Age of Edward Contest

Title: Wild and Free

Your pen name: dariachenowith

Type of Edward: Old West Edward, ca 1870

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit: The Age of Edward C2 Community:
http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/community/The_Age_of_Edward_Contest/70125/

I knew there was more to Isabel Swan than meets the eye when first I saw her. Of course I didn't know her name then, nor her history, but one look into those deep, brown eyes and I was a lost cause.

It was a warm, sunny day in Cold Creek, Colorado Territory. The coach had arrived three hours late, that's why Emmett and I had been watching out for it from our usual post at the Sheriff's office. The whole county had been quiet for some time, but you never knew what scoundrel could have thought the coach an easy target.

I was relieved when I heard the team of horses come down Main Street, because that meant another uneventful day would pass. Just the delivery to the bank tomorrow and all would be set for the week. Maybe clear up some ruckus at the saloon or help with a minor dispute, but that was it.

We really had hit it off with Cold Creek, Emmett and I. If there ever was something in this God forsaken town that would kill me, it was boredom for sure.

“Told ya they would make it! Job's here just as lickin' butter off a knife, Ed!”

I grumbled some minor obscenity under my breath and reached for my coffee. As usual it was strong enough to float a colt, Rosalie's special. That gal might have a mouth that could teach a soldier a lesson, but she sure could brew coffee and bake a pie.

The coach meanwhile stopped in front of the Grand Hotel, the one not too shabby dive in town. As usual Seth Vaughn, the driver, was off and tumbling into the Desert Rose before the dust had even settled, letting his boy take care of the baggage, both human and otherwise. A shame, but Vaughn at least was just a drunkard, and didn't beat his boy.

“I'll head over, ask what the holdup was about,” I told Emmett, as I got to my feet, straightening my coat and checking that the bees wax still held my hair in check. Even Town Marshal Deputy in a hell hole like this was a respectable position and required dressing the job.

And then, I saw her, an angelic vision stepping from the coach. Long, curled hair of the deepest chestnut color, partly obscured by a hat. She was wearing a deep green ensemble that hugged her petite frame perfectly, and while still upholding proper modesty, the lace trimmed fabric showed off her perfect curves. But it was her eyes that captured me and instantly made me confess my every sin to God. Deep and intelligent, they bore witness to the uniqueness of this fairest of ladies I had ever seen. She barely glanced at me before focusing on the hotel before her, but it was enough to get lost in her gaze.

Of course, Emmett had to ruin the moment by letting out a loud guffaw that everyone in town must have heard and slapped me on my back nearly hard enough to bruise.

“You should definitely investigate! Seems like this might use your skills with the ladies.”

I frowned at him, hoping to convey my displeasure with a single glance.

“Oh, shut your big trap, McCarty!”

Emmett snickered, not taking me seriously. I shot him a last, nasty look, then walked out into the street. The trail dust had only just settled, and while not exactly glaring, the sun was still warm and bright. Meanwhile the other passengers had exited the coach and naturally my curiosity even overcame the allure of the brown eyed siren for a moment.

The Stanleys had returned from their brief visit to their relatives over in Colorado Springs, which was a good thing as young Jessica would hopefully keep her petticoats in order now that her grandma was back in town. Apart from the old couple there were two more passengers, a tall feller and a tiny gal, both standing next to my brown eyed angel.

“Welcome, welcome, to our lovely town of Cold Creek, sir, ladies!” came the last voice I wanted to hear right now, from the other side of the small group. They all turned and faced the source of the nagging simper. “I am Michael Newton, entrepreneur and mine owner! If you need a place to stay, I am good friends with the proprietors!”

The blond feller gave a muted but clearly audible grunt and turned around to make his way into the hotel, while the brown eyed gal frowned. I could have jumped with joy at her sign of annoyance, but then Newton noticed me approaching and I had to rein in my face quickly.

“Deputy Cullen! Ladies, may I introduce my good friend, Deputy Marshal Edward Cullen?”

I felt like groaning, but the moment she looked at me, all scorn was wiped from my mind, like every other thought. From up close her gaze was gentle as a doe and while there was still intelligence shining out from the depths of her eyes, it was muted compared to what I had seen before. She still dazzled me instantly.

Instinct took over and when she held her hand out to me I took it, breathing a kiss onto the back of her lace gloves. She responded with the tiniest of smirks, that almost instantly turned into a gentle smile, making me wonder if I had just imagined the ironic twist to her lovely lips.

“Pleased to meet you, Deputy Cullen. I am Mrs. Isabel Swan, and this here is my friend, Mrs. Alice Whitlock,” she gestured at the other woman.

Trying to cover my previous slip I made somewhat of a fool of myself in bowing over her hand and kissing it, as well.

“Ladies,” I harrumphed out, inwardly whacking myself over the head. Any woman could just have scowled at my behavior, just as the raven haired, tiny beauty in front of me did right now, and they both looked rather sophisticated, not just simple farmer's wives, who might have been awed by any show of gallantry.

My rescue came unexpectedly, as the blond feller returned, resuming his previous place next to his wife. He offered me his hand, murmuring a not unfriendly, “Jasper Whitlock,” under his breath.

His handshake was firm, like any honest man's should be, and I nodded in recognition of the gesture. “Deputy Edward Cullen.” I exchanged more pleasantries with him then, noting that his eyes strayed from my face repeatedly as he checked the surroundings. I was a little suspicious at first, but when he and his wife took their leave I noted a certain hitch to his sure gait, speaking of what I presumed to be a previous injury. We seldom got war veterans travelin’ though town nowadays, but it made sense that a soldier would never let his guard down, even less when charged with taking care of two such lovely ladies. I respected that, and I had a good feeling about him.

I had expected Mrs. Swan to accompany her companions, but she was still standing outside, her head cocked to one side so that her hat was actually lending a sliver of shade over her magnificent eyes. Mike Newton was still trying to hold her attention, but it was not lost to me that the moment Whitlock and I ended our conversation, those brown orbs were fixed on me again.

