by Connie Mason
Chad barely gave Jackson a passing glance. “I’ve got my own problems, Jackson. You brought this on yourself, now get yourself out of it.”
A twinge of conscience smote Chad. He knew what was going to happen to Jackson, but there was nothing he could do about it. Whether or not Jackson was turned over to the law for the bounty, the outlaw would face the hangman for his crimes. The man would die one way or another. It was the torture Chad didn’t condone. Nevertheless, Jackson was no longer his concern. He no longer needed the bounty.
Sarah had dressed but was still pale when Chad entered the lodge. She could tell by his frown that things hadn’t gone as he wished with Spotted Deer and Cunning Wolf.
“Gather your things, sweetheart, I’m taking you with me,” Chad said without preamble.
Sarah’s face lit up. “Thank God! I’ll go get Abner.”
Chad stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Sarah, listen to me. You’re free to leave with me, but Abner has to stay here until I return with the cows. You’re ill. You need a doctor.”
Sarah collapsed against his chest. She said nothing for several long minutes. Then she lifted her head and glared at him. “You know I won’t leave without Abner. If he stays, so do I. Besides, my illness isn’t serious. It will pass soon.” In about seven months, if she wasn’t mistaken. “Hurry back, Chad, please hurry back.”
Frustration stabbed at Chad. Sarah was ill, she needed to return home so she could receive proper care. There had to be some way to convince her to leave. Her pallor and gauntness were even more apparent in the light of day than they had been last night. What would fourteen days of cold and exposure do to her state of health? he wondered. The answer frightened him.
“The Indians won’t hurt Abner,” Chad argued. “You saw how they dote on him. I’ve already explained the situation to Abner and he’s willing. He’s a brave little boy.”
“No, Chad, I can’t leave Abner. We‘ll both wait for you.”
Chad seized her shoulders, giving her a little shake. “I love Abner. He’s as dear to me as he is to you. I’m convinced he’ll be fine during our absence.”
His words were for his own sake as much as for Sarah’s peace of mind. He was fairly positive that Abner would fare well with the Indians but unforeseen things could always happen. The boy could sicken and die, he could be attacked by a wolf or bear, he could be caught in a confrontation between Cunning Wolf and the army.
“Forget it, Chad,” Sarah said. Her firm little chin jutted out stubbornly. “I’m not going anywhere without Abner.”
Chad’s response came from his fear for Sarah and a spontaneous reaction to that fear. He gave Sarah a sad smile, said, “Forgive me, sweetheart,” then clipped her on the jaw. Not hard enough to do her permanent damage, but solid enough to render her unconscious.
Chapter 18
The Indians had saddled horses for both Chad and Sarah. One parfleche filled with trail food and another with water were tied to Chad’s saddle. Bedrolls had also been provided. Spotted Deer didn’t seem surprised when Chad ducked out of the tipi carrying Sarah. She was still unconscious. He had pulled on her coat and wrapped her in a blanket to protect her from the cold.
“It was the only way,” Chad shrugged, sensing Spotted Deer’s curiosity. “Sarah is a stubborn woman. But heed me well, Spotted Deer. If any harm comes to Abner, there will be hell to pay. I expect you to persuade your father to cease raiding in my absence. I’ll do my part. I’ll try to convince Major Dalton that I saw your people returning to the reservation. I want the camp safe from attack while I’m gone.”
“It will be as you say,” Spotted Deer agreed. “Take this and go before your woman awakens,” she said, handing him a small pouch. “It’s an herbal remedy for Sarah’s sickness. Brew a small amount of the herb in boiling water and feed it to her.”
Chad nodded his thanks as Spotted Deer stepped back to allow a warrior to take Sarah from his arms so he could mount. Then Chad took Sarah up before him, settling her across his thighs as the warrior tied the leading reins of Sarah’s horse to Chad’s saddle.
Chad was relieved that Abner hadn’t witnessed his departure. It wasn’t exactly the kind of leave-taking Chad had planned, but he was determined to take Sarah with him and this was the only way she would go. In fourteen days, less if he could manage it, he’d have Abner, too. God, he hated to leave the lad. It nearly tore him apart. But he felt secure in the knowledge that the Indians loved the boy and wouldn’t harm him.
