The Outlaws: Jess (5 page)

"There must be something else you can
do."

"I didn't like the choices," Meg said wryly.
"You don't know Cheyenne. It's a rough town with little available
for women except...well, let's just say I refuse to debase
myself."

"What about Zach? Can't he provide a living
for you?"

"No."

Her answer was so emphatic that Jess let it
drop. He had to see Meg's lover for himself before passing
judgment.

They rode in silence for several miles. Jess
thought Meg was doing extremely well until he saw her slump over in
the saddle. With a curse he rode up beside her and placed an arm
around her waist to steady her.

"I thought I told you to let me know when you
needed to stop," Jess said gruffly.

"I...didn't realize..."

"Hold on, I'm going to bring you over to my
horse."

"That's not..."

Her protest was ignored as Jess swung her
over to his horse and seated her before him, gripping her firmly
between his muscular thighs. "Put your left arm around my waist,"
Jess said, "and try to relax. Will your horse follow?"

"Daisy will follow me anywhere."

"Good. Sleep if you can."

Sleep? Meg thought wryly. How could she sleep
with Jess's arms around her and his unique masculine scent teasing
her senses? She should hate being close to this man, depending on
him for her welfare, but curiously she wasn't. She felt... Words
couldn't explain the strange effect Jess had on her, or express how
much it frightened her to entertain those feelings.

Despite her resolve to remain alert, Meg
dozed off and on during the day. They stopped briefly around noon
to lunch on leftovers and relieve themselves, then continued on.
Meg must have dozed off again for she was rudely awakened by a
loud, gravely voice yelling, "What the hell did you do to my
Meggie?"

"You're home, Meg," Jess whispered into her
ear. "Tell your lover to put his shotgun down."

Zach's beloved face wavered before Meg as she
shook off the last dregs of sleep. He was brandishing his trusty
shotgun in Jess's face.

"Zach, it's all right," Meg exclaimed. "This
is Dr. Jess Gentry."

"You sure about that, Meggie girl? You'd
better explain before I blow the bastard to kingdom come."

"I'm sure, Zach. Put the gun down. I was shot
and Jess saved my life."

Jess's eyes narrowed as he studied Zach.
Somehow he had expected someone other than the middle-aged,
grizzled man with gray-streaked blond hair and beard who glared at
him with obvious distrust. His face beneath his untrimmed beard was
deeply lined, and his nose looked as if it had been broken several
times. He wore his hair long and clubbed in the back. This man was
Meg's lover? Somehow Jess expected better of Meg.

But Jess was even more surprised when Zach
set down his gun and stumbled toward him and Meg. Each step Zach
took seemed awkward. And then Jess realized why; he dragged his
left leg behind him.

"Shot! My God! Give Meggie to me." Zach's
face held a world of concern as he held out his arms.

Jess hesitated, hating to place Meg in the
care of a man who might drop her.

"I can stand on my own," Meg insisted. "Put
me down, Jess."

Since Jess thought that was the best course
of action, he carefully lowered Meg to the ground. When she
wobbled, Jess quickly dismounted to help her, but he wasn't quick
enough. Zach was already beside her, placing a steadying arm around
her shoulders.

Unfortunately he gripped her too tightly and
Meg cried out. "You've hurt her!" Jess all but shouted. "Be
careful. She sustained a grave wound."

"Where was she shot and who did it?" Zach
growled in reply.

"Beneath her right shoulder, just above her
breast. Her whole right side is tender. One of the Calder brothers
did it. She still isn't well enough to travel, but she insisted
upon returning home." He shoved Zach's arm from around Meg's
shoulder and replaced it with his own. "Open the door and point out
her room, she needs to rest."

"Now just a blasted minute! Meggie is my
responsibility. I appreciate what you did for her but I'll take
over from here."

"Quit fussing, you two" Meg said in a voice
that trembled from weakness. "I can do this on my...oh..." Her
knees began to buckle.

Ignoring Zach's scowl, Jess scooped Meg into
his arms. "Lead the way," he barked at Zach. "I need to inspect her
wound. All the jostling today might have reopened it."