And who was I not to rescue a lady from dire need, like whisking her away from the dreadfully awkward talk that came out of Newton's mouth?

“May I show you a little more of our lovely town, Mrs. Swan? Cold Creek might not have too much to offer at the first glance, but she is a beauty once you look beyond the layer of dust,” I offered, new confidence that I wasn't exactly feeling heavy in my voice.

She smiled, showing brilliant white teeth and gladly slid her glove covered hand onto my offered arm. “I would be delighted, if you can find the time, Deputy Cullen.”

I was just about to steer her away from Newton's obnoxious presence, when the clap of fast hoof beats sounded from around Miles' Street. Annoyance twinged through me, but I involuntarily straightened, alert, when young Peter Chatham came around the corner, on his father's bay horse.

“Deputy, you need to come with me, out to ma Da's farm! Half our cattle went missin' o'er night!”

I groaned inwardly and maybe also audibly, because a light snicker sounded from the lovely creature still holding onto my arm.

“Seems like duty calls, Deputy,” she remarked dryly, but when I turned apologetic eyes on her there was no reproach on her face.

“I'm 'fraid so, ma'am.”

“Don't worry; I would never stand between a man and his rightful and honest calling. But may I ask you and your wife to join us for dinner tonight, mayhap?”

I swallowed hard for a moment, trying to retain a respectable, calm demeanor.

“It would be my honor. Although it will be just me, seeing as I’m not married.”

One elegant brow rose and there was that sparkle to her eyes again that nearly made me keel over dead this very instant.

“Then I will be delighted to see you at dinner, Deputy Cullen. And good luck!”

I was barely able to nod and offer a proper farewell as she gave my arm the slightest of squeezes, before she turned and strode into the hotel. I knew it was totally inappropriate, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her form, or more specific the way her bustled skirt and coat swayed with every step.

The door shut behind her and rid of her siren's call I quickly turned to Young Peter. In short order he had relayed the details, and Emmett and I were on our way, back to the Chatham farm.

The tracks were a few hours old, but easy enough to read, still. Cattle thieves, as we had presumed, herding the animals out towards the plains, away from their usual grounds near the foothills. We were in tight pursuit and soon caught up to the herd of stolen cattle. A few warning shots dispersed the small band of would-be thieves, their easy abandon showing that they were as inexperienced as they come.

Emmett and I split up then, him to herd the cattle back to their rightful owners, while I took to hunting down the scoundrels. Just my luck that before I caught up to them again they crossed the border of the neighboring county, where Mad Gleeson rode up to me not a hundred yards after the boundary marker. We had had our falling outs before and while they were just as bent on following the law as we were, they didn't want us in their jurisdiction.

Words were exchanged, some of them heated, until Marshal Wilson himself caught up to us. He promised to pursue the thieves in my stead, but told me in no uncertain terms that I should get my ass back behind the border. Grumbling under my breath I backed down and after a last distasteful spit on the ground I made my way back to town.

Of course by the time I arrived the sun had nearly reached the horizon and it was well after dinner time. I cursed under my breath as I jumped out of the saddle and checked in with Emmett at the Marshal's office. He was apologetic for me missing both pursuits, that of the scum the same as my dinner invitation, but the look he shot me as I left stated plainly what he really thought.

It was probably for the best. Deputy might be a respectable job, but it didn't exactly pay well in a hick town such as Cold Creek was, now that the Fifty-Niners had left for richer gold deposits that were easier to mine. I certainly could not provide for the standard a lady like her must be used to and with my past, I couldn't very well doom any honest woman to such a fate.

The Desert Rose was still empty, just a few desperados at the bar, when I walked through the swing doors into the saloon. Irina, the Russian barmaid, smiled as I entered, but quickly made room when Rosalie herself walked up to me. She offered me a warm smirk, something only she could pull off, as she put down the glass before me and poured me a whiskey, unasked.

I nodded my thanks at her and downed the amber liquid, sighing as the sting hit the back of my throat. She offered me a refill, but put the bottle away when I signaled her for a third.

“I don't think so, Deputy,” she remarked dryly, and I rolled my eyes at her.

“And why is that, prettiest of all desert flowers?”

I certainly deserved the hateful glare she shot me for teasing her, but for once she retained her taunting calm instead of whacking me over the head. Being Emmett's wife of three years, her belly swollen with child, she was usually short-tempered and quite gruff, but tonight it was mirth that clearly ruled her behavior.

“Always quite the charmer, Eddie,” she shot back, but even at my growl kept the bottle well out of reach. “And as much as I would welcome to once again goad you, I need you sober tonight. Phil's fallen ill again and I need a dealer for the poker table.”

I groaned, but then figured, what the hell, I might as well spend the night watching those lost causes lose all their hard-earned money over an honest game or ten. I doubted that any of the local regulars would actually play with enough finesse to entertain me, but at least that way I was well away from my brown eyed temptation.

“Just for old times' sake, you know?” she added, winking at me, before she poured me a last shot and left it sitting on the bar. I glared at her retreating back, but then threw the whiskey back. I hated it when she let tidbits like that drop, but at least she only did it with others out of earshot.

Once the burn of the liquor had quieted down I got up and walked over to the poker table. I didn't even glance at the patrons already waiting, but instead took up the deck, and started shuffling the cards. I pretended to look at what my fingers were doing, but the movement was deeply ingrained in my brain, needing no supervision at all. The chips had already been dealt, probably by Rose herself, so all I needed to do was start the game

“Alright, gents, five card draw it is, no cheating, and you better leave those guns in the holsters, we're playing an honest game of poker here, no less. Your ante, please.”

I watched as four chips sailed into the middle of the green table cover, then I started to deal. Whip, whip, whip the cards sailed through the air, landing precisely in front of the respective players. Three pairs of rough hands closed over the ivory-and-red cards, but the last card remained untouched, as elegant fingers tapped the table lightly.

My eyes shot up, meeting a raised brow and sparkling, brown pools.

“Why, Deputy Cullen, it is good to see that in this town equality at least reigns on the poker tables.”

