The Outlaws: Sam (23 page)

Then he made the mistake of watching Lacey
sleep and all his good intentions fled. He had crept closer to her
mat, staring at her with unquenchable longing.

What happened next had been destined by fate.
He had grown hard just looking at her, and when he realized she was
awake, nothing could have stopped destiny.

God, would he never learn? Would he still
want her after she betrayed him a third time? And he knew she
would, given another opportunity. Unfortunately that didn't stop
him from wanting Lacey. Fate had played a dirty trick on him when
it arranged their meeting after years spent convincing himself he
cared nothing for her. After tonight, forgetting Lacey was going to
be difficult...no, impossible. He rolled to his side and found
Lacey staring at him.

"That was...words can't describe how I feel,"
he said on a gusty sigh. "I can't say I'm sorry it happened, but
it's not what I intended when I returned to the tipi tonight."

"What was your intention? To humiliate
me?"

Sam reared up on his elbows. "Is that what
you think?"

"I don't know what to think anymore. I don't
know you, Sam. I loved you once, and mourned your 'death' deeply. I
knew I would never love again and was content to go through life
lavishing all my love on Andy. Why did you have to come back into
my life now, when my life had finally gotten back on track? All I
ever wanted was security for Andy."

"You call engaging yourself to Cramer getting
your life back on track?"

Lacey refused to meet his eyes. "I was wrong,
I'll admit that much. Taylor wants something besides me. I just
haven't figured out what."

Her gaze flew upward to meet his. "What
happens now, Sam? We've already proved we want one another, but
that's besides the point."

"What is the point?"

"Andy. We both want what's best for him.
Whether or not you committed a crime, the law says you're an
outlaw. You'll need to travel far and fast to escape jail. Is that
what you want for Andy, a life of running from the law?"

"I can't think that far ahead. Not with your
body pressed against mine and your lips so close I can almost taste
them."

"Don't do this, Sam. You are my weaknesses,
don't take advantage of me."

"Put your arms around me," he rasped.

"No, I..."

"Kiss me."

She sucked in a shuddering breath, blinked
repeatedly, then let the air out of her lungs in surrender. Her
arms went around him as their lips met and clung. Arms and legs
entwined, they kissed and caressed until passion demanded that they
join their bodies.

Sam rolled on his back and pulled Lacey on
top of him. "Ride me, sweetheart, take me deep inside you. Forget
the past, think only of now."

"I want to forget. Oh, God, make me forget,"
Lacey pleaded in a strangled voice.

Grasping her buttocks, Sam lifted and spread
her. He slid deep inside, groaning in pleasure as she contracted
snugly around him. Then she began to move, undulating against his
loins in an erotic rhythm that made Sam forget his own name. It
didn't take long. Completion burst upon them simultaneously. Sam's
last thought before he succumbed to ecstasy was that he never
wanted this to end. Lacey was his. She'd always be his.

Entwined in each other's arms, Lacey and Sam
were unaware that morning had crept upon them as they slept. Nor
did they know that Yellow Bird had ducked into the tent to bring
them food and saw them intimately entwined upon the sleeping mat.
She said nothing, but her expression held a wealth of emotions.
Anger, hurt, disappointment. She regarded them through narrowed
eyes, then she set the bowl down on the floor and spun away.

Sam awakened first. He disentangled himself
from Lacey's arms and pulled on his clothes. The morning was cool
so he built up the fire in the center of the tipi before he left to
bathe in the river. One the way out he stumbled over the bowl of
food that had been left near the tent flap. He frowned. It hadn't
been there last night, which meant someone had left it this
morning. Yellow Bird. He glanced over at Lacey, remembering how he
and Lacey were intimately entwined in sleep and wondering if Yellow
Bird had seen them. He shrugged off the thought and ducked
outside.

As if his thoughts had conjured her up,
Yellow Bird appeared beside him him. "Where are you going,
Sam?"

"To the river," Sam said. "Soon it will be
too cold to bathe in the river. I intend to enjoy it while I
can."

"I will walk with you." A moment of silence
ensued before she asked, "Did you enjoy your woman last night? Your
anger must be easily appeased. I thought you did not like
La-cey."

