Outlaw's Delight

bâàÄtãËá WxÄ|z{à Copyright © July 2011, Dahlia Rose Cover art by For the Muse Designs © July 2011 Amira Press Charlotte, NC 28227 www.amirapress.com ISBN: 978-1-936279-94-4 No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Amira Press.

Wxw|vtà|ÉÇ For my friend Andrea, who has been one of my closest friends since childhood. From summers going from my house to hers, to late nights where we laughed and talked until we fell asleep, you have been more than a friend, more like a sister, and always close to my heart. See you when I get home!

Outlaw’s Delight

Dahlia Rose

Chapter One Inside the courtroom it was sweltering, yet the entire town seemed to have crammed into the small area to hear his sentence. Outside he could hear hammers and saws working to build the gallows. It seems I’ve been found guilty even before the judge makes his ruling, he thought. He glanced over to the seats next to him where Mari Donahue sat wiping her eyes and giving the occasional sniffle. She had given the damning witness statements for the crime he didn’t commit, crying—bawling practically— until she had to be carried off the stage in a flurry of petticoats and blue silk fabrics. It was a pity since not one tear had dropped since the proceedings began and a cold gleam was in her blue eyes. Next to her was his accuser, the man he had thought was honorable but turned out to be as cold and callous as any murderer, William Bonaparte. He owned the town, and every damn man on the jury was in his back pocket. The trial was fixed, and it would be no surprise when he heard the word “guilty.” He was expecting it and wished the damn judge would just hurry up so he could get back to his cell and wait for the noose around his neck. Simon Boothe had been the sheriff of Silver Springs for five years until one month back. That was when the shit hit the proverbial fan, and the flames of his destruction began to burn at his feet. It was a really nice town when he took over being sheriff after the previous one met his death at the point of a bullet. But then William Bonaparte and his crew moved in, and slowly things began to change. Simon thought he had it all under control, thought he was his own man and didn’t give favoritism to one side or the other. He came to find out how wrong he was, and being on the wrong side of Bonaparte’s anger meant that he was no longer useful. Simon’s attention turned from his inward musings when the judge in his old black robes shuffled back in and banged the gavel on the poorly made wooden desk. How many criminals have I brought in front of this man thinking he was just? Simon nodded when he gave him a pitied look. It wasn’t the old man’s fault. He had to look out for himself in a town where he could be shot in his bed, replaced, and no one would bat an eye. 1

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“Simon Boothe, I find you guilty of murder.” The old judge’s voice shook as he spoke. “Bullshit,” Simon snapped. “You find me whatever Bonaparte told you to.” The people in the room roared with opinions for or against him, but Simon didn’t care. Anger infused him until he had to breathe through his mouth to calm down. They were lucky his hands were shackled in his lap and his feet to the floor. No one would have stopped him from going over the table and snapping Bonaparte’s neck. If he was going to go down for murder, he’d make sure he killed the right person. “Order in the court!” The old man’s voice hardly carried over the noise of the crowd. A bullet shot in the air by one of his nemesis’s henchmen stopped the flow of words from everyone’s lips. “The judge said shut it.” The voice came from Bonaparte’s second, Jace Dawson. He’s the next one that’s gonna meet his death by my gun, Simon thought. He was making his list, even if it meant he had to come back from hell to do it. “You’re sentenced to hang, Simon Boothe, tomorrow at sunset, and may God have mercy on your soul.” The judge hung his head low. “My soul is fine. It’s the rest of them you gotta worry about,” Simon said clearly. “Y’all can live in fear from him and his crew for the rest of your lives, or you can stand up and run them outta town. If I die or not, you’re stuck.” “Be careful, Simon, or you might not get to meet those gallows, as much as I’d love to see you swing,” William said casually, but his eyes were deadly. Simon met his stare. “Why wait for the gallows? Let’s go outside, and someone gimme my guns, and we’ll settle this right now. But you’re not going to do that, will you, William, because you’re a coward and you love other people to do your dirty work for you. Take me back to my cell. Sitting here with this sad, stinking excuse for a man makes me want to hang myself.” No one said a word as he was led outside by another of William Bonaparte’s men. This one would be taking over as sheriff, and his boss’s hold on the town would be complete. He saw a few faces in the crowd who he knew, and their eyes held sadness at his fate. Sam, one of his deputies, 2

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moved to stand in his defense, but Simon shook his head quickly to let him know he should stay seated. He had a wife and young baby who needed him. Simon couldn’t live with another death on his behalf. He’d see this one through alone, no matter how it played out. Outside the sun beat down furiously on the dry, cracked earth. Simon took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of sage grass mixed with the scents of the small town: bread coming from the hotel restaurant, horses tied up outside the saloon, and a hint of rain. A storm would be coming tonight, and it would cool down the weather, even if only for a little while. Back up the wooden steps to the jailhouse, through the door, and he was back at his home, the small cell with only one cot. The new sheriff sent him behind the bars with a hard shove. “Enjoy your last night, Boothe.” “Fuck you, Boyd,” Simon said and sat on the cot. He took off his boots and laid his head back and put his hat over his eyes. “Don’t forget dinner is at six. I’ll be hungry by then.” Boyd gave an incredulous laugh. “You’re either stupid as hell or you got big brass ones in your pants. You’re gonna die tomorrow, and here you are ordering me around like I’m your maid.” “Your boss is going to get what he wants, so why should I bother?” Simon replied. “Tell you what. I’ll act real scared when the time comes.” “Don’t do me any favors. I get to see you hang,” Boyd replied. “Nobody’s going dare try to save you.” Simon knew he was right, but didn’t say a word and pretended to be asleep. Unless a miracle happened between the evening and noon the next day, he would be dancing at the end of a hangman’s noose. But he swore he would never let them see him squirm. **** His nose was never wrong, and by eight o’clock that night, the rain was pouring down outside the jailhouse where he was imprisoned. He could hear it hitting the dry ground, hoping to soak through the dirt. Simon knew that 3

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soon the entire area would be a soupy, muddy mess. One thing about Silver Springs, when it rained, you could have a flood one second, and by morning the area would look like nothing had ever happened. Boyd had long gone, not wanting to spend a rainy night in the jailhouse with him, but rather playing poker and drinking. He would end up falling into bed with one of the whores at the saloon and would drag his half-drunk ass back through the door in the morning. Great sheriff. At least he would have some kind of quiet for the rest of the night. He gave a sardonic laugh. Hell, he’d be having an eternal rest come noon the next day. “Sheriff!” He heard the whisper from outside in between the sound of the pelting rain. He closed his eyes, thinking it was his imagination, until he heard the whinny of a horse and yet another urgent whisper. The window was tall so that no one could use it as an escape route, but for his six-two height, it was pretty much an easy thing to pull his boots on and look out into the night. Sitting on a horse was Sam, his deputy. The rain had soaked his trench coat until it looked black and slick. He held the reins of another horse, and Simon recognized the markings of his own animal. “Sam, what the fuck? Are you crazy?” he said out into the night. “If one of Bonaparte’s men sees you, they will kill you on the spot. Shit, think about Susan and the baby.” “I ain’t letting you die in here, Sheriff. I talked to Susan. We’re not staying in this town either. It could be any one of us next,” Sam said. “They already saw us pack up and leave the homestead we were renting. Told them we’re going back to California, where her parents are at. She’s on the train heading out. I doubled back to help you.” Hope mixed with doubt filled his chest. “Sam, I sure do appreciate it, but I don’t want you killed because of me.” “Come on, Sheriff, gimme some benefit of the doubt. The rain will wash away any tracks by morning, you’ll be long gone, and I’ll be on a train heading to California.” He moved the horse up closer to the window and handed Simon a set of keys and grinned. “You remember you gave me a set of keys for the jail when you were on a manhunt? They be useful now.” 4

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“Wait right there,” Simon ordered. He strode over to the cot and took up his hat. “Fuck this town,” he muttered and reached his hand through the bars to use the keys. He pocketed them and walked out of the jailhouse like a man of authority, not a prisoner who had escaped. I’ll be back for you, William. He made the silent promise as he jogged around the side of the building to where Sam waited with the horses. His deputy threw his long trench coat to him. “You better put this on, boss, before you get soaked through. Your saddlebags are packed, and you can head straight into Mexico.” Simon walked up to his horse and rubbed its muscled neck. “Hey fella. Sam’s been taking good care of you, huh?” With an easy move he was on the horse and felt completely at home. “I’m not hiding out like a criminal for the rest of my life.” Sam stared at him in shock. “Who’s the one looking to get killed? You can’t go up against them by yourself.” “I’ll stay hidden until I get a plan together, but I’m not backing down from this. William is going to pay for what he’s done. Then this town will see my back as I leave it,” Sam stated flatly. “We should get out of here before someone sees you. I’m not worried about me, but I need you on that train to California.” Sam shook his head. “I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” “Nope.” Simon took the reins of his horse tightly. “Let’s ride.” The horses took off in a gallop, out into the dark night, as the rain fell in droves. Soon the lights of the town were gone, and the only thing around him was open space. A sense of freedom filled his chest until he wanted to roar. Two hours later, they rode into the city, where the train whistle blew impatiently. He shook Sam’s hand as he stood on the steps of the railcar. “Thanks, Sam. Maybe when this is all over, I’ll come see you guys in California. It sounds like a nice place to settle.” “You do that, Sheriff,” Sam said solemnly. “I can’t talk you out of it, but burn ’em good.” 5

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Simon nodded and rode off, holding the reins of Sam’s horse. When he was sufficiently out in the open plains, he took the saddle off the horse and let it go. By that time the rain had slowed to a slight drizzle, and he was able to hide the extra saddle in an outcropping of rocks and cover it with the branches of thorny burr bushes. With his work done, and carrying a few extra scratches, he climbed onto his horse and galloped off into the darkness again. He had no clue where to go, but he knew that self-preservation was key. He had to get out of sight quickly until he had a plan. He had heard of a place where outlaws hid and where lawmen like him never dared go. He was no longer a lawman, and now it was a fight for his life. Simon turned his horse and headed north, farther away from Silver Springs, to where nothing grew except cactus and if you got lost you could die from thirst. He rode throughout the night, until he got to the mountains, and then slowly his horse came to a stop. He saw the small opening between the large rocks and one lone rider come out from the entrance. It was the place, the one outlaws called home. He nudged his horse forward, moving toward the den where thieves and murderers thrived. Simon moved through the rocky entrance so small only one horse with a rider could pass at a time and found a city hidden away from the world. He looked around as he entered the clearing and surveyed the hidden town. The sound of breaking glass caught his attention. He saw a man tumble through the window, with his assailant coming at his face with deadly intent. He heard a few shots fired and saw women openly showing their breasts from the balcony of a building, offering their bodies. Open fighting in the streets and the sweet smell of opium in the air, it was a place of degradation and no law. His skin itched to arrest them all for the number of infractions he saw, but the man he had been died in Silver Springs. He kept his hat low and looked around for a place that he could get a room to sleep. At the far end of the street, he saw one place that stood out as quiet among the rest. Copperhead Bar, Rooms for Rent. The sign was painted in elegant script, which seemed unusual in the sloppy mayhem around him. He clicked his tongue softly and headed his horse in the direction of the bar. He shook his head and gave a small smile. He’d arrived at Desert Gulch. 6

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**** It was only six in the morning, too early for him to be up, and certainly to be fixing the ineptness of the people who worked for him. Mari was still warm and naked in bed. He had fully intended to wake up and fuck her some more before watching Simon Boothe hang in the afternoon. The short fuse of his temper had been lit instantly when one of his boys came knocking on his door to tell him Boothe was gone. How the fuck could that have happened? One word, Boyd, he thought grimly. His boots echoed hollowly on the wooden floorboards covering the dank cellar when he entered the jailhouse. He thought of making some of the men dig a grave under there and bury Boyd alive. But could one really do that to a relative? William could see no problem when it came to such conflicts, especially when it came to his business. He always had to be in control. Nevertheless, he would hear what the screwup had to say. Of course, Boyd was sitting with his head in his hands and a sorrowful look on his face when he looked up. William threw a glance heavenward, asking the good Lord for patience. After all, God had to be watching over him since he’d gotten this far in life. The way things were going when he was growing up, he thought he would be dead before twenty-one, and here he was now forty-five years old, ruling and building an empire. William looked at Boyd with disdain—rumpled clothes, red nose, and blotchy face showing he’d spent too long last night drinking rotgut whiskey and fucking around with Lola’s whores. Instead of doing his goddamn job! In a fit of fury, and without even waiting for Boyd to say one word, William backhanded him across the face and sent him sprawling onto the floor. When Boyd got up, his cheek was bleeding from the ring on William’s finger. “Explain to me how this happened,” William said with calm that belied his earlier action. “Don’t know, boss. I was gone just for a little bit, and when I got back, he was gone,” Boyd stammered.

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“So you trying to tell me that Boothe has only been gone for, what, one, maybe two hours?” William asked. “If you and a few men ride out now, you’ll find him?” “I ain’t saying that. Boothe can be quick when he wants to be,” Boyd answered hesitantly. “Because you left him all night, you blasted fool!” William roared. “He’s probably long gone and hidden by now!” “He’s not going to come back, boss. He’s a wanted man,” Boyd said with a smile. “What I don’t get is how he got out. The cell is still locked.” William felt a fit of fury pass over him and raised his hand to hit Boyd again, but restrained himself as the man cowered in front of him. “Men like Boothe take honor seriously. He’ll be back to try to take me down, and he’ll die for it. I don’t care who got him out. You get your ass out there and try to find him. Of course you won’t, but I want you out in the hot sun until your face peels. Then we’ll wait for him to make the next move.” With those words William turned on his heels and headed back out the door. Men and women passed him and crossed to the other side of the street in fear. He loved that he elicited such a response from the people of the town. The game was on with Simon Boothe, and William had to admit that it excited him. It had been too long since he’d had a good rivalry. He had no doubt who would win. Boothe would try to come at him with righteous anger and be cut down in the street. Oh yes, that’s what I need, a good fight. William smiled and hooked his hands in the small pockets of his waistcoat and strolled down the street. Even though the gallows stood empty, he was not disappointed.

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Chapter Two Delight Blue tried to run a neat and tidy place in the middle of an outlaw town. It was hard at first, but now most of the men respected her enough for patching them up that they kept her rules in her place. Plus, they all knew she would use that double-barrel shotgun she kept under the bar, or the pistol that hung at her hip, to take their heads off, without blinking, if necessary. It was not the life she would have chosen for herself, but every penny she made went toward the life she had every intention of having. So for now she ran the Copperhead Bar and lived in a place that had no rules and where you could be dead before your took your boots off. When the man walked in with his saddlebags over his shoulder, she was completely intrigued. He dominated the room, and yet he certainly didn’t fit in with the ragtag bastards who frequented Desert Gulch. It was when he lifted his head and she saw those steel blue eyes that she was sent hurtling back into the past, to a day five years ago. She took the bar rag and began to wipe down the bar furiously, hoping no one else had paid heed to who had just come through the door. What the fuck is he doing here! she thought wildly. It had to be a trick or some kind of ploy to dismantle the outlaw town. She began to see her future endeavors fizzle before her very eyes. No outlaw town, no money. No money, and what would she do then? There was no way she would turn to whoring. Shit, shit, shit, her mind screamed while she tried to hold on to a completely passive face. “I need a room,” he said and dropped his bag on the bar. “And a hot meal. I’ll pay for both.” “You need to get out of here, Simon Boothe, before you start trouble,” she muttered under her breath and kept wiping the already clean bar. “Jesus, but you’re a beauty. How do you know me?” The question rose to his lips. “You think I can’t handle myself against this crowd?” “I don’t care what you think of me or if you can handle yourself.” She spat the words at him. “Don’t do it in my bar.”

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She saw her words caused a spark of anger to flare in his eyes. He gave her a direct stare. “Don’t worry about any trouble I might start. My money is good. Take it, and give me a room.” He threw some coins on the bar and waited patiently. She hoped that no one else noticed who he was, but it seemed luck was not on her side on this day. Two men nudged each other and stood. They began walking over to the bar. She’d seen them ride into town this morning, and now she could see their intent written all over their faces. “Well, heads up, you got two sets of it coming your way,” she replied in a low tone. He looked over and saw the two men coming forward, and his hand instantly went to the gun on his side. “Well, well, look what we have here. Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Sheriff Boothe of Silver Springs?” The one man speaking elbowed his friend and guffawed. “Oh no, I forgot. He was sentenced to hang today, and here he is. I guess he escaped. Wonder if there’s a price on his head? How does it feel, Sheriff, to be on the other side of the law?” “Boys, you don’t want this,” Simon said. Her eyes widened when she heard of his new status. Delight wanted details, but now was not the time. The situation was going from bad to worse. She rolled her eyes, and a few other men got up. Great, the one man who had probably arrested half of them was now standing in her bar. A gunfight was inevitable if she didn’t put a cap on it fast. “Y’all know the rules, no trouble in my bar,” she warned. There were seven of them now against his one, and yet she never saw him flinch. “We’ll take this outside, Sheriff, won’t we?” the instigator stated. “I’m sure there’s a few of us who would like to have a talk with you.” The next sound made every last man go still as she ratcheted her shotgun and raised it above the bar. She aimed it at the talker’s head. “Now y’all best leave and let him alone,” Delight said. “I don’t need your help,” Simon snapped. “Yeah? It seems so to me,” Delight retorted. “Delight, you don’t want any part of this fight,” another man said. 10

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She grinned. “You know how much I love a good fight, Clem, and you also know how accurate I am with this gun. Now as far as I see it, the guy who is now in my crosshairs said that Sheriff Boothe here is a wanted man now, which means he is an outlaw. So that means he got the same rights to be in this place as the rest of you bastards. So unless y’all want to be cleaning brains off the wall, because I don’t like my place dirty, I suggest you leave. And don’t try to shoot up my place because I will be very, very upset. The next time you come in here to be patched up or a bullet taken out of your sorry ass, I might let y’all bleed to death or die of infection.” The men shuffled their feet as they debated if she was as serious as the deadly gun she held in her hand. Finally Clem spoke up, and men began to leave slowly. “We’ll leave, Delight, ’cause we respect you.” Clem pointed at Simon. “But a fight’s coming to you, boy. Don’t you forget it.” “I’ll be expecting it.” Simon touched the tip of his hat. When the last man cleared out, she rushed out from behind the bar, turned the sign on her door to “Closed,” and locked up the front tight. She whirled to face him with her hands on her hips. His face was rugged, and it held more than a few days’ worth of stubble. It didn’t hide the fact that he was goddamn sexy as hell with those blue eyes that could pierce anyone with their gaze. She remembered thinking that when she first saw him at her parents’ farm. She was only eighteen then, and even though her daddy said she was to marry a black man, she thought he was fine, tall, and handsome. “Well thanks for bringing this to my door,” she said finally. “I didn’t tell you to stand up for me. You could’ve let them take me outside.” He took off his hat and exposed the dark hair that hung down around his ears. “That wouldn’t have been nice of me, now would it?” “I didn’t know refusing me a room and telling me to get out was being neighborly,” Simon commented. “I was trying to save your life,” Delight retorted. “You got some balls coming into a place where everyone must hate you. Plus, now you’re an outlaw. How the hell did that happen?” 11

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“It’s none of your concern. Are you going to give me a room or what?” he snapped. His words started the fire of her anger. No one talks to me like that in my place. Delight walked up and poked him in the chest. “Yeah? You’re going to tell me what the fuck happened, or you can take your behind outside and face those men who obviously want your heart on a pike. Take your pick.” She knew going outside right now would be a mistake. So when he sighed and ran his hand though his hair, Delight knew she had won that argument. “I didn’t do what someone wanted and I got framed for murder, end of story,” he said. “Let me guess, William Bonaparte?” she said and walked behind the bar. She took two glasses out and poured two shots of whiskey before downing one herself. She looked at the other glass that stood on the bar and asked, “You want that or not?” He took the glass and drank it down without even a grimace. “How do you know it’s William Bonaparte, and how the hell do you know my name?” She poured two more shots and drank hers before leveling him with a stare. “Let’s see, about five years ago you served my parents with papers to get off land that was rightfully ours. The next night William Bonaparte’s men came back and burned our homestead and killed my parents while I hid. And it all started with you.” She didn’t offer him the second drink. Instead she lifted it in cheers to him before she drank it as well. “How’s that for coincidences? I’ll get you a meal and then show you to your room. You ran off all my customers tonight, so you’re paying double.” She felt his stare on her back as she walked away, and her heart did a little dance in her chest. Simon Boothe was in her bar, and she had practically saved his life. She had figured she could just earn her money and head out of town to greener pastures. Now it seemed Lady Luck had dropped something better in her lap. Maybe this was a way to pay back William Bonaparte for the death of her parents, with the help of a wrongly accused sheriff. **** 12

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She watched him devour two plates of her beef stew and a half a dozen of her biscuits at the bar. He didn’t say much, glanced at her every once in a while, but ate like a man who was on the run. She’d seen a lot of that in the last few years, so much so she kept hot meals on hand. Delight had learned over the years how to tell a good man who had to do what he had to do to survive. In that time she’d also seen purely evil men intent on making people suffer. It was in the eyes of William Bonaparte more than once. So anyone like that who came through her doors, she would quickly show them out with the barrel of her shotgun. Desert Gulch was a place for men like that, and she sure couldn’t stop them from coming. But that didn’t mean they got to grace her doors. “What kind of name is Delight?” he said around a mouthful of biscuits with the stew. “It’s the name my mother gave me. I was a delight from birth, so they gave me the name.” “Blue for a surname name is kinda strange too,” Simon said. “So you remember.” Delight gave a sardonic laugh. “From the look on your face when I told you how I knew you, it didn’t seem that way.” “I remember the Blue place and serving the papers. I don’t remember seeing you,” Simon answered. “The papers were signed and sealed. William had all the proper documentation.” Delight slammed her hand on the counter. “That he bought and paid for. That land was my daddy’s, fair and square. It was given to him for fighting in the war, along with his freedom and ours!” “He didn’t show me any papers,” he said, and she wanted to punch him in the face for his stupidity. “Because he was scared of the law and of William. He just wanted to be a peaceful farmer!” Delight shot back. “You want to know why you never saw me? Because the first set of riders he ever saw grabbed me for William. I was eighteen, and I barely got away. The second time William came himself and said if my daddy wanted to keep the land, all he had to do was to give me to

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him as a mistress. My father may have been a slave, but he wasn’t stupid. He was not about to give up his daughter or his land.” She felt hot tears began to fall, hated that they did, but the memory always caused her more emotion than she cared to admit. “My father said no, and William made it his mission to take my father’s land. He wanted to sell it out to the railway, and, oh, I was supposed to be part of the prize too. That night when they burned it down, my parents knew it was coming, but too damn late, and they couldn’t survive. They kissed me good-bye, and I could hear the sound of horses coming. They pushed me to the back, and I clung to my momma while she cried and cried.” She was deep in the memory now. Simon and the bar faded away until she was right back in the stand of trees watching everything she knew being destroyed. “But they made me hide, run up in the hills with the last of the money and the paperwork he didn’t show you. I saw them kill my dad. William put the gun up to his head and shot. They were going to rape my mother. She was a proud woman and wouldn’t allow herself to be defiled that way. She broke away, and the only thing she could do was run into the burning farmhouse. I heard her screaming as the flames ate at her. I kept expecting for her to come out and be on fire. She never did, just screamed and screamed until it just stopped. They never found me, and left my father there on the ground. I waited until the fire went out, and I went and buried my parents all by myself. And then I took the horse and rode away, slept outside until I ended up here.” “Jesus, Delight, I never knew. We thought Apaches, maybe one of the wild bands that were running loose at that time. You should have rode into town and told me,” Simon began. “And you would have what? Arrested him, Simon? Protected me?” She gave a sarcastic laugh. “He would have took me from you in an instant, and you’d of bought it. My parents were slaves from the South. My mother’s mistress loved them and treated them kindly. They could read and write, and I even went to school with her kids. My dad was an honorable man, and because you were in William’s pocket, they died.” 14

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He stood so fast the barstool went clattering across the floor. He leaned on the bar, his eyes shooting fire, and spoke all too calmly even though she could see the anger in him. “Get this straight, Delight. I was never in anything with William. I was the sheriff doing my job. I was new to the job, green to the gills, and yeah, I didn’t look close. Call me stupid or naive, but never tell me I was dishonest. I’m sorry that your parents died, and trust me, William is going to pay for all his transgressions.” “Well then you’ll need a partner to help you,” she replied. This was her best chance to avenge her parents and get what she needed to get out of Silver Springs. He gave a short laugh. “You’re going to help me take down the richest man in Silver Springs? Honey, no. I’m going to be doing this on my own.” “First of all, I’m not your honey,” Delight snapped. “I’m not a wilting flower that will catch the vapors when I don’t get my cool drink when it’s hot outside.” “Vapors . . . ?” His lips twitched with amusement. Delight ignored him. “You have been on the right side of the law. You don’t know the underhanded deals he has going on. I do. They come in here and talk about which stagecoach was robbed for William or which train will carry his money to the banks in Boston. I even know what kind of underthings he orders for Ms. Mari. You need me, Simon Boothe, and all I ask is that when this is over, you let me take whatever money I can take off William and go my way. After all he did to me and my family, I think I deserve to keep my haul, don’t you?” He was quiet for a moment, contemplating the offer before he nodded. “You gotta deal.” He held out his hand, and she shook it firmly. A warm, tingling sensation traveled along her hand when he didn’t release hers. Instead he looked into her eyes, and that same girlish thrill from her childhood settled back in her stomach. When he finally let her hand go, she rubbed it down the smooth leather of her pants. “You never told my why your family name was Blue,” he said.