Damn, but the sound of her voice was enough to make my dick hard and my pants really tight. For a moment all I could do was swallow and stare at her. When I had watched her exiting the coach today at midday she had been beautiful. Now, she was simply stunning.

She had changed into a gown made of the deepest blue silk that left her shoulder bare and fit her tightly at the bodice. Black lace and beads framed her wonderful cleavage and a thick chocker of the same material emphasized her slender, elegant neck. Her hair was done in the latest fashion, gathered in the back, the long tresses elegantly curled, while a single dark blue flower clasp held it in check.

She dazzled me completely, and of course Newton, the git, used those seconds of my silence to speak up.

“Of course, Isabel, you will find that we are a very modern community, even with all the martial laws of the mining days not yet forgotten.”

Fuck, they were on a first name basis already? That alone made me want to kill those damn cattle thieves for real, or in their absence, at least jail Newton on the basis of simply existing.

Her eyes never left mine, though, even when she answered. “Or it is simply a sign of common courtesy, seeing as we are all equal under the watchful eyes of the law.”

Newton scoffed at that, and I forced myself to deal the second round of cards instead of going for his throat. “As you say, ma'am.”

Maybe I could just take that as offense against the law? Better not, git as he might be, Newton had way too much influence with the Mayor and the Sheriff and either one could bust my ass if I wasn't careful here. So I instead offered Mrs. Swan a smirk, and went on dealing the cards. She took the gesture with a smirk of her own, but then blushed a deep scarlet, as her features fell back into a demure smile.

Fuck me again, but that blush was just so adorable that I wanted to bend her over the table and ravish her, all proper modesty forgotten.

Sam Uley to my left started the betting then and I forced myself to concentrate on the game instead of the lovely woman opposite me. It became evident rather fast that while she knew the game in principle, she wasn't a very good player. She lost the first three hands, and then she won the fourth, her light laughter stroking things in me that had been untouched for what felt like an eternity.

Keeping up with the dealer's duties was easy enough and left me plenty of time to watch her. The way she caught her plush, lower lip between her teeth and nibbled on it was just too enticing. Also her other tells – playing with a lock of her elegantly curled hair, scratching her nose, tapping her nails against the cards or table top – held my attention for round after round. I could tell that the other players were focused on her rather than the game as well, but still managed to win more often than not against her.

And then it happened. Her face had lit up as I dealt her the two cards she had exchanged for the second round of bets, and I knew she expected to win. Smiling brightly, she revealed her hand, a high full house of nines and tens. Uley and Newton had already folded and it seemed as if hers was a sure win. But then Ben Cheney fanned out his four queens, easily stealing her victory.

Everyone was staring either at him, or the cards, but I watched her reaction, and for the sliver of a moment her mask slipped. Rage came to her eyes as her lips compressed and her back straightened. Oh, she didn't like loosing that hand one bit, as she had been so sure that it had been hers already.

That's when I started to check and remember the cards as I dealt them. I had no intention whatsoever in manipulating the game, but old habits die hard, and I only paid attention to her cards. My pa had taught me well enough to hide what I was doing and I was pretty sure no one would have suspected the laid back, mostly taciturn Deputy to peek into the deck a little too often.

Her next hand was a sure loss and she was right to fold in the first round of bet. But the second was a lot more interesting. I would have thrown the two and five of hearts away, instead aiming for pairs of a possible higher count, but she kept them, instead exchanging a ten of spades. The card she got dealt was a three of diamonds, effectively giving her a low but neat straight. It sure would have beaten the two pairs and three of a kind the others had as best cards, but she folded nevertheless.

Interesting. Either she didn't really know what she was doing, or …

But no, she couldn't be bleeding chips just to scout out the tells, and wait for the big catch later. She must have lost well over fifty dollars already, and even as her wardrobe suggested that she had some wealth, it was hard even for really good players to be that cool about deliberately loosing. Also her whole demeanor was too cheerful for that. Still, she kept me wondering.

She won the next hand, and lost two more, once again a sure forfeit. I just couldn't keep quiet any longer then.

“Mrs. Swan, may I be so bold as to inquire where you learned to play cards?”

Her head turned, facing me, and for the briefest moment there was a spark in her eyes that made me grow hard anew.

“My dear husband, may God rest his soul, was a gambler, Deputy. He spent ample hours loosing my dowry and the fortune his family had bestowed on him. I couldn't very well tell him to stop, so I decided to pick up the rules and how the game is played.” She leaned a little closer, inadvertently giving me a deeper glimpse of her cleavage. “Does that answer your question?”

I nodded, momentarily too dazzled to offer a verbal reply.

The game went on, but as if my question had challenged her, she changed her tactics a little. Now she was winning more often, and while she kept showing those false tells on and on, I picked up a few genuine ones. She sure held her breath when it came to the showdown, and once or twice there was a slight tick to her left eye that showed that she was bluffing.

Within ten minutes she had regained all her previously lost money and was clearly working on her winning streak. Uley finally left the table, having lost what his wife would certainly come to hear as a cut in salaries, and Cheney was not far behind. With only Newton and Mrs. Swan left, it became rather hard not to take sides.

Oh, who was I kidding, if I had felt it worth the risk, I would have dealt him the worst hands ever. An encouraging smile from her would sure have been enough to send me down that hole, but she never more than glanced in my direction, intent on Newton the whole time now.

He was a good player, but ultimately he lost, seven games to three. I was not sure if the last two had been deliberate losses or not, the cards would have put them at near ties had he played with a better strategy. Maybe he just let her win, I couldn't say.

“That's it, I cede, my lady,” Newton boasted when his last hand was abysmal for sure. Mrs. Swan smiled pleasantly enough and gathered her winnings up with nimble fingers.

“It was a pleasure playing with you, Mr. Newton.”

So I had been mistaken, only he had breached protocol by calling her by her given name. Wouldn't have been the first time. Maybe he had hoped to entice her into using more familiarity with him, his rueful smile certainly lent some weight to that assumption.

“May I be so bold and ask if I might escort you back to your hotel, Isabel?”

