Where Leads the Heart

by Colleen Coble

  “Now we stay put till later when they’re sleepin’.” The old Indian fighter took off his hat and smoothed his red hair. “Then we sneak in and look around for your Miss Sarah.”

  They tied their horses to a tree and hunkered down to wait. Rand kept watch while the other two tried to catch a little sleep. He was just about to wake Isaac for his turn at watch when he noticed a movement just below their lookout. He cocked his rifle and the other two were awake in an instant.

  “What is it?” Isaac whispered.

  “Don’t know. Thought I saw something.” Rand searched the spot where he thought he’d seen the movement. But he froze when he heard a sound on the slope above them. He swiveled his head and faced a row of fiercely painted Indians holding spears, all pointed at him and his friends.

  They were obviously outnumbered, so when one of the Indians motioned for them to drop their guns, they obeyed. The Sioux bound their hands with brutal efficiency, then marched them down the slope to the camp. They thrust them roughly into a large teepee and fastened the flap firmly behind them. Rand could see the outline of a guard through the teepee’s buckskin.

  The three men looked at one another with grim faces. Some rescuers they were. Now they were all in the same uncomfortable spot with Sarah, if she were even here. “Why didn’t they kill us outright?” Rand asked.

  “They’re probably saving us for some special ceremony,” Isaac said, sitting down on a buffalo robe. “We’d best get some sleep. They’ll be on their guard tonight, but maybe tomorrow we can find a way to escape.”

  They sat down and tried to relax, but they were all too tense about what their fate would be to rest very well.

  Rand sat up just before dawn, too keyed up to lie down any longer. He sat listening to the sounds of the Indian camp beginning to stir around him. He understood none of the guttural language outside as he heard squaws light fires and call to one another.

  Diffused light gradually lifted the darkness inside their teepee as the bustle outside increased. Finally the flap lifted, and a young Indian brave stepped through, followed by an Indian girl. Rand immediately recognized him as the brave he had spared in the battle the week before. And he was the one whose face he’d seen in his delirium!

  “I told you you’d be sorry.” Rooster recognized the brave, too.

  But Rand felt no fear as he looked into the youth’s calm, dark eyes. Then the Indian girl stepped forward and smiled at him. “Do not fear. Little Wolverine your friend. But he say, ‘Why you not shoot him?’ ”

  Rand hesitated. His reasons would probably sound silly, but there was no help for it. “Little Wolverine reminded me of my younger brother. You know the word brother?”

  The girl nodded. “One who shares mother and father?”

  Rand nodded. “I have a younger brother about the same age as Little Wolverine. I saw that same brave spirit in Little Wolverine.”

  The girl smiled as she translated. The youth’s black eyes never left Rand’s face as she explained. Then he nodded and barked an order to the girl. She gave Rand a slight smile, then slipped out the flap of the teepee. Moments later Sarah stepped through the flap behind the Indian girl.

  “Sarah!”

  Sarah’s green eyes widened and she gasped as Rand shouted her name and started toward her. “Rand?” She ran into his open arms, and over his shoulder she saw Rooster and Isaac beaming at her. Rand had found her! He must have been searching all this time. Joy exploded in her breast as she buried her face against the rough wool of his uniform.

  “Who did this to you?” He frowned as he looked at her bruised and battered face. “And how’d you get away from the renegades who had you?”

  “I–I came to a cabin,” she stammered. She flushed at Rooster’s gaze, his curly red eyebrows cocked questioningly, but she wanted to talk to Rand about Ben when they were alone. “Later,” she whispered to Rand. She turned to the two Sioux standing silent behind her. “I would have died if it weren’t for my friends. I’d like you to meet Little Wolverine and White Beaver.”

  Rand held out his hand to the two Sioux. “I don’t know what to say—how to thank you.”

  The girl smiled. “Sarah and Sioux friends. We miss her. You leave in morning for soldier fort but first we have feast.”

  Rand could sense the good will coming from the two before him and he thanked God in his heart for working all things out for good just as He’d promised. It was almost too much to take in that his impulsive act of mercy could have such far-reaching consequences.

