Chapter Nine
They arrived in Virginia City a few hours later, tired and dirty from the journey. Gray had never thought it would be possible to have as much dirt on him as he did now. He hadn’t had a proper bath in weeks.
They had left Luke at a camp several hours outside of town for his safety. Luke hadn’t been happy about it, but he’d conceded the original plan—to only have one brother at a time go into town—was best for now, even though they had someone else with them.
His stomach growled in hunger, and he decided to go to the first restaurant he could find while he thought about what to do with Jessie. They dismounted and headed down the street on foot since too many people were in the way, and it was easier to walk.
As they walked in the dusty streets, townspeople whispered and pointed at them. His guard went up at the unwanted attention, trying to decide if it was going to cause them trouble or not.
One of the women who was standing on the sidewalk whispered loudly enough that everyone next to her—and even Gray—could hear. She was dressed in a simple dress with muted colors that didn’t draw attention to her. Her attire was similar to what many of the other women in town wore. She pointed at Jessie and whispered to another woman next to her.
“That’s Kid Aaron. Wonder if he’s bringing that man in for a reward. He certainly looks the type.” The woman sized Gray up with a scathing look from head to toe, and crinkled her nose as if she had just smelled something horrible.
He glared at the group of women, and they scattered like mice who had just been exposed to sunlight. Gray was not used to people talking about him so openly like they did Jessie. If they did, they didn’t usually do it so loudly, for fear that he might hear and do something about it. It appeared that Jessie was well known in this area, which he had not expected.
“Kid Aaron, huh?” he asked as he took her elbow and led her down the street, walking their horses by the reins. He’d untied her before they got to the city limits, not wanting to draw attention to her being a captive.
His hand lingered on her elbow longer than necessary. He wanted to use any excuse he could to touch her, not just because he didn’t want her to cause a scene by attempting to grab her horse and run, but because he liked touching her.
“Guess I’m better at this than you and your brother thought.” Her green eyes danced with mischief. “Come to think of it, you do look like the type who needs to be brought in. Better hurry before the other bounty hunters get word that you’re here.”
He almost laughed again, enjoying her teasing. She was different than other women he’d been around before. She wasn’t afraid to be herself, and she didn’t shy away from him when he spoke. Most women retreated, but she leaned in and gave him more than he asked for. She was feisty.
He and Luke knew a few associates through their work, but he’d never heard of Kid Aaron until today. Maybe it was because Kid Aaron went after cattle thieves, and Gray went for whatever paid the most. Either way, Jessie had made a name for herself, and it was going to make this more difficult.
“Know anyone in town who might be able to help us? Or do you know anyone who is going to cause trouble?” he asked, turning her to face him so he could read her expression. His attention lingered on her lips as she tilted her head to the side and grinned. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her.
“Maybe,” she said, lightly dancing around the topic.
Her comment dragged him from his thoughts and back into reality. Even if she was with them, he couldn’t trust her. Her goal was to bring him and Luke in to the sheriff, and he couldn’t let his guard down around her.
His grip on her arm tightened. He didn’t like the idea of her going to someone else in town to ask for help. He was reminded of his vulnerability, and that Luke was depending on him. He didn’t trust anyone to have their best interest at heart, and anyone she knew might bring trouble.
The smell of roasted meat drifted on the wind, and Gray spotted a restaurant nestled in with other wooden buildings. He pulled Jessie along with him, toward the smell of food.
“Come on,” he said.
“What are you going to do with me?”
He thought for a moment before admitting, “I’m not sure yet. Right now, I just want food and then we can talk it over.”
They made their way to a restaurant and found a secluded place in the back to sit. The patrons looked like gold miners getting lunch before heading back to work. The men wore long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from the elements, and thick trousers to do the same. It was easy to tell what type of town you were in by how people dressed. Gold mining, fur trappers—everyone had a distinct way of dressing, and anyone who passed through could tell what most people did for a living.
A waitress came over and took their order. The tension was high as both Gray and Jessie stopped talking to each other while waiting for the waitress to leave. Jessie ordered tea and the waitress dropped it off without a word before leaving in haste.
“We need you to dress like a woman as soon as possible if we are going to be around each other. I don’t like the attention you’re getting as Kid Aaron,” he said.
