Lady Outlaw

Jennie slipped into her bedroll, but she shook her head. “You?”

“Not yet.” He needed to occupy his mind with something else, instead of the haunting images of his nightmare. Sometimes he’d had it twice in the same night. “You mind if I stoke the fire? It sure is chilly.”

“Go ahead.” Wrapping her arms around her blanketed knees, Jennie rested her chin on her legs as Caleb built the fire into a small but steady flame. “So does your family live around here?”

Caleb poked at the fire with a stick. “No. My folks live on a farm up north, in the Salt Lake Valley.”

“What are you doing down here then?”

“Earning money. I want to have my own freight business.”

She shifted closer to the fire. “Weren’t there any jobs up north?”

“There were.” He stared into the dancing flames. “I couldn’t stay up there, though. Not with Liza gone.”

“Were your parents sad to see you go?”

“Sad, yes, but more disappointed.”

He sensed Jennie watching him. “Surely they understood your grief?”

“In a way.” He let his stick grow black at the end and then pulled it out of the heat. “But I don’t think they knew what to do about me. I quit farming the piece of land they’d given me—me and Liza. I quit going to church, like I told you. The memories of her were everywhere, and one day, I couldn’t stand it anymore.” A shadow of that desperation filled him and he clenched his jaw against it. “I went and told them I was leaving. Told them I knew I made a lousy farmer and I wanted to do something else with my life.”

“Do they like the idea of you having your own freight business?”

“I think Pa’s disappointed that I didn’t stick with farming, but really I don’t know if they care what I do as long as I’m working hard at something and helping others. What they really want is for me to come home. But that’s not going to happen. It’s time for me to make my own way.”

Jennie bobbed her head in agreement. “I can relate to that—deciding to make your own way and not wanting others to step in. That’s why I didn’t want you paying for the candy I ruined in the mercantile seven months ago.”

The candy? He studied her, her red hair brighter in the firelight, her brown eyes peering back at him. “You were the woman in the store?”

“I didn’t want to feel beholden to you.”

“I guess that’s one way to look at it. But I’d say we’re just about even, since you gave me a job. That was definitely worth the money to pay for the candy. And to see you smile.”

She tucked her chin back down, but not before Caleb caught that same soft smile he’d seen in the store lifting her mouth for a moment.

“What were you doing up in Fillmore?” he asked.

“Meeting with the bank president about our loan.” Her next question came quickly as if she couldn’t change the subject fast enough. “When was the last time you saw your parents?”

“Three years ago, but I try to write every few weeks.”

“It isn’t the same, though, is it?”

“No.” A feeling of loneliness swept over him. He hadn’t realized until he had entered the close-knit circle of Jennie’s family how much he missed his parents and siblings.

“I hope you get that freight business.”

He cleared his throat to rid it of emotion. “Thanks. It’s a lot more exciting than farming. You get to travel, meet new people.”

“Sometimes a life like that isn’t so adventurous.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Jennie released her hold around her knees. “I think I’m ready to sleep now. Good night, Caleb.”

She stuck out her hand and Caleb shook it. He liked Jennie’s firm but feminine grip. “Good night, Miss Jones. It was a pleasure talking with you.”

Her cheeks colored, but he guessed it was from facing the fire. “You can call me Jennie.”

“Jennie,” he repeated. He banked the fire and moved back to his own bedroll. Tucking his arms behind his head, he shut his eyes and exhaled a long breath. His nightmare didn’t come again. This time he dreamed of a girl in a green dress with a pretty smile and a pile of candy around her knees.

* * *

After a morning of doctoring the cattle that needed it, Jennie couldn’t stand the smell of smoke and sweat in her hair any longer. She left Caleb and Will napping and walked to the creek to wash her hair, armed with soap, a cup, a blanket and her gun.

She removed her dusty boots and socks and dipped her feet into the water. The cool wetness on her bare toes brought a quick intake of breath, then a sigh of contentment.

When was the last time she’d taken a break in the middle of the week? She had Caleb to thank for that. For a farmer-freighter, he handled the cattle rather well, and she had to admit she was glad to have him around.

She had enjoyed talking with him the night before. Maybe too much. She didn’t need him distracting her from her goal to save the ranch. Which meant she needed to keep their friendship professional—like Nathan’s. But Nathan didn’t cause butterflies in her stomach when he teased her or when he smiled, and she didn’t care one whit what Nathan thought of her appearance.

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