Jackson and Sanchez were another matter altogether. If they were still alive when he returned, he intended to convince Cunning Wolf to release them so he could turn them over to the law. Chad didn’t know much about Indians and their customs, except that they followed their own laws and doled out punishment according to the crime. He didn’t envy Freddie Jackson.
Sarah began showing signs of regaining consciousness about an hour later. She moaned softly and her eyes fluttered open. It took but a few moments for her to realize where she was and what had happened.
“You hit me!” she charged, glaring at him.
“It was for your own good.”
“Where are we?”
“Several miles from Cunning Wolf’s camp. You’ve been out for over an hour.”
“Damn you! You know I would never have left Abner behind. What kind of a man are you?”
“One who loves you. I love Abner, too.”
“You could have fooled me,” Sarah shot back. “Stop! I’m going back.”
“Be reasonable, love. Fresh snow has covered our tracks and you’ll never find your way back. Besides, I need you to help me convince Major Dalton that Cunning Wolf has returned to the reservation. It’s vital for Abner’s safety that the army discontinue their search for Cunning Wolf. If they find him, Abner could be hurt in the melee.”
“I hate you,” Sarah hissed.
Chad winced. He couldn’t blame her for feeling as she did, but she could at least give him credit for doing what he felt was best for everyone.
“Hate me all you want, Sarah, but you’re still not going back. I haven’t the time to take you back now. Abner really will be in trouble if I don’t get those cows to Cunning Wolf in the allotted two weeks.”
“Bastard!” Sarah blurted out, obviously distraught. “You don’t love me and you don’t love Abner. I’ll never forgive you for this. Abner needs me. He probably thinks we both abandoned him.”
“I spoke with the boy, sweetheart. He understands, even if you don’t. How do you feel?” he asked, deftly changing the subject.
“Like hell, and it’s all your fault.” She struggled against him. “Let me down. I’ll find my way back without you.”
“Stop fighting, Sarah. You’re slowing us down and time is against us. You can ride your own horse if you settle down and accept that I’m not going to let you return. I asked you a question. How do you feel?”
“I answered your question. Like hell. My stomach is doing somersaults and I feel lightheaded. Does that satisfy you?”
“It’s little wonder. You haven’t eaten anything this morning. When we stop to rest the horses I’ll brew some tea from the herbs Spotted Deer gave me. She said they’d relieve your symptoms. I wish to hell I knew what was wrong with you.”
“I’m pregnant!” Sarah shouted angrily.
Chad reined in sharply. The expression he wore was a mixture of shock and pleasure. “You’re having my baby? That’s what’s wrong with you?”
Sarah didn’t bother to reply.
“Dammit, Sarah, this is serious. Thank God I took you away from Cunning Wolf’s camp when I did. Did you know you were pregnant when you left the ranch?”
Sarah shook her head. “Even if I did, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
“In other words, my child doesn’t mean anything to you.”
“That’s not what I said and you know it. I’d never do anything to harm my unborn child. I don’t even know if you want this baby.”
“You’re going to be my
wife. Of course I want our child. I promised Abner that we’re going to be a family and I meant it”
“I’m not so sure marrying you would be a good thing,” Sarah said. “I can’t trust you, Chad. You aren’t the man I thought you were.”
“I’m glad I brought you away with me. I’d do it again, knowing what I do now. You need rest, good food, and the services of a doctor. You’ll have them at the ranch. I want us to have a healthy baby, love.”
“I’m no longer sure there’s going to be an us!”
Sarah fumed in silent rage. She wanted to rant at Chad but he seemed disinclined to argue.
“I want to ride my own horse,” Sarah said.
“Very well, but only if you promise not to bolt back to Cunning Wolf’s camp. We need to get home as soon as possible.”
Sarah realized the wisdom of Chad’s words, but they didn’t make her any less resentful. She wanted to withhold her promise, but knew Chad wouldn’t hesitate to follow her if she took off on her own. Ultimately her rashness could hurt Abner. She feared for Abner’s life should Chad fail to return with the cows in the allotted time.
