How could Sloane have escaped again? And how did he manage to find Katie? Dusty pondered the questions for the hundredth time.
At a fork in the road, he dismounted and examined the hoofprints. Fortunately, with today being Thanksgiving and most people at home enjoying the holiday with their family, there weren’t any other fresh prints on the road.
He glanced at the sky as he remounted. In another hour, it would be dark. Fear for Katie melded with a desperate need to hold her in his arms and make sure she was all right.
A heaviness pressed against his chest, making it hard to breathe. Somehow this had to be his fault. If he hadn’t talked in the barn with Mason for so long, maybe he would have caught up with Katie before Sloane had. Or maybe…
No! He shook his head, refusing to give in to the negative thoughts that would steal his peace and try to sever his newly restored relationship with God.
This wasn’t his fault, but he sure could change the outcome.
He nudged Shadow to go faster, all the time checking the trail and scouring the countryside for some sign of Katie. The giant orange orb of the soon-setting sun cast long shadows from the few trees on the prairie. When the sun set, so would any hopes of tracking Sloane and Katie.
God, please, help us find Katie before anything bad happens. Protect her.
Just before twilight, they reined their horses to a stop at a crossroads to give the animals a breather and to allow Dusty to check the trail. Several sets of hoofprints covered the area. Finally he decided to take the path to the right. They walked their horses so Dusty could scour the trail for signs of Sloane’s gang.
After a few minutes, Dusty halted and stooped, examining the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Mason stopped his mount beside him.
Dusty pressed his lips together, hating to admit the truth. “We turned the wrong way. I haven’t seen Sloane’s trail once since we took this path.
“Then let’s go back to the fork and go the other way.” Jimmy didn’t wait for confirmation but spurred his horse around and into a run.
Dusty and Mason joined him and were soon back at the fork in the road. Dusty clenched his teeth together, angry with himself for wasting valuable time going the wrong way.
He studied the path as they walked the horses. The tracks angled off the road and onto a faint trail through the tall grass. Up ahead, Dusty could make out the beginnings of a large wooded area. If Sloane wanted to hide, that would be the place.
Mason and Jimmy moved up beside him and examined the ground. “What do you think? Will they ride all night or make camp somewhere?”
Dusty shrugged, wishing he knew for certain. If Sloane did make camp and they continued their search in the dark, they could ride right past him and his cohorts without knowing it.
He stared at the woods. “Sloane’s a creature of comfort. My gut instinct says he’ll make camp, but I don’t know for sure. He’s smart, but sometimes he underestimates people.”
“You think he’d leave a guard behind?” Jimmy glanced at the woods and back at Dusty, then pulled his rifle from the scabbard. “We could be riding into a trap.”
“Could be. What do you want to do?” He studied both men, unwilling to put their lives on the line. Even if they backed down, he knew he’d continue his search. He wouldn’t quit until he rescued Katie.
“We’ve got to find her.” Mason pressed his lips tight.
“But you have a family depending on you. Maybe you should ride back and let Jimmy and me continue.”
Mason shook his head. “I’m not going back without Katie. Let’s quit burning daylight.”
Dusty nodded, relieved Mason was still at his side. As he stuck his foot in the stirrup, he heard the faint sound of a man’s laughter, far off in the woods. He settled in his saddle and looked at Mason. “Did you hear that?”
“Sure did. What do you make of it?”
He held his finger to his lips. “Listen.”
All three men held their horses steady and turned an ear toward the trees. A faint breeze blew in Dusty’s face as he listened intently. He caught a few words of a man’s curse, and his skin crawled. He’d recognize Ed Sloane’s voice any day.
“That’s him. I heard Sloane.”
They secured their mounts to a lone tree and slowly crept through the tall prairie grass toward the edge of the woods. A hundred feet inside the tree line, the voices grew loud enough that they could make out all the words. Dusty peered around the side of a thick oak tree.
