Hannah POV
I watched as Jamie tried to decide where to start. I could see his mind turning over what and how much to tell me. Finally, after what seemed like hours but, in reality, was only a few moments, he looked at me and smiled, “Remember that I promised that I would tell you everything I could, but only if it didn’t put you in harm’s way. There may be parts that I leave out because if you know and Beecham finds out, you will be in danger. He will use you against me, I mean us and the sheriff. Do you still trust that we will keep you as safe as we can and that if we don’t tell you something it’s to keep you safe?”
I didn’t speak because I was afraid he would never tell me and I was dying to find out what really happened. The things that Robert told me just didn’t add up. All I could do was nod my head, so I did.
“Right then. You told me that Beecham said that Weston stole another man’s woman.
Jamie POV I awoke a few hours later, knowing that I had another long day in the saddle. It would be worth it if we could get the information we needed on Beecham. I groaned, thinking about getting up after so little sleep. After I said good night to Hannah, we took the horses to the barn and rubbed them down for the night. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and groaned as I rolled out of bed. I got dressed quickly and made my way out of my room. I saw that Cookie was already up and had returned from collecting a few eggs from the hen house. He pointed at the coffee and said, “It’s just about ready.” “Thanks, Cookie. I’m going to visit the outhouse and then I will go and bring Hannah over. Hopefully she is awake. I don’t want to startle her, but I would feel better leaving knowing she was already here with you,” I replied as I strode for the door. After I took care of my morning business in the outhouse, I knocked on the door of the main house. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps fro
Hannah POV As I laid down to sleep on Friday evening, my mind went back to everything that had happened that day. It started out to be an ordinary day, a ride to town with Jamie. If the truth be told, I would have much rather been on a horse than sitting in the wagon. I have come to love riding a horse. I felt free as the wind blew past me, it was a nice feeling to be almost one with the animal. Although, if I had to ride in a wagon, Jamie was a pleasure to sit beside. Every sway of the wagon had us brushing against each other. I knew he was affected by it just as I was. I knew that once Beecham was punished for his crimes against the Weston’s, it wouldn’t be long before Jamie and I would be together. The attraction between us was growing and I had no desire to fight it. I spent every minute I could with him over the past few days and when I wasn’t with him, I was thinking about him. I was shocked that my letter had been delivered so qui
James POV Leaving Hannah in that room, was by far the hardest thing I had done to date. But Bo would protect her, he would get her out of here if something happened to me. I had whispered, “I love you” but I know she hadn’t heard me. I couldn’t tell her out loud, it wouldn’t be fair. I pushed my fear for her safety down and replaced it with anger. Anger that Beecham would stoop so low as to harm his own wife. I moved back to the parlor where Randall and Walt were waiting. “Is she okay?” Walt asked, his voice laced with worry over Hannah’s emotions. I nodded, “I think so. She’s trying to be brave. Bo has her settled in the corner. Earlier today, he told me that he would sit next to her in case she needed him, she could reach out for him.” “Good. Now, let’s get settled in for a long night. Obviously, we need to keep the chatter down so we can hear them approach,” Randall replied as he settled down on the settee. The only lamp still lit was the one on top of the mantle, near Walt. H
Hannah POV His sister! Helen was Samuel’s sister! Which meant that she was Jamie’s mother! Holy shit! How did I not figure that out? Jamie wouldn’t be after Robert the way he was unless it was something big. And this was big! As I ran out of the hotel, I turned toward the church. I remembered there was a swing there under a huge shade tree. It would be a great place for me think all of this through and what it would mean for me. As I hurried through the streets, I heard Jamie following me, calling out my name. I didn’t slow down though. This was not a conversation we needed to have in the middle of town. It didn’t take long for him to catch up to me, even though I had long legs for a woman, his were longer. He matched his stride to mine and we quietly walked to the church. I was glad that he didn’t speak. I needed a few minutes to put this all together. With the tree swing in sight, I made my way to it. When Jamie seemed to realize my destination, he hurried over to the swing and s
Sunday afternoon Beecham POV As I climbed off the stage, I smiled in triumph at my latest acquisition. My time in Austin was very lucrative. The bank robbery went off without a hitch. The drifters I ran into just outside of Austin were looking for a quick score and I paid them ten percent of the take to rob the bank in Austin. I didn’t tell them my name, so if they were caught, they had no way to implicate me. It was a sweet deal. I had been doing it for years. I leave the ranch for a few weeks, never telling anyone where I was really going, so I couldn’t be tracked down. Then when I arrive in my destination city, I find a couple drifters to con into robbing the local bank. Pay them a meager portion of the take, and leave town faster than you can blink. It was a beautiful plan and it worked like a charm. Glancing at my pocket watch, I saw that it was just after three o’clock in the afternoon. Yeah, I got time, I thought to myself. Gonna go over to Martha’s, have a couple drinks, the
Hannah POV My first thought when I woke up this morning was that Robert was still gone and I sighed in relief. But I had to remain cautious because he could return home anytime. I had no way of knowing if Kate was able to get him to talk or not. Only time will tell. With that thought, I rose from my bed, quickly dressed and made my way to the outhouse. After taking care of my morning needs, I decided to start working on breakfast. Just as I pulled the pan from the pantry shelf where I had stored it, I heard horses in the distance. It sounded like more than one horse. I quickly moved to the kitchen window, looked out, and in the early dawn sky, I could just make out two riders, but it was still too dark to determine who they were. I slowly backed away from the window, unsure of what to do. Two shrill whistles were heard in the quiet of the early morning, and I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. It was Samuel.
James POV It was over. Beecham was dead. His crimes were numerous and now he would have to face his maker and pay the price for his sins. The crazy part, though, wasn’t that he pulled a gun. I think we all expected it, that’s why Uncle Samuel, Elijah, Paul, Walt and I all had our gun belts that day. Nope, the crazy part was that Walt was my great uncle. Once we made it back to the ranch, we all decided to sit in the house. Elijah, Paul and Bo carried a few chairs from the bunkhouse so everyone had a seat. Walt, I mean, Uncle Walt explained that he had a brother who was about fifteen years older. His parents tried to have more children between the two boys but his mother had miscarried five times. They decided after Walt was born that they weren’t going to try to have anymore children. Each pregnancy was harder and harder on my great grandmother. When Uncle Walt was four, his older brother, Peter, married his sweetheart, Melanie. About a year later, my Pa was b
Hannah POV So many emotions were running through my body. I felt like I was on fire. I had a heat building in my woman’s area. Oh Hannah! Don’t be a prude. Jamie just called it a p*ssy, you can too! I scolded myself. Right, so the fire was building in my p*ssy and no matter how I moved, I couldn’t find release. I was shocked at first when Jamie had begun kissing me there, but now, all I could think to say was, “More, please Jamie, more!” I felt him grin at me and then I felt him slide a finger into my hole. “Mmmm, yeeesss!” I groaned. That felt so good. Jamie kept licking and sucking me, alternating between my p*ssy lips and my nub. His finger was moving in and out of me, then he rubbed a spot on the top side of my hole and it was my undoing. My back arched off the quilt and I realized I was grinding against his mouth as wave after wave of pleasure surged through me. Jamie kept kissing and sucking me and stroking his finger in a