”

“Just yours or all of them?”

“Well … I don't remember.”

“There's no way that you can know for certain you started the fire. Ma might have done it. The ash bucket might have caught fire—the kitchen curtains. Lots of things might have happened. You need to forget about it and get on with your life.”

They rode along in silence, and Jo could tell by Jack's shifting expressions that he was wrestling with the idea. After a long while, he looked her way. “Thanks, sis. I've convinced myself all these years that I was at fault, but now I'm not so sure.”

“Even if you were responsible, it was an accident. From what I've heard you say, God would want you to forgive yourself.”

A grin broke free, and Jack shook his head. “You just keep surprising me, sis.”

She knew he'd be shocked once more to learn she was gone. And she would be as soon as she could. At least she got to spend this time with Jack.

As soon as they reached Lara's house and Jack headed to the barn with their mounts, Jo rushed inside and up the stairs. Voices echoed from the kitchen, but she ignored them. She'd finally remembered the last name of the man who confronted her—Slaughter. She had seen him at the bordello several times. The weasel would run straight to Badger in hopes of getting a reward. It wouldn't take Badger long to get here—no more than a day or two. Her time at Lara's had come to an end. They had to leave—right now.

If only she'd been able to collect her pay from Baron. She had no idea where to go or how they'd get by, but they couldn't stay here any longer.

She tugged the pillowcase she'd taken from the bordello out of the wardrobe then stacked half of Jamie's diapers on the bed. She needed all of them, including the new ones she and Lara had hemmed, but there wasn't room. Next she stacked Jamie's gowns and socks. All she needed for herself was a change of clothing.

Sarah walked in with Jamie on her hip. Her eyes widened, and Jamie grinned and waved. “What are you doing? It is not wash day.”

Jo knew Sarah wouldn't be happy about leaving. “A man in town recognized me. He's been to Badger's place before. We have to leave—now.”

She turned back to the wardrobe, took out the dark green dress Lara had sewn for her, and removed it from the hanger. Folding it, she spun toward the bed and found Sarah in the same position. “Hurry. You need to pack your things.”

“I do not want to go.” She shook her head and coughed several times. “It is nice here. I like Gabe and Lara—and Luke—and Michael.”

Jo laid the dress down, walked around the bed, and took Jamie. She kissed his cheek then laid her hand on Sarah's shoulder. “I know. Honestly, I don't want to go, either, but we have to. Badger probably already knows we're in the Guthrie area, and it will be a simple matter for him to find out where we're staying. I won't go back to that dreadful place, and I don't think you want to, either, do you?”

Sarah shook her head. “But if we stay, there are others to protect us.”

Jo shook her head. “We can't stay. I'm sorry.”

Frowning, Sarah crossed her arms.

“Do you know what Badger did last time I tried to run away?”

Sarah shook her head, but Jo could see the curiosity in her eyes. “He ordered Stoney to beat me. So bad it took weeks to recover.”

Sarah's dark eyes widened.

“I won't go through that again—and I don't want to take a chance on you facing the same horrible mistreatment.”

“Badger will not hit me—at least I don't think he would.” She covered her mouth and coughed again.

Jo barked a laugh. “He certainly had no problem using his fist on me whenever I angered him.”

“I am sorry.”

“It's not your fault.”

Sarah shrugged and sat on the bed. “I not know my father is such bad man until he came and took me from my sick mother.” She blew out a sigh. “I think he does not know what to do with me.”

Jo checked on Jamie. He'd crawled over to the closed window, pulled up, and was looking out. She sat next to Sarah and put an arm around her thin shoulders. “You must have been frightened to death. No wonder Badger kept you separate from us. He was trying to protect you.”

“You and other ladies would not hurt me.”

Perhaps it was her innocence he was safeguarding by keeping her to herself. Maybe there was more to Badger than she'd realized. But she still couldn't let him catch them. He'd probably kill her for taking his daughter, even though Sarah had come along of her own free will. The girl had changed so much in the short time they'd been here—not only was her speech improving, but she was also advancing in her reading and writing skills. “You can see now why we have to leave. If he finds us, he'll most likely kill me—and he'll take you back with him. Then what will happen to Jamie?”

Sarah lifted one shoulder as if still not convinced.

Jo had been so busy caring for Jamie and trying to earn money that she hadn't noticed the girl was putting down roots and developing into a child whom Gabe and Lara would be proud of. “I know leaving here will be difficult, but we can return someday, once Badger stops looking for us.”

Jamie dropped to the ground and crawled to Jo. She lifted him to her lap, instantly sorry. “Oh! He's soaked.”

“I can change him. You must pack.”

Jo smiled, glad Sarah was finally seeing things her way. “Thank you. You should pack, too. Just take one extra dress and a change of undergarments.”

Sarah shook her head as she unfastened Jamie's diaper. “I not go. I want to stay here.”

“I'm sorry, but you can't. If Badger comes here, Gabe and Lara will have to turn you over to him since he's your father. Besides, don't you remember that I promised to keep us together? We're family.”

“Lara is your family, but you would leave her.”

“That's different. She has Gabe and this fine house, and their children. They don't need me.”

“This is better place for Jamie than the trail.”

Jo gazed up at the ceiling. Each moment they wasted was a moment Badger could be closing in on them. “I'm going out to the barn to saddle the horse we took from Badger. I don't want it here if he comes. He'd know for certain that we'd been here. Please get your things packed and keep an eye on Jamie. I won't leave you after I promised we'd stay together.”

Jo didn't wait for an answer but hurried from the room, feeling so alone. She rushed down the back stairs and out the rear door. Last time she'd left home, she'd been eager and excited to discover what life held for her. This time she'd like nothing more than to stay, but that choice had been taken from her.

There was little doubt that Lara and Grandpa would tell her to stay if they knew her situation, but she couldn't risk that Badger might hurt one of her family members in his effort to find her. Grandpa's regular bouts of malaria left him far too frail to fight off a grown man, and Gabe and the other ranch hands were often gone much of the day, as they were today. Jack had said he would join them after getting a fresh horse, so he should be gone from the barn by now.

One thing she hadn't counted on was Sarah jumping ship. How had that happened? During the time Sarah sat in on Michael's lessons? Or when Sarah was with Lara while Jo was working all day at the store?

She could hardly blame the girl. Traveling was never fun, especially when you didn't know where you were going and had no money to buy the things you needed or to stay in a nice place like a hotel or boardinghouse. Her only option was to travel from town to town and plead help from the local ministers. Church leaders were almost always willing to help a woman in need. But then that left a clear trail for Badger to follow.