I couldn't help but scowl at Newton's offer, and didn't even feel ashamed when Mrs. Swan picked up on my reaction. Then she winked at me and turned back to the pesky entrepreneur.

“Thank you, Mr. Newton, but I am not tired, and the night is still young. It was nice making your acquaintance, though.”

I had to give her that; the rejection was as smooth as I had ever seen any delivered. Her winning smile made it impossible for Newton to feel offended, but he certainly couldn't protest, either. Accepting defeat after a moment he nodded to me and after wishing her a good evening, he took his leave.

I warily watched him exit the saloon, before I turned to the lovely creature still perched on her chair opposite me. Her eyes were intent on my face, laughter sparkling in them.

“Would you like to accompany me to the theater? Mayor Suthers asked my companions and me to join him and his wife and I would have hated to spend any more time with that imbecile,” she nodded towards the doors, evidently indicating Newton.

I knew that the thing to do would have been to decline. But my whole body yearned to be close to her, and her siren call just made it impossible for me to form those words. So instead I stood up and offered her my arm.

“Shall we?”

Her smile was genuine and warm, as she let me lead her outside. The sun was just about to set, bathing the whole town in a golden haze.

“I have to admit, your talent for cards is remarkable,” I offered, not really knowing how else to strike up a conversation. It had been some time since I had been required to actually give it a try.

She smiled in turn and squeezed my arm gently.

“You have to admit, those were not exactly the hardest of opponents.” Her smile was just breathtaking, and when she turned to me that spark was back in her eyes. “Although I do wonder why it was so easy to win that last hand.”

I cocked my brow, instantly amused by her playful accusation. “Pray tell, Mrs. Swan, did you just accuse me of cheating?”

For a moment I was afraid I had said too much, but the mirth remained, plain to see, on her face.

“Well, I guess that answers my question. Must have been a strong spell of luck, then.”

I shrugged and went to steer her towards the round building that housed the theater stage. “I guess it was.”

Mayor Suthers and his wife Lucia were already waiting at the entrance, accompanied by the Whitlocks. I thought I saw Alice and Isabel exchange heated glances for a moment, but when I looked from one woman to the next, they were both smiling pleasantly, so it must have been my imagination.

We all went inside and took out seats at the gallery. I had already seen the performance, so I intended to spend the next hour in blissful silence, just beholding the beauty at my side, that some cruel twist of fate had gifted me for this short spell of time.

Only that the siren evidently had other plans.

She raptly followed the scene from Dr Faustus, but once the stage was taken by a pair of jugglers she turned to me and started talking in hushed tones. And while I greatly enjoyed being in her company, spending it in deep conversation was pure bliss.

Too fast the evening advanced, and before long the show was over, and so was my time spent in her presence. I felt myself dragging my feet, trying to postpone the inevitable moment of parting, and to my never ending joy realized that she was doing exactly the same. The mayor excused himself when he saw Marshal Yorke signal at him from across the room, and Mrs. Swan's companions were gone moments later.

To say I couldn't believe my luck was an understatement. I knew that the only thing left for me to do was to lead her down the street to the hotel, but even five more minutes in her company was all I had ever dared ask for.

We were strolling down Main Street, just opposite of the saloon, when she suddenly stopped, her soft pressure on my arm making me halt and come to face her in mid-sentence. I had just been about to explain to her how it came that we had had three mayors in just as many years, but her sudden stop made me trail off.

“Why don't you have a wife, Deputy?”

Her question surprised me and the suddenly suspicious tone made me grin in spite of myself.

“My line of work is not very becoming to a man who values family, Mrs. Swan.”

“Oh please, let's be a little less formal,” she teased me.

“Very well, Isabel, then?” I asked, nearly sure she would laugh at the slight hitch in my voice. Instead her brown eyes were serious and held my gaze as she smiled.

“Bella, if you will. Those I consider my friends I would have call me Bella.”

I tried to remain calm, but her words made me giddy as a young boy. Friend might not be what I wanted her to call me, but it was certainly more than I could ever have hoped for.

“Bella, then. But only if you call me Edward.”

“Edward,” she breathed, and I felt my traitorous cock respond. It was probably for the best that in three minutes we would be at her hotel, and soon she would be safely away from me.

Isabel, no, Bella I corrected myself, caught her lip between her teeth, the gesture so adorable that I forgot to breathe for a second or two. Whatever she had meant to say made her blush, but she held my gaze with clear determination as she looked up at me through her thick, long lashes.

“Would you come to bed with me?”

I could only stare at her, too stunned to react. Had she really just said those words? Was this not just a figment of my imagination, wishful thinking that made me go insane? It had to be, because no educated woman of her class would ever consider … and certainly not with me.

My silence gave her an answer I wanted to take back, leading her to the wrong assumptions. She was a brilliant and sassy woman and I wanted nothing more than for her to speak her mind freely, no matter what. Determined as ever to hold her ground, she straightened her spine, while the look on her face turned pleading.

“Now I know what you must think of me, to be so bold as no honest woman is wont to be. You are a man of worth, of good manners and as such I beseech you, please. I will tell no one, and come tomorrow I will be gone, it is just for one night I am asking.”

This couldn’t be happening; I must have hit my head somewhere and must be dreaming. Only the sweet sound of her voice didn't dissipate and in fact grew stronger as she went on.

“My husband, was never a gentle man. I was sixteen when we married and when it became obvious that I would not bear his children, his lack of adoration for me grew with every passing moon. I won't say that I am happy for the fate he met, because I wish no harm on anybody, but he sure deserved some of what he got. And now I am being carted off to marry his cousin, a true imbecile who would never have found a willing woman for himself, had his aunt not seen the perfect wife in me. She already told me that she would not let me sully another man of her family, so we will be husband and wife only in name. But whether this marriage will be consummated or not, I do not care, for I am an honest woman, and I will honor my vows. But please, I beg you, give me this one night. One night only that I can remember for the rest of my life, allowing it to sustain myself through the lonely days.”

