Shotgun Marriage (Leadville, Co. Book 3) Read online

  Before she could reach Jasper, the baby let out a small cry. Emma Jane picked him up, noting immediately that he was wet. A good sign, considering how weak he’d appeared when she’d first begun tending him.

  “I wish I knew your name, little fellow.” Emma Jane stroked his head as she laid him down and changed him. Mack had given her some old shirts to cut up and use for diapers. For an outlaw, Mack seemed like a pretty decent guy.

  Satisfied the baby was comfortable, Emma Jane set him back in the crate, then moved it closer to where Jasper lay.

  After untying him and removing the handkerchief from his mouth, she moistened one of the clean cloths. She wiped the dried blood on the side of his head. Fortunately, the wound itself seemed small, and as Emma Jane pressed the cloth to it, no fresh blood came out.

  Jasper moaned. Emma Jane’s heart jumped and her breath caught. Was he waking up?

  “Jasper?”

  His eyelids fluttered open. “What happened?”

  He struggled to get up, but Emma Jane stopped him. “Slowly. You took a nasty hit to the head, so you might be dizzy standing up.”

  When they’d been trapped in the mine, some of it had caved in and knocked Emma Jane unconscious. From what she remembered of her recuperation, she’d been dizzy off and on for days afterward. Jasper would need to take it slowly, but from the gleam in his eyes, Emma Jane figured he wanted to do anything but.

  “Where are we?” He looked around the cabin, almost frantic in his motions.

  “Shh...calm down. We’re in the bandits’ cabin. You’re safe.”

  “Safe?” Jasper’s head jerked up, then he pulled himself into a sitting position. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  Just as quickly as he’d gotten up, he put his hand to his head. “Everything’s spinning.”

  “You need to lie down and rest. There’s a pallet by the fire. Let me help you over there.”

  He stumbled as he tried to stand, and from the way he grunted, Jasper seemed to realize the futility of not following Emma Jane’s instructions. She helped him balance, then led him to the pallet.

  “I made some soup. We’ll see how you do with the broth, but your stomach might be upset.”

  One more thing she remembered from her own head injury. As much as she’d wanted to eat, she’d struggled to keep things down for the first day or so.

  “You made soup?” Jasper looked up at her as he sat on the pallet.

  “It was all they had ingredients for.”

  He continued to look at her with incredulity.

  “Oh. You didn’t realize I could cook, did you?” Emma Jane smiled as she sat down beside him. “I suppose there isn’t much use for my cooking skills with all your help at the house, but when Father was in a bad place and we had to let the servants go, I ended up doing all the cooking.”

  The infant began to fuss. “Let me get the baby, and we can finish talking.”

  “Baby?”

  “Oh.” Emma Jane continued toward the little boy. “I have much to catch you up on.”

  She picked up the infant and held him up for Jasper to see before making her way to the rocker. “When I got here, the woman who’d been taking care of things was quite ill. No one was taking care of her poor little baby. The bandits were quite put out by the situation, so I pitched in to help.”

  “You did what?” Jasper ran a hand over his face. “Emma Jane, these are bandits.”

  “Bandits who are in a foul mood because they haven’t had a hot meal since their woman took sick. They said they were going to let me go as soon as they finished their last job. They’re going to Mexico when this is all over. They just need me out of the way for a while so I don’t go to the sheriff before they get the last job done.”

  It sounded so much simpler when she explained it. Some of it, Emma Jane took a lot of pride in having figured out for herself.

  “They told you that?”

  Leave it to Jasper to sound annoyed with her when she’d done quite a good job, if she did say so herself. She’d been taking care of a sick woman, a baby, gotten supper ready and had done a little tidying in the cabin. Not bad for an afternoon’s work. And, while doing all that, she’d figured out what the bandits were up to.

  “Of course not. But you’d be amazed at what people will say in front of you when they think you’re stupid. And me being a woman, in their minds, I’m a complete idiot.”

  Jasper let out a long sigh. “Emma Jane, they are not going to let us live. You know their plan, and I know where their hideout is.”

  “No, you don’t.” Emma Jane stared at him. “They knocked you out. You were unconscious the whole way here.”

  “But I’m sure, from our surroundings, I can figure it out pretty quickly. Once we find our way back to town, it will be easy enough for me to gather a posse and return.”

  Now who was the simple one? Emma Jane shook her head. “And how do you propose we get back to town?”

  She pointed out the window. “Do you know how many men are out there? You’ve seen three. I’ve counted at least a dozen, and all of them are armed. They told me that if I cooperate, they’ll let me live. But if I try to escape, I’m dead. Even with you here, what chance do the two of us have with a sick woman and a baby against that many men?”

  “What do the sick woman and baby have to do with us getting out of here?”

  The infant fussed slightly, bringing Emma Jane’s attention to him rather than the incorrigible man sitting on the pallet. Otherwise, she might have lost her temper. But this gave her the opportunity to collect her thoughts, take a deep breath and look him in the eye.

  “We can’t leave them here.”

  Jasper let out an exasperated sigh. “I know you like to help others, but this woman and her baby are with the bandits. They...”

