Shotgun Bride (Book Six of the Brides of the West) Read online

  She glanced at Darrel who stayed behind. "Why didn't you go with them?" She asked him with a smile.

  "Guess I'm tired of runnin'." Darrel replied.

  "Good move on your part Darrel." Jesse hollered. "I'm going after them…"

  "But you can't…" she wailed as he mounted and took off into the forest once more. "You'll tear your wound open."

  Darrel was still mounted and galloped off after Jesse.

  Standing there alone in the woods, she didn't know what to do. She was married, the ranger was hurt and the men had escaped.

  Without another thought, she followed behind them, catching up to him when he found their new camp.

  "Don't break those stitches open." She fumed at Jesse as she dismounted and ran up to him.

  "Lady, I got a job to do…now be quiet."

  "What about Billy?" She glanced at the boy that was leaning over Jesse's saddle horn.

  "I'll tie him to my horse so he can't wander off." Jesse began to wrap a rope around Billy. Shannon watched him.

  "Not too tight, you could break his wound open." Shannon cautioned.

  "Okay lady, whatever you say."

  "My name isn't lady, its Shannon…" She reminded him. "You seem to always be telling me to shut up."

  "Wish you would listen. That's their camp. See?" He tightened the rope around Billy then turned to her. He handed her a gun and barely glanced at her. "We'll surround them and take them prisoner. Darrel you got a choice now, you can help me round them up, or you can go with them, which will it be?"

  "What happens to me if I go with you?" Darrel asked innocently.

  "Then I'll deputize you and you won't go to jail. If you side with them, I'll take you in, you'll go to jail."

  "Don't sound like I got much choice. I'll help you." Darrel sighed heavily.

  "Good for you Darrel." Shannon smiled.

  "Hope so…" Darrel tried to look happy about his decision.

  "Okay, you take this and come up in the middle. Darrel and I will get the other sides."

  Her mouth fell open and she glared at him. "You can't be serious," she whispered.

  "You got me in this mess; you'll help to get me out." He rasped. "Now just point it at them, they don't know you can't shoot."

  "Who says I can't?" She dared him.

  He eyed her a minute. "I'm not your enemy… they are."

  "And I'm not a deputy." She argued.

  He glance said more than his words. "Any other time, sparring with you might be fun. But this isn't one of those times." He turned to stare into her eyes, making her back up a bit. "Are you going to argue with me all day or help me get these men rounded up?"

  She blew a tendril of hair from her face. "Sounds like I got about as much choice as Darrel does…"

  Chapter Four

  "All right, get your hands up." Jesse hollered coming from the far side of the camp.

  Jimmy John started to draw down on him, but realized quickly the advantage he had. He'd just began to relax against a tree trunk. Wes and Thornton looked surprised and on edge, ready to draw on him. Elmer took one look at him and began to relax. Jesse was almost certain that Elmer expected this.

  Jimmy John holstered his gun and threw his hands up in the air when he saw Darrel come out of the bushes on the other side.

  "I can't believe you've gone to his side." Jimmy John shook his head with disgust.

  "Seems to have a longer future." Darrel shrugged.

  When Shannon didn't appear, Jesse shook his head.

  "Come on out, deputy." Jesse smiled.

  Shannon came out, pointing the gun at Jimmy John and the others.

  "I never figured you for a turncoat, Darrel." Jimmy John said shaking his head with dismay and shooting Shannon a quick frown. "And he's got you in on this too, does he?"

  "I didn't figure on it either, but I don't want to go to jail…" Darrel shrugged and kept his gun steady on them.

  "Running out on your buddy Billy, aren't ya?" Jimmy John asked eyeing him.

  "Billy's hurt bad. I'm gonna see that he makes it to Texas." Darrel promised. "We owe him that much Jimmy John."

  Jesse had already untied Billy from the horse and carried him into camp. He was in such pain he came in and out of it. Shannon ran to his side to check on him.

  "He's feverish…" She said in a slight panic.

