Not even a hint. She sighed and stepped over by her desk, choosing not to make more of his forgetfulness this time. “Everyone, open to your math lesson for today. I’m going to do a little work with the second primers at the board. The rest of you work quietly until I can get to you. Second primers join me up front, please.” She turned and erased the caricature as though it were any other lesson.
The day progressed as planned until an hour into the leaf gathering when Charlie Conklin rushed over and stopped before her, gasping for breath. “Miss Jordan! I ain’t seen Brandon for a long time and I can’t find him nowhere.”
“What?!” She glanced around. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. “Okay let’s think. Everyone, come to me. Quickly please!”
The students gathered around. Everyone but Brandon.
Sharyah took in a quick breath, then another. What if… visions of bears and wolves popped into her head. Or a snake. She closed her eyes, suppressing a little shudder and a moan. Take hold of yourself. She snapped her eyes open and that’s when she caught the tiny smirk on Charlie’s face. The moment he noted her study of him his features composed once more into a somber frown of worry.
Quite the little thespian.
By rights she ought to march everyone back to the school and leave Brandon McBride to his own devices. But somehow she didn’t think his parents would appreciate the irony in that punishment.
She thought through her options. He would be hiding somewhere near, because he wouldn’t want to miss out on any of the fun. She scanned the bushes nearby. All of them except the laurel only three feet away were too sparse to conceal a boy.
Time to give these little performers a lesson on how to really act.
She injected a good dose of worry into her tone. “When was the last time anyone saw Brandon?”
Everyone looked blank. But Charlie shrugged. “’Bout half an hour ago.”
“Half an hour?!” Her screech would have done any actress proud. “Oh.” She moaned and wrung her hands. “What if a bear got him?”
The patch of laurel rustled slightly. So that was where he’d hidden. She could just imagine Brandon laughing till his sides hurt.
Sally Weaver raised her hand. “Miss Sharyah? I wouldn’t worry none too much. Bears ain’t round these parts often. And as long as Brandon leaves them alone, they pretty much just lumber off when they see a person.”
“Thank you, Sally.” Thanks for ruining my plan to scare the living daylights out of the boy. “I’m sure you’re right. Bears probably didn’t get him.” She scrabbled for another critter to use giving a couple of moans of worry for good measure. Wolves were probably out of the equation. Sally could probably come up with a reason why it was highly unlikely that Brandon had been carried off by one of them. Not bears. Not wolves. Spiders!
She shuddered. Yes, she could describe a spider in the scariest ways possible, thanks to the torment her brothers had meted out many times after their realization early on that she hated the creepy little things.
“Yes, probably not bears, but… maybe a spider. I didn’t want you all to worry so I didn’t mention this spider earlier. But there is a spider that is extremely deadly. It was only discovered in these woods quite recently.” As she talked, she circled the children, until her back was to the laurel, pulling Charlie around with her so that he wouldn’t be able to signal to Brandon that this was all a ruse. Leaning forward slightly, she gave all the children her biggest smile and laid a finger across her lips. Very quietly she whispered, “Class, there’s nothing to be afraid of. There is no spider, don’t look but Brandon is in the laurel bush just behind me. The one with the shiny dark green leaves. Let’s have a little fun with him, shall we?”
The light went on in first Sally, then Sonja Weaver’s eyes.
Charlie tumbled to her plan next. “Aw—”
Sharyah clapped one hand over his mouth and held him firmly in front of her.
“I know that spider!” Sonja exclaimed loudly. “It’s light green and… and… has eight legs!”
Sally rolled her eyes at her sister’s lack of imagination. “I heard that it has fangs that are twice the length of its body – which isn’t much since they are so tiny they can hide anywhere – but once they bite you, you only have 3 minutes to live!”
The laurel bush gave a satisfactory tremble, behind Sharyah.
Little Hillary Thackary from the first primer whimpered. “Do you think the spider got him, Miss Jordan?”
