The Outlaws: Jess (23 page)

A buzz of conversation followed in Meg's
wake. She knew she was grist for the gossip mill but she was used
to it. The upstanding citizens of Cheyenne treated her with
contempt simply because they were jealous of her ability to excel
at a man's profession in a male oriented world. That and the fact
that she lived with a man to whom she wasn't married.

Meg was so lost in her thoughts that she
didn't hear Arlo Skully sidle up beside her.

"You cause quite a stir in this town," Arlo
said.

Meg started violently. "Arlo, you startled
me. I didn't hear you approach."

"What are you doing with Gentry? I saw you
ride into town with him."

"None of your business."

He grasped her arm. "I'm making it my
business. I'm still you're husband."

She wrested free. "You're nothing to me. I'm
going to marry Jess Gentry."

Fury contorted Arlo's features. "Over my dead
body!"

"Perhaps that can be arranged," Meg hissed.
"Out of my way, Arlo, you no longer frighten me. I've grown up
since you bought me from my parents."

"So I see," Arlo said, leering at her
breasts.

Just then two women passed by. Deliberately
they pulled aside their skirts and sniffed the air as if they
smelled something rank.

"Look at her," the older of the two woman
whispered in a voice loud enough to carry. "Shameless hussy. Her
lover hasn't been gone a week and she's already consorting with
another man."

The second woman nodded her head in vigorous
agreement. "She shouldn't be allowed on the streets."

"You should consider leaving town," Arlo said
after the women moved on. "I've purchased two ticket on tomorrow's
train. One for you and one for me. Taking you away from here is the
best thing I could do for you. You aren't right for the doctor.
You'll ruin his reputation and destroy his practice if you keep
company with him."

Meg knew Arlo was right. Marrying Jess was a
bad idea, but, dammit, she loved him. Together they could stand
united against the gossips...couldn't they?

"I have better things to do than standing
here listening to you," Meg replied as she stepped around Arlo and
continued down the street.

Arlo easily caught up to her. "Tell your new
lover I'm going to remember where I'd seen him one of these days.
Something tells me he's not going to like it."

Meg didn't bother answering, but fear
stiffened her spine. If Arlo remembered Jess from the wanted
poster, all was lost. Stealing the poster from the sheriff's office
would not matter if Arlo remembered Jess. She couldn't bear the
thought of Jess going to prison.

She spun around to face Arlo. "What will it
take for you to stop trying to recall where you've seen Jess?"

"That important is it?" Arlo asked slyly.
"Well now, we ought to talk about this in private. I've taken a
room at the hotel. Come with me now."

"I...can't. Jess is expecting me. Do you want
money? I have five hundred dollars waiting for me at the sheriff's
office. You can have it if you leave town and don't come back."

Arlo stared intensely at her. "This is
getting damn interesting. What could the doc have in his past you
don't want revealed?"

"Nothing! Jess is a good man. Everyone likes
him."

"Like hell. I don't like him."

"Just go away, Arlo. Please."

"Not without you. Come up to my room."

"Later," Meg hedged. "Tomorrow."

"Our train leaves at three o'clock."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Arlo."

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

"I'll bring the five hundred dollars. It's
yours if you agree to leave Cheyenne and forget me and Jess. Think
about it."

Finding herself in front of the grocery
store, she turned on her heel and hurried inside. A matron perusing
the merchandise saw her, gave a snort of disgust, and quickly moved
to another part of the store. She was joined by two other women,
obviously mother and daughter. They made no effort to hide their
disdain. Meg gave her list to the clerk, made arrangements to have
the provisions on her list delivered, and promptly left the
store.

Once Meg exited, the three women hurried over
to the clerk. "Where are her groceries to be delivered?" the older
woman asked curiously. "Doesn't she usually take them with
her?"

"She asked to have them delivered to Doc
Gentry."

"Whyever for?" the second matron intoned.

"You know, Kate," the older woman confided,
"my husband told me Meg Lincoln and Doctor Gentry are close. You
don't suppose...surely he wouldn't...it doesn't bear thinking
about. Doc Gentry is too good to be taken in by a whore. Someone
has to tell him."

