“You don’t have any reason to kill him.”
“The hell I don’t.” Lucas reached inside the door, grabbed his powder horn and upended it into his barrel. “He’s stealing the horses!”
Even as he said the words the fence gave way with a loud crack and the horses surged out. With one last defiant cry, the stallion wheeled and headed toward the open prairie with all the other horses, wild and tame, running behind him.
Belatedly, Brianna realized the enormity of what she’d done. Without the horses, they were stranded in the middle of nowhere with no way of even letting anyone know they were in trouble. She hadn’t even stopped the senseless killing of an innocent animal. A young buckskin lay on its side bleeding from the crease Lucas’s misfired bullet had put in its skull.
“Christ, Billy, it isn’t worth getting killed over,” Lucas muttered.
Brianna looked toward the barn and froze in horror. As the last of the horses streamed out of the corral, Billy ran alongside them. With a sudden leap he was on DeVinci’s back, leaning low over the mare’s neck. For one heart-stopping moment it looked as though his attempt would prove futile, and he’d be killed for his efforts. Then he straightened and the horse began to slow. With the pressure from his knees and a fistful of mane in his hand, Billy brought DeVinci under control.
A sudden familiar whistle split the air. Ian was calling his horse, Taffy, and Brianna watched in amazement as the big sorrel turned away from the herd. She hadn’t realized the bond between the man and his horse was so strong.
“Damn it to hell,” Lucas swore as the last of the horses disappeared in a cloud of dust. Brianna nearly had to run to keep up with him as he strode across the yard to the corral.
Billy rode DeVinci into what was left of the enclosure and slid from her back. “Could be worse. At least we can go after them. With three men on horseback we have a chance.”
Three? Brianna followed the line of his gaze and was startled to see one horse was still in the corral. Franklin.
“Of all the horses to stay behind.” Ian said. “Wonder why he didn’t go with the others.”
“I don’t think he wanted to tangle with that stallion,” Lucas said.
“Neither do I.” Billy shook his head. “Too bad you missed him, Lucas. I couldn’t ever get a clear shot.”
“I probably wouldn’t have missed if Brianna had kept her nose out of it. She hit my arm and knocked my aim off.”
Brianna’s bare toes curled into the soft dirt in guilty dismay as three pairs of accusing eyes suddenly turned her way. She gave them an apologetic smile. “Oops.”
CHAPTER 25
“Oops?” Lucas’s tone was sarcastic as he echoed Brianna. “Is that an explanation or an apology?”
“I-I didn’t understand what was happening,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, that helps a lot. It should bring the horses right back.”
“Uh…don’t you think we’d better get the corral fixed and go after the horses?” asked Billy.
Brianna turned to go. “I’ll get breakfast.”
“We won’t have time to eat,” Lucas said. “That herd is getting farther away by the minute.”
“Then I’ll throw together something you can take with you.”
The dead horse lay between her and the station. With a grimace, she stepped around it. What a fiasco. As if Lucas wasn’t mad enough at her already.
Brianna dressed hurriedly before fixing their lunch. She hadn’t missed the consternation on Ian’s and Billy’s faces when they saw her dressed only in her nightgown and realized they were both bare-chested. Honestly, the men in this century were so hung up on modesty it was a wonder there were any babies born at all.
It only took a few minutes to slice an entire loaf of bread and add thick slices of meat left over from supper the night before. “Hold the mayo,” she muttered thinking how dry the sandwiches were going to be. She wrapped them in a clean dishtowel, stuck them in an empty flour sack and added a generous supply of buffalo jerky. Without chips or dessert, it wasn’t a very exciting lunch, but maybe they wouldn’t care. After all, the days of high calorie snack foods were still in the distant future. The men couldn’t miss what they’d never had.
Brianna was just starting to fill Lucas’s canteen when he came in to finish getting dressed. One look at his face was enough to convince her that keeping silent was a good idea. She pretended to ignore him as he put on his shirt and suspenders.