At the sight of the little girl’s big eyes and trembling lower lip, Sharyah felt the first prick of guilt over this little deception. Apparently the little girl hadn’t grasped what she wanted to accomplish. But Sonja Weaver bent down and whispered something in Hillary’s ear and the little girl’s mouth dropped open in sudden understanding.
Sharyah thought back over the last two weeks and all the pranks she’d endured at the hands of this little menace. No she wasn’t going to feel guilty. She winked at the younger children and picked up where Sally had left off. “That’s right, Sally. And they like to make their nests in bushes, especially ones with shiny leaves, thousands of spiders to each nest! They hide on the underside of the leaves and drop down onto anything that brushes against the bush.”
Brandon burst from the laurel, madly slapping at his hair, arms, shirt and shoulders.
Sharyah let Charlie go. “Brandon, there you are! I’m so glad you are alright. We were just talking about a newly discovered spider that—stop! What’s that crawling on your back?”
Brandon screeched. “Where is it? Get it off!” He pirouetted in an odd little dance as he tried to see his back, shake off his shirt and not fall over all at the same time.
The class burst into spontaneous laughter.
Brandon stilled. “Wait—” He looked at Sharyah.
She grinned and pinched his ruddy cheek. “Gotcha, Mr. McBride.”
He gave a sheepish smile and glanced around at everyone. “You all… this was just a… there’s no spider?”
Sharyah shook her head. “But I hope you will learn the lesson that when I ask you to stay with the group, it is for your own safety. There are dangerous things out here and we need to be careful. If we all stick together, if something does happen to one of us, we will at least have each other.”
He laughed. “You got me a good one!”
Satisfaction threaded through her as she noted the hint of admiration glimmering in his mischievous eyes. “So you forgive me and the class for being a little deceptive with our joke?”
Brandon waved away her concern. “Aw it weren’t nothin’, Miss Jordan. You’re smarter than I figured you was.”
Sharyah didn’t bother to correct his slaughter of the English language. “Alright class, everyone gather your sacks. It’s time to head back to the classroom.”
Judd gathered the gang together, just after noon. “Alright, listen up. I want this to go down smooth and easy. The more men we kill the more lawmen and ill will we attract. We’re all still alive and I’d like to keep it that way.”
Cade resisted a snort of disdain at Judd’s magnanimous words and scanned the group.
Besides Judd, Katrina, Red and Mick, several other men stood in the circle with them. Seth Rodale, Judd’s youngest brother, was the blonde man who’d been smart enough to vacate his seat on the log beside Red the night before. The other men had kept their distance and their council and Cade didn’t know their names.
But rumor abounded that Billy Montell had recently joined up with the Rodale gang and if Cade were a betting man, he’d peg his money on the tall lanky kid across the way. The kid hadn’t said a word since Cade’s arrival the night before, but he fit the description on the wanted poster hanging in the jail back in Shiloh. Billy’s baby-face had come to grace a poster because of a string of bank heists and half a dozen murders, including the death of a woman who’d been in a bank during one of his robberies.
Red Hendrix – also a new member of the gang – was wanted most recently for the murder
of two rangers down Texas way. Before that, however he’d had warrants out for everything from horse thieving to arson.
Cade’s gut clenched. He hadn’t really thought about the risk he was taking when he’d agreed to this job. Until recently, the Rodale brothers were mostly involved in small time crimes – a bar brawl in Portland and suspicion of a mercantile theft over in Farewell Bend. Over the last year, however, they’d upped their ante – a stagecoach robbery and a few horses lifted – and now the men they were associating with were of the all-out criminal variety. If ever these men learned who Cade really was, they’d not hesitate one second to slit his throat while he slept, he was sure of that.
So what had changed? Why were the three Rodale brothers suddenly taking up company with some of the most unsavory characters west of the Mississippi and what were they planning to do?
Other than kidnapping the poor local school teacher.
He pondered on that. Kidnapping was a premeditated crime and generally a set up for something else, something bigger. Something they wanted, or wanted to force someone else to do. So who was the local school teacher and who cared enough about her that the Rodale gang would have power over them once they had her in their clutches?
