The Outlaws: Jess (35 page)

"Go on, Jess," Meg urged. "I'll hold the
sheriff here until you're clear of town. I'll catch up with
you."

Jess gave an exasperated sigh. "Put the gun
away, Meg, you're not thinking clearly. I fled the law once and I'm
not going to do it again. I told you I'm going to see my brothers
freed of those trumped up charges if it's the last thing I do, and
I meant it. You're being your normal hotheaded self and it won't
get us anywhere."

Meg's chin notched upward. "It will get us
out of town."

Jess took a quick step forward and grasped
the gun from her hand. "It will land us both in jail." He handed
Meg's gun to the sheriff and added his gunbelt. "You'll have to
excuse her, sheriff. Meg's naturally distraught after her ordeal
with the Calders."

"I understand," Durant said as he placed the
guns in his drawer. You can have your gun back when you simmer
down, Miss Lincoln. Come with me, Gentry. We don't have much of a
jail, but it will hold you until I hear from Dodge."

The jail was little more than a hovel built
as an afterthought behind the sheriff's office. One door, solid
except for a small barred aperture, opened into a small windowless
cell. A cot, small table, one chair, and a slop bucket placed in a
corner were the only furnishings in the malodorous room reeking of
urine and rotted food.

"You can't keep him in there!" Meg charged,
indignant.

"It's all we got. Step inside, Gentry,"
Durant prodded. "I'll wire the law in Dodge and inquire what they
want done with you. Chances are they'll want you taken to Dodge. If
so, I'll escort you there myself."

Jess moved inside the cell, turning and
giving Meg a bolstering smile as the door clanged shut behind him.
Durant turned the lock and placed the key in the same drawer with
their guns. Then he locked the drawer and pocketed the key.

"Why don't you come to the telegraph office
with me, Miss Lincoln?" Durant suggested, guiding her away from the
jail. If you want my advice, you'll find yourself a room for the
night."

"Very well, lead the way," Meg said, casting
a glance over her shoulder at the mean little cell holding the man
she loved.

"Sorry, sheriff," the telegrapher said as he
handed the sheriff's message back to him. "Lines are down. Those
red savages take a great deal of pleasure disrupting our lines of
communication. It'll be a few days before repairs can be made and
communication is restored."

"A few days!" Meg blasted. "You mean Jess has
to stay in that pigsty more than one night?"

"Kind of looks that way, Miss Lincoln,"
Durant said. "I'll see that he gets plenty to eat, no need to worry
on that score."

"I want to see Jess again."

"Sure, you can talk through the bars. You
have to come back to the office anyway to pick up your gun."

Meg accompanied Durant back to his office.
Never had Meg seen such a poor excuse for a town. Two saloons, a
general store, a feed store, barbershop, and bathhouse, and above
the bathhouse, rooms that looked like a brothel. One dingy cafe and
a livery stable completed the business district.

"Is there a hotel in town?" Meg asked.

There are two boarding houses down one of the
side streets. The one run by Aggie Ronstadt is your best bet. Clean
and cheap, and her cooking is as fine as you'll get anywhere."

"I'll find it," Meg said. "After I see
Jess."

Meg walked back to Jess's cell. Grasping the
bars, she peered inside. Jess was sitting on the lumpy cot, his
head resting in his hands.

"Jess."

She must have caught him with his defenses
down for the defeated look on his face when he lifted his head and
looked at her made her breath hitch. A scant moment later the
despairing look was quickly replaced by a forced smile.

"Meg, what are you doing back here? Did
Durant send the telegram?"

"The lines are down. Indians. The telegrapher
said it will take a few days to repair them. I'm sorry, Jess."

Jess shrugged. "Don't be. That's the way my
life has been going lately. Find a room and get yourself a good
night's sleep."

Meg pushed her face against the bars and
whispered, "Let me bust you out of here."

"No! I won't have it. I won't let you break
the law for my sake."

"You can't stay here," Meg argued. "It's not
fit for human occupancy."

"I'll manage." He reached through the bars
and caressed her cheek. His touch was so tender Meg wanted to cry.
Was there no justice? Would she and Jess ever find the peace and
happiness they deserved? "Go on, sweetheart. Come back tomorrow,
after you're rested."