"I figured it was you who left food in the
tipi this morning. There are things you don't understand about me
and Lacey, Yellow Bird. There are things I don't understand
myself."

"Will she return to her home?"

"I don't know. There are issues between us
that need resolving before anything can be decided. Lacey refuses
to leave without Andy."

"An-dy wishes to remain with you," Yellow
Bird said fiercely. "You are safe here, Sam. The men who attacked
us are cowards, they will not return. Besides, Running Buffalo will
soon take our people south to our winter campground.

"I don't know if I really want to take Andy
from Lacey," Sam said after lengthy consideration. "On the other
hand, I don't see how I can let her have him knowing she will end
up marrying Taylor Cramer or some man just like him. Andy deserves
better than that."

"Send the bad woman home," Yellow Bird
advised. "Come with us to our winter camp. I will take care of you,
Sam Gentry."

They had reached the river, but Yellow Bird
seemed in no hurry to leave. "Go back to camp, Yellow Bird, I'm
going to bathe now."

"I have seen all of you, Sam Gentry."

She edged closer, so close their bodies were
nearly touching. She twined her arms around Sam's neck. She swayed
toward him and he placed his arms around her waist to steady
her.

"I will treat you like a man should be
treated," Yellow Bird promised. "Send the bad woman home."

Neither Sam nor Yellow Bird saw Lacey
standing behind them. She had awakened moments after Sam left the
tipi and arisen immediately. She had stepped out of the tipi just
as Sam and Yellow Bird disappeared down the well-trod path leading
toward the river. She had followed close on their heels, stopping
abruptly when she saw Yellow Bird and Sam embrace. Stifling a cry,
she spun around and fled. Sam must have heard her for he glanced
up, catching a fleeting glimpse of her as she ran off.

Sam spit out a curse and removed Yellow
Bird's arms from his neck, giving her a gentle shove. "Go back to
camp, Yellow Bird. I don't want to hurt you, but there is no future
for us." Yellow Bird stared at him for the space of a heartbeat.
Her voice intense with emotion, she said, "La-cey will leave you,
Sam. She is not the woman you need." Then she pivoted on her heel
and hurried off.

Sam stripped and plunged into the cold water.
How in the hell did he get himself into these predicaments? he
wondered. His brothers had always teased him about his penchant for
getting into trouble, and he supposed it was well deserved. Of the
three brothers, he was the most unpredictable.

Yellow Bird had saved his life. He was
indebted to her, but not enough to bed her. After loving Lacey last
night, he couldn't imagine going through life without her. But
without trust, how long could their relationship survive? Would
having a son together compensate for the lack of trust?

Sam ducked beneath the water and came up
sputtering. Then he waded ashore and pulled on his clothes, his
mind whirling with options and choices that were painfully limited.
He was still a wanted man...an outlaw. A man in his position had no
business dragging a woman and innocent child all over hell while
trying to evade the law. But he couldn't give up Andy, not now, not
after growing to love the boy.

By the time Sam returned to camp he had come
to a decision of sorts. He was keeping Andy. If Lacey refused to
leave without her son, that was her problem. When he and Andy left
for California she could accompany them or not, it was her
choice.

Sam found Lacey inside the tipi with Andy and
Yellow Bird. They were seated together, eating the food Yellow Bird
had provided. Sam sat down beside Lacey. She stiffened and leaned
away from him. He accepted a bowl from Yellow Bird and began to
eat.

"Isn't it nice to have Mama with us, Papa?"
Andy piped up. "She said she's not ready to go home yet. I don't
want to return home unless we all go together."

"Is your mother prepared to travel to
California with us?"

Andy looked hopefully at Lacey. "Are you,
Mama?"

"We'll talk about it later, honey," Lacey
replied, looking pointedly at Yellow Bird. "When we're alone."

"Can I go play with Sitting Bear now? Running
Buffalo made me a bow and he's going to show me how to use it."

"A bow? I don't know..."

"Let him go, Lacey. Running Buffalo won't let
any harm come to him."

"Very well. Be careful, honey."

Andy darted off. Silence reined, until Yellow
Bird picked up the dirty bowls and left the tipi. Her manner toward
Lacey was decidedly unfriendly, but Sam let it pass. The moment
Yellow Bird was gone, Sam turned his full attention to Lacey.