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“When we left the South, we had no last names. My dad had told me when I was younger that it was to take away a man’s sense of pride and self by not letting him have a family name. He was so young when he got sent there, he forgot even having one. So did my momma. He looked up at the sky, and he said it was the first blue sky he had seen as a free man. So that’s the name he chose.” She beat out a little tune on the wood of the bar and smiled. “Anyway, I better get you up to a room. We’re going to have a long day of planning, and I need to smooth things over with my customers.” She took the lantern off the hook, and he followed upstairs. The room was small, with one window and a small cot for a bed. A table stood with a washbasin and a pitcher with two towels on the side. To some, what she offered was a luxury, and to others who wanted more, she told them not to be picky. In Desert Gulch, you took what you could get and were satisfied. “The night gets cold. If you need another blanket, there’s a pantry out there with some extra linen. If you use it, you wash it or pay someone to do it, because I don’t clean up after no one but myself,” she said shortly. “Night.” “Good night, Delight, and thank you,” Simon said. She nodded, and he gave her the barest of smiles. “You father sounds like a smart man. I should’ve taken more time to talk to him, hear his side.” Emotion welled in her throat at his gravelly admission. “Yeah, you should’ve,” she said curtly and stepped outside and closed the door. She wouldn’t allow herself to feel even friendship for Simon Boothe. He was a means to an end, and that was it. **** FIRST ROUND ON THE HOUSE TOMORROW She wrote the sign in black charcoal and put it in the window of the bar. She could not afford to use the extra liquor, but couldn’t afford to lose her regulars either. She didn’t offer whores or the use of her own body, and whiskey was expensive on the black market. But until she and Simon came up with some kind of a plan, she would need her money to keep on coming 16

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in. In the morning she would walk around the town and soften some of the men to Simon’s plight, unbeknownst to him, of course. He struck her as the kind of man who never shied away from any fight. But instead of gunslinging in the streets, she needed him upright, alive, and without bullet holes. No matter how good of a gunman any of them were, hot lead caught up to them eventually. With a sigh she trudged back up the stairs. Her own boots sounded hollow against the wooden steps and echoed the emptiness in her heart. She longed to not have to be the picture of strength and bravery for once in her life, Delight wanted to be held and caressed and told everything would be okay. She could never show weakness, not in this town, or she would be eaten alive. She remembered the first night there she was almost a treat for the deadwood gang. It was Ma Bertie who saved her and took her in, gave her the bar on her deathbed, and said, “Don’t ever let them see you squirm, girl.” She knew she could never find that in any other town. Her color would brand her as property or someone who could be taken advantage of. And even if she managed to make some kind of life, it would always be on the precipice of yet another fight. No, she was done with the West, the miners, gunmen, bootleggers, and mayhem. Done with shootouts in the streets, sheriffs trying to uphold law where there was none, and men who made their lives on the back of the less fortunate. She had heard a story about a place where men were civilized and would treat her with respect. Her color would be deemed exotic, and she would be cherished instead of bartered. Delight got undressed and settled into the thin mattress of her bed with a sigh and closed her eyes to let sleep claim her. She hoped the dream came back where she was happy and not in an outlaw town. Oh yes, she was heading there, because nothing less would do.

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Chapter Three Guilty! The word reverberated along with the sound of the gavel in Simon’s head, and his eyes shot open. He sat up on the cot and heard the rusty springs creak under his weight. He half expected to see the bars of the jailhouse and Boyd smirking at him from his seat at the sheriff’s desk. Instead he was in Desert Gulch and sleeping under the roof of Delight Blue. He lay back down, and last night’s events came flooding back into his memory. Everything she had told him about what William had done to her family made him feel ill knowing it had gone on under his nose. There was no excuse. He should have gone with his gut on that one. But instead he said he was holding up the law, and it was his fault her parents were dead. You fucked up, he chastised himself. So right there he vowed to make sure she got what she needed from William before he killed him. He wondered where she was planning to go when she made enough money. God, she is beautiful, he thought. Her face came to him behind closed eyes. She had high cheekbones and almond eyes with chocolate brown that seemed almost liquid when she looked at you like she knew your soul. Her lips, which could probably give you as much venom as sweetness, called to him. Her lithe body beneath those men’s pants and the tight long-john shirt she wore accentuated her breasts. Even though she tried to hide them with the waistcoat, it didn’t work. He’d wanted to kiss her last night, even with everything going on. He had restrained himself, knowing he might either get punched in the face or shelled from that twelve gauge she kept handy. He grinned. The combination of her fire and spirit made her breathtaking. He wanted her and was surprised by his body’s reaction to her from the very instant she had told him to get out of her bar. Simon sighed as his stomach rumbled. He was indebted to her, that was for sure, for taking him in. It probably would’ve been best for her to kick him out and let him shoot it out with those guys. Instead, he saw her back straighten like her spine was made of steel. She was going to be under him moaning his name while he took her before this partnership was through. It excited him more than the bloodlust he had for William’s downfall. 18

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He swung his long legs off the bed, wishing he was in Silver Springs for a hot bath in the tub he had bought from the Sears catalog. Instead he would make do with a quick wash from the basin and pitcher in his room. He was surprised to find the water jug full when he went over and lifted it. She’d come in and filled it at some time while he slept. Simon was amazed he hadn’t woken up when she did. He stuck his head out the small window and was surprised no one took a shot at him. The dirt street of the bandit town was surprisingly empty, and by looking at the sun’s position in the sky, he could tell it was nearly noon. Holy fuck, he thought, knowing that in his life he had never slept past eight, even on a Sunday. He took his hat up and put it on his head before heading downstairs to look for Delight. She was sitting behind the bar, which was empty of music and people. In her hand she held a book and seemed engrossed in its pages. He’d hardly seen men read, let alone a woman. Simon was intrigued when he saw a scowl on her face. His presence had interrupted her even though he’d said nothing. “Morning,” he said casually. “It’s nearly afternoon,” she said and never looked away from her book. “Must have overslept. Any chance I can get some breakfast?” Simon asked. “Kitchen is through that door. Go make yourself a plate of biscuits or something. Molasses is on the shelf, coffee on the stove,” Delight replied. He grinned and followed her direction. No one could call her a hostess because she was prickly as they came. He came back with his plate and a cup of coffee and sat again. “What are you doing?” She gave a weary sigh, and Simon bit into a biscuit to keep from laughing. “This is called a book. What I’m doing is called reading.” “I know what both are. I just don’t see many women reading,” he commented.

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“Well, most women want to find a rich husband and be kept,” she said. “I don’t aspire to such things.” She sounded like a schoolteacher. Simon liked it. He’d had a thing for his teacher when he was behind a desk. “So tell me, Delight Blue, what do you aspire to?” “You get out of this dang place is what.” “What’s your book about?” “Read it when I’m done.” “Are you always in such a piss-poor mood?” “Only when a certain ex-sheriff comes and interrupts me from the only peace I get all day.” Simon held up his hands. “Sorry. I’ll eat my breakfast and leave you to it.” Delight sighed. “No use now, my concentration is gone, and I need to talk to you anyway.” He tensed. “About what?” “The full moon . . .” She rolled her eyes. “William Bonaparte, of course.” “What about him?” She leaned her elbows against the bar. “For a fact I know that some of the outlaws here work for him, so it will get back to him you’re here. Don’t be surprised if there’s a target on your back. I’ve got a few friends who will keep me updated if a bounty goes out on you.” “Okay, go on,” Simon replied. “We should hit the train with his payroll.” Simon almost choked on the biscuit he was eating and took a sip of coffee before replying, “Are you trying to get the Pinkertons on our ass?” “How did you think William was going to come out of the woodwork, if we invite him over to tea?” she asked casually. “I wasn’t going to commit a crime to get my point across.” “Get it through your head, Simon. You are a wanted man now,” Delight snapped. “Even though we know you didn’t do shit to be that way. The Pinkertons are private law, not real law. They answer to the man with the most money, and you know it.” 20

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“You know a lot for—” Simon began, and she cut him off. “For what, a colored girl?” she snapped. He could see she was ready to haul over the bar and punch him in his face. “If you would let me finish, I was going to say you know a lot for a woman,” Simon replied. “Well I’m not most women,” Delight replied grudgingly. “Are you in or not? We’ll have to do a few stagecoach holdups to make it look good before we go for the big haul.” “There are a few points that we have to consider before we do this, Delight,” Simon began. “First off, if we do this, we can’t come back here. William’s men will be on to us and come here first. I know there are outlaws here, but women and children followed these men. I don’t want to see anyone hurt on my behest.” She nodded. “Wasn’t planning on it anyway. I’ll be heading to Canada after he’s dead.” “So that means we’ll be on the run until we get him in a position to come out into the open and I can kill him.” She lifted her chin. “I’ve lived out in the wild before. I won’t be crying for my Chantilly lace or my rose water.” He grinned at her statement. “Okay, then it’s a deal.” “We should shake on it,” she said firmly and held out her hand. Simon stood and began to move around the bar. “Nope.” “What do you mean, nope? That’s how you seal a deal, right?” she asked in an outraged voice. “That’s not how I do it.” He closed the distance between them and slid his hand around her neck to draw her closer. “What are you doing?” “Sealing it with a kiss,” he murmured and rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. Her wide eyes looked up at him. “Don’t make me punch you.” “I’ll take the risk.” Her back bumped the wall, and there was no escape as he took her lips. Her hands pounded at his chest, and he clasped them to his body. She made 21

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a sound of frustration and anger that turned into a whimper and then a confused moan as his tongue begged for entrance to her mouth. When she opened her lips and he tasted her, it was Simon who groaned in pleasure. He had to hold himself back from caressing her, from molding her against his hardness. With one kiss he wanted to take her against the bar with those long legs wrapped around him while he thrust into her over and over again. That thought made him pull away, knowing full well if he didn’t stop, he would end up doing what he wanted, and she wasn’t ready yet. Beneath all that bravado, she was innocent, and he would have to take it slow. He pulled away slowly, and her eyes lifted to stare at his face before they sparked fire and she slapped him hard. He grinned and rubbed his cheek. “Yeah, I liked it a lot too.” “You do that again and I’m going to . . .” She was at a loss for words. “Kiss me back like you just did?” he asked “You caught me off guard,” Delight snapped. He saw the slight tremble to her hand as she moved away to pick up the bar rag. “Okay, next time I’ll give you more warning.” “There will not be a next time.” “Yes, there will.” “No, there won’t!” she yelled as he sauntered away. He would go outside and check on his horse and see what Desert Gulch looked like in the daytime. Who knew in his darkest days that things could possibly be looking up? **** Later that night, he was amazed at how the day had gone. There were the uncomfortable stares from people who obviously knew him and his past profession. Somehow there was no confrontation. They gave him a wide berth, and he left them to their underhanded deeds. By six o’clock he knew the lay of the area, the one entrance in, and even the secret way out. He learned that this town came alive when the night hit and swarmed with people, and the debauchery would begin. While in the daytime he saw a few 22

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families who came out to buy food for children who had been born into a life of being outcasts, at night they closed up to wherever they slept and stayed out of the way while the outlaws played. Delight’s bar was full again, and he even got called into a game of poker once or twice. But he preferred to sit at the bar and watch her while she worked and kept an eye on the door for trouble. It came in not with a gun, but with a smooth, charming smile, and when he boomed out Delight’s name, she squealed and ran into his arms for a big hug. Simon had never wanted to kill a man more than now, looking at this brute holding her. The bastard must have felt his cold stare, and his wide smile faded when he met Simon’s gaze. He put her down and sauntered over to put out his hand in greeting. “The name’s Johnny Dooley.” Simon didn’t take his hand, but replied, “Simon Boothe.” “The wanted sheriff here, go figure,” Johnny said casually and sat down. Delight slid a drink over into his big hand. “Yeah, that about sums it up.” Simon didn’t give any more. “You’re not staying here, are you?” Johnny asked. “I can help you find a room.” “Delight already got me one, but thanks for the offer.” Simon felt pleased when he saw surprise and then anger sizzle in Johnny’s eyes. Johnny stared at her in shock. “Say it ain’t so, Delight! You’re letting yourself in for a whole mess of trouble letting him stay here!” “You don’t tell me what to do in my place, Johnny,” Delight snapped. “But why, Delight?” Johnny said. “I got my reasons,” she replied. Simon could tell she would give him no more than that. He had to admit that he loved watching her put Johnny in his place a little too much. “But Delight . . .” the big guy almost seemed to whine. “That’s enough!” Delight slammed a second drink down in front of Johnny. Simon could see no matter how big the guy was, he was not the kind of man Delight needed. He was soft. The way he clammed up when she 23

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snapped at him was like when a mother scolded a child. But Johnny kept throwing glares his way, and more than once he saw his big, meaty hands way closer to areas of Delight’s body than he would like. He had to restrain himself from getting up and breaking the big blond gorilla’s fingers more than once. It was a sign of possession. He thought Delight was his. Simon would prove him wrong, dead wrong. He was laying claim to her, and anyone who got in his way would meet his fists. Eventually Johnny got tired of following her around and left for the night with one last baleful glare at Simon, who tipped his hat in return. As the night wore on, he watched her play poker, win more times than not, and laugh with various men. One drunken fool decided to grab her ass, and before he could get up and smash the man in the face, she had his fingers bent back and he was on the floor screaming in pain. Simon strode over and escorted the man out not so nicely by the scruff of the neck and his boot at his rear. It was three in the morning before the door finally closed and the last man staggered out. He closed and locked the door while she counted up what she’d made for the night. “I can see why no one is up early in this town,” he said and watched while she made a note of how much she made and put it in a lockbox filled with cash. “Shouldn’t you put that someplace safe? Any of these men know you have that in here, they will come in guns blazing.” “Don’t worry about me or my money. I can take care of both,” she said defiantly. “You can trust me, you know. Delight, we’re partners, in this together,” Simon stated. “I learned long ago the only person I can depend on is myself,” she retorted. “After this is over, you’ll go on with your life, and so will I, so don’t pretend you give a damn what happens to me. Men look out for themselves first.” “It’s not that way with me,” he stated flatly. “Please, like you would even be here if it wasn’t for your own problems.” She gave a cold laugh. “If William hadn’t put a dent in your perfect little world, you would never have known that it was him who killed my parents. 24

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Or that I was here slinging whiskey and hustling poker games to make enough money to get out of here. So excuse me if I don’t believe you.” “What got a hair across your ass? Seriously, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going with you,” Simon shot back. “One minute you’re making deal and defending me to your lover, Johnny, and the next you’re trying to take a strip of skin with your words.” “That’s because you want to feed me a load of bullshit and expect me to take it.” She waved her hand around her. “This little flea-ridden town is my world for the last five years while you were sipping champagne and taking hot baths. I’ve been bathing out of a bucket and praying to God that these guys don’t get brave enough to rush me. You are here because of your circumstances, not mine. Let’s make that clear.” He’d had enough. Simon didn’t want to hear what she had to say because it was partly true. Guilt made him angry. But he was here now, and there was no way in hell he would leave her behind to the wolves. He knew he had to make her trust him, and it might take some time. Damn, he wanted to kiss her, to make her shut up, and consume her until she forgot to be angry at him. He took the risk. Hell, if she was going to be mad at him, he might as well give her something useful to use. He made short work of the distance between them, and before she could make a sound, he took her lips again. She struggled, and then her hands reached around his neck and held him closer. It was she who molded her body to his like she could hardly contain the hunger, and Simon relished the feel of her. He grabbed her hips and took his hands up her rib cage to cup her breasts. She whimpered and pushed against his hands until he massaged and plucked at her nipples. She was like liquid fire under his touch, writhing so she could be closer to him, rubbing against his cock until he could hardly stand the sweet torture. He grabbed the laces of her pants. Just one touch and I’ll stop, he thought to himself. Her hands stopped him, and she looked at him with innocent, wide eyes. “Don’t, I’ve never . . .”

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Her admission was his undoing, but the need to just feel her was too great. He kissed her, nibbled her lips until her lids closed and her breath came in tiny pants from her mouth. “I know, baby. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I just need to touch you. I’ll be so gentle, I promise.” He heard the gruffness in his voice. With tenderness that belied the need rushing through him, Simon kissed his way down her neck and sucked at the sensitive skin there. “Your body is calling me. A small caress, Delight, say yes.” “Y-Yes,” she breathed out hesitantly. Her innocence made her doubtful, he knew that, and with his kisses he hoped to calm her fears. His tongue penetrated her mouth and tasted her while he used his hands to push the material down her legs. He cupped her pussy while he greedily tasted her mouth. He felt the subtle movement of her hips against his hand and knew desire built inside her. He slipped his fingers beneath her underthings and felt her stiffen. “Shhh, it’s okay, baby, just a touch.” He began to slowly rub her clit and felt her turn to liquid beneath his touch. “That’s right, feel what I do to you.” Her head arched back over his arm as he increased the pressure to her sensitive clit. He backed her into the wall as he watched the pleasure on her face. He didn’t know which aroused him more, the feel of her or the pleasurable bliss that he saw. Her lips were parted, eyes closed, bone-straight hair flowing backward. The image was burned into his memory, and he knew nothing would ever take its place. Simon felt her wetness coating his fingers. He slipped one a few inches inside her and groaned as he felt the heat of her body. He removed the digit slowly and sank into her pussy again a little deeper. He took care not to hurt the tender barrier he knew was there. All he wanted to do was give her pleasure for now, but he couldn’t help the ache knowing he could be the one to take her innocence. He used the pad of his thumb to rub her clit while using his fingers to please her. Her legs parted more on their own accord. She was gasping, her hips moving in rhythm to his tender insertions into her core. She was so wet now he knew it would be a simple thing to glide his cock inside her. The

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thought made him crazy, but he never stopped loving her with his hand. Her eyes flew open and met this gaze with surprise. “I feel . . . oh . . . oh, Simon, what’s happening to me?” she asked before pleasure made her cry out. He felt the soft walls of her pussy clutch at his finger, and he knew she was on the brink of coming. He whispered to her as he increased the movement of his digit, pressing on the tiny spot inside her that would send her over the edge. “Let it come, darling. Don’t fight it. It will wash over you. Just give in,” he said. Simon groaned when he felt her convulse against him. She whimpered and cried out as she came on his hand. Her hips were moving frantically trying to draw out the last of her pleasure, and he held her, content to just have her in his arms. He fell to his knees and pulled her pants up, inhaling her musky scent and wishing he could taste her. With one last deep kiss, Simon said, “Good night, Delight.” He went upstairs and felt her gaze following him as he walked away. He looked back just in time to see her slide down the wall to the floor, and grinned. If you think that was all there is to it, oh, baby, you are so wrong. Simon was looking forward to the day when he could take her to new heights.

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Chapter Four One week later, the sun beat down, baking the earth more than it already was. She could feel the heat permeating the hat perched on her head and causing sweat to trickle down her brow. She wished that she had chosen to wear something with short sleeves. Maybe it would have cooled her skin from the scorching sun. But where they were, perched on top of a rocky ledge between the rocks and some burr bushes, she preferred the heat to scratches to mar her skin. This was their first heist. They would take two stagecoaches in four days, miles apart, which meant no going back to Desert Gulch until the job was completed. It also meant three nights under the stars with Simon as her companion. She looked over at him as he sat carving a piece of wood as they waited, looking cool under the dusty black cowboy hat. She swore that he didn’t even sweat as his hands moved to whittle away the bark from the wood. Does he have ice in his veins? she wondered in agitation. She was hot, and looking at him made it no better. As she looked back to the dusty plain below, her mind went back to the night in the bar when he made her feel . . . She didn’t know how to explain it, just knew she had never felt like that in her life. She honestly ached for more, but was so scared of the sensation, and of him. He elicited the feelings that were coursing through her now. She didn’t understand any of it and wished her mother was around to talk to. From then on, she had tried to avoid him like he had the plague. When they were planning the heist and looking over a map of places they could hijack the stagecoach and still make a getaway, she’d kept her body as far away as she could from him. Now they were here, taking steps in the first part of their plan. It excited her, yet she wanted it all to be over. “Did you fall asleep over there?” he asked. She turned, and his head didn’t even lift to look at her, which irritated her all the more. “No, I’m not sleeping. How the hell can you be so calm?” “It makes no sense being excitable. It’s either going to work or it won’t,” Simon said. 28

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“Will you stop carving and look at me when you’re talking?” she snapped. “You’ve been staying away all week, and now you want me to look at you? Sweetheart, make up your mind.” This time he did look at her and pierced her with that blue gaze. “I don’t understand . . .” Delight hesitated and then shook her head with frustration. “We have to do this together, and that issue is not part of it.” “I didn’t know what we did was called an issue.” His voice held humor. “You did things, and I felt things. It wasn’t right,” she murmured. In a smooth motion, Simon was on his knees facing her. “Who says it wasn’t right? Baby, what you felt was a good ol’ fashion come. Your body shook. I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it since that night. It’s what you’re meant to feel when a man and a woman get together.” “My mother died before she could explain anything to me, but I know my body feels certain things when I look at you or when you kiss me.” Delight’s face felt as hot as the sun’s heat when she spoke to him. “I can’t feel like that for you because it will complicate things when I leave.” He nodded and tilted her chin up to face him. “Sweetheart, you can’t help what your body feels. It’s called attraction. I plan to do it again and again, but I’ll tell you what. Next time around, I’ll let you explore all you want on me.” She jutted her chin forward stubbornly. “Who says I want to?” “Oh, darlin’, you want to. I know you do.” He grinned. It infuriated her to no end that he could see the want in her. That desire also made her mad at herself. How did he know she really wanted to find out the next step in intimacy with a man? She opened her mouth to retort, but the sound of horses in the distance drew her attention. Together they looked over the ledge and saw the stagecoach kicking up dust as its wheels barreled along the dusty route. It was moving at a fast rate, no doubt trying to get to Silver Springs before the sunset. “He’s moving like he has the Devil on his tail. Time to ride.” Simon levered off the ground, and she followed.