“We ought to keep going. We’re too close to her home to stop.” One of Sloane’s cronies stood with his hands on his hips.
Sloane rubbed a finger over his thin mustache. “It’s getting dark, and they probably haven’t even missed her yet. I think we’re safe here.”
Dusty scanned the area, looking for Katie’s rose-colored dress. When two men stepped forward to join the discussion, he saw her sitting in front of a tree, her hands tied and her eyes wide. Anger at Sloane for causing her fright roared through him like a wildfire, but at the same time, he ached to march in and comfort Katie. He pressed his hat down, ready to do battle for the woman he loved.
He whispered to Mason and Jimmy to make their way around, one to the right and one to the left. If push came to shove, they just might be able to fool Sloane and his gang into thinking they were surrounded. Dusty was thankful that the family had taken time to hold hands and pray for Katie and their safe return before they had left the house.
Joey’s fervent cries for his mother echoed in Dusty’s mind. I’ll get your mother home to you, little buddy. Just hang on.
“Tell you what, I’d like a little time alone with my bride. You men go ahead and make for the hideout. Me and the little woman will get reacquainted.”
Even from this distance, Dusty saw the panic that crossed Katie’s face. She didn’t want to be left alone with Sloane. She closed her eyes, and Dusty hoped she was praying. They’d need all the prayers they could muster to capture Sloane again.
Katie’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched Sloane argue with his men. She hoped they’d stay here and make camp to give Dusty a chance to catch up, but she didn’t want to be alone with Sloane. She knew Dusty would come looking for her and blessed God that her uncle had invited him for dinner. She hated to think of her sweet uncle and brother going up against Sloane without Dusty’s experience and help.
Katie’s shoulders ached from tension, and her whole body trembled. She longed to see Joey and wondered again what Rebekah would do when he got hungry. Maybe she’d make him some warm sugar water, but would that satisfy her famished son?
Father God, please watch over Joey and help him. Show Dusty the way to find me. And soon, Lord. Please. I don’t want to be alone with this evil man.
Tears stung her eyes. How could she ever have considered marrying Sloane? How could she have been so desperate that she had been swayed by his counterfeit charm?
She no longer thought him appealing, only despicable. And evil.
She longed for a bath to wash his touch off her skin.
Her stomach churned at the thought of riding with him again. His whispered words of romance and what he had planned for her chilled her to the core. Shivering, she watched with dread as Sloane’s men mounted their horses and rode off. Soon the last faint rays of the sun, which painted the dusky sky bright pink and orange, would fade, and she’d be left alone in the dark with this dark man.
God, no. Please, Lord.
One horseman reined in his mount and turned around.
Katie held her breath. “Are you certain you want us all to leave? What if they catch up with you?”
“They won’t catch me in the dark. I don’t need a fire for what I have planned, and I don’t need an audience.”
“All right then. See you at camp, boss.”
The man rode off, taking with him Katie’s last hope of not being alone with Sloane. She quivered, knowing exactly how a rabbit felt caught in a snare. She searched for some way
of escape and wrestled with the rope that held her hands captive until it bit into her skin. The glint in Sloane’s eyes as he talked about his plans for her threatened to cut her fragile thread of control.
A chilling silence surrounded them and grew tight with tension. Sloane stared at the woods as if searching for someone, then finally faced her. A knot formed in her stomach as his gaze traveled over her.
Father, give me strength.
“You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of this moment while I spent those weeks in that rotten jail.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “Thoughts of having my way with you kept me going,” he said in a frigid whisper.
Sick to her stomach, Katie swallowed. Help me, Lord. Help me.
Though frightened beyond anything she’d ever experienced, Katie felt God’s peace surround her like a woolen cloak. Somehow, she’d make it through this night.
Sloane stood and shed his jacket. “You know, I never really wanted to marry you. I just needed your land—to fund my gambling operation up in Kansas. But by marrying you, I got you and your land—or would have if that stupid marshal turned bounty hunter hadn’t interfered. He’s next on my list—after I take care of you.”
