The Outlaws: Jess Read Online Free Page A

angrily. "You don't know Zach.
You have no right to criticize. Are you going to help me or do I
have to do it myself?"
    "Lie still," Jess said. "Moving around will
only aggravate your wound. It's looking pretty good right now but I
can't guarantee a full recovery unless you follow orders. I shot a
prairie chicken this morning and made some broth. After you've
eaten, I'll consider your request."
    Meg watched Jess Gentry, if he was indeed who
he said he was, through shuttered lids as he poured broth and bits
of meat into a cup and carried it back to her.
    "I won't eat unless I can sit up to do it,"
Meg persisted.
    "You're one stubborn female," Jess growled.
"Very well, I'll bring your saddle over to support your back. Try
not to move around too much."
    Jess brought Meg's saddle over to her bedroll
and placed it behind her. Then he carefully lifted her, propping
her against it.
    Meg sucked in her breath, gripped in the
throes of agony. But the debilitating pain wasn't the worst of it.
She suddenly realized she was naked but for a bandage covering the
upper part of her right breast. She grabbed for the blanket with
her uninjured left hand and dragged it up to her neck.
    "My clothes! Where are they?"
    "I washed the blood from them as the best I
could. I'll bring them to you when you're ready for them
again."
    "You undressed me!"
    Jess raised a finely etched brow. "Do you see
anyone else around? Look Meg, I'm a doctor."
    "You're a man!" Her voice held an edge of
panic.
    "Relax, Meg. You're my patient. I have no
interest in you as a woman."
    Meg was unconvinced. Experience had taught
her that all men, except for Zach, who had proven his
trustworthiness, were despicable animals. Zach was the kindest,
gentlest man she knew. He would never hurt her, unlike most men
roaming the earth.
    "How do I know you're a doctor?"
    "You're alive. What further proof do you
need?" He spooned up a bit of meat and broth and held it to her
lips. "Open."
    The delicious aroma wafted up to tempt her
and her mouth opened of its own accord. Jess carefully spooned the
mixture into her mouth, then another, and another, until the cup
was empty.
    "More?" he asked, pleased to see that her
appetite had returned. She was still pale but her lips weren't
nearly as bloodless as they had been.
    "That's enough for now. I want my
clothes."
    "Not yet."
    "I have to..." She flushed and looked
away.
    "Ah," Jess said, immediately aware of her
needs. "I can carry you down to the river. You can use a bath,
anyway. Just don't get your wound wet."
    "I can walk..."
    "Absolutely not."
    Meg turned a bright red as Jess knelt beside
her, pulled the blanket away, and lifted her into his arms.
    "You can't...this isn't..."
    "Relax, Meg. You're my patient, remember? I
see you only as someone who needs my help."
    Liar! Jess thought to himself. He was
profoundly aware that the bundle he held in his arms was naked
female flesh. He had nursed Meg thorough days of illness, knew her
body intimately, yet not as intimately as he would like were she
not his patient. Try though he might, there wasn't ever a time
these past days he hadn't viewed her as a desirable woman.
    He reached the river and carried her a few
feet into the water. Then he lowered her to the sandy bottom and
stepped away.
    "Will you be all right if I leave you to
fetch soap and towel?"
    "Just go," Meg said through gritted
teeth.
    Jess gave a curt nod and retraced his steps
back to the campsite. When he returned with soap and towel, Meg was
still sitting where he had left her, letting the gentle current
wash over her. It reminded him that he needed a bath himself, and a
shave. He sat on a log and pulled off his boots.
    "Did you bring the soap?" Meg asked.
    He held out his hand, palm up. "It's right
here. I'll bring it to you. I could use a bath myself."
    He unfastened his belt and worked his
trousers down his legs. Meg let out a squawk of dismay. "Can't you
wait until I'm through? This is...indecent."
    Jess gave her a hard look.