His slingshot! How could she have forgotten that the boy always had that thing shoved into the waistband of his pants?
To their left, Judd cursed again, ramming one fist into the door and kicking the hub of one wheel.
The horses shifted nervously and the coach rolled forward and then back before they settled and held their ground.
Kneeling to Jason’s right, the stage driver huffed and mumbled, “Stupid idiot’s gonna spook them hosses and they’s gonna gallop right on outta here, if he don’t settle down.”
Sharyah exchanged glances with Cade. The horses! That was it!
The lead, nigh horse was only a few feet in front of them and to the left.
She closed her eyes and pressed one hand to her forehead. They needed to act now. It would be too late in a few minutes. Too late for all of them. She let go of Cade’s hand and squeezed his arm, hoping he would catch her signal, and then spoke loud enough so she was sure Billy would hear her. “Cade, the sight of that blood is making me dizzy.”
“Shar, what are you doing?” he whispered. “Please be careful.”
Swaying in a manner she hoped was convincing, she pulled her hat from her head, secured the hatpin in her hand, and fanned herself with the green felt brim. “Oh, I think I’m going to be sick!”
At least that much was the truth.
She lurched to her feet. Bending double, she clutched her stomach and staggered forward.
She heard Cade scramble to his feet. “You’ll have to excuse her, she does have a very weak stomach.”
Sharyah stumbled another few steps closer to the horses.
Billy swung his gun toward her. “Wait a min—!” Then, in her peripheral vision she saw him jolt and slap at his head. “Ow! Hey! What the—”
“I got ’im!” Brandon cried exultantly.
Billy pointed the gun at her again, but she only had two more steps now and the horse blocked her from his view. She leapt forward and jabbed the haunch of the lead horse with her hatpin. “Ha!” she yelled.
With a screech of terror the horse reared in the harness.
“What in—!”
Judd started to turn toward her, but she couldn’t worry about him. She was at the rear team now, and put the hatpin to good use again.
The feet of the first horse landed back on the ground. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” Sharyah flapped her hat and Cade gave a sharp whistle. The same one he’d always used to call his horse.
Dirt spraying in every direction from sixteen hooves, the coach lurched forward.
The far horse’s shoulder must have rammed into Billy, because she saw his gun hand fly up and then he toppled over backwards.
Sharyah leapt to one side just in time to keep from being knocked down and run over by the coach wheel, as the horses lurched ahead.
“Judd!” Katrina screeched from inside. Her small hand grasped at the edge of the window, but to no avail. Red’s body, also falling, collided with hers. “Red!” She tumbled backward and as the coach shot by Sharyah saw her head smash into the back seat and Red scrabbling to keep from falling on her. But to no avail. With a squawk of cursed protest from Katrina, and a loud thud, both disappeared below the ledge of the window. Then the coach was gone, leaving nothing but a swirling cloud of dust in its wake.
Sharyah coughed and waved a hand in front of her face.
Mr. Baylor took advantage of Judd’s distraction. He shoved him away and landed a solid kick to his groin. Judd bent double and Mr. Baylor kicked the gun from his hand.
Sharyah pulled in a relieved breath. Her curls had come loose from their pins and cascaded over her face. She swiped them out of her eyes, looked up, and froze.
From the other side of the road, Mick grinned at her over the top of the pistol he held steadily on her chest.
Shoulders slumping, her eyes blinked slowly in defeat. She raised her hands. He’d been examining the other side of the coach, not inside it.
“Well, well, well… Nothing but a trouble maker, are you?”
“Rodale!” Cade yelled.
Mick’s eyes darkened. His finger tightened on the trigger, and Sharyah knew her end had come.
19
A gunshot ripped through the air. Something tugged at her shirtwaist. A second blast ricocheted around her.
I’ve been shot. She took a step backward. Looked down to see where she’d been hit.
“Shar!”
Pounding footsteps. Crunching gravel.
Knees so weak… She sank to the ground.