Jessie choked on the tea.
“I don’t see why I have to do that. It’s too much of a risk for me. If others see me as Kid Aaron and they ask about you, we can just say you’re another bounty hunter. It’ll be fine,” she said. She crossed her arms in front of her, and her eyes shifted around the restaurant, as if she was afraid someone was listening in on what they were saying.
“No,” he said simply. There was no debating this. She didn’t call the shots, he did. And it was too risky for her to be Kid Aaron. If she was an unknown person, maybe he’d allow it. But if people knew who she was, there was no way he’d allow her to dress like a man.
“Well then,” she said, blowing on the tea. “I guess it’s a good thing we won’t be around each other long. I appreciate you taking me to get some food and not abandoning me without a horse, but I don’t see a reason for the two of us to stay together anymore. I believe you when you say Luke didn’t kill that man.”
The waitress returned without another word and placed the stew they had both ordered in front of them before running away again. Gray picked up a spoon and inhaled deeply, savoring the feeling of almost having warm food again in his stomach after countless nights of hardtack.
Jessie picked up her spoon and tasted it. Her sudden change of attitude didn’t fool Gray. She’d been practically begging them to take her with them earlier. Why was she suddenly wanting to part ways?
He must have been staring at her too long, because she started to squirm in her chair as she looked at him.
“And since he didn’t do it, I won’t bring him in for the reward,” she added.
“What happened to not being the one to judge criminals and you’re just the one who brings them in?” he asked.
She shrugged at him from across the table. A lock of hair fell in front of her shoulder, and she quickly tucked it back into her hat while looking back at him with her beautiful eyes. He’d never noticed before how they were as captivating as the forest; wild and untamed, like her.
“It wasn’t my intention to judge you or Luke.” She paused for a moment and chewed on her lip. His eyes followed the movement and lingered on her lips for far too long. “But circumstances being reversed and all—I’ve come to the conclusion he didn’t do it. I couldn’t turn in a man who I thought was innocent.”
Her change of heart could be a ploy to get him to relax his guard so she could take them when they weren’t expecting it. But for now, he was willing to let it go.
“I still have one more thing for you to do.”
She gave him a questioning look and waited for him to speak.
“If Casey is in town, I want you to distract him while I find a way to make sure he isn’t armed.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you want to help an innocent man?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head. That hadn’t worked.
“And because you’re my prisoner right now, and if you don’t, I’ll find a way to turn you in,” he threatened. “Unlike you, I don’t care why someone is wanted if it can serve me in some way.”
Her cheeks turned that charming red color, and it spread from her throat all the way to her ears.
“You wouldn’t.” Her eyes glared daggers at him. “I trusted you and told you about my past, and now you’re going to use it against me?”
He laughed. “Not my problem, Red. You trusted a man you don’t even know. You probably shouldn’t do that.”
A small twinge of guilt passed through him at using her wanted status against her, but it was the easiest way to get her to do this, and he would do anything to protect Luke. Making her angry in the process was an added bonus.
“You’re a bastard,” she spat.
He shrugged and raised an eyebrow. “So what’s it gonna be, Red?”
“Stop calling me Red.” Her voice got louder with each word.
“What’s it gonna be?”
She slammed the spoon on the table forcefully after only halfway finishing her meal.
“If I do this, you’ll promise to let me go?”
“Yes. If you help, I’ll let you go.”
“Fine.” She gritted out the word with such force he felt like if she could kill him in that moment, she would.
After lunch, they went to a nearby inn to get a place to stay for the night. They needed to ask around about Casey, and Gray wanted to have a warm bed to sleep in tonight instead of the hard ground.
When Gray got to the front counter, he saw that the innkeeper was particularly interested in Jessie, or “Kid Aaron” as it was. The woman shared a bright smile with Jessie, and Gray wondered if they knew each other.
“A room for me and my companion, and have a bath sent up as well,” Gray said to the woman, handing her extra coin for the trouble. Virginia City was large enough and had enough people come and go that they let travelers pay extra for the privacy of a personal bath. Though Gray had found that if he paid enough, a lot of places were willing to go through the extra trouble.
The woman happily took the coin. Her brows furrowed as she looked between Gray and Aaron, and she scratched her chin as gave him a room key. She seemed confused that Gray was asking for a room and not Kid Aaron.
