"What took you all so long?" Jesse asked quietly as he approached the riders.
"It was hot and we didn't want to push the horses to hard." Collier said lamely as he dismounted and headed towards the fire.
Jesse watched him go in a mixture of curiosity and foreboding. Collier was never concerned for the horses and always had to be ordered to take care of his mount. Why this change of heart now? He turned back to Jones to get an explanation and nearly fell to his knees at the sight of Lou. Her dress was torn and bloodied and scantily covered her battered body. He wordlessly accepted Lou into his arms as Jones handed her down to him. She moaned in pain, but didn't open her eyes. Jesse could feel how frail she was in his arms and he was filled with a murderous rage.
He had been trying to keep his feelings for the woman buried deep beneath the surface. She was only a means to get his brother's release, but he could deny his feelings no longer. Not when she lay in obvious pain in his arms. He collapsed to his knees, shaking off Jones' hand.
"What happened to her?" He asked quietly as he observed her swollen face.
"Collier, he-"
Jesse didn't have to wait to hear the rest. Gently depositing her on the ground, he stalked towards the fire. Collier looked up unconcerned from his plate. "What did you do to her?"
"I had to put her in her place. She was backtalking."
"What did you do to her?" Jesse repeated.
Collier was starting to get flustered at Jesse's deadly expression, but he hung on to his composure. "I-I was just havin' a little fun."
Before Collier knew what hit him, Jesse had pulled his gun and fired it repeatedly. Collier was still clutching the half-full plate in his hand as he looked at Jesse through startled eyes. After a moment, he fell to the ground in a heap. Jesse spit on him before turning around and heading back to Jones who stood shaking in his boots.
"I tried to stop him, I swear."
Jesse observed him for a moment before reholstering his gun. He knew that Jones, although a coward at times, was a good man. He nodded and motioned to the dead man. "Go take care of him. Miguel, go fetch me some water… a lot of it."
Both men hurried off to do his bidding while he crouched beside Lou. Picking her up, he carried her to the fire where he could see her wounds more clearly. If Collier hadn't already been dead, he would have killed him again. Suddenly he thought he had let the man off too easy. His world became black as he caught sight of her shredded feet.
"Oh God Lou, I'm so sorry." Jesse sobbed, hoping she could hear him.
He quickly wiped the tears away as Miguel entered the clearing with the water Jesse had requested. Ripping of his shirt and tearing it into long thin strips he began to clean the cuts on her legs and feet. He pulled cactus needles and burrs from her skin, wincing as she shuddered in pain. He moved on to her arms and face, watching in satisfaction as the caked dirt and blood were removed.
Reaching over Lou's body, he retrieved his saddle bags where his clothes were kept. Averting his eyes as best he could to spare her modesty he removed the rags covering her and quickly pulled one of his shirts over her head. The shirt reached well past her knees and he knew it would be no use putting any pants on her; they wouldn't stay on. He then proceeded to bind her feet with the remaining strips of his shirt.
"Lou…Lou, can you hear me?"
Her eyes fluttered open briefly and Jesse smiled widely. "Thirsty…" she mumbled softly.
Jesse immediately snatched the canteen for Miguel's hand and brought it to her lips. She drank slowly, but before Jesse knew it, the contents were gone. He went to get more, but Lou shook her head. All she wanted to do was sleep by the warm fire. Jesse understood her wishes and bundled her in a blanket before the fire before moving off to talk to Jones.
"I should kill you for allowing this to happen."
"And you'd be right too…she's pregnant."
"What?" Jesse exclaimed as he looked back to Lou who was sleeping peacefully.
"I'm so sorry…I should have tried harder, but-"
"Forget it…but if she dies, then so do you." Jesse said harshly as he stalked back to the campfire.
**************************************************************
"Cody, time for a break. Kid's got some food at the house for you. I'll stay here with Frank." Jimmy said as he entered the office.
Cody, who was bored beyond belief, stood up and nodded eagerly. It would feel good to be on his horse again, even if he was just riding to Kid's. He needed a break. Not to mention the fact that he was hungry. A hot meal would do wonders he knew. Besides anything was better than sitting around worrying about whether they were making the right decision. Handing the keys to Jimmy, he grabbed his hat from the desk and mounted his horse. Jimmy watched him until he was out of sight before heading to the back where Frank was sleeping.
