Kissed by the Outlaw Read online

  "You didn't turn out so bad, McSwain. Not now. Oh—here, take this." She pulled his handkerchief out of her bra. "That's clean. I washed it for you. I forgot to give it to you earlier. It was in my pocket before—before we…"

  The look he gave her made her smile. He held the handkerchief in his hand, as if unsure what to do with it.

  "You keep it," he said.

  "No, you need it out on the fields." Turning, Kelly started into the house, then stopped with the doorway halfway open. "You're much better looking than the sheriff, by the way. He's a pretty boy. You're… manly. And sexy. And I love those baby blues of yours, McSwain."

  He opened his mouth to speak but she had already gone into the house, the door closing behind her. He held the handkerchief, staring at it as he walked slowly. With a cautious glance back over his shoulder, he made sure she hadn't come back out and wouldn't catch him, before putting the handkerchief to his nose. His eyes closed for a moment.

  All just so he could take in her fragrance, that womanly scent that he'd enjoyed all the while he'd held her in his arms and made love to her.

  Chapter Six

  It had been a week since Sheriff Helms' visit to his farm, and no Clyde Shannon. If that ghost from his past had been trying to find him, he hadn't tried too hard and had moved on. McSwain knew better than to be confident, because Clyde had never been the kind of man to give up too easily.

  Now that he thought about it, he realized it had been over a week since Kelly had walked—or rather, swam—into his life. At least Mimi didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back through the portal. That little lady had made herself at home on the farm. He would have much preferred a bigger dog, something fierce and protective and yet friendly with him and Kelly. Still, he had to say that Mimi was a sweet pup who liked to doze off in the sun, curled up like a small, furry ball on the porch. She also greeted him enthusiastically when he returned from working the fields.

  If only her owner were to make herself at home, too. Kelly was still talking about finding that silly portal, though he had to say she hadn't asked about it for the past couple of days.

  She was getting discouraged. He asked himself, as he lighted from his horse's saddle, if she would get over it eventually. If she'd come to the point where she wouldn't want to leave Wyoming… or him.

  Because, whether he cared to admit it or not, he found himself enjoying—probably too much—the warmth and sweetness that woman had brought into his life and that house.

  Not that Kelly was always sweet and well behaved, of course. He grinned and stepped into the dress shop. Albeit, life was livelier with Kelly, if not always light and breezy. She'd gotten saucy with him about three days ago, earning herself a trip across his knee for a spanking he'd administered with a wide, wooden hairbrush. He'd gotten the brush for her in town, with the idea of it doing double duty. She could use it on her hair, and when necessary, he would apply it to her bottom.

  The latter purpose had come in handy that evening. McSwain didn't relish having to discipline Kelly, who whether she liked it or not, was the first woman to grace his life in a long time. On the other hand—and he had to smirk to himself, thinking about it—her pretty tail did look incredibly adorable turned up over his lap like that. He also liked the little dance she did, hopping from one foot to the other as she rubbed her reddened posterior, when he set her back onto her feet.

  Kelly was too hardheaded to admit it, but getting soundly spanked did do wonders for her behavior. She was a lot more respectful towards him after that and she watched her tongue for the rest of the night.

  Yeah, that'll work for a while, he grumbled good-naturedly to himself.

  "Good afternoon, Mr. McSwain! You here to pick up those dresses for Miss Long?"

  The shop owner, Hattie Bowen, greeted him with a smile. Hattie was an older lady in her mid-fifties. From what he could tell, she was a savvy businesswoman. Unlike others in town, she'd always treated him kindly, with respect, like any other prospective customer.

  "They're ready, Hattie?" he asked.

  "Well, of course! Did you have cause for doubt? I may not be as young as I used to be, but these fingers of mine still work like magic."

  McSwain laughed and pulled out his money. "No doubts. You just exceeded my expectations, Miss Bowen. I hope the one she tried on that day fits her. Long as she doesn't lose any more weight."

