"Women like you, they're a dime a dozen, you can buy 'em anywhere. For you to get to him I'd have to move over and I'm gonna stand right here. It'll be over my dead body so get out while ya can cuz you ain't woman enough to take my man." Loretta Lynn 'You Ain't Woman Enough'

The next month passed by quickly. While everyone was thankful that the days were finally getting longer and the nights warmer, it was becoming increasingly obvious to everyone that they may never find Scarlett or her husband.

They had been to dozens of towns, big and small, and no one seemed to know who they were, let alone where they might be.

Joe glanced over at Jonah and felt a smile forming on her lips. She didn’t care how long it took to find Scarlett. The longer they had to search for the hoity toity little whore, the longer she got to keep enjoying Jonah’s company.

They shared a bedroll every night now. And even though there were nights that neither felt like making love, he still slept with her, and kept his long body curled against hers and his arms secure around her.

Reb and Bart seemed to have finally accepted Jonah and Joe’s relationship and no longer had anything to say against it. Instead they insisted on teasing the two of them every chance they could and while Joe had been taking the teasing in stride, it was beginning to wear on her.

She didn’t like being called ‘Jonah’s Lady’. Not only was Joe not a lady but she also wasn’t Jonah’s. He hadn’t said a word about falling in love with her. Not a single mutter about a future between them.

And so Joe hadn’t dared mention her love for him or the longing she had to be with him longer than just whatever time it took to find Scarlett. She had found the one thing that Joe Redding wasn’t brave enough to face; Jonah’s rejection.

“We headin’ where I think we’re a headin?” Reb asked as they topped over a rise and the booming town of St. Augusta came into view. Already the noise could be heard. Cattle, trains, newsboys and the din that comes from a town that thousands of people call home.

“Yeah. I figure if nobody here has seen them then we’ll head on back on a loop toward Barbadine and head off in a different direction. We’re bound to get lucky eventually.” Jonah replied with a nod.

“What a town….” Bart said as he looked down at the bustling city. Fancy dresses, men in top hats. “We sure are gonna stick out like a couple of sore thumbs.”

“We might have to get all dressed up so we can fit in.” Reb agreed and Joe snorted.

“The only way yer gonna get me all trussed up is if ya do it after I’m dead and gone and then my damn ghostie is gonna come back to the land of the livin’ and kick yer ass real good and proper.”

Jonah laughed, blowing out a stream of smoke through his nose and mouth. “I’m thinking an emerald green dress, or maybe something with purples in it….”

Joe glared at him and then she smiled. “And you’d look just as cute as a button in one of them top hats and a nice spiffy suit and vest. Why we could even get ya a little cane to twirl ‘round while ya walk.”

“Why Jonah’d have the women fallin’ at his feet then!” Reb cut in and Joe scowled and went back to chewing on her thumbnail.

“I don’t think she liked that image.” Bart stated. “I’d say they’d be falling at his feet alright but it would be because Joe was shooting them for looking at her man.”

“And I think y’all got a couple a over active imaginations and I think I got an empty spot in my gut that wants some fresh home cooked food.” she replied and then she let out a whoop, kicked her heels and urged her horse into a quick gallop toward the city, throwing up dust behind her.

Joe went straight to the livery and put her horse in the care of the attendants there. She was sure the mare would enjoy the comfy surroundings. Hell the livery stalls were nicer than some of the hotel rooms that they’d been staying in the last few weeks.

Thinking of the hotel rooms had Joe thinking about all the lovemaking she and Jonah had done. Joe had learned a lot from him and she was no longer afraid when they were together. She no longer worried about appearing weak. She had learned that knowing how to please a man actually gave a woman a lot of power…. Of course in pleasing Jonah she had also given him the power to break her heart.

She watched Jonah go into the livery while she sat in the bench beside it but instead of following him, Reb saw her, handed his horses reins to Bart and walked over to her.

“Why don’t ya just tell the man ya love him?” Reb asked quietly as he sat down beside her and Bart let his and Reb’s horses into the livery.

“What the devil are ya talkin’ ’bout?” Joe demanded, as she fished in her pocket for a cigarette.

“Tell Jonah ya love him, Joe. Ya might just be surprised by what happens.”

Yeah and her heart might just be stomped on and then tossed back at her too. “It’s really not any of yer business, Reb.” she countered. “Besides just a few weeks ago ya was sure that Jonah and I bein’ together was nothing but a mistake.”