Cade released a breath of frustration. If only this had been going down in a couple days instead of today. Maybe by then he’d have had time to get close to Katrina and convince her to go back home to her brother. Time to get a message to the Beth Haven sheriff about their plans and time to set up traps to arrest all of them.
As it stood, he thanked God that he’d be around to protect the teacher from this unsavory lot. Hopefully he could complete his investigation quickly and her stay would be short-lived.
Cade returned his attention to Judd who was still lining out their plan.
“I got it on good authority that Sam Perry’s been showing up at the school real regular like since this new teacher come to town. Especially after Mick here done soiled his pearly dove.” He paused to grin as several of the men chuckled. “Since I want Sam to know this is all about him, we’re going to make the grab right before his eyes. He arrives every day right after the kids leave. And today he’s gonna get a surprise he won’t soon forget.”
Cade shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. So they wanted power over Sam Perry. He must have it bad for this school teacher. But what did Sam have that Judd wanted? Something to do with the bank, most likely. He’d have to figure out a way to talk to Sam. Judd already had Sam’s sister, but from what Sam had said she’d come of her own free will.
Yet this morning she’d come to him. What had she wanted to tell him? Cade rubbed a hand over his jaw, wishing he’d had more time to talk to her at dawn. Sounded like she was ready to get out. Maybe, if he could get a chance to talk to her, she would know what Judd wanted from Sam.
Sam had an amazing spread. Maybe it had nothing to do with the bank. Maybe they wanted his land? But if that was the case, wouldn’t Judd just find a way to remove Sam from the picture and marry Katrina? Cade studied the woman.
Jaw set and eyes glittering, she glowered at Judd.
Unless… Maybe Sam had willed the ranch to someone else? And maybe Judd really meant it when he said he wanted to keep his killing down to a minimum. Or maybe it was something else altogether they wanted from Sam. Could it be that Katrina wasn’t here of her own free will?
There were way too many questions. Cade resettled his hat. This job was supposed to be easy.
Katrina folded her arms and huffed audibly. “I’ve told you, Judd, you can get to my brother other ways than by kidnapping an innocent woman. You should leave her out of it.”
Judd spun toward her so fast that Katrina flinched. He grabbed her arm and gave her a little shake. “”Wha—?”
Katrina shifted, but her back was to Cade and he couldn’t get a good read on her expression.
Judd stepped closer to her and leaned down to speak into her face. “I don’t take advice from nobody, especially not a woman.”
Katrina shrugged him off and stalked away, brushing past Cade. “Your loss.”
She’s got grit. I’ll give her that.
Judd growled and started after her. Cade stepped into his path, tugging on the brim of his hat and doing his best to look sympathetic. “Women, you know how they are, Rodale. Can’t see the wisdom in a man’s thinking, no matter how good it is. Forget about her. Finish telling us the plan so we can ride.”
Judd wanted to go after her, Cade could see it in his eyes, but after only a moment’s hesitation he turned back to the gathered men. “Alright. So here’s what we’re going to do. I need the sheriff busy in another part of town so if Perry somehow gets away from us, the law will be occupied and unable to follow us for at least a few minutes.”
Seth Rodale scoffed. “Sheriff Collier would have a hard time finding his own shadow in a desert at three o’clock in the afternoon.”
Several of the gang chuckled.
“Perry won’t get away from us,” Cade assured.
Judd nodded. “Not likely, a pansy like him. But just to be on the safe side Seth, I need you and Billy to start a fight. It needs to draw some attention. You two get arrested, you’re on your own, so keep it clean and fair. Likely, he’ll just ask you to leave town.”
Seth grinned at the young kid Cade had presumed was Billy. He had sandy brown hair and the scraggly beginnings of a beard – the kind Pa had always called kitten whiskers. “I don’t know, I sure could use a good night’s sleep on a real cot,” Seth said.
Billy laughed and nodded.
