Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Tig? You want Tig to keep an eye on me?" Leah asked with disbelief.

"Yes." Chase replied as he continued putting ammunition into a small sack.

"But he's crazy." she whispered as she peaked out the tent flap and watched Tig dancing around the fire and singing off key. It seemed from the clumsy movements of his feet that he had already been sampling those big ceramic jugs he liked to carry with him. She felt Chase as he moved behind her and he followed her gaze.

"He is a bit less than normal." Chase admitted and Leah gave him a droll look that had him smiling. "But he is loyal and will keep a good eye on you."

"But if you tell him to watch me then won't he know I'm special to you?" Leah pointed out. Chase sighed and walked back to the bag he had been packing.

"He already knows. Tig might seem as if he's not all there but the man misses nothing. I'm afraid I haven't been as good at hiding my affections for you as I had hoped." Leah sighed as she moved away from the flap.

"Why do you have to be gone for three days?" she asked with a pout.

"Because Boss doesn't ever do jobs close to where he has his camp." Chase replied simply. "Now I have to go, everyone is mounting up." he added, as the sound of men hooting and hollering reached their ears along with the snorting of horses. "You stay in this tent every second that you can while I'm gone. Keep your gun on your hip and your knife in your boot."

"Yes sir," Leah replied with a mock salute. Chase raised his brow and then shook his head. "I love you." Leah added, her voice becoming more subdued and somber.

"Take care of yourself." Chase said sternly, and Leah saw his throat bob up and down. His face was as hard as stone but he was hating this moment. It made her heart lighter to know he didn't want to leave her. He turned quickly and left the tent.

Leah pulled the flap back and watched him mount his big black stallion in one fluid motion. Without sparing a single glance at her, Chase rode off with the other men. Leah watched him go until she could no longer see him in the distance and then ducked back inside. She was relieved that Petey had gone with Boss as well. She wasn't worried about the other men here at camp.

Leah settled down on the cot with her old dress in her hands. It had been ripped and torn and she was going to sew it up so she could alternate her skirt and blouse with it. She couldn't wait until she could go home and get plenty of changes of clothes and a rose scented bath.

She thought about her mother, father and brother. Her mother would be terrified by Chase at first and horrified at the thought of her daughter being with such a man but her mother had a warm heart and caring spirit and given enough time she would accept Chase.

Chance would be a harder sell but her brother loved her and would respect her choices.

Her father on the other hand.... Leah sighed and looked up at the tent ceiling. Her father wouldn't be so easy. He hated Indians. He hated anyone who broke the law or lived outside of the black and white life he believed so strongly in. Her only hope was that her mother would be able to convince her father to see her point of view and give Chase the opportunity to prove that he was worthy of their approval.

She had only been sitting there thinking and sewing for five or ten minutes and already it felt as if it had been hours. She realized right then that this was going to be a very long three days.

***

"Alright boys there's our target and it's right on time. That rich bastard and his rich bitch are returning from a very long vacation and got all kinds of pretty little things worth money in that wagon to make us all very rich men." Boss said with a smile as the men lay on their stomachs on the edge of a ridge and looked down at the tiny dirt road and the large gold gilded wagon driving down it.