“I was wrong.” Reb said simply. “I guess I felt kinda responsible fer ya since I knew yer pa better than most and I was tryin’ to do what I thought he would want.”

“I can take care of myself just fine, Reb.” Joe reminded the man, smiling with victory when she found the cigarette and pack of matches that she had been searching for.

“Yeah, I know that. So what is it, Joe? Are ya scared?”

“I ain’t scared a nothing.” Joe countered with a snort before taking a long draw off her cigarette.

“So ya aren’t scared to tell Jonah ya love him?”

“I ain’t scared to love a man.” Joe ground out and then she raised her brow and looked over at him. “But I ain’t scared to shoot a man either, so back off, Reb.”

“Alright, alright.” Reb said with a chuckle as he patted her on the back. Then he leaned against the livery wall and crossed his ankles as he laid his arms across his stomach. “But just so ya know, I think that if ya was to fall in love with Jonah and he was to fall in love with you, than I think it would be alright.”

“I thought love was a dirty word.” Joe asked with a grin and Reb shivered.

“It is fer me. But I reckon it works fer some folks and I think it could work fer you and Jonah.”

“What could work?” Jonah asked as his shadow fell over them. Reb opened his mouth to speak but Joe stood quickly and cut him off.

“Getting a drink.” she said and Jonah raised a brow as he looked down at Reb. Reb just grinned and nodded.

“I’ve found that drinks do work most of the time.” he stated.

Jonah gave them each an odd look and Joe took a draw off her cigarette and offered him a grin.

“Let me go book a couple rooms at the hotel down the road. It looks like it’s probably the cheapest one around here. Then we’ll go get us those drinks.” he finally replied.

“Sounds good to me.” Joe agreed.

Jonah walked away down the road while Joe, Bart and Reb watched him go.

“So what were you all really talking about? You and Jonah’s upcoming wedding?”

“Y’all are really startin’ to get on my damn nerves lately! I don’t love Jonah. Jonah don’t love me. He’s a good damn friend but that’s as far as it goes. I certainly ain’t ‘bout ready to start spoutin’ out weddin’ vows and saying ‘I do’,” Joe snapped.

“I think Joe needs two beers.” Bart stated with a chuckle.

“Or three.” Reb agreed as he adjusted his eye patch.

“Hopefully we can talk Jonah into staying around here for longer than just a night.” Bart said thoughtfully as he watched a pair of giggling women walk down the other side of the road. They gave him a tiny wave with their gloved fingers and he tipped his hat in response. “It sure does seem to be home to some friendly folks.”

“I’m sure ol’ Joe here could talk our Jonah into stayin’ at the hotel for longer than just one night. Couldn’t ya, Joe?”

Joe tipped her head, tossed her cigarette down into the dirt and crushed it with her foot. “I’ve found that there ain’t much ya can’t talk a man into just so long as ya put him in the right kinda mood first.” she replied with a grin.

Truthfully she wanted to hang around here a bit longer than just a day. While the town was too big and not her kind of place with the fancy dressed folks, the bank and the dress shops to name a few things, she wanted to spend all the time with Jonah that she could.

She missed having him all to herself the way she had at her cabin. True they had fought quite a bit during that time but they had also become friends in that place and she missed the one on one time with him during the day. The poker matches, the quiet nights by the fire and the chats about their past.

She had told him the story about her mother and he had told her the stories about that horrible uncle of his who had locked him in closets with no food or water for days and whipped him with belts, whips, sticks… anything the man could get his hands on.

Joe had learned how to open up and admit that she cared in that cabin with Jonah. If she was being honest with herself it was where she had fallen in love with the man.

“Oh shit…” Reb muttered. “Is that who I think it is?!”

“Sure looks like her.”

Joe frowned and followed their gazes to see a fairy like woman with silvery blond hair and pale skin stepping out of a dress shop.

She had tiny features, though she was too far away for Joe to see them with much detail, it was plan to see that she had a woman’s body beneath that dark blue satin and silk dress. The dark fabric emphasized the paleness of her snow white skin and Joe realized that she moved with an ease and grace that seemed to have her simply gliding and floating along.

“Who the devil is she?” Joe asked with a frown. She didn’t look like anything more than one more prim and proper lady, all trussed up like a turkey at thanksgiving, with probably no more than some hot hair and feathers bouncing around between her ears.

“What are the fucking odds?” Reb growled.

“That’s Penny.” Bart ground out.

