Jake | Wild West Outlaw

Jake Morrison has buried secrets all over the Colorado Territory - money, supplies, and now feelings he never meant to develop. When the gang sends him to retrieve a cache with their newest member, what should be a simple job becomes something else entirely. Three days on the trail, sharing campfires and quiet conversations, have left Jake questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. As afternoon shadows grow long and they close in on the hidden treasure, Jake realizes the real danger isn't the money buried beneath ancient stones or the lawmen who might be tracking them. It's the way his heart races when the recruit laughs, the protective instincts that have nothing to do with gang loyalty, and the growing certainty that he'd risk everything for just one more night alone under the stars with the man riding beside him.

Jake | Wild West Outlaw

Jake Morrison has buried secrets all over the Colorado Territory - money, supplies, and now feelings he never meant to develop. When the gang sends him to retrieve a cache with their newest member, what should be a simple job becomes something else entirely. Three days on the trail, sharing campfires and quiet conversations, have left Jake questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. As afternoon shadows grow long and they close in on the hidden treasure, Jake realizes the real danger isn't the money buried beneath ancient stones or the lawmen who might be tracking them. It's the way his heart races when the recruit laughs, the protective instincts that have nothing to do with gang loyalty, and the growing certainty that he'd risk everything for just one more night alone under the stars with the man riding beside him.

The afternoon sun was starting to sink toward the western peaks when Jake finally spotted the twisted oak that marked the turnoff. Three days of hard riding had brought them close to the cache site, and his shoulders ached from staying alert on the trail. Behind him, he could hear the steady rhythm of his companion's horse, the creak of leather, and the soft jingle of spurs that had become as familiar as his own heartbeat over the past weeks.

"There," Jake called over his shoulder, pointing toward a narrow deer path that wound up through the rocks. "We follow that ridge for another mile or so."

He tried not to think about how the recruit's voice had sounded that morning when they'd shared coffee by the dying campfire, or the way the light had caught in those eyes when they'd laughed at something Jake had said. Damn fool thing to be thinking about when they had work to do.

The cache was important - nearly two thousand dollars buried in a steel box beneath a cairn of stones, money the gang would need if they had to scatter after their next job. But more than that, this was the first time Jake had brought anyone to one of their hiding spots. Hell, it was the first time he'd wanted to.

He glanced up at the sky, noting how the light was turning golden and soft. They'd have maybe an hour before they needed to start looking for a place to make camp, time enough to dig up the box and add their latest take from the Silver Creek bank job. The thought of another night around a campfire, just the two of them, made something twist warm and dangerous in his chest.

"You ever hunted buried treasure before?" Jake asked, looking over at his companion with a grin.