Flashes. Jonah was aware of flashes of images.

Penny. He saw Penny. She was looking into his eyes and smiling as he told her how much loved her. As he opened his heart and let her know about the future he wanted for the two of them and the life he hoped they would one day have.

Flashes of Penny getting onto that train arm in arm with that rich banker in a top hat, and setting off to start her new life with the rich man, leaving a broken Jonah behind in her wake.

Scarlett in all her soft feminine glory, purring beneath him. Telling him that she wanted nothing more than to have him with her as she traveled east. Making promises of a future. Blinding him with her passion and with the way she seemed to know exactly what to do to take a mans attention away from anything other than the pleasure her body could give him.

Scarlett locking that bank door and pulling a gun.

Scarlett shooting that old man, probably killing him.

Scarlett shoving that sack of money into his chest and screaming for help.

Scarlett blowing him a kiss before riding away and leaving him to die on the dirty street.

Penny’s clown. Scarlett’s fool. Jonah was quite simply a fool in every sense of the word. Believing that women could love! Believing that love actually existed! It didn’t. Reb and Bart had been right all along.

Too bad Jonah had had to die to learn the lesson his best friends had been trying to teach him all along.

“Wake up ya damned stubborn jackass! We gotta get a move on and yer lazy backside has been layin’ here for a damned day and a half!”

That voice… Surely Jesus wasn’t Joe. Or maybe he hadn’t made it to heaven given his act of cowardice at the end of his life and Joe’s voice was coming from the devil… That would certainly make more sense.

Suddenly, a splash of ice cold water was raining down on his face and Jonah sat bolt upright with a gasp and a sputter before crying out in pain and laying his hand over his bandaged side.

His eyes flew open and he took in his surroundings quickly. Joe was crouched beside him with an empty tin cup clutched in her hand, though Jonah had a sneaking suspicion that that cup had been filled with water just a moment ago.

They were in what seemed to be a handmade lean-to with pine boughs for a roof. A small fire was burning at the entrance, too small to give off much smoke but providing a tiny bit of warmth to those inside.

“I’m not dead?” Jonah managed to ask, and immediately wished he hadn’t spoken when he felt the dryness in his parched mouth and throat. Joe snorted and shoved a canteen into his chest.

“No thanks to you. What kind of idiocy must a man suffer from to stay out in the open like ya did with guns goin’ off ‘round ya?!”

“The bad kind.” Jonah muttered and Joe grunted as if in agreement. “You sure as hell ain’t a gentle nursemaid.” he added as Joe’s finger began poking at the bandages on his bare arms.

It was then that Jonah realized he was wearing only his trousers, no wonder he felt so damn cold.

“If’n ya wanted a gentle nursemaid ya shoulda arranged that ‘fore you took part in a bank robbery and got yerself shot all to hell and back.”

Jonah glared at her. Her dirty face was pale and dark circles surrounded her tired eyes. Her buckskin clothes were covered in blood, his blood.

“How long did you say we’d been here?” Jonah asked as he looked down at the bandages. One around his upper right arm which was in a makeshift sling and one lower around his forearm. Then the third on his side. His stomach growled and then clenched tightly and his mouth still felt dry and scratchy, as if he’d been chewing on wool sock.

“We’ve been here ‘bout a day and a half.” Joe replied as she refilled the tin can with some fresh water from her canteen and handed it to him. “But we rode hard for a full day before I stopped and made camp. Had to make sure the lawmen and posse weren’t on our tail.”

“Lawmen and posse?” Jonah asked absently as he sipped at the water.

“Yep. Ya did rob a bank. That tends to piss off those sworn to uphold the law and whatnot.”

“I didn’t rob the damn bank.” Jonah growled. “I just didn’t stop the person who was….” he sat the now empty cup aside and grabbed the blanket beside him before pulling it tight around his shoulders. “Have you slept? You look like hell so I figure you haven’t.”