"I'll do it, mother," the daughter declared.
"Doctor Gentry treated my sprained ankle not long ago and we had a
rather interesting conversation."

"I'm the one who should talk to him, Polly,"
her mother intoned. "You're too young to speak plainly."

"I think Polly is right," Kate argued. "Doc
Gentry is a young man and Polly is an attractive girl. Let her tell
him about Meg Lincoln. He's new to town and probably isn't aware of
the bounty hunter's unsavory reputation."

The matter settled between them, they left
the store.

Meg continued on to the sheriff's office.
Bufford was just walking out the door when she arrived.

"Miss Lincoln, I was hoping you'd stop by,"
Bufford said. "I have your reward money. Came in on the train
yesterday."

He returned to his desk and removed a bulging
envelope from the middle drawer. 'Here you are. Five hundred in
cash."

Meg took the envelope and placed it inside
her reticule. "Thanks, Sheriff, that was quick. Do you mind if I
look through those wanted posters again?"

Bufford frowned. "I was hoping Doc Gentry
might have changed your mind about bounty hunting."

"I'm seriously considering retiring, but I'd
still like another look at those posters. Just in case I happen to
run into one of those outlaws."

"Help yourself," Bufford said. "They're still
where you left them. Haven't found the time to look at them
yet."

"Weren't you on the way out?" Meg asked.

"Yeah. Deputy Taylor just sent word that
there's a bawl brewing at the Whistle Stop and I thought I go over
and try to stop it before it got out of hand."

"Don't let me stop you. I'll just look
through the posters and leave when I'm finished."

"That's fine with me. Leave them on top of
the desk when you're done with them. I suppose it's time I took a
look at them."

Meg waited until Bufford had disappeared down
the street before removing the posters from the drawer. She hadn't
expected the opportunity to remove Jess's poster to arrive so soon.
She had merely stopped in to the sheriff's office to collect her
reward and fate had been kind to her.

It took but a moment to find Jess's poster at
the back of the drawer where she'd shoved it. Excitement thrummed
through her as she carefully folded it and prepared to stash it in
her redicule.

"What do we have here?" a harsh voice
asked.

Stunned, Meg looked up and saw Arlo standing
in the doorway, watching her closely.

"Where did you come from?"

"I followed you. When you remained after the
sheriff left, I grew curious. What have you got in your hand?"

"Nothing that would interest you."

She stuffed the poster in her reticule and
snapped it shut. "Excuse me, I must be going."

Arlo sprang at her and grasped the reticule
from her hand. Wrenching it open, he removed the poster and tossed
the reticule back to her.

"Give me that!"

Arlo held the poster just out of her reach as
he scanned it, then he burst out laughing. "Now I remember. Gentry
is a fugitive from the law. He's wanted in Kansas for bank robbery.
I recall seeing the wanted posted when I passed through Dodge City
not long ago. I would have remembered it before long on my own.
This puts a whole differed face on things, doesn't it?"

"Nothing has changed," Meg gritted.

"I beg to differ with you. You were worried
enough about the sheriff seeing this to steal it. Are you worried
enough to save Gentry from prison?"

Meg stiffened. "What are you getting at?"

He gave her a lethal smile as he carefully
folded the poster and slipped it into his jacket pocket. "Just
this. You either come with me tomorrow or I give this to the
sheriff. What's it going to be? How fond are you of the saintly Doc
Gentry? Or is he a doctor at all?"

"Of course he's a doctor," Meg hissed. "A
darn good one. For your information, the charges against him are
false. He never robbed a bank. It was all a mistake."

"I'm sure it was," he returned snidely. "You
never gave me your answer. Do you want me to show the sheriff the
poster when he returns?"

"No, damn you! Putting Jess behind bars would
be a travesty."