“No. No. No!” Cade slid to a stop before her and forked the fingers of both hands into her curls, pushing them out of her eyes. “Are you hit? Where are you hit?” He pushed her to arm’s length, his terror-filled gaze darting down the length of her and back again. “Shar? Talk to me. Are you hurt?”
She wanted nothing more than to give in to the blackness tugging at the edges of her vision, but Papa’s old admonitions kicked in and she took a deep breath.
No vapors!
Another breath. “Where’s Mick?” A tremor raced through her.
“I shot him.”
The blackness receded.
Inhale. “Judd?”
“Baylor got the jump on him. Jason and Baylor are tying him up right now.” His hands tightened around her face. “Are you hurt?”
She assessed herself. She didn’t feel any pain.
“Shar, talk to me.” Cade gave her a little shake.
Pain sliced along her side then and she hissed involuntarily.
He jolted back. “What? What is it?”
Brandon was suddenly by her side. His eyes wide with fear darted from her face to her side and back. “Are you alright, Miss Jordan?”
“I don’t—” She glanced down. Blood soaked the waist of her dress around a jagged tear in the material. “I guess it’s good I hadn’t had time to change into another dress, yet. That would have been two dresses ruined.” She tried to smile, but was afraid it came out more like a grimace.
“What am I going to do with you? Let me see that.” Cade carefully lifted her arm and examined the wound with gentle fingers. “This one will be worse than the one on your arm, but it looks like the bullet went clean through. That’s good.” Even though she could tell he was trying to sound optimistic, his whole body shook perceptibly.
Jason stepped up behind Cade and laid a hand against his shoulder. “Here.” He pressed a sheathed knife into Cade’s palm. “Your Pa and I are going to go after the stage. See if we can’t catch that woman and the other man.”
Cade nodded, even as he slipped the blade of the knife through the material just above the hem of her skirt.
Despite the pain now pulsing through her ribcage in waves, and the dizziness sweeping over her, Sharyah had the presence of mind to exclaim, “That’s my dress you are slicing up!”
Cade ignored her and spoke over his shoulder to Jason. “Give me a minute and I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t mind my saying so, you aren’t in any condition to be riding along.” Jason turned and looked at Brandon. “Brandon, bring me the canteen off that horse that just trotted in.”
Cade used a section of her hem to wipe away as much of the blood as possible, and then wrapped the rest of the material he’d just torn from her skirt around her waist to staunch the bleeding. “I’ll be fine. Just a couple more seconds.”
“Uh huh.” Jason pressed the canteen against Cade’s chest and pushed him back down when he started to stand.
Cade sucked in a quick breath, his face scrunching in pain.
The corner of Jason’s mouth ticked up. “Like I said. Your Pa and I will go. Take a good long drink, wait a minute, then drink some more. Both of you. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
Jason started away, then paused. “By the way, the guy you shot is dead. I didn’t know you packed a derringer. How’d they miss it?”
Cade took a long drink from the canteen, and sank down to sit next to her, apparently giving up on the idea of pursuing Katrina and Red.
He swiped his mouth with the knuckles of one hand, and passed her the canteen. “The gun was in Shar’s little bag.”
Jason’s lips quirked. “Count on a Jordan to come through with a gun when you need one.”
Cade chuckled but exhaustion had suddenly gripped Sharyah so thoroughly, she couldn’t bring herself to comment.
“Well it was a good thing you shot when you did, looks like your bullet knocked his aim off just enough.” Jason indicated the fresh bandage around her ribs. “The big guy is tied up. The other one, the one who was guarding us there at the last, he got knocked a good one when the horses took off. Bashed his head into that rock he was sitting on. He didn’t make it. And I sent Baylor up the hill to where they said they left that Judge.”
“Thanks, Jace. I’m glad you’re here. You and Pa.”
Jason touched his hat and strode away.
Sharyah glanced around. So much death and destruction. All over a few little stones.
