Give My All to Jessie (Third in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-Four

It took several hours to get the bodies looted and buried. They hid the tents and extra belongings behind an outcropping of rocks after gathering up what belongings they could use.

Langley had tried to speak to Jessie several times during their work but she was distracted, distance and only gave him one or two word responses. Fear crept into Langley's heart but he forced it back. Jessie loved him—didn't she?

They climbed onto their horses, both of them equally exhausted and set off into the early morning. Jessie refused to stop until they reached a town and it was nearing evening before they rode into Grimms Cross. It was a small cattle town named after the richest rancher in the state, though Langley doubted a man with that kind of money ever came to a dusty place like this.

"I'll get a room. You go ahead and get our horses settled in," Jessie said briskly as she jumped to the ground.

In the light of day Langley could see the bruises on her chin and the welt on her cheek and the only thing that soothed his temper was knowing that the men responsible were dead.

Langley tried to reach out and take her into his arms so he could kiss away the tired lines around her eyes but she quickly turned away from him and walked away.

Langley watched her go and panic kicked up in his chest. He was losing her. Dammit, he was losing her! He could feel it. Something had happened in that camp to cause her to change her mind about the two of them being together. Langley had to find a way to change it back.

He led the horses to the livery and paid for their keep. After making sure they were both settled in, he grabbed up the saddlebags and headed to the hotel. "I'm with the woman who just came in," he told the elderly hotel clerk. "What room did she get?"

The man pushed his glasses up on his brow and scratched at his temple. "She rented two rooms, sir. Rooms seven and eight, just down the hall."

Langley managed a polite thank you to the man but inside his heart had just dropped down into his boots. His chest ached but the pain had nothing to do with the bullet that had slammed into it yesterday.

Stepping into room eight, Langley realized it was empty. Jessie must be in room seven. Why would she get them separate rooms? They'd been sharing a bed or a bedroll for a long time now. If that was her way of telling her that they were done then she was going to have to do better than that.

He damned well deserved better than that and she at least owed him an explanation for her sudden distance. He threw down the saddlebags and stormed to room seven, banging the door with his fists.

"What is it, Langley?" her tired voice whispered from the other side.

"Let me in. We need to talk."

"No, we don't," she countered. "Let's not make this harder than it has to be."

When Langley heard the tears in her voice they made him unexplainably angry. "You owe me an explanation, Jessie. I won't talk to a closed door so you either open it and let me in or I'll bust it down."

Silence reigned for several long moments before the lock was slowly turned and the door pulled open. Langley stared down at Jessie, her face a mask of sadness and her violet eyes red and swollen. His anger quickly morphed into confusion.

"Jessie, what's wrong with us? Why don't you want to be with me suddenly?"

Jessie threw her hands up and strode away from him across the room. "I told you that love hurts people eventually. I told you this would happen."