The pain in her voice and the desperation in her eyes made me wish I could kill that animal of a man she had been married to all over again and whisk her away from that hag who would force her into a life like that. She deserved so much more, she deserved everything she had ever dreamed of – and certainly I did not deserve her. But I just couldn’t deny her, not when she pleaded with me like that—or at all. A few simple hours in her presence and I knew, without a doubt, I would do anything for her that she would ask of me.

“Why me?” I finally found my voice again, and didn't even recognize it myself, as dark and gravely as it had turned. “You deserve so much better than me.”

Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment there was that spark again, and she reminded me of how she had looked when she had lost that sure hand at the poker table. It was then that I realized that I was doomed. If she wanted me, I would not deny her.

“Because you are an honest man, Edward and I know you will be a passionate lover. You could have easily dealt me winning hand after winning hand at the game, but you let me play a fair game, although it must have hurt you to let that toad Newton win from time to time. And you value your duty to the people over your own health, seeing as you never hesitated to bring the cattle back to that family, risking your life without a doubt. If I could ask God for one wish, I would tell him to send me a husband like you, but I am bound by my word already, and I would never burden you with as soiled a woman as I am. But please, one night?”

I just couldn't listen to her beg any more, each and every word hurting me, as it was untrue. She was a Goddess, deserving to be worshiped, and if this was all I could do for her, so be it. She asked it of me, and I would not refuse her. I might rot in hell forever, but I couldn't care less. Satan already had a place reserved for me anyway.

I tried to find the right words, but none would come to my mind, so I answered her the one way I knew she would understand – I kissed her. It was a hesitant kiss, my lips barely brushing hers, yet it made me feel more alive than I had in ages.

When I leaned back enough so that I could look at her face, her brown eyes were wide, and for a moment I was sure she would run. But then she smiled and ignited my heart with joy, because I had caused that smile. There wasn't a more beautiful vision to behold in the whole, wide world.

I then caught her face in my hands for a moment, letting my finger trail over the soft skin, hoping my calluses would not irritate her. She looked at me expectantly and I leaned down again, this time savoring the kiss when I pressed my mouth to hers. Her lips were so soft under mine, making me yearn for more instantly.

“Come on, let's not dawdle,” she muttered as I let go of her again, reaching for my hand and tugging me along. I didn’t care who might have seen us, because I could only concentrate on was her—the way she grinned as she turned and tugged me out onto the street again, how she led me to the hotel, up the back stairs, and into her room. There she pushed me towards the bed, before she flitted around and lit two of the lamps, bathing us in the soft glow of light.

And then she stood before me, my siren, my Goddess, nibbling on her lip and looking at me with hesitant lust in her eyes. I felt a smile come to my face, the kind of smile I hadn't known I was still capable of, as I held my hand out towards her. “C'mere, love,” I whispered, and as she took my hand I drew her onto my lap.

I could tell by the way her nimble fingers started to rid me of my clothes that she was no virgin, but then I had not expected her to be hesitant now. She was a confident, widowed woman and as such sure had picked up a thing or two, even with a husband who had clearly never valued what he had in her. I was only too happy to fill in the blanks.

Naturally it needed some skills to free her of the layers of clothing, but she helped me gladly and before long I had her spread out on the bed, in all her naked glory. Even in the dim light I could see her cheeks aflame with color, but her eyes were dark with lust and I didn't think I could have stopped myself had I wanted to.

Leaning over her I nudged her head to the side, baring her neck to me. She gasped as my lips made contact with her skin, pressing the lightest of kisses down from below her ear to the hollow at the base of her throat. I felt her tremble and boldly let my tongue trace a wet line up the way my lips had previously traveled. She answered me with a moan and I was lost.

As I moved further onto the bed, my hands found purchase on her hips, then slowly glided up her heavenly body while my mouth captured hers again. Growing bolder with the sigh that left her, I let my tongue brush over her lips and she let me enter her after only a moment's hesitation. I groaned as I explored her mouth, sliding my tongue against hers in the most sensual of movements, waiting for her to respond.

And respond she did. I only needed to come up for air for a moment, when suddenly her fingers were in my hair, yanking my head down to hers hard. Her lips met mine with near bruising force and now it was she who conquered my mouth, probing, prodding, searching, taking.

I was in heaven, even though I knew I should not have sullied her the way I did. But kissing her just felt so right, like nothing in my whole life ever had. And gazing into her eyes, I knew she felt the same. And that knowledge, like nothing else, let me move on.

My lips found her throat again hungrily, but this time I moved further down. Bella moaned when I nipped at her clavicle, but held her breath as my head dipped lower. I brought my hands up over her ribs, making sure to stroke her skin gently, before I cupped those perfect breasts and let my lips skim over her nipples.

She arched her back and moaned louder this time, still barely making a sound, but her invitation was plain enough. I took my time though, first trailing kisses all over the soft flesh of her breasts before I let my tongue snake out and lave at her nipples gently. They turned hard under my lips, inviting me to suckle and as I did just that. Bella's fingers were back in my hair, silently urging me on.

I would have loved worshiping her body like that for hours, but to be true, as achingly hard as my cock was already, it was nearly impossible to attribute her all the attention she deserved. So I let go of her breasts and instead let one of my hands stroke her thigh gently. I could feel her quiver under me, but after a few moments she relaxed, parting her legs willingly when I nudged them open. My fingers slowly skimmed up towards the apex of her thighs, where I found her wet and willing.

Raising my head I looked at her eyes intently as my fingers slid over her wet folds, giving her a last chance to say no. But all I saw in those liquid pools was lust and passion, echoing my own. She wanted me and who was I to deny her?

The bed shifted slightly as I positioned myself above her, between her legs. I made sure to keep myself propped up on my elbows and arms as not to lay heavily on her, but still I felt her erect nipples brush against my chest as her heavy breathing made her whole body rise and fall.

She stilled for a moment as she felt my cock press against her entrance, but she was ready for me, and I was sure that it was not pain that made her gasp as I slid into her slowly. Watching her eyes go wide as she nibbled on her lip was making me impossibly harder and only thoughts of Emmett in his long johns kept me from coming right there.

