“But how? I have to go back.”
She wasn’t going back. “I took you once. Don’t you think I can take you again?” he teased.
Her lips parted in a quick smile and he took advantage by covering her mouth with his, slipping his tongue inside to briefly taste her sweetness before pulling back.
“Do you mean that?” she whispered.
“I do.” He wanted to mention marriage, but it was too early, too uncertain to bring that up. Hell, he wasn’t even sure how he could wrap his head around the concept just yet, except that he didn’t need to. It just fit. Keeping her with him, even if it meant marriage, seemed right. But the gang needed him too.
Smiling, she nibbled lightly on her bottom lip and her eyes darkened. “I don’t want this to end, either.”
“Then it won’t.” He met her halfway for another kiss, determined to keep tomorrow at bay for as long as he could.
* * *
Emmy didn’t go to sleep that night. They had made love three times, consumed with the notion that this could be the last time for a while. A shaft of moonlight spread across the foot of the bed and settled on the mantel across the room where the clock showed it to be almost two o’clock. She knew that a train left most mornings at six and she planned to be on it. She should have left earlier, but Hunter had just gone to sleep.
She rolled over to watch him as he dozed, his lips parting as he drew a breath. She wanted to kiss them, but dared not risk it. She wondered if this might be the last time she saw him. It seemed impossible that her feelings for him should be so intense after such a short time together, but she couldn’t deny the ache growing in her heart. Leaving him was the worst thing she’d ever have to do. With every fiber of her being she wanted to stay with him, to trust him, to create the life with him that teased her in her dreams. The worst part was that she wanted that life even though she knew it couldn’t be real. She’d seen her mother’s own happiness wither and die in the face of Ship’s neglect. No matter how that voice in her soul kept saying that Hunter wasn’t like Ship, she couldn’t quite believe it.
But she wanted to believe it so badly.
Rising as quietly as she could, she walked to the writing desk and found a pencil. It seemed only right that she leave a note to explain her plan. If she could find Ship and exchange herself for Miguel, then all of the danger could be avoided. She’d appeal to Ship and the little bit of decency she knew he possessed. No matter how she disagreed with him, she knew that he loved the children. He had to know that it was best for them to not return. Surely she could make him understand that.
For insurance, she’d take a little of the money from the satchel in her bedroom and use it to sweeten the deal. The girls’ safety was worth a little of her pride. Once she gave it to him, she’d leave and come back to get her sisters. If Hunter still wanted her, then she’d consider staying, if not, then they’d move on. Either way the children would be safe for a while.
Leaving the grossly inadequate note—how could a simple “I love you” at the end possibly explain all she felt?—she tiptoed to her bedroom and dressed. Then she retrieved the satchel from under her bed and made her way to the hallway. Stopping briefly at the children’s door, she allowed herself a quick peek inside to quietly tell them goodbye before continuing on. One day, she promised herself, they would have security and she would never have to leave them again.
She made her way outside and took a moment to pause in the shadow of the house. If she allowed herself to stop and realize how many holes were in this plan, she’d get frightened and run back inside. But that wouldn’t keep Hunter from getting shot and that wouldn’t help Ginny and Rose keep the only bit of security they had ever known. No, she couldn’t second-guess the plan. She’d make it onto that train before anyone ever knew she was gone and she’d find Ship and figure out how to get Miguel back. It was the only option.
Taking one last glance toward the house to make sure all the windows were still dark, she ran and didn’t stop until she’d reached Cinnamon’s stall. She wouldn’t saddle her there. The other horses were already sticking their noses out to see who had interrupted their sleep. They’d be too noisy and rouse the two men who slept above the stables. Instead she patted her nose and stroked her mane, talking gently to her as she led her out. She’d take her out into the darkness and return for the saddle.
But she didn’t make it that far at all. She was just leading her past the barn, the outbuilding furthest from the house, when Cinnamon snickered a warning. There was no time to react as someone came up behind her and pulled her toward the barn. A large hand covered her mouth before she could even think about screaming and a strong arm came around her waist so tight that it was very nearly painful.
Chapter Nineteen
“Glad to see you sensible as ever, little sis. I’d ’bout convinced myself you’d taken up with Reyes.”
“Pete?” She mumbled against her stepbrother’s meaty hand still covering her mouth. His soft laugh in her ear confirmed it.
“That’s right.” He kept his grip firm on both her waist and her mouth as he walked backwards, pulling her into a side door that led into the barn. In the dim moonlight filtering in through a few dusty windows high up under the roof, the place looked deserted. Emmy wished she’d paid better attention the few times she’d run through here with the girls. The bottom floor was mostly open floor and storage, with crates and barrels placed high around the perimeter of the room they were in, a wide door led to another room used for storing tools and there were stalls in the back where a couple of the dairy cows were kept. Because the weather was getting warmer, none of the calves or their mothers were kept inside, so most of the stalls were empty. There was a loft overhead, but she’d never been up there.
