The horse tracks were everywhere, and it was hard to differentiate from the massive number of prints in the dirt. Just as he thought it might be a hopeless cause, he saw that one particular set was a bit deeper than the others.
“I think this is it!”
“You found something?”
“There’s a set that had something or someone heavy on it,” Rourke began and then felt like a fool. He wasn’t a tracker at all and barely knew what to look for. “There’s a set of tracks that’s deeper than the others. If it had two people on a horse, it would do that… right?”
“It could be anything,” Jack admitted, looking at him. “It could be a lead or we could follow the wrong ones.”
“I don’t have any other ideas, and if they are following the tracks, then this is as good as any of the others. Like you said—the direction is either west or east. This set of tracks leads west of here.”
“It’s worth a shot.”
Jack was positively grey at one point but would not give up nor would he slow his horse. Rourke was exhausted and lolling in his saddle. He’d been up for over forty-eight hours and was still going based off adrenaline only. He knew his reflexes would be slow and they would be in no condition to fight between the two of them. As much as it was killing him, they would have to stop for the night once the sun set.
“Do you think Fallon will be all right?”
“They’ve got a head start on us but I think having a hostage will slow them down a bit,” Jack said in a monotone voice and winced knowingly, “Sorry Rourke. I didn’t mean that to sound so cold-blooded. I’m worried about her too. Yes, I think Fallon will be all right. She’s a fighter.”
“She’s lost a lot in her life.”
“She has said little about her past… other than you.”
“She talked about me?”
“Quite a bit,” Jack admitted. “I think she was really hurt that you didn’t want to marry her.”
“I never said I didn’t want to marry her,” Rourke protested, surprised. “I said that I didn’t see what the rush was.”
“Sometimes what you say and what girls hear are two different things.”
“You’ve had better luck with her then? Is that what you are telling me?”
“Only in making her mad,” Jack confessed with a grin, “She’s got a temper and has stomped on my boots more than once.”
“She’s got a beautiful soul and I’ve met no one like her before in my life,” Rourke admitted. “There’s something about her that makes me want to be around her, like I’m drawn to her. When she is near me the universe disappears and my very existence is in those beautiful dark eyes.”
“She’s very fetching.”
“There’s more to her than just her looks.”
“Are you trying to talk me into keeping her as my wife?”
“No, I’m telling you I love the hard-headed woman and she’s everything to me. If you try to take her from me, I’ll make sure you never walk on that leg again,” Rourke said coldly, pointing at Jack’s leg that was bleeding again. “I think you’ve torn something open again.”
“The sun is setting,” Jack said with a wan smile, “it will give you a chance to fry my skin once again since you enjoyed it so much last time.”
“You can’t have Fallon.”
“She’s not a toy to be fought over.”
“No, she’s my everything.”
“Then maybe you should have fought harder to keep her by your side.”
“I will enjoy cauterizing your leg again.”
“I figured as much.”
“Can I stab the other one so you have a matching set?”
“It might slow us down even more than what I’m already doing.”
“Point taken.”
“I think that’s my line,” Jack joked, pointing at his leg.
Rourke felt himself smile and then winced. No, he certainly didn’t want to like the man. Admiring him made Rourke wonder if maybe this happened for a reason and Fallon was better off with Jack Gaines.
They stopped and built a small fire. Rourke thrust a knife directly into the wood, allowing it to heat up. Jack was laying there on the ground opposite of him, his leg outstretched with lines etched around his mouth. He could only imagine how much it was bothering him. He’d had an injury one time, and it throbbed terribly the more he used it. Dangling on the side of a horse and riding all afternoon had to be excruciating. Maybe cauterizing it again would be a blessing and the man would pass out from the pain.
He sat there silently, his arms resting atop of his knees waiting patiently and thinking about Fallon. He hoped that she was safe and cared for, but was deeply concerned that they would leave her for dead somewhere on the side of the road.
“Rourke? Rourke! Are you asleep?”
He jerked his head off his arms and blinked woodenly. He was beyond exhausted and fading fast. He had been thinking about Fallon and drifted right off. Jack was laying there on the ground, propped up on his elbows.
“Why don’t you just go ahead and cook my goose so you can get some sleep? I’ve been trying to mentally prepare myself since I don’t have any alcohol to fortify myself with… and truthfully? I’m failing miserably.”
“What do you mean? I’m a little out of it.”
“Great…” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “You’re practically incoherent and about to take a red-hot knife to my thigh. I’m saying that I hope I don’t scream like a baby or cry. Don’t suppose you have anything strong enough to make me stop caring, do you?”
“I’d be happy to knock you upside the head,” Rourke said in a bright voice, grinning.
“I’m sure.”
“… but no. I have nothing. I can get a stick if you want to bite down on something?”
“No. Let’s just get it over with.”
Rourke pulled the knife from the flames and winced at the warmth of the handle covered in leather. Yeah, it would feel infinitely hotter than the poker had. The metal of the knife was bluish, making him wonder how long he’d nodded off for. He knelt next to Jack and grimaced.