“I promise,” Sarah said, glaring at Chad.
Chad dismounted, then helped Sarah from his horse and onto hers. “We have to make up for lost time,” he told her. “I’ll set the pace. If you can’t keep up or feel ill, be sure and let me know.”
Sarah nodded grimly as Chad kneed Flint forward. They rode for several hours. By the time Chad called a halt to rest the horses, Sarah was reeling in the saddle. She was pale as death. Had she food in her stomach, she would have lost it long ago.
Chad retrieved his bedroll and placed it on the ground for Sarah to sit on. Her pallor frightened him and he remembered the sack of herbs Spotted Deer gave him. In minutes he had gathered a handful of dry twigs and started a fire in a pit he’d scraped out of the snow. He heated snow in the beat up coffeepot he carried with his supplies and added a pinch of dried herbs to the boiling water. He let it steep a few minutes, then poured it into a battered mug and handed it to Sarah.
“Here, drink this. If it settles your stomach, you can try a piece of Indian bread and some jerky later. Later I’ll hunt for fresh meat for our supper.”
Sarah stared at the dark liquid with aversion. “How do I know Spotted Deer isn’t trying to poison me?”
“You don’t. But I think she realized you were pregnant and was trying to help. Indians have been using remedies like this since before whites came to America. I don’t think she’d poison you. If she did, she’d have me to deal with.”
He offered her the cup and Sarah took it between her palms. The warmth was comforting. She held it a moment before lifting it to her lips and drinking deeply.
“Let me know when you feel like you can eat something,” Chad said. “You’re as thin as a rail.”
He settled down beside her, placing his arms around her in an attempt to shield her from the wind. She stiffened against him and pulled away. She was still too angry with him to suffer his touch. Continuing to sip the tea, Sarah was amazed that it actually did seem to settle her stomach. By the time the cup was drained, she was ready to attempt the bread and jerky. She really was hungry. For the past few days she’d been afraid to eat food she didn’t recognize.
“I think I can eat something now,” she told Chad.
Chad gave her a grin and a hug and handed her a stick of jerky and a piece of bread. She bit off a tiny hunk of bread, gnawed at the jerky, swallowed, and waited for her stomach to rebel. When it didn’t, she finished off every morsel Chad had placed in her hands.
“Do you want more?” Chad asked. “It looks to be bringing some color into your cheeks.”
“Not now.”
“Then I reckon we’d best be on our way. I hope Major Dalton hasn’t moved his camp.”
He helped Sarah to mount, jumped astride his own horse, and broke a trail through the snow. Sarah followed close behind. They continued on until dusk, then Chad found shelter beneath a protected ledge and placed their bedrolls side by side in front of the fire he had built for warmth. Then he wandered off, returning a short time later with two plump rabbits. That night they dined on roasted rabbit, washing it down with strong coffee. When Sarah offered to clean up, Chad declined. He finished up quickly and joined Sarah, who was already half-asleep.
Chad rolled over to take her into his arms, frowning when she resisted. When he persisted, she pushed him away. “I don’t want you to touch me, Chad. I don’t even like you anymore.”
“You don’t mean that, sweetheart. You’re angry right now, but that will change when Abner is back with us again. It won’t be long, you’ll see.”
“No, Chad, I don’t see. All I know is that you took me away from my son.”
“An Indian camp is no place for a pregnant woman. You’re no strapping Indian squaw who can drop a baby and walk ten miles in the same day. You’re delicate and more fragile than you think.”
Now Sarah really was angry. “I’m not at all delicate. I’m strong. How do you think I survived all these years?” She didn’t appreciate Chad’s assumption that she was weak simply because she was a woman.
“Why can’t you understand my concern for you? I love you, for God’s sake! Your pregnancy makes you doubly precious to me. I’d die if anything happened to you or to our child.” When he withdrew his arms from around her, she suddenly felt cold.
“Your judgment is flawed,” Sarah charged.
“Very well, Sarah, if that’s the way you want it. But I’m not going to let you pull away from me. Go to sleep. Tomorrow promises to be a long day. Pray that it doesn’t snow.”