Lucas gave her a sidelong glance as he sat down on the edge of the bed and put on a sock. “We may be gone all day.”
“I know, that’s why I fixed enough for two meals.” She put the lid on the canteen and laid it down next to the food sack. “What if you can’t find the wild herd?”
“Then we’ll have to ride to Devil’s Gate and Three Crossings to get more stock. In that case, we could be gone all night. We can’t move horses after dark.”
“Oh.”
“Will you be all right here by yourself?”
Brianna looked at him in surprise. “Of course I will be. What is there to be afraid of?”
“I’ve told you at least a dozen times,” Lucas said in exasperation as he pulled on a boot. “Not that you ever paid any attention.”
“If I ever encounter a bad guy, I might start listening to you. So far Bart Kelly is the closest I’ve seen, and I can handle him.”
“I don’t suppose it will do me any good to remind you it was a pretty close call with him?”
“No.”
“Somehow I didn’t think so.” Lucas put on his other sock and boot. “I’ll leave my rifle.”
“It wouldn’t help. Not only couldn’t I hit the broad side of a barn, I don’t have the faintest idea how to reload a black powder rifle.”
“I’ll teach you.”
Brianna smiled. “If you don’t have time for breakfast, you don’t have time for that either. Don’t worry, Lucas, nobody will bother me. Besides I’ve got my knife, and Seth taught me how to use it. I’m perfectly safe.”
“Last I knew it was in your trunk,” he pointed out as he buttoned his vest and put on his coat. “Not exactly accessible, is it?”
Brianna went to her trunk, got the knife out, held it up to show him, then walked over and put it on the mantle. “Satisfied?”
“I guess I’ll have to be.” His jaw looked hard as a piece of granite as he picked up the canteen and lunch sack. “You’ll do what you want, just like you always do.”
“Don’t be mad, Lucas.”
“Why should I be mad?” he asked sarcastically. “You obviously think I’m a fool and refuse to listen to anything I say.”
“No, that’s not what...” But Lucas slammed out of the cabin before she could finish. By the time Brianna got to the door, the three men were mounted and riding out of the yard. “Damn!” Brianna said, fighting tears. She hadn’t meant to make him mad. It just seemed to be something she did naturally, kind of like breathing. It shouldn’t come as any surprise. He’d never made any secret of his feelings about having her around, but it hurt.
That’s what you get for falling in love with him. It’s not like you didn’t know better, she told herself. It made no sense to stand there staring after the three men, but she didn’t move until they rode out of sight.
Brianna was turning to go inside when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and took a good look. The ‘dead’ horse was moving.
The bullet had only wounded it! The poor thing would have to be put out of its misery, and Lucas had taken his rifle. Her heart sank as she realized what she was going to have to do. Her knife was equal to the task; Seth had always insisted she keep it razor sharp. The question was whether she could bring herself to slit the animal’s throat.
Sickened by the thought but determined not to let an animal suffer unduly, she went to get her knife. When she returned, she was astonished to see the horse had lifted its head off the ground and was attempting to rise. Maybe his injuries weren’t so bad
after all.
“Come on, you can do it,” Brianna whispered as the animal tried to struggle to its feet. Relief flooded through her when he finally succeeded. There was no question of killing him now. Though he was clearly shaken and disoriented, the bullet must have merely glanced across his skull, knocking him unconscious.
As she stood there watching him, Brianna suddenly wondered if she could get him into the corral. He appeared to be a two- or three-year-old, just right to begin breaking to ride. The lure of having her own horse was too much of a temptation to resist. “I won’t hurt you, boy,” she said soothingly. “You and I are going to be great friends. Just a few steps forward. That’s all we need.”
He turned his head and eyed her warily as she slowly approached from the rear. Her steady advance and the sound of her voice made him nervous. With a snort, he moved several steps away, straight toward the open gate of the corral.
It took several minutes and a great deal of effort to work him into the corral, but Brianna smiled in satisfaction as she closed the gate behind him. She couldn’t wait to see the men’s faces when they returned.