"It's not what you think, Lacey. What you saw
meant nothing."

Lacey bristled indignantly. "What makes you
think I care?"

"Perhaps you don't, but I want to set the
record straight. What you saw at the river was simply a display of
Yellow Bird's affection. It wasn't reciprocated."

Lacey gazed down at her hands. "After last
night I thought..." Her voice trailed off.

"What did you think?"

She lifted her eyes to his. "That you agreed
to let Andy go home with me."

Sam's expression hardened. "Is that what you
were doing last night when you surrendered to me? Were you taking
advantage of my weakness for you to get your way in this? It won't
work, Lacey. I won't deny that I want you, but I want my son
more."

"No! It wasn't like that at all," Lacey
insisted. "What happened between us was spontaneous. I couldn't
have stopped it, we both know that."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Sam
asked softly.

Her chin rose defiantly. "I'm taking Andy
home. You can have your Indian squaw. Yellow Bird hates me. There
might not be anything sexual between the two of you now but it's
bound to happen."

"Yellow Bird wouldn't hurt you. She's a
healer. She values life. Like I said before, you're free to leave
whenever you please, but Andy stays with me." He hoped she'd agree
to accompany him but would not stop her from leaving without
Andy.

There was a flash of fire and her green eyes
and Sam waited for her outburst.

"Damn you, Sam Gentry! I'm not leaving
without my son. You and Yellow Bird can cavort all you please, just
don't expect me to surrender to you again. Next time I'll be on my
guard."

"Can I assume that to mean you're coming to
California with us?"

"Assume anything you like, but know this, one
way or another I'm leaving, and it won't be without Andy." Rising
abruptly, she grabbed a water skin from the back of the tipi and
stormed off.

Sam stared after her, a frown wrinkling his
brow. He knew he was being obstinate, but he wasn't going to let
Lacey win this time. If she wanted Andy, she could join them on
their trek to California.

Lacey watched from afar as Andy and Sitting
Bear played with their tiny bows. Their arrows didn't go far and
Lacey was relieved to know she had nothing to worry about. She
wandered down the path to the river to fill the water skin. She
needed a good wash and wanted to bathe in private. Unlike Sam, she
was protective of her modesty.

Sam was gone when she returned to the tipi,
much to Lacey's relief. She found an iron kettle and set water to
heat over the fire. She heard a noise behind her and pivoted, not
overly surprised to see Yellow Bird. This was her tipi, after
all.

Yellow Bird wasted no time on preliminaries.
"Why are you still here? You are no good for Sam."

Lacey minced no words. "I'm not leaving
without Andy and Sam refuses to let me take him away."

"You have hurt Sam," Yellow Bird charged. "He
does not care for you."

Anger surged through Lacey. "What did Sam
tell you about me?"

"Very little, but I know he is not happy with
you. I can take away his sadness. You will bring him nothing but
trouble."

"You're welcome to Sam," Lacey retorted.
"I've lived without him the six years I thought him dead and I
don't need him now. Andy is all I require to make my life
complete."

"You have another man," Yellow Bird charged.
"One An-dy does not like."

"That man is no longer in my life or my
future, not that it's any of your business. Look, Yellow Bird, I
don't want you for an enemy. Take Sam, if he'll have you, but Andy
is mine. "Please leave now so I may bathe in private."

Yellow Bird searched Lacey's face, as if
trying to decide the veracity of her words, then she nodded and
made a hasty exit.

Lacey truly didn't know what to make of
Yellow Bird. She appeared sincerely fond of Andy, and it wasn't
difficult to tell she was enamored of Sam. But, strangely, she
perceived no real harm in the woman. Nothing threatening. She
couldn't help feeling uneasy, however. She was, after all, an
interloper in a world far different from her own. She feared that
the Indians' good will toward her depended largely upon Sam's
regard.

The following days passed with nothing
resolved between Lacey and Sam. Lacey refused to allow Andy out of
her sight. Though she worried about the ranch she made no attempt
to leave, for Sam would stop her if she tried to take Andy away.
She lived for the day when Sam would let his guard down, and when
he did, she'd seize the moment.