Page 27 of Hard Bounty

She rolled over, facing the other way, and pinched her eyes shut tightly. Trying to empty her brain and will her body to relax, the minutes passed by slowly. Finally, she flipped around and whispered, “John.”

It was faint. If he’d already fallen asleep, she didn’t want to rouse him. But he said, “Yes, Mary?”

“I, uh…need to tell you something.”

A moment passed before he said, “You can tell me anything.”

He sounded hesitant, and she wondered if it was simply because he was tired or because he felt they were getting too close? Too intimate?

Or perhaps it was something colder and more mundane, like he wanted to keep this strictly professional.

Well, as professional as it could be with a Deputy U.S. Marshal sharing a bed with his prisoner.

Despite his cool reaction, she continued. “I, uh…I didn’t do all the things the stories say. I never—”

With that, she started sobbing, her body shaking as tears flowed. She was losing control, feeling a pull into the oblivion of despair and guilt. But before she fell over the brink, John’s powerful arms wrapped around her and reeled her in close. Before she even realized it, her cheek was resting on his bare, muscle-packed chest.

He kept her in a tight embrace.

“I know, Mary,” he whispered. “I know.”

She didn’t know how long she lay there crying, but it felt so good to have that release. After ten minutes or maybe half an hour—she had no clue which—she said, “My ma wasn’t around much. I guess she did the best she could. But…me and all my siblings had different dads. Some of her men died. Times were hard.”

“Sure,” he said, his voice full of empathy and encouraging her to go on.

“Some just left. Some were never really…there…to start with. Know what I mean?”

“I do.”

She sniffled. Gosh, it felt so good to be lying against him. His arms formed a protective cocoon, and she felt safer than she’d ever felt in her life. Even if Judge Parker hanged her, it would be worth it for this moment right here. She’d leave this world with a smile on her face, remembering the time she was held by John Hardin.

“Anyway, a handsome, sweet-talking man rode through one day. I was only eighteen or so.”

When she fell silent, John picked up the slack. “And he promised you a lot, huh?”

“The world,” she admitted. “Love. Money. Fancy dresses. A big house. I just didn’t know how he planned to fund all that.” She chuckled, though there wasn’t much humor behind it. “When I realized he was riding the outlaw trail, I told him love didn’t need any cash. We could settle down with nothing. Find a patch of land to work. Or get a job in a town. Anything to build a life together. But he wasn’t willing to give up his ways.” She paused for a moment, drew a deep breath, and exhaled sharply before saying, “He wasn’t willing to give me up, either. Even though I wanted to go. So he forced me along.” She laughed again. “And then the stories of the bandit queen started. The Choctaw Rose. She could rob and ride and shoot better than any man.”

She pushed up and turned so that she was looking at him. Thanks to a sliver of moonlight beaming in through the slit in the curtains, she had enough light to make out the details in his face from that close distance. “I just need you to know that…I’m not…John, I’m not a bad person.”

With that, she started sobbing again.

And John held her close once more.

“I know, Mary,” he whispered

What he said next took her breath away.

“Daddy knows.”

Chapter Sixteen

John knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but at the moment, nothing else mattered but his sweet girl.

He was worn down from fighting his instincts and resisting her. The badge, his sworn duty, his orders from Judge Parker—all of it be damned.

There was no turning back now.

The kisses started tenderly atop her head, but soon, his lips were going down her body as the passion and intensity increased.

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