Chad arose before Sarah, brewed her tea, and made her drink it before she was fully awake. A few minutes later her stomach was settled enough to accept a hunk of dry bread.
“I hope Major Dalton is still camped nearby,” Chad said as he helped Sarah to mount.
“Maybe he has taken his men back to the fort,” Sarah replied hopefully.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
As it turned out, they found out sooner than expected. They met Major Dalton’s column late that afternoon, heading in the direction of Cunning Wolf’s camp. Dalton halted his troops and waited for Chad and Sarah to approach.
“Delaney,” Dalton greeted, “we meet again. And I see you found your fiancéee. I must admit, I had my doubts. I’m sorry about the boy. By now he’s probably out of my jurisdiction. I’ll wire authorities to be on the lookout for him when I return to Fort Ellis. They might be able to intercept Jackson”
“Much obliged. Major,” Chad said evenly. He didn’t want to let on that he knew where Abner was. A confrontation between Cunning Wolf and the army could end in disaster for the boy. Sarah would never forgive him if that were to happen.
“Has your mission been successful?” Chad asked.
“Almost. We found Yellow Dog a few days ago and convinced him to return to the reservation. We located Snake just yesterday. He was a little harder to convince, but he finally saw it our way. It won’t be long before we track down Cunning Wolf and send him back where he belongs.”
Chad sent Sarah a silent warning when she made a strangled sound deep in her throat. “That won’t be necessary, Major. We ran into Cunning Wolf and his people yesterday. They appeared to be headed back to the reservation. We hid behind some rocks until they passed so they wouldn’t see us.”
“Are you sure?” Dalton asked sharply.
“As sure as I can be. There appeared to be sickness within their tribe. Perhaps they were going back to seek medical help from the reservation doctor or from their own medicine man.”
“Sickness? Could it be smallpox?” The men behind him stirred uneasily. “The disease has been spreading like wildfire among the Indians. Few of my men have had smallpox themselves and are scared to death of it. Are you sure of what you saw?”
“I know what I saw,” Chad lied. It seemed as if he’d hit a raw nerve when he’d mentioned illness.
“Did you see the same thing, Miss Temple? Was Cunning Wolf heading back to the reservation with his sick?”
Sarah wasn’t very good at lying. She always stuttered when she did. “I… yes, I mean, it appeared th-that way.”
Dalton appeared not to notice her hesitation as he mulled over the information he’d just been given.
“If what you say is true, I think we can safely assume that Cunning Wolf will cause us no more trouble. Smallpox is a terrible disease, it could decimate his entire tribe. I think I’m justified in taking my men back to the fort. I don’t want to expose them unnecessarily to disease. Can we assist you and your fiancéee in any way, Delaney?”
“Much obliged, Major, but we’ll be home in a day or two, providing the weather cooperates.”
“Good luck to you,” Dalton said. “I hope you find your son, Miss Temple.” Reining his horse around, he returned to the head of his patrol.
Sarah nearly collapsed with relief. “At least we don’t have to worry about a clash between Dalton’s troops and Cunning Wolf.”
“No, but we have something else to worry about,” Chad said, glancing up at the lowering sky.
Sarah followed Chad’s gaze, gasping in dismay when she saw ominous dark clouds gathering below towering snow-capped mountain peaks. New snowfall could slow them down, preventing Chad from meeting the deadline set by Cunning Wolf.
That night they slept in a cavelike opening carved out between two boulders. This time Sarah didn’t protest when Chad took her into his arms. She was so cold she didn’t think she’d ever be warm again. Although she was grateful for the fire Chad had built, and the shelter he had found, she still found it difficult to forgive him. Oh, she knew his motivation, but that still didn’t make it right. Chad might think she was going to marry him but Sarah was no longer sure it was what she wanted. It had taken her a long time to learn to trust Chad and he had damaged their tenuous relationship, perhaps irrevocably.
The world around them was clothed in white when they awakened the next morning. Sarah gazed around her in wonder. The earth appeared new and pristine, almost like a rebirth. How could anything so beautiful be so treacherous?