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By the time she hoisted herself onto her horse, he was heading down the rocky path to intercept the stagecoach. William was cocky, no doubt a lone stagecoach with two handlers. He thought no one would dare try to stop or steal from him. You’re in for a surprise, Delight thought firmly. She bent low on her horse, urging it on with a kick of her heels, and fell in behind the stagecoach like Simon did. She pulled her bandana over the lower half of her face to stop her from choking from the dust and to cover her identity. The horses of the stagecoach screamed as the handlers urged them on. The second man leaned over the top to shoot at them. The bullets went high while they were crouched low. Simon took his horse to the side with the gunman. Delight watched as Simon reached out with finesse and grabbed the man by his waistcoat and jerked him from his seat. She watched his body tumble to the ground and the wheels of the stagecoach roll over his body. She rode to the other side and got the driver’s attention. Simon climbed aboard and with a swift punch knocked him out cold. He brought the horses to a stop while she reined in Simon’s own ride to a halt. In the middle of the half-barren land, the stagecoach was under their control. Delight rode up next to him as he jumped from the bench of the carriage. “Let’s get loaded up and out of here before he wakes up,” Simon said. He broke the lock on the back of the stagecoach and pulled two bags of coins from the interior. “Well look here, a nice brandy to help keep us warm tonight.” Delight grinned as he took two bottles and smashed the rest of the cases to the ground. Vengeance was a bitch when you made a man angry, and for his injustice, Simon was pissed. “I think the guy back there, the wheels broke his legs,” Delight said. “I’ll go get him and bring him back to the coach. When they ride into Silver Springs, he can get patched up,” Simon replied. He made quick work of getting the injured man inside the coach while she loaded up what they had taken. Dishonest work, she knew that, but when it came to a man like William Bonaparte, honest people didn’t have much of a choice. They rode away, leaving the stagecoach driver to wake up and head 30

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into town sans his delivery. By the time anyone came looking, they would be long gone. They rode hard for the rest of the day. Even as her stomach rumbled from hunger, they just kept on going. She understood and never complained once. They needed to be so many miles away that William would never consider that someone who robbed his stagecoach would go that far. The plan was to rob the second stagecoach close to Sumpter City, where it would leave from. That was almost a two-day ride away, and they decided to get at least halfway before they stopped for the night. The sun was almost gone behind the horizon in the west when Simon turned his horse to a crop of trees. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her back was aching from being on the back of the horse. “We’ll head out at first light and take our time heading in,” Simon said. “We’ll get set up for the stagecoach and then hightail it back to Desert Gulch.” “You know when we hit the train he’ll come after us,” Delight said. She grimaced as her feet hit the ground, and she arched her back to relieve the ache. “That’s what I’m hoping for, and when he’s away from his castle, I’m going to kill him,” Simon said blandly. “You think you can do it just like that, huh?” Delight took the saddle and bags off her horse and tied him close to the small creek so he could drink. There was a stand of grass there, so she knew he would be content to graze and rest there for the night. “What do you mean?” Simon asked as he followed suit and tied his horse close to hers. “You are a good man, Simon. The guy back there, you could’ve left him and let him die of thirst. Hell, you could’ve shot them both, but our plan makes sure no lives are lost,” Delight pointed out. “It’s not in the nature of men like you to kill anyone. You think justice is fair and right and true.” “Justice wasn’t fair to me. It’s not fair to the people who have to leave their homes because of his menace,” Simon replied. “When the time comes, William will get what’s coming to him. It’s the only thing he respects. 31

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Sometimes you have to play like the animals and lower yourself to their level.” Delight didn’t comment any more on the subject. It was his right to do what he wanted to do. She hoped his conscience could take it if he did kill William and he would not be riddled with guilt. She pulled a cloth from one of the bags from her horse while he made a fire. “I brought biscuits, dried ham, beans, jerky, bacon, and coffee. Take your pick for dinner,” she invited. “How about those biscuits, beans, and some ham?” Simon grinned and held up the brandy. “Forget coffee. This will warm us up just fine.” “Sounds like a plan to me.” She smiled in return. Together they set up camp for the night, putting out bedrolls and blankets before they sat in front of the fire, where the beans and ham were warming. They ate voraciously and talked about needless things. Delight even laughed once or twice when he told her stories about trying to catch frogs by a river when he was growing up. She felt at ease. The tenseness of her body abated. She kept herself in control all the time. The place she lived made it that way. Weakness meant her death, or worse, and being some kept whore was worse than death in her opinion. Out here under the stars with Simon, she felt safe and could actually let go of the tight reins she kept on her emotions. They were drinking the brandy. Each time she drained her cup, he poured some more in, until she could feel the buzz of the liquor in her head and the warm feeling it gave her body. After laughing about his first kiss with Mary Louise under a sycamore tree when he was fourteen, they fell silent. “You were my first kiss.” She spoke up suddenly. Simon stared at her. “Truly? I thought Johnny was kissing you senseless. The man’s an idiot if he wasn’t.” “Johnny is kind of sensitive. He asked me a few times, didn’t take it like you did.” “And you liked that I did that, you know it,” Simon said. Delight smiled. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

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“I know it. Johnny is too much of a pansy to have you. You’re like trying to hold on to fire.” He took a sip from his cup. “He could never handle that.” “Teach me,” she said impulsively. Maybe it was the brandy talking, but she didn’t care. Delight felt something more than scared and alone for the first time in the past five years when she was with Simon, and she wanted more. He gave her a blank look. “Teach you what?” “About lovin’ a man, you know, kissing and all the other stuff,” Delight answered. “I figure you made me feel that good way and you would know how . . . Don’t you?” Simon choked on his brandy. “Yeah, I do, but . . .” “But what? You liked doing it, right?” “Hell yes, Delight, but I don’t know if I could stop. You don’t understand what that does to a man. I’m still aching from last time.” “Then you can teach me how to take care of your aching too.” Delight moved from where she sat on her bedroll to where he was. Simon sat on a rock close to where his own sleeping mat lay, and she impulsively put her hand on his leg. “Teach me, Simon, please.” He swallowed and nodded convulsively. “What do you want to learn?” “You said last time I left you aching, right? So I figure the first thing I should learn is how to make you not ache,” Delight said with a smile. “Jesus, Delight, do you know what you’re asking?” His voice sounded gruff. “No, that’s why you are going to teach me.” She licked her lips, and he groaned. “So what do we do first?” “First we move over to my bedroll.” Simon moved, and she admired his long gait. He sat and patted the blanket next to him. She sat and smiled up at him. “Now what?” “This,” he replied and took her lips in a searing kiss. From there the world fell away, and she could taste the brandy on his tongue. “Kiss me back, Delight,” he said against her mouth. “Taste me like I’m tasting you.” 33

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She mimicked the movement of his tongue and tentatively forayed into his mouth. His groan told her he liked it, and she got bolder and kissed him back wildly. “Calm down, darling. I’ll forget that I’m supposed to be teaching you,” he murmured. Delight pulled away, her breath coming in short bursts. “What next?” “Taste my skin, right here.” He pointed to his neck where she could see the pulse beat beneath his skin. Delight pressed her lips against his neck and licked his skin. She could taste saltiness, and she nipped him gently. Simon moaned, and she felt him squeeze her shoulders beneath his long fingers. She was thrilled knowing that her lips could give him pleasure. “Teach me more,” she whispered. He lay back and placed her hands on his chest. “Now you explore.” She ran her hand down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as she went. She touched his bare skin and gasped at how warm it was. She met his eyes. They seemed darker than usual. He said nothing, but with each caress of her hands, she could see his hand clench beside him or his muscles jump beneath her fingertips. Feeling bolder, she moved down his thighs and ran her hand over the bulge in his pants. He lifted his hips and moaned softly. “Can I . . .” She didn’t know what to say to express what she wanted to do. “Touch me, Delight,” he said roughly. “I want to feel your hand on me.” She unhooked his belt and worked the buttons of his britches before his cock sprang free of its confines. She gasped at his length and how it stood erect. She touched the tip of his rod hesitantly before wrapping her hand around the shaft. It was like velvet over steel, smooth yet filled with strength. Moving on instinct, she stroked her hand downward, over his entire length, and then up again. His hips followed the movement of her hand, and when she looked at him, his neck was arched and his body tense. “Am I hurting you?” she asked, alarmed. “No, no.” His voice was ragged. “It feels so damn good.” “Should I do more?” 34

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“Oh yes, baby,” Simon said. She stroked him eagerly, loving the grunts of pleasure that came from his lips, reveling in how he thrust upward between her palms with every downward stroke of her grasp. He made a low sound in his throat, and she felt his cock throb in her hand. It excited her to see what would happen, how his body reacted like hers did when he’d touched her. “Faster,” he gasped out. He wrapped her fingers tighter around his shaft and moved her hand faster to show her what he needed. Delight picked up the rhythm and followed it on her own. “Ah yes!” The words came through his gritted teeth. “Don’t stop. I’m going to come.” She didn’t exactly know what he meant, but when he cried out and his body tensed, she watched in fascination and felt the first warm stream of his seed on her hand. Delight gasped and kept stroking, watching each gush of come until his body relaxed. He pulled his bandana from around his neck and used it to wipe her hands. He pulled her against him and kissed her hungrily. She felt an ache inside her like she was hungry and not yet satisfied. Would coupling with him soothe that ache? “Was that good?” she asked. “It was very good,” he said. “I want you, Delight. Do you know that?” She nodded tentatively. “I think so, but I don’t know what it means when a man and woman do that. What happens next? I need to figure out what . . .” “Hush, sweetheart, don’t think about it now,” Simon crooned. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her gently. “When the time is right, and if I’m the right one, you’ll know.” “Until then, can you still teach me?” she asked. He laughed huskily. “Honey, we’ll have to do that few and far in between. Much more teaching is liable to leave me walking funny.” “What?” She looked at him questioningly. He laughed a rich sound that echoed in the night. “Never mind. How about you bring your bedroll closer and we keep each other warm tonight?” 35

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“Okay,” Delight agreed. Even though they were both clothed, when he nestled in behind her, Delight still felt her desire for him build. She could still feel the heat of him through her clothes, and the hardness of his member against her ass. She bit her lip and wiggled against him when each sensation assaulted her, until he moaned. “Darlin’, I know you’re innocent and all. But if you don’t stop doing that, my thought of being a gentleman will go through the window,” he said and kissed her neck until she shivered. Delight stilled her movements the best she could until tiredness won over and her body relaxed as she fell asleep. His arm was heavy around her, and the weight made her feel secure. She didn’t know what would happen tomorrow, but tonight she was happy in Simon’s arms.

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Chapter Five She had hoped the second stagecoach robbery would go without a hitch like the first. It was soon very obvious to Delight that would not be the case. From the time they rode down the incline off the second hiding spot they had picked out, the stagecoach driver saw them. The man had forced the horses to speed up, and it seemed that William had gotten word out about the other robbery in only a day. Now there were two more men in the stagecoach, and bullets were flying over their heads as they crouched low on their horses to avoid being hit. “Break off and go left!” Simon yelled over the sound of gunfire. Her heartbeat seemed to echo and match the hoofbeats of the horses. It was both excitement and fear, and she wondered as her horse galloped along if she would ever get accustomed to the feeling. She hoped they would get to William sooner rather than later. She wanted a peaceful life and only to get what was hers, nothing more. She was in it for as long as it would take to exact her revenge for her parents, and then it was done. She nodded and did as he asked, knowing it would divide their attention and give Simon time to disarm and stop them. She took her horse left and with expertise pulled the shotgun from its holder. The lucky thing about living in an outlaw town was that you got taught a lot of useful things like riding and shooting. Delight pointed her twelve gauge at the stagecoach wheel, hoping to take out the main pin that held it in place. It spun erratically with the speed of the horses, and she knew one shot and that wheel could go and disable the coach. She fired, and the first bullet went high and shattered some of the wooden spokes. Her second shot was dead-on, so much, in fact, that the wheel splintered and the circular metal brace around it bent and buckled. The stagecoach leaned unnaturally on its side. The weight of it on the horses’ harness made them rear back before they stopped completely, and the coach pulled them to the ground. It caused the stagecoach driver and his companion to drop from their seats. The other man on top of the stagecoach had more time to brace for the impact. He rolled to the ground and came up shooting directly at Simon and 37

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his horse. She couldn’t think about him. She knew he could take care of himself. Delight knew she had to focus on her part. She reined in her horse and was off it in seconds. She focused her shotgun on the two men, and the sound it made when she cocked it once more made the men go still. The action kicked the expended shell from the gun, and she quickly replaced it with two new bullets. “Now y’all will want to be standing still before my shotgun goes off,” Delight said sweetly. “Thank you kindly.” “Girlie, you are in a mess of trouble. Do you know whose money this is?” one man said. “If you take off now, we won’t have to hurt you.” She cast a glance over to Simon, who had gained the upper hand on the gunman who had been poised on the stagecoach before it fell. He rode up quickly and used his booted foot to kick the man in the face. His nose broke instantly, and he dropped his gun hand to tend to his face. It gave Simon the opportunity to jump off his horse, and with three quick punches, the man was out cold on the ground. One of the two men made it one step, and Delight pointed the gun between his legs. “I would stop moving if I were you. I’m just a girl, after all, and I might get scared and my finger may slip on the trigger. You don’t want to lose something important, do you?” Simon came around, dragging the unconscious man by one foot across the ground. “Are you good?” “I’m absolutely fine,” Delight replied and jerked her head toward the man on the ground. “He doesn’t look like he had much luck with you, though.” Simon grinned. “Yeah, he was not in a listening mood.” “Boothe, you should’ve just stayed gone,” one man snarled. “Mr. Bonaparte is going to have you skinned alive for this, you and the girl.” “Uh-huh.” Simon’s answer told Delight he wasn’t really worried about what the man said. He took the key off the stage driver’s belt, and when he raised his hand to hit Simon, Simon caught and squeezed it. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, unless you want to lose it.” 38

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“Gimme the shotgun, Delight, and you go get our money.” Simon passed her the key. “Why thank you, Sheriff.” She smiled and winked and walked over to the back of the stagecoach. “You better kill us now, Boothe, because when we find you again, it won’t be pretty.” The stage driver laughed. “Didn’t you hear? The sheriff here isn’t much for killing. He’s yella like the bile in his liver. He’s from back east, where the men wear those fancy pants and stuff.” “The word is ‘yellow.’ I forgot William doesn’t like his gutter scabs to have much of an education,” Simon said. Out of the corner of her eyes, Delight watched him approach the driver. His voice was deadly. “And yes, I may not have a taste for killing, but know this—I will kill you or any other man who raises a gun to me or stands in my way. You can tell William a reckoning is coming and Simon Boothe is bringing it.” Delight had no doubt that he meant every word. She could see it in his eyes, and his words were not to be trifled with. You couldn’t take away a man’s life and not be held accountable. Whatever was coming William’s way, she knew he deserved it. The firsthand knowledge she’d acquired was more than enough to know the man was evil. She walked back around to where Simon stood. “I got the usual, destroyed the rest. Some more of the finer whiskey was in there too,” Delight said. “William sure has expensive taste.” “On the back of the poor people and ranch owners, it’s their money he is living off,” Simon said grimly. “You didn’t have a problem with it when you were a part of it,” the second man sneered. She saw anger flare in Simon’s eyes, and in a flash he had the man by the throat and slammed against the disabled stagecoach. “I never, ever took anything that wasn’t mine!” His voice was filled with rage. “My salary was paid by the town. I never took a penny from William, or a gift. Don’t you fucking ever tell me I got anything from him, or so help me God, I will stake you out here for the coyotes.” 39

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Fear was written all over the man’s face, and his partner swallowed thickly. She could see it. They knew he was serious, and she had no doubt that Simon spoke the truth. No dishonest man would have that kind of reaction. He would find a way to explain it off, but not Simon. His honor was in question, and he defended it like it was a prized possession, because to a man like him, it was. She saw now he could never have been a part of what happened to her parents, not this man who stood before her. “Simon, let him be. We have to go,” Delight said quietly. He walked away after giving William’s hired man a none-too-gentle shove. He gave the gun back to Delight, and she trained it on the men. Simon took a length of rope and tied them up to the stagecoach. He tied the unconscious man separately before taking the horses off their harness, and with a slap on their rear, they took off. “You’re lucky I tied you in the shade, but like I said, I’m not a killing man.” Simon helped Delight up on her horse and then climbed up on his on animal. “Don’t forget. Give William my best and my message.” Simon tipped his hat, and with a nod to Delight, they urged their horses on and took off with a gallop across the range. She looked back to see the men struggling to get out of their ropes, but she’d watched how Simon tied them up. They were not getting free until they sent someone out to look for the stagecoach when it was late coming into town. She focused again on the landscape in front of her. They had to be many miles away before the sun started to dip behind the horizon. The horses kicked up clumps of earth, and thunder rolled. She looked up in the sky and saw thick, dark clouds rolling in. A storm would slow down any posse sent after them. Storms in the New Mexico desert were as wild as some of the horses that roamed there. They rode like they did before, hard and fast, not stopping for a break and until she could feel the horse beneath her tiring. They drank water from canteens and kept moving until Delight called it quits and reined in her horse with gentle words. “We can’t stop, Delight,” Simon said.

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Delight was already sliding off her mount. “Simon, the horses are about to fall over, and we can’t walk out of the desert. Trust me, it’s almost five, and a storm’s rolling in. A quick break won’t make much of a difference.” Simon sighed. “You’re right, you’re right. But the cavern is still about a hundred miles away, and we won’t get there until well after dark.” “We won’t get there at all if the horses die from exhaustion,” she pointed out. “There’s a creek over here they can drink from, and we can give them a rest.” She was already walking away to the creek by the time he began to lead his horse in that direction. She looped the reins around a small bush close by. The good thing about horses was that you really didn’t need to tie the reins when they knew their rider. She’d owned Patch for years now. Her feet ached in the boots she wore. The water looked clean and refreshing, and she wanted to dip them in the water for a minute to ease the ache. While her horse was drinking, she sat on a rock and tugged off one boot with a sigh and then worked on the other. She walked across the rocky ground and stepped into the water, sighing as the coolness of it washed over her feet. Delight bent down and wet her bandana. She squeezed it on her neck and let the water run down her back to relieve the heat from the sun beating on her back for hours. She began to kick the water with her feet, enjoying the feel of it. She turned to face him. “Simon, you really had no clue what was going on when William sent you to my daddy’s land, huh?” He took his hat off and rubbed the back of his neck. “No, I didn’t, but I should have followed my gut and not been so damn willing to believe.” “I don’t hold nothing against you, Simon, not anymore,” Delight said. He’d changed something in her heart, and she really didn’t understand it. He gave her a smile, and she could see sadness in his eyes as well. “I’m right glad to hear that, Delight. Sometimes a man has to be held accountable for his actions, and I’m not only fighting for my name anymore, but what you lost at his hand. I guarantee it he’s going to pay.” She just nodded. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she blinked them away. She thought this battle was hers and hers alone. Now there was someone 41

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who cared about her and what she went through five years ago. What was happening with her and Simon? Whatever it was, she knew it couldn’t last. She was heading to Canada, where she could walk on the streets and be a fine lady. She would be able to walk down the streets wearing a fine dress, and sip tea without people talking about the color of her skin. Then she would go to Paris and sing in one of those fancy places. Delight had dreams, and she didn’t think that Simon would want to be part of these dreams. Men like him only knew how to be a lawman, and after this was through, she had no doubt that was what he was going back to. In some way, shape, or form, be it Pinkerton or bounty hunter, he would fight on the side of good. Simon held out the bag that held their provisions. “You want some jerky and bread?” “Nope, I’ll wait until we get to the cavern . . .” Her eyes widened when a sharp pain shot through her foot. Delight cried out as the pain began burning up her leg. Simon came to her in the water with his boots on and lifted her out. “Jesus, Delight, what’s wrong?” She cried out as the pain became so fierce she could hardly stand it. “I don’t know. I think I’ve been bit. Oh God, it hurts!” She was sobbing because of the intense agony she was in. She felt hot all over, and yet her body felt as if it was going numb. Simon was holding her up and trying to draw his gun from its side holster. She had the inane thought that maybe he was going to shoot her, when she heard the gunfire. He carried her from the water and moved quickly to lay her on the rocky sand by the creek. “Shit, you’ve been bit, all right. It’s a fucking rattler.” Simon’s hand was pushing the leg of her pants up. “Rattlers don’t swim,” Delight gasped. She felt as if she couldn’t catch her breath. “That’s barely a few inches of water, and you kicking it riled him up. That’s why he struck. He was taking the quicker way across, I shot him,” he explained.

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She turned her head to see the headless snake close by. Then her vision blurred. “I can’t see. Simon, I don’t think I’m breathing good.” “Damn poison is moving through your system.” Simon’s voice held urgency. “I have to get the poison out before any more gets into your system. You trust me, okay. I have to cut your skin and suck the poison out.” Delight nodded. “Okay, yes, I trust you.” He moved, and she heard his footsteps go around her. It took only seconds before he was back at her feet. “What are you doing?” she managed to ask. It felt like everything was suddenly wrapped in cotton and muffled. “I’m scared.” “Don’t be, honey. I’ll take care of you.” He soothed her. “I got a piece of cactus. Chewing the pulp will stop the rattler poison from getting into my system. I’m cutting you now, baby. I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt.” She felt the knife cut into her skin and cried out. There was more pain from how he squeezed at the wound to make it bleed. She felt Simon’s mouth close over her skin and the pull of his lips as he sucked at the wound. Delight tried to muffle her sounds of pain by clasping one hand weakly over her mouth, but that didn’t help much. The pain of the bite, the venom, and his treatment was too much bear, and she began to cry. Yet Simon kept up his ministrations. He would suck and spit and then repeat the process again and again. He cut her two more times, explaining that he needed to keep the blood flowing until it was clean of the taste of venom. All the while she felt her body betraying her, chills and then heat while her heart raced, and she could barely see. Finally he took his bandana off and wrapped it around the wound before going to the creek to wash his mouth out. “Shit, baby, we gotta go. I don’t know how far the sound of the shot carried, or your screams.” “I can ride. I can . . .” Delight tried to sit up, and the world swam in front of her. Darkness flooded into her consciousness, and she felt the dull pain as her head hit the ground. She heard Simon’s voice calling her, but it seemed to be coming from farther and farther away, until . . . silence.

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**** Damn rattlesnake, Simon thought grimly and rode hard. Across his lap he carried the unconscious Delight, whose body had already begun to warm with the fever. He swore under his breath. The taste of the venom still tingled his mouth and numbed his cheeks. The cactus had stopped it from seeping into his system through his mouth. But damn, enough of it had gotten into her system to make her sick, sick enough that she could be at death’s door. When she passed out, he had thrown her over his horse and grabbed hers before hightailing it from that creek bed. He hid the carcass of the rattler too, in case a posse heard the shot and came in that direction. Right now he wanted to get to the cavern and to start tending to her before she slipped away for good. He knew the place well that he was taking her. It was a secret hole that his father showed him when they used to go hunting. No one else knew it, and since his father died, he had always kept supplies there for those just-incase moments that came up. Now it seemed his entire life had become one of those exact times. The night had closed in around him, but he barely noticed because of his worry for Delight. When the cavern came into view, he felt relief flow through him. The back of a horse was no place for her right now. His father had taught him, in a case like this, she would need to lie flat, and he would have to tend the fever that would rage through her body. It was up to her now to fight whatever of the venom that was in her system, and he would try to keep her nourished as best he could. He hoped she didn’t succumb to the bite. He felt worry and fear clutch at his heart. His life without Delight would be an emptier place, because she brought out things in him he’d never felt for another woman. Even when Mari had wanted him, hell, sure, he’d felt lust, but it was easy enough to say no and deny himself. She’d wanted him to fuck her behind William’s back, and he’d said no, plain and simple, thinking that he was honoring a friend. Who the hell knew that William knew about her whoring ways and used that to his advantage?

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But now there was Delight, who never asked for anything but brought out all these feelings inside him. He wanted to save her from the world, the life that had been so cruel to her from such a young age. He could understand her wanting to leave. He had seen people like her be treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. When he looked at her, he saw a goddess with polished ebony skin that glistened in the sunlight. Her smile made him feel like he could take on the world it was so beautiful. When she stared at him or kissed him with such innocent desire to what she was doing to his body, Simon wanted to devour her. Yes, Delight had to live. He would make sure of it. The cavern was wide enough so he could bring the horses inside the first big area. That was good because leaving them outside for anyone to see was like saying, Look, here we are. It also kept them out of the rain that had just begun to fall as the storms rolled in. He got down and placed her gently on the floor so he could roll out the packs and provisions that he’d stored there. The animal skins that he’d bought off some of the Indians of the area he placed over his bedroll to make it softer on the smooth rock floor. Simon moved her into the smaller area of the cavern he and his father used for sleeping and placed her on the soft fur. Her skin was so hot he swore she would burn alive. Simon knew he had to get her fever down. While it helped her body fight, it could do things to her mentally as well. He threw everything off the horses, not caring where they landed but knowing they couldn’t sleep with heavy saddles on their backs. He took the big metal pot his father kept for when they cooked some of their venison when they hunted. The cavern had a freshwater spring in the back, which was why it was so perfect. The front was hidden by brush and low tree overhangs. They could be in there for days without being noticed. He would water the horses later, when he got her cooled down a bit from the fever that now raged through her. With the pot full, he sat beside her on the cool, rocky floor and stripped her out of her clothes. Even though she was gravely ill, Simon had to appreciate each curve and dip of her body. From the rise of her breasts to the curve of her thighs, she was a woman built for loving. He’d bedded 45

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women before, but none so exotic and beautiful. Without a doubt he knew when he made love to Delight, he would be burned for life and he would want no one else. He used her bandana to gently wipe her skin with the cool water from the spring. The effect seem to rouse her a little because she cried out and tossed her head as he wiped her heated brow. Delight’s lids fluttered open, and she looked at him with glazed, feverish eyes. “Simon, am I going to die?” “No, darlin’, you certainly are not going to die,” Simon replied gently. “The rattler venom just made you real sick, that’s all, but you gotta fight it off with all your might too, okay?” “Okay, are you lying, though? Because I can take it.” She closed her eyes and licked her lips. “It would be nice to see my momma and daddy. Maybe it would have been easier if I’d died with them.” “No, it wouldn’t. Then I wouldn’t have met you, and somehow I think I would have missed you even then,” Simon whispered tenderly. “I’m thirsty,” she whispered. He slipped his big hands behind her neck and lifted the canteen that was close by to her lips so she could drink some water. She drank a few sips and pushed it away with her hands before he laid her back down against the soft fur. “Sleep, baby. I’ll watch over you.” Simon pushed her hair away from her face and cupped her cheek. Her eyes closed, and soon she was breathing evenly while she slept. Simon took that time to go water the horses and to get some of the grain he kept stored for when he went hunting to feed them. With the horses taken care of for the night, he made a fire before he sat beside Delight to watch over her. Later he opened a can of beans and some of the dried beef and warmed them quickly to eat. Tomorrow he would hunt something fresh so he could make her some broth to keep her strength up. Even though she’d woken up and spoken to him, Simon knew it was going to get worse before it got better.

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Later that night, while he dozed, her alarmed voice woke him, and he scrambled next to her. Her skin was flushed with fever again, and she thrashed wildly on the makeshift bed. “Daddy, please don’t send me away. I can help you and Momma,” she cried out and fought against his comforting hands. “No, Momma, no, don’t run back in! Please stop screaming! Please stop screaming!” Her voice went to a low chant as she cried out for her parents, long gone but trapped in a relentless dream. He heard the torture and the anguish of what she’d had to witness, and he murmured nonsense words to her as he tried to comfort her in the midst of her fever-induced dreaming. No one should ever have to witness something like that and then be alone. Throughout the night and into the next day, he took care of her, and bits of her life filtered through while she was sick. Simon knew exactly how much she had suffered. She needed peace, and he would make sure she got it, even if it meant his life for hers. It took two days for the fever to break, and then she was as weak as a kitten after the fight her body had been in against the rattler’s venom. Simon knew they were far enough that no one would think to come this way looking for them. They would stay as long as it took for her to be able to ride before they rode back to Desert Gulch. **** “That is the second fucking stagecoach!” William raged. He was so incensed he wanted to kill something—or someone, in the form of Simon Boothe. “You couldn’t kill him? There were three of you, and you could get one damn bullet to his hit body?” “Boss, he had a partner. They got us distracted.” Jim, the stagecoach gunman, spoke. “So he hired a gunman as backup?” William asked. Jim shook his head. “No, boss, it was some black girl who shot out the spoke with a twelve gauge.”

