Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A couple of days after the evening by the brook with Caleb, Jenny hurried down the boardwalk in town. Clutching her copy of The Outlaw and the Lady by A. Kincaid , she was eager to get home. Ada would be overjoyed to hear that her book was now on the shelves of Bravo’s very first bookstore. The thought that they had an author in the family still amazed Jenny.

Her heart raced as she spotted Caleb tying his stallion to the hitching post. He surveyed the street with sharp, vigilant eyes as if he had always belonged in the West. Dressed in dark trousers, a matching shirt, and a striking blue vest, Caleb cut a dashing figure. Although he wore no guns, a large hunting knife was sheathed at his hip. Jenny almost called out to him, then checked herself with a wince, imagining her mother’s chiding if she heard about her daughter behaving so boldly in public. She nearly scoffed at the thought, considering her mother had no issue with Jenny leaving the house that morning dressed in a boy’s trousers and a white shirt tucked in, a gun belt strapped to her hips, and her hair pulled back into a loose chignon.

Tempted as she was to approach Caleb, Jenny held back, knowing her seduction plans weren’t quite ready. After their encounter by the brook, she had found herself restless, lying awake without a clear idea of how to proceed. Her seduction knowledge was frustratingly scant, and her subsequent inquiries hadn’t helped much. The following morning, she had approached her sisters-in-law, Bethany and Ada, for advice, but both had laughingly declined to divulge any secrets.

Jenny smiled as she remembered Joshua’s scowl when he found out she’d asked his wife about such matters. When he demanded why she needed such knowledge, Jenny winked, tossed her head and walked away without a word. Noah had also confronted her earlier this morning, half-jokingly threatening to put her over his knee. She had laughed off his words, but to her astonishment, he had gone to complain to their mother.

Jenny quickly hitched the horses to the wagon and sent a stable boy to tell her parents she was heading into town to shop. As she walked the boardwalk, she felt excited and nervous about her impromptu escape and the possibilities it might bring.

Caleb didn’t notice her, and she felt a sharp pang of disappointment as he entered the mercantile. She swallowed her feelings, standing momentarily forgotten on the bustling boardwalk. Perhaps she should visit the Tumbling S before returning home. Her stomach rumbled, and she groaned. She had rushed away from home without eating because of Noah. Jenny narrowed her gaze and wondered how to take revenge on her brother for his tattle.

What will Ma say when she sees me? Do I confess to her my feelings for Caleb?

Jenny started to walk and collided with a solid chest. She stumbled backward before regaining her footing. “I beg your pardon,” she said with a gasp. “I was just a tad distracted.”

Her smile faded when she looked up into cold, unfamiliar eyes. A knot of tension formed in her stomach; she did not like how these four men eyed her.

“ Dang ,” one of them drawled, blowing a low whistle. “Y’all ever seen a gal as purty as this one?”

There was a chorus of agreement from his companions while the man she had bumped into merely let his gaze linger over her a moment too long.

“My apologies for bumping into you,” she stated coolly, maintaining her composure.

“No apologies needed, miss,” he replied with a crooked grin.

She nodded slightly in acknowledgment and maneuvered past him, feeling his eyes on her as she walked away. Jenny had just stepped off the boardwalk to head toward the wagon at the hitching post when two men stepped before her. Instinct warned her they were also with the other four men. Glancing behind, she noticed the others were following, prompting her to sidestep, avoiding being cornered. The leader of the group, observing her actions, paused momentarily.

Other ladies, escorted by their gentlemen, strolled along the boardwalk, casting wary glances at the men confronting Jenny before hurrying away. Jenny took some solace seeing Mr. Dunn heading toward the sheriff’s office.

“Why are you blocking my path?” she asked crisply.

“We’re new in town,” the leader drawled, his voice lazy and somewhat amused. “Is there a hotel where we can hole up?”

“Yes, we have two hotels here, along with a bank, a saloon, and even a sheriff’s office and a jail for miscreants,” she replied with a pointed glare.

The mention of the sheriff didn’t seem to faze them; they only appeared more amused.

“Boys, go have yerselves some fun at the saloon. I’ll take this one back to the hotel with me for a good time,” the leader said.

His casual audacity startled Jenny.

“No,” she snapped sharply, attempting to move past them.

One of the men chuckled, stepping to block her path again.

A surreal dread washed over Jenny as she veiled her eyes with her lashes, carefully controlling her expression to hide her growing alarm.

“My name is Jenny Kincaid,” she stated, her voice soft but firm.

Given their formidable reputations, her brothers and father had always instructed her to use their names as a shield in moments of danger.

“A man should always know the name of his lover,” the apparent leader retorted with a drawl.

Shock washed over her in chilling waves at his audacious words. This despicable man! Jenny scrutinized their faces for any sign of recognition of her last name. “My father is August Kincaid.”

Still, their expressions showed no awareness, and her palms began to sweat. “My brothers are Elijah Kincaid, Joshua Kincaid, and Noah Kincaid, also known as Lawless.”

At the mention of ‘Lawless,’ one man’s eyelid twitched, and he swallowed hard. Two others exchanged wary glances.

“She’s lyin’,” one of them blurted out, stepping back and looking over his shoulder as if expecting trouble.

“Look at her eyes,” the first man said. “They are like Joshua Kincaid’s. I ain’t messing with no kin of his!”