  "Miss Long's lost weight?" Hattie frowned with concern while wrapping up the three dresses for him.

  "She says she's more physically active here in our time." He caught himself. "You do know she's…"

  Hattie gasped dramatically. "From another time. Yes! I did hear that. That's fascinating. Is everyone in the future lazy and corpulent? Not that she was fat to being with—"

  "No, but they take cars and buses. Whatever those are, they're faster than our horses, even. And they spend a lot of time in front of something called 'TVs' and 'computers.'"

  Her wide-eyed expression almost made him laugh. "Now what are those?"

  "I don't really know, Hattie." He shrugged. Even with that confession, he felt like something of an expert on the subject of the future, in on nothing else, other than farming. Not one to be upstaged by the sheriff, he'd at last had a long discussion with Kelly about what the future held. "But they eat more than we do. They eat in front of the TV and the computer."

  "It sounds exciting! Fattening, but exciting! Where is Miss Long now?"

  "She's at home. Doing woman-house things, you know. Cleaning and washing clothes and such."

  Hattie nodded, clearly pleased. "Making herself useful, I see."

  "Eh, more like keeping herself out of trouble." McSwain sighed. "She's good at gettin' herself in trouble."

  "Well, I'm sure you're taking her well in hand." The older woman giggled knowingly. "Anyway, it's none of my business, naturally, but why don't you marry that beautiful lady, Mr. McSwain?"

  "Oh, Hattie, I don't think she wants to stay. She's still looking for that portal."

  "Portal? You mean the passageway back?"

  "Exactly. We've been looking for it every day, just about."

  "What year is she from again?"

  "2014."

  Hattie wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I'd like to live that far into the future. Besides, how much more modern can things get? We have trains and telegrams and the Pony Express—"

  "I wouldn't mind owning a TV," McSwain admitted. "That sound interesting. And a computer, too. You know if they're going very far, they can fly there?"

  The older woman was speechless for a moment. "Oh, my!"

  "And they have wars, too. They have one weapon that can wipe out millions of people at once."

  "That sounds terrifying. She's much safer, and much better off, here with you, Mr. McSwain," Hattie concluded. "And honestly, I don't think she's meant to go back there. If you two have been looking for the portal and you haven't found it in all this time, then it must be fate. Maybe you two were meant to be together."

  McSwain grinned dolefully and took the dresses. "I don't think she sees it that way. But thank you for your hard work on the dresses, Hattie. I'll bring her in case they need any more alterations."

  "Please do. And Mr. McSwain…" Reaching out a slim, delicate hand, she squeezed his arm lightly. "Maybe she came to you during a full moon. They say that makes a difference with things like secret passageways and traveling through time. The moment has to be just right. You might want to mention that to her, that she might need to wait for another full moon."

  "I'll be sure to do that," he promised.

  Or…he would conveniently allow it to slip his mind.

  Which wasn't right, but then who was to say all that full moon business wasn't just foolish folklore, anyway? And who was to say it was true—and that in a couple of weeks or so, Kelly would be on her way back to 2014, leaving him behind?

  If she wants to leave, it would be wrong for you to keep her here, against her will. She'll grow to resent you.

  B
ack on his horse, he passed the sheriff's office, with its adjacent jail. He had sat in one of those himself a few times. The first time had been when he'd been beat up by his brother, Jared, at the age of twenty. He'd had a busted, bleeding lip, a black eye, and a bump on his temple. Beating him had been his brother's way of "persuading" him, as Jared had called it, to not run away from the gang again. The same brother had accused him of stealing from him, which was a delusion. Jared had been given to dark moods, during which he'd threatened to kill Jess for the most minor infraction.

  The last time had been when he'd been able to watch from the window as his brother, Clint, was hung for his crimes.

  That was something McSwain knew he would never forget. As difficult and lonesome as it often was working the farm, that new lifestyle had brought him peace. A peace he hadn't known before, when he was a criminal.

  "Kelly! Woman!" he called out to her as he got off the horse.