Somehow she had managed to keep a tight grip on the handle of her satchel through the entire exchange and the moment he let her go, she swung on him, making sure to keep it hidden behind her skirt as much as she could. “Why did you do that, Pete?” She wiped any grime his hand had left on her face with her sleeve. “I was coming to find you and Ship.”
His hat was pulled low over his forehead, almost casting his entire face in shadow, except for his brown beard and the sneer he always seemed to wear. “Lucky me, I found you first.”
“What are you doing here?” After a quick glance to verify that she didn’t see his horse, she narrowed her eyes. “You’re supposed to meet them in two days.”
“Well, Reyes there...” he pointed in the direction of the house, looking very proud of himself “...he ain’t as smart as he thinks he is. I paid a man to talk to him and set up the meeting, then I just followed the Mexican all the way here. Is this where they’ve been keeping you? ’Cause I gotta say, I don’t feel sorry for you one bit, sis. This barn’s nicer than our shack.”
Something about the way he looked at her, wearing that sneer and the way she could feel his gaze on her, made her skin crawl. Taking a step back, she tightened her grip on the satchel’s handle. “Where is Ship?”
“Don’t worry about him.”
“He’s not here with you?”
“We got...separated.” He took a step toward her and she instinctively took one back again. Pete generally ignored her and when he wasn’t ignoring her, he was teasing her. It had been that way since the very first day she and her mother had arrived at the farm. She’d been a shy seven-year-old looking for a friend, while he’d been a brutish eleven-year-old who’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. He had never liked her and she had always been a little bit afraid of him, but this was different, strange, something was about to happen and she didn’t like it. They were so close to the house that one of the girls might come outside if there was any shooting. She had to get Pete away from here.
“Where is everyone else?”
He nodded behind her and she was just about to turn and look wh
en another pair of hands came around her from behind. They held a piece of fabric that looped around her head, sliding tight between her lips. She pushed away from the heavy body behind her, but Pete grabbed her arms and held her steady, blocking her kicks with his knees while the unknown man tied the gag behind her head. The satchel was jerked from her fingers with a force that left them aching. Pete turned her around facing the second assailant and she saw that it was Smith, another man who had ridden with Ship for years. Seeing him might have been comforting if he hadn’t just gagged her and if Pete wasn’t tying her wrists behind her back.
Giving her a curt nod, Smith knelt to unlatch the satchel, a low whistle sounding from his lips as he saw the money inside. The gold coins clinked together when he dipped his hand in, pulling a few out just to let them rain back inside. “This is a pile of money, Pete.”
Pete’s gaze jerked to her face, so shocked the sneer was gone. “How the hell’d you get yer hands on that money?”
Emmy took a step backwards, but came up against a wooden crate. Her fingers at her back searched for anything to grab, but there was nothing. She tried to talk through the gag, but it came out muffled, causing Pete to curse as he closed the distance between them. He reached for the tie at the back of her head, but fixed her with a cold stare before he loosened it.
“If you scream I’m gonna hit you hard. Got it?”
Her stomach knotted as she nodded. He’d never hit her before, but she wouldn’t put it past him. Still, when the gag fell free, she couldn’t resist taunting him. “Go to hell, Pete.” She would never tell him that Hunter had given that money to her. He’d find some way to use that against them.
He slapped her. Just hard enough to leave her ears ringing faintly, before he gripped her chin with enough force to leave bruises and pushed the back of her head against the side of the crate. “No more sass! Tell me or it’ll be my fist next time.”
Knowing that she had to tell him something, she said, “What do you think? I stole it.” She didn’t know how much Pete knew, if he knew this was the Jameson Ranch or if he even knew who Hunter was, so she decided not to tell him any names. Just in case. “Reyes kept some cash stashed under his bed, so I stole it before I ran.”
He still looked as if he didn’t believe her. “How much is in there?” he called over his shoulder.
Smith rummaged through the bag, but shook his head and shrugged.
“How much, dammit?” Pete growled, causing a chill to chase down her spine.
Scratching his head, the older man who was probably having trouble counting in the semi-darkness—if he even could count to fifty thousand—shrugged again and said, “Looks like ten thousand dollars.”
Pete laughed and finally released her chin. “Guess we wasted our time all these years robbing banks and outlaws. We should’ve found Reyes sooner.” Swinging back to her, he sneered as his gaze ran lasciviously down her body. “Under his bed, huh. D’you spend a lot of time there? How many of his men had you, or did he just keep you for himself?”
Smith was on his feet again and had joined in the laughter. With them both looking at her, her stomach revolted at the expressions of interest on their faces. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m your sister.” Despite her best intentions, her voice trembled a little.
“We’re not blood, little sis.” His hand accompanied his eyes and he palmed a breast through the coarse, brown wool of her dress. “You filled out while you were gone.”
“I had decent meals because someone wasn’t drinking all the money. Get off me!” She jerked away as best she could with her wrists bound behind her and kicked out at him. “Where is Ship? Is he okay?” She wanted to distract him, but she was also genuinely worried that something had happened to her stepfather. Pete had never been so bold before and she wondered if his sudden change in demeanor was because something had happened to Ship.
