Free Annabelle Weston by Scandalous Woman

and his boys were after the men locked up in the jail, they’d be back.
    First thing come morning, he’d find Travis and ask him what else he knew about the gang.
    He reached the jailhouse. The single window, shuddered against the blowing sand, showed no light coming from inside.
    “ Damn,” he muttered under his breath.
    Those two boys he’d deputized before he left had promised to take turns standing guard. He’d better roust them out of their slumber before he headed to the livery.
    The heavy door yielded to his touch. They hadn’t even locked up properly. He pushed the door harder and squinted. His two deputies were sitting on the ground hogtied and gagged.
    The cell was empty.
    Both struggled to talk as Jed untied the bandanas stuffed in their mouths. He already knew what’d happened.
    “ They jumped us,” Sam said.
    Jed took out his knife and cut the rope. “How many?”
    “ I counted four.” He exchanged glances with Jack Finney. “They must’ve doubled back.”
    “ This time Crosby was with them.”
    “ Are you sure it was him?” Jed had been certain their trail headed south. He hadn’t found any sign of them turning around.
    “ It was Vernon Crosby all right. We didn’t stand a chance,” the boy said as he untied the knots in the rope.
    They scrambled to their feet.
    “ Said you’d be sorry,” Sam said as he brushed off his pants. “Arresting his men like you done. Said he didn’t care much for lawmen.”
    Jed took a good look around. The gang had taken all the rifles out of the rack. The desk drawer was halfway open. Luckily, he only kept the key to the jail cell there.
    “ What’ll we do now?” Sam asked.
    “ Nothing to do.” Jed blamed himself for this foul-up. He’d given them a responsibility they couldn’t handle.
    “ We could ride after them.”
    “ Yeah. Let’s go get ’em, Sheriff,” Sam said, nodding.
    “ No.” Jed appreciated the boys’ enthusiasm but he needed seasoned gunmen to go
    after the gang. One day his deputies would be the men they aspired to be but until then, they’d a lot to learn.
    “ I’m considered a good shot,” Sam said, building his case.
    “ Consider yourself lucky you’re alive.”
    Both boys looked contrite and Jed reckoned he’d said enough for one night.
    He stomped outside, mounted Shooter and headed toward the livery. Shooter snorted, ready for a measure of oats and a straw bed.
    Tin-panny music drifted from around the corner and he scowled. When he reached the crossroad, he stopped and gritted his teeth. He saw, with disappointment, the saloon lit up and lively. The hellion had not done as he’d asked.
    Anger simmered in his veins. He clenched the reins tight until his horse whinnied and he realized what he’d been doing. He patted Shooter’s neck and murmured an apology.
    “ Seems I’ve been made a fool of twice.”
    Carly’s lying ways brought a bitter taste to his mouth. She’d flirted with him for no good reason other than to see him squirm. A man needed to stay clear of Carly Buchanan if he had any sense.
    The livery was dark. Jed led his horse into a stall and stripped off his saddle and bridle. By the time he’d fed and watered Shooter, Jed had worked up a head of steam.
    Carly had defied his curfew, an ordinance meant for her own protection. Her intentions were clear. She considered herself above the law. She was damn lucky that, when the gang came to break their men out, they hadn’t stormed the saloon.
    Jed removed his rifle from its sheath and slung his pack over one shoulder. There was only one way to deal with lawbreakers. He covered ground in a hurry.
    A burst of laughter from the saloon fueled his anger. He had to be prepared for what he’d find. Would she be entertaining her guests or would she be upstairs giving a customer a taste of her wares?
    He had to admit he didn’t want to find her in bed. When she’d straddled his lap, he’d wanted her for his own—not to share her with any other man.
    Jed