"Don't even think about it." Richard warned as Tessa grabbed the sheet off the bed and began to fold it to wrap it around her bare chest.

"I have to, Richard. Tom's don't have big breasts." she replied matter-of-factly. Richard laid his hand over one of her breasts and her breath caught in her throat.

"No, but my Tessa does, and I saw those damn lines that last thing you wrapped around yourself caused by being pressed so tight against your skin. You are not doing that to yourself again. I told you before that you don't have to pretend to be a boy anymore. You are no longer a woman on your own.. You are now a woman with a ruthless, ex-sheriff, bounty hunter looking out for you and I will not let anything happen to you."

Tessa smiled happily and threw the sheet down as Richard walked away and removed some clean clothes for both of them from the saddlebags. He tossed her a shirt and pants before pulling his own on. Richard had purposely hid her duster down in the saddlebags. He wanted to be able to see the way those pants hugged her hips and rear. Once they were both dressed and Tessa had all her hair tucked beneath her hat they walked outside into the bright morning sunlight.

"Wish you'd left your hair down." Richard said.

"It would be so full of dust and dirt by tonight you wouldn't be able to run your fingers through it." she replied.

"Glad you put your hair up." he said with a chuckle. They walked into the gunsmith shop.

"What can I do for you sir and uh…. Ma'am." the gunsmith said. He had never before seen a woman in a pair of trousers with a gun on her side. Did she think she was a cowboy?

"I know it's startling at first but you get used to it." Richard said looking from the gunsmith to Tessa and back again. Tessa's opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly and punched Richard in the arm instead. The gunsmith chuckled and looked back at Richard.

"You better be careful. Looks like you got ya a tough little woman there." he said.

"You're telling me." Richard said rubbing his arm. Then he threw the mountain lion pelt on the counter.

"I need some dynamite and some ammo for this." Richard said putting one of his colts on the counter. The gunsmith nodded and walked down the counter to gather the supplies.

"Dynamite?" Tessa asked. Richard nodded.

"The fort is old and barely standing as it is so throwing a few sticks of dynamite over the wall and making a big boom sounds like a good idea to me."

"Ok." Tessa replied.

"There ya go." The gunsmith said handing Richard a leather bag full of ammo and dynamite.

"Did the pelt cover it?" Richard asked. The gunsmith nodded and Richard and Tessa turned and walked away. The gunsmith let out a silent whistle. Just watching that little woman walk away in those tight trousers would have covered the dynamite and ammo good enough.

888

They traveled hard all day, made camp beside a trickling stream and spent the night in each others arms making love beneath the stars.

It was nearly noon the next day and dark clouds were gathering quickly. Tessa rolled her eyes and let out an irritated growl when the first fat drops of rain hit the brim of her hat.

"I hate rain." she said. Richard looked over at her and shrugged.

"Not much we can do to stop it." he said. "Might as well try to enjoy it. Just think of it as a free bath that you don't even have to get off your horse for."

"Cold bath." she muttered.

"You hear that, Horse? You just can't make a woman happy. She complained all day yesterday about the damn dust and now she's cursing the rain."

"Buck his ass off into the dirt, Horse." Tessa said with a grin. Richard acted shocked.

"Look at that, Horse! You give a woman two amazing nights and what does it mean? Nothing… She just tells your horse to give you a bruised backside."

"Ya big baby." Tessa said and she nudged her mare into a faster pace. Richard chuckled and took off after her.

Soon the rain was coming down hard enough that they could barely see more than ten feet in front of them. Richard signaled to Tessa to follow him and he led her off the path to a large outcropping of rocks.

"We can keep kinda dry under here for a while." Richard said. Tessa nodded and then shook her head and sent big drops of water flying.

"Let's just take a seat and rest a while." Richard said. Tessa shook her head.

"I'm not sitting down in that dust." she said. "As wet as my rear is I'd come up covered in mud." Richard shook his head and sat down then patted his lap.

"I'll keep ya out of the dust." he promised. Tessa sat down on him and instantly their lips found each other. Neither knew how long they sat under the rocks lost in each others kisses but finally Richard noticed that the rain had stopped.

"Well we better get moving." he said with regret. "We need to get to the fort before dark. And then make our move once night falls." Tessa nodded feeling her stomach twist in knots. She had been after Trigger for nearly two months now but had never really thought about being this close to her goal. She just prayed that she and Richard would live until the morning.

"Richard, I'm gonna walk back here a ways." she said pointing behind the rocks. "I need some privacy."

"Maybe I should come with you." he said. "Seems like every time you go off needing privacy you end up in trouble." Tessa put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"I'll be fine." she said and walked off leaving him chuckling. He heard a sound behind him and turned just in time to feel the butt of rifle come down hard on his head and he fell unconscious to the ground.

888

Tessa was just making her way back to camp when she heard the laughter to her right. She turned and saw a dirty cowboy standing there looking at her with his gunl in his hand.

"Well aren't you a pretty little thing." he said spitting out a long stream of tobacco. "Harold, you ever seen a woman in a pair of pants like that?"

"Nope." Another man said from behind her and Tessa screamed when she felt him grab her arm and yank her to him. "But I'd sure like to see her out of them." Tessa saw a third man walking their direction from where she'd left Richard.

"Richard!" She screamed. The third man laughed.

"I'm afraid he ain't gonna be able to help you." he said. Tessa felt her heart fall to her feet and her breakfast rise in her throat. Richard was dead? He couldn't be…. She had nothing if she didn't have him. Harold, the man holding onto her arm removed her gun from her holster and stuck in the waistband of his own pants.

"I'll keep this, beautiful." he said with a smile revealing a mouth full of rotten teeth.

"Let's get her back to camp, boys. I don't wanna have to wait much longer to get her outta them pants." the first man said. In a desperate attempt to get away Tessa tried to run but Harold's grip on her arm was too strong and he yanked her back against him.

"Throw me a rope, Todd." he said. The man to her right holding the gun pulled a rolled up rope off his gun belt and tossed it to Harold. Tessa fought against him but he just laughed and tied her hands together in front of her.

"What about that other guy?" Harold asked the third man.

"I knocked his brains out." the third man said.

"Did ya kill him, Fred?" Todd asked.

"If he ain't dead from the blow I gave him then I'll shoot my own foot off. I've killed many a men with blows lighter than that." Fred replied. "And look here, he had some nice irons." he added raising his shirt to reveal both of Richard's pearl handled colt revolvers in the waistband of his pants. Tessa felt her head spinning. Richard couldn't be dead… He just couldn't. Why the hell hadn't she listened to him when he had begged her to just give up on getting to Trigger and go somewhere safe with him? Now because of her own stupid foolish pride her love was dead and she was sure that she would be too.

"What about that big black stallion he had? I'd like to have me a horse like that." Todd asked. Fred cursed.

"Damn thing bit the hell out of me and then took off running." he said holding up his bloody arm.

"Too bad he didn't kick your damn brains out." Tessa spat. Fred laughed and Harold swung his fist and caught Tessa hard in the side of the head. Tessa yelled in pain and fell against him as her legs buckled from the blow.

"Keep your mouth shut bitch unless we tell you to speak." he said.

"Calm down, Harold." Todd said putting his gun away. "I like a woman with a little fire."

"Go straight to hell." Tessa said spitting at him. Todd laughed.

"Not yet, sweetheart. One day I will, but not yet." he motioned to the other two men. "Shut her up Harold and let's get back to camp."

"Gladly." Harold said and before Tessa could fight back he slammed his fist hard across her face and she fell into his arms unconscious.