“Did they ever find the diamonds?” She clenched her jaw against a wave of pain.
Cade shook his head. “I don’t think so. You sure they were on there?”
She nodded. “Mr. Baylor said he was delivering them to Judge Green.”
Cade sighed. “Of all the days Missy could have picked to test Katrina’s loyalty, she somehow picked the one that the diamonds actually were being delivered on.” He glanced over at the row of bodies. “Discontentment sure causes a lot of trouble.”
There was enough truth in that statement to keep her thinking for a long time to come. All this because people weren’t content with their place in life. And wanted all the benefits of money without the hard work it took to get it.
Jason and Smith had laid the bodies all in a row. A light breeze rippled over them, fluttering material and hair. She swallowed and studied the ground by her side.
It was her fault Billy was dead. If she hadn’t spooked the horses… She took another swallow of water and passed the canteen once more to Cade. Then picked up the knife and set to slicing off several more inches of her hem. Cade’s side needed tending too. She faced him and gestured for him to remove his bloody shirt. “Let me see it.”
He grinned, but pain radiated from his eyes as he shrugged out of the sleeves. “A real matched pair you and I make, don’t you think?”
Despite all that had happened, her stomach curled at the thought, and her hands began to tremble as she used the canteen to saturate the portion of his shirt that was sticking to his wound. She’d come this close to losing him forever.
“Hey.” He captured her hands and touched her chin, tilting her face up until she met his gaze. “I’m going to be alright. You’re going to be alright. You did real good today.”
“If I hadn’t…” She couldn’t help but glance again toward the row of bodies. Judd, trussed hand and foot, lay on the ground not too far from them.
“Shar.” Cade pulled her attention back to him. “They all made their choices. You couldn’t know that horse would knock him into the rock. As for Mick and Collier, no one forced them to be here. This all would have been over in less than five minutes if Collier hadn’t betrayed us. Sometimes in order to prevent evil, tough choices have to be made. I never like to have to kill someone, but…,” he shrugged, “if we don’t stand up when evil men attack the innocent, what are we left with?” He pointed to Brandon, who sat with arms wrapped around his knees. “Your actions saved that boy’s life today. And don’t you forget that. Not to mention the rest of us.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “You’re right. But it doesn’t make me feel any better about how it all turned out.” Another wave of wooziness made her shake her head.
Cade caressed her cheek and leaned forward to drop a kiss on the top of her curls. “That’s what makes you different from them.”
“Yes. I suppose.” She forced her attention to cleaning and wrapping the gash on his side and tried to ignore the tingling fire emanating from the spot he’d kissed. Cade’s wound blurred and she blinked hard to bring it back into focus.
It was only a few moments later that Jason returned leading one team of horses from the stage.
Cade glanced at him questioningly. “Where’s Pa?”
Jason swung down. “The stage tipped over at a corner just down the road a ways. The big man with long red hair, had broken his neck. And we found a black man shot in the head.”
Cade’s hands fisted. “Jonas. That must have been the first shot I heard. It had to have been Collier that shot him.”
Jason handed the horses off to Cade. “The woman wasn’t anywhere around. She’d cut loose one of the horses and we had to put the other down. Smith is scouting a circle to see if he can’t pick up her trail but he said the judge was hurt pretty bad and wanted me to get him and you two to the doc in town as soon as possible.”
“Is the stage drivable?”
Jason shook his head. I’m afraid we’re going to have to ride.
At that moment Mr. Baylor came into view, leading a horse with Judge Green slumped over in the saddle. He rubbed his jaw. “He’s some injured, but seems like he’s got grit. I think he’ll make it to town. This must be his horse, I found it tied back a ways in the brush from where he was laying up there. There’s another man up there. Cussin’ and fussin’ like a boy yet in short pants.”
“Seth!” Cade wore a chagrinned look. “I nearly forgot about him. He’s his younger brother.” He nodded toward Judd.