  “You don’t know that. She could have been kidnapped, just like me. Didn’t you say this woman you were looking for, Daisy, was being held by the bandits?”

  Light filled Jasper’s eyes, but then it dimmed. “She didn’t have a baby.” Then he stopped and exhaled sharply. “But she was with child.”

  Jasper sat quietly for a moment, and Emma Jane thought it wise to just let him be. It was a lot to take in. Besides, the baby had started fussing again.

  “I’m just going to give him some milk. You rest.”

  * * *

  Who was this woman, bossing him around? Emma Jane had always been so meek and mild mannered. Maybe he’d been hit on the head harder than he’d thought.

  His wife had only been partially right about him not knowing where the gang’s hideout was. When the men were arguing about what to do with him, he pretended to be injured worse than he was. The kicks to his side they’d given him were well worth the pain, given he now knew exactly how to get here. And how to get back to town. Sure, he’d blacked out a few times, but he knew enough.

  It now made sense why they kept losing the gang’s trail. With the various creek crossings and doubling back the men did to hide their trail, it was no wonder the posse couldn’t find them. Especially with the way the cabin was hidden among some rock outcroppings.

  He watched as Emma Jane cooed at the baby and fed him from some weird contraption.

  “Where’d you come up with that?” Jasper pointed to the bottle.

  “Oh. One of the men helped me fix it up. They have bottles for babies in the mercantile, and when I explained to him what I wanted, he helped me put a few odds and ends together to do it.”

  Emma Jane acted like this was simply one of her mission projects rather than the cold-blooded killers they’d been pursuing.

  “One of the men?”

  “His name is Mack,” Emma Jane said with a smile as she lifted the baby to her shoulder to burp. “He’s quite nice, considering his profession. Calls me �
�ma’am,’ and is always offering to help me.”

  The name didn’t sound familiar, but that didn’t mean anything to Jasper. They’d still been trying to figure out the exact makeup of the gang. With the brothel fire, many of the men they’d thought were the leaders had been arrested and put in jail. But the remnant seemed to be just as strong and powerful without their leaders.

  “He’s not your friend,” Jasper bit out, struggling to sit up straighter to get a better look around the place. His head pounded harder now, and spots danced in front of his eyes. Maybe he’d been hit harder than he’d thought.

  “Maybe not,” Emma Jane said, returning to her spot in the rocking chair. “But I’ve learned that when dealing with your enemies, you have to give them as little ammunition as possible. It seems to me, that in the case of men who are equally torn between killing you and keeping you alive, the best thing a person can do is be as useful as possible.”

  She smiled down at the baby and made a little cooing noise at him. “And that’s what we’re doing, isn’t it, my sweet?”

  He’d always known that Emma Jane was smart, but as he watched her bond with the baby as though her life wasn’t in danger, he realized that she was a lot smarter than he’d given her credit for. Even without the infant and the sick woman who may or may not be Daisy, the odds of the two of them surviving an escape with a dozen men on guard were slim at best.

  His stomach rumbled, and he remembered the broth Emma Jane had promised. “Could I have some of that soup you made?”

  She smiled. “Of course. But broth only until we know your stomach can tolerate it.”

  Then she stood and tried to hand him the baby. “Take him so I can make the soup.”

  Jasper stared at the baby. “You want me to do what?”

  “Hold him. Don’t tell me you’ve never held a baby before.”

  He continued staring awkwardly at the child. “Actually, I haven’t.”

  “Then let me show you. Babies are such a delight, and when you have your own...” Her face clouded. “Oh. I suppose... Well, that is... We never really talked about...”

  Emma Jane turned away, clutching the baby to her chest before setting him in an old crate.

  She didn’t have to finish any of those sentences. After all, when a man promises a woman a marriage in name only, children aren’t a likely outcome of the union.

  As he watched her prepare the soup, taking longer than a simple task should have, he wondered how much she regretted their current circumstances, as well. Clearly, she loved babies, and with the marriage they agreed to, there would be none.

  In this, they had both lost.

  Jasper cleared his throat. “I would have liked children of my own. But I don’t suppose that’s possible now.”

  Her eyes glistened as she handed him the soup, but she didn’t say anything. And he didn’t ask.

  They still had too many bridges to cross before they were in a place where such a conversation would be possible. Too many hurts stood in the way.

  He supposed he shouldn’t have said anything about his own desire for children when it seemed so out of reach right now. But the ache inside him, seeing Emma Jane with the baby and her seeming innocence on the subject, prevented him from keeping silent.

  His silence often seemed like a willingness to be complicit in everyone else’s plans for him. Maybe he should have spoken up sooner. Perhaps, if everyone had known that he wanted to fall in love, find a wife of his own choosing and have a home full of laughter and children, he wouldn’t be in this mess.

  Sipping his soup, Jasper watched Emma Jane go to the sleeping woman and bathe her face with a cloth. He couldn’t hear the words she murmured, but the kindness and poise emanating from Emma Jane made him regret being so hard on her.

  After a few sips, his stomach felt sour. He set the bowl aside.

  Immediately, Emma Jane turned to him. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine. You were right in saying I should take it slow.”