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The absurdity of the situation made William laugh, so much so he had to sit down and wipe the tears from his eyes. When the mirth left, the dull anger built back up again, and he leveled the three men with a deadly stare. “So you’re telling me that you couldn’t take down an ex-sheriff and a woman? I should kill you myself right now.” William stood, and his tone was deadly. “No one would care if I put a bullet in the three of you and left you in the streets to rot. No one would lift a finger to help you.” “He called the girl . . . the girl Delight,” he stammered. “I think she’s that girl that went missing when you took her daddy’s land.” The memory filled his head of the eighteen-year-old girl who had the curvy hips and a full bosom standing at her father’s side with fire in her eyes. He remembered when they burned that ranch, she was nowhere to be found. He assumed that her parents had sent her back south and she was working for some family and out of his reach. He smiled knowing that she was still very much in the area and he could still have her. There were nights when she filled his dreams, naked and tears falling from her eyes while he took her and she begged for more. The dreams were so vivid that he’d wake up and roll over to take Mari hard, pumping into her while that girl was still in his vision. Five years had passed since he’d seen her innocent at eighteen. He could imagine what those years could have done for her beauty, and he felt his want of her rise again. “Where do you think they’re hiding out?” William asked his second-incommand, who sat listening quietly. “Probably in Desert Gulch,” Jace said with utter calm in his voice. “The posse lost their trail north of the stagecoach route, but they will more than likely head back there. I know a few people in there and can make some inquiries.” William nodded. “You do that, and don’t let on we know anything to anyone. I want this discreet. Let them think their plan is working for now. When we do find them, I want the girl very much alive, and you can leave Boothe’s carcass to the vultures for all I care.” The trouble of dealing with the ex-sheriff seemed to bring him an added benefit. William began to make mental plans for when he had Delight in his 48

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grasp, and it would start with a room in the whorehouse especially for her to please him.

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Chapter Six Delight lay back against the soft fur and sighed. It had been five days since the stagecoach robbery and rattler bite. And it was almost ten days since they had been in Desert Gulch. She felt fine, but Simon had decided to be a mother hen and coddle her until she wanted to throttle him. Well, not so much. No one had ever cared so much since her parents died, and she liked all the attention he gave her. But she felt fine, and her foot was healing well and hardly hurt. She wanted something different from the ex-sheriff who took care of her. Delight wanted the passion she saw in him when he touched her or when he kissed her like he couldn’t stop before pulling away. The tension and desire between them was thick and tangible. She could cut it with a knife. Her body ached for him, especially between her legs. She had never been with a man, but who better to be with than Simon? Yet he always held back. He had to run an errand and left hours ago with the orders for her to stay off her injured leg until he returned. She moved around against his orders and gave the horses water and checked the stew he left on the coals of the fire and gave it a stir. Now back where she left him, she wondered how she could get what she wanted. She never had a woman to teach her the ways of seducing a man. Maybe he went into a town and found a whore because he wanted an experienced woman. The thought made her burn with jealousy, and she put it out of her head immediately, thinking Simon was not that type of man. Delight finally decided she would play it by ear and see where it led. She wished she had some kind of sweet-smelling soap to bathe with, but then an idea struck her. She moved from between the soft furs and went outside to hunt down the honeysuckle flowers that grew wild outside. She found one sparse bush and plucked every bloom before heading back into the cavern. Her mom had told her that, in the South, when you didn’t have a horse, you rode a cow, an old way of saying, Use what you have. The honeysuckle flowers would make her skin smell nice when she bathed. She undressed quickly and went to the spring to wash herself. When she was clean, she rubbed herself with the flowers and then rinsed her skin once 50

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more so the bitter taste would not be left. Delight decided to stay nude and lay back into the furs before covering her nakedness with another. Nervousness and excitement fluttered through her body until she pressed her hand against her stomach, hoping to stop them. She listened for sounds of his horse, and when she heard its hooves against the rocks outside, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She peeked out from under her eyelids when she heard his footsteps coming further back in the cavern where he had made her bed. When he turned to face her, she closed her eyes quickly, pretending she was asleep. She felt him caress her face and cheek to see if she was still warm. She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips, but kept her eyes closed and snuggled down deeper into the fur as if she was settling into a deeper sleep. Simon moved away, and she watched as he stripped his shirt off and ran water from the spring down his back before ducking his head under it to soak his hair. With his shirt off, she felt her breath catch as she looked at his body from beneath her lids. She opened her eyes completely, and when Simon turned from the spring, he saw her looking at him. “Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Simon smiled. “How are you feeling?” “Much better, I think I may be running a fever again, though,” Delight said. “I just felt your forehead. You felt okay,” he murmured, but she saw worry cross his face and felt a little bit guilty. “Maybe you can check again?” she asked hesitantly. Shirtless, Simon walked over and sat on the ground next to her. He placed his hand on her forehead again and frowned. “You feel okay, but maybe you should just stay lying down for a bit.” His hand cupped her cheek once more, and this time Delight placed hers over his. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip, an action he did often, but this time she bit the tip of his finger gently and held it in her mouth. She ran her tongue across the pad and saw him draw in a deep breath. Arousal sparked in his eyes when she went on instinct and sucked the tip of his thumb into her mouth.

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“Delight, what are you doing?” His voice was gravelly when he asked the question. “I don’t know, but I wish you would teach me,” she replied honestly. He shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking. You’ve been sick . . .” “I’m better, Simon. I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but I want you,” Delight said. She threw the fur blanket off and exposed her nakedness to him. His nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened as they roamed over her body. “Love me, and make what this is I’m feeling stop.” “Honey, if I make love to you, that ache is never going to stop,” he said with a devilish smile. “Then we’ll do it until it does.” She sat up and ran her hand through his damp hair. “Love me, Simon. I want to feel you.” With a low groan, he pulled her to him, and his mouth descended to hers. The kiss ignited a new fire inside her that had nothing to do with being ill. He moved until she was lying back against the fur and covered her with his hard body. Delight ran her hands down his back while her mouth opened beneath his and he slipped his tongue inside. His hands ran up her rib cage to cup her breasts. Delight pressed against his hand and moaned into his mouth. Simon pulled away, breathing harshly. “If I’m going to take you, Delight, I’m going to do it right. Lay back and close your eyes and just feel.” He kissed her hard once more. By the time he was done, she panted with excitement. She closed her eyes, waiting for his first touch with breathless anticipation. His lips nibbled at the sensitive skin of her neck until she gasped and arched to give him better access. He didn’t linger long. He moved down to bite her collarbone. When he came to her breasts, he licked the tips until they became tight beads, and Delight thought she would die from the heat that was infusing her. His lips closed over the tip, sucking it deep into his mouth, and she cried out. Simon’s other hand rubbed her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. The sensation of both his mouth and his touch made desire pool between her legs, and she squeezed them tight, hoping to relieve the ache. 52

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Simon lifted his head to ask, “Do you like that?” Delight nodded, and he asked again with more force. “I need to hear you say it, baby. Do you like me touching you?” Delight found her voice and whispered, “Yes, I do, Simon.” His lips went back to work, this time on the other nipple. His hands caressed her thighs before trying to move between them. Delight tensed and kept her knees together, barring his access. “I won’t hurt you. Let me touch you,” Simon encouraged. She relaxed her legs, and Simon slipped his hand between her thighs to cup the mound of her pussy. He kept his hand there, not moving any further, while he licked and toyed with her nipples. Delight felt pleasure rise again, and without even knowing why, she began to lift her hips against his hand, hoping to find some relief to the ache inside her, but only finding that it made the ache worse. She felt his finger slowly slip between the folds of her pussy and gently rub her clit. It was just like before, and heat shot through her, and the sensation made her rear up from the bed. Simon soothed her with a fierce kiss and pressed her back against the makeshift bed. His fingers continued to play with her clit, and she moved restlessly against his hand. “I want to taste you, Delight,” Simon explained. “I’ve thought about tasting you since the first time I saw you.” Delight clenched her hands in the fur beneath her fingertips, waiting for him to taste her but not knowing what he meant. She soon understood when she felt his lips kiss their way down her torso and then his breath on her thighs. He parted her legs, and Delight heard him groan before he pressed a kiss on her pussy. She gasped and lay tense, not knowing what would happen next, but wanting it so much she could hardly stand it. Simon licked her with one long, slow lick, and Delight bit her lip to keep from crying out. He parted her with his fingers and loved her with his mouth, sucking her clit and then entering her with his tongue. It was slow and torturous, building the pleasure inside her like bricks in a wall. She felt his tongue lick the sensitive skin around the entrance of her pussy, and then he would play with her clit. He kept up this teasing play until she buried her fingers into his hair and moaned. 53

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“I can’t stand it, but I want more,” she pleaded. “Do you want me to make you come with my mouth?” Simon asked. “I-I don’t know . . . I mean, yes, just make this ache go away,” she begged. He moaned and went back to tasting her with renewed fervor. He seemed to be everywhere at once, licking, sucking, and penetrating her with his tongue. Delight arched, pressing against him, writhing and crying out with each new level of pleasure that coursed through her. She felt it building inside her, winding the coil tighter and tighter until she came apart under his mouth. Little sounds of pleasure came from her lips while he moved to lie next to her. He kissed her, and she could taste her essence on her lips. “I never . . . Is that all we do?” she asked breathlessly. Simon laughed huskily. “No, I was getting you ready to be able to take me in.” “And we do that now?” His hand traveled down her torso, back to her pussy. “Not quite yet.” “Oh!” Her eyes widened when she felt his finger press on her clit and begin to move in circular movements. She closed her eyes, and she felt that now familiar feeling building in her once more. This time Simon’s finger slipped inside her, and she didn’t tense up. Delight only wanted to experience the sweet ache and release again. “This is how I’m going to feel inside you, in and out each time, only deeper. I want to take you so bad and feel you around my cock. Do you know that, Delight?” Simon whispered against her ear. “I want you to come for me again. I want to watch you fall apart in my arms.” His words enflamed her, and she concentrated on how his finger felt penetrating her pussy. She didn’t know what he did to make her feel so good. She could feel the flow of her juice with his touch. He stopped, but only for a minute before Delight felt him press two fingers inside her with more persistence. She crested to her orgasm again, and while she panted, Simon took off the rest of his clothes and covered her body with his own. He lifted her legs around his waist, and Delight could feel his cock poised at the entrance of her pussy. He kissed her while he entered her slowly, giving her 54

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body time to adjust to him. Each muscle of his body was strained beneath her fingertips as he moved. With a few inches of his cock inside her, he let her body become accustomed to the feeling of him. Delight caught the rhythm, and soon she was lifting her hips to meet him. Simon groaned, but she could tell he was still holding back with tightly reined-in restraint. She lifted her hips higher and felt him go deeper, and she moaned. Her movements broke the last of his control, and with one smooth thrust, he buried himself inside her. Delight felt a sharp pain that made her cry out as he broke through her hymen. Simon stilled his movements while her body accepted him. The pain ebbed away and left throbbing sensations at her core. The fullness of him inside her, stretching her, also brought new sensations of its own. Simon moved slowly once more, and instead of more pain, she felt his cock rub against the walls of her pussy with each thrust. Her fingers tightened on his back, and she lifted her legs high around his waist to accept more of him. Simon moaned against her neck and slid his hand beneath her hip to bring her closer to him as he increased his pace. “Jesus, Delight, you feel like a hot vise around my cock,” he muttered. “Simon, oh yes!” Delight whispered and succumbed to the pleasure he gave her. She felt the pressure building inside her and let it crest over her with a soft moan against his shoulder. She writhed beneath him, striving for release while his guttural moans filled her ears. He felt his hands bring her hips against him hard, and that sent her spiraling into her release. He whispered her name, and his body stilled and tensed above her as he spilled his seed into the confines of her pussy. She gasped as she felt him fill her before collapsing against her hard. She wrapped her arms around him, totally amazed at what she had experienced and surprised that she wanted more. Simon moved to the side and pulled her into his arms, kissing her over and over again. “Is it always like that?” she asked looking up at him. “Did you feel like that with other women?” “Honey, no woman has made me experience anything like being with you.” Simon kissed her. “Did you like it?” 55

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“It was amazing, and you’re right, I want more.” He laughed. “You are so innocent. I love it, but you’re going to have to learn to curb that. If not, we’ll never leave the bedroom.” Delight snuggled against him. “That doesn’t sound so bad. I wish we could stay here and forget about everything, but I know we can’t.” He lifted her head until he could gaze into her eyes. “We can for a little while longer. Let the world go on without us for a while.” Delight nodded and brought his head down for a kiss. They would leave the world at the door and stay in the cocoon they had created. Tomorrow was another day. **** The ride back to Desert Gulch took two days, and with the extra days spent with Delight being sick, they were behind schedule. The loot they had confiscated from William’s stagecoaches was safely hidden away in the cavern until this was over. That left only a few days to plan a train robbery. Simon didn’t mind. In fact, he couldn’t help smiling each time he remembered their loving in the cavern. He half wished that he could leave this entire mess behind him and just take Delight wherever she wanted to go. Unfortunately, something like this would haunt him for the rest of his life. There were too many debts that William owed for the lives he’d taken and pain he’d caused. It was time to hold him accountable, no matter what the outcome. Simon and Delight led their horses through the rocky opening, and as soon as they hit the clearing, all eyes were on them. “Haven’t seen you in weeks,” one man Simon recognized as a patron from her bar yelled. “Thought you were dead, I started drinkin’ down at Potter’s.” Delight grinned. “You ain’t that lucky to get rid of me, Joe. Pass the word around I’m open tonight.” Joe nodded. “That I can do, girl.” “Tell Bert, Johnny, Clem, and Jackal I need to see them,” Delight said. “You too, Joe, we got a job and money to be made.” 56

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“We’ll be there,” Joe called out as they rode past. “Evening, Boothe, mind your back tonight.” Simon nodded his head, amazed the man even said one word to him and that some of those words were a nonchalant warning. “Evening . . . Joe.” They got off their horses in front of her bar and tied them up. “How come I’m getting the nods and Joe is warning me?” “They probably heard about the stagecoach heists. You’re one of them now,” Delight replied. “I suspect that someone is going to try to call you out tonight. You know now you’ve got a reputation as a big dog, someone will want to try and get in your yard.” “Well, I guess I better protect what’s mine.” Simon met her eyes so she knew exactly what he meant. “I don’t need protection, Simon, and I’m not yours until I say so, if I ever do.” Delight turned on her heels, and her footsteps echoed on the wood as she climbed to the porch of her bar. She unlocked the door and flipped the sign to “Open.” “You coming in?” “Yes, ma’am.” Simon grinned. He didn’t mind her thinking she still had some control over the situation. From the time he’d taken her, she was his, and it might take a little time for her to accept it. In about an hour, her bar was filled with the regular faces he recognized from before. More than once he heard them comment about being happy to have her back and that this was the place to drink. Seemed that, while everyone else was known for watering down the whiskey, Delight didn’t. The men she asked for also came in. She introduced them as they walked in. But he knew Johnny. Simon watched with interest and simmering anger while Johnny drank at the bar, always watching Delight. A few times he let his hand linger on hers before she pulled away. Simon tried to play it cool for now, but he was almost to the point of ripping the man’s head off. After the meeting to see if they were in on the heist, he would have a little chat with Johnny. The night seemed festive. Why shouldn’t it be? Men were drinking and spending money. They were asking questions about the heist as Simon played 57

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cards with them, and he kept his answer noncommittal with each query. This wasn’t for fun or to get a rep as an outlaw. It was a means to an end. Suddenly the room went quiet as the door to the bar was pushed opened. The sound of spurs jangled with each footfall against the wooden floor. “I don’t want any trouble in my place, Jake,” Delight warned. Simon heard the tone in her voice and knew this was the man who was going to call him out tonight. He purposely kept his eyes on his cards. Looking up now would make it look like he was scared, and Simon was anything but that. He knew how fast he could draw a gun. Because of his being the sheriff, he was never called out, so they thought he was an easy mark. They were dead wrong, the main word being “dead.” “Why, Ms. Delight, there will be no such thing in your establishment. I will take my business outside, if the good ex-sheriff would just follow me.” Jake’s voice was filled with civility. Simon knew this kind of man well, brought up by a fist and learning to survive by his wits. He knew how to be fancy, had probably built a perfect con around being a gentleman to take money from rich widows and naive women. But beneath the formal exterior, he was nothing of the sort. He would kill and be deadly with no guilt, and this was the kind of man who was most dangerous. Simon kept looking at his cards and playing the chips that lay in front of him. “Your bet, Clem,” Simon said. But the man was busy looking at Jake, who now stood in front of their table. “I think we can leave the game for now, Sheriff Boothe. We have business,” Jake replied. “My name is Jake Macintosh.” “Should I be impressed or know your name?” Simon finally raised his eyes and looked at the man. Nope, nothing impressive. Of course, Jake was dressed in the usual black coat and pants that went along with his persona. The hat boasted silver prongs to hold the band in place and matched the chain that went into his pocket to hold a pocket watch. Simon almost wanted to laugh. Jake probably thought this garb hid his true persona. No matter how you dressed up a pig, underneath it was the same animal who loved to rut in the mud.

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“Boothe, most men around here know who I am.” Jake grinned. “I thought by now at least Delight would’ve mentioned me.” “Somehow your name didn’t come up in any conversations, so your ostentatious entrance has no merit,” Simon replied and saw him struggle to understand what he meant. “That word means ‘grandiose,’ ‘pompous,’ and ‘high-and-mighty,’ stuff like that.” A snicker went up in the men, and Jake’s face turned red at being shown up just a little. He wanted people to think he was smart, and Boothe knew he was failing miserably. “I’m calling you out, so unless you want your blood spilled in this bar, I suggest we step outside,” Jake snarled. Simon stood and casually put his hat on his head. “Fine, let’s go outside and have this conversation. Who do you want your belongings to go to when you die?” “Where he falls, whoever is around gets to pick him clean.” Clem spoke up. “That’s how it is in Desert Gulch. I call dibs on the hat and boots.” Jake swallowed as if he was rethinking his actions. Too late now, Simon thought mercilessly. If he backed down, he would be labeled a coward. He caught Delight’s stare on his face. She stood behind the bar, saying nothing, but he could see the worry in her eyes. He gave her a wink, and she shook her head no, telling him he shouldn’t do it. But just like Jake, if he backed out now, he would be labeled “yellow” down to his gills. That was never going to be a word associated with Simon Boothe. “Who should have your things when I shoot you dead?” Jake sneered. “I won’t need that today. Thanks for asking.” Simon walked past Jake as the sinister smile fell from his face. “Are we going to do this or not?” He stepped outside and saw the street was clear, but men stood on the sides, or on porches, looking on to see the showdown. The torches that lit Desert Gulch burned bright, and he could smell the oily, thick fuel and the smoke that came off the flames. Simon took his stance in front of Copperhead Bar, his territory. There was no way that Jake could move him, so he walked down the street and turned. Delight came out wiping her hands on a bar towel. Her lips were pursed tight with worry, and he saw the light of 59

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anger in her eyes. He knew she didn’t want this to happen, but it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t go out looking for trouble. It came and found him. Simon shifted his stance, rocking back on his heels and looking at his opponent. He tipped his hand back and fixed his gun belt around his hips. The hilts of his guns felt smooth against his hands. These were his babies that were always clean and ready to go. He moved his hands away a few inches and flexed his fingers. Then he became still, so still that when a soft breeze crossed his face and tickled his nose, he didn’t move. He watched Jake take off his gloves, pick up a handful of dirt, and rub it between his hands before digging his heels into the ground. It was all for show, to make a good story if he won the draw. The thing was that Simon had no intention of him winning, so he silently watched Jake do his routine. Finally, when he stood still, Simon noted the trail of sweat run down Jake’s forehead. Gotcha. Simon smiled. The wind stilled as if even nature was holding its breath for the outcome of the gunfight. Simon watched for Jake’s telling move to know he was going for his gun. With every fighter it was different, a glance downward to see if his hand was in the right place or a slight twitch in the fingers. It was just a matter of learning how to spot the slight movement, and Simon knew how. He saw Jake’s easily. The muscle in his jaw jumped, and then his hand moved for his gun. With expertise, Simon pulled his gun and fired the round, and the bullet slammed into Jake’s shoulder, knocking him back. The next bullet took his gun out of his hand, with a piece of his finger. He had no intention of killing Jake. Shame and injury were enough. He walked toward Jake, who glared up at him. “Finish it, Boothe,” Jake gasped, and then his next word was a plea. “Please.” Simon shook his head, knowing the man would rather go out in a gunfight than to admit he lost. “Sorry, Jake, I’m not that cold-blooded.” “I would’ve killed you, Boothe, and took that little black beauty in there as mine,” Jake snarled with anger flashing in his eyes.

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Using Delight to prick at him was a good idea. But as his temper rose, he grinned knowing full well that if Jake had tried with Delight, she would’ve shot his balls off with her twelve-gauge shotgun. “You tried, and you failed, Jake. Go find someone to patch up your shoulder and fix your finger, and head out.” Simon walked away and called out for every man to hear. “Don’t come back, because you won’t have to worry about me being the only one here gunning for you.” He let the implication hang in the air. Everyone knew that now Jake had been bested, no man would ever fear him again. If he stepped foot back in Desert Gulch, each man would be gunning for him. He suspected Jake would head east to con more old ladies out of their money and their livelihoods. It would be so easy to pretend his wounds were for some dramatic reason to make them gasp and praise him. He stepped past the crowd that had gathered there, including Johnny, who had anger simmering in his eyes. He took a moment to stare down at Delight, who shook her head and walked away. “Whiskey up, boys!” she called, and the men clapped and headed to the bar. “Clem, get the men together and meet me in the back room,” Simon said, and Clem nodded. The excitement of the night was far from over. They had a train heist to plan.

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Chapter Six Simon looked around the room at the men who sat looking at his plans. If he had seen any of them in Silver Springs when he was sheriff, he would have run them out of town. Now they were his cohorts to bring William down, he learned that each of them had a bone to pick with the man, except Johnny, who was cleaner than even he. Simon didn’t have to be told why he was in on the takedown. It was for Delight. He didn’t have to like it, but this blacksmith could make anything, including the brace for the tracks they needed to stop a train. Delight stood close by, watching the men as well and, just like him, saying nothing. “And you want us to do this in three days?” Johnny gave a short laugh. “You’re as crazy as a coyote.” “You can always bow out, Johnny,” Simon replied smoothly. “It’s doable. Boothe knows the route from being the sheriff. If we come in behind the train when it passes Sutter Junction, when it has to slow down, we can be on board before the train speeds up,” Clem pointed out. “If we can’t get to the engine in time, the brace Johnny makes will derail it without loss of life because of the slower speed.” “What if there is Pinkertons on the train, huh?” Johnny demanded. “Did any of y’all think about that? Maybe Bonaparte will hire some since this fool convinced Delight to rob two of his stagecoaches with him. Not to mention this is the first train that is running on the new lines to Silver Springs, lines that William killed to get coming into that city. He’s gonna protect it like it’s made of gold, not just carrying it!” “He didn’t have to convince me. I volunteered.” Delight spoke up. “If you can’t bring nothing but griping to the table, then step out, Johnny!” Simon snarled. “You’re not the only blacksmith that can build a damn brace.” “Everybody calm down,” Delight snapped before softening her voice. “Johnny, we need you in on this. Please?” Simon gritted his teeth hearing the sweetness in her voice directed to the burly man with an obvious attitude. He was hers, and by damn, Johnny 62

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would have to get used to it, or Simon would take care of it the hard way with his fists. “Fine. I’m sayin’ right now it’s Delight I listen to, not you, Boothe,” Johnny said. “I ain’t about to see her killed for your vendetta.” That showed how much he knew because Delight had her own score to settle with William. When he met her gaze, he could see she wanted him to say nothing about her past, so he kept his mouth shut. With the plan set, the men went back out to play cards and enjoy the rest of the night. The whiskey and bourbon poured freely while men talked and laughed. Johnny drank glass after glass, sitting at the bar and throwing him dirty glances every so often. When he turned his attention to Delight, he practically drooled, and it was wearing on Simon’s very thin nerves. Simon watched Delight go upstairs, and when she came back down, she had changed her clothes. He was sure if he took a deep breath he would be able to smell her scent. Simon wanted her again. Desire curled in his belly and made his cock ache between his legs. He would take her when the bar closed, upstairs on her bed. Johnny was sitting at the corner of the bar, and when Delight passed to go back to work, his hand snaked out, and he pulled her between her legs. Before she could utter a sound, his lips were on hers, trying to force a sloppy kiss on her. Simon moved so quickly out of his chair that it skated across the room and fell over. “Ah shit, Johnny!” Clem said. “Why’d you go and do that?” Delight pushed away from his chest just before Simon reached him. “Simon, no!” she yelled, but there was no stopping him. Simon was past hearing anything but the blood rushing in his ears as his temper boiled over and his fist met Johnny’s face. The blood that spurted from his nose brought Simon enormous pleasure. Johnny tried to swing, but Simon sidestepped it easily before connecting a fist with the man’s solar plexus and kicking him out the door. The rain had started, and when Johnny hit the ground, it was with a wet and muddy splash. “Simon!” Delight’s voice came to him as he stepped off the bar’s porch, into the street, and grabbed Johnny up by his collar. His fist connected with Johnny’s jaw again and sent him sprawling to the ground. Simon was soaked, but he 63