“Well thanks, dear. You look like a little ray a sunshine yerself.” Joe drawled dryly. Despite himself, Jonah felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

“Have you slept?” he asked again and Joe shook her head before handing him some jerked beef.

“Nope. You had a hell of a fever when we got here and ya just seemed to sweat it out a few hours ago. I let ya rest as long as I could but we really should get a move on.”

“Yeah, I reckon we should.” Jonah replied, not willing to thank her for the care she’d given. Knowing Joe she’d probably just curse at him if he did try to thank her.

“How about you lay on down here and get you some rest first?” Jonah asked as he pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his side.

“No time for that…” Joe began to argue but Jonah pointed firmly at the bedroll he’d been lying on.

“You won’t be any good to anybody if you don’t get some damn rest.”

“I’da been getting rest if you hadn’t up and gotten yerself shot.” Joe grumbled, though Jonah was pleased to see that she did as he said. “I still wanna know what happened in that bank.”

“It can wait.” Jonah replied as shame filled him. “Rest.” he urged as he grabbed his blood caked shirt from the ground and slipped it on and then walked away, down a small hill and onto a tight trail that wound through the canyon system that Joe had found for them to camp in.

Jonah was a bank robber. Not really but the law wouldn’t know that. Would he be a wanted man now? They shouldn’t have his name at least. He hadn’t used his name at the hotel and he hadn’t seen anyone he’d known while in Barbadine… Least not anyone who would have gotten a good enough look at him as he’d come out of the bank. Truth be told no one had probably gotten a real good look at him since everyone had been running for cover after hearing Scarlett fire her gun.

Only time would tell if he would earn his own wanted poster. And what of Joe? Where were Bart and Reb? Jonah felt worry fill him and wished he would have thought to ask Joe before telling her to rest…. She had seemed so tired and her fatigue had been his fault. He found it odd that the woman would work so hard just to save his life. He hadn’t been aware that the woman even liked him.

Jonah realized he had walked farther than he should have. His side was burning, his head was spinning and his weak legs were nearing the point of giving out beneath him.

He gingerly sat down on a cold boulder and lifted his shirt with his free hand, realizing that blood was beginning to soak through the dirty rag that Joe had tied around him to serve as a bandage.

He pulled the bandage back a little and winced when he saw the hole that the bullet had torn through his side. Far enough away from everything important to keep from killing him but nasty enough that it was going to take a while to heal.

Blood had soaked through the bandage on his forearm and was running down his hand and dripping off his fingertips. His upper right arm had been broken by the bullet that had slammed into it when he’d been attempting to shoot Scarlett….

That was a thought that stopped his train of thoughts. He had been willing to shoot a woman. Not only had he been willing to shoot a woman but he had been willing to shoot her in the back.

Bart and Reb had been right about him. He was nothing but a fool, the son of a whore and an outlaw. It was time Jonah embraced his heritage. There was only one thing he knew for sure…. Never again would he play any woman’s fool.

***

Joe sat up with a start and realized that she was still alone in the lean-to. The fire had dwindled down to nothing more than smoking embers and the sunlight was fading over the horizon. She must have slept for hours!

Where was Jonah? Why hadn’t he kept the fire going? Joe pushed herself to her feet, her stomach growling and cramping, desperately longing for a meal that she couldn’t give it.

She realized her horse was still there as were her saddlebags.

“Where in tarnation is that damned man?” she mumbled. Knowing the path he had taken when he’d walked away, Joe made her way down the hill and started on the rocky path. She saw dried blood splattered on the ground and cursed under her breath.

Jonah needed stitched up but the materials to do that were in short supply out here. If she could just get the man to do one more hard day of riding they could reach her cabin and then she could care for him properly. Until then, death from infection or blood loss were very real possibilities for him.

“Jonah, what the devil are you doin’?” Joe demanded when she saw him sitting on a boulder, slumped against the cliff behind him. When he didn’t reply Joe felt unease creep in.

Had the foolish man wound up dead? He never should have walked this far in his condition. He’d damn near bled to death, had three holes in him and a broken arm and he hadn’t eaten anything more than a piece of jerked beef or had more than that one cup of water to drink.

