The Outlaw and the Lady (4th in the Crane Gang Series)(womanxwoman)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

It wasn't until later that evening, that Willa gathered up the courage to step out of the barn. She was weak, wounded, and these were all new people. Willa had lived a life where weakness could mean death—she wasn't comfortable being so weak around so many.

Upon reaching the barn doors, Willa leaned against them and took in her surroundings. This barn held several ponies that Willa knew from Eleanor's stories, belonged to Preston. There were also two other barns that she knew held horses—Jeb and Gill bred and sold horses as a way of making money, though Jeb sold the horses under the name Jebidiah Tomlinson which Willa found odd.

There were also pig and cattle which the family used for food— all except the pig named Bacon that had a small barn all his own thanks to Eleanor. Willa smiled. Never had she known anyone with such a kind heart. Or anyone who could say just the right things to not only put Willa in her place, but also make her see things more clearly.

Eleanor was right. She had been less than gracious to the people who had gone out of their way to help her. She hated that they had done so. Willa was not good at gratitude.

Her gaze found Jeb on the porch. He was standing against a post, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand, his eyes on her. She took several limping steps forward and he made no attempt to come help her.

It took a long while with her slowness but Willa finally made it to the porch, though she couldn't get up the steps without aid. Instead, she looked up at Jeb who had yet to say a word and whose face was unreadable. "I suppose I owe you thanks for giving me a place to heal," Willa offered.

Jeb's head gave a barely perceptible nod before he took a sip of coffee. "Don't mention it."

Sweat was dotting Willa's brow. Her side ached. She needed to sit. To do that, however, she needed to get to one of those chairs on the porch.

Willa attempted to go up a step but her chest felt as if it were tearing apart and she quickly put her foot down. Still Jeb simply stood there, his gaze now looking out at the hills while that coffee steam rose up in the evening air.

Willa chewed on her lip. Dammit. She couldn't just slip back to the barn, hell she'd never make it. She needed to sit down—the pain was getting unbearable with the unaided movement she'd done.

She was going to have to ask the man for help. "Jeb?"

His brow rose as he returned his gaze to her, clearly waiting on her to speak. Willa nearly choked on the words as they left her mouth. "Could you help me get up these steps?"

She'd be damned if the man didn't chuckle at her. "I was wondering when you'd ask." He sat his coffee cup on the banister, came down the stairs and put his arm around her gently. She looped her arm over his shoulders and leaned heavily on him as he helped her up the stairs and settled her down in a chair.

"Where's Eleanor?" Willa asked, feeling awkward and knowing the other woman's presence would give her a bit of comfort.

"Inside helping Preston with this numbers."

The porch fell silent for several long awkward moments. Finally, Jeb spoke again. "You're a lot like your brother."

Willa's chest ached and it wasn't from the broken rib. "I know. I know. We look alike and I wear flashy clothes like he did. I've heard."

Jeb was grinning as he took another sip of coffee. "I was talking about his damn temper and stubborn attitude."

Willa shifted in the chair, torn between being insulted and curious. "I thought y'all loved my brother?"

Jeb nodded. "I did. Like a brother. A younger, pain in the ass brother who was always getting himself into trouble. Drank until he puked every chance he got and then spent the next day yelling at everyone else because his head ached. I was always having to get him and Craig out of trouble—they raised their fare share together."

As Willa took in the first real picture of her brother, she couldn't help but smile. "He was a hell raiser, huh?" She'd raised her fair share of hell as well.

"Yeah, he was. But a more loyal man you'd never find anywhere. Once he decided you were family, that was it. He'd be loyal to the end—and he was."

Willa didn't want to talk about that. She didn't want to talk about the end. "How did he meet y'all?"

Jeb stared out over the hills in silence a moment before responding. "McGrady Texas. Willie was in the orphanage there. Me and Craig's uncle lived just outside of town with Jane, who's his daughter. When Craig and I would go visit Uncle Billy, we'd spend a lot of time at the orphanage which is how we met Willie. When Craig and I were orphaned, we went to live with Uncle Billy, and so did Willie. Wyatt's been with us about that long too."

Willa digested that information. She had no idea how Willie had ended up in McGrady when she'd been born much further north near Colorado.

"What are y'all talking about out here?" Gill asked as he stepped outside to join them. Jeb's arm instantly snaked around the other man's waist and pulled him close into his side.

It took Willa by surprise. She didn't give two hoots in hell that two men loved each other—she just hadn't ever seen two men be so open in displaying that love. This ranch was like another world.

Jeb smiled. "Willie."

Gill nodded. "First time I met Willie, he puked on my boots."

Willa surprised even herself when her laughter filled the air. For the next hour or so the porch was full of nothing but stories about Willie. Willa took in everything Jeb and Gill said and began to build a real picture of the brother she'd never known—and never would know.

It wasn't until darkness was falling that Willa decided to head back to her bed. As she lay there in the darkness, she realized that while she couldn't know her brother personally, she could know him through stories.

Eleanor had been right. Willa owed her a thank you and would give her one when she brought her breakfast in the morning.