“Boss,” another started, his voice laced with hesitation. “Maybe we oughta let her go. We’re here for business, not trouble. She is trouble. I can feel it.”

Jenny didn’t wait to hear their final decision. She turned and made her way toward the mercantile, knowing her father had also taught her that there was safety in numbers. Instinctively, she felt that being near Caleb would make her safer. Her family had taught her well about the dangers of the West—savage and unforgiving. She’d survived more than one attack and knew she must never let herself be taken.

A hand suddenly snaked around Jenny’s waist, yanking her backward. She reacted instinctively, snapping her head back as Joshua had taught her, her skull colliding with a solid chest and not with a head as she’d hoped. With swift movements, Jenny reached for her Bowie knife, unsheathed it, and drove it deep into the thigh of the man holding her. His scream pierced the air as he released her, pain overwhelming his grip.

Jenny didn’t hesitate; she lunged forward, drawing her gun in one fluid motion and firing. The bullet found its mark on the nearest assailant, dropping him instantly. Her rapid, unexpected counterattack briefly stunned the remaining attackers. But the respite was short-lived. Another pair of hands grabbed her from behind, pulling her back with overwhelming force.

Oh, God, there are more than six of them!

“Caleb!” she screamed. “ Caleb !”

He burst from the mercantile, his expression icily controlled. He clutched his large hunting knife and threw it with deadly precision. The blade arced through the air and embedded itself into the chest of the leader, who had reached out to grab Jenny again. The man fell to the ground with a thud , his body hitting the dirt hard.

“Boss!” the man holding her yelled.

The sheriff and his deputy ran into the fray, guns drawn. The scene turned into wild chaos. Caleb quickly subdued another of her attackers, breaking the man’s arm in a swift, brutal move. She writhed, trying to escape the punishing clasp around her waist.

“Be still, you damn wildcat,” he snarled. “You—”

He jerked, and then she was released. Jenny whirled to see him clutching his neck and blood spewing forth. Caleb stood behind him, his knife gripped in his hand. She had not seen it when he took it from the fallen man’s chest. Bile rose in her throat, and a shudder worked through her. Someone ran toward Caleb with a lifted Spencer .56, and Jenny lifted her Colt and fired.

The man stumbled and fell.

“Let’s go,” Caleb snapped, grabbing her hand and running toward his stallion.

Gunshots volleyed behind her, along with screams from the town residents. He threw her onto the saddle before swiftly mounting behind her.

“I should be behind you; we will move faster with you guiding your horse,” she cried.

“No,” he said. “If one of their bullets reaches us, my body will block it from yours.”

Dread pooled in her gut, and she cried out in instinctive fear at the thought of him being wounded so. He spurred the horse into a gallop with a sharp kick, leaving the chaos behind. To Jenny’s shock, the sounds of hooves thundered after them. She twisted in the saddle, looking behind Caleb. She went still, even the breath halting in her chest. More than five horses gave chase.

“They are following us, Caleb,” she said hoarsely.

“Do you know who they are?”

“No, I have never seen them before. I think this is their first time in Bravo,” Jenny said, her heart jerking so hard she felt faint. “They…the first man you took down wanted to carry me into a hotel room.”

A low vicious curse slipped from Caleb. He gripped the reins tightly as they sped along winding trails, the horse’s hooves thundering against the ground. They veered away from familiar paths leading to the Tumbling S or Triple K ranches. Jenny understood Caleb’s thinking—navigating lesser-known trails would be more difficult for their pursuers and wouldn’t lead danger directly to their families’ doorsteps.

Glancing around Caleb’s body, she noticed the cloud of dust kicked up by their chasers growing fainter.

“Where are we headed, Caleb?” she asked, her voice tight.

“To my brother’s cabin. It’s just a couple more miles from here,” he said. “It is closer than the Triple K or the Tumbling S. Zeus is powerful, but we won’t last long with both weights to outrun them. The worst thing that can happen is they catch up to us when we are miles away from our family. Sam might be at the cabin. We will stand a better fighting chance with one more gun. Even if he is not there, we will be fine. There should be a Winchester in the cabin, and we will be placed high on the mesa, so we will see whoever comes up the trail.”

A wave of relief washed over Jenny at the calmness in his voice, though her stubborn stomach remained knotted with tension. At least five men were chasing them, and while she had faith in her and Caleb’s abilities, their situation was dire. He was armed only with a knife, and she had about four bullets left in her gun. His brother, Sam Colton, was well-known to Jenny and her family. Her brothers, Elijah and Joshua, had fought alongside Sam during the war. They respected him as a formidable and capable ally, yet they always cautioned Jenny to be wary of him. Sam was known to be a dangerous and ruthless man.

“Caleb, if they catch up to us before we reach it, I will have to put a bullet through my—”

“Don’t you fucking say it,” he snapped. “Don’t you dare Jenny Kincaid!”

She had never heard him sound more lethal.

“I have been taken before,” she said desperately, “and I knew then I had to find a chance to…to end it before I was raped. Joshua found me first and—”

“By God, I would never allow them to take you. Do you understand me, Jenny? They would have to crawl over my dead body to get to you.”

“No,” she hissed. “Nothing can happen to you; do you hear me?”

“We will be fine, both of us.”

The icy promise flowed over her, sinking deep into her body and replacing the knot of fear with warmth. The odds were against them, but she believed in his implacable promise.