Chapter Sixteen

After two days of traveling, the duo found themselves riding into Two Finger Gulch. Langley wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from a town with such a silly name but it certainly was the fancy display of money that Two Finger Gulch tuned out to be.

Everything glimmered and shone—including the fancily dressed gentleman and ladies strolling down the road with top hats, canes and parasols. Jessie had told him that this was a layover town for folks traveling by both stagecoach and train. Passengers could enjoy a night off of their mode of transportation and enjoy a night of sleep in any of the vast hotels or they could unwind at a number of saloons—including the Blue Eagle which had a door entry fee of two dollars and boasted of having the best stud, draw and pharaoh games in the state.

Langley's eyes flew everywhere at once as they entered the livery. This hotel for horses was nicer than most of the hotels that Jessie and Langley had stayed in so far during their trip!

"Holy hell..." he mumbled. "I've never seen anything like this."

"It is something," Jessie agreed. "Pa and I were here once before—it's hard for folks like us to blend in."

"Yeah, I can understand," Langley muttered, wiping at a dirt stain on his black trousers and noticing the tears in his sleeve.

He paid the stable hand for the keep of their horses and tossed in a few extra cents to store their saddlebags and supplies. Langley frowned as he and Jessie stepped back outside. "Now what?" he asked. "We don't even have enough money for a hotel room."

"How much do we have left?" Jessie asked.

"Seventy-five cents," Langley sighed. "We have a lousy seventy-five cents to our name."

Jessie winked. "I told you it was hard for our kind to fit in here but not impossible. You just have to know where to look. I happen to know a place where we can earn some quick money and be able to get a big fancy room with a nice soft bed."

Langley followed after Jessie even as a wave of anticipation passed over him. She had said a room—not two rooms. Langley knew that tonight would be the night. Unless she flat refused him, Langley was going to make love to Jessie tonight.

His imagination was painting all kinds of images in his head, each better than the last. He realized they were approaching a fancy white church with stained glass windows and a large bronze cross on a steeple that seemed to stretch up into the sky.

Langley cleared his throat. "Uh... I don't think a church is the right place to make quick money."

They walked through the iron gate and Langley glanced at the nearby gravestones. Call it an overactive imagination, but Langley had always been afraid of graveyards. All he could ever think of when walking through one was that a rotten hand was going to come bursting from the earth, wrap its long fingers around his ankle and drag him down to hell....

"You okay there, tough guy?" Jessie teased, sparing a sidelong glance his way. "You've taken on a few of the toughest outlaws there were and are still alive to talk about it. Don't tell me you're afraid of a couple of dead guys."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Langley countered with a false bravado that had Jessie laughing.

Jessie led him to the back of the church and to a set of wooden cellar doors. They were going under the church? Jessie kicked the wooden door several times and a small hatch was opened to reveal a set of brown eyes.

"Password?" a male voice asked gruffly.

Jessie pulled her gun, cocked it and pointed it down at those brown eyes which were now a good deal wider. "Open the door or I'll shoot you in the face."

"Good enough," the man gulped before stepping away and swinging the doors in.

"Was that really necessary?" Langley whispered as they stepped passed the guard and headed down the stone steps.

Jessie shrugged. "I forgot the password."

Langley chuckled before turning his attention to the room they were entering. The air was thick with tobacco smoke and loud voices. The scent of sweat and whiskey was strong. Scantily clad women sashayed themselves across the dirt floor while men sat around tables playing poker and other gambling games while laughing and telling vulgar jokes. They ordered drinks from the women and occasionally patted one on the backside as they walked passed.

Langley noticed that there were a few outlaw women like Jessie there also but those women were older and seemed rougher around the edges.

Quite a few of the men turned their eyes toward Jessie as they made their way through the crowd and Langley's arms instinctively snaked around her waist.

Jessie chose not to say anything about the protective gesture. She didn't want to cause a scene down here and, if she was being honest, Langley's closeness felt good.

"Mind if join the game?" Langley asked with a polite tip of his head as he approached a table. Jessie winced at his use of manners. The man really was hopeless.

