Annie lay very still for a few minutes, then jerked in a sob. “What if you get killed and I never see you again?”
“You just keep that Bible. Think of me when you read it, and pray for me. God knows I’ll need all the help I can get if I’m going to make it to heaven, Annie. I’ve never been very Christian in my ways or my words, but my daughter seems to think I have a good chance of reaching the Hereafter—the cool one—not the hot one.”
Annie laughed through tears. “You tell funny stories.”
Jake grinned. “I could tell you a lot of stories that aren’t quite so funny.”
Annie remained turned away. “Jake?”
“What?”
“What’s she like? Your wife, I mean.”
Jake laid his head back and closed his eyes. “She’s beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman I ever saw when I met her, and she’s still beautiful today. She’s gone through years of hell with me, Annie. When we met, I was a wanted man and we lived on the run. I can’t begin to tell you what she’s been through because of me.”
Annie turned onto her back and looked at him. “Then she must love you a whole lot.”
Jake looked at her and noticed she was clinging to the Bible. “I guess she must.”
“And you love her a whole lot.”
Jake smiled. “Yeah. A whole lot.”
Annie sat up, keeping the covers over her bare legs. “I’m scared about tomorrow. Can I sit up by you?”
Lord, help me. The girl had no idea what she was asking. It was a good thing he was sixty-two and not sixteen. “Sure.”
Annie scooted against him, nestling her head on his shoulder, much like Randy did practically every night. You come back to me, Jake.
He’d damn well try. He had to smile, though, at the jabbing comments Randy would think of to tease him. If she only knew he was sitting in bed with a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl wearing nothing but his shirt, and snuggled up against him like he was a damn stuffed toy.
And I suppose that didn’t faze you at all, he could hear her saying.
Of course not. She wasn’t you.
Jake, I’ll never be fifteen again.
Why would I want a girl-child when I have a beautiful, voluptuous, grateful woman in my bed?
Grateful?
Grateful for how I make her feel when I make love to her.
Could you be any more egotistically confident?
Isn’t it true?
Randy would smile at that one. Of course it’s true…and you’re too damn sure of yourself, Jake Harkner.
I’m sure of how much I love you.
He leaned back and closed his eyes. He wished he were equally confident about getting Annie out of there come morning.
Forty-seven
Jake hurriedly dressed, buttoning his shirt and pulling on his leather vest. He pulled on his boots and strapped on his guns, hoping he’d have time to get to his rifle and shotgun still on Outlaw. “Get dressed, and quick!” he told Annie when she came out of the washroom. “I heard someone out in the hallway talking about making breakfast. They’ll be coming to this door any minute. I want you out the window by then.”
“Jake, I’m scared!”
“There’s no time to be scared.” Jake turned, and she had underpants on and was struggling with the camisole. He hurried over and quickly laced it up for her. “My wife is always fussing over these things.” He helped her pull on the dress, and he buttoned up the back of it as fast as he could. “Sit down on the bed, and I’ll help you button the shoes I brought. I hope they fit.” He put one on, and she pulled on the other.
“They’re kind of big.”
“Better than barefoot in case you need to run over hard ground full of prickly plants.”
She buttoned one shoe, and he buttoned the other.
“You go out that window…now! Walk casually through the courtyard out there. Hang your head like you’ve just been through the worst night of your life, and don’t talk to any of those guards. Let them think it’s okay for you to be walking outside. I can’t be with you. I’ll attract too much attention. Aim for the front gate. You’ll see a man standing there with a packhorse and two that are saddled. You head for him. He’ll put you on the packhorse, get on his own, and take off at a hard run. You hang on for dear life, you hear me?”
“Yes.”
Jake met her gaze, and she threw her arms around his neck. “I’m scared for you.”
“Just go. Like I told you, if you hesitate now, this will all be for nothing. I paid for a night with you, but they expect me to leave you behind for Don de Leon when I leave here. Once they realize I’m taking you with me, all hell will break loose, because they don’t want to have to answer to de Leon, who’s probably on his way here right now. If you don’t want to end up in that man’s bed, you do what I told you to do.” He pulled her arms from around his neck, and she kissed him smack on the lips.