Outlaw Bride (Lawmen and Outlaws) by Hanson Tanya

Author:Hanson, Tanya [Hanson, Tanya]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical, lawman, Western, Texas
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Published: 2013-08-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Jessy Belle knew what it was right off. Dagnab, she’d carved the thing herself. Her grave marker. The skin down her spine all but crawled off the bone.

“Take it.” Redd said again. Harsh. His tone set more gooseflesh rising, but she didn’t obey him. She might love him, was certain she did, but those days were over, letting some man order her around.

“I said, take it. Found this under a juniper tree. And a dug-up empty grave.” He didn’t sound like himself at all. “Thought you might identify it.”

Jessy Belle choked hard but hoped he didn’t notice, and took the stick from his hand after a short time of defying him. She saw something else fixed on the stick. Her heart slammed against her ribs like it wanted to bust them. She’d had no part in slashing these particular letters against the wood.

And neither had her brother, the ignorant fool.

Dread all but swamped her like the sweat had when she found herself dying. Shaking her head, shaking hard, she ran off to the gathering room to the one friend she had.

Or prayed she had. A friend to whom she now brought danger. Instead, she headed for the stable. Ornery old Blossom would do better than nothing to get her out of here, leave the nuns far behind before Ahab came to lay ruin. The pearls slapped against her ankles as she ran.

Tonight, in the deep darkness while everybody else slept, she’d steal Blossom. Like she’d done a hundred others.

But Teresa had gone ahead of her, was gently currying the old mare in the stuffy, dark stall. That was one task Jessy Belle also enjoyed and did well. Ahab insisted on good treatment for the horses he stole. She grabbed a brush, but Teresa rushed to hold Jessy Belle in her arms. She wasn’t much older, but Jessy Belle hung on her like a motherless child.

“Why, Sister Mary? What frets you? Has Mister Redd brought you bad news? Has he...”

So close to Teresa’s neck, Jessy Belle saw the hard swallow as her new friend fought for words. “Has he, did he...find out who hurt you?” Freeing one hand, Teresa started to finger the long set of beads she wore tied to the belt at her waist.

Like a sudden summer squall over the high plains, sobs ripped from Jessy Belle’s middle, from her soul itself. “I know who hurt me. Oh, Sister Teresa, I’m bad. I’m evil. I brought it upon myself. And now Mister Redd knows. And I might get hanged again. Or at least tossed into a hoosegow.”

Teresa crooned nonsense sounds against Jessy Belle’s scarf. “Now, settle yourself. Nothing can be that bad. We are all sinners who come up short.”

“No. It’s not the same as every day sins.” She shook her head wildly. “Teresa, I truly am evil. I’m an outlaw. And I almost got hanged yesterday.”

In the loudest whisper she could manage, she told Teresa her blame-filled tale. The two sat together on a bale of hay.

“Oh, Sister Mary.

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