“They set up an ambush,” he said.
There was as little feeling in her face as there was in his words. “You weren’t with them?”
So that explained it. She thought he might be one of them. It wasn’t as if outlaws didn’t turn on their own kind plenty often.
“No, ma’am,” he said. “Like I said, I was taking Leroy to Las Cruces. Five of his men were waiting for us two miles south of San Augustin Pass.”
“There were only five men with you. There was another one?”
“Yes, ma’am, but he won’t be bothering anyone again.”
He could see the questions in her eyes, but he had concerns of his own that had to come first. “How many did you get?” he asked before she could speak again.
She touched the grip of her gun. It was a good one—a Colt single-action Peacemaker, well used but obviously well cared for, as well. “They got away,” she said, every word grudging. “I hit at least two of them, though, including the man who was trying to kill you.”
“Did you intend to kill him?”
“No,” she said shortly.
Jacob believed her. He could see the idea bothered her, which was something of a relief. She wasn’t quite as hardened as she obviously wanted him to think.
He lay back down again, suddenly winded. “You’re a good shot, ma’am.”
If she appreciated the compliment—the kind he very seldom gave to anyone—she didn’t show any sign of it. “Will they come looking for you?” she asked.
Smart of her to consider that possibility. It was the same one that had been on his mind since he’d woken up.
“I don’t think they have the stomach for it,” he said. “Especially since Leroy’s wounded, and you said you got one of the others. But—” He sucked in a breath as a wave of nausea reminded him that he wasn’t as strong as either he or the lady had believed. “I don’t plan to be here long, but I’ll be happy to tell your menfolk whatever they need to know.”
She gave him a look of bitter amusement. “It would be best if you told me,” she said.
Even the dim light from the lantern was beginning to hurt his eyes. He closed them and sighed.
“You’re a fine hand with a rifle, ma’am, and maybe with that gun, too. You’re braver than most men I’ve met. But your menfolk won’t want you risking your life again, and as long as there’s a chance—”
“So you would like to speak to the ranch boss?”
“Yes, ma’am. That would do fine.”
“In that case, you are speaking to her.”
It took about five seconds for him to realize what she’d said. He opened his eyes and stared at her. She was as dead serious as anyone he’d ever seen.
“Are you saying…you run this outfit, ma’am?”
“Yes.”
Now he understood that bitterness. She must think this was quite a joke on him. But it didn’t make one lick of sense.
The only possibility he could see was that she was a widow and had no other close male kin to take over the ranch when her husband died. Or maybe she was the only child of a father who’d died and left her with no choice but to manage on her own.
Either way, she couldn’t have been at it for long. The odds would be too stacked against her in this country, where any female boss, even if she proved strong enough to keep her hands and manage the finances and other business, would have to contend with constant challenges from men and nature no woman should have to face.
But she’d done a pretty damned good job of driving off Leroy’s gang, and what he could see of the barn didn’t suggest she was struggling to survive. It was well built and clean, the horses he’d seen were of good quality, and the woman herself hardly looked like someone living on the edge of ruin.
The fact was that he didn’t know a damned thing about this place or this woman who claimed to run it, let alone if she was telling the truth.
“I’ve been remiss in introducing myself, ma’am,” he said, instinctively reaching up to touch the brim of his missing hat. “My name is Jacob Constantine.”
He wasn’t particularly surprised when she failed to provide her name in return. “And why were you taking this man Leroy to Las Cruces, Mr. Constantine?” she asked.
Not everyone who heard his profession admired him for it. In fact, he would have to say most didn’t have a very high opinion of bounty hunters. But his only alternative was to lie, and he made it a habit to tell the truth. That was part of the Code he lived by. The Code that kept him sane.
“Leroy Blake is wanted in one state and three territories for murder, robbery and other crimes,” he said. “I was taking him in for the bounty.”
Her expression didn’t change. “He sounds like a very bad man,” she said. “Why didn’t you get the rest of his gang when you captured him?”
“They weren’t with him, ma’am.”
“Even if they had been, you couldn’t have taken all of them, could you?”
He might have been able to, given the right circumstances, but he couldn’t tell her why. “The chance didn’t present itself,” he said.
“And it never occurred to you that they might realize you had their boss and come after you?”
Her scorn was obvious, and Jacob felt his temper begin to rise. That was the worst stupidity of all. He had no call to be mad at her, and he’d learned a long time ago to control his passions. Especially where women were concerned. That was part of the Code, too. Rare were the times he’d ever been discourteous to a female, no matter what her stripe.
Even more rarely would he let himself get into a position where he had to apologize, explain himself, or become beholden to any man, woman or child.
“Ma’am,” he said, “I regret that you had to get tangled up in this. By tomorrow—”
His words were lost in a ruckus as the barn door burst open and a brown-haired girl ran in, closely followed by an older female with thick red hair and the Chinese woman who had tended him before. The girl dashed right up to Serenity and stopped, her skirt slapping around her legs.
“Oh!” she said, staring down at Jacob with wide brown eyes. “You’re awake!”
The redhead came to stand behind the girl while the Chinese woman set down the still-steaming teakettle she had been carrying, retrieved the pitcher and filled the glass with fresh water. He noticed for the first time that she was wearing soft trousers and a long tunic, the typical dress he’d seen in places where the Chinese were more common.
Jacob quickly examined the other two. The girl was probably no more than seventeen—pretty,