"Table's full," a man growled in response. "They're all full," he added pointedly.

Langley glared at him a moment but then turned away with a shake of his head. He tugged Jessie with him. "I don't think this is...."

Jessie pulled away from him and strode to a table where a group of men were playing Five Finger. A dangerous game in which the participants had to take turns stabbing a knife between each of their fingers as quickly as they could for as long as they could. The last person to cut himself would win.

Langley swallowed hard. He wanted to leave this underground cellar. It seemed the kind of place where you could die just for breathing wrong and they'd throw your body to the side and continue with their night.

Jessie turned to him quickly, causing him to nearly fall as his feet skidded to a stop. She grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him down to her level. "Poker can make you money but unless you're willing to cheat, which isn't a good idea down here, it takes a while. I happen to know a faster way and since I'm tired, we're going with that. You are a rough and tough outlaw and I'm your woman. I think you're the best thing since jerked beef and you want to prove to me how great you are. Got it?"

Langley was slow to nod. "Uh.. sure."

Jessie released her hold on him and pointed to the Five Finger game currently taking place. "Look at that love!" she exclaimed loudly enough for the entire place to hear. "Why, you're so talented with those hands of yours, I'll bet you could beat those men in a heartbeat!"

Langley's stomach rolled as he watched the game currently in progress. A man had his hand laying palm down on a board. His fingers were spread wide and in his other hand he held a large bowie knife. He was stabbing the tip of that knife into the spaces between his fingers, going back and forth across his hand and picking up speed.

Langley nearly lost his lunch when the man's hand slipped and he sliced deep into his finger. Langley then nearly choked on his tongue when the man merely chuckled and Jessie stepped forward. "I'll bet my man can beat all of you."

Langley wanted to throttle her. She was a beauty but that space between her ears must have been full of empty space. Lots and lots of empty space.

"Is that right?" the man who had just stabbed himself asked as he got to his feet.

Langley forced himself to square his shoulders and hoped the expression on his face showed confidence. "Probably."

The man shook his head and laughed. "Probably? Well since you're new around here, I'll take you up on that bet. One hundred dollars is yours if you can outlast me."

Langley nodded as one of the other men stood and offered him his seat. He grabbed Jessie by the arm and pulled her to him. "You do realize I've never done this before, don't you?" he hissed in her ear.

Her violet eyes widened. "You haven't?"

"No, I haven't. If I lose a finger, I'm throwing it at you."

"You'll do just fine," she assured him. Then she patted him on the backside and tossed him a wink. "I'm gonna go get us something to drink."

Langley was certain he was going to die of heart failure as he took his seat. Sure, he was pretty good with his hands and he was better with Marston's old knife than even Marston had been when it came to throwing, but, stabbing repeatedly in between his fingers? That was a whole new ball of wax. And what would happen if he did cut his finger off? He could sure as hell forget about gunsmithing then.

"I'll go first," the man across the table announced.

Langley nodded and watched the man start up the rhythmic stabbing. His finger was still bleeding from the last time he'd slipped up and Langley simply waited for him to slip up again.

It seemed to take an hour but was less than a minute before the man sliced his finger and hissed with pain. "Your turn," he grumbled as he shook his hand.

Langley pulled his knife from its sheath and spread his hand on the table. He took a deep breath to still his shaking.

"Nice knife," the man said with a low whistle.

Langley was too nervous to manage more than a small nod. The man chuckled as Langley started at a snail's pace and before he was able to pick up much speed, stuck the knife deep into the edge of his finger.

Langley howled with pain and stuck the bleeding digit in his mouth. "Well shit," the man announced, his voice full of laughter. "That looked like it hurt."

"Oh dear! What happened?" Jessie demanded, as she returned with two beers and began to pretend to fawn over him.

"Do I really need to tell you?" Langley growled, shaking her off and muttering a hundred different curses under her breath. She gave him a sharp look and Langley forced a smile. "Thanks for the beer, dear."

"Don't feel too bad, kid. You did pretty good for a first timer," the man assured him.

"Give me another try," Langley insisted.

A bushy brow rose into a thick set of bangs. "You sure?"