Unable to speak past the lump in her throat,
Meg nodded mutely. As she turned away, Durant stopped her and
returned her gun. "I'll be back tomorrow, sheriff," she called over
her shoulder. "Don't forget to feed Jess."

Meg found a room at Aggie's boardinghouse.
The room was small but neat and clean and dinner and breakfast was
included in the price of the room. At least she didn't have to
worry about money, Meg thought. She still carried the better part
of the five hundred dollar reward she'd left Cheyenne with.

Aggie was a dear soul though noisy beyond
bearing. She clucked her tongue at Meg's masculine attire and made
way too much of her still prominent bruises. Meg ended up telling
her in a few terse words what had happened to her, leaving out the
part about Jess being arrested.

A small, rotund woman of middle years with
bright, inquisitive eyes, Aggie sent Meg a somewhat doubtful look.
"I suspect there's more to it than that, my dear, but I'm glad
things turned out well. You're obviously a strong woman to have
suffered all you have and come away with your spirits intact. Most
women would fall into a decline after being manhandled by outlaws.
And you're a bounty hunter! My, my, will wonders never cease. Where
is that nice man who saved you?"

"That's another story for another time," Meg
said tiredly.

"Of course, how unfeeling of me to question
you when you're obviously exhausted. You have time for a nap.
Dinner is at eight, and it might be a good idea for you to change
into a dress."

Aggie bustled out of the room, reminding Meg
of a small whirlwind. Once alone, Meg's thoughts returned to Jess
and his terrible circumstances. Why wouldn't Jess let her bust him
out of jail? He knew she was capable. The whole situation was
disheartening.

Meg was at the jailhouse bright and early the
following morning. Jess was eating his breakfast, which looked
fairly appetizing. It appeared that Sheriff Durant had kept his
word about feeding Jess well. But Jess didn't look all that
chipper. He wore a day's growth of beard and his clothing was
rumpled from having slept in them.

"You don't have to stick around," Jess said
when he greeted Meg at the barred door. "Go back to Cheyenne. I'm
sure there's a stage coming through in a day or so."

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Jess
Gentry!" Meg said stoutly. "When will you realize I love you, that
I'll do anything to help you?"

"There's nothing you can do, sweetheart. Love
isn't going to save me. The sooner I reach Dodge, the sooner I can
try to convince the law that my brothers and I are innocent."

Meg could tell by the look in Jess's eyes
that he didn't believe he'd be cleared of the charges any more than
she did."

Meg's reply was forestalled when Sheriff
Durant came up to join them. "I'm off to the telegraph office to
try to send my telegram to Dodge again."

"Can I stay here and talk to Jess?" Meg
asked.

"I reckon it's all right," Durant replied.
"Don't get any ideas in your head while I'm gone. The guns and keys
are locked in my drawer. And I'll take your gun, if you don't
mind."

Meg minded, but she handed her gun over
without complaint. She wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize
her time with Jess. They spoke of inconsequential things at first,
then Jess made his wishes known concerning her future.

"If I'm convicted and sent off to prison, I
want you to return to Zach. He'll take care of you. I don't know
how long I'll be put away but I won't ask you to wait for me.
You're young and vital and shouldn't pine for a man who might not
return to you for years, if ever. Even if Mr. Wingate recants and
the charges are dropped, I may be forced me to marry his daughter,
I'll be another woman's husband."

"Damn you, Jess Gentry! Don't talk like that.
How can you even think of giving up? Mr. Wingate has to listen to
reason." "I'll make him," she said determinedly.

He reached through the bars and stroked her
cheek. "I don't deserve you, Meg. Yet all I can think about is
returning to Cheyenne with you at my side and use my skills to heal
folks. I want to raise a family with you. Is that asking too
much?"

Meg sent him a watery smile. "No, that's not
asking too much. It's exactly what I want too."

He searched her face. "I haven't been as
careful as I should have with you, love. Are you...you're
not...dammit, how can I put this? Are you carrying my child?"

Meg pressed a hand to her stomach. It was
indeed possible, but since Jess appeared upset with the prospect of
a child, she shook her head. "I don't think so."