Then she sobered. Billy and Ian would be pleased, but Lucas might be another matter entirely. The mood he was in, he’d probably tell her they couldn’t give company feed to a noncompany horse. She could just hear him.
It wasn’t as if she’d be mooching. Heaven knew she did enough work around here for “company” employees and wasn’t paid a penny for any of it. Maybe it was time to point that out. If she went on strike and refused to cook, clean or do laundry unless he let her keep the horse, he’d be forced to see things her way, wouldn’t he?
“No, he’d probably tell us both to hit the road,” she told the buckskin as she threw a generous portion of hay over the fence for him. “Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something.”
She returned to the cabin deep in thought. This would take careful planning. If she could somehow get Lucas in a receptive mood...The memory of cleaning the entire house without being asked so her mother would let her keep a stray dog flashed through her mind and she smiled. It had worked once.
What would impress Lucas? The answer hit her almost immediately. Sweet rolls! The man loved bread in any form and had a sweet tooth that wouldn’t quit. One taste and he’d be putty in her hands. Brianna grinned at the ridiculous notion that Lucas could be ruled by his stomach. Still, he was easier to deal with full and happy than hungry and grouchy.
She was about to lay her knife on the trunk when she remembered Lucas’s warning. He did have a point. The mantle was a far better place for the knife in the unlikely event that she had to defend herself. She set it next to the lantern and promptly forgot all about it as she set to work.
There was a nip of fall in the air, and the fire in the fireplace felt good for a change. Brianna puttered around the cabin while she waited for the bread to rise. She had her chores done in record time. Without breakfast dishes to wash or lunch to fix, she found herself with time on her hands.
The luxury of a full day without interruptions stretched before her like an unexpected gift. She couldn’t even manage to feel guilty about it as she checked on the horse in the corral and found him contentedly munching on the hay she’d left him. Brianna briefly considered beginning his training but knew he needed a few days to adjust to his new surroundings.
When she returned to the station, she realized this would be the perfect day to catch up on her journal. In her odd moments of privacy the last couple of days she’d managed to keep up with day-to-day happenings, but hadn’t had time to tell Anna about her confrontation with Lucas.
It was imperative that Anna understand, for it would be up to her to explain it all to Lucas in such a way that he would trust her. It seemed an impossible task, especially for someone who didn’t know the volatile stationmaster. Maybe she should tell Anna to let Lucas read the journal. That way Brianna herself could explain why she’d been so reluctant to tell him everything. Surely he’d understand why she’d felt she couldn’t let him see the flashlight or...
Brianna’s musings came to a sudden halt. There was no way she could leave Tom’s backpack and its contents here! Nor was it likely she’d have it with her if she and Anna ever traded places again. She hadn’t even thought of it before. Her gaze flew to the trunk. With sick certainly, she knew she was going to have to destroy everything she’d brought along. With no idea of when Tom would succeed and take her back to her own time, she couldn’t put it off.
As she set the journal down on the bunk and took the backpack out of the trunk, she felt a peculiar wrench. What if this was how Tom was locating her? But there could be no connection; the blue mist always appeared where she was, even when the backpack was miles away. She knew it was just an excuse because she was reluctant to part with the only contact she had with her own world.
She dumped the backpack out on the bunk. Perhaps there were some things that could be salvaged. But as she went through the contents she realized it would all have to go. Even the nylon of the bag itself was a dangerous anachronism.
With a pang, she ran her fingers over Tom’s camera. It was an expensive piece of equipment, and she was going to have to dismantle it clear down to nuts and bolts. Even the lenses would have to be destroyed beyond recognition. Who knew what Lucas could do with advanced optics like these. She switched it on and frowned when the light came on. Too bad the battery hadn’t run down.