"Yeah, are you sure? That looks like it hurts something awful," Jessie cooed.

Langley nodded curtly. "I'm sure."

"Well, only the first run is free. What are you willing to bet me?"

"A black gelding and a brown mare. Both in perfect shape."

"Have you lost your mind?" Jessie exclaimed.

Langley snatched his beer from her and shook his head. "You keep your mouth shut and don't speak unless I tell you to," he snapped—hadn't she said his cover was a rough and tough outlaw?

Jessie glared at him but he merely threw back a swig of beer and met the other man's gaze. "Well that'll work," the man replied. "You win, you get fifty dollars. I win and I get two new horses. I'll let my first go around stand because I can't do no better than that. Why don't you give it a try, kiddo?"

Langley bristled at the word kiddo but he forced the indignation aside and focused on the task at hand—haha. Task at hand.

Langley once again started the rhythm slowly and gradually began to pick up speed. He was truly getting the pattern and timing down when he got ahead of himself and his hand slipped.

"Shit!" he grumbled, shaking out his hand while Jessie eyed him angrily. She clearly wasn't pleased that he'd just lost their horses.

Langley wasn't too damn pleased either but he was sure he could beat the man if given one more chance. The game wasn't all that hard really. It was about timing and patterns—Langley could do it.

"One more time," he stated.

The man shook his head. "Well aren't you glutton for punishment? You got anything else to bet?"

"If I win this time, I want one hundred dollars and my horses back."

"Steep odds," the man chuckled. "What if you lose?"

"Then you can keep the horses and I'll throw her in," Langley announced, tipping his head toward Jessie.

Jessie's jaw fell. Damn him! She wanted to be angry and, win or lose, she might just kill him for that bet, but he was playing his role well and she had to admit that she was proud of him.

The man's eyes traveled up and down Jessie's body causing Langley to grip his beer mug a bit tighter. "I'm not sure I'm looking for a woman."

"You don't have to keep her," Langley reminded him. "Just think how much money a young filly like this one could bring you."

The man stroked at his chin a moment and then nodded. "I'll take that bet."

Jessie held her breath as Langley once again laid out his hand. Then she realized he was smiling smugly and her nerves faded. Had he honestly been baiting the man in?

Langley began the round and gained speed quickly. Back and forth he took that knife, never missing a beat. A crowd began to gather around them, murmuring amongst themselves. Finally the man across the table threw himself back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Alight, alright," he grumbled. "There's no need to show off."

"My pa taught me good how to use a knife," Langley said as he put the weapon away. "I'll bet he never thought I'd be stabbing my own self with it though."

"And just who is your pa?" the man asked.

Langley threw his shoulders back with pride. "Marston Jacobs."

Silence fell over the den of outlaws. The man Langley had been playing against stood slowly and held out his hand. "It was an honor playing against the son of a legend."

Langley got to his feet as well and shook the man's offered hand. He couldn't wait to tell his pa that he'd reached legend status. The man shook his head. "Your pa was a... well I would say a friend of mine but old Marston would probably jump out of the grave and shoot me for it. Let's just say he was one hell of an outlaw."

Langley tipped his head. "Thank you."

Easy conversation fell between the two men and Jessie was pushed to the wayside as other men clambered forward, eager to speak to Marston Jacob's son. Jessie couldn't believe her own eyes! Langley somehow seemed completely at home down here when such a short time ago he'd looked like a fish out of water.

Finally Jessie had had enough listening to chit chat. She was tired. She tugged on Langley's shirt sleeve. "Come along now." She winked. "Your woman is ready for bed."

The other men snickered when Langley quickly got to his feet but he really didn't care. "Gotta go," he announced.

The man he'd been playing five finger against, who turned out to be named Mitchum, chuckled as he stood up. "See, now I know you were pulling my leg earlier. Any man who jumps like that when a woman calls wouldn't risk losing her to a bet."

"I'd risk her," Langley countered, throwing his arm around Jessie's shoulders and pulling her close. "See I know what a pain in the ass little spitfire she is and I know you'd bring her right back."