  “I just remembered what it was like from my own experience.” Emma Jane stood and straightened her skirts. “I do wish I knew more about nursing the sick. All I know is that I should mop her face with a cool cloth and try to get her to drink some broth. But what if there is more I can do?”

  The lines etched in her forehead spoke louder than anything she could have said. How could she be so deeply concerned for a stranger?

  “You did just fine taking care of me.”

  She gave a half smile, but the lines didn’t leave her forehead. “But I’ve had an injury to my head. I know what that feels like, and I know what helps. With this poor woman, I don’t know what’s wrong or what to do for her.”

  Seeing this side of Emma Jane made him question how she would be capable of the deceit leading to their marriage. Surely someone who cared this much about others wouldn’t want to ruin someone else’s life.

  But would Emma Jane have seen it as ruining his life?

  The door banged open, and Rex McGee, whose face graced a number of wanted posters across the country, entered.

  “I hear we got ourselves a special guest. Leadville royalty.” Rex chortled at his own joke, then started toward Jasper. “What kind of ransom do you think you’re worth?”

  Emma Jane gasped, but Jasper looked at him as coldly as he could. “I think you know my father has a long-standing and vocal policy that he does not pay ransom.”

  Rex grinned. “So tell me why we shouldn’t kill you, then. I don’t run no charity cases, not like that pretty little wife of yours.”

  “I think you know. I die, and the ransom on your head would tempt even your most loyal guns to turn on you.”

  Jasper continued glaring at Rex, but Rex had turned his attention on Emma Jane.

  “I hear you’ve been making yourself quite useful around here.”

  Demurely folding her hands in front of her, Emma Jane bobbed her head at him. “I like to be useful. This woman is sick, and she needs a doctor.”

  “We don’t need anyone else sniffing around our business.”

  “So I’ve been told. Which is why I’m doing the best I can to ease her suffering. Do you know what’s wrong with her?”

  “Do I look like a doctor?”

  Jasper clenched his jaw. What was Emma Jane thinking, going toe-to-toe with one of the country’s most nefarious criminals?

  She looked Rex in the eye, raised her chin and said, “I’ve learned not to judge people by their appearance.”

  He grinned. “Well, if that soup of yours is half as good as the other men are saying, I just might have to keep you around. Perhaps you’ll earn the keep for that worthless husband of yours.”

  Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Emma Jane shot him a look. Even if he could remember what he’d intended to say, he was too stunned at this mouse turned into a lioness to say anything.

  Who was this woman?

  “I’d be happy to get you some.” Emma Jane smiled sweetly at Rex, then walked over to the fire, where she dished out the soup. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me anything about the operation here? The other gentleman acted like he was in charge, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  She handed Rex a bowl of soup and beamed.

  Clearly, Jasper had married a madwoman.

  “You know I can’t say anything.” Rex nodded in Jasper’s direction. “I hear tell that Leadville’s newest deputy has a burr under his saddle about having my men in prison, so I’m not likely to help that cause.”

  “Actually,” Emma Jane said quietly, “his main interest is finding and rescuing a woman named Daisy, so if you could just confirm our suspicions that the poor woman lying in the bed is she, then most of Jasper’s motivation in pursuing your men would be gone.”

  Had he called her a madwoman yet? />
  “Emma Jane,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Rex waved a hand as if to tell Jasper to be quiet. “What would a married man want with Ben Perry’s doxy?”

  “Her sister saved Jasper’s life. It was her dying wish that Jasper would save Daisy.”

  Rex had the gall to laugh. A full-out belly laugh that rang through the room, causing the baby to stir. Emma Jane immediately went to the infant and picked him up out of the crate.

  “Shh...” She held the child close to her, then glared at Rex. “Do be mindful of the baby.”

  Jasper closed his eyes. She was going to get them all killed, that’s what she was going to do. He’d heard tales of men being shot for looking at Rex wrong, and here was Emma Jane, chastising him as though he were an errant child.

  Opening his eyes, he watched Rex give Emma Jane a little pat before coming to stand over Jasper. “You are one stupid man, you know that?”

  As much as he hated to admit it, Jasper was starting to figure that out.

  “A word of advice—chivalry only gets a man killed. You want Daisy, you found her. ’Course, you may not live much past this, but you can die with the satisfaction of honoring your promise.”

  He hated the bandit’s condescending tone. But worse, he detested the knowledge that Rex was probably right.

  Jasper’s head was starting to throb again, and his stomach hadn’t settled after the soup. With Emma Jane’s clear lack of understanding of just how serious the situation was, there was no way he was going to get them all out alive.

  He’d found Daisy, just as he’d promised. But the smirk on Rex’s face told him that succeeding beyond this point was going to take a miracle.

  Chapter Nine

  Emma Jane had never hit a person in all her life, but if she could smack Jasper right about now, she would. He was glaring furiously, mouth set in a hard line, but didn’t he realize that antagonizing this man was only going to get them all killed?

  Holding the baby closer to her, Emma Jane gave the man her best smile. “I’m sure we will be most cooperative, and you will have no reason for hurting us.”