Joe was going to be real damn angry if the man had died seeing as how she had put a lot of effort into keeping him alive the last two and a half days. She hadn’t eaten, hadn’t slept, hadn’t so much as left his side as she had struggled to lower his fever.

She wasn’t sure why she cared so much what happened to Jonah. She didn’t normally go out of her way to help anyone, it just wasn’t in her nature. But she wanted to help Jonah. She had seen such a strength and a potential for greatness in him and it was only because of the mans weakness for painted pretty ladies that he had wound up like this. Hopefully getting shot all to hell would cure his brain ailment, that was of course if it didn’t kill him.

Joe crouched in front of him and saw that his eyes were closed but he was breathing. “Jonah!” She said harshly as she swatted his cheek. Jonah’s eyelids fluttered and then Joe cursed the way her body responded when a lazy smile spread across his face.

“I was wondering if you’d come looking for me. Seems I’m not as strong as I thought I was.”

“Well ‘course yer not, ya damn idiot. Ya got shot three damned times, broke yer arm and nearly died o’fever. That’ll take the wind right outta anybodies sails.”

“Guess you’re right, Joe.” he mumbled as he sat up a little straighter and then winced in pain.

Joe stood straight and cocked her head.

“Ya gonna be alright here while I go get our stuff loaded up and I’ll swing down this way and getcha?”

“I don’t reckon I’m going anywhere without your help.” Jonah replied, his gray eyes meeting hers.

“No, I don’t reckon ya are.” Joe agreed with a little shake of her head. She turned to walk back up the hill but Jonah’s hand closed around her lower arm and stopped her.

“Thank you, Joe.”

Joe just grunted and pulled her arm away, not liking the way his touch made her feel.

“Don’t thank me yet, Jonah. Ya still have a pretty good chance o’dying.” she assured him and then she walked away quickly, without giving him time to say anything else.

Joe didn’t like having anyone’s gratitude. As soon as you started doing things and folks started thanking you for them then folks expected you to help them whenever they needed it.

It didn’t take Joe long to pack up what few belongings she’d taken out of her saddlebags. A few swatches of cloth were left that weren’t bloodied and she was sure to stuff those inside, along with her single tin cup. The blankets they’d been lying on, she kept out. If they were going to be riding after dark it was going to get cold and they’d need the blankets to wrap up in. Especially Jonah, since she’d had to sacrifice his duster coat and use it to help stop his bleeding.

She stomped around on the coals of their fire for a moment, enjoying the warmth that put into her cold feet and then she secured her saddlebags on her mares back before climbing into the saddle.

She found Jonah where she had left him, though the man had managed to get to his feet.

It took a couple of tries and some help from the boulder he’d been sitting on before Jonah managed to lift himself into the saddle behind Joe and Joe felt a strange tingling in her core as his long arm circled around her waist and she felt his breath against her neck.

“Ya ever think of sittin’ back a little bit?” she snapped. “I’d rather not have ya breathin’ on me the whole damn way!”

“Sorry, Joe…” he mumbled and Joe could hear the weakness in his voice. She sighed and squeezed her mares sides to get the beast moving again.

“Joe…” Jonah started and then he stopped. She rolled her eyes.

“What?”

“Where’s Bart and Reb? They didn’t… They didn’t get killed did they?” Joe could hear the dread and uneasiness in Jonah’s voice and she sighed.

“I don’t think so. ‘Course I can’t say fer certain. They was gonna lead the lawmen one way while I took you the other.” She felt him nod against his shoulder and then was thankful when he said nothing else.

If there was one thing Joe hated more than anything it was a bunch of chit chat. Of course she wasn’t too fond of having a man behind her in the saddle with his strong arm around her, his big hand laying over her stomach and his chin resting on her shoulder either.

It seemed life had decided to deal her one hell of a dirty hand and Joe, being the gambler she was, had made the decision to play it. Now she was stuck.