"Well let's go then, dear," Jessie insisted. "I'm tired."

Langley nodded and led her from the hangout with laughter ringing out behind them. Once they were out in the open, Jessie whirled on him. "You risked me in a bet! How could you?"

Langley shrugged. "It seemed like the outlaw thing to do," he replied, flashing a grin.

The grin caught Jessie off guard. "You are something else," she muttered.

Langley tilted his head as he studied her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the way you seem to adapt to every situation you end up in."

"You mean every situation you put me in."

Jessie laughed and allowed Langley to put his arm around her as they headed toward main street and a hotel.

"I'm serious," Jessie insisted. "You're no more an outlaw than I am a saint and yet you manage to come out of every situation on top! Those men back there would have normally taken someone like you and chewed them up, spit them out and used their bones for toothpicks! But somehow you them all crowding around you and begging for attention."

"That's only because I mentioned Marston," Langley was quick to remind her.

Jessie shook her head. "No, that wasn't all. You give off a confidence even you don't realize it. You have a face and an honesty in your eyes and smile that puts people at ease when they're around you. Yet, at the same time, you also carry yourself in a way that says you can handle trouble. It's rather irresistible."

"Is that right?" Langley asked, feeling his chest swell. It wasn't often that Jessie Burke handed out compliments and he was happy to finally be on the receiving end of one.

Langley stopped walking and pulled her into his arms. He removed the hat from her head with one hand and smoothed the hair from Jessie's face with the other.

"Yeah, that's right," Jessie breathlessly whispered.

Langley loved hearing that proof of her femininity beneath her tough exterior. He kissed her tenderly and felt that jolt of lightning in his heated blood. Pulling away, Langley stared down at Jessie's flushed face. "Go get us a room," he said, slipping the money into her hand.

Jessie nodded and took off toward one of the nicer hotels. Langley headed to the livery and fetched their saddlebags. When he entered the hotel Jessie had gone to and asked what rooms Jessie had gotten, the skinny man pushed his glasses up on his nose. "She only requested one room, sir. If you require another room I would be happy to...."

"No!" Langley denied quickly, causing the tiny man to jump a bit. "No, that won't be necessary," he assured him, a bit more calmly.

Langley got the room number and strode down the hall without taking time to admire the thick rugs and expensive tapestries.

One room. She had only gotten one room. Did that mean what he thought it might mean? One this was for sure, if they were sharing a room and a bed then Langley damn sure wasn't going to still have this damn virtue Jessie liked to tease him about so much.

Langley knocked on the door, wiped his sweaty palm on his pants leg and wished like hell the saddlebags were lighter. When the door was pulled open every bit of the air was sucked out of Langley's lungs and it felt as if he'd been kicked in the chest.

His tongue went dry and this throat closed up.

Jessie stood there wearing nothing but a sheet. Her golden streaked hair was wet and dripping against her toned shoulders. The lamplight behind her made her skin glow and her violet eyes shine.

"I...uh...you..." Langley couldn't string two words together as he simply took in the sight of her.

Jessie reached out a trembling hand and took hold of his arm, pulling him into the room. Langley kicked out with his boot and closed the door behind him. The saddlebags tumbled to the floor.

"I want you, Langley," Jessie stated, her voice shaking. "And I'm feeling open to being weak so you should take advantage."

Langley's breaths quickened when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body tight against him. He could feel the warmth of her beneath that sheet. "I don't...."

"I want to give myself to you," Jessie assured him, pressing one slender finger against his lips to silence his stuttering. "Trust me, I've thought long and hard about this. Now be the outlaw that I know is in there somewhere and take what you want from me."

Langley didn't need any more encouragement than that. He took her wrist gently, moved her finger away from his lips and devoured her mouth with hunger. Jessie moaned as her body molded to his and Langley was quick to slip that sheet away and toss it to the floor.

Langley's fingertips danced down her slender neck and strong shoulders. His lips followed their path. Jessie knew that she would collapse and so she clung to Langley, whispering his name and knowing she had never felt more alive than right at this moment.