“I’m right here, girl, I’m okay.” All three of them turned to see Ship walking in from the other end of the barn, the reins of his horse in one hand and a gun pointed at them in the other.
* * *
Hunter shoved open the door of Castillo’s bedroom so hard that it knocked against the wall. He’d already dressed and was checking the bullets in the guns strapped to his hips as his brother sat up in bed.
“She’s gone, Cas!” Not more than five minutes ago, he’d rolled over to find her side of the bed empty. He’d known right away that something was wrong and it hadn’t taken him long to find her note and then to see that the money under her bed was gone. She’d ended the note with “I love you”. They’d never said that to each other and he regretted now that he hadn’t let her know how he felt. He’d been afraid, but now that she was gone, he realized the truth in those words. He loved her and if he lost her, he’d lose a part of himself.
“What?” His brother wiped at his eyes and peered at him through the light streaming in from the hallway. “What time is it?”
“Half past two. Get up. Emmy knows the plan and, according to her note, she’s going to get to Campbell before us and try to negotiate the exchange herself. We have to make sure she doesn’t get on that train. It leaves in just over three hours.”
Cas was cursing as he slipped into the trousers he’d left lying across the end of the bed. “Las niñas?”
“She didn’t take them. They’re sleeping.”
After he’d stepped into his boots, Cas shrugged on his shirt and was fastening the buttons as he approached Hunter. “She’s a handful of a woman. Are you sure she’s worth the trouble?”
“Yes. I’m going to marry her.” If he’d had any doubt before, finding her gone had solidified that for him.
Cas paused, eyes frozen on Hunter as he realized what that meant.
“I won’t desert the gang. I made a vow to you and I’ll honor it.”
“I already told you, it’s my vengeance, not yours.”
“And I don’t give a damn. We’re brothers.”
Cas grinned and reached for his gun belt lying across the footboard. “Seems like a lot of trouble. A woman with fire in her, like that one, can be good for some things, but not for a wife. A wife should be obedient, biddable.”
His gun fully loaded, Hunter slid his second revolver into the holster. “Sounds boring as hell.”
“That’s why they invented mistresses,” Cas called from behind him as he started for the stairs.
Now that they were dressed and on their way, Hunter had no worries about overtaking her before she reached town. Even if they didn’t, with hard riding they could be at the station in under two hours. They had plenty of time before the train left. He’d find her and bring her back home before leaving in the afternoon. “One day,” Hunter promised and clapped Cas on the shoulder as his brother came abreast of him. “One day you’ll find a woman you’ll want to be both.”
“The only woman I’m interested in is one with a fortune at her disposal.”
“The Susanne Harrises of the world? Finally taking my advice? A wealthy bride could restore your hacienda.”
Cas grimaced. “Not her.”
“Not any of them. They’re all the same,” Hunter reminded him. They’d had this conversation many times before.
“Perhaps. But it’ll be worth it to have my home back.”
“All the years you’ve worked have made you too cynical.” Hunter smiled.
“Perhaps you’re right, but at least I’m not losing my head over a—”
They were just descending the main staircase when the front door crashed open. Angel, one of the men who’d ridden back with Cas, stood framed in the doorway. “Eduardo just saw Campbell head into the barn. Looked like he had Miguel strapped to the back of a horse.”
For a moment his mind couldn’t accept what he had heard. The idea that Campbell could have found them and ridden right into his barn was im
possible to accept. “Tell me what happened.”
“It’s Eduardo’s night to do the rounds. He was just riding back in from the East Field near the river when he saw a horse. Thought maybe one had gotten out, but he followed and realized a man on foot was leading a horse. Someone was strapped to the back. He didn’t get close enough to see for sure before they walked into the barn and barred the doors shut behind them. The horse looked like that dapple Campbell rides.”
Hunter’s heart paused for a beat as he imagined Emmy out there alone. “Has anyone seen Emmy? She left. About a half hour ago is my best guess.”
Angel shook his head. “No.”
“Damn. Go check the stables. See if a horse is missing. Then get all the men together.”
They watched Angel run back across the yard, Cas managing to wait until he’d disappeared into the stable before turning to Hunter to ask, “You don’t think she planned this with—?”
“No!” His brother was cynical enough to believe that Emmy might have somehow conspired with Ship and was meeting with him now. Hunter might have believed that at one time as well. But not anymore. He knew her. She wouldn’t do anything that would put them in danger. She loved him. “If she’s with them it’s because they’ve taken her.”
“Did she take the fifty thousand dollars with her?”
Hunter didn’t bother to answer the question. She had taken it to negotiate for Miguel and no one would make him believe differently. “Give it up, Cas.”
Cas was smart enough to raise his hands in surrender. Both men made their way in the dark to the stables, keeping a wary eye on the barn which was roughly two hundred yards further out across a black expanse of pasture. It came as no surprise when Angel told them moments later that Cinnamon was missing, though all the saddles were accounted for.
“Send Jim along the road to town to see if he can find her.” The stable hand should be able to overtake her as easily as Hunter could.
The Innocent and the Outlaw (Outlaws of the Wild West) Page 21
