Chapter Three
The moon was full, allowing Jessie to see easily into the darkness as she crouched behind a bush outside the campsite that she was certain belonged Luke and Gray Hammond. The campsite was in the woods, just off the path that she had been following. The trees provided coverage from being spotted from the road, and she would have missed the camp altogether if she hadn’t seen the faint red light from a few coals belonging to a fire that had been snuffed out earlier. The glow had drawn Jessie to investigate the source, and she’d struck gold.
She had been searching for the pair for a week. She’d started in Livingston and now they were just outside of Helena. They’d been easy to track, but she was always one step behind them until today. They didn’t try to hide their presence much, and they were easily identifiable due to how handsome they were. She had asked all the women in the towns from Livingston to Missoula if they had seen the two pair of men, and they’d been all too happy to give her the information she needed to find them.
The cool breeze brushed past her, and she shivered at the chill in the air. Clouds gently swayed in front of the moon, blocking some of her view as she tried to see the layout of the camp. The shadows from the trees they were under made it hard to tell exactly what she was looking at.
There were two beds in the campsite. It was apparent two men were sleeping by the fire to keep warm, and she could see the outline of one person by the fire. The other one wasn’t there, however.
Jessie stayed hidden for what felt like hours. Surprise was all that she had on her side to succeed in capturing these men. She had one chance to bring them in, and there being two of them complicated things. She had to be smart, and careful.
She needed to make sure just one of them was at camp tonight, and the other wasn’t off in the bushes taking a piss or something. She didn’t want someone coming up on her as she took in the one sleeping.
She didn’t see any evidence someone was standing guard either. Another surprise. When she went after cattle thieves, they usually had someone standing watch.
Maybe she’d been overthinking going after murderers. These two seemed too egotistical to worry about their safety or about being found, judging from their lack of awareness and the fact that there were no guards posted. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.
Once she looked around one final time, she crept up to the sleeping man, being careful not to make any noise that would cause his horse to alert him.
The man lay face down on his stomach, breathing steadily. This made it easier for her, and a sly smile covered her face at her luck tonight. He wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight on his stomach.
Taking a slow breath for courage, she slammed her knee onto the man’s back, threw one forearm across his shoulders to pin his neck, and pushed her gun into his throat with her other hand.
“Try anything, and I’ll blow your brains out,” she warned.
The man stiffened under her, but he didn’t move.
Smart man.
She wondered if she was on top of Luke, or Gray. Hopefully it was Luke, so she could return him for the reward. His brother Gray didn’t have a bounty on his head from the sheriff, so he wasn’t of much interest to her.
“No need to do anything rash.” His voice was restrained, like he wanted to do anything but reason with her. She caught the hint of underlying anger, and a shiver went down her spine at the danger of the situation.
She’d just apprehended a possible murderer.
There was no going back now.
“That’s right. So don’t try to be a hero,” she said. “If you do what I say, you might just get out of this alive.” If she intimidated him enough, maybe he wouldn’t try to fight her.
There was silence for a while as she waited for him to say something, and after an uncomfortable amount of time, he snapped, “Well, I’m listening.”
She grimaced but was grateful that he couldn’t see her embarrassment and only had a view of the dirt. Of course he expected her to continue.
“Where is your brother?”
The man tried to turn over, so she dug her knee further into his back to keep him pinned. She could tell he didn’t want to answer her, and was trying to gain the advantage by seeing who he was dealing with. She didn’t want him to know who she was yet, because even with her disguise as Kid Aaron, there were still disadvantages to being a kid. Men knew they could overpower a boy.
Damn it!” he exclaimed, pain evident in his voice. Jessie didn’t relent her hold. A little pain didn’t matter. The risk was if his brother came back, or if he managed to get up. She just hoped that the gun pointed at his back was enough to keep him down.
“Where”—she jammed the gun into the back of his neck harder with each word—“is he?”
“He went into town! Geez, get off me!” His body was stiff under hers, but her instincts told her he was ready to pounce.
She didn’t grant his request.
“The bounty said alive or dead. I’d prefer to take you in alive, but I can get just as much out of your dead body,” she warned. Pulling rope out from the back pocket of her pants, she then grabbed his arms and tied them up behind his back.