Katie shuddered. She didn’t want to die but knew in her heart that her family would take care of Joey and raise him up properly. At the thought of never seeing Joey, Dusty, or her family again, tears coursed down her cheeks.
Her aunt had been right in saying that Dusty had saved her from marrying an outlaw. She shivered as Sloane unbuttoned his vest and dropped it on the ground. If only Dusty could save her again.
sixteen
Sloane yanked his shirttail from his trousers and began unbuttoning his shirt. Frantic, Katie tore with her teeth at the rope that held her bound. Maybe, just maybe, if she could get loose, she could put up a good fight. She was no longer the slow, cumbersome woman that he had known when she was with child.
Maybe she could stall and give Dusty more time to find her. “Why me? I mean, there are widows all over the Oklahoma Territory. Why did you choose me?”
Sloane’s arrogant chuckle resonated in the air and sent goose bumps charging up her arms. The cool breeze blew dust against her cheeks and made her shiver.
“I was in the right place at the right time. Saw you crossing the street in Claremont. You pulled off your hat and made an adjustment to it, and the sun glistened on that yellow hair of yours. At the same time, two women passed by me and muttered something about how it was a shame that you were a widow at such a young age.” He rubbed his finger over his thin mustache. “Didn’t take long to find out where you lived and learn your farm was for sale.”
Sloane turned his back to her, sauntered over to his horse, and took a slow drink from his canteen.
Katie struggled to her feet. If she couldn’t get her hands free, at least she could run. She looked to her left and then right as she tried to figure out the best direction to go. If she got far enough away, Sloane might not be able to find her once the sun set. She lunged to her right, away from her captor, but she stepped on the hem of her skirt and nearly fell. She glanced over her shoulder. Panic bolted through her.
Leaves crunched under his feet as Sloane stomped toward her, evil glimmering in his icy blue eyes. He grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around, and pulled her toward him. She shoved against his chest and felt a small victory when he winced from the abrasive rope scratching his skin.
He held her against him, Katie’s left arm crushed against the cold metal of a pistol in his waistband. If only she could get ahold of it, then maybe she’d have a chance.
Sloane grabbed her hair, which had long since come loose of its pins, and he yanked her head back. Katie grimaced from the pain.
“I like a woman who doesn’t give in easily.”
Katie quivered as his lips angled toward hers. Suddenly, she heard a click, and Sloane froze, his eyes wide open.
“Let that woman go—or you’re a dead man.”
Katie gasped at the sound of Dusty’s voice, low and calculated. She saw the indecision in Sloane’s eyes. Then he shoved her away so fast that she fell to the ground, landing on her backside.
Katie’s heart leaped at the sight of the man she loved standing there with his hat pulled low, pistol aimed at Sloane, and his duster flapping in the breeze, looking like a warrior.
“Get those hands up where I can see them.”
Sloane lifted his left hand, but ever so slowly, his right hand eased toward the weapon in his waistband.
“Look out! He’s got a gun!” Katie screamed.
Dusty glanced at her, and in that split second, Sloane grabbed his pistol and pointed it at her. Katie squeezed her eyes shut, certain she’d never see her baby again.
The nearby blast of a gun echoed in her ear, making her jump. She winced, waiting—expecting—to feel pain, but when she didn’t, she opened her eyes, taking in the scene before her.
Sloane lay on the ground, grasping his arm and cursing in pain. Mason and Jimmy stood beside him with their rifles pointed at him. Dusty stepped through a cloud of gun smoke and hurried to her side. He scooped her up in his arms and held her tight.
Tears of joy and relief streamed down Katie’s cheeks.
“I thought I’d lost you,” Dusty whispered in her ear.
He held her so tight Katie could barely breathe. “If you could untie me, I could hug you back properly.”
Dusty blinked in confusion, then looked at her hands. “Oh, sorry.” He gently set her down and pulled a knife from his boot. Ever so carefully, he slit the rope, freeing her hands. Katie rolled her shoulders, then rubbed her wrists while Dusty put away his knife.