Then she relaxed and her eyes closed for a moment, a smile coming to her face. Her hips gave the tiniest of jerks against mine, telling me that she was ready.

My lips claimed hers in a hungry kiss as I withdrew, then pushed back into her slowly again. The sensation of her slick folds around me was beyond what I had ever felt before, the same as her mouth just tasted of heaven. I tried to stay gentle and slow, but it grew increasingly harder to restrain myself as her fingers tugged on my hair and her lips moved again mine.

Following an impulse, I reached down and caught her left leg, then hitched her thigh up until I felt her knee press against my buttocks. She swiftly got my intent and moved her hips until she had her leg securely against me, letting me thrust deeper, while at the same time creating more friction for her.

My chest was ready to burst as I felt her hips come up to meet mine now, still a little hesitant, but in perfect harmony. I smiled at her before I kissed her again, now matching the movement of my tongue into her mouth with that of my thrusts.

She moaned again and shuddered, and as her hands slid down to my shoulders, she let out a small, muffled cry, as I felt her clench hard around me. I just had to see the look on her face as she climaxed, so I moved my head back a little and what I beheld was paradise.

I held true throughout her climax, keeping a tight rein on myself to prolong her pleasure, until I felt her relax and finally let myself follow her over the edge.

I could have died then and would still have been the happiest man to have ever lived. And while the most intense pleasure wrecked through me, she kept looking deep into my eyes, drinking every moment of it in, just as I had with her.

Once I was spent I quickly rolled off her and tugged her into my side. Bella curled up against me, her soft cheek resting on my shoulder with her fingers on my chest, while my arms held her close. We lay like that in silence for a while, until suddenly, she began to talk.

She told me of her childhood, how she had been raised on a farm up in the Northwest, where the pastures were greener and the cows fat. I could tell by her tone that those had been happy times and I hung on her every word. And when she fell silent, I told her things from my own past. The good things, like how the blueberry cake my mother had always baked for Sunday tasted. About the dog I had back then, who no one dared to even pat on the head, while he let me play with him every which way I wanted.

Then we were silent again, but it was a comfortable silence. We didn't even need words, just being here together, touching each other, was enough.

Bella finally raised her head, a light sheen of sweat still speaking of what we had done before. I raised my brows at her, and she caught her lip with her teeth again, making me chuckle. She scowled for a moment, but then grinned at me, her eyes sparkling with intent again.

“I might seem like a glutton, but as we have already sinned, maybe you are up for more of the same?”

I smirked down at her, making to roll us both over, but she stopped me, her palm pressing against my sternum.

“Please, let me try something? I heard one of the serving girls in the saloon mention this, and as we are here tonight only, I might as well be bold.”

I didn't know exactly what she meant until she raised herself above me and straddled my hips. Her presence had had me hard for her for a while again already, but seeing her like that brought my dick to new attention.

Suddenly her hand wrapped around my cock and she moved it up and down a few times, sending my mind reeling. Then she offered me a crooked grin and positioning herself, slid down on me in one smooth movement. My eyes went wide and I groaned, just as she bit her lip, this time to stifle her own sounds. This way our joining felt so much more intense and it was probably just my shock that kept me from coming right there again.

Only then she started to move, hesitant at first, with her hands splayed across my chest, stabilizing her. Soon she became brazen, now a constant, elated smile on her face, as she straightened and touched her own breasts while she rode me harder. My hands gripped her waist to keep her in place and my hips came up to meet hers without my mind even giving the command. It was, without a doubt, the best I had ever felt, but even more than that, I marveled at what I saw in her eyes.

Whatever I had seen from her this evening, this here, enjoying herself, was the true Bella. Before, I had only seen glimpses at the fire burning in her, when she had first looked at me, then again during the card game, and every time she laughed. For whatever reason she kept her true self hidden, probably because most people would not have seen the true beauty she was, intelligent and confident, but here, with me, she let her guard down.

And in this moment I knew, I had to have her. Not just for one night, not just in the sense of a physical joining. I just could not let her walk away in the morning. Whatever the implications, they did not matter. I knew, I was dooming her, but I couldn't care, because the life she had committed herself to, I was sure it would kill her anyway. Maybe not tomorrow, but before long she would have become a lifeless husk, a mere shadow of the woman she truly was. I just could not let her do that. Because, plain and simple, she was mine.

As if she had read my thoughts that smile of hers deepened and made her glow. She closed her eyes and reached down to wrap her fingers around mine and joined like this we both came at the same moment. It was pure bliss as I released deep inside her, feeling her climax around me in turn. It was perfect and it lasted forever.

I regained command of my senses soon afterwards and simply drew her down to me until I could kiss her lips again. Only now it was without the burning hunger and need from before, instead they were gentle caresses, slow and sweet. I felt her smile against my lips before she joined in, nearly making me whimper with joy.

I couldn't say if just minutes passed, or hours, but after a while we both found us drowsy and ready to call it a night. I should probably have left her, seeing as it would border on a scandal if I was found here, with her, but I couldn't bring myself to care, and neither did she.

“Edward, could you do me one last favor?” she asked, her voice already heavy with sleep.

“Whatever you want,” I replied, truthfully. Whatever she asked of me, I would do for her.

“Could you bring me my nightgown from the chest in the other room? The windows are drafty and I don't want to catch a cold.”

I smiled at her as I got up, then quickly padded over into the anteroom, looking for the indicated chest. I finally found it next to her trunk, and shuffling her other baggage around a little got it opened. The light was dim, but the white fabric of the gown stood out, among other things.

“I'm so sorry, please forgive me.”

I nearly didn't hear her whisper behind and above me, probably because in that moment my eyes snagged onto the darker objects hidden inside the chest next to her gown. The long Winchester rifle. The packages of ammunition. Two revolvers, one a Colt Peacemaker, the other a smaller Derringer. Dynamite, and a flask of what I presumed was either Laudanum or Chloroform.