Her very blood was on fire in her veins and Jessie wanted more. She whimpered and Langley moved his mouth back to hers, stealing her breath as he led her toward the bed.

Tossing her down upon the mattress, Langley moved away. Jessie watched him through passion hazed eyes as he slowly removed his weapons, his boots and then his clothes.

There was no air left to breathe that wasn't burning. Jessie let her eyes travel the length of him. He may have had boyish freckles and a lopsided grin but Langley Jacobs was every inch a man with broad shoulders, lean hips and all the parts in exactly the right places.

Jessie swallowed hard, a flush rising on her cheeks and chest. Slowly she let her eyes travel back up his washboard stomach and lean chest and she found his face.

It was clear Langley was just as nervous as she was. She held out her arms and Langley went to her, covering her body with his own as he kissed her. Jessie knew that nothing would ever be the same.

***

Firelight danced across the shadowed room as Jessie lay curled up in Langley's arms a while later, neither able to sleep. Langley kissed her wild hair and held her tighter. "I love you," he whispered.

Jessie felt a panic grip her heart. She kept her face pressed into Langley's chest so he wouldn't see it. "You just blew your outlaw cover," she warned. "An outlaw would never have said something like that."

Langley chuckled, the sound rumbling beneath her ear like thunder. "I'm not an outlaw, I'm a gunsmith. Gunsmiths say that kind of thing all the time. I think you love me too."

Jessie raised up and stared down at the brain addled man. Did she love him? He heart had ached when they'd been apart. And she did crave to see him smiling and happy. She enjoyed his touch. She laughed at his ridiculous jokes and even did her best to make him coffee, though she wasn't much good at it. Her heart beat faster each and every time she looked at him and she had welcomed him into her bed and given him every bit of herself.

Jessie shook her head. "Love hurts people."

Langley put a tender hand on her cheek. "No, people hurt people. And I would never hurt you, Jessie. Not for anything in the world."

"I'll hurt you," Jessie warned. And she knew she would. Her mother had always told her that love wasn't for people like them. People like them broke things. Jessie would hurt Langley in the end.

Langley smoothed a lock of hair from her flushed face. "I'm willing to take that chance."

Jessie bit the inside of her cheek to ward of the tears she felt rising in her throat. "I...." She swallowed hard and met his gaze. "I love you."

Langley's face lit up and Jessie found herself laughing, feeling more lighthearted than she had in a long time. "This time it's going to be slow and tender," Langley said, his voice raspy. "Because I'm no outlaw."

Jessie frowned. "This time?" He turned his hips and she felt evidence of just what he was talking about. Jessie eye's widened. "Oh....."

Langley was laughing as he flipped over and covered her body with his own.

***

Jessie could barely hold her eyes open and the clock told her it was nearing two in the morning. Langley's arms were loose around her and his fingers were gently stroking her hip.

"We'll leave for Bingham in the morning," Jessie whispered. "It'll probably take a few weeks on horseback."

"It'd be quicker if we took the train or a stage," Langley stated, his voice just as tired as Jessie felt. Her body had never been quite as weak and fully satisfied as it was right now.

"I don't ride on stage or trains," Jessie countered. "Only horseback."

"Why's that?" Langley questioned.

Jessie let her eyes closed as she listened to the steady rhythm of Langley's heart beneath her ear. "Because getaway is easier."

Langley chuckled. "Marston says the same thing."

Jessie raised her head and smiled. "You mean he said the same thing before he died, right?"

Langley winked. "Of course. Fair warning, though. I don't like the thought of you being in danger so once we get to Bingham you should probably buy your own drinks."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the warning."

Langley took a deep breath, let out a contended sigh and closed his eyes. "Let's get some sleep, sweetheart."

Jessie lay her head back on his chest and smiled against his skin as he held her a bit closer. Never had a man called her sweetheart as a term of endearment before. They might have done so sarcastically just to grate her nerves but the way Langley spoke the word was different.

Jessie had always thought she was too tough to be moved by such silly gestures. She had always thought she would never need to hear those things. But, if she were being honest, it felt damned good to lay here in Langley's arms and simply be his sweetheart.