Outlaw Hearts(47)

Perhaps she already had. She was certainly a different person from the young woman who had first come to Kansas from Illinois. Sometimes she wondered who that person was. She longed for some kind of stability and she supposed that was why it was important to find Wesley. Maybe she could make a home for him, have family again. What was there for a person without family? Nothing but loneliness and a feeling of not belonging anywhere. No wonder Jake was such a lost soul. He not only had no family left, he didn’t even have good memories to look back on.

Jake. How many times had her thoughts turned to him? Sometimes it was so comforting to think of him.

“A penny for your thoughts,” a voice said.

Miranda jumped, startled that someone was there. Clarence! The brat had followed her here, sneaky devil that he was. How could she not have heard him, unless he had deliberately sneaked up as quietly as possible?

She immediately rose, on guard. “You have no right to be here,” she said firmly. “I came here to be alone.”

“Did you?”

She could see him better now in the bright moonlight. He stepped closer.

“I don’t believe that, Mrs. Hayes. You were hoping me or one of the other men would see you walk off and would follow. You’ve been trying to find a way to be alone with one of the men this whole trip.”

Miranda wished she had her handbag along. If she did, she would find it very easy to take out her pistol and shoot him here and now. “You are a stupid young man who likes to fantasize,” she answered. “Now get back to the wagons.”

He came even closer, close enough to touch her. “I don’t take orders from anybody but Uncle Wilbur and my pa.” He grasped her arms, and Miranda jerked away.

“Touch me again and I’ll scream,” she said in a near growl. “Your father and the holy reverend will soon learn the kind of man you really are! They’ll know who’s been lying and who’s been telling the truth all along!”

He grabbed her again, this time his grip tight enough to hurt. Miranda realized he was a surprisingly strong young man for his slender build. “Will they?” he snarled. “Scream all you want, Mrs. Hayes. No matter how it works out, they’ll see you as a slut! I’ll make sure they know you lured me out here, that I just couldn’t resist your invitation, because I’m just an innocent boy who’s been manipulated by an experienced woman lonely for a man. No, lady, you won’t scream, because you know that the only way out of this, the only way to save face and be allowed to stay with us, is to cooperate and give me what you know I want…and what I know you want!”

He jerked her arms behind her and pressed her close against him. Miranda could feel his hardened erection pressing at her belly. His breath smelled from the fried onions he had eaten at supper. “The best thing for you to do is just quietly let it happen, Mrs. Hayes. That way they’ll never know. I sure won’t tell. Will you?”

He tried to kiss her, and she turned her face away. He bit at her neck, and for one brief moment, Miranda wondered if he was right. Did she really have any choice? Not one person along would believe her side of the story. Clarence pushed her to the ground, and an inner pride and fury welled up inside her. To hell with what any of them thought! Clarence Jennings was not going to get away with this, even if it meant she had to travel the rest of this trip completely alone and dragging her own trunk!

He let go of her arms to grab at her breasts, sure she would not resist. Miranda took the opportunity to jab at his eyes and face while she let out a bloodcurdling scream. She fought wildly then, scratching, biting, butting heads.

“Goddamn, you split my lip!” Clarence yelled, jumping away from her.

Miranda was immediately on her feet, gripping a rock she had grabbed as she rose. She threw it at him, and Clarence cried out when it hit him hard in the ribs.

“You bitch!” he snarled. “You slut!”

“Get out of my sight, or by God I’ll find my pistol and kill you!” Miranda told him. She heard the sound of people crashing through the trees.

“Mrs. Hayes! What’s wrong?” someone shouted. “Mrs. Hayes! Is it you out there? Are you all right?”

“Pa!” Clarence shouted back before Miranda could answer. “Pa, I think she broke my rib!”

“Clarence!” Miranda recognized James Gaylord’s voice. The man came closer to his son. “What happened?”

“What is going on here?” The demand came from Reverend Jennings. The man’s brothers, and his friend Adam Hummer also arrived on the scene. “Did you see Indians? What happened?”