He eyed her narrowly. "You really
are
fond of him, aren't you? Enough said. Meet me at the train station
at three tomorrow afternoon. We'll make a good team. You're no
longer an innocent sixteen year old. You can do whatever it takes
to bring men to my card game and I'll fleece them of their
money."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meg asked
indignantly.

"It means you can use your body as long as it
benefits me. But I'm the one you'll save your passion for. The rest
will be only a game to us."

"You're mad!"

"Am I? I thought I was being generous. I
could show this poster to the sheriff whether or not you decide to
leave with me. I'm trying to please you."

Meg closed her eyes, picturing the man she
loved behind bars. The vision was so distressing she knew she
couldn't allow it to happen.

"Very well, what do I have to do to prevent
you from showing the poster to the law?"

He gave her a smug grin. "Whatever I tell you
to do. Meet me at the train station tomorrow and we'll take it from
there."

Jess was still treating patients when Meg
returned home. The groceries she ordered arrived soon afterward and
she busied herself putting them away. When she finished, she peeked
into Jess's waiting room to judge how long it would be before she
should start supper and saw him deep in conversation with Polly,
one of the women she'd seen at the store. She opened the door wider
and listened to the conversation.

"It's common knowledge that realize you're
smitten with Meg Lincoln, doctor. Some of us feel that there are
some things about her you should know."

"I have a strong suspicion you're about to
give me advice I neither need nor want," Jess said on a long
suffering sigh.

"Someone has to," Polly said primly. "Meg
Lincoln has a colorful past. She's not someone you should be
seeing."

"I know all there is to know about Miss
Lincoln," Jess maintained.

"Then you must be aware that she's living in
sin with that crippled bounty hunter. Did you also know she's..."
her lips compressed, "...slept with every man she's ever brought in
for the reward?"

Meg flinched. How could people think
that?

"You're jumping to conclusions and condemning
Meg out of hand" Jess reprimanded.

"I didn't just make this up," Polly
maintained. "You're well thought of in town, Doctor Gentry. We'd
hate to see you fall in with bad company."

"I appreciate your concern, Miss Gallagher,
but I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"Very well, doctor," Polly sniffed, "but
don't say I didn't warn you. No one wants to see you taken
advantage of by a...a fallen woman. Think of your reputation."

Meg saw Jess's jaw tighten and his fists
clench and was glad she wasn't Polly right now.

"That's enough, Miss Gallagher!" Jess
b;asted. "I suggest that henceforth you keep your biased opinions
to yourself. I find Meg Lincoln to be a forthright and admirable
woman. Furthermore..."

Quietly Meg closed the door on the
conversation. She'd heard enough. She felt like an albatross around
Jess's neck. Even if he was found innocent of robbery charge,
associating with her would ruin his reputation in town. He was a
doctor. He had found a place for himself and he needed patients to
survive. He was so dedicated that being ostracized would be a
terrible blow to his pride.

There was only one thing she could do to
protect his identity and salvage his reputation. She needed to get
Arlo
and
the wanted poster out of town. Even if she had to
accompany Arlo to do it.

She was resourceful, Meg reflected. It
wouldn't be difficult to lose Arlo once they arrived at their
destination. Or she could even jump train before they arrived. She
knew Arlo. He'd be so angry that he'd forget about Jess in his
eagerness to find her.

But what about Jess? Her heart cried? What
would he think of her if she ran out on him?

Perhaps it would be for the best, Meg tried
to convince herself. He'd hate her for awhile, then he'd forget
her, find another woman to marry, one who would be an asset to his
profession. With Arlo out of the way and the wanted poster gone, no
one would ever know Jess was a fugitive.

The door opened and Jess walked into the
kitchen. "I just locked up for the day."

She gave him a distracted smile. "I'll start
supper. Pork chops and mashed potatoes. I bought some late peaches,
too. How does peach cobbler sound?"

"Delicious, but not as delicious as you look
right now." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

"Do you want supper tonight?" Meg asked,
gently pushing him away.

"Or..." Jess teased.

"Or we may never eat tonight if you keep this
up."

"Very well, but I'm sure going to bed hungry
won't hurt me when the rewards are so great."