  Rooster and Isaac crowded close and hugged Sarah. She couldn’t help the tears of joy that trickled down her cheeks.

  They spent the day with their new friends. Sarah insisted on smearing a foul-smelling ointment White Beaver had given her on Rand’s peeling skin. It soothed his sore and itchy burn amazingly well. As they sat beside the stream and talked, Rand told her about his salvation and she wept tears of joy that God had answered her prayers.

  As some of the women prepared a feast for the evening, others were kept busy taking down teepees and preparing to move camp. “What’s going on?” Rand asked White Beaver. The girl drew him off to one side. “We go to make war with Red Cloud at Powder River.”

  Rand’s face mirrored his shock. “Don’t go, Little Wolverine. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Tell him not to go,” he appealed to White Beaver.

  The Sioux brave drew himself up straight and taut as the Indian girl translated. “He say, ‘Should Little Wolverine stay in camp like dog and let others fight for his family? Soon people have no hunting grounds. Whites take all. Red Cloud say Indians must fight or be forced to farm.’ ”

  The brave spat in the dust. “He say, ‘Braves not dirt diggers.’ ” Little Wolverine’s face softened as he spoke again and White Beaver continued to translate. “But he say, ‘Rand and Little Wolverine, brothers. They not fight.’ ”

  “No, my brother.” Rand laid a hand on Little Wolverine’s shoulder. “We’ll not fight. And someday I hope we meet again.”

  The brave clasped his hand over Rand’s large, square hand on his shoulder as though he understood his words before White Beaver translated them. His dark eyes were warm with friendship.

  Rand wasn’t sure how the bond between them had come to be, but it was there as surely as the one between his real brothers, and he’d known it as soon as he looked into the Indian’s eyes at their first confrontation. “May God keep you safe, my brother,” he said.

  The next morning they said their good-byes to their new friends as soon as dawn broke.

  seventeen

  Amelia watched the hills surrounding the fort every day, anxious for word of Sarah. The main detachment had returned, hauling Jacob home two days ago, but no one had heard a word from the three who pushed on after Sarah.

  After breakfast on the third day of Jacob’s return, Amelia sat on the porch railing, watching as the cavalry prepared for maneuvers. Joel sat listlessly beside her. “Boots and saddles.” Captain Brown shouted the familiar command to mount and the cavalry swung up on their horses and rode out of the fort.

  Jacob limped across the parade ground to join her in her vigil. “The commander says there is still no word. They haven’t shown up at Fort Casper or the Platte River Bridge Station.”

  Amelia burst into tears and buried her face against Jacob’s chest. “I have a terrible feeling she’s dead,” she sobbed. “And we’ll never know for sure.”

  Jacob patted and soothed as best he could. Joel stood up suddenly and pointed west. “What’s that?”

  Jacob turned and looked, then grew suddenly still, his eyes scanning the slope to the west of the fort. He pulled Amelia away. “Wait here.”

  “What is it?” she protested as he took off in a running limp for the stable. But then she saw four riders coming down the rocky incline toward the fort. And one of them, dressed in buckskin like a squaw, had sunny red-gold hair. With a sob of relief, she picked up her skirts and ran after Jacob.

 
; “They’ve got her!” a sentry to the west of the fort shouted as soldiers ran from the mess hall and barracks to greet their beloved Sarah. Amelia wasn’t the only one who had just about given up hope.

  Soldiers lined the road and cheered as the four travelers, tired and dusty, rode into the fort.

  “Sarah!”

  With a sob of joy, Sarah slipped off her mare and fell into Amelia’s arms. Laughing and crying, she hugged Amelia then Joel as soldiers cheered and whistled and slapped each other on the back in jubilation. Even the post commander was out to greet them.

  Joel clung to her as Amelia led her home. She heard Rand laughing as he tried to tell their story. But the true story still had to be told.

  Amelia sent Joel out with the men, then heated a kettle of water and poured it into a hip bath as Sarah peeled off the dusty, stained buckskin dress. She poured cold water into the bath and tested to make sure it wasn’t too hot, then as Sarah eased in with a sigh, she began to comb the tangles out of her friend’s red-gold locks.