  "We aren't going anywhere tonight doc, so take care of him the best you can." Jesse instructed.

  "What happens when we get to Texas, Darrel?" Jimmy John asked.

  "I don't know…we'll see, I guess." Darrel glanced at Jesse.

  "It's a long way to Texas boy." Jimmy John snickered. "And I'm gonna remember you turned on me."

  "Look," Darrel came up to Jimmy John and squatted so he could face him. "Nothing has turned out like we planned. The lady over there, she was forced to marry a man she didn't even know. That cougar hurt the Ranger, and we're guilty. But I got a chance to finish living my life, Jimmy John, and I'm taking it. And from now on I won't be doin' anything against the law. I appreciate what you did for me, Jimmy John. I really do, but there's no future in this kind of life and you know it."

  "You think he's just gonna turn you lose?"

  "I do."

  "You're dumber than I thought." Jimmy John shook his head.

  Darrel got up and moved away.

  They made camp and had some beans and jerky then they all settled out at the campsite. Shannon busied herself with making the beans and coffee. She handed out the tin plates that Jesse provided her. Jesse untied them from the tree, but kept their feet bound while they ate, they could still feed themselves if they were careful.

  Later she came to sit by Jesse. He was the only one of the men that didn't reek, she noticed. He had a shadow on his jaw now, which made him more interesting. "So what are we gonna do about this situation we are in?"

  Jesse eyed her closely. "Hadn't thought on that much. My first concern is getting them back to Texas. Then I'll worry about this piece of paper in my pocket."

  Her mouth flew open to protest. "You mean you won't stop at Bull Creek and take care of it before you go to Texas?"

  He sighed and stared into her eyes. "Lady, getting this annulled means hanging around for a judge. Judges travel back and forth in this territory. It could be months before he comes through. I don't have the time for waiting. Not with these prisoners. This isn't some pleasure trip, in case you haven't noticed. I've got to get these boys to Texas. I've been too long chasing them as it is. I'm not about to let a piece of paper bother me right now." Jesse told her and reached for another cup of coffee. "Besides," He reached to touch a strand of her hair, and then looked into her shocked eyes. "I think I married pretty well."

  "I'd think you'd want to be rid of me as fast as I…"

  "As you want to be rid of me…?" he questioned eyeing her again. The way he looked at her had her so rattled. His hand moved away. "Look, its simple. This piece of paper doesn't change a thing as far as I can see. I have no intention of setting up house with you. I don't know you. You don't know me. So, it comes second to my duty." Jesse explained.

  "And what pray tell am I supposed to do in the meantime?" She cried.

  "Wait…I guess…"

  "You have no idea about me…you haven't a thought to my life…"

  "What you got a fiancé or something waiting for your hand in marriage? Is that what this squawking is all about? Well, if he's any kind of man, he'll wait for you."

  "Squawking? I was hoodwinked into marriage with a man I don't even know. For all I know you might have a girl in Texas waiting for you." She replied hotly. "You might even have a wife there. I didn't hear her ask if you had a wife. I wonder why?"

  "Good Lord lady, you think I'm a bigamist too?" He turned his frown on her now, and it had her wanting to back away.

  He shrugged, uncomfortably. "Look, for your information, there is no girl in my life. I sure wouldn't have offered to marry you if there had of been." He reminded her. "Did you ever think
of that?"

  "Oh…yeah. I forgot you volunteered. And I'm still wondering why?" She asked.

  "So am I…" he muttered miserably.

  When she looked stricken, he shook his head in what looked like frustration.

  "Look, I don't mean to offend you in any way. You seem like a nice lady. But the reason I offered…was to shut the old gal up and make her happy I guess. Since my job takes me a lot of places, I meet a lot of different kinds of people. People from the hills, they got things set in their heads about what is right and wrong. And you won't convince them they are wrong. I've dealt with a few hillbillies in my time and they have the dangdest logic you ever did see. I figured it would be easier doing as she asked for the time being, than trying to argue our way out of a mess; she created in the first place. It won't be hard to rectify, but right now I just don't have the time."