“Just be careful the Sheriff doesn’t oblige you. Or it might be the last night of sleep you’ll ever have,” Judd said dryly, then turned to the older men. “Mick, you’ll keep an eye out from the school yard. I don’t want anyone down there catching a glimpse of you, so keep a low profile. You’ll come in and let Cade and I know if trouble might be heading our way.”
Mick nodded.
“Red, I’ve decided it’s too much of a risk for you to be seen around town yet. You’ll stay here with Kat and the extra mounts.”
Surprisingly Red didn’t make any protest, but he did stalk off, and Judd let him go.
Cade watched Red while Judd explained to the rest of the men where he wanted them staged. Red rolled himself a cigarette and propped one foot up on a stump, studying the horizon, and by the time Cade’s attention returned to Judd, the man was finishing up his little planning meeting.
“Alright, let’s ride!” Judd called.
Cade’s jaw tightened. It was going to be up to him to keep this teacher safe.
Brandon had taken his loving sweet time washing the chalkboards, but had done an admirable job and Sharyah had only needed him to redo one corner before she dismissed him. He snatched up his slingshot and lunch pail and scuttled off for home.
After carefully checking her desk chair and verifying the seat held nothing painful to sit on, Sharyah collapsed into it.
“Oh, I’m exhausted!” She dropped her head back and closed her eyes, propping her feet on the desk in a most unladylike fashion. She needed new shoes and after the long walk through the woods today, her feet were aching something terrible. Just getting them up off the floor relieved some of the pain.
All afternoon she’d felt guilty about the way she’d handled Brandon’s prank at the leaf-picking and finally she’d confessed to the whole class that she shouldn’t have encouraged them to use deception to lure Brandon out of his hiding place. Despite Brandon’s reassurances that all was well, she’d apologized to him and encouraged the class to do the same.
She sighed and massaged circles at her temples. She would have to check for gray hair in the mirror at home tonight. Lord, I have a feeling this is going to be a long year. Help me to handle anything else that comes up better than I handled this situation today.
The door creaked open.
Sharyah jolted upright, frantically jerking her feet to the floor and straightening her skirts. Thankfully, the wall that
housed several square compartments for lunches, and hooks for coats blocked the outer door from visibility when anyone first entered the schoolhouse.
“Knock, knock.” Sam poked his head around the wall, his bowler clutched to his chest.
She smiled, hoping she didn’t look as frazzled as she felt. “Hi.”
He started down the aisle, then paused. “Rough day?”
Standing, she set to gathering the books she would need at home tonight. “No. No. I’m fine.”
“Well you look tired.” He paused by her side. “At least come to dinner out at the ranch so you don’t have to cook this evening.”
Sharyah resisted a groan. The only thing she wanted to do was go home and have a nice long soak in her tub. A refusal danced on the tip of her tongue even as a thought arose. If she kept putting him off, Sam might give up on her. She didn’t want that. But neither did she want things to move ahead too quickly. Still, Sam was a good catch. She wasn’t likely to find anyone better. She forced a smile, resigned to a few more hours of aching feet.
Laying flat on his belly at the crest of a hill, Cade studied the little clapboard building through his binoculars.
Right on time, Sam Perry climbed the schoolhouse steps. Cade bit back a grin as he imagined the look on Sam’s face when Cade busted in to steal his girl right out from under his nose. He liked Sam, and whoever the woman inside was, he wished them all the best at some future date, but Sam was going to be hotter than desert lava when Cade informed him that he hadn’t yet had time to convince Katrina to come home, that something big was about to go down but he didn’t know what yet, and that his girl was going to have to live in the hills with a gang of outlaws for a couple days until he could figure things out.
“Sure is strange – Judd’s horse throwing a shoe like that.” Mick shifted by his side.
Cade nodded. “Well, he’ll get it fixed and be ready to ride in no time. Meanwhile, let’s not let him down.” He clapped a hand to Mick’s shoulder and nodded that he should take his spot in the school yard.
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