  A half-hour later, hair washed and clad in clean clothes, Sarah curled up on the sofa while Amelia stood over her, plaiting Sarah’s hair into a long braid. “You have so many bruises. But of course the Indians are notorious for their brutality.” She’d been appalled at the dozens of bruises on Sarah’s body.

  Her friend’s sympathetic touch and voice broke the dam on Sarah’s emotions and she burst into tears. She had to tell someone—she couldn’t hold it inside any longer. “It wasn’t the Indians, Amelia—they helped me. It was Ben!”

  Amelia’s fingers in Sarah’s hair stilled. “Ben Croftner? He beat you?” Her voice was incredulous. She detested Ben, but he had always seemed a perfect gentleman, courteous and gentle.

  In a flood, the horror of her ordeal gushed out. Amelia sat and held her as sobs ravaged her body and she choked out the truth.

  “Did you tell Rand?” White with shock and disbelief, Amelia pushed the hair out of Sarah’s face, then held her close.

  “No. But I know I have to.” Sarah pulled back and laced her hands together. “I–I just couldn’t face it. He’ll hate me, I know it. You know how jealous he is of Ben.” She shuddered. “What if he thinks I encouraged him? What if he doesn’t believe me when I tell him I got away before Ben could—”

  The words hung in the air as Amelia considered her friend’s words. “Oh, Sarah, he’ll believe you. He’s learned to trust again these last few weeks. And I’m sure he doesn’t blame you anymore. It wasn’t your fault.”

  The front door banged open, and they both turned as Rand, Joel, and Jacob strode into the room. Rand’s face brightened as he saw Sarah’s scrubbed face and clean hair. “You look much better.”

  “Well, I’m starved. How ’bout you, honey?” Jacob pulled Amelia to her feet. “Let’s go get some grub at the mess hall.” They started toward the door. “Come with us, Half-Pint,” he told Joel. “We won’t be late,” he called back over his shoulder.

  Sarah yawned hugely as the door banged shut. “I’ll fix you some flapjacks,” she said, struggling to keep her eyes open.

  “Is there anything you’d like to talk about tonight?” Rand’s eyes lingered on the livid bruises on her neck and arms. She’d seemed strangely quiet and withdrawn on the trip home.

  Sarah sat back down abruptly. She was tired of worrying about his reaction. There was only one way to find out. “Yes, there is,” she said slowly.

  “Okay. I thought there was something bothering you.”

  “I haven’t told you exactly what happened. I was afraid you’d blame me, but I swear to you I had no idea he would try something like that.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Rand’s voice was puzzled. This wasn’t quite what he’d expected.

  “Ben. He hired some Laramie loafers to grab me.” She blurted the words out in a rush, then hurried on as his face darkened. “When I came to, I was in a locked cabin by myself. Ben showed up—” She drew a ragged breath. “He–he said we should have been married by then. He. . .”

  Her words trailed away. Sarah stared at Rand’s face fearfully. Would he believe her this time?

  “That no-good skunk. So that’s what he meant.” Rand spoke slowly and precisely. “He gave you those bruises? Did he—did he hurt you in any other way?”

  She shook her head, her emerald eyes enormous in her face. “I hit him over the head with a stool leg and knocked him cold. Then I took off and got away while he was out. Labe was there, too, but he wasn’t watching the cabin. What did you mean, ‘that’s what he meant’? When did you talk to him?”

  Rand drew a couple of deep breaths, then grabbed his hat.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To find Jessica. I have some unfinished business to take care of.” He came back and kissed her quickly. “Don’t go outside the grounds. I might not be lucky enough to find you a second time. Don’t look so worried. I’ll tell the whole story when I get back.” He gazed down into her troubled eyes, then touched her cheek gently. “I know it wasn’t your fault, Green Eyes.”

  She watched him go with some relief. He did trust her after all. “Be careful,” she called after his retreating back.

  §

  Jessica looked up as her mother ushered Rand into the parlor, then left them alone. “Darling,” she said, rising to her feet. “I didn’t know you were back.” She lifted her face for a kiss, but Rand just stared at her impassively. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Your little plan failed.”