“Penny…” Joe repeated as she gave another glace at the woman. Penny was crossing the street toward them, her eyes having found Reb and Bart. She waved one dainty arm, her gloved fingers long and slender.

So this was the woman who had hurt Jonah so badly? This is what Jonah had been so in love with?

“Hello, Bart. Hello, Reb. It is lovely to see the two of you again.” Penny said when she reached them, her hair, which was only half up, was blowing in the light breeze.

“Still just as bubbly sweet and false as ever I see.” Reb said with a sneer.

“And still insisting on wearing dresses that cost more than just a couple pretty pennies. How much did that rich banker of yours pay for that one?” Bart added.

Joe saw the poise and friendliness in Penny’s pale blue eyes falter and then she sighed.

“I deserved both of those comments, I suppose.” she admitted. “I was a terribly vain and superficial monster the last time we were around each other, I’m afraid.”

“I just thought that was you on a normal day.” Bart countered.

“Yeah, I seem to remember a bitch and a harpy the very last time we ever seen you.” Reb agreed.

“Well I can only hope that Jonah will disagree with you both. I truly do hope he is around here somewhere with you?”

Joe decided she was tired of being treated as if she were invisible and so she stepped forward and held out her hand.

“My name’s Joe Redding. I’ve heard a lot about you, Penny.” she said.

Penny looked at her dirty hand and then at her dirt streaked face and Joe knew the woman did not want to shake her hand. Apparently her eagerness to appear a well mannered lady outweighed her trepidation and her hand closed around Joe’s in a feather light embrace that was over very quickly.

“Joe? That seems an odd name for a lady.” Penny admitted as she wiped her glove on her skirt before folding her hands in front of her.

Joe grinned. “Yeah, but I ain’t no lady.”

Penny studied her another moment and then turned her attention back to Bart and Reb who had been watching the women with amusement.

“May I ask where Jonah is? I trust he is accompanying the two of you since you all have always been such close friends.”

“That’s right, we are close friends.” Bart agreed.

“Close enough to know not to let him alone with a snake like you.” Reb added.

“Jonah’s a grown man, boys.” Penny replied, her voice lowering and ice appearing in her eyes. All pretenses of innocence leaving her face and posture. “Very grown. I assure you he can handle being let alone with me just fine.”

“I would have to agree on the grown man part.” Joe agreed as she spit out the thumb nail she’d been chewing. “He’s more than capable of satisfying a woman.”

Penny audibly gasped and then she stuttered several times as she looked Joe up and down.

“I must have broken his heart worse than I thought in order for him to have turned to something like… you… for comfort.”

A shadow fell over them all and Joe looked behind Penny to see Jonah standing there looking ready to kill as Bart and Reb chortled behind their hands.

Penny turned and Joe saw her skin turn an interesting shade of green. Jonah raised a brow. “Why don’t you repeat that, dear heart. I ain’t certain I heard you right the first time.”

***

Jonah walked out of the hotel with the keys to the two rooms in his pocket. He was going to have to think of a way to earn some money because their funds were running low.

He’d have to find a good poker game while they were here to fill his pockets.

While Jonah was a tough man and had plenty of experience sleeping out doors, nothing was quite so nice as a fire in the fireplace, a nice warm bed, soft covers and Joe’s body laid out all next to his. Skin to skin, breath mingling, watching her eyelids flutter as she dreamt peacefully in his arms.

Jonah looked over at the sun hanging just past midway in the sky and smiled.

Joe.

It seemed just the thought of her name, an image of that feisty woman, and Jonah felt lighter, happier.

He planned on having a long talk with her tonight once they were alone. He was no longer so into this path of vengeance as he had been.

He honestly simply wanted to put the past behind him and get on with his life… But would that mean losing Joe? He wasn’t ready to let go of her just yet. He might not ever be ready….

Jonah turned toward the livery where he had left Joe, Bart and Reb and his blood froze in his veins even as his heart began to thunder against his ribs.

Penny.

Every hurt that woman had dealt his heart bubbled up all at once and it was as if she’d left him yesterday instead of more than a year ago. He had had no idea what she was doing here but he was damn sure that the bitch was going to hear just what he thought about her before she left.

Jonah’s scuffed up boots ate up the ground quickly as he stormed toward where Penny was standing with Bart, Reb and Joe.

“I must have broken his heart worse than I thought in order for him to have turned to something like… you… for comfort.”

Jonah had never heard something that took his blood from freezing to boiling hot quite so fast as those words coming out of Penny’s mouth as she looked down her nose at his Joe.

