Page 35 of Wild Horses

They reachedtown around noon the following day. Alex sighed when she saw the stagecoach station. If Jesse had his way she’d be heading back to Willow Creek before the day was over.

She saw him out of the corner of her eye, the anger returning as the night before played out in her mind again. She’d been so unprepared for his mock attack despite thinking she could take care of anything that came her way. The fact he proved his point so effortlessly stung and made the anger burn hotter.

Jesse rode by and told her to stay close as the cattle were herded around the buildings in town and rounded up on the other side. She situated herself as far from Jesse as she could get hoping he wouldn’t find her. It took him nearly twenty minutes but one look at his face and she nudged her horse to follow him.

Like Willow Creek, this little town was a way station for the stagecoach line. She hoped it had already made its run for the day and crossed her fingers for just that when Jesse stopped and jumped from his horse before looking her way. He never said a word but she knew he’d drag her off her horse if she didn’t follow him willingly.

He took her by the arm when she was on the ground and ushered her to the building. The interior was dark and musty, the scent of food filling the air. A woman with enough years on her to line her face came from a back room wiping her hands on a towel. She nodded at both of them and said, “Can I help ya?”

“Has the stagecoach already run today?”

“No. It should be here soon, though. You need a ticket?”

“Yes.”

Alex cursed her luck as the woman went to the small desk in the corner and pulled a book from one of the drawers. “Where you headed?” she asked.

“Willow Creek, Montana.”

She thumbed through a few pages, mumbling under her breath before stopping on a page. “This line doesn’t run straight through. You’ll have to switch over to get you all the way.”

Jesse turned to look at her, his head tilted to one side. “She can switch coaches.”

“One ticket or two?”

“Just one.”

The woman looked back over at them, her gaze running over them both. “She the one going?”

“Yes.”

She made a sound deep in her throat and turned back to her book. Jesse still held her arm and Alex wanted to jerk away, to turn and run from the building and refuse to go. She wondered what Jesse would do if she did. “You can’t make me go.”

“You want to bet on that?”

“I’ll just jump off the minute we get out of town.”

Jesse turned to look at her and smiled. “Not if I tie you to the cargo rack on top.”

“Pft…you wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

The determined look in his eyes said he would.

He paid for her ticket and tucked it into his pocket. “What time is the coach scheduled to leave?”

The woman pulled a small watch from a pocket in her skirt, staring down at the dial. “Not for another hour.”

Jesse nodded and thanked her, then turned, his grip on her arm still strong. When they were outside, he walked her to a bench in front of the station and forced her to sit. “Do you need anything before your trip home?”

“Your scalp tied to my belt.”

He laughed. “You’ve been reading too many dime novels.”

“No, I read the paper. The mercantile gets a supply from Missoula weekly and I know what’s out there.” She looked up at him, squinting as the sun shined in her eyes. “Are you going to feel bad when Indians attack the stagecoach and kill me?”

“Keep that smart mouth closed and they may just take you as a slave.” He grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. “That won’t be too hard, will it?”

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