Goings - The Fall of Jericho

The Fall of Jericho

By

Rebecca Goings

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Fall of Jericho

Copyright 2010 Rebecca Goings

ISBN: 978-1-60088-566-2

Cover Artist: Sable Grey

Editor: Barbara Louise

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

Cobblestone Press, LLC

www.cobblestone-press.com

Dedication

For all the love, for all the laughter, and for living this ones for Dad.

Chapter One

Sagebrush Springs, Arizona Territory, 1879

The sharp, insistent knock on the door woke Jericho James from a sound sleep. Hed passed out not more than a few hours before, exhausted from chasing Charlie Butcher halfway across the country. Hed found the no-good outlaw in Sagebrush Springs, the city Jericho had called home so long ago.

Thankfully, hed caught the man before Butcher robbed the bank and high-tailed it out of town. Collecting that hefty two thousand dollar bounty came just in time, as all Jericho had had left in his pockets was lint.

He hadnt moved a muscle since hed flopped on the poor excuse for a bed, but now, he was determined to give whoever thought it prudent to pound on his door a piece of his mind. Grabbing his shirt from the floor, he yanked it on, not bothering to button it. Another knock sounded as he buckled his gun belt.

With a growl, Jericho ripped open the door. What is it?

The woman on the other side stared at him, letting her gaze move over the skin of his chest. Her cheeks blazed with color, but she didnt look away. He grinned and relaxed his stance, hanging his left hand on the top of the door.

Jericho? The woman seemed flustered and smoothed away the tendrils of hair that had fallen from her bun. It was a light brown shade, non-descript, but her eyes were the color of tanned leather. His memory punched him right in the gut.

Mercy? he breathed, looking her up and down in much the same way she had done to him.

I saw you earlier, she said. Over at the jail. Thought Id ask around and find out if you were staying in town.

For the first time in his life, he was dumbstruck. The lady before him was all grown up, with swells and curves in all the right places. Last time hed seen Mercy Ainsworth, shed given him a wildflower and professed her undying love. But that had been four years ago, when shed been a girl of sixteen and he a man of twenty. Now, however, she was very much a woman.

It reminded him of just how long hed been without someone to warm his bed.

Well, you found me, was all he could think to say.

How...how have you been?

Hot. Hungry. Horny.

Mercys eyes widened, and she gasped in shock. But instead of running away like he thought she might, she stood her ground and placed her hands on her hips.

You still need a lesson in manners, I see, she said haughtily, trying her best to look down her nose at him. He remembered that look. It spurred memories hed wanted to keep locked away for the rest of his life.

Im not the one knocking on a mans door when hes trying to sleep, honey.

Mercy wrung her hands in front of her and chewed her bottom lip. His jeans were suddenly uncomfortable. Hed have to cut this conversation short or risk dragging her inside his room just to have a release.

Im sorry, she murmured, eyes downcast. I was afraid youd leave before I could see you again. Its been a long time, Jericho.

He closed his eyes at the mention of his name. Hed always hated that his father, the esteemed Reverend Malachi James, had given him the name of a city from the Bible. But coming from Mercy, it only served to ignite his blood.

He was delirious from exhaustion, that was all.

Yet the more he remembered the mousy waif from his past, the more he realized just how beautiful shed become. Her unruly hair was now pinned back. Her light blue dress didnt have any wrinkles. And her long, black eyelashes ringed her unique eyes in such a way that he couldnt stop staring into them.

Shed been cute then, but as a woman, she was stunning. His heart galloped at the memory of her lips underneath his.

But that had been an eternity ago.

You look good. He was amazed his voice didnt waver.

So do you, she said, a moment before glancing at his chest once more. He wondered what she was thinking as she trembled slightly. Perhaps she remembered their ancient kiss as well.

Id invite you in, but... He let the sentence hang. She glanced at the rumpled bed through the doorway. Joining him in his hotel room, alone, was a very bad idea.

Perhaps we could meet at the stables, like we used to, and talk about old times.

The hope in her voice crushed his own. She wanted to talk. Probably about Joy. Pity. He could think of more exciting things she could do with her mouth.

Chapter Two

Mercy nervously wrung her hands as she stood outside the stables an hour later. Jericho had grumbled at her, telling her exactly how long it had been since hed had a good nights sleep, but shed convinced him she needed to talk with him. She had a suspicion hed merely agreed to get her to go away. It was altogether possible hed ignore her plea and go back to sleep. She hoped he was good to his word.

He still managed to steal her very breath. Hed been the reason the sun rose and set so many years ago, and if she wasnt careful, Mercy might just find herself right back in that pit of longing and despair.

It had seemed back then that hed been interested in her as well, if his ardent kiss had been any indication. Yet even after shed told him of her feelings for him, he didnt give a damn, choosing instead to hunt down the man whod killed his sister and riding out of her life for good.

That had been hard for everyone to deal with, as Joy had been such a sweet girl, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shed been caught by Frank Merchants bullet, a known horse thief, whod made off with her brothers prized colt shortly after Joy had taken him for a ride in the wilderness. Jericho had blamed himself, as hed always been the one whod protected her, and he hadnt been there when shed needed him most. Becoming a bounty hunter had been the only way he knew how to cope with the loss.

Mercy understood his pain. Hed wanted to find the son of a bitch who took his sisters life and bring him to justice. She didnt blame him for wanting to avenge Joy, but that hadnt kept her heart intact when shed learned from his father that hed left town late one night. She hadnt heard from him since.

Until now.

Her heart fluttered when she saw him. He was crossing the street with his hat pulled low, bathing his face in shadow. The way he moved reminded her of a cougar, strong and lithe, a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. She swallowed hard and tried not to remember his naked chest with a light peppering of hair that had greeted her at his hotel room. It had been all she could do not to stare, and she wasnt sure shed accomplished that goal.

Seeing him now made her yearn for quieter, happier times. The stress of the trail was written all over his face, aging him beyond his years. Hed let his golden hair curl around his collar, and sometime during his travels hed broken his nose. But if anything, all of his aged features served to make him more handsome than hed ever been. More virile, more dangerous.