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didn’t care. He dropped to his knees next to Johnny and systematically pounded his face until Clem and a few others pulled him to his feet and held him back while he struggled. “You’re dead if you ever touch her again. You hear me, Johnny? You are dead!” Simon’s voice roared out above the sound of the rain. “I want you gone. If I ever see you in this bar again, you won’t walk out!” “You won’t see him, Boothe. I’ll make sure of it.” Boothe didn’t know the man who spoke up and helped Johnny to his feet. He really didn’t care. Johnny stumbled down the street holding on to his friend. It was only then that Clem and the other men let him go. On the porch Delight threw him a look and went back inside. She had something to say. He could see it all over her face. Simon was still angry when he walked through the door and found her wiping the clean bar furiously. The rest of the bar patrons were drinking quietly and pretending not to pay attention to them. But Simon could feel each and every eye watching them with avid attention. “Say what you gotta say.” He stood across the bar waiting. She pointed a finger at him. “I’ve been taking care of myself long before you stepped into Desert Gulch. You had no right for doing that.” Simon waved his hands in the air. “He put his hands on you. He kissed you. I had every damn right! No red-blooded man would see that and not beat the living shit out of him! He is lucky I didn’t fucking kill him because of it!” “Johnny is harmless. I could’ve taken care of it. You don’t own me, Simon Boothe!” Delight shouted. His eyes went to slits while her eyes widened at the look on his face. “Every last one of you, get out now.” “You can’t tell my customers to leave!” Delight yelled, outraged. “Y’all come back, and the next round is on me.” “Leave.” His voice was deadly, and every man reacted at the same time. No one listened to Delight. Chairs scraped the floor noisily. Glasses slammed on

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tables as they were drained. Boots scuffled as each man hurried to leave the bar. “Man, to be a fly on the wall,” someone said as they walked out. Simon never looked to see who said it. His eyes remained on hers, and when the last man left, he locked the door and calmly went around and blew out the lanterns that lit the bar until everything was dim. He hoped the action would help calm him down just a little bit. Delight stood wringing the bar rag in her hands until he started to move toward her direction. “You stay back, Simon,” Delight warned. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but . . .” “No buts, sweetheart.” His voice was mild, which did not match what was swirling inside him. She was his. He was about to prove it to her. He pulled her against him, his clothes still wet from the rain. “We’re going to work this out my way.” Those were the last words he spoke to her before his lips descended to hers in a kiss that was meant to do only one thing—make her submit. His kiss was hard, and he forced his tongue between her lips, taking the taste of her instead of asking. Delight struggled for only a moment before she moaned and he felt her hands clutch at his shoulders. The kiss sizzled the air around them, making it thick, as his desire boiled over like a pot on a fire. There would be no taking it slow this time around. It would be hard, hot, and pulsating when he took her. Simon cupped her breasts, and with a frustrated moan stripped the man’s waistcoat she wore from her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. His hands bunched in the plaid shirt she wore. Fabric tore and buttons flew in all directions under his firm jerk. The torn shirt was tossed aside carelessly. Delight’s cry of pleasure when he filled his hands with the smooth chocolate globes of her breasts spurred him on. He wanted to take her with utter abandon. He had to show her he was a strong man who would defend her till the end of his life. She had strength to survive what she had been through, but now she had him to lean on. One second she was kissing him, and the next she pulled away and slapped his face. “You can’t use this to control me!” In response, Simon kissed her again, hard, and the passion between them burned hotter than before. He was so caught up in the way her mouth tasted 65

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beneath his that Delight took him by surprise, and with a deft twist, she was out of his embrace and twisting his arm high above his back. Simon grinned and winced when he felt the tendons in his fingers pull as she jerked. He liked feisty women, and Delight was by far a stick of dynamite with a short fuse. Simon countered her move by taking a wide sidestep and grabbing her free elbow. She yelped in surprise when he used his body mass to swing her around and pin her against the wall. With her cheek against the wood, her breath was expelled in short, angry pants. Simon stepped close so she could feel the hardness of his body while he whispered in her ear. “You done?” “This is my place. How dare you come in and try to take what’s mine!” she fumed. “That ain’t what’s going on, and you know it.” Simon kissed her ear and felt a shiver run through her. “Make a choice. You either want me to care, to which I will kill the next man who touches you, or you want to be Delight by herself, who can take care of everything her damn self.” Simon slipped his hand into her long, thick hair and pulled her head back so he could stare into her eyes. “You’re mine, Delight. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t answer when Johnny touched you and kissed you in front of me? Did you want me to laugh it off and let it go? If that happened, he would do it again. So make your choice. Either you want me as I am or I walk out that door. You can’t have it both ways.” “You would leave?” she whispered. “I don’t want to. You have to understand that when I took you in that cavern, it wasn’t for the romp, sweetheart. I don’t fuck around. There are whores for that, and I’m not one for partakin’,” Simon answered. “A man, or Johnny the mouse that you can run over, but I warn you, that’s never going to be me. But I can swear that I will protect you with my life and you will never have to be scared or alone again.” Simon waited patiently for her response, watched how she nibbled her lips as she thought about what he said. His body ached to have her, to be buried so deep in her that he lost every conscious thought. But they had to

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come to some agreement. If not, instead of fighting William, they would be fighting each other, and they would end up killed for it. “I want the man,” Delight said. “I want you.” Simon reached around and cupped her breast, plucking the nipple until she moaned. “Say my name. Tell me it’s only me you want.” “Simon Boothe, you’re the man I want,” she said breathlessly. “Please make me feel like you did before. Simon groaned. “Darlin’ I want to ravish you in every possible way, some I don’t think is legal, but I want to do them all to you.” He slipped his hands down the front of her pants and into her underthings. She kept the hair on her pussy trimmed, and he found that so very exciting. He passed his fingers over the soft hair before slipping them between the already slick folds. “Do you know it turns me on that you keep trimmed down there?” He nipped at her neck lightly and still kept her against the wall as he stroked the bud of her clit. “I-I know it’s not common practice, but it keeps me cooler—” Her words were broken off with a soft cry. “I like it.” Simon continued to play with her. Her hips undulated in a sensual rhythm matching his finger’s movements. “You want me to fuck you, don’t you?” “Uh-huh . . .” she whispered. Delight’s head was leaned back against his shoulder, and her lips were parted while her eyes were closed. Simon watched as emotions played across her face, and he wanted her all the more. “Delight, I want to hear ‘Simon, I want you to fuck me.’” Simon used his own leg to spread hers wider and sank his fingers into her pussy while his other fingers plucked the tight nipples of her breast. She moaned and shuddered while he prodded. “Say it, darlin’. Say you want it hard from me.” She licked her lips and whispered his name before he buried his finger deep inside her. “Simon, f-fuck me hard, please, oh please.” Simon groaned. “Oh yes, baby, I love to hear that from you.” “Why do I feel so very hot?” Delight asked breathlessly.

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“Because you want to come. Do you want me to make you shatter in my arms?” Simon asked. He moved his fingers faster, increasing their pace. She was so slick he could rub the long digit along her clit as he buried it inside her each time. “Oh God, yes, yes!” she moaned. Her body shook in his arms. Simon gave her what she needed. Each time she shook or cried out his name while he fingered her, he felt his own desire build. He sank a second digit into her wet core, and Delight reached up to grab his neck while she came. Simon wanted more. He could taste her in the air as if her desire was a palpable thing. “You’re like some sweet concoction from a faraway land that I’m addicted to,” Simon murmured and licked her essence from his finger. “I have never seen dark skin like yours, as if it’s mixed with silk. I can never give you up, never in my life.” He bent to his knees and pulled her boots and pants from her body. She kicked them away while he stripped out of the rest of his clothes. Simon lifted her high against his hard body and closed his mouth over the pert nipple. He felt her arch, and her hands buried in his hair, pulling him closer in a silent plea to take more. “Oh my goodness,” she moaned. “I have to taste you,” he growled and lifted her onto the bar. Delight spread her legs as he knelt between them, pressing kisses on the flat chocolate surface of her stomach. “Don’t tease. Please, I just want to feel your mouth on me again,” she whispered. Simon buried his face between her legs and moaned as he delved his tongue between the lips of her snatch. She shivered while he licked her and used his fingers to touch her wet folds before inserting them into her. Her hands clenched against the smooth surface of the bar, and her hips lifted to press harder against his mouth. With each thrust of his digit, she moaned and pleaded for more. Simon gave her what she wanted, fucking her with his fingers until she was soaking wet and her essence was on his tongue. This

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time she screamed while her orgasm assaulted her body. Her fingers grabbed at his hair while her body came apart in ecstasy under his mouth. “I want you inside me,” Delight panted. He stood, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Simon took her lips in a swift kiss while he lifted her from the bar and untwined her legs from around him. He could have sunk his cock inside her the way she was. Instead he turned her around so she was bent over the bar. He rubbed his erect length along the lips of her pussy that were swollen from arousal. He groaned her name, and she cried out as the thick length of him filled her. The walls of her pussy were already milking his cock. She was so tight around him he thought he would die from the pleasure of it. Simon leaned his forehead against her back and prayed for strength as he withdrew from her body and plunged deep again. “God, yes.” He grabbed her hips and pulled her hard against him. “You feel so damn good.” Simon pumped his cock inside her in deep strokes, pushing himself to the hilt with each frenzied thrust. She was hot and slick, and with each plunge, Delight made sounds of exquisite pleasure that couldn’t be disguised. Her hips shook with force when his body met his. He watched a bead of sweat roll down her back, and Simon closed his eyes and let the pleasure consume him. “You are so hot and tight, darlin’, you’re going to make me come.” “Yes, please take me there again,” she begged. Delight reached out and held on to the front of the bar. “Say my name again, Delight,” he commanded. “Simon, oh, Simon, yes!” Delight cried out. He felt her orgasm take hold, and she pressed her hand over her mouth to stifle her screams of pleasure. Simon let go then, and while her pussy convulsed around him, he spilled his hot seed in her moist depth. The force of his own release almost sent him to his knees as he collapsed against her sweat-slicked back. They lay there for long moments until he lifted her and took her upstairs to her bed. It was an old iron-framed bed, and the springs groaned in protest under his knees as he laid Delight on the mattress. Simon 69

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poured some water from her pitcher into the basin and used her washrag to clean her up. She was silent all that time, only watching him with those soulful chocolate eyes he could drown in. “I will go back to my room if you want,” he said gruffly. He didn’t know how she would react after the intense loving downstairs. She gave a slow smile. “After all that, now you want to leave. You can’t have it both ways. Simon, you claimed I’m yours. Now come lie with me.” Simon went downstairs and gathered their clothes and grinned as he went back upstairs. He could never stare at that bar again without thinking about her naked, moaning, and begging him for more. The thought made his cock throb again, and as he climbed into bed with her, he planned to take care of that ailment once more. **** William looked down at the blonde beneath him. Mari was his longtime bed partner and was as vicious as a wild animal. Her lips were the color of dark cherries, and even though they were fucking, her hair was perfect, with the blonde locks spread out over the ivory satin pillows. Her skin was like alabaster, and against him it felt so very soft. Yet her usual moans and pouted lips were doing nothing for him. The fire fueling him now was the thought of the exotic beauty Delight. She was something he wanted to savor, like the caviar when he went to New Orleans a few months back. He could picture himself inside her, filling her rough and hard until she begged for mercy or more. Either way he would love the sound. He pushed himself deeper into Mari, grabbing her hips and pumping for all he was worth. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” The whine of her voice was ruining the illusion in his mind. He tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. “No, darling, it’s you in my mind.” “Liar. You forget, William, I’ve been under you enough times to know what your every grunt means,” Mari snapped. “You want that little Negro bitch, and I don’t have to stand for it.”

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This time he wrapped his hand in her flaxen hair and twisted it cruelly until she cried out. “You forget who you belong to. You’re the madam of my whorehouse, and when I want you to, you’ll be anything I want. Or you might find a few others between your legs, and I can easily replace you in my bed.” “William, honey, you know that it just makes me jealous the thought of any other woman with you. You are my man,” Mari cooed. William knew the tactic well. Those sweet, pouty lips and soft voice were what had lured Johnson to her bed and how he’d gotten killed. She was part of Simon’s demise by using what was between her legs, and she thought it would work on him. It hadn’t in a long while, and it was time to show her that she was a pawn like any other on his chessboard. He tugged her hair harder, and she bit her lip and looked at him with furious eyes. “I’m my own man, and you do not decide who and what I should want,” he whispered fiercely. The thought of her pain made his cock harder inside her, and with each thrust she winced. “Now turn over. I want your ass.” “You know I don’t like that—” she began to whine, and he broke off her words with a stinging slap to her mouth. “You’ll give me what I want, just like Delight will too, and you will teach her how,” William snarled. He saw her hesitate, and then a sexy smile curved her lips. “Anything for you, William, I will show her everything you like and how to please us both.” Mari got on her hands and knees. “Do me real good, baby.” That’s what he wanted to hear. As he penetrated her ass, he thought of Delight crying out when he did it to her. He stepped back into his fantasy of taking her while using Mari as a vessel for his pleasure until he could have the real thing. **** The sunshine streamed through the curtains of his dining room as William voraciously tore into his breakfast. He cut into three eggs, four slices of toast, bacon, coffee, and to top it off, fresh-squeezed orange juice that was 71

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especially delicious. He found that the thought of the brown-skinned beauty had served a great purpose. He had fucked Mari more times in one night than he had ever done in years, until she begged for him to stop. That was like the icing on the proverbial cake because she was a slut who thought she could take it all. This morning when he left the room, she was soaking in a tub to relieve the soreness while pouting sullenly. He, of course, felt wonderful and full of vigor. Not only would he be taking care of the thorn in his side, Simon Boothe, but he would be getting the one thing he desired in that chocolate beauty Delight. He heard a scuffle in the outer rooms. The thin carpet didn’t mask the sound of boots on the floor beneath. “I gotta talk to Mr. Bonaparte!” the unknown voice said. Even though he was curious, William kept focused on his food until Jace entered holding a man by the collar. The man’s face was bruised purple, and his obviously red nose told William this person had gotten drunk and into a fight. “Boss, you got time to talk to this cur?” Jace asked. “He said he has some important information for you.” William, still chewing, waved them forward with his hand. He swallowed the bacon and eggs he was eating and looked up at the man Jace brought to stand at the opposite end of the table. “Who are you?” William’s voice was clipped. “John—Johnny Dooley, Mr. William, sir,” the man stammered. “What happened to ya?” “Bar fight in Desert Gulch, sir, with Simon Boothe. I got some information on that bastard,” Johnny replied. William felt a surge of excitement, but kept his face passive. “Well, that’s interesting. No man give up anything from that outlaw town for free. What do you want for this information?” “I want the girl he’s with, Delight Blue.” Johnny’s eyes flashed. “I don’t need money or nuthin’, just her. They are planning to rob your train on Thursday.” “Boss, that’s the first train that will come directly here to Silver Springs,” Jace pointed out. 72

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“You think I don’t know that!” William snapped and turned his attention back to Johnny wringing the brim of his hat. “What else?” “S-Sir, they plan to take it out right after it leaves Sumpter, right at the new junction. I was supposed to build the brace to stop it, but I didn’t want no part of a plan to rob you,” Johnny replied. “Oh, I doubt that very much. I think Simon Boothe threw you out on your ass and took the woman you want. If not, you’d be right there building the fucking brace, wouldn’t you, Johnny boy?” William shot him a deadly stare. “Don’t lie to me, or I’ll have Jace break your damn blacksmithing finger so you can never lift a hammer again!” “Yes, sir, I would’ve done it for Delight.” Johnny’s voice was miserable. “Just gimme her and kill Boothe. I don’t give a fuck about him.” “She must be very special to elicit such loyalty from you,” William murmured before he smiled brightly. “You tell Jace here everything about the plan, down to the last detail, and you will get your girl when it’s all through. Head to the hotel, tell them I sent you and I said give you a room and a whore if you want one. Jace will be over there in a few minutes to talk to you.” “Thanks, Mr. Bonaparte!” Johnny’s face was priceless, filled with joy, as he walked away. They heard the door slam before Jace turned to William. “You’re really going to give him the girl?” William laughed. “Of course not, let the fool believe what he wants. Give him a job, give him some money, and he’ll take that or a bullet. He won’t ever be able to go back to the outlaw town when he rats them out, so he’ll accept easy enough.” Jace nodded. “I’ll go find out what else he knows. Are we going to stop Boothe from robbing the train?” William nodded. “Hell no; we’ll see what Johnny boy says and plan a counterattack. Let them think they are winning and then lay in wait somewhere else. While you’re over there at the hotel, tell them to make up a room special for Delight, dresses, lacy underthings, a bathtub, and perfumes. Make sure some of my things are in there too.” 73

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“Mari won’t like that, boss,” Jace said, frowning. “Like I give a fuck what Mari likes or does not like. Do as you’re told!” William snarled. Jace nodded and left, and William went back to this food, which had turned cold. He still ate with relish because everything was falling into place perfectly. The girl would soon be his, and Simon Boothe would be dead. He knew when he woke up this day was going to be a great one.

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Chapter Seven Delight slid the small knife into her boot and sat on her bed and sighed. Today was the day that they would strike hard at William and wait for the showdown. Taking his train would make him furious. He would no doubt want to lead the posse that came after them, and that is when they would be caught in their trap. William Bonaparte would die today and pay for her parents’ lives with his own. No matter how much she tried to fight it, she felt a lump of apprehension in the pit of her stomach. She felt as if something was wrong, didn’t know what, but felt as though things were out of sorts. Delight put it aside as nervousness. After all, they were in the last stages of what would be her last night in Silver Springs. After they left William bleeding in the dirt, she would be heading to Canada, and Boothe . . . Maybe that was it. She didn’t know what Boothe’s plans were after this was over. She couldn’t stay here and couldn’t ask him to leave. Would this also be good-bye for them? In the lockbox of the bar, she left the title of the saloon. Her money was long ago hidden in the safety of Simon’s cavern, and she would get it when she was finally heading out for her new life. She was giving Copperhead to Clem. In his own gruff way, he was like a father to her, watching from the shadows when she’d settled in the outlaw hideaway, making sure that she was never in trouble. She’d thought of giving it to Johnny, but quickly thought of Clem. She wondered where Johnny was for a moment. After the incident with him and Boothe, no one had seen him in days. She feared, in his shame, he left, and she couldn’t blame him for not staying. She would have liked to explain to him she valued their friendship and truly cared for his well-being, but she never saw him as anything more than a friend. Delight knew she should have made that clear long ago. Honestly, knowing he was sweet on her had made her feel good and not so alone in Desert Gulch. Then Simon came into her life, and she’d fallen hard for him. Delight had admitted to herself more than once she loved Simon as he shared her bed. That’s why it would hurt when she left him. She’d never known the love of a man, and while she was heading for a new land, she 75

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wondered how she would heal her aching heart that would be missing him as well. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the torturous thoughts, when Simon opened the door and walked in. He looked handsome as ever in his tan shirt and the dark pants he wore. He pushed his hat back on his head and gave her a grin that made her heart skip a beat. God, I love him. She felt tears threaten to rise as the thought of leaving him loomed. She pushed them back and tried to smile, but knew it faltered. “It’s time to go, sweetheart.” Boothe crossed the room and took her into his arms. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling his scent, and tightened her arms around him. “Uh-uh, don’t give me that. I could see it on your face when I walked in.” Boothe used his finger to tip her face up. She stared into his piercing blue eyes as he asked again. “Tell me what’s bothering you, Delight.” “This might be the last time I see you like this,” she blurted out. “After this I’m heading to Canada, and you . . .” “And I’ll be on a horse right next to you.” Simon finished her statement for her. Delight’s eyes widened with surprise. “Really?” He kissed her swiftly, and she luxuriated in his taste for a moment until he lifted his head and caressed her face with his big hands. “You didn’t think I was going to stay behind, did you? I have nothing here anymore. I can’t believe in a place that railroaded me because of fear and greed. I know I should want to make it better, but what happens when the next nasty son of a bitch comes along? I don’t want to be in this fight for the rest of my life. I want you, the woman I fell in love with, and to start a new life in a new place.” She could hardly believe what she was hearing, yet the words filled her with elation. Delight grabbed his face and kissed him soundly before laughing gently and looking at him. “I love you too, Simon.” “Good, so no more doubts. Let’s go get William the bastard. If it wasn’t for him, I may have never met you, but it doesn’t give him a pass,” Simon

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said grimly. “He ruined your life. He tried to take mine. It’s time he gets his payment.” Delight nodded. “Let’s ride out and meet the others.” It would be nightfall before they reached the spot where the entire group would spend the night under the stars. By the time the train rolled by, they would be in the long grass and ready to pounce. From there she hoped the plan went like clockwork. They couldn’t fail. That was not an option. As they rode out, she took one last look around at the place she called home and a safe haven. This place had cradled and protected her in its elusive cocoon when she was all alone in the world. In a way she would miss it, but knew there was better out there for her in the world. She said a silent good-bye while her horse moved through the narrow path that would lead to the outside world. It would be the last time she ever used the path to Desert Gulch. **** “What is the first thing you want to do in Canada?” Simon asked. They were taking a leisurely ride to their destination and having a great conversation while going. She was learning more about Simon as well. He liked to fish and to read, and he promised to find her some of his favorite books so she could enjoy them like he did. Delight sighed wistfully. “There is two things. I want to wear a fancy dress, go into town, and sit in a fancy hotel for dinner, and then have a bath in a real porcelain bathtub.” “What’s the next thing?” “To lie in the green grass and look up at the stars and know the land I’m on is ours and no one can take it from me. To know that no one is going to think less of me because of the color of my skin or my heritage. What’s mine will be mine, and they will know I worked just as hard for it as any other. The color of my skin won’t make a damn difference, and no one can say you belong to me because they think I’m a lesser human being.”

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Delight knew her voice got husky with tears because she was thinking of her parents. Her mother had asked repeatedly for them to go to Canada. Her father was a proud man who thought he’d fought and bled for the country and no one should take it from him. He wanted to fight for what was his, and it had cost them their lives. They would never get to taste the sweet air of freedom because even though he had papers saying he was no longer cowed, he was still killed as if he meant nothing. Delight was determined that her children, when she had them, would never feel that way. With Simon in her life, the thought of family was not such a distant dream. “You will have your dreams. I’ll make sure of it.” Simon’s voice was quiet, yet full of determination. “Are you sure you love me?” Delight couldn’t help but doubt. “I love you, Delight. I would die for you,” Simon said firmly. “You have my heart for eternity.” “And you have mine,” Delight said softly. He reached out his hand, and Delight brought her horse closer and extended out her small one to be enclosed in his. Together, as the horses trotted on, the two of them rode holding hands, both of them unwilling to let go. That night around the campfire, the men joked and talked at ease while her stomach clenched with nervousness. How will tomorrow play out? For all her bravado, Delight was deathly afraid something would go wrong. Simon gave her a curious look, and it was as if he could see the frazzled nerves inside her. Simon stood and held out his hand to her. “We’re going to walk before we bunk down.” “That’s what you call it now?” Joe snorted and took a sip of his coffee. Clem shoved his shoulder. “Leave them younguns alone. I’ve known you for fifteen years, and with your whoring, who knows how many kids you got out there?” Joe gave a short laugh. “And I’ll be whoring for fifteen more, God willing.” Jack said nothing, but the smile on his face showed that he was listening to the conversation. Delight felt her face warm with embarrassment, but took 78

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Simon’s hand anyway and walked with him into the dark night. They were camped by an outcropping of rocks, one of many in this area of Silver Springs. Both of them were silent as they passed huge cacti that loomed in the night. “You have the jitters about tomorrow,” Simon said knowingly. Delight gave a husky laugh. “Till I feel sick to the stomach.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. “It’s all going to be fine. It’s soon over, and we’ll be heading to Canada.” His closeness reassured her and made Delight feel secure. She moved to stand in front of him, stopping him with her hands against his chest. “That makes me nervous too. I don’t want you . . . I mean, I love you, Simon. But I don’t want you to feel some kind of obligation to go with me to Canada.” Simon shook his head. “You think I feel pressured to go with you.” Delight sighed. “I can’t expect anything from you because we shared a bed. You didn’t have to tell me you loved me or any of that stuff. Why would you want to be with me? My life, my world can be a whole lot of trouble.” Simon drew her back into his arms and kissed her forehead before meeting her with a fiery gaze. “I don’t say things I don’t mean, Delight. I love you because from the time I saw you, it took my breath away. I wanted you like nothing I’ve ever felt before. You think I shouldn’t want you. Why, because of the color of your skin? Or maybe because when we live together or walk down the street, people may stare? Well let them stare, here in Canada or Timbuktu. Because you’re my love, the reason my heart beats in my chest.” He kissed her before she could answer and wiped every last thought and misgiving from her mind. No man could kiss her until her knees were weak and make her feel as if the world was her oyster unless he loved her. For the first time, the color of her skin didn’t make her rethink falling in love. She had always wondered if something was wrong when she’d first seen him and her heart jumped. He wasn’t her color, and since then she’d seen men come through Desert Gulch who saw her as their kind and wanted her. She felt nothing until Simon came up to her bar and pierced her with those blue eyes. Delight opened her mouth willingly and moaned when his tongue explored. 79

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He walked her backward until her back was against the rocks made dark by the night and pressed his body against hers. Delight stilled his hands when they cupped his breasts. “Won’t the guys back at camp hear us?” “I don’t care. I need you now.” His voice was filled with urgency as he unbuttoned her shirt. She pulled him closer as his hand touched her heated skin, cupped her breasts, and rolled her nipples between his fingertips. Delight arched against him before reaching between their bodies and rubbing his hard cock. She wrenched her mouth away as her fingers fumbled with the buckle of his belt. “I want to take you in my mouth.” Simon groaned and looked at her. “How the hell do you know about that kinda stuff?” “Some of the ladies who service the men in Desert Gulch are my friends. They told me men like it and showed me how on a banana. I want to try it with you,” Delight whispered. She got his pants undone and pushed them down his legs. “This would be extremely funny if I wasn’t so damn turned on by the thought of your mouth around my cock,” Simon said. Delight took that as a yes and got to her knees with his length in her hands. She kissed the tip of his shaft, and Simon moaned her name. His breath hissed out between his teeth as she took the head of his cock into her mouth and sucked it gently. At his reaction, she took the length of him deeper into her mouth. She worked her tongue around the shaft and then back to the tip, just like she was taught, and he moaned once more. She could taste the salty precome leaking from the engorged head of his cock. She liked the way his muscles of his ass flexed beneath her hands as he pushed himself deeper between her lips. “Oh God, I’ve got to stop you before you make me come.” He pulled her to her feet roughly. “I think I would like to taste your seed,” she replied. Her breath was coming in pants as desire flamed though her.