Then something heavy hit the back of my head, making pain explode throughout my body. I felt myself topple over, onto the floor, feebly trying to turn, but only making it halfway. The last thing I saw was Bella, standing over me, a thick log in her hands while her face was screwed up in pain. Then she brought her weapon down a second time, and everything went black.

-**-

The first thing I registered was noise. Then, a foul taste in my mouth. I opened my eyes, but immediately shut them again, the searing light blinding me. Pain raced through my head, making me groan.

I didn't remember what had happened, but I knew something was wrong.

Bella.

Oh my God, I had to find her. She had to stay with me, I just couldn't let her go. She might deserve so much better than me, but at least I would try to make her happy. I would …

Bella, with a log in her hand, leaning over me.

What. The. Hell.

Gunshots rang outside and I was immediately alert. The light still blinded me, but I forced my eyes to remain open and after a few agonizing moments my surroundings took on form. I was in a room, not my room. The hotel. The light came in through the windows, late morning, maybe ten o'clock.

I tried to move, but something held me back. Glancing down at myself I saw that I was naked, lying on the bed with just a blanket covering me body, while my hands were tied to the railing between the bed posts. I yanked hard, but neither rope nor knots would give.

Casting around frantically I finally turned my head, and saw a knife lying next to me. It was a hunting knife, curved slightly, and unsheathed, ready to use. A little shuffling and I had it between my teeth, some yanking and contorting, and I reached the rope. Two painfully long minutes later, and the thick hemp finally gave, releasing me.

Never caring for my own nudity I ran to the window, and looked down at the street below. The picture before me was so grotesque that for a moment I just felt like laughing. It was not really a happy laugh.

Three horses were standing in the open space before the building that housed the bank, all saddled and ready for a longer trek. Only one had a rider sitting in the saddle and it took me just a moment to realize that the slight form was not a boy clad in buckskins and coarse fabric, but the black haired girl that had come with Bella. Alice. Her hair was hidden under a wide-brimmed Stetson, and the lower half of her face hidden behind a cloth tied around her head, but then I knew what I was looking for. The shotgun she was holding steadily at the few people crowded on the side-walk sure helped, too.

More gunshots sounded and two figures emerged from the bank, one tall, one smaller. Both were dressed just as their companions only carrying revolvers and what looked like their just acquired loot in a simple cloth sack.

My mind balked at the obvious, but after a few seconds even I couldn't deny any longer what was going on. God damnit!

But whatever she was wearing, whatever she was doing, I would have recognized her. And that was, without a doubt, my Bella, robbing the bank.

A small commotion occurred at the other side of the street, somewhere below me, but two quick shots from the tall bandit, aimed high enough to be just a warning, halted whatever resistance there had been. Bella meanwhile mounted her horse, yelling something into the crowd that my addled brain couldn't quite catch. The way she pointed her guns at the town folk spoke of her meaning business, though.

Then they all reined in their horses and started off directly through the rapidly scattering crowds. Just as she passed under my window Bella looked up and I got a last look into her deep, brown eyes.

Evidently I couldn't read the look on her face, as cloth, hair, and hat obscured most of her features, but those mesmerizing pools were as expressive as I had ever seen any. A strange mixture of regret, sorrow and loss was there, but paired with a quirky smirk that took it all from hurtful to sarcastic to cheerful.

I was still too out of myself, now with added nausea from moving, that I couldn’t have done anything but stare back at her. Then the moment passed and she focused back on the road, meanwhile having holstered her revolvers and instead manned the Winchester. She shot aimlessly into the air, stalling any would-be pursuers in their tracks.

And then she was gone.

No. This just couldn't be happening. Not to me. Not my Bella. No!

I took a step back from the window, but lost my balance, making me fall onto my ass hard. Bile rose in my throat and I was violently sick on the floor next to the discarded, deep blue dress she had been wearing the night before.

I gazed at the fabric, then reached over and bunched my fist in it. The dress still smelled of her, so intoxicating and sweet that my cock instantly hardened. Not a good thing with the concussion I was evidently having, but I couldn't exactly do a thing against it right now.

My eyes latched onto a name tag at the back of the dress. Annamaria Suarez. Not even her own dress.

Groaning loudly I craned my neck, taking in more details about the room. Almost all of the baggage was still there, only that damn chest was open now, the meager contents left spilled onto the floor. The weapons were gone, obviously, as was what I presumed was the other parts of her gear.

Fuck me!

I chuckled under my breath, but it came out as a pained wheeze. Oh, indeed, she had already done that. Only in just more ways than I had realized last night.

I lay there for a few more minutes, waiting for the worst of the nausea to pass. Then I clambered laboriously to my feet and started to dress. I should probably have been mad at her, but I just didn't have the energy in me yet.

My foot met some resistance when I tried to shove it into my boot. Upending it, I found a small piece of paper wedged inside, covered in flowing script. My fingers tightened around the edges as I read the few words.

I am sorry.

You must think that everything was a lie, and you are right. Just not last night.

~Bella

The lines blurred before my eyes as my head started to spin again, but this time I fought hard to stay focused. As I staggered towards the door thoughts began to gather in my head, laced with betrayal and rage, but it all paled in comparison to the unfamiliar thing growing in my chest.

Hope.

I knew I should have been raving mad at her. And probably at my own stupidity, too. Letting a con woman, a swindler and thief, play me like that. There would be an investigation, the Sheriff would poke his nose into my life, probably also my past, maybe even call in a U.S. Marshall. The last thing I needed. All I had been working for during the last years. All at risk. My life. Emmett's life. Rosalie's life. Their unborn child's life.

But it didn’t matter anymore. The only thing that was on my mind were those liquid, brown eyes, sparkling with laughter and mischief.

My Bella.

My perfect Bella.

I more fell down the stairs than walked, my feet still uncoordinated as I made my way down onto the street. The heat, stench and the sound of multiple voices screaming and shouting sent my mind reeling again. I really don’t know how I made it down the street and into the saloon without falling down. I just knew I had to get going or I would lose their trail in the hills outside the city. And I had to be faster than the building mob outside or they would obliterate anything the dry earth would be able to tell me.