Meg realized she had given the right answer
when the breath left his chest in a loud whoosh.

"I know I said I wanted children with you,
but now isn't the right time. When this is behind us, we'll get
married and start our family."

Meg gave him a shaky smile. Would that day
ever arrive? she wondered sadly. Even if she was carrying Jess's
child and he wasn't around to help raise it, she'd cherish it with
all her heart.

Sheriff Durant returned, his expression
thoughtful.

"Did you get through to Dodge?" Meg asked
anxiously.

"No, and it doesn't look like it's going to
happen any time soon. Lines are down all over the area. It's gonna
take weeks to fix them."

"Weeks!" Meg all but shouted. "You can't keep
Jess here for weeks."

"I've been thinking on that," Durant
admitted. "The stage is due tomorrow. I'm going to put Gentry on
the stage and escort him to Dodge myself."

"Not without me," Meg declared. "I'm going to
be on the stage, too."

Durant shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Meg, I beg you. Return to Cheyenne," Jess
pleaded.

"No," Meg challenged, hands on hips. "You're
not getting rid of me that easy, Jess Gentry. I intend to sell the
horses and be on the stage when it pulls out tomorrow."

Jess didn't doubt it for a minute. Meg was
stubborn enough to follow her own rules, whether or not they were
in her best interests. How many times in the past weeks had she
endangered herself for his sake? How often had she expressed her
wishes to help him, disregarding the high cost to her own safety?
Too many times to count.

Soon, Jess thought. Soon he would be in Dodge
again, where everything started. Unfortunately he didn't know how
it would end and it was eroding his confidence. All he knew was
that he would do whatever it took to make Mr. Wingate repudiate his
lie about the bank robbery. Whatever it took, he'd do. No sacrifice
was too great for his family. For freedom.

The following day Jess was led from the
jailhouse in shackles. Sheriff Durant marched behind him, his hand
resting on his gun butt in case Jess should make a break for it.
Meg followed in their wake, carrying Jess's medical bag. Only one
other passenger boarded the stage. An elderly gentleman traveling
to Dodge to see his first grandchild. Jess hoped this stage
wouldn't suffer the same fate that had befallen the last stage he
and Meg had boarded.

And he hoped Meg didn't take it into her head
to try anything foolish.

Dodge City stretched before him. Jess gazed
out the window at the familiar dusty rooftops poking up from flat,
parched ground and felt no nostalgia for the town he'd once called
home. The town hadn't changed much during the time he'd been away.
He remembered coming back from the war and proudly hanging up his
shingle, and how painful it had been when the townspeople had
shunned him in favor of a drunken sawbones who loved the bottle
more than he did his patients.

Jess slanted a surreptitious glance at Meg
and saw that she was watching him. She shouldn't be here, he
thought. Hadn't she suffered enough humiliation on his account? He
sighed. Knowing Meg, she'd stick around until there was no longer a
reason for her to do so. God, he loved her!

The stage rumbled down the busy main street
and ground to a halt before the Wells Fargo office to discharge its
passengers. Jess stepped down and stretched. The ride had been long
and tedious, necessitating one overnight stop. Unfortunately he'd
had scant opportunity to speak privately with Meg, for Sheriff
Durant had kept them separated.

"Where's the sheriff's office?" Durant asked
as he joined Jess.

"Across the street," Jess said, identifying
the building with a nod of his head.

"Let's go," Durant said, prodding Jess
forward.

Jess moved stepped onto the busy street,
dodging wagons and horses. Durant followed close behind him. A
glance over his shoulder revealed that Meg trudged along behind
them, her face grim with purpose. Jess couldn't even guess at her
purpose, and didn't want to.

Meg's fertile mind was a hotbed of intrigue,
and Jess feared she was even now hatching some grand scheme to free
him. He shot her a warning glance, and was rewarded with a smile
that didn't bode at all well for anyone who tried to interfere with
her plans.

"You first," Durant said, aiming Jess through
the door.

Jess stepped into the sheriff's office.
Durant was close on his heels, followed by Meg. A man Jess had
never seen before sat behind the desk. Immediately he leaped to his
feet.