With a sigh, she lay the camera aside and picked up the flashlight. She clicked the switch and grimaced at the bright light. Darn Tom Shaffer and his conscientiousness. Dead batteries would be a whole lot easier to dispose of than good ones. Maybe if I leave them both on—
The unexpected whinny of a horse brought her head up in alarm. They were back! She started to stuff everything back into the bag but was less than halfway done when someone outside lifted the door latch. Grabbing the first thing that came to her hand, Brianna jerked Anna’s crinoline out of the trunk and threw it over the pile on her bed. Hopefully, the men would be too embarrassed to look closely. Standing there by her bunk trying to look innocent, Brianna felt like a naughty child caught red-handed as the door swung open.
In the next instant every vestige of her guilt disappeared in a swirl of terror as Indian man stepped inside. Brianna could have sworn he looked surprised when he saw her. He said a few unintelligible words over his shoulder and was immediately joined by three others who stared at her like she was some kind of circus freak.
In spite of the slight chill in the air, they were dressed only in buckskin leggings and breechclouts, with their long black hair hanging loose around their shoulders. Two carried rifles, and all four watched her with unnerving stares. But most frightening of all was the fact that they were between her and the knife on the mantle.
CHAPTER 26
“D...do you speak English?” Brianna asked nervously.
It looked as though the Indians hadn’t expected to find anyone here. If she’d played it cool, they might leave her alone.
The four men looked at each other, then one walked across the room and grabbed her chin in his hand. He turned her face this way and that, staring at her the whole time. After several minutes of intense scrutiny, he apparently lost interest in her face and dropped his hand to the collar of her dress. With a quick jerk, he tore it open and ran his fingers down the middle of her chest.
Brianna held back a scream of pure terror as he reached inside her dress and felt her breast. Instead of continuing his lecherous advance, he pulled out his hand and looked at his fingertips as though he expected to see her white coloration on his own skin.
Before she had a chance to figure that out, the brave pushed her backward onto her bunk and flipped her skirt up. Knowing rape was imminent, Brianna decided it was time to fight even though she didn’t stand a chance against four of them. She might get herself killed, but that was probably better than lying there passively while they took turns with her.
She waited for her chance, bitin
g back sobs as he ran his hand up her leg, squeezing occasionally as though checking the shape of her thigh beneath the pantalets. Gathering herself for the attack, Brianna tensed her muscles. A well-placed kick at the proper moment would put this one out of commission for a while. Then she’d only have three to contend with.
But instead of proceeding like she expected him to, he turned away and said something to his companions. They all laughed. With his curiosity apparently satisfied, he rejoined his friends.
Brianna sat up and straightened her skirt, grateful beyond words that he hadn’t been impressed with her. Though they all ignored her as they explored the contents of the cabin, she knew she wasn’t out of danger yet.
One moved to the table and stuck his hand into her bread dough. A look of astonishment crossed his face as his fingers sank in the spongy mass. He called the others to come look.
As they stood around the table cautiously smelling and tasting the dough, Brianna wondered suddenly if they were merely hungry. That would certainly explain their disinterest in her. Maybe if she gave them food...
Before the thought had a chance to gel, Seth’s story of the stationmaster and stock tender at Egan’s station in Utah came forcibly to mind. It hadn’t done them any good to feed the Indians. She glanced surreptitiously toward the mantle. If there were only some way to get to her knife.
Brianna moved a few inches toward the far end of the bunk experimentally. No reaction. She waited a few seconds then tried it again. This time one of the men pinned her with a piercing stare. He said a few terse words and pointed to where she’d been before.
She didn’t understand his language, but there was no mistaking his meaning or the threat in his voice. Brianna scooted back to her original position. As she sat and watched them ransack the trunk at the foot of Lucas’s bed, she became aware of the crinoline her hand rested against and remembered what was under it. Of course!
Slowly easing her hand underneath the stiff garment, she searched the contents of the backpack with stealthy movements. Just as her fingers landed on the hard surface she was looking for, one of the Indians glanced up. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as his gaze traveled down to where her hand was hidden beneath the crinoline.
A Window in Time Page 21
