Her dress had been torn, and her shoulder was caked with blood. A purple goose egg knotted her forehead, surrounded by scratches. Her brown hair had lost most of its pins, hanging limply in her face and over one shoulder.
He tipped his hat. “Ma’am, I’m not goin’ to hurt you.” His eyes strayed again to her wounded shoulder. “I’ve come to help.”
She staggered, and Jesse instinctively moved to help. Her rifle flew up, stopping him in his tracks. When her gaze rested on his silver deputy’s star, she sighed and lowered her gun.
“My prayers have been answered. Thank the good Lord you’ve come,” she muttered before her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled to the ground.
Jesse rushed to her and scooped her into his arms as fast as lightning. “Someone give me somethin’ to stop the bleedin’.”
A silver-haired woman handed him a lacy handkerchief. “The poor brave little thing. I hope she isn’t hurt badly.”
“It’s a good thing you showed up when you did, young man,” said the elderly gentleman. “Those bandits killed the driver and guard. We would all be dead now if it weren’t for you.”
“What do you mean by that?” demanded the silver-haired lady, directing her question to the elderly man as she poked him in the arm.
Jesse used the handkerchief to staunch the flow of blood from the woman’s shoulder, but it wasn’t helping much. He wished the older couple would stop jabbering so he could ask about Summer Bennett.
“You know as well as I do that Miss Bennett here saved us all,” the elderly woman continued. “We owe her our lives.”
This is Summer?Jesse’s eyes widened as his attention lifted to the couple. He certainly hadn’t heard correctly.
“All I know,” continued the gentleman, “is that I saw this young man shoot that bandit there.” He motioned to the one still alive, although moaning and groaning. “I saw it with my own eyes. He saved us.”
Jesse cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Did you say Miss Bennett? Would that be... Summer Bennett?”
“Why, yes,” the woman asked. “Do you know her?”
Unfortunately, I do.He looked down at the woman in his arms with the unkempt hair and torn clothes. That certainly fits Summer Bennett.But why is she wearing a dress?Jesse had never in his life seen her in a dress. Well, not counting church, of course. But even then, she would rush home and change back into trousers.
Upon closer inspection, he realized she didn’t look anything like the tomboy he knew. Her hair was darker, and gone were the freckles that had once decorated her nose. Her eyelashes, dark and thick, were long, and the delicate shape of her mouth had a bewitching curve.
What was he thinking? This was Summer, for heaven’s sake. But it just couldn’t be.
“Miss Bennett saw them bandits kill the driver, and that’s when she climbed out the window and up to the driver’s seat,” informed the silver-haired lady.
“She didwhat?” Jesse’s voice rose.
“Well, we couldn’t see much from inside the coach, of course. But I saw one bandit ride beside us, climb up next to her, and oh! He hit her in the head with the butt of his rifle.” The woman pulled herself straight and tall. “But of course, Miss Bennett shot him before he could do worse.”
Jesse’s jaw hardened, and he ground his teeth. As he examined her head, anger welled within him like he hadn’t experienced since the irritating woman left to stay at her aunt’s fancy school.
The older gentleman stepped forward, looped his thumbs around his suspenders, and rocked back on his heels. “If she did kill that bandit, it was just a lucky shot. This fella here saved us. Why Miss Bennett’s just agirl. We’re all lucky that the sheriff came along when he did.”
Jesse bit his lip to suppress a grin. Good thing Summer was out cold. She wouldn’t like to hear that. But one thing was certain, she was no longerjust a girl. While she’d been away, she’d blossomed into a lovely young lady.
“I’m actually adeputy,” Jesse said. “Deputy Slade.”
“Deputy Slade,” the old woman said. “Because of Summer’s heroic behavior, I think she deserves a ree-ward for saving our lives.”
Reward my foot.What she needed was a good tanning of her fanny, and he planned to see it carried through the minute she was well enough. Not only had she foolishly risked her own life, it appeared those years away at the school for young ladies hadn’t done her a bit of good.
“I need to get her to a doctor quickly,” Jesse said. “Will you folks be all right until the sheriff comes?”
“Oh, yes-sirree. We’ll tie up the low-life robbers that aren’t dead, so there won’t be more problems.”
Jesse carried Summer to his horse. With help from the others, he situated himself in the saddle and cradled her in his arms. As he rode away, one thing struck him as odd. Of course, it’d been quite a while, but he didn’t remember Summer feeling so soft and womanly. He’d grown up thinking of her as a tomboy, but with her snuggled comfortably on his lap, he knew she’d gone through some major changes.
Jesse distanced his mind from the feel of the female on his lap. He’d get her to the doctor, but what worried him most was her reaction when she regained consciousness. A wave of foreboding swept through him. Cursing inwardly, he shook his head. He’d bet his boots Summer Bennett would be fit to be tied when she found out who her rescuer was, and the resulting fireworks should be a sight to see.