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Simon’s hands were at her material of her pants, working the leather laceups that held it together. “Oh, fuck, that sounds good, but next time. Right now I have to feel you.” Delight tried to kick her boots off so she could slide her feet from the confinement of her clothes. But she cried out as she felt his fingers penetrate her and his thumb rub her clit. She leaned back against the rock that held the warmth of the day’s sun and thrust her hips into his hands. He was touching that place that brought her so much pleasure she could hardly think. With his fingers still inside her, Simon got to his knees and freed one of her legs from her boot and pants. He lifted her thigh over his shoulder and pressed his fingers inside her harder. I’m dying from this! The thought rushed through her mind, and she wondered if any woman had died from the need that sex elicited. His fingers were moving fast and deep inside her and bringing her to the edge of sanity. With a low, keening cry, Delight came and felt her body gush its fluid against fingers that never stopped moving. She came again while his mouth was against her pussy to taste her essence, and the rough sounds he made only seemed to fuel her pleasure. With hasty hands he pulled her legs around his waist. His moan mingled with her cry as he began his feverish thrust into her wet pussy. She vaguely noticed that her pants hung from her left leg and she still had one boot on. She didn’t care. Nothing mattered as her back was pressed against the smooth rock and her hands clung to his shoulders while he fucked her. “I want to feel you clench around my cock as you come,” he whispered in her ear. “Oh yeah, baby, I love how deep you take me.” His dirty words fueled her on, and she came hard, shuddering and calling his name in a breathless rush. “Ah, fuck yes!” Simon ground out, and she felt his seed fill her with each penetrating thrust. He slapped his hand against the wall and held her tight against him, holding both their weights up until he slipped from her body and she slid her feet to the dry ground. They shared silent kisses, and Delight tried to fight the feeling of good-bye that seemed to fill her. She pressed her lips against his with urgency, wanting to imprint the feel of him to her memory forever. 81

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It scared her half to death, the not knowing, and she would not feel any better until tomorrow was over and they had the outcome they wanted. “Don’t worry, honey. Everything is going to be okay,” Simon said and kissed her once more. She was amazed that he always seemed to know what she was thinking. She nodded, feeling a lump clog her throat and not daring to answer. She had to be strong for this so Simon wouldn’t have to worry about her. As they got dressed and headed back to where they camped, she felt like she was holding her breath waiting for something to happen. She wouldn’t feel any peace until it was all over and everyone was safe while William was dead. **** The train whistle blared in the distance, and when she heard it, her heart jumped in her chest. This is it, her inner voice whispered, and she looked around at the men who were already starting to move their horses in a slow trot. Simon had his bandana pulled up across his nose and was leading the pack. He looked back to give her a wink, and his eyes twinkled with devilish merriment. Typical man, she thought as she moved her horse to keep up with them. You give them a little danger, and they become little boys. All the while her stomach twisted with anxiety because she wanted nothing to go wrong, but she felt as if something would. Delight heard the whistle again, and this time it was louder. The brace was already in place. Clem had a buddy who’d blacksmithed the piece just as good as Johnny would have. She couldn’t help but worry about him either, because long before Simon came into the picture, he was her friend. Not knowing what happened to him after the fight bothered the hell out of her. She could see the train moving slowly up the tracks after pulling out of the junction. It would try to pick up speed, but those coal trains needed a lot of fuel to get moving, and shovels could send only so much coal into the billowing fire. As Simon directed, they let the engine and three cars pass by before they sped up and moved into position. When the engineers hit the brace full-on, 82

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the sound echoed through the train to her ears, but it did not derail. She saw the iron wheels spin off and the front of the engine crash into the tracks, its weight digging up the wood and metal as if they were nothing. From there it was easy to board and begin their mission. Delight looked at the women dressed in all their finery and men in their three-piece suits. They all looked aghast and horrified at what was going on. Simon began directing them with a voice of authority as they moved through the train cars. “Okay, you nice ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call a train robbery. Don’t move, and we’ll be out of your way in minutes!” he shouted. “Clem, get the money bags down to Jackal. Joe, blow up the lines up a ways. Take out about a few hundred yards so William has some rebuilding to do.” One man stood with anger all over his face. “William Bonaparte is a good man and gave us progress in this state. Why don’t you ruffians get a job and stop taking from respectable people!” Simon leveled his gun directly at the man. “I would ask you to sit and let us do what we need to do peacefully. I had a very good job, thank you very much, and your friend William took that away. So you see, your lavish lifestyle and deceitful ways contributed to my new life of criminal activities.” “Done!” Clem yelled. “Thank you kindly for your help, and have a great day!” Delight said sweetly while she and Simon backed out of the train car. “I made short fuses, and they are lit!” Joe called. “Let’s go!” Simon ordered Joe when they were back on their horses. While they rode away, the sound of explosions filled the air and shook the ground beneath them. Everything had gone off without a hitch, much more smoothly than she would have expected. It wasn’t until she heard the sound of gunfire behind her that she knew the gnawing in her belly from the night before was for a good reason. She looked back to see a band of riders on horses coming over the hill. They had expected Pinkertons in the train, but these men didn’t seem like agency men. She had the sinking feeling that it was William’s men.

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“Ride hard!” Simon yelled, and they kicked their horses’ flanks to pick up speed. Her heart raced in her chest as they moved like the wind on the backs of their horses, hoping to evade those who chased them. She couldn’t see them anymore, and she thought they would have a chance, until Simon pulled his horse to a hard stop and the others followed suit. “Take her and head out like I told you,” Simon said to Clem. She looked from one man to the other wildly. “Wait, what are you talking about?” “I’m going to lead them away, honey. I’ll meet up with you at the designated place.” He cupped her neck and kissed her hard. “Now go!” Delight shook her head. “Hell no, we’re supposed to stick together! It’s not part of the plan, Simon! It’s not what we discussed!” He smiled at her gently. “I kinda changed it. I need you safe, baby, and this has to end right now with William, not a month from now, but today. I’ll see you soon. I love you.” He grabbed her reins from her hands before she could clench them and handed them to Clem. “Take her, and don’t stop for anything!” “They’ll have to kill me, Simon,” Clem vowed and rode away. “Simon! Simon!” She screamed his name while Clem’s urging on her horse’s reins moved her forward. He was all alone against a band of men. She couldn’t let it happen. She could feel she would never see him again. She kept looking back, looking until she could no longer see his horse, and a sense of determination filled her body. Reaching down into her boot, she felt the handle of her knife and pulled it out. She cut quickly at the leather low to the horse’s neck until it gave way and left Clem holding the reins, but having no control of the horse. He looked back in surprise. “Jesus, Delight, come back here! You can’t help him! He knew when he started this would happen.” Emotion choked her voice as he held on to the short straps the best she could to control her horse. “I’ve got to save him, Clem. I love him, and I’ve got to try.”

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Without another word, she turned the horse and urged it into a gallop. She headed in the direction that Boothe had gone, hoping that he was able to evade William’s men for a little while longer until she could be at his side to help him. Her mother stood at her father’s side even as he stared down William and his men. She would do the same for the man she loved, even if it meant her life. She would be an empty shell. Nothing was worth one damn thing without him. She raced forward, bent down low to her horse, whispering in his ear and urging him on faster. She saw the dust settling from the posse chasing Simon and followed that route with ferocious intent. By the time she was riding up to the ridge, they had him cornered at the edge. She knew the water under the bluff was a river with raging currents that led into the Rio Grande. She saw William standing with his crew. Each man’s gun was trained on Simon, and she felt her heart drop in fear. Without thought for herself, she rode into the midst of them. She met Simon’s eyes, saw his worry at seeing her, but that didn’t matter now. She slipped off the horse while it was moving, pulling the shotgun and pointing it directly at William. “Leave him alone!” she yelled, standing in front of Simon. The men laughed while Simon pushed her aside and snarled, “Damn fool woman, you weren’t supposed to be here!” Delight shook her head rebelliously. “I wasn’t going to let you face this bastard by yourself.” “Listen to this.” William laughed, and the men around him joined in. “You are so feisty, I am going to love having you.” “I will kill you before you can touch her!” Simon raged. “Please, we’ll have you dead on the ground before you can even fire. You might be the fastest gun, Simon, but you can’t shoot eight men with a sixshooter,” William said mildly. “Now drop them, or we’ll put a bullet through her head. I want to keep her, of course, but if it means she has to die to make my point, so be it.” “How did you find out about what we were doing?” Delight asked miserably. She should’ve listened to her gut and called it all off. Maybe she

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and Simon could’ve been heading to Canada right now. But revenge boiled in them both, and now they were trapped. “We had someone come to us and tell us of your criminal activities. After all, Delight, robbing a train is a no-no, and his conscience couldn’t handle the guilt.” William waved someone forward and laughed merrily. “Now come from behind there hiding like you have something to be ashamed of. You stopped a very bad thing.” “No!” Delight cried out in shock when she saw Johnny step out from the midst of the pack. She never thought it would be him to betray them. She thought their friendship meant more than jealousy. Anger blazed inside her as he kept his eyes averted the ground. “Damn you. Have the balls to look at me!” When he raised his eyes and she saw the tears filling them, she felt no pity. “You are dead to me, Johnny, dead!” “You won’t f-feel that way a few years from now when we’re happy,” Johnny mumbled. “I would never be happy with you, you gutless worm!” Delight snapped. “You’re no kind of man. You are worthless!” “I love her fire. I’m going to enjoy taming this one,” William chortled. Johnny whirled to face William. “You said she was mine if I helped you. You gave your word!” “I gave my word you would be compensated. You have a room, free time with any whore you want, and a job with me. I suggest you take it and not end up on my bad side.” William’s voice was deadly. “But you said . . . I would’ve never . . .” Johnny blabbered. “Shut your mouth before I cut your tongue from your head,” William’s bodyguard Jace snarled. Johnny shut up instantly with remorse written all over his face. Too late now, Delight thought furiously. Jealousy did strange things to men, and now it would cost them all. “I will cut your throat before you can ever touch me!” Delight seethed. “Not before I put him in the grave,” Simon ground out.

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William’s eyes went from amused to cold. “You won’t do one damn thing but come with me. If not, I kill Simon Boothe right where he stands. Put that gun down and walk over here to me. Save his life if you love him that much.” Delight hesitated, thinking it over. If she left with them, it could give Simon a chance to find her and save her. He could get Clem and the others and come in with guns blazing. They could save her if she held off William long enough. “Don’t do it, Delight. I’ll hold him them off, and you ride hard until you’re back in Desert Gulch,” Simon said and implored, “Please, baby, I don’t want him to hurt you. I couldn’t live with it. Just run.” She could run. She knew they would kill him dead. If she surrendered, at least he would have a chance. Making the decision with dread in her heart, she put her shotgun down on the ground and threw a fervent look over her shoulder to Simon’s tortured face. He raised his gun and pointed it to William’s head, and she saw he was willing to risk his life so she would not have to be taken. “Simon, no!” she begged and rushed over to him. He caught her with one arm and kept his gun pointed. Delight cupped his cheek and turned his face until his angry blue eyes met hers. “Don’t, baby, I love you. Please don’t die for me right now. If you do, we might as well go over this ridge together because I can’t live without you.” Simon shook his head. “Delight, don’t ask . . .” She raised her lips to his ear and whispered, “He won’t touch me. I won’t let him. I’ll be waiting for you to come get me. Live to fight for me another day.” He swallowed and nodded before she stepped away and began the walk to William’s side. The leering man, the downturned face of Johnny, and the blatant lustful leering was almost too much for her to deal with. But she held her head high, and when she got close enough, William grabbed her and pulled her to his side. She could smell his choking aftershave mixed with the stink of his sweat.

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Simon pointed at Johnny. “You cowardly bastard, you better do something to save her. If not, I’ll haunt you to your grave. Do you understand, you lily-livered son of a bitch?” She looked at Johnny, who visibly turned white, and then his words registered. What does he mean haunt . . . Delight realized that Simon thought he was going to die, and William’s next words confirmed it as he began to drag her away. “Kill him.” “No, you promised!” she screamed and began to struggle with all her might. She saw Jace raise his gun with a grin of relish on his face. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Simon reached for his gun at the same time she broke free and ran at Jace. She grabbed at his hand and shoved him just as he fired, and Simon did as well. His bullet went wide, but Jace’s hit its mark. She saw Simon fall back as he was hit, and the widening of his eyes with surprise before knowing took its place. He gave her a look, one filled with love as he staggered backward. His heels kicked up the dry dirt at the edge of the ridge as he fell over and was gone from her sight. She knew she heard screaming. The sound was an agonizing one that was filled with grief and fear. Delight wanted to close her ears to the sound, but vaguely understood it was coming from her. Someone slapped her hard enough that her face stung, and after two more and some violent struggling, she finally stopped. She was numb as they helped her onto the horse, and she sat there seeing, yet not really, as they started to move. “Should we check for a body?” she heard someone ask. A nasty laugh came to her ears from William. “No, the river probably washed his carcass downstream, heading for the Rio Grande. He’ll be food for fish before too long.” Delight said nothing as they moved. The grief in her body was wrapped around her heart, like a fist squeezing, until she wished the painful ache would kill her. Simon was dead. All her dreams were gone. There was nothing, except a burning vengeance searing in the pit of her like a stone that

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was not being quenched by her tears. She would kill William for all he took from her, even if it meant her death. She would see him in hell.

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Chapter Eight “I can’t believe you brought her here and gave her a room,” Mari screeched, and a glass hit a wall and shattered. Delight heard it as she sat on the edge of the bed in a room that was only meant for high-class whoring. She reached out and touched one of the tassels hanging from the lamp shade and grimaced. The decor was filled with rich velvets and lacy curtains of red and purples. She assumed this was what women liked when they lived the kind of lives where they had to act fancy. But no matter how many which ways you looked at it, it was a den of prostitutes. Now she was supposed to be the cherished possession of William. The thought made her gag as she felt revulsion fill her. She listened to the voices outside to see what else would happen. Obviously this was the mistress of William, and she was none too happy she was there. “Now remember your place, sweetheart, or maybe I need to give you a lesson on who owns this place again.” William’s voice was saccharine sweet, yet deadly. Delight shuddered wondering how a woman had ever lain with William Bonaparte willingly. She didn’t hear anything else. She pictured his mistress flouncing away in a huff hearing the underlying threat. Delight didn’t even want to think about where she was or what would happen. But it was better than reliving Simon’s last moments in her head over and over again. She kept seeing his eyes and seeing him fall. Each time it hurt a little worse, until she wanted to just clutch one of the pillows to her mouth and scream from the pain of it. She never knew grief could be so palpable. She felt grief when her parents were murdered, but nothing like this. With them, the inevitability of her having to move on filled her thoughts from the very beginning, and she fought to survive. Without Simon, her dreams seemed bleak. He was going to be her beau in Canada, and they were supposed to live a dream. The dream was gone now, drowned in the water that swallowed Simon’s body when he fell. She thought about William’s mistress, how she helped start the road to Simon’s demise. She was as evil as her lover. How could she expect fate to do her any favors? She didn’t have long to ponder what else 90

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would happen to her. William walked in and stared at her sitting on the bed. Delight tried to show no emotion as he took off his coat and threw it over a chair. She clenched her fists, ready to fight if he ever dared touched her. She would die before this animal who killed the man she loved touched her, and she would take his sorry carcass with her. She let out her breath as he turned the same chair to face her and sat. For long moments he just stared at her until she could stand it no longer. “What?” she said through gritted teeth. “I find your beauty makes me speechless.” William reached out to touch her cheek, and she slapped his hand away. He sighed. “I hope you find your new home acceptable.” “This isn’t my home, and I don’t care for the whorish decor,” she replied. “Just to let you know, if you try in any way to force me to do anything, I will bite your manhood off and spit it in your face!” William winced. “Not a mental image I want, but no, I don’t think it will ever come to me forcing you. Delight, you will love me in time. I had hoped to get you before Simon Boothe took your innocence, but nevertheless, you will forget about him after time.” She looked at him incredulously. “Are you serious? You think I will ever love you? My parents and Simon died because of you. The man I love! Not loved, love, because I will never stop loving him or hating you for all you took from me.” “You won’t feel that way when I offer you to be mistress of this house.” William sat back with nonchalance. “Just picture it. All this could be under your control, and you would be my precious gem.” “What about your mistress now, the one yelling outside?” Delight asked cautiously, hoping she was still listening. “Mari can be found a new home far away from Silver Springs. She likes the bigger cities anyway. Think of my offer, Delight. You could by far make me the happiest man in the world.” Delight saw the truth of this man. He was insane, and in this world, there was nothing more dangerous than a man who thought everything should go

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his way. It didn’t matter. She would prefer to be dead than to be in this gilded cage. Without thinking, and only feeling the loss of Simon, she spoke. “Keep your offer and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. Kill me now because every day I will make your life a living hell for what you did to Simon. Every day I will mourn him, and I will make sure you know it.” His gaze went cold, and she saw anger flare in his eyes. “You just need more time to adjust, but be warned, Delight, my patience will only go so far. I have no problem turning you out to the men in this town who won’t take so kindly to your high attitude. Accept me or deal with them, but don’t take too long to decide.” “It’s easy. I’ll take them and the beating over you.” Delight spoke up automatically. He raised his hands to hit her, and she didn’t shrink away. He lowered them to his lap and smiled at her brightly. “You are just in shock. Like I said, a little time to adjust will do you good. I will send a meal up later and water for you to wash.” He walked out, and she heard the door lock behind him. On impulse she ran to the barrier and shook the doorknob violently, hoping to find escape. She felt trapped, and her breath burned her lungs from the exertion of her wild, frantic emotions. Frustrated, she threw herself across the bed and began to sob helplessly. This is not how it’s meant to be! she screamed in her mind and pounded the bed with her fists. She wanted Simon, felt his loss all the more, and screamed out loud this time, and it echoed off the walls as if mocking her. How do I live without you? she mourned, asking the question as if he could answer. Delight knew she would never hear his voice again, never be able to see that cocky grin or feel his kiss. She didn’t know how long she slept. All Delight knew was she opened her eyes and the room was dark and her eyes felt gritty. She stood slowly, feeling her body protest from the position she had fallen asleep in. She went to the window and looked out into the night sky. It was so beautiful, and the stars twinkled happily. The world went on even though she was in misery. She shook the metal bars over the window. Gilded cage, she thought. She 92

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thought of the birds that threw themselves against bars of their cages until they died. It wouldn’t be that easy for her. She would have to bide her time and find her freedom another way. “Those bars ain’t going nowhere, honey.” The soft voice from the room made her whirl around. The lamp flickered, and she saw the hand that worked the lamp before the room was flooded with light. It belonged to none other than Mari. She had never met the duplicitous woman who had helped frame Simon, but from his description, she knew the woman instantly. Delight had never felt rage like she did at that very moment. The urge to scratch the woman’s face until she drew blood was more tempting with each passing minute. “What do you want?” Delight asked, unsuccessfully trying to squelch the rage building in her. “I wanted to see who William picked to replace me in his bed.” Mari took a pull from a cigarette attached to a sleek gold holder. “Trust me, I don’t want to be in his bed, let alone anywhere near him,” Delight ground out. “It doesn’t matter what you want, little girl. William always gets what he goes after,” Mari pointed out. “Look how he got poor Simon.” “Don’t you dare speak his name!” Delight spat out. Mari’s eyes flashed. “He was as much mine as yours, little girl. You think just because he lay between your legs, you were the first woman he had? I taught him how real women took a man like him!” Delight laughed. “You are such a liar. Simon never touched you. He told me so himself. The guys at the bar laughed when he said he would rather fuck a mossy hole in a rock than go anywhere near you. I may be a little girl to your eyes, but a man like Simon never took another man’s woman, and you hated that he wouldn’t touch you. He knew how you spread your legs to get where you are. And you still think he would want you?” Mari rose with deadly intent in her eyes, and Delight stepped up. “Come on, I dare you to hit me. I’ve been looking for someone to kill all day. I want William’s head, but yours will do.”

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Mari hesitated and then sat back down to take another drag off her cigarette. “I’ll leave William to break you.” Delight began to think fast. “But you don’t want that, do you, Mari? You think as soon as he has me, you’ll be out the door, right?” She didn’t expect to hear the woman’s honest response. “He already told me he is getting a house for me in Missouri, right on the river, so I can see the steamboats. I know William, and he more than likely means a shack with just enough to get by.” Mari laughed. “What could I expect? He’s cheap just as much as he is ruthless. So why would I want to give up all I have, hmm? Silver Springs is my home. You have no right to take it from me! I’m his wife, you know. No one knows that. He hides it too well. But he belongs to me. He took me from my daddy’s home as a teenager. William likes them young. My father is rich, and he would never dare hurt me enough for me to send word to my family. If he sends me to Missouri, I’ll make my father skin him alive. Leaving me for some Negro girl—you can’t have what’s mine!” Delight listened to her ramble on, thinking Mari was just as crazy as William. Why would she stay with a man who had open intentions of cheating on her and was so very ruthless? Delight remembered some of the women who came to the house where her parents were servants before they were set free. A lot of them were beaten by their husbands but would never leave. It was then she knew that Mari feared being alone more than the evil intent of the man she was secretly married to. “Is everyone in this dang town crazy? Do I look like I want anything from William Bonaparte?” she asked. “He took my parents and Simon. I want him dead. But maybe, just maybe, we can help each other out.” Mari didn’t want to be intrigued, but Delight could see interest on her face. She was not surprised when the woman asked, “What do you mean?” “You know everything about William. I’m sure he talks to you about his business in bed. You’re married. Claim your right as such. He’ll spend some time trying to figure a way out. It can give me enough time to escape, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

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“He won’t let you escape. The man’s cock is hard to have you, and no other man will dare to even look at you,” Mari replied. “What will you do in return for me?” “Then tell him he can look all he wants, but he can’t touch me. I’ll sing in the downstairs. I’ll dress up and sing for my supper if you keep him off me until I can get away, and when I do, I’ll disappear,” Delight swore. “You have my word.” “You could have a worse life, you know. Some of my soiled doves make enough to buy their own land and house. Men pay a lot of money to get between a woman’s legs. With you being a darkie, we could make a lot of money together.” “That what you call them, soiled doves?” Delight stared at her in disbelief. “It’s still whoring, and it’s not going to be me. You must be mad. Like you said, I’m a darkie. Any profit made would be for you. No one is going to let me buy land, and I’m sure as hell not going to be a whore. It’s worse than being a slave. My offer is what I said. Help me, and I’ll be outta your hair.” Mari stared at her thoughtfully. “He can’t kill me. My daddy is from Texas. He knows anything happens to me, he’ll have to explain to him. They hang first and ask questions after.” Delight felt her hope rise. Simon wouldn’t want her to give up, so she didn’t intend to. She would get away from this hopeless prison and continue with her plan. She would be in a place where she could mourn for Simon without the constant threat of hatred or being William’s whore looming over her head. “With me gone, your life will be the same as before.” Delight pushed on, knowing that she had found an unlikely ally. “You’ve held on to these cards for too long. It’s time to show William what grit you’re made of.” “We’ll have to play it slow and bide our time carefully.” Mari stood. “I’ve been here far too long, and people will start to wonder where I am. I’ll send clothes up tomorrow, and by Friday you’ll be singing in the saloon.” Delight watched as Mari stepped out of the room. Before she closed the door, she pulled her corset down and fixed the ruffles of her skirt. Mari 95

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flicked her fan, and it moved furiously even though her wrist never seemed to move. She’d hoped that the door would be left unlocked by her new counterpart. The key turning in the lock dashed her hopes to the rocks, yet she saw a ray of sunshine in all this. She would escape, and before she set foot out of Silver Springs, Delight vowed she would slit William’s throat, if she could, for Simon. I’ll kill him for Simon. **** Raw pain, it was so fierce and burning through his belly as he flew without wings, and then in his lungs as he swallowed water. He knew that it was because of Delight knocking Jake aside that the bullet had pierced his belly and not his heart. He tried to fight against the current sweeping him to the Rio Grande. He grabbed at rocks, but couldn’t keep hold on their slippery, jagged edges. The current bashed him around like a washrag in a bucket. He finally caught hold of a root and wrapped his arm into the rotten edge to hold on against the angry waters that tried to sweep him away. He looked down at his belly and watched as his blood colored the river. He was bleeding badly, and he could feel his body weakening. Simon fought to pull himself onto the banks, but the rocks hampered him. His weakness sent him back into the foamy caps, but luckily his arms were still caught in the roots. Simon closed his eyes, promising to try again in a few minutes after he rested. Too tired, he thought while he felt the darkness start to swirl into his mind. Delight, my Delight. Her face flashed into his thoughts before the felt the word fall away, and then there was . . . nothing. “Get him out of there. Cut the damn roots away.” Dreaming. He felt his body being lifted, and a sharp twinge of pain, but Simon kept his eyes closed, happy to be wherever he was. “Damn bullet’s buried deep. We’re going to have to dig it outta him. Lucky bastard should be happy he is unconscious through this.” He heard the voice mutter the words and didn’t care until he felt the gutwrenching pain as something pierced his flesh and then probed around his insides. The scream that escaped his lips was agonizing even to his own ears. 96

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His body thrashed wildly while someone yelled, “Pin him down!” He was pressed back as if he was in a vise while the torturer continued his pain. “Ah, got it!” He felt the bliss of having whatever it was being pulled from his wound, only to feel the pain as something hot was pressed onto this skin, causing him to scream again. “Pour some whiskey down his gullet, and let’s hope he’s not bleeding inside or infection don’t kill him.” The liquid lit a trail of fire down his raw throat just like the heat on his skin. It instantly made him woozy, and he thanked God when he fell into the darkness again. Simon didn’t know how much time passed. He heard bits and pieces, snippets of sentences, and fell into distressing dreams. He could see Delight’s face filled with terror before he tumbled over the ridge. He saw William’s evil smirk of happiness, and his hands holding Delight to his side, swim before his eyes. But it was the other dreams that made him cry out and claw to the surface of reality. Dreams of Delight calling out for him, begging him to come back from the brink of death. He’d come up, open his eyes, fighting to stay in that moment in time, only to be dragged back again to the depth of his misery. His body was racked with fevers, so much so that whatever he lay on felt like the thorns of a cactus. More than once he felt water on his skin, trying to cool him down, only to be burned away again by his heated skin. There was no peace in the blackness, only her face, eyes filled with tears, her lips crying out his name. This time when he cried out and he opened his eyes, the light hurt his gaze. He was able to focus and see he was in a room, but where? Hollow footsteps echoed outside before he heard the sound of a door open with a loud creak of the hinges. “Fucking you better keep your eyes open this time. I’m tired of being your nursemaid.” Clem’s voice was a familiar sound and one that filled him with relief. Simon’s voice rasped out when he spoke. “I’m tired of you throwing water on me, you fool. Where the hell am I?”