Jason grabbed the rope that tied Judd’s hands together and hauled him to his feet. “I’ll get him. You all go on and ride into town. I’ll meet you there after I get this one and his brother locked up.”
Cade helped her to her feet and but she couldn’t seem to find firm footing. And everything around her swirled unsteadily. “Cade…” she reached for his arm, but met only air. Then all went black.
Two hours later, Cade leaned back into the slats of the chair in the corner of the hotel room, eyes heavy with fatigue. He was too tired and distraught to remain standing but couldn’t allow himself the comfort of the bed.
In the room next door, Shar fought for her life.
The Doctor had been by to examine her, and had said only time would tell, but it didn’t look good.
His jaw clenched and he rubbed at the grit behind his lids. God! He could think of nothing else to add to the prayer.
Judd and Seth were in jail. But Smith had ridden back into town a few minutes earlier, frustrated after losing Katrina’s trail. He had quickly volunteered to take Brandon out to his mother.
The doctor had left to examine Judge Green, but since her father was in much better shape than Sharyah, Missy volunteered to sit with her through the night.
Jason had sent a wire to his aunt and uncle, letting them know about Shar.
And now all Cade could do was wait. Interminable hours stretched.
The fever came on Sharyah sometime during the night. Missy knocked on his door to let him know the prognosis looked worse and that Sharyah couldn’t seem to find a comfortable sleep, either she kicked off the covers, too hot, or couldn’t seem to shake wracking chills.
Sleep remained elusive for the rest of the night although he did doze off and on in the chair.
The boy squirmed from his seat on the horse behind Smith, as they took a trail off the main road.
“You think you might stick around for a minute or two, until Ma regains her head, like?”
Smith didn’t respond right away. Cade had never run off when he was a lad, although he’d played plenty of pranks and caused his share of ruckus.
What would he have done if a complete stranger had returned Cade to him, several days after the boy disappeared? He bit back a smirk, he knew good and well what he’d have done.
Brandon leaned off to one side and peered up at him. “Just for a minute?” As the silence stretched, the boy resumed his seat behind him and murmured almost to himself. “Or a day? Or a week?”
It was nearly more than Smith could do to withhold a guffaw
at the plaintive pleading in the boy’s tone but he wasn’t about to relieve his discomfort with an answer. The boy’s mother must be fit to be tied.
A little cabin came into view ahead. The yard was swept clean and there were flower boxes at each of the two windows, although they stood empty now. The porch railing needed a few nails, and one of the steps had rotted through. One window pane had broken, and a hide of some sort covered the hole from the inside. The place looked run down, but it didn’t have a feel of neglect, simply the feel of lack.
Smith pulled up at the rail, and helped Brandon slide down. He was just swinging down himself when the cabin door opened and a woman with a toddler on her hip stepped out. He swiped his hat from his head.
Her red-rimmed eyes honed in on Brandon. Then widened. “Oh!” She plunked the little one onto the porch and rushed headlong down the steps, snatching the young man into a fierce embrace. “Lord of Mercy and Grace. Thank you! Thank you. Thank you!” Just that fast she thrust him away to arm’s length again, and gave him a shake. “Young man, I ought to tan you till you can’t stand for a week of Sundays! Where have you been? Do you know how worried I was?” Tears came then and she clutched him close, once more. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Smith tapped his hat against one leg, feeling a little awkward standing by, but he couldn’t just ride off without so much as a word to the woman.
After a long moment in her arms, Brandon squirmed. “Ma!”
“Don’t you ‘Ma’ me!” She set him back and cuffed his head, but gentled it with a ruffle. “And don’t you think this discussion is over.” She nodded her head toward the baby that hadn’t moved, but had contented itself with slurping on several fingers, wide eyes on its mother and brother. “Go on now, and get Lissa and take her into the house while I talk to this gentleman.”
The baby’s face broke into a huge grin as Brandon trudged up the stairs, and without hesitation she raised her arms to her big brother. “B’andon!”
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