“You’re bleeding.” He took her wrists and examined them, placing tiny kisses close to the scrapes.
Katie stepped into his arms, feeling safer than she ever had. This man she loved would protect her, even at the cost of his own life.
Jimmy started a fire while Uncle Mason tied up Sloane and tended to his wounds. Katie winced as Dusty dabbed a damp handkerchief on the scratches on her wrists. He hated that she’d been hurt but was so grateful to God that they found her before something worse had happened.
He kissed her wrists again; then they walked away from Sloane’s menacing gaze. Dusty kept a firm hold on Katie’s arm so that she didn’t stumble. When they were in the shadows but could still see the light of the campfire, he stopped and turned her to face him.
“I knew you’d come.” Katie’s breath was warm against his cheeks. “I prayed you would find me.”
Dusty ran his hand over her head and down to her soft cheek. “I couldn’t stand the thought that Sloane had you. I’d have searched the whole nation to find you.”
Dusty gently pulled Katie against his chest and laid his cheek on her hair. “I love you, Katie.”
She leaned back and looked up at him. He could barely make out the right side of her face, illuminated by the campfire. She gazed at him for a long while. “I love you, too, Dusty. I’ve tried not to, but I can’t help it. But that doesn’t mean there’s a future for us. I can’t marry a man who doesn’t love God and doesn’t put the Lord first in his life.”
Despite her words, hope soared in his chest, and love for this woman made his knees weak. He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I made peace with God, isn’t it?”
Katie gasped. “What? You did?”
Dusty nodded. “Yes. I had a long talk with Mason. I realized that he and I were in the same boat: Both of us lost our wives due to tragic circumstances. Mason had been angry with God for a time, just like I was. I didn’t think God would forgive me for walking away from Him when things got tough. But Mason had done the same thing, and if God could forgive him, He could forgive me.”
Katie fell into his arms. “Oh, Dusty, you don’t know how happy that makes me. I longed for you to make peace with God and to lose your anger over Emily’s death.”
Dusty chuckled. “I guess I owe Sloane a big than
k-you.”
Katie leaned back but didn’t step out of his arms. “Why ever for?”
“If I hadn’t found Sloane at your house like I did, I’d probably never have met you.”
“Oh!”
He placed his hands on Katie’s cheeks. “I’m going to kiss you now—unless you don’t want me to.”
Proving she had no objections, she leaned forward. His lips touched her velvet-soft lips, and Dusty’s pulse leaped as if he’d been plugged into one of those new electric lights. Katie’s arms went around his neck and pulled him closer. She kissed him back with a promise of their future together. Too soon, he pulled back, his breath ragged.
Katie touched his cheek. “I love you so much, Dusty.”
He wanted to stand there and kiss her all night but was afraid her brother and uncle might shoot him like one of them had Sloane. “I love you, too, Katie. Is it too soon to ask you to marry me again?”
She shook her head no and opened her mouth to respond, but he placed his finger over her lips.
“Before you answer, there’s a condition.”
Katie’s eyebrows dipped. “What condition?”
“That you don’t run away this time.”
Her lips parted in a wide grin. “I can assure you, that won’t happen. In fact, you’ll have a difficult time getting away from me. I would love nothing more than to marry you.”
He kissed her again and then reluctantly escorted her back to the camp. Mason and Jimmy strode forward and enveloped Katie in a hug. Mason glanced over her head and looked at Dusty with a questioning gaze. Dusty couldn’t hold back his grin, and he nodded his head to let Mason know Katie had agreed to marry him.
seventeen
Dusty’s heart pounded as he rode into Sanders Creek. The last time he’d been in his hometown was the day his life had changed forever. But he knew in order to move on and begin a new life with Katie, he had to close the door on his past life—and the only way to do that was to return to Sanders Creek.
A Bounty Hunter and the Bride Page 13