  She knew about one dress, as he'd talked her into having more than one and even went to Hattie's to be fitted for it. Kelly wasn't expecting the other two dresses. He had convinced her that a few more things to wear would make sense, particularly if she found herself unable to locate the portal for a longer period of time.

  He was excited about surprising her with the gifts, one of which she'd chosen and the other two that Hattie had chosen for her. He pushed open the door, calling out, "Kelly! Where are you?"

  She had been there. The house was swept and neat. Kelly had even arranged some flowers she'd picked in a little pot she'd set in the center of the table.

  Would she have gone out? Or worse… had she left him?

  Setting both the dresses and his hat down on the table, McSwain walked back outside.

  "Kelly! Kelly Long!" he called out hoarsely.

  He walked in the direction of stables. One of his three horses, the Appaloosa, was missing. There hadn't been a note on the table. She had simply taken advantage of his absence and gone out, probably to look for the passageway to the future on her own. Disregarding what he'd said about leaving the farm alone, she'd taken his horse with her and had placed herself in danger. McSwain swore under his breath.

  "I know one young lady who'll be eating her supper standing up tonight," he mumbled to himself.

  What could he do? She had to be on her way back, having anticipated his return. Did he stay there and wait?

  He glanced around, listening for approaching hoof beats. Or did he head out on horseback and search for her? Realistically, she could have been anywhere by now.

  McSwain was worried and angry, a combination that was sure to mean a reddened bottom for the little horse thief who was in big trouble whenever she got home. Yet he was also disappointed that she'd waited until he was gone to set out on her own search, willfully disobeying him.

  The thought occurred to him as he walked towards the house—what if she'd found the portal at last? What if, at that very moment, she was on her way back to 2014? He stood in the house, running a hand through his hair, his expression despondent.

  "Mimi," he breathed the pet's name.

  Then he turned and shot back out the door, shouting, "Mimi! Mimi! Come here, girl!"

  No small dog in sight. Kelly had taken Mimi with her, not surprisingly.

  She's gone. She's not coming back.

  He sank onto the solitary chair on the porch, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, his head bowed.

  Hadn't he known this was bound to happen? He shouldn't have left her alone. It was his fault for granting her some trust.

  But then… had he really believed she would want to stay with him? Kelly Long didn't belong in his world. Why would a woman from another time and place want to throw away everything she'd known, everything she had, to live a new life in another time with a simple farmer? And one who'd been an outlaw, no less?

  Then he heard hoof beats approaching. McSwain rose to his feet, holding his breath.

  There, headed towards him, was Clyde Shannon.

  * * * * *

  Kelly had been to that spot before, not long after she'd gotten to Wyoming, with McSwain. This time she lighted from the horse's saddle and stared at the creek in front of her.

  Lights. Those same colorful, blinking lights. Was she really seeing them again? Or was it the sunlight coming in through the trees? Her heart began to thunder inside her as she bent to pick up Mimi.

  "I think that's it, girl," she whispered. "I think that's what we've been looking for…"

  The way home. She wasn't quite certain, but remembering how she'd gotten there, she knew to follow the lights. She would leave the horse there—hopefully Charles or Sarah would find him, recognize the animal as belonging to McSwain, and return him to his rightful owner.

  She would go back home. To North Carolina, to the life she'd known. To the future, her apartment, her job, her friends, what was left of her family.

  What if it takes you somewhere else? She licked her lips, dreading this possibility. She was only hoping it would work this way. Bottom line, she didn't know what would happen. This was the supernatural. The dangerous part was in not knowing.

  And wherever it lead her, it was safe to say that Jess McSwain wouldn't be there. Kelly had taken off her shoes and hiked up her skirt to step into the water. The horse whinnied softly behind her. Mimi whimpered.

  It had been deceptive of her to do this, to wait until he'd left before setting out, and taking his horse with her. She had done a few little things in the house and then she left. Frankly, he wouldn't have permitted her to search without him, so she'd been forced to resort to being sneaky about it.