  “Whatever do you mean?” Her blue eyes looked huge and innocent.

  Rand had never wanted to slap a woman so badly in his life. “I know all about it, Jessica. Ben told me the whole story when he tried to kill me.”

  Her eyes widened. “Ben who? Who tried to kill you?”

  Rand could see the pulse beating quickly in her throat. She was a smooth one all right, but he could see through her now. “Don’t play the innocent with me. You and Ben schemed to kidnap Sarah to get her away from me. You knew I still loved her.”

  Jessica’s face whitened. “How could you prefer that little milksop to me?” she spat. Then her eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Rand. I didn’t want to lose you. Surely you can see I had to do something. I could see the hold she had over you.”

  “I love her. I always have.” He saw her flinch but went on anyway. “I tried to deceive myself, but I can’t any longer. How could you do such a thing? If people just knew the evil that hides behind that beautiful mask of yours! You can consider our engagement off, of course.” He put his hat on and stalked toward the door.

  “Wait, Rand!” Jessica ran after him and caught his sleeve. “I know you love me! We can work this out.”

  He shook her hand off. “All I feel for you is pity.” He didn’t wait to see the effect of his words but slammed the door behind him.

  That was over. Now to find Croftner. He stopped to see Colonel Maynadier, who readily agreed to let him take six men out to look for Ben and try to bring him in.

  After two days he had no luck in picking up Ben’s trail. Reluctantly, he turned toward Fort Laramie and home. He hated to face Sarah with his failure. He knew neither one of them could rest until they knew the threat Ben posed was eliminated.

  He paused atop a bluff, took a swig from his canteen, then led the men down the slope. “Lieutenant, over here!” One of the men waved from the top of the bluff.

  Rand trotted over to where the men stood. A body lay face down in a ravine. He rolled the man over and gasped in shock. It was Labe! Labe groaned. He was alive!

  “Get me my canteen,” Rand shouted. He poured a little water into Labe’s mouth. “Easy, now. Not too much,” he cautioned as Labe tried to sit up to suck more water down.

  “Indians!” Labe moaned and thrashed around as Rand drew the canteen away.

  “They’re gone. You’re with friends now,” Rand said.

  “Rand?” Labe peered up at him. “I’m sorry ’bout poor little Sarah. I tried to talk Be
n out of it, but he wouldn’t listen to no reason.”

  “Where is Ben?”

  Tears welled up in Labe’s eyes. “Dead. Indians attacked us. Ben fought them, but he fell off his horse and hit his head. They took his body and buried it over there.” He pointed to a long pile of stones.

  Rand patted him gently. “How’d you get away?”

  “They left me here.” He touched his head gingerly. “They must have hit me on the head.”

  “You’ll be all right. We just need to get you back to the fort.” He helped Labe to his feet and helped him up into the saddle. It was a long way back to Fort Laramie.

  §

  The week flew by as Sarah immersed herself in activity. She tried to still the worry as she thought of Rand out looking for Ben. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning she taught the Indian children. Living with the Sioux for those four days gave her a new love and tenderness for the dark-eyed youngsters who crowded into the small church. She delighted in seeing their solemn faces break into smile.

  She had just gotten back from school when Joel came bursting into the parlor. “Rand’s back!” She jumped to her feet and followed him out onto the porch where she saw a familiar set of broad shoulders striding toward her across the parade ground. With a cry of relief, she ran into his open arms.

  He hugged her tightly, then led her back inside the house. Joel jabbered excitedly as he followed them. “I need to talk to your sister for a few minutes alone, Half-Pint. Can you find something else to do for a little while?”

  “Sure. Tommy Justice, the new lieutenant’s son, said he’d play baseball with me.”

  “Thanks.” Rand turned back to Sarah. “Sit down here with me. We have a lot to talk about.”

  Sarah sat down beside him, her heart pounding.

  “Ben’s dead.” He told her what Labe had told him and then the entire story of Ben’s plot.

  Sarah was surprised at her own reaction. She felt unexplainable sadness over Ben’s wasted life, although she knew he had received his just reward. “I read a verse this morning,” she began. “It said, ‘And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.’ ”