Using his belt as leverage, she flipped him over, hard, without any regard to if it hurt him further or not, and kept her gun pointed at him until he faced her. She wanted to see which brother she had.
The shadows from the clouds shifted to unblock the moon, giving her a better look at him as the pale light hit his face.
Damn. It was Gray Hammond.
Straddling him with her legs over his hips, she felt a wave of surprise hit her at his good looks. He was ruggedly handsome, with sharp cheekbones and a strong jawline. His eyes were piercing and full of a fury and spite so strong Jessie almost recoiled. His stubble-covered chin hinted at a raw masculinity that was unnerving, and made her more aware of her hips straddling his. His shoulder-length blond hair spilled around his face and on the ground under them. It only added to his appeal.
The range of emotions on his face was almost laughable as he got his first good look at her. He dropped the fury for shock and his mouth dropped open, only to be replaced by anger again in the flash of a second.
“Damn, what are you? Twelve?” he spat.
Her face and neck heated up at the accusation. She didn’t know why she felt the need to defend herself or challenge his opinion of her.
“Who I am or how old I am is of no importance to you,” she spat back, but then cringed. It would be better for her if he thought she was a young boy instead of what she actually was.
“I disagree, if you’re going to be putting a gun to the back of my neck,” he snarled.
Not responding to his statement, she grabbed the rope she’d used to tie up his hands, and tied the other end to her horse. She gave the animal a light tap on the rump and sent it walking, dragging Gray away from his camp.
He cursed, his back hitting the rocks and clumps of dirt hard with every thump. She didn’t care and almost chuckled at his cursing.
She stopped the horse and wasted no time in removing Gray’s gun belt from his hip and tying up his feet to immobilize him. She didn’t want to chance him being able to reach another weapon that he might be carrying. No way would a gunslinger rely on only one gun. Even she carried extras, like the knife in her boot, an extra gun in her bag.
Satisfied he couldn”t get to any weapons, she lit the fire at the campsite, not wanting to spend any more time cold. She let the heat warm her back as she pointed her gun on Gray.
He sat up and scooted over to a tree, resting his back against it and facing her. His feet were tied in front of him, his hands behind his back. The anger in his eyes never diminished, and if looks could kill she’d have been dead on the spot.
“Where is your brother?” she asked him again. She was determined to get an answer.
A vein in Gray’s forehead pulsed and his nostrils flared. She could see him thinking—whether to tell the truth or to respond to her at all, she wasn’t sure.
“He went into town on his own to get away from me,” Gray said. His voice was low, like he was holding back yelling and he had to bite out every word. “Felt guilty that he’d uprooted my life or some stupid self-loathing shit, and decided to leave me behind so I wouldn’t get caught up in the legal shitstorm that has started to come about now that he’s wanted.”
She didn’t believe him for a second, but it didn’t matter. He’d separated from his brother, or he just wasn’t there. Either way, she would be able to find Luke and bring him in. Now that the brothers were separated, the task was easier for her. Now she could bring in Gray and not have to try to find a way to force two fully grown men onto a horse and turn them in.
“How old are you?” he asked. “You don’t even look old enough to be with a woman.”
The heat returned to her face at the direct way he asked the question. Men were usually blunt around her as Kid Aaron, and she’d never cared in the past.
“Old enough to tie you up and take you in.”
“For now.” He grinned. The sort of grin that someone gives when they know something you don’t, and she didn’t like it. She had a suspicion that he knew he was getting to her.
“Keep trying to get out of the bindings, and I’ll put a bullet in you.” He froze and gave her another glare. She’d seen him trying to break free, but she was confident that her knots were too strong for him to break—she’d had years of practice on the ranch she grew up on. Years of hog-tying cattle had taught her how to make an unbreakable tie. She still didn’t want him to try to escape though.
She looked down to cover the smile that had spread over her face as the anger returned to Gray’s eyes.
“Not many get to threaten to put a bullet in me without at least telling me their names,” he said.
She didn’t want to give him too much information, but based on the intense stare he was giving her, she didn’t think he’d stop asking questions until she gave him an answer.
“Aaron,” she lied.
He was silent for a while, as if trying to place where he knew the name from. Gunfighters didn’t usually know one another, unless they worked together at some point, but word got around sometimes about the good ones.