  He sounded so logical.

  "I'm not going to sit here in Bull Creek, waiting to see if you ever show up again. No way. I’m not that big a fool. You could get killed and I'd never know it. I'd think myself married the rest of my life, not knowing for sure. That is too cruel to even contemplate. No, I guess this means I'm going to Texas with you. I'm going to be your shadow until we get this straightened out. So…if you really want to get rid of me, I'd find a way to make that paper null and void, in a hurry." She stood up and put her hands on her hips.

  "Going to Texas…with me? Be my shadow, will you? Now look,…I'm not taking you clear to Texas with me. You better get that out of your pretty little head."

  She ignored the compliment.

  "You have no choice. I'm your wife, remember. I can't let you just take off and possibly never see you again or hear from you. One of these very men could shoot you and I would never know it. No, I'm going with you, and that is that? You could be killed, doing your job. No,…I've got to know for sure. I've got to get this settled."

  "I thought you were anxious to get back to your practice?" He stood up now and faced her.

  "I am…but I'm more anxious to get this marriage annulled." She frowned at him. "Besides, I don't have much of a practice yet."

  "Why not?" He seemed to enjoy the change in subject if his big shoulders relaxing were any clue.

  "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a woman!" She spouted, her cheeks going flush. "That's the biggest reason of them all."

  "Oh I've noticed. That kiss told me that much."

  Her cheeks flamed, she felt the heat. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean…" He stared her down now coming toward her. "You kiss like a woman…you responded like a woman. Not a doctor."

  "But…I didn't…respond."

  "Could have fooled me. But then I'm no expert on the subject." He glanced at her and what he saw in her face made him back off a bit. "Why are you so anxious about this piece of paper? It doesn't mean anything except you can't get married right away. I'd only be six months or so getting back here and we could take care of it then. Like I said…if you got a fiancé or something, then I might understand it, but for crying out loud, a woman in my camp, all the way to Texas. I don't think so."

  The thread of tension between them seemed to stretch.

  "There is no fiancé." She hung her head and started to walk away.

  His quick glance went over her thoroughly.

  "I wonder why not?" He murmured staring at her backside.

  She twisted about. "I don't have the time for a man. But that doesn't matter. Now, it would seem I have to make time…for you. I can be in your camp, or I can be behind you. However, I’m going to Texas and I'll dog you all the way. I'm not letting you out of my sight until this is taken care of." She informed him none too gently. "Don't you understand, if anything happened to you, I'd never know, unless I was with you? And then what if you couldn't come back, things happen…"

  Darrel listened to them bicker back and forth for a long while then he got to his feet and looked at them both.

  "Jesse, I think you ought to listen to the doc here. You can't really blame her. You don't love her, you don't even like her, it don't sound like. Let her come, then as soon as everyone is locked up, you can take care of it and put her on a stage for home. But this bickering back and forth…won't work. It's making everyone uneasy; no one can sleep because of the two of you. You two need to decide and you need to talk to each other. It's not her fault that this happened, and it's not his fault either. It just did."

  Jesse took a deep breath glancing at Darrel, with an eyebrow raised. "You know Darrel." He looked at the boy with new eyes. "Sometimes you make a lot of sense."

  He studied the situation silently for a moment, and then stood in front of him. "Nothing has really changed," he turned back to her. "We just got an annoying piece of paper between us. After I get these men back, I'll take care of it. I had planned to all along. After all, I'm just as married as she is." Then he turned to look at Darrel again.

  Shannon considered his words and agreed, he was just as married as she was.

  "But if you think you are coming along, you better be ready to take orders. You might be an educated doctor, but I don’t think you are an experienced traveler, especially with outlaws. And I'm sure, that some of the things I say and do don't sit too well with you, doc. That's part of what concerns me. I guess we don't know each other well enough to trust each other; otherwise, this would be a simple thing. So you can come, but I don't need your indignation. I need your help."