Zach sent Jess a hard look but didn't argue
as he led the way into the house. Jess passed through a homey
parlor and entered a hallway. Zach stopped at the end of the
hallway and opened the door.

"This here's Meggie's room."

The room was neat and cheerful, with bright
curtains at the window, a rug on the floor, and a patchwork quilt
covering the bed. Jess placed Meg in the center of the bed.

"I'm all right, really," Meg insisted.

"There's blood on your shirt," Jess said
grimly. "I'll get my bag."

Jess made a hasty exit. He returned a few
minutes later, annoyed to find Zach hovering over Meg, holding her
hand and gently stroking her face. It was obvious to Jess that Meg
and Zach shared an intimate relationship. The thought of them
together as lovers was not a pleasant one, in fact, it was
downright disgusting.

"Move away from the bed, Zach," Jess ordered
as he opened his bag and placed it on the bed. "Meg's wound needs
immediate attention."

Zach gave him a belligerent glare. "I'll do
it."

One of Jess's brows rose upward. "Are you a
doctor?"

Zach wasn't giving an inch. "Are you?"

"Damn right I am. Move away so I can see to
my patient."

Reluctantly Zach moved aside. But when Jess
started to unbutton Jess's shirt, Zach roared out a protest.

"What in the hell do you think you're
doing?"

Jess gave an exasperated sigh. Meg must have
noted that he was at the end of his tether for she said, "Jess
really is a competent doctor, Zach. He saved my life. It's a little
late to worry about propriety."

"If you say so, Meggie," Zach grumbled. "You
must be hungry, I'll go fix something nourishing to eat. You both
look like you haven't had a decent meal in days."

"I'll need clean bandages," Jess called after
him. "I've used up all I had."

Zach nodded and left the room. "That is one
jealous man," Jess complained after Zach was gone. "How long have
you two been together?"

"Five years."

Jess's hands stilled. "That's a long time.
You must...love him a great deal."

He had her shirt off now and was carefully
removing the bandage, which had become caked with blood.

"There isn't a finer man alive," Meg
vowed.

"Isn't he a little old for you? A woman your
age needs a vigorous lover."

Meg's eyes spat emerald fire. "You don't know
a damn thing, Jess Gentry!"

Jess was smart enough to figure out what was
going on between Meg and Zach. What he assumed had been going on
for five years, in fact. Why should it matter to him whether or not
Zach was a good lover? Apparently Meg loved the man.

"That remark was uncalled for," Jess
apologized. "Obviously Zach cares for you. You did say he wasn't
your father, didn't you?"

Give it up, Jess, he scolded himself.

"That's right, Zach isn't my father."

"Your uncle?"

"No."

Jess didn't press further for Zach had
returned with a handful of clean cloths.

"Will these do? I tore up a sheet."

"They're fine."

Zach's worried gaze settled on Meg. "Is
everything all right? Meggie's gonna recover, ain't?"

"There's some bleeding but it's not serious.
The wound looks clean. Where can I wash my hands? I don't want to
touch Meg with dirty hands."

"There's a well outside, I'll show you."

"I'll be back in a minute, Meg," Jess said.
"Try to relax."

"You really are a doctor, ain't you?" Zach
said, looking on as Jess scrubbed his hands.

"I said I was."

"This is rough country. One never knows. I
gotta protect Meggie. I'm all she has."

Jess couldn't help lashing out at him.
"Sending her out after outlaws isn't the smartest way to protect
her."

"Becoming a bounty hunter was Meggie's
choice, not mine."

"Why does she do it?"

"It's all she knows. She's damn good at it. I
taught her myself."

"
You
taught her?"

"I wasn't always the cripple I am now," Zach
said defensively. "At one time Zacharia Purdee was the best damn
bounty hunter in these parts. An bullet put a swift end to my
career."

Jess dried his hands on the towel Zach
offered. "How did you and Meg hook up?"

"Didn't she tell you?"

"No. All she said was that you weren't a
relative."

"I ain't, and that's a fact. It ain't my
place to tell you about us. You'll have to ask Meggie."

Jess searched his face. "Aren't you a little
old for her?"

Zach bristled indignantly. "I ain't as old as
I look. I'm only forty-five, still man enough to take care of
Meggie."

