The Outlaw and the Runaway by Tatiana March

Author:Tatiana March
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

It would hurt to let her go. The realization hit Roy hard as he looked down into Celia’s flushed face. Aware of the curious stares of the men, he spun her around on her feet and ushered her into motion. He could feel the tension in her body, could sense the brittle edge of her high spirits. She appeared mentally exhausted. Danger, outlaws with guns, being bodily searched, combined with the startling news about her father must have taken their toll.

“Let’s get you settled.”

Taking her by the elbow, he led her along the path to the nearer of the two cabins. A small adobe structure, it had belonged to Big Kate, the aging whore who had serviced the men at the hideout. Mr. Smith had offered them the use of the cabin, but Roy had no idea if anyone had cleaned up inside after Big Kate had died from the beating she’d received from Lom Curtis.

He left Celia standing a short distance from the entrance. “Wait here.”

Roy tried the door, found it unlocked and went inside. The single room was spotless, bearing no sign of Big Kate’s occupation. Stark, almost like a prison cell, the cramped space contained nothing but a sturdy pine bed with a sagging mattress, a table with a single rickety chair by the glassless window and a big oak chest in the corner.

He lifted the lid on the chest and recognized Big Kate’s clothing, carefully washed and folded. Big Kate, tired of the hard life, had been slovenly and unkempt, drunk much of the time, but the air inside the cabin smelled fresh and the earth floor shone clean.

Miss Gabriela must have scrubbed the interior, one last favor between the only two women at the camp. Roy would have liked to thank her for taking care of the task, but none of the outlaws ever spoke to Miss Gabriela unless she approached them first.

He went to the doorway and waved Celia inside. “Try to make yourself comfortable. I have to go and talk to Dale Hunter. I won’t be long.”

She studied the cramped space. “What about my things?”

“I’ll send them over.”

He left her in the cabin and took the path down the slope toward the corrals. After only a few paces, he heard someone calling his name. He turned and saw Joe Saldana hurrying toward him. Roy halted to let the tall Mexican catch up.

Saldana slapped him on the back and grinned, white teeth flashing beneath his drooping moustache. “You take a bullet for the father and win the daughter?”

“She came with me because she had no other choice.” Roy lowered his voice. “And I want to get her out of here again as soon as possible.”

“Good luck, my friend.” Saldana jerked his head in the direction of the ranch house. “I’ve been ordered to keep an eye on you. No one leaves. Not until Mr. Smith has gone back to his honest life and established a credible story to cover his absence.”

“No one?”

“No one except Dale Hunter.

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