  Shannon considered what both men said and resigned herself to her fate. She'd invited herself along on the trip, so she had no recourse. It was too late to take it back. She was going to Texas.

  "Agreed," she bit her lip. "How long will it take?"

  "Since we aren't on a wagon train, but horseback, I figure we can make good time, a month or two and we'll be in Texas."

  Shannon groaned inwardly. A month of riding a horse every day. A month of cooking for these men. A month of Jesse's cold attitude toward her. She could take it. She had to.

  She nodded. "I guess we understand each other then."

  "I guess we do." He muttered.

  She turned to her blanket and settled herself down for the night. She'd try not to fight with him any longer. Darrel was right, it was too upsetting. She'd wait until they reached Texas and he finished his job.

  Resigned to her new fate, she closed her eyes.

  She wasn't giving anything up to go with him, except her time. She had few patients back in Oregon to worry over. She wanted to pretend she did, but the truth was, only a couple of pregnant women, and a few farmers had been to see her in all the time she'd been there. If she hadn't planted her own garden, she'd probably be hungry by now.

  Still she had to go with Jesse to Texas, anything could happen to him. He could be killed and if she didn't follow him, she'd never know it. Following him was the only answer. Why couldn't he understand that?

  For the first time in her life, she didn't foresee the future. She didn't know the outcome. It left her feeling lost.

  Upon reflection, she had to admit this was the coldest marriage she'd ever seen. He didn't even like her. So why had he volunteered to marry her? He was right. It had shut Ma up. It had satisfied her. Ma had left once it was done. Still, perhaps if one or both of them had fought her about it, she might have given in eventually.

  It was true, she knew little about the people of the hills. They kept to themselves and it did seem they had their own set of laws to live by. She'd heard a few of the townspeople talking about them and hadn't believed them then. Now she believed.

  She'd learned something about the people, they were diverse. The people of the valley were from all walks of life, starting a new life for themselves. Most of them wanted the same thing, a new home, a new beginning. And the hill people were a law unto themselves. For future reference, she'd have to remember that. The hill people had been there much longer, and like the Indians, thought the land belonged to them.

  She thought about what Ma said, about thanking her one-day. She
shook her head. That would be the day!

  It had been nothing short of a shotgun wedding if ever there was one. And both parties were forced into it too.

  She resigned herself to her fate. She had to endure this trip with as little complaining as possible. She had to keep Jesse in a good frame of mind, or he could turn the tables on her and not bother with a divorce. That would be a disaster. He could escape her and run off, then where would she be?

  She hated the uncertainty of her situation. She hated barging in on his life, but he certainly had hers.

  She didn't have a man in her life right now, but the possibility had made her hopeful that one day she might. She wanted children badly. The one thing she did know was that the kind of man that she wanted would have to be dynamic. He'd have to stand out above the rest of men.

  She reflected on the day, the wedding, the kiss, the man himself. She'd have been better off with Jimmy John, at least he would probably hang and she'd be a widow. Oh, the whole thing was ludicrous.

  She was about to go to sleep when what Jesse said hit her. Had she responded to his kiss?

  She'd buried her feelings about the kiss in the back of her mind, not wanting to admit she'd been an active participant. Still, he'd shocked her. That was why she responded. Wasn't it?

  Chapter Five

  As they reached the foothills, Shannon could see Bull Creek. She looked forlornly at the small stack of buildings, and the beautiful valley around it. For a few short months, it had been her home. Even though a lot of the people didn't accept her as a doctor, when things got rough, they had no choice. However, the acceptance she thought she might attain here hadn't happened yet. She had faith that in time the people would come to accept her and perhaps prefer her to some of the quacks she had met here.

  It wasn't as if she was leaving her home of many years, but she had the strange feeling that she might never return.

  "You sure you want to do this?" Jesse rode up to her side and glanced at her.

  She looked at him. "I have to…I can't take the chance that something might happen along the way, or even when you arrive in Texas. I want to see this through. I promise to not be a burden."