“You sure you don’t want me to knock you out?”
“No…?” Jack admitted questioningly, meeting his eyes and looking unsure of his answer. He jerked his belt off and bit down on the leather quickly, nodding and closing his eyes. Rourke held back the material from the wound and saw that it was a small tear in the scar tissue that had opened. Thankfully, it wasn’t a larger wound or the knife might not have worked.
“Ready?”
“Mmmph!” the man grunted out from where he was biting down on his belt. Rourke applied the knife and thankfully Jack passed out within seconds. The bleeding had stopped, and it was finally time for him to rest. He just hoped that his dreams would be of Fallon’s sweet smile and not nightmares wondering what had happened to her.
Fallon kept quiet and listened to everything that was said around her. She wasn’t sure how long they rode, only that time seemed to drag by ever so slowly. Her body hurt and her extremities were throbbing painfully from being in the same position for so long.
When they made camp, the men pushed her off the horse's rump, still blinded by the bag over her head. Whoever they were, they cared naught for anyone else but themselves. She was nearly knocked senseless when she fell since she could not block her fall because of her tied hands and feet. Laying there, she took this time to rest and simply take in her surroundings.
There were two men that did all the talking. There could be more, but she wasn’t sure. She didn’t want to see their expressions because she was afraid that her eyes would give her away. She was actively trying to come up with a plan to get away. They were talking about dislodging the track enough to make the train jump the rails. Something like that would cause mass chaos and she didn’t want to be anywhere near when it happened.
“We could just put her on the tracks,” she heard one man say and froze. They would put her across the train tracks? That would kill her instantly!
She relaxed only slightly when she heard the other man speak.
“Nah, she wouldn’t slow the train at all. We need to go with our original plan.”
Whew!
Apparently they were planning on robbing the train and hightailing it for the wilds of Texas. She listened to them tell stories of wide-open landscapes and massive oxen with horns as wide as barn doors. She almost laughed at that. How would they ever move around? Tales of Indians, cowboys, and outlaws seemed to be the theme of the evening as they sat there eating. She could smell something good cooking and they were completely ignoring her.
She lay there tensely for what seemed like forever before she heard snoring from nearby. Reaching up slowly, she pulled the bag from her head with her bound hands. Blinking several times, everything came into focus. It was incredibly dark out but the corner of the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, and several stars glimmered against the night sky.
There had been only two men. She wondered if there were more and one was just being silent. The two were laying on bedrolls near the dying fire, sound asleep. She quickly wriggled her wrists together, biting at the rope to get it to loosen.
It took forever, but that was fine. It simply gave the two men more time to fall into a deeper state of rest. Once she could slip her wrists from the bindings, she quickly sat up and worked on her ankles.
She ignored the burning, chaffed skin and rushed to free herself. For a moment, she thought about trying to capture the men herself. If she could tie them up, she’d be the hero!
It was dangerous though and if they caught her again, she would surely end up dead. No, instead she would incapacitate them. She would take their guns, saddlebags, and horses as she left. A horse would enable her to escape and taking both would guarantee it. If she left one, they could catch up. No, she would clear out everything and haul as much with her as she could, leaving only the two men.
The saddle bags were laying on the ground, piled up together not too far away. She hesitated, concerned they would make noise.
She slowly tiptoed towards one outlaw to retrieve his gun from his holster. As she leaned forward, he let out a broken snore that made her nearly yelp in fear. No, she couldn’t take a chance on this either. She hated the idea of leaving them armed, but she utterly despised what would happen if they awoke with her standing nearby.
Backing away slowly, she headed towards the two horses standing off in the grass. Neither were saddled and she wasn’t sure she could get the massive saddle on the horse without them neighing or making some sort of sound. Using the rope that had bound her wrists and ankles, she silently slipped it around the neck of each horse to use it as a tether between the two of them.
That would help her hang on to both of them for long enough to get away and give her something to cling to if they took off in a full gallop without a saddle. As awkward as it was, Fallon pulled herself up bareback onto the horse and nudged them forward.
It was only moments before she heard the shouting behind her. Terrified, she heard several shots and leaned down toward the horse’s neck, winding her arms around the rope and ignoring the pain.
“Let’s go,” she whispered, and urged the horse into a full-blown gallop, struggling to hang on in the night.
Chapter Nine
Fallon rode for what felt like hours, ignoring the pain in her arms and ache in her legs from trying to stay on the horse. She was beyond exhausted and did not understand which direction she was going; she just knew she had to keep going to stay safe. Following the train tracks would lead her either of two places: home or the next large town.
The other horse suddenly reared up, yanking the rope painfully, digging into her skin. She immediately dropped it in an effort of self-preservation. The last thing she wanted was to become unseated, falling under their hooves or ripping her arm off. Leaning down again, she lay her cheek against the horse’s warm neck as if to hug him gratefully.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” she breathed, “Let’s keep going.”