"Get up Frank, time to go." Jimmy said roughly as he shook the bars.
"Where we goin'?" he asked quietly, as Jimmy slapped the manacles around his wrists. After they were securely locked, Jimmy opened the cell door and smiled sarcastically.
"You're goin' to be with your brother again… nothin' I love better than a good ol' family reunion."
"But I thought-"
"Like I said, I'm takin' you to your brother." Jimmy interrupted as he pushed him towards the door.
"Where're the others?"
"They ain't comin'."
Realization dawned on the man as he smiled at Jimmy. "They don't know you're doin' this, do they?"
"What do you care?"
"I don't." Frank admitted as Jimmy hoisted him onto a large black horse.
"I'm warning you Frank…if they've harmed one hair on Lou's head, you'll wish I had taken you to Laramie."
Frank knew better than to respond to Jimmy's threat, so he simply nodded. The streets were deserted as the two riders kicked their horses into motion. Jimmy had no regrets or second thoughts. He was confident he was making the right decision. He knew the others would be angry at first, but once Lou was returned safely, his actions would be forgotten. Or so he hoped.
**************************************************************
Lou opened her eyes and blinked them several times before trying to sit up. She felt strong hands pushing her back to the ground. Then Jesse's face hovered over hers, smiling in relief.
"Take it easy Lou." He said softly.
She nodded as Jesse helped her into a sitting position. She looked around the camp and saw that they were alone. She turned her gaze back to Jesse who sat eyeing her distractedly. There was something different about him, something that hadn't been there in the past few days she'd spent with him.
"Where are the others?" she asked raspily.
"Jones and Miguel rode out to find Jake." Jesse said simply.
"And Collier?" She asked shakily.
"He won't be bothering you any more." Jesse said quietly. "Are you hungry?"
Lou nodded, understanding his cryptic words. She remembered vaguely the sound of gunfire and arguing. She also remembered gentle hands cleaning her wounds and undressing her. She blushed slightly as she realized she was clad only in a large shirt.
Jesse noticed her discomfort as he handed her the plate of beans and biscuits. "I had to get you out of the dress, or what was left of it…" Jesse apologized.
She didn't respond to his statement as she began to eat ravenously. She didn't care how she looked as she ate, she just knew she was starving. Jesse sat back and marveled at her appetite before realizing the source.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"Tell you what?"
"That you were pregnant?"
Lou looked up from her plate and eyed him in distrust. "What, so that you could use that to your advantage too?"
Jesse lowered his head in shame. "I guess I deserved that…Lou, I'm not going to hurt you, or your baby. I promise you."
"Forgive me if I don't put too much stock in your words." Lou returned, placing the empty plate before him.
Jesse took one of her hands into his and peered deeply into her eyes. "I could never let anything happen to you. I'll take care of you."
"So why don't you let me go home then? Kid won't bring you Frank. You must know that."
"Are you meaning to tell me that he'd sacrifice you just to take Frank to trial?" Jesse asked incredulously.
"Yes." Lou replied quietly, lowering her gaze.
"Then he doesn't deserve you Lou." Jesse whispered as he gently caressed her face with his large hand.
Lou was frightened by the intensity of his eyes. She tried to back up, but Jesse moved closer to her. "I love you Lou, I have since I was fourteen. I'm going to make sure you never want for anything."
"What are you sayin' Jesse? Lou asked.
Before Jesse could respond, he heard the sound of approaching horses. Standing up, he smiled as three riders came into view. Jake dismounted and Jesse could see he was limping. "What happened?"
"Horse took a fall. I had to slow my pace a little." He explained.
"We can't afford to lose any time…you'll take Collier's horse."
Jake nodded, already having been briefed on Collier's demise. Jesse patted him on the shoulder and walked back to Lou. Gently lifting her into his arms he walked towards his saddled horse. Miguel, Jake and Jones exchanged glances, but they just shrugged their shoulders and mounted their own horses.
"Hopefully we'll reach Blanca Sierra before nightfall." Jesse said as he spurred his horse off. The others followed suit, leaving a trail of dust behind them.
TO BE CONTINUED…CHAPTER 9