Jessie’s eyes snapped to his, but she didn’t say anything, taking note that he’d said one room. He wasn’t about to let her out of his sight for a second—not until they had the chance to find Casey. If he left her alone, she would make a run for it, and he’d be on his own searching for Casey. He could catch Casey on his own, but he liked having her around, and she was good at her job, as much as it killed him to admit it.
“Have a good night, sir,” the innkeeper said, with a polite smile.
Gray grabbed the key, and they made their way to the room. Jessie hadn’t made a fuss about him asking for one room when they were with the innkeeper, and he was grateful.
The tension flowing off Jessie was so thick, the air seemed heavier as they walked to the room. She wasn’t saying anything, but she was stomping her feet on the wooden floor, giving away her true feelings.
When they were alone, Gray would be subject of her full anger.
The room was simple, like he’d seen in most of the hotels in the West. There was a small, worn, wooden chair in one corner, and an area for where a bath could go. A single iron bed sat in the center of the room, with an old looking quilt on it.
As soon as Gray shut the door with a soft click, Jessie whirled around to face him, her face contorted with rage.
“If you think I’m going to share a room with you, you have lost your mind,” she hissed. She kept her voice low, so anyone nearby wouldn’t hear her.
She stormed to the door and tried to brush past him out of the room, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“If you think I’m going to let you be alone in a room so you can run away from me, it’s you who has lost your mind.” He shot her a penetrating look as his hand gripped her arm, unrelenting. “I still don’t know what I’ll do with you, and until then, I’d rather have you in my sights.”
She yanked her arm from his grasp, balling her hands into fists at her sides as she put more distance between them.
“Get undressed,” he said.
The red returned to her cheeks and her mouth dropped open. She stared at him. He would have laughed at her dumbstruck expression, but before he could, she lunged for the chair, lifting it above her head to as if to strike him with it. The seat of the chair rested on her shoulders, the legs jutting into the air and ready to strike if needed.
He didn’t make a move, waiting to see what she did. He meant her no harm, but it was fun to see her riled up again, even though he had no intention of taking advantage of her. He liked that she was a fighter, though. She waited for him to make a move, and as he stood there staring at her, she slowly put the chair down.
His mouth twitched in amusement, and he decided to put her out of her misery before she threw it at him and caused him bodily injury.
“For the bath,” he said as he motioned toward the bathtub. There was a knock on the door, and Jessie jumped, her eyes darting toward the door.
Gray allowed four housekeepers to enter, each carrying a large bucket of water for the bath.
When the housekeepers left, Jessie stayed rooted in place, a defiant tilt to her chin. She gave the bath longing looks, but she kept her distance, apparently refusing to give in.
“Get undressed,” he repeated.
Her grip tightened around the chair again in preparation for a fight.
“I’m not doing anything in front of you, you bastard,” she said, her eyes sharp and assessing.
He pulled the privacy screen, which had until now been leaning against the wall behind the door, around the bathtub. He would have liked a show, but if she was going to insist on privacy, then he would at least allow her that much.
He shrugged and gestured toward the bathtub. “The bath is a requirement. Either you can get in yourself, or I can make you get in.”
He gave her an assessing look, openly admiring her body. Her vest barely hid the full roundness of her breasts. Now that he knew what to look for, she was sexy as hell.
“It could be fun, actually.” He took a step forward. “So if you won’t—”
She bolted to the bathtub, pushing the privacy screen in place between the two of them. A small jolt of disappointment rippled through him at her evasion, but he’d expected it.
Even though she couldn’t see him, he shrugged. “I’ll leave you alone.”
Her voice was heavy with sarcasm from behind the privacy screen. “How gentlemanly of you.”
“Throw your clothing out over here before I leave—I’m not going to risk you running away while I’m gone.”
She started to protest but then stopped when he reminded her he could simply take them from her. She threw them over the top of the screen, muttering curses under her breath as she did so.
He gathered up her clothing and the bedsheets for good measure. Anything that she could possibly wrap herself up in if she was going to attempt to escape had to be removed from the room so she couldn’t get away.
He didn’t think she’d have the nerve to leave the room naked, so it was the best he could do.