The moon had moved from behind the clouds, making the land look almost ethereal in the darkness. Everything seemed to have a bluish cast to it. The mountains and hills were a deep blackish midnight color that matched the iron rails they rode along in the wide expanse. She could see a small glowing dot up ahead and wondered if she was finally coming close to town. As she neared, she saw it was the remaining embers of a fire. For a moment, she wondered if they’d gotten turned around at some point and she was back where they’d started.
She saw a dark figure in the shadows get up as the horse reared. There was no hanging on this time. Fallon slid painfully off the back, releasing the rope quickly. Her arms unwound from the rope as if she was pulling off a sleeve, wincing at the burning sensation only seconds before she hit the ground. The air left her lungs, and she gasped painfully, trying to take a deep breath, unable to squelch the panic building in her. Breathing was necessary in order to run away again if needed.
“Fallon?”
She opened her mouth mutely, dragging in another labored breath. Getting the wind knocked from her was painful, almost as much as the relief that washed over her at hearing Jack’s voice. His shadowed expression leaned over her and extended a hand, helping her up. Fallon got to her feet and immediately hugged the man, knowing she was safe.
“Are you okay, dollface?”
“Better now.”
“Where are the outlaws?”
“I left them on foot in that direction.”
“Fallon?”
Pulling back from Jack, she looked past him and thought she was dreaming. Maybe the fall had knocked not just the air from her lungs but all sense from her head. She could have sworn she heard Rourke’s beloved voice and saw him standing there.
“Rourke? Am I dreaming?”
“Nay, I’m here… with your husband,” she heard his voice and winced at the pain hidden in the depths. To anyone else it would have sounded like he was bored or uncaring, but to her… she recognized the mask of emotion.
“When did you arrive?” she asked numbly, not denying the fact that she actually was married to Jack for the time being. Rourke was not making a move towards her, and part of her expected him to at least kiss her or hug her.
“Earlier in the day.”
“I’m glad to see you here.”
“I’m glad you are okay.”
“Do you two need a minute alone?” Jack whispered to Fallon, placing his hand on her shoulder. She immediately shrugged it off. He’d shown no sort of possession before in public other than offering his arm and she didn’t want to give Rourke the wrong impression. Before she could respond, Rourke answered.
“We need to get the outlaws first. There will be time to talk later.”
Fallon felt like she’d had the air knocked from her lungs once again and fought back the urge to cry. This was not going how she’d planned. She’d dreamt of waltzing into the Denver office, hurriedly signing the annulment papers, and thanking Jack for the adventure. He had been kind, and she wanted to keep him as a friend or ally.
In her dreams, she’d imagined seeing Rourke walk in the room and reciting her vows once again… this time saying the words gratefully and with every ounce of her soul. She had never felt ‘married’ to Jack because she was already bound in her mind to Rourke.
“Stay here,” Jack uttered, “You’ll be safe.”
“How’s your leg?”
“Throbbing painfully.”
“I can make a poultice to help with any infection.”
“Aren’t you two awfully cozy?” Rourke said hotly, “I thought we were heading out to capture the bandits?”
“We are going.”
“With me,” Fallon stressed.
“I don’t want you in danger again,” Rourke bit out.
“Me neither,” Jack chimed in, seconding the other man.
“Neither of you get a vote in whether I stay or go.”
“Actually, I technically get a say,” Jack corrected, grinni
ng at her. Fallon shoved her finger into his chest and winced at the pain from her wrist. He grabbed it, turning it so he could examine it and Fallon let out a groan.
“You aren’t all right,” Jack said knowingly, pulling up the sleeve. “You are bruised everywhere! I can see it in the darkness. What did they do to you?”
Fallon slapped at his hand and jerked her arm away. Rourke was right beside them quickly and grabbed her wrist, looking at it.
“You wound the straps around your wrists again, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I feel more secure like that.”
“I’ve told you repeatedly not to do that.”
“You obviously tell me a lot of things and I do what I want anyhow.”
“That much is obvious!” he scoffed, pointing at Jack. “And he’s standing right there too!”
“She is a bit headstrong,” Jack conceded, grinning happily.
“Shaddup, Gaines!” Rourke roared hotly, staring eye-to-eye with Jack. “We’ve a job to do!”
“Which Gaines are you talking to?” Fallon barked back, feeling a terse bit of pleasure at the verbal jab. She was technically Jack Gaines’ wife for at least another week until they captured the men and headed back to Denver. Nothing was going right and frankly, her feelings were hurt beyond measure.
Jack laughed and clapped her on the shoulder proudly for just a moment before she slapped his hand away angrily. She had crossed a line claiming she was Jack’s wife aloud and knew it. The moment Rourke froze and looked at her, she realized that she was losing him all over again.
“The both of you, I guess,” Rourke uttered in a deadly calm fashion before turning away. She watched his gait and felt all the hurt wash over her once again. He was making a choice and leaving her behind yet again.
“Let’s just go.”
Rourke and Jack moved to saddle their horses without another word. Fallon took a moment to drink a bit of water from one of the canteens, uncaring of whose it was at this point. She was starved, thirsty, tired, and hurting. No one spoke and the atmosphere was tense.
An Agent for Fallon Page 6