Why didn't Zach come right out and say he and Meg
were lovers? Jess wondered. Why did Jess even give a damn?

"I'd best get back to Meg. I hope you make
plenty of whatever it is you're planning on cooking. I'm
starved."

Meg was sleeping when Jess returned. She
didn't even stir when he cleaned her wound and covered it with a
clean bandage. When he finished, he sat in a chair and watched her
sleep. The next thing he knew, Zach was shaking him awake.

"Grub's ready. Should I wake Meggie?"

"No, let her sleep. The ride wore her out.
That bullet took a lot out of here. She's a long way from
well."

"You want to eat now? I'll set Meggie's food
on the back of the stove to keep warm."

Jess rose, stretched, and followed Zach to
the kitchen. "You've made Meg a comfortable place here."

"Meggie deserves it. I sent back East for a
cookstove, just to please her. I was flush with money then, before
that blasted bullet ended my career."

"So now you think it's all right to let Meg
support you," Jess said with bitter emphasis. "You sit back while
she risks her life. She almost got herself killed. What about next
time?"

"Don't you dare judge me, Jess Gentry. Do you
think I
want
Meggie placing her life in danger for me? She's
her own woman. I've never tried to tell her what to do and I ain't
gonna start now. We've got an understanding. It's been that way
since the day I found her."

"Do you love her?" Jess challenged.

"Damn right. That little filly means the
world to me."

"Then you'd best keep her home. She seems to
think she needs to provide for you. You're lame but you're not
helpless. Surely there is something you can do to provide a living
for the both of you."

Anger simmered in the depths of Zach's
intelligent blue eyes. "You don't know a damn thing, medicine man.
No one wants to hire a cripple. Besides, I've known for a long time
that something ain't right inside me."

"Maybe you should let me examine you."

"Yeah, maybe," Zach said noncommittally. "Sit
down, grub is ready."

Jess mulled over Zach's words as he dug into
the plate of savory venison stew loaded with vegetables, and
biscuits that literally melted in his mouth. He couldn't recall
when anything had tasted so good.

"Reckon I'll see if Meggie is awake," Zach
said. "She should have something substantial in her stomach."

"Its time for me to move on," Jess said,
pushing his plate back.

Zach paused with the ladle poised over the
plate he was filling for Meg. "Where you headed?"

Jess shrugged. "Nowhere in particular."

Zach searched his face, as if seeking
answers. "You running from the law?"

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no
lies."

"Suit yourself. I ain't about to delve too
deeply into the past of a man who saved my Meggie. Since you ain't
in no hurry to get somewhere, why not stay on here for a few days?
You said yourself that Meggie ain't out of the woods yet. I'd feel
a heap better if I knew a doc was nearby to tend to her."

Jess was stunned. He'd gotten the impression
that Zach didn't want him around Meg. That he was jealous of
another man's attention to
his Meggie
. For some unexplained
reason it irked Jess to see the older man's devotion to his young
lover. They shared the kind of closeness he hoped to have one day
with a special woman, should he ever be free to love and marry.

Jess had had his share of women, and upon
occasion had visited whores, but none of them meant anything to him
except for the release they brought him. That's why he felt such
overwhelming guilt for not accepting responsibility for Delia
Wingate's pregnancy. He was a doctor. He should have protected
Delia against pregnancy, but she'd seemed so knowledgeable he
assumed she had taken precautions. Besides, he knew there had been
others before him; he would never know whether the child was truly
his.

The guilt of making outlaws out of his
brothers, however, still plagued him. He should have assumed
responsibility even if the child wasn't his and taken the loan
Wingate had offered. Had he done so, his brothers would be home on
the farm where they belonged instead of fugitives.

"What do you say, Jess?" Zach prodded. "Will
you stay on until Meg is well?"

"You sure I won't be intruding?" Jess
couldn't help asking.

Zach slanted him a baffled look. "Meggie
needs you, that's all that matters. She'll be out of that bed and
overdoing before she's ready if someone doesn't lay the law down.
She won't listen to me, and I don't have the gumption to deny her
anything. Stay, Doc, for Meggie's sake."