The door to the storage room was thankfully unlocked and once inside I fell to my knees, resting for a moment. My fingers searched blindly for the lose floorboards, taking a small eternity to locate the trap door. Dust swirled around me and made me cough, as I blindly reached into the hole and yanked out the trunk inside.

Just as I flipped the lid open, the door at my back banged open, a none too steady Emmett barged in. He just needed one look at me and what I was doing, and his usually cheerful face contorted in rage.

“You can't be serious!”

“I need to find her,” was all I croaked out, my hands already busy sifting through the contents, skimming over leather, cloth, metal.

“What the fuck!”

I shut my eyes against the blinding headache his roar caused, but never stopped.

“Are you insane, Edward? You can't do this! Not now! Not after all we've been through!”

“You know that your yelling won't do a thing to stop him,” came Rosalie's wry remark from behind her husband. I stopped for a moment and looked up at her, expecting to see the same hurt in her eyes as I knew was plain in Emmett's, but she was strangely calm as she gazed down at me, her hand held protectively over her round belly.

Guilt welled up in me and nearly made me stop and reconsider my decision.

“Can't you for once forget that stupid pride of yours? So they ripped us off, robbed the bank, so what? The Sheriff will take over or the feds will. They seemed mighty organized, with taking us all out before they went in for the catch and they knew what they were doin'. Let others handle it, ey?”

I wanted to laugh at him getting it so wrong, but Rose was faster than that. Her laughter was dry as she thumped her husband in his bulging biceps.

“Oh Emmett, it's always the same with you, you always see the best in people, whatever mess they get themselves into.”

He just stared at her and she beamed a nasty smirk down at me while still talking to Emmett. “He doesn't intend to go after her because of the robbery, you fool, he's going after her because she's handed his arse to him! If ever I saw a pussy whipped fool, he's sitting on the floor before you!”

I snarled at her, but she just laughed. “Oh, Eddie, don't even deny it. I saw you leave with her yesterday evening and if perception proves me right, you just came staggering out of the hotel while half the town was out on the street, screaming with indignation. And if you learn to recognize one thing when you’ve grown up in a brothel, then it's a hopeless lovesick fool.”

I tried to find an answer to defend myself, but my mind was just too screwed up right now. Instead I turned back to what little was left of my former life. Chuckling darkly I realized that we were alike even there, hiding what we really were at the bottom of chests, for no one to see.

My perfect woman. My Bella. I just had to have her!

It took me a while to change out of my more respectable clothes into the durable leather and sturdy cloth that had been stowed away for ages. The only thing I kept was my gun, that by some miracle, or rather cruel twist of fate, she had left with my stuff. I added the two knives, the rifle and then slipped the old duster on. My father's. Last time I had tried it on my frame had still been too slight. Now I felt like I had grown into it in more sense than one.

There was only one thing left at the bottom of the trunk, a folded piece of paper, wrinkled and dark with age. My fingers brushed over it, not knowing whether I should take it with me or leave it.

“Ed, please. Think again. Is one woman really worth destroying it all for?” Emmett tried pleading again, but he sounded resigned, knowing already that it was a lost cause. I looked up at him and whatever he saw in my eyes made him sigh and shake his head.

“I see.” He sighed, then reached into the pocket of his jacket and handed me a box of ammo for the rifle. I stared at his hand, momentarily dumbfounded. He chuckled, resigned. “I knew you'd chase her down the moment I realized they were robbing the bank. And just the look on your face – as much as it pains me to lose you, but even looking like shit, you are more alive than ever since they dragged us into Fort Yuma.”

A new stab of guilt went through my heart. I took the offered ammunition, then got to my feet, my world still spinning but quickly growing steady.

“When you write Carlisle and Esme again, tell them they shot me dead or something. They don't need to know that I ...” I couldn't bring myself to speak the sentence aloud, but in my mind I finished it. That I threw away all the mercy that they showed me, all for a pair of brown eyes.

Emmett scoffed. “You tell them yourself that you value the second chance you got so little, that you run off after the first girl to get under your skin. A thief and criminal no less.”

Still, the look in his eyes told me that on some level he did understand, as did the bone-crushing hug he gave me, before he turned around and left me with Rosalie. She rolled her eyes at the retreating back of her husband, before she stepped forward and hugged me herself.

“Take care, little brother. I know, love is blind, but you should maybe open your eyes a little. That vixen seems rather hard to catch.”

We both laughed, and she bent down to retrieve the folded paper from the chest, groaning with the exertion. “You better take that with you, I don't think they'll just believe you when you tell 'em how it comes that law abiding Deputy Cullen hunted them down across the prairie.”

She unfolded the paper and handed it to me print side up. I stared at the crude sketch for a moment, wondering if the bounty was still out. Seven years was a long time and I didn't really look like the scrawny feller from back then, only the eyes and unruly hair remained. Hair that Bella had mussed up to the point that I actually must have resembled the picture a little again, I figured.

Folding the paper I slid it into my pocket and hugged my sister one last time.

“Be safe, Edward. You know, Kid Masen has still some enemies out there and not everyone forgets as easily as I do,” she murmured into my ear, before she let me go. I kissed her brow, making her grunt dismally, before I stepped around her and left the saloon through the back door.

It didn't take long to get my other supplies together and saddle my horse. I left town over the pasture out back, trying not to attract any attention as I cut a wide berth around the small group of armed riders that made their way east.

Soon I found the tracks I was looking for and sure enough, they had just cut east until they came to the river, but never crossed it. Two miles due north I found the trail back towards the mountains, leading into the one terrain no one would have expected them to go. Clever girl, my Bella, but not clever enough to shake me off. Took a lot more than that.

But I would succeed, I would hunt her down and then I would make her see the truth. That she belonged to me. When I had still believed her to be an honest woman, I could never have subjected her to a life with me. But now that the cards were out in the open, I had no such qualms. She led exactly the life I had been running from far too long. And what else but love was worth risking it all?

A/N: Special thanks to my awesome Beta cravingtwilight!

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