“Seems like there’s a lot of bounty hunters hanging around these parts. If I had to guess…” He eyed in a way that made her squirm. She was sure he’d found his way around the female body a time or two, and she didn’t want him to figure out she was a woman. “I’d say you’re a bounty hunter,” he finished, as he completed his scan of her body and looked in her eyes.
She felt a small sense of relief that he hadn’t heard of Kid Aaron. Maybe she could stick around Bozeman longer if everyone didn’t know who she was. She liked Bozeman and didn’t want to move on, but the chances of becoming a recognizable figure presented too much of a threat. Too much attention on her would increase the chances she would be captured herself.
“You’re right. Bounty hunter, not gunslinger.” Although there was a small difference between the two, gunslingers were hired for their skill with a gun. Bounty hunters were better trackers. She hoped he didn’t take her admission to think she wasn’t good with a gun. She wasn’t, really, but she didn’t want him to know that.
“Well, that’s good at least. Shows you have some sense in your head. A kid shouldn’t be out bounty hunting either, but you’re not suicidal enough to be a gunslinger.”
“Like you?”
“Like me.” He flashed a grin. “But if you’re good at it, it’s not suicidal.”
He was charming, and she wondered if all the ladies dropped everything to do what he asked. He wasn’t flirting with her. But she felt her stomach clench, and as he looked at her, she suddenly became all too aware of her heartbeat. If he had actually been trying to charm her, she had a sinking feeling that she’d be doomed.
She looked away from him, needing to focus on anything else. She mentally chided herself. She had to be attracted to a criminal. She had wonderful taste in men.
“You’re not that good, apparently,” she said. His cocky attitude irritated her, and someone had to remind him that he wasn’t the one with the upper hand right now. “You’re the one tied up.”
Hit bit his lip and his eyes lit up. “For now,” he repeated.
She raised an eyebrow. Even tied up, he thought he had the upper hand. Was it an intimidation tactic, or was the man really that egotistical?
Shaking her head, she decided to change the subject. She was getting nowhere with this conversation. It didn’t seem like Luke would be returning tonight. She’d watched the camp for a long while before she’d gone after Gray, and Luke hadn’t shown up during their scuffle either. But if he did return, she’d have plenty of time to prepare, and it might make things easier on her if she could somehow capture them both.
The first stars had started to come out, and a calm enveloped the campsite. The weather was amazing, and she enjoyed the cool breeze on her face and slight chill in the air. Although it was a risk to stay in camp for the night in case Luke did return while she was asleep, it would be best to make camp here, and to leave first thing in the morning before Luke came back. If he came back.
“We will stay here until first light. Then I’m turning you in. I’ll have to come back for your brother.”
Anger flashed in his eyes again, but he didn’t say anything.
Before she went to sleep and was defenseless, she had to check him for weapons one more time. She didn’t want him escaping in the night because she’d been too embarrassed to look him over.
She stood in front of him and looked down at him. “I’m going to have to check you for more weapons now,” she said in warning.
“Do whatever you have to do.”
She knelt before him, giving him a warning look before she holstered her gun. This close up, she caught the smell of pine and found it pleasant. His eyes were a deep amber brown, and her heart skipped a beat, being so close.
She started by running her hand along the hem of his jacket, being cautious in how she searched him. She had searched plenty of criminals before, but her attraction to him made this time harder.
She brushed along his torso, and lingered a little longer than necessary, enjoying the feel of his strong chest under her touch before reminding herself what she needed to do. She searched the waist belt of his pants next, hesitating before skimming her fingers across the front to check for a gun. Her face heated as she thought of how intimate the gesture was.
Her hands moved to the small of his back, and her hand accidentally touched his in the process, causing her to jerk back in surprise as the familiar heat returned to her face. Her eyes snapped to his, afraid that he could tell that her heart had skipped a beat. His eyes remained bored, though, and she sighed in relief.
Returning her hands to the small of his back, she took care not to touch his hands again. She ran her fingers along the rest of his body in haste, trying to finish up as fast as she could.
Finding nothing, she nodded without a word to indicate she was done searching. She couldn’t speak if she tried.
She tied him to the tree, after he protested a few times. But he was unable to fight her in the end. She gave the ropes that held his hands together one more strong pull to make sure they were held fast and he hadn’t loosened them in his attempts to get free. Finding them firm, she turned in for the night with his weapons as her pillow.