He knew the moment Joe’s green/gray eyes fell on him and then he saw Penny begin to turn.

He looked down, Penny was short, barely five feet, and looked into the eyes he hadn’t looked into in over a year. The eyes that he had once thought he’d look into for the rest of his life. Hate burned in Jonah’s gut like a red hot ember.

“Why don’t you repeat that, dear heart. I ain’t certain I heard you right the first time.”

Jonah heard Bart and Reb snickering. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Joe cross her arms over her chest. Penny’s face took on a green hue as she looked up at him and then batted her lashes.

“Jonah, darling! How I’ve missed you so!”

“Uh-huh.”

“I have, truly, I have.”

Jonah shook his head. “Whatever it is you have up your sleeve, whatever it is you’re wanting, you can forget about it.”

Penny’s innocent façade faltered and Jonah could see the flash of anger in her icy eyes.

“I am not wanting anything other than simply a few moments of your time, Jonah….”

“I gave you two years of my time, Penny. I can promise you right now that you ain’t getting another minute of it to waste.” He took a step away from her, finding that that hatred that had been simply a burning ember was quickly beginning to sprout flames, licking at the insides of his heart. He wanted to hurt her the way she had hurt him… He simply wasn’t that kind of man.

“Jonah….” she began softly, her hand reaching out and falling on his arm. Jonah looked down at those dainty gloved hands against his dirty white shirt.

“I reckon yer gonna get yer hand off a him now.” Joe growled and Jonah took another step back, out of Penny’s reach. Jonah was surprised to hear the jealous edge in Joe’s voice.

“Let’s head to the saloon, y’all.” Jonah said to his friends. “There’s nothing else that needs to be said here.”

“So that’s it?!” Penny demanded. “I made one mistake and you’re going to turn your back on me for some foul smelling, mountain woman who speaks like an uneducated ruffian and does not have a single feminine bone in her body? You are a man, Jonah, you need a lady.”

Jonah shook his head. “You will watch what you say about that woman….” he began warningly. As far as he was concerned Joe was an angel. She had kept him from sinking and he owed her a great debt for that alone.

Joe spit into the dirt and stepped around Penny, coming between she and Jonah and rocking back on her heels.

“I can handle this here, lady, Jonah.” she stated. “I don’t reckon I need you to defend me to her.”

Jonah nodded, knowing he needed a drink, or two, to soothe his temper. “Fine then. I’m going to the saloon.”

***

Joe watched Jonah leave with Reb and Bart trailing behind him and she knew she had made him angry. Well damn his masculine pride! She hadn’t needed his help with bandits or drunkards so why the hell would she need his help with this Penny?

“Ya got anything else ya’d like to say ‘bout me or are ya all done so I can go and have some drinks with my friends.”

“Friends?” Penny sneered, all pretenses of being a gentle, sweet-natured lady gone now that her audience had left. “Please, you’re probably keeping all three of them warm at night.”

Joe laughed. “Just a second ago ya basically said I weren’t a woman and now I’m warming three man’s beds? Seems that would take a mighty knowledgeable woman to do a thing like that. Ya know like the kinda woman that would let a man buy her purty things for two years and then take off with a rich banker that could buy her even purtier things.”

Penny laughed and Joe felt her fist clench. The tightening in her gut could only be one thing… Jealousy. She didn’t want this woman anywhere near her Jonah, because the man was hers whether he realized it or not.

“Just give me time, Joe, Jonah will be mine again. The man could never resist me and you certainly aren’t going to change that.”

Joe was about to respond when Jonah’s voice cut in loudly from down the street.

“Joe, come on now! Let’s play us a few hands of poker!”

Joe smiled at Penny and began to walk around her, stopping and patting the shorter woman on the shoulder. “It’ll be once I’m cold and dead that I let you sink your claws back into that man. He’s too good a man to be wasted on a pretty little, sweet talking thing like you.”

Joe enjoyed the sight of Penny’s mouth moving as she struggled to speak but now words came out. She looked almost exactly like a fish out of water and it made Joe chuckle and shake her head as she walked off to join Jonah who slipped back into the saloon when he saw her coming.

Joe could feel Penny’s eyes burning holes in her back but she ignored them. Joe Redding was a fighter and while Joe Redding would probably find a man too dumb a thing to fight over, Jonah had brought enough of Josephine back to life that Joe knew Penny wasn’t going to get anywhere near her man. Not so long as there was still a breath in her body.