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“You’re in Copperhead, a little room that Delight built in the cellar for hidin’,” Clem answered. “Delight . . . where is she?” Simon asked, hoping that she had managed to escape. “By the time we got back to you, William had her,” Clem explained. “We barely managed to fish you out of the damn drink and patch you up before you’ve been burning with fever.” “How long?” Simon closed his eyes and waited for the response, the pain in his heart far worse than in the bones in his body knowing that Delight was in William’s clutches. “A week now.” Clem sighed and sat heavy in the chair. “We’ve been hiding you for a week, pretending we didn’t know what happened or that William had her. Saying we don’t care when we do. But some of these bastards in Desert Gulch would sell their momma for the price of a shot of whiskey. We can’t let anyone know you’re here in case they go to Silver Springs and spill their guts.” “So no one knows how or where she is?” Simon asked. “Jackal went into town, and you know the Indian in him. He’s a sneaky fucker, that one is. He saw Delight. They got her singing in the saloon. Dressed real fancy, but he said she was crying onstage.” Clem shook his head. “Later that night, William tried to go to her room, and she pitched a fit something fierce until his mistress was called. She is trying to hold her own, but God knows how long she can keep him at bay, or before he gets tired and tries to make her a whore.” Simon sat up, and pain racked his body. He didn’t care. He was going to go after Delight and bring her home. The thought of William trying to touch her was more than he could bear. He would kill the man. He would destroy the whole damn town to get her back. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going, Boothe?” Clem stood and tried to put him back in bed. “I’m going to go dance a cancan,” Boothe snorted and slapped his hand away. “Where do you think I’m going but to go get my fucking woman and kill a bastard or two, if I can find Jace. That’s my plan.” 98

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“You ain’t in no damn condition to go anywhere. We gotta be smart about this, boy!” Clem replied. “And leave her there? Is that what you want me to do?” Simon swallowed, his throat dry from being at death’s door and from emotion he could barely contain. “William will defile her if he gets the chance, Jace too. He has no damn scruples. I can’t leave her to that. I have to save her.” “I’m not saying to leave her there, but to play it smart. Let’s get you one hundred percent, and let’s get a plan!” Clem said. “Sit your ass back, or I’m going to get Jackal to come sit on you until you get some reason in your head. Think, boy, if we do this right, we can kill two nasty buzzards with one stone. I care about her too, but patience can sometimes be a virtue.” “Yeah? Time may be running out for her,” Simon muttered and fought weakly to stand again. “Don’t call me ‘boy.’ I’ll have to punch you.” “Yeah, how about you wait until you get your strength back before you try taking me on? I’ll send Jackal to keep an eye out until we’re ready to strike,” Clem promised. “If he sees anything foul, he’ll warn us big-time, and we can go in guns blazing.” Simon nodded. “You tell him not to dare close an eye when he is watching her, or I’ll skin him myself.” Clem nodded. “Lay back and rest. I’ll bring you some food, and if you can keep that down, we’ll go from there.” Simon lay back as Clem left the room shaking his head. As soon as the door closed, he tried to get up and felt some of the skin trying to heal over his wound tear, and pain ached in his side. He touched the spot and looked at his fingers, seeing his blood staining his hand red. Great, Clem will be happy to see that, he thought and then also thought of the pain it would cause when they closed it up again. He felt a rag on the floor and pressed it against his side, knowing he would catch hell when Clem returned. Nothing mattered. He didn’t care if he bled to death in the desert, just as long as Delight was safe when he did it. William, you’re a dead man, he vowed silently. Simon closed his eyes and willed his body to heal faster and prayed for more strength. He was alive for a reason, and he would bring hellfire and brimstone to William Bonaparte. Hold on, Delight baby, I’m coming. 99

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Chapter Nine “This is for the love of my life, Simon Boothe, who was gunned down,” Delight said, and the crowd shuffled uncomfortably. She started each night that way, challenging William and his men with her words, but no one ever stopped her. She planned to say it every night before she sang and let them know she would never forgive nor allow them to forget. “I’ll be waiting, next to the river, with my arms open wide. For my love across the water to be at my side.” Delight crooned the words, and all the while the rowdy crowd was silent. They usually were when she sang. Delight refused to sing any bar songs or whorish ditties to rile them up. When she stepped onto the small stage, she held her head high and sang regally. At first some of the men rushed the stage, trying to grab her. She lifted her skirt high enough to kick one in the face, and then Jace beat the other men to a pulp before announcing she was William’s property. She hated that even more, especially when Jace looked at her with obvious lust in his eyes. She could see his mind working on a way to see if he could have her as well. Delight hoped that Mari could keep them both away until she could make her escape. Each hour that passed, she was in more and more danger. While she sang, she recalled Mari’s conversation with William that had essentially taken the wind from his sails. She’d heard them and listened with silent anticipation. She’d met him in front of Delight’s locked door with a sour tone. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Stay out of my business, Mari,” William warned. “Or what, William? You’ll beat me in bed? Go ahead. I might like it,” Mari challenged. “Or you might have this thought that it would be better if there are three of us in our bed. I’ll have none of it! You will not touch her. Over my dead body.” “That can be arranged.” Delight heard the deadly tone in William’s voice, and her heart leapt. Mari might be a manipulative bitch, but she didn’t want her death on her hands. 100

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“I’m sure it could, William honey, but then you’d have to explain it to my family in Texas,” Mari said sweetly. “Remember them? I don’t think you’ve thought about the hanging judge my daddy is and his fondness of letting you know if anything happens to me how he will react. Yes, I can see you remember him.” Delight couldn’t help but grin when she pictured William’s face at those words. She pressed her ear to the door to hear the rest of the conversation. “Delight, your little chocolate prize, will be singing in the saloon,” Mari continued. “You will not touch her, none of your men either, and you’ll come home to my bed each night, where you belong.” Delight jumped back when she heard a slap and knew that William had struck his wife. “How dare you tell me what I can and cannot do!” The fury in his voice was evident. Mari didn’t back down. “I’ll dare as much as I like, and you will do as I say. If you ever hit me again or if anything ever happens to me, a letter will be sent out to my father. He’ll have his men drag your carcass back to Texas in a day, and you’ll meet his hanging tree.” “Mari, sweetheart—” William began speaking as if he could smooth her ruffled feathers, but she was having none of it and cut him off. “Don’t, William. This can’t be fixed with sweet words,” Mari said. “I’m a proud woman and took a lot from you over the years. I will not take this, not with her, not with anyone.” She heard the footfalls of the heels of her shoes as she walked away. The key began to turn in the lock, and she moved quickly to sit on the bed, only to be hauled up against William roughly when he entered the room angry as hell. When he pressed his lips against hers hard and tried to stick his tongue in her mouth, she fought like a tiger and bit his lip. He pushed her back, and she fell against the bed. He pressed his hand to his lip and looked to see if he was bleeding in the mirror. “Do you think this is going to stop me? I know you heard her out there giving me orders,” William snarled. “I will find a way around her. Trust me, I will. You will be mine.” 101

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“Over my dead body!” Delight replied. “What is with y’all women and trying to talk back to me?” he asked, amazed, and then he gave her a deadly stare. Delight knew he was not kidding when he spoke again. “If I can’t have you, no one will. I’ll kill you.” He stomped out the door, and that was a week ago. Since then she’d sung in the saloon, and each night she felt William’s eyes on her. Johnny watched her too, from the corner, each night. A few times he tried to smile at her, and she cut him down with a cold, deadly stare. Now he just kept his eyes downcast, glancing up occasionally with sadness written all over his face. He was more of an outcast than anyone else here. He didn’t belong, and there was no way he could go back to Desert Gulch. He would be skinned alive for ratting out the men there, so his punishment would be forever having to watch for a bullet to the back. Her song ended, and there were a few claps, same as always, because the men were deathly afraid to even look at her while William was in the room. She looked to where Johnny usually sat, and the seat was empty. Probably went to lay with dogs, she thought cruelly. It was because of him that Simon was dead. “You think you’re going to be safe forever?” Jace caught her arm as she headed back to her room for the night. “If William is too afraid to take you, I’ll take ya. You’ve gotta be sweet for Boothe to react so crazy over you. I’ll be slipping my cock into that sweet, singing mouth of yours, and other places.” Delight listened to him calmly, not afraid of his threat. “You know, I really want you to try so I can bite it off and spit it in your face.” Jace shook her roughly. “Bitch, I’ll kill you if you do.” Delight caught him unawares and brought her knee up to his groin. When he dropped, wheezing in pain and trying to grab her, she stepped on his hand. “I’m so sick of being threatened by all of you. If you’re going to kill me, do it or shut the fuck up.” She made sure to step on the same hand as she walked away to head upstairs to her room. Mari stepped from the shadows when she was at her door. 102

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“I saw that downstairs. You’d better figure out a way to get out of here sooner rather than later,” Mari said. “I know William enough to know that he is about ready to snap, and I wouldn’t mess with Jace if I was you.” “I’m thinking on it,” Delight muttered. “Well think faster,” Mari replied as Delight stepped into the room and pressed the key into her hand. “You better take this and lock it from the inside from now on. If I get up and don’t see you in here, it will be a welcome surprise.” Delight didn’t say anything when she closed the door, but being able to control that one barrier made her feel ultimately better. She would begin watching who was on guard at night downstairs, even if it meant smiling a little and staying downstairs longer. It was about time she took her life back and escaped the hell she was in. It was only these times when she was alone in the room she would let the pain of losing Simon hit her. Tears fell, and she whispered his name, trying to recall his smell and hoping to catch a phantom whiff of him in the air. She wished she believed in ghosts. Then maybe he would come to her and smile that way that made her heart catch, just once, to let her know he was okay on the other side and that he’d be waiting for her. A small knock on her door took her from her moment of reverie and made her frown. She unlocked it and saw Johnny shuffling nervously on the other side. “What the hell do you want?” she snapped. “Delight, I-I’m sorry.” “For what, exactly? Betraying me, getting Simon killed, or selling out the men that looked out for you in Desert Gulch?” He looked around. “Lower your voice. I’m sorry for all of it, okay! I’m here to help you escape. There’s a back way outta here, and I have a horse waiting for you. Head back to the outlaw town, grab what you need, and get gone.” “Why should I trust you? You might end up kidnapping me yourself, and then I’d be in another hell,” she said warily.

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Johnny sighed. “You trusted me before, and I won’t be going with you, okay? One horse, one rider, that’s you. I’ll try to hold them off as long as I can when they see you’ve gone.” “Let me change—” “No, now. Change when you are back at home.” Johnny grabbed her hand and practically pulled her down the hall. “Tell the guys I’m sorry I did what I did.” “Where will you go?” Delight couldn’t help but ask. There would always be suspicion it was him who had helped her. “I’ll probably head to Oklahoma or California. There’s nuthin’ here for me anymore,” Johnny replied. He opened the door and looked outside. “Come on. The coast is clear, and the horse is right where I left it.” They stepped outside into the night, and Delight couldn’t help but take a breath. The air smelled sweet, and this was the first time she had actually been out of the saloon since she’d been brought there. She held on to the uncomfortable skirts and petticoats, lifting them high about her calves. These were not clothes she was accustomed to, and she tried to keep them from tangling between her legs as she moved. Just as they got to the horse, a figure stepped out of the building’s shadow, and the cruel smile on Jace’s face effectively took away any hopes she had of getting free. “Hmm, out for a night stroll?” he said. Johnny pushed her behind his back. “Leave her be. She ain’t meant to be here.” “Who are you to decide that, you big, stupid bag of taters?” Jace snapped. “She’s William’s property.” “Step aside. D-D-Don’t make me shoot you,” Johnny stammered. Jace’s grin grew wider. “I wanna see this. Draw, country boy. Let’s see what you got.” “Johnny, no!” Delight gasped, and then another set of hands grabbed her while she struggled. Jace had brought more men with him. Johnny was not one for subversive tactics, so of course they probably knew what he was up to from the time he’d left the barstool. 104

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The man pulled her back while the men squared off with hands poised over the handles of their guns. Johnny was outmatched. There was no doubt about it. Even she could tell when he was about to draw his weapon. Jace’s hand moved with lightning speed, and the shot rang out into the night. People began to call out and run their way while her eyes watched Johnny fall to his knees and then onto his side, his lifeless eyes staring at her and the bullet hole dead center of his forehead. A few tears trickled from her eyes as Jace was clapped on his back and another hope of escape was dashed onto the rocks. They would watch her even closer than ever, and she didn’t know how much longer she could stand under that roof, waiting until the time was right for escape. She passed William, and he gave her a cocky look, one that said, I won again, and she wanted to claw his face. She was taken to another room, one which was decorated considerably less than the one she was initially in. It seemed that William thought she needed to be punished by being in sparser living quarters. She didn’t care. She was accustomed to living in lesser conditions. Delight almost tore the fancy dress from her skin and stayed in the camisole beneath. She pulled the blankets up to her neck and waited for sleep to claim her. The sun was rising on the horizon before she finally closed her eyes, but her dreams were plagued with images of Simon and the dead eyes of Johnny staring up at her. **** “Johnny’s dead.” Clem stepped into the room, and Simon looked up as he spoke. He couldn’t say he felt sorry for the man who sold them out, but he still had to ask, “Who killed him?” “Jackal just got back from Silver Springs. He said Jace killed him when he was trying to help Delight escape. Not even a real plan, a horse, and he was hoping to just ride outta town, the big idiot,” Clem explained. Simon heard Delight’s name and felt his heart ache. “Is Delight . . . is she okay? Did Jackal see her?” 105

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“Yeah, he saw her, and she looks fine. They moved her to a different room,” Clem replied. “How is he so close he can see all that?” Simon wondered about the silent man Jackal he’d only met a few times. “The man’s part Arapaho. He got raised by them. God knows what they taught him.” “Get him and Joe together. We’re going after Delight in two days’ time,” Simon announced. “Don’t even say wait, because that’s not an option anymore.” Clem nodded. “Wasn’t planning on it. We’ll come down after the bar closes.” Simon watched him leave the room and got up to stretch his muscles. His side still felt sore, but was healing nicely. He’d regained most of his strength, but not all of it, and all the while he was almost a prisoner downstairs of the bar. Just like Delight. There wasn’t a day, hour, or minute that she wasn’t on his mind. He fought Clem tooth and nail to go get Delight, but the older man was just as ornery and stubborn. Simon wasn’t going anywhere until he was good and healed and not getting them all killed, he was told more than once. He anticipated getting her back, tasting her lips, kissing her until they both couldn’t breathe. He relished the thought of putting William in the ground, along with Jace and whoever else tried to stop him from getting his woman back. Clem had brought down water and stuff for him to shave. He ran his hands over the beard that had grown over his chin and cheeks while he was injured. There was no way she would be seeing him like this. With the bandage around his middle, he went to the cracked mirror and began to clean himself up. “Your account has come due, Bonaparte,” he murmured to no one, but anticipation filled his core. He was going after the woman he loved and bringing her home.

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Chapter Ten They waited until Desert Gulch got quiet before they headed out. To Simon, the silence was almost deathly, and even the wind blowing didn’t seem to make a sound when it came through the rocky hills that surrounded the outlaw town. The usual drunks were singing themselves to sleep in the ditch, and everything felt deserted. He knew it was far from the truth, but tonight it felt as if everyone in the town was averting their eyes from the main street. If they don’t see, they don’t know anything. Simon knew it was selfpreservation on their part in case they were questioned. Clem may have felt they got him into the town without anyone knowing. Simon doubted that was the case. Even so, as they rode out, he pulled the collar up on his dark trench coat and kept his hat lowered over his eyes. If anyone was around, he would be another dark, nameless figure who just passed through the town. He didn’t dare presume that everyone was on their side. A lone rider could hightail out of Desert Gulch and hit town from another direction to warn William and his people before they even got there. So he would take every precaution to ensure they were set up and unseen by the time the sun came up. Everything needed to happen without a hitch to ensure the outcome he needed and to get Delight back into his arms. On horseback it was him, Clem, and Joe, and he held the reins of Delight’s own horse. Jackal had ridden back out to take his position on the roof across from the saloon in Silver Springs. When they reached the outskirts of town, they left their horses tied behind a stand of rocks, hidden from view, and snuck in on foot. Jackal spotted them easily as they moved in the shadows, and they headed in that direction. The three of them used the wooden trellis on the back of the building to reach where their silent spotter was. “Any updates?” Simon asked as he squatted down beside Jackal. The night wind had a chill, yet Jackal was only wearing a leather waistcoat on his thick shoulders. Even though he was only half Arapaho Indian, that part of his personality seemed to be one he was most comfortable in. Even 107

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the fringes of his buckskin pants carried the beads and charms of his people, and he wore jackal claws on his hat. When Jackal spoke, his voice had a deep timbre, and Simon didn’t have to strain to hear. “Everything is quiet. Bonaparte and his woman headed to his house around one. His man Jace is on guard, if you can call it that. He is upstairs in his room with two of the whores and happy where he’s at.” “We got the dynamite and the fuses ready for our little distraction.” Clem put the bag in between them so they could all see his version of surprise. “Who’s watching Delight?” Simon asked. He peered over the side of the building, looking at the saloon. “Which room is she in?” Jackal pointed. “The one with the light still in the window. She don’t sleep much. When she sings, it’s downright pitiful. No clue who’s watching her door, but no one is behind the building watching the window.” “I’m going down there,” Simon said firmly. “Dang blast it, Simon, don’t be crazy!” Clem sputtered out, exasperated. Simon turned his dark stare on Clem. “You say that like I was asking permission. I’m going to her.” “We can’t take her now. They come at eight every morning to bring her breakfast. They see her gone, our plan is over before it even begins,” Jackal said. “I’m not going to whisk her away, but goddamn it, she needs to know I’m alive and we’re here to rescue her!” Simon ground out. “She has to be losing hope, and I’m not going to let her lie there one more night thinking that no one is coming for her and she has to rescue herself. She’s fought for everything she has in life. It’s about time she knows she’s not alone!” Jackal nodded. “I’ll keep you covered from up here. If anyone comes a’sniffing, I’ll put an arrow in ’em.” “I still don’t like it, but yeah, the gal needs to know we’re here,” Clem said grudgingly. Simon directed his glance to Joe. “Do you have anything to add?” “Yeah, why ain’t you down there already?” Joe smirked. Simon grinned. “I’m on my way, you old coyote.”

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He crouched low so that no one passing on the street could see him on the roof. He climbed down the same way he had gotten up, and he heard the gravel crunch beneath his boots. He stayed close to the walls of the building where his friends were stationed keeping watch and came around the other side. There was going to be a quick dash across the street to get to the saloon. Luckily, the glass lanterns were running out of oil, and the light was dim. He made the move with precision speed and stopped in the dark shadow of the building. Simon climbed up the vine-covered trellis and felt the wood bend beneath his feet. Fuck, don’t let this rotted wood break now, he thought. It would be just his luck that the shitty building upkeep would be the thing that caused him to break his back and not reach Delight. He peered in the window and saw her lying on her side, facing away from him. Maybe she’s asleep. But then he saw her shaking her foot. She did that when she was upset or agitated. Knowing her, she was thinking of a way to escape while she lay there. It made Simon smile. She looked good, even from behind, and it fully hit him how much he missed her. They could never break her spirit. If he was gone or not, Delight would find a way to be free. Simon tapped on the window, and she rolled over to stare at the glass warily. Her eyes widened when she saw his face, and he waved her to come over. She rolled out of bed hesitantly, and disbelief was written all over her face. Each step she took was slow, hesitant, and he pressed his hand over the glass. Delight placed her hand right over his on the other side of the barrier and stared into his eyes. “You’re dead.” Her words were muffled by the closed window, but he still managed to hear them. Instead of talking and drawing attention to himself, Simon shook his head in denial and mouthed the words “I love you.” That was when she began frantically to try to lift the window. It didn’t have bars, but they had nailed it shut. Tears were streaming down her face. She pulled at the barrier in frustration, and he felt his building as well. He wanted to break that glass and take her into his arms. Restraining himself from doing that was torture, and he didn’t want her to make a peep in her haste to be with him. He

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tapped on the window and caught her attention, shaking his head to let her know it was useless. Delight was not going to be deterred from her task. She moved back, and he saw her eyes searching the room for something she could use. In the end she broke one of the flattened bars on the old bed free from the headboard, pushing and pulling until it loosened and broke. She came back to the window and placed the flattened piece under each nail and used the hard metal to pry the nails from the wood. The person who’d nailed it shut didn’t think she would have gotten them free, so there were only four nails in the wood. Delight made fast work of them and in minutes was sliding the window open. He stuck his head though the window, and she fell to her knees, kissing him everywhere her lips could find. He tasted her tears that flowed freely when their lips met in a deep kiss. It was too long to be away from her. She finally stepped back so he could get into the room. While he climbed in, she had the presence of mind to brace a chair under the doorknob so no one could get in. Simon closed the window behind him and doused the lamp next to the bed. In an instant she was in his arms, and he devoured her lips in a searing kiss like a man dying of thirst who had just found water. “I thought you were dead. I saw you get shot, and you fell, and I . . . Then you were gone, and I felt so alone,” she whispered frantically between sobs and kisses. Simon felt her shaking and pulled her to sit on the bed before her knees buckled. “I almost was. Clem and those guys backtracked, got me out of the water, and patched me up.” Simon caressed her cheek and pulled her close. “I would have been here sooner, but my wound was bad, got infected, and I was in and out of consciousness. As soon as I knew where I was, I wanted to come get you.” Simon gave a soft, husky laugh. “That Clem is an ornery one and forced me to stay in bed and heal before we could come get you.” “I’m going to kiss the daylights out of that man,” she whispered and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Oh, Simon I love you so much. I was about ready to die when I thought you were gone. But I’ve been fighting to find a way to escape. I’ll change, and we can get the hell out of this town.” 110

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“No, sweetie, you can’t leave right now.” She looked at him with those wide chocolate brown eyes, imploring him to take the words back. Simon spoke before she could voice her refusal of the idea. “Baby, this has to end. Don’t you see, sweetheart? If we just run, William will always be on our tails, and we will never be able to breathe easy,” Simon said. “This ends tomorrow, and then we can leave this place forever. We have to finish what we started.” “I just want to be with you. I don’t care about anything else. Let him chase us. We’ll fight him every time,” Delight said. “Don’t you see, darlin’? The rest of our lives can’t be a fight. What if we have kids? I want us to be able to walk in the world, whether it be Canada or across the sea. We will be able to do it without being a target never again, okay, so just a little longer, sweetheart.” “All right.” She took a deep breath and repeated the word before whispering, “Don’t leave yet. Stay just a little bit longer, please. Knowing you’re out there, I don’t want to be by myself, a few more minutes, please.” The room was dark, and they talked in hushed voices. The door barred anyone coming in, and his guys watched from the rooftop outside. He could see no reason not to hold her just a little longer to make her secure. Simon wasn’t afraid to admit he needed the very same thing. The days, hours, and minutes that they were apart, him wondering if she was okay, came to his mind in a rush, and he pulled her to him and buried his face in her neck. He inhaled her scent and kissed the sensitive skin where her pulse beat and felt her shiver. Her fingers combed through his hair. “I love you, Simon. I love you so much.” He lifted his head to look at her. Even in the darkened room, he could see tears glistening in her eyes. He kissed her, and she opened her mouth willingly beneath his, and he buried his tongue inside her mouth. She tasted sweeter than he remembered. It felt like months had passed since he last kissed her instead of over a week. Her hands went under his shirt and caressed his skin before stopping at the tender skin of his scar. Her fingers 111