  We didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.

  He had gone to pick up that dress for her in town. A dress he had paid for, because he'd wanted her to have more than one dress to wear. She had no money of her own. In her entire adult life, she had always had a job and always had her own money. Even when she was married, she'd contributed—and contributed well—to the household.

  That hadn't been the case for the time she'd been in Wyoming. Even if she'd used the money in her wallet, which she'd brought with her for the purpose of not hiking without some form of identification, she would have landed herself in trouble for dealing with money dating after 1871. The credit and debit cards, it went without saying, would have been totally worthless in that pre-plastic era.

  McSwain had kept a roof over her head and food on the table ever since she'd been there. He'd even clothed her without asking for anything in return.

  Her reward to him for his kindness and generosity? She stole his horse. That wasn't quite right; she'd borrowed the Appaloosa, with absolutely no intentions whatsoever of stealing him. Naturally, once she was gone, McSwain wouldn't see it that way. He would assume she'd callously taken advantage of him.

  There was no Jess McSwain in 2014. There hadn't been one before, either. For some reason, now that did make a difference. She'd been walking in the creek slowly but now came to a full halt.

  He'll be fine without you. He'll probably be relieved that you're gone.

  Was that true? Or would he feel her absence, as she would feel his? They hadn't known each other for that long. Less than a month, in fact.

  Time they'd rarely spent apart.

  Face it: He was like a husband to you for that time. Sleeping in the same bed with you, waking up with you, eating meals with you, and even making love to you.

  Before he'd left for town, he'd even kissed her goodbye. A sweet peck on the mouth, a husbandly see-you-later-baby. She breathed a sigh, caught off guard by how much it hurt.

  He would be fine without her. That said… would she be all right without Jess McSwain?

  The lights were fading now. They'd been stronger before. She had to hurry before they disappeared entirely, or she might never be able to return to her old life.

  Which brought her to another question. What exactly was she returning to? This was crazy. After all that time, all her desperation to get back home, she was seri
ously contemplating returning to Jess instead. Staying in a time long before her own.

  Suddenly, Kelly turned and trudged quickly through the shin-high water. If she walked too far in the direction of the lights, she was afraid she'd be swept up into the portal again. That was what had happened last time. She'd had no chance to stop and go back. The portal had swallowed her, like a large ocean wave falling over her and dragging her beneath its surface.

  She was taking a chance. She was going back to McSwain, who could very well toss her out of his home and, even worse, out of his life. Still, she had to go back.

  "You swimming naked in our creek again? What's wrong with you, Kelly Long?"

  Excellent! On top of throwing away her job, her apartment, and all she'd known, now she had to contend with Sarah Colton, too. An angry Sarah, who frankly, had never trusted her.

  Kelly almost slid on a rock and fell onto her side. Catching herself in time, she climbed up the rocks on the side of the creek and proceeded to wring out the parts of her dress hem that had gotten wet.

  "Look, Sarah, you and I got off on the wrong foot," she said softly. "I'm very sorry about that. I hope you'll accept my apology for disturbing you now, too."

  The other woman frowned. Sarah obviously hadn't been expecting that gracious reply.

  "That's fine. But you need to start swimming in your own creek," she fussed at Kelly mildly.

  "Yes. I was doing more than swimming, though. Be careful with your creek, Sarah. It's…more than a creek."

  Sarah ignored the remark. "McSwain know you're out here by yourself?"

  "He must by now."

  One thing was certain, actually, a few things. One, she was wet and uncomfortable; two, Sarah would be tattling on her, so she might as well come clean about her whereabouts, and three, whether McSwain let her stay or not, she'd just earned herself another spanking. A well-deserved one, too, she had to admit. Her bottom would be on fire that evening by the time he got through with her. Hopefully he would spank her, forgive her… and take her into his arms, telling her she could stay with him.

  "More than a creek?" Sarah now addressed her comment. "What is it, if it's more than that? And what's your fascination with it?"