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played over it, and she gasped in his mouth. Simon kissed her harder to drown out the thought of what she had seen, the pain she had felt as William took her away. Her insistent fingers moved over the buttons of his shirt, opening them one at a time. We shouldn’t do this, not now, he thought. But the sound of her tiny moans under his kiss as his hands caressed her fueled a need inside him that demanded to be quenched. Delight wore only a tiny camisole, and he pushed the straps down her arms to cup her smooth, full breast. She pushed against his hand feverishly, silently asking for more. He broke their kiss and trailed kisses down her cheek to her ear, nipping the lobe before whispering, “Baby, we have to be quiet.” She cupped the hard bulge in his pants, and Simon bit back a groan. “They don’t check on me at night. William thinks you’re dead and they are safe. Don’t make me wait. I need you now. You came for me when I was all alone. Please, I just want you so much.” Her words were his undoing. Simon stood and stripped his clothes, and they dropped where he stood. His eyes never left her while she took the light fabric of the camisole from her body, and he made a sound when he saw the lacy, almost see-through underthings she wore beneath. “Who gave you those to put on?” Simon felt anger rise to mix with his desire. “They were with the things that I had to wear at night,” she explained. He could see her chocolate skin peeking out from between the dark red lace that was on her stomach and covered her hips, going between her legs. It was shorter than the kind of bloomers the saloon girls wore with their garters. They were created so when the girls danced and kicked, men could see more skin. These had to be something different that William had ordered from far away. It was meant to seduce, and Simon knew that William thought he would get to see her like this. He wanted what Simon had, to see Delight with bare breasts and wearing sexy scraps of material to titillate him. The thought made a wave of hatred wash over him. Simon never thought he could hate anyone with such intensity until William Bonaparte. She must’ve seen the dark expression on his face because she began to untie the satin strings on her hips. 112

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“I’m sorry. I’ll take them off,” she whispered as he stepped closer. Simon stilled her hands. “No, darlin’, it’s not you. It’s the thought of William wanting to put his hands on you and touch you. Leave them on, because no other man will be able to ever see you like this but me.” “Never.” She echoed his words. Their lips met in tender kisses and clung to each other as Delight moved to the bed and pulled Simon to cover her body. When he settled between her soft thighs, he sighed in satisfaction. This was where he was meant to be. Their gazes met, and Simon wanted to stare at her forever. She bit her lip each time her hips rose and met his hard cock. Even with the barrier of her panties, Simon felt the surge of pleasure from her movements. He lowered his lips to the peak of her breast and took her nipple into his mouth. She gasped and held his head to her, and he sucked one hard bead before taking more of the globe into his mouth. Her hand reached between them to grab his cock to stroke him. He muffled his groan against her skin. Trying to be quiet was difficult when passion infused them, but it made each touch and caress even more intense. He pulled her hand away from his rod and kissed his way down her body. Simon kissed her pussy through the scrap of material covering her, and she shuddered. He pressed his tongue against her clit, and she bucked. He could feel the netted pattern of the lace on his tongue and understood it caused extra friction on her snatch. He could taste her essence as it flowed, and she writhed under the onslaught of his mouth. Simon felt his frustration growing. He wanted the sensitive skin of her pussy on his tongue. With deft fingers he untied the satin bows and cast the skimpy fabric aside in one smooth motion. He buried his mouth against her pussy and delved his tongue inside her. She buried her hands in his hair and arched against his seeking lips wantonly. He cast his gaze up to her face. Her neck was arched, and her lips were parted as silent cries and panting breath was expelled. They couldn’t make a sound, so he took the cues from her body, the way her hips rose in rhythm faster as her climax built, until she stilled and strained against his mouth while she came and her essences flowed.

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They should have been quick and taken only a small amount of pleasure to sustain them until they could be together in safely. Simon couldn’t do that. It wasn’t possible when making love with Delight. He wanted it all, and if William’s men burst in with guns drawn at that very moment, he doubted he would be capable of stopping. He settled himself beside her and took her lips in a kiss, penetrating her mouth with his tongue like he had done a second earlier to her pussy. His hands were between her legs. He stimulated her clit with his finger once more. She wrenched her mouth away from his to whisper pleas into his ears, “Simon, take me. Do it. I need to feel you inside me.” “Not yet, I want you to come again,” Simon murmured. She was so wet, his finger slipped against her aroused flesh easily. He dipped his finger inside her, and she pulled her hips against his hands with a frantic pace. He removed his fingers, and she grabbed his hand to stop him. Giving in to her demand, he slipped two long fingers inside her, and she bit the skin of his shoulder to stop from screaming. Delight spread her legs wider to accommodate the deep penetration of his fingers. He could hear the sounds her wetness made against his hand each time he invaded her tightness. He covered her mouth with his before her scream could escape as she came. Simon couldn’t wait anymore. He fit himself between her legs and felt the soft skin of her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his hips. He plunged himself inside her and closed his eyes while the sensations assaulted him. This was the kind of pain he could live with, the sweet, pleasurable tremors that filled his body each time he took her. He filled her again and again, deeper with each thrust. Her hips rose to meet him, and their lips clung in a desperate kiss. He wanted to take it fast, pound himself inside her until he could roar his pleasure to the world. He was with the woman who held his heart, and they would survive everything together. Even in the midst of his lust, he knew he needed to show some control so that his presence would not be known. So he filled her with slow thrusts, their bodies coated with a fine sheen of sweat and glistening in the moonlight that spilled into the room from the window. The sweet ache slowly built until she convulsed 114

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in his arms as her orgasm took hold, and he followed suit, spilling his seed deep into her body. They lay together for as long as they could, holding on to each other to make up for the time they were apart. Too soon, but he knew it was time for him to leave. He had already been there too long, and the three men on the opposite roof had to be getting antsy. He levered himself up off the bed with one final kiss and began to dress quickly. Delight lay there for a moment, watching him until she got up and put the camisole on to cover her nakedness. He couldn’t help the disappointment seeing her covered, but smiled knowing that very soon they would be together for good. “We’ll be hitting the town hard in the morning, high noon. I want to make sure William is here,” Simon explained. “I’ll be coming for you, sweetheart, and we’re leaving this place together.” Delight nodded and whispered, “I love you.” “I love you, Delight, more than words could ever say.” Simon cupped her face. “You understand why we have to do it this way, right? It’s not just about vengeance anymore. We have to make sure these men are held accountable for all they did, that when we leave Silver Springs, the people here can put someone honest in charge.” “I understand you. Just be safe, and no more getting shot,” she said in a fierce, low voice. “Or I’ll kick your ass myself.” Simon grinned and kissed her hard and handed her a knife from his pocket. “Understood, ma’am. You dropped this, and Joe picked it up from the ridge. Now keep your head down when we start raining hell.” She wrapped her hand around the handle of the weapon. “I’ll see you when it’s all over.” “Damn straight you will.” Simon climbed out the window and carefully found his footing on the shaky trellis. One more kiss and he moved with the quietness of a cat down to the rocky alley. She closed the window while he blended back into the darkness to get back to the rest of the crew. He moved across the roof and settled in next to the men, who said nothing about how long he took, but they all had a knowing look on their faces. 115

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“Cutting it a bit close there, ain’t ya?” Joe asked. “I knew I had three sets of eyes covering me. I took as much time that was needed.” He leaned his head back and put his hat over his eyes. “Damn kids are like horny rabbits,” Clem said under his breath, but Simon heard him fine. He grinned and closed his eyes, hoping to catch a quick nap. Tomorrow would be the endgame, and he fully intended to leave Silver Springs with Delight in his arms.

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Chapter Eleven Delight felt so nervous her palms were sweaty as she rubbed them against her pants. She got her old clothes from a chair in the corner of the room. Jace had thrown them there with a disgusting smirk when William had moved her. She loved the familiar feel of them as opposed to the itchy lace and ruffles she wore when she was in the saloon. Nothing could stop the excitement burning in her chest. Simon was alive. When she saw him at the window smiling, Delight couldn’t believe her eyes. She swore it was a ghost coming back to visit her from the grave. But to find out it was the man of flesh and blood was more than she could’ve asked for. Now she had to pretend she was still in mourning and keep the silly smile off her face. Just for a little bit longer. The ruse had to be in effect for the plan to work, and the element of surprise was key. She hid the bent nails and the piece of metal she had practically torn from the bed. When one of the saloon helpers brought in her meal, she told them she was sick and to tell Mari she couldn’t sing that day. The madam of the saloon of ill repute would probably come up to ask exactly what was going on later, so Delight made sure to tell the young girl, if she was asked why, to say it was her monthly time. Her eyes widened when that thought stuck in her head. When was the last time her monthlies had made an appearance? She tried to count the days in her head how her mother had taught her, and she came up with more than her usual schedule. Could I be . . . ? She pressed her hand against her stomach. There was no time to think about that now. It was almost noon, and soon the fireworks would begin. Please don’t let anyone come up here before that time, she begged silently. They usually didn’t bother her early in the day unless it was William in early to make lecherous advances or Jace to sneer about Simon being dead. Y’all won’t know what’s coming. She couldn’t help the angry happiness that she felt knowing that today was the last day these two men would walk the earth. She could hear the loud laughter downstairs and knew the man of the hour was in the establishment. It made her grit her teeth, him thinking he had won it all and crushed everyone under his shined boot. 117

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This was how the West was. Men lived and died by how fast their hand was to draw a gun or how smart they were to make a fortune. William had the cruelty, and Jace had the hand. Because of them, the town of Silver Springs held either frightened townspeople who couldn’t fight or criminals who worked for William. She hoped when it was done that one of them had the balls to stand up for their town and didn’t let anyone come in to take up the reign of terror. She hoped that by that time, she and Simon would be far away to start a new life. She heard the town clock strike once, and it made her heart jump. This was it! As it chimed twice, then three times, working its way up to twelve, she wondered when Simon and the men would strike. Delight had a sliver of fear work its way into her heart. Suppose they were caught? Eleven strikes and her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. The next sound was not her heartbeat in her ears, but a resounding boom that made the entire building shake. That’s when the chaos started. A series of explosions went off, and she could hear the screams of everyone from outside who was trying to run and the girls inside the saloon. She knew Simon and the others would take every care not to harm the people in the town. Delight could tell each explosion was to cause confusion with minimum loss of life. The outcome was to take out as many of William’s men as possible. She heard bullets being fired and then heavy footfalls outside her room and hoped it was Simon. Instead, when the door was thrown open, the angry face of Jace was what she saw. He grabbed her arm. “Damn little bitch, your gutter friends from that hole in the wall think they can save you. We’ll cut each one of those fuckers down.” Delight struggled against his viselike grip. “Those people are gentlemen and ladies compared to the low worm you are.” He slapped her across the mouth as he dragged her down the back stairs. “You think that your insults bother me. William is tired of waiting on you, and he said for me to take care of the problem. I’ll have you begging for mercy when this is all over. I might even let some of the dirtier men take you two at a time. Who knows what I might think up?” 118

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“Think so, huh? Simon won’t let that happen.” Delight almost fell as her foot slipped on the stairs. “Being alone has sent you crazy, girl. Your lover Simon is dead,” Jace said with a sneer. “Is he?” Delight shot back. “Who do you think is doing all this? He’s coming after you and William.” “Bullshit, girl, you’re talking crap. I saw him go over the ridge.” They were at the door that led out to the alley, the same one that Johnny had gotten killed going though trying to help her escape. “I saw him bleed, bitch, and I’m going to make sure you do too.” The door that led to the outside opened, and she could see people running around and smoke billowing from God knows where. “Where are you taking me?” Delight asked. She struggled as he dragged her moving away from the center of town. “Well if you think that your man is alive, he’ll have a vendetta against me, won’t he, and I don’t—” His words were cut off, and she looked up to see an arrow protruding from his neck. He fell to his knees still trying to clutch at her arm. She wrenched her arm away and stepped back, only to hit the solid wall of someone’s chest. Delight whirled to fight, but this time the arms that held her were the security and safety of Simon’s embrace. She turned back to see Jace on his knees. With the knowledge he was seconds from dying, his eyes widened seeing Simon standing there. “I told you he wasn’t dead,” she said softly. Simon took her hand and began to walk away. Delight heard the thump as Jace’s body hit the ground and didn’t even turn back to look. Sounds of bullets peppered the air, and when Simon stepped out into the middle of the street, it all stopped. Everyone in Silver Springs thought he was dead. Seeing the ex-sheriff walking out into the streets, if everyone watching from windows and hiding behind doors could have given an audible collective gasp, they would have at that very moment. He squeezed her hand tight, and she was grateful for the sign of reassurance, because if her heart beat any harder, it was liable to come through her chest. 119

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“I’m calling you out, Bonaparte!” Simon yelled. William stepped from the saloon, obviously surprised, but he tried to hold his composure. With casual ease, he stood on the top step and checked his pocket watch before slipping the gold timepiece back in his pocket. It was an obvious delay tactic, and even though he tried to mask his fear, to Delight it was evident. “Simon, Simon, Simon, why didn’t you just stay dead?” William said when he finally stepped into the dry, cracked street. “You’re calling me out. Jace will take care of you like he did the first time.” “Sorry, William, but Jace is behind the alley with an arrow through his jugular. You’re going to handle this yourself,” Simon replied. “Oh, and the news of my death was so wrong. You should’ve checked for a body after you had Jace shoot me down. Kidnapping Delight was your biggest mistake.” Hearing Jace was dead, William visibly blanched and tried another tactic. “This man was tried and convicted of murder. I demand that you citizens take him into custody and find Boyd.” “Boyd is also kaput.” Simon sighed. “Poor William, you just don’t know how good it is to see you stand there without the words.” “You’re still a murderer, Simon, and the people know. They won’t let you shoot me down.” “Who did he kill?” Mari’s voice came from the saloon steps. “I stand here and retract my statement. Simon Boothe did not kill anyone, and William Bonaparte kidnapped the dark girl, Delight.” “Mari, what are you doing?” William shouted. “Why, I’m telling the truth, just like I was taught in church, William darling,” Mari said with sugary sweetness. “Are you going to believe a whore over me?” William screamed at the people who were watching. “That’s where you’re wrong.” Mari raised her head. “I was never a whore, but I did your bidding and owned them so you wouldn’t ruin your name. William the whoremonger, who would’ve taken you into the high society fold you so longed for? But you spent the money earned from between their legs. Let’s tell them all your secrets, shall we? Let’s announce 120

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that I am your wife. You’ve hidden that fact from the world. So now deal with the consequences of your actions. And when you die, all this is mine.” “You fucking bitch!” William’s face was livid. “If I die, he should take you with me. You had a hand in all of it!” “But she kept you away from me, made sure you and your men had no chance of raping me,” Delight said. “She gave me the key so I could lock my own door. She redeemed herself in a way.” William looked around frantically for anyone who would help him. Most of his loyal men had been killed in the gun battle, and the rest of them didn’t get paid enough to take on his war. The town folk didn’t care much for him. His tyranny had caused them so much fear over the years, that none would step forward to show any kindness. When he saw no gun being drawn to help him, he tried one last ploy. “Simon.” William gave a cheerful laugh. “This has all been one huge mistake. Mari’s words of seeing you kill a man in her bed made me take the actions that led to this. I see now I was angrier at her cheating ways as opposed to anything else. Let’s call this ended, and I will compensate you for all that you have lost and more.” “How will you compensate me for trying to rape Delight and telling me exactly what you were planning to do?” Simon asked. “For trying to take my honor, how much gold is that worth? No, William, bribes won’t work. Stand like a man, and draw your gun. The man who stands at the end walks away, does it with no repercussions.” He yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. “However this ends, let this be the end of it. Y’all understand?” A murmur went through the crowd, and Simon gave Delight a hard kiss. “Stand back, sweetheart. I don’t want you to get hurt.” “Simon, please . . .” Delight sighed. “Don’t get killed again. My heart can’t take it.” She didn’t even see Jackal show up, and as he stepped back, he pulled her behind him, another barrier of protection in case things went wrong. Simon would see to her being safe even in this. She watched him take his stance, long legs spread and his fingers still over the hilt of his gun. Minutes ticked by while William weighed his odds. Simon wouldn’t shoot him in the back if 121

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he walked away, but he would have no more standing in Silver Springs. No one would follow him after he backed down from a fight. William couldn’t stand there forever with the sweat rolling down from his forehead and dripping off his chin. He looked like a fat pig baking in the sun, while Simon looked cool and collected. Finally, as if resigned to his fate, William unbuttoned his jacket and waistcoat. Delight could see the polished pearl handle of his gun. The sun glinted off its metal as if it had never been used. Of course, it hadn’t, because William never fought anyone for himself. He hid behind the men he hired and used them as armor. He wasn’t accustomed to standing alone, but from what she had heard, he was not to be underestimated. He would try some dirty tactic, and true to form, he was fixing his watch and it dropped to the ground. He bent to pick it up, but a shot bounced off the gold surface before his fingers could touch it. Simon placed his gun back in its holster. “How about we leave that there for now, shall we? No sand in the eye or any such thing, fair fight.” “Fuck you, Boothe,” he snarled. William was all pompous as he shook his fingers and shifted until she could hear the gravel crunch under his boot. She wanted to scream, Enough already! Get on with it!, but of course, a gunfight happened when it was supposed to, and you couldn’t rush it. She looked at Simon, who seemed to not have a care in the world. Finally his opponent settled down, and it seemed as if this firefight would take place. Delight held her breath, and when it finally happened, she was so busy watching William’s movements she didn’t see Simon pull his gun and fire. She saw William jerk, and his finger squeezed the trigger reflexively, and the bullet burrowed into the ground. He fell back, and his head slammed against the sun-baked ground. As Simon holstered his gun once more, she felt the breath she was holding escape in a whoosh. It was finally over. The man who had taken so much from her and tried to take more was gone. William Bonaparte was dead. Everything happened in a rush from there. Mari walked back into the saloon and didn’t shed a tear. For all she claimed she loved William, it seemed that her long-term plans were to be without him. She couldn’t say 122

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she blamed the woman. Who knew how much abuse she had suffered at the hand of that man? Who could say how many times he openly cheated on her or did much worse? Now everything was hers, and Mari was one wealthy widow. Maybe that was the ending she desired after all. The mayor of the town came shuffling up, and Delight instantly disliked the fat man. “I think you might want your job back, Simon.” He wiped his face with a handkerchief. “I don’t think we’d even mind if you kept her with you as long as it was under wraps, propriety’s sake and all. She could pose as your maid.” “Kiss my ass, you pig,” Delight snapped angrily. Simon pulled her to his side and growled, “Don’t make me shoot you. She’s not posing as a maid or anything. She has more balls than all you idiots in this town that let William railroad me and steal from you all these years. In fact, Mayor, I think more than once you’ve been paid quite handsomely to look the other way. Maybe these decent town folks will replace you now Bonaparte is dead. As for your job, stuff it in your piehole. I’m done cleaning up messes, and I hope to God instead of selling each other out, this town bands together and protects each other from someone like William coming in and taking over again.” Delight heard some people agree loudly enough that the mayor’s face turned red. He was on the way out of office very soon. Clem came riding up with the horses. Jackal and Joe claimed theirs. “Ready to head out of here, sweetheart?” Simon asked. She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. This was her man, who wasn’t ashamed of her. He had come back from the brink of death to fulfill a promise of a life that he wanted to share with her. “Hell yeah.” Delight grinned. “Let’s hit the trail.” Simon helped her onto her horse and then climbed easily into the saddle of his own. Delight and the men who had saved her rode out of Silver Springs without even looking back. On the outskirts of Desert Gulch, they bid their three companions good-bye. Delight embraced each of them. Jackal smiled that brig grin that made his face more handsome. She hoped he would find love someday. He was a lone wolf who needed someone to love and take care of. Clem and Joe, the father figures who’d cared for her even in a 123

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place that was built with no rules, she’d miss them, but knew they were good at taking care of themselves. Simon told them exactly where the cavern was and that there would be something waiting for them there the next day. The three men nodded and were lost between the rocks as they used the almost hidden entrance that led to the outlaw town that had been her home for five years. One last stop at the cavern to pick up her savings she had hidden there. From what they had taken from William, Delight took what her parents’ farm and land was worth, and Simon took one year’s pay, and they left the rest for their friends to find. Simon held out his hand, and Delight grasped it with hers. As the horses trotted slowly away from the trials and tribulations they had faced and won, Delight had nothing but optimism and dreams about her future with Simon. **** Two months later She lay on the grass outside the farmhouse that was being built in a place they called Quebec. She and Simon had made it across the border weeks ago, and even as she inhaled, the air had smelled sweeter. They took a train, and no one stared at her or asked Simon if this was his house girl, and when they got off the train in a town that was burgeoning with life and people, the mix of black and white amazed her. She saw others like her who ran restaurants, owned businesses, and dressed in fine clothes. No one upturned their nose or looked at her and Simon in disgust. In fact, the minister who married them smiled kindly and said, while there were still the hateful minded, they were few and far between. There would always be prejudice, but now they were less apt to see it, and if it came, she knew she and Simon would face it together. He blessed them and told them to have a happy life, and they walked out wearing matching silver wedding bands. They bought land and supplies, and now the smell of fresh-sawn wood hung in the air. It mingled with the honeysuckle in the meadow that was spread out to the lake. Everything was peaceful and serene, life was good, and even though the house was not finished yet, sleeping in a tent with 124

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Simon was the best home she had ever had. In the back they had already tilled the soil and planted corn, wheat, and potatoes, and they were lucky. The spot they owned had apple trees. She wondered sometimes if Simon missed being a lawman. But as she watched him build, and when he let her help on occasion, she knew he was contented. They’d had two surprise visitors, men in long black coats and dark hats wearing Pinkerton badges. Delight was terrified the events from Silver Springs had come back to haunt them. That was until Simon greeted the two men with handshakes and claps on the back. They were two friends, and word of his troubles had finally gotten to them. Delight was a bit miffed that they heard about it after the fact and they were nowhere around when help was needed. But they were good men who greeted her warmly, so she couldn’t hold a grudge. One of the things about Pinkertons was that they were a private detective agency and not ruled by the government. So wherever they picked up bounties or were hired, they did their jobs, across borders and across the sea. When they wanted their man, they got him, and now Simon was joining their ranks. They swore him in right there, and now, if any unlawful people were in Canada, he was among the men who lived in the area and worked for the agency who would ride out to get them. “Hey, are you sleeping in the sun like a cat?” She heard his voice, and he blocked the sun as he stood over her. “It would be nice to have a kitten or two.” Delight smiled and held out her hand. “Sit down for a minute and enjoy the day. You’ve been working so hard.” Simon sighed and sat in the grass before he lay next to her. “You know this isn’t getting the house built.” “You can take a minute to rest, Simon Boothe,” Delight said firmly. “We have a meadow in the front of our home, and a lake that ripples like diamonds when the sun hits the water. You can take a minute to enjoy it.” “I want to get you into the house, sweetheart. It gets cold at night.” Delight leaned over and kissed him. “Not with you keeping me warm, I don’t.” 125

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Simon chuckled. “Are you trying to sway me from workin’, woman?” “Is it working?” “It is.” He pulled her close for another deep kiss. “I was hoping you were sleeping. You seem so tired lately. I swear you were out like a light last night when we got between the bedrolls. And you’re eating hardly anything lately. I keep worrying you’re sick.” Delight was tired, but she was far from being ill. She took his hand and pressed it against her stomach. “I’m not sick, Simon. It’s something totally different.” His eyes widened when he understood her meaning, and he sat up. “Well shoot, why didn’t you tell me sooner? You could’ve stayed in town while I built the house!” “I’m not sleeping in town while you’re out here,” Delight said. “And I’m not fragile, just pregnant.” “Oh, sweetheart, are you sure?” he asked and rubbed her belly gently. “I’m positive, and that little trip in town last week confirmed it.” Delight smiled. “I have a midwife who will come over every so often and check on me. She’s a ride away when it comes time for him to be born.” “We need to get a wagon, no more horseback riding for you.” Simon began making plans. “The house needs to be done. Maybe we should break foundation for another bedroom.” “Two is fine for now.” Delight’s voice held humor. “Are you sure you’re happy about this? I mean, we didn’t expect it so soon.” He held her hand and helped her sit up next to him. “Delight Boothe, I am thrilled that I’m going to be a daddy. And I’m downright privileged to be the husband of the most amazing woman in the world.” “I feel the same way about you.” Delight launched herself into his arms, toppling him backward into the grass. She kissed him deeply and felt his growing arousal press against her. She sat astride his body and began to unbutton her shirt to expose her breast to the warm sunlight and his heated gaze. “I think this break should be a little while longer.” “I agree with you, darlin’.” Simon pulled her down to take her lips once more. 126

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With the sun high in the sky, in grass as green as emeralds, Delight and Simon sank into passion and sealed the bond that they had created and that no one could break.

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TuÉâà à{x Tâà{ÉÜ Dahlia Rose is the best-selling author of contemporary and paranormal romance with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on a Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn,” and her biggest supporter and longtime love. She has a love of erotica, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. Books and writing are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books.