Cilla looked as though she wanted to argue some more, but Lucy stepped forward. “I can do most of the work, Cilla. Brynne won’t have to do much. We can do this.”
Brynne stood. “I’m not asking you, Cilla. I’m telling you. So I suggest you get used to the idea. We leave in three hours.” She turned and left the room, Lucy following.
Cilla slumped in a chair and let her head fall onto the table with a quiet thump. Leo stood behind her. She was like a skittish horse. He was afraid if he made any sudden movements he’d spook her and she’d be off. Or worse, she’d kick out and injure some vital part of his anatomy. Finally, he pulled up a chair and sat beside her.
“I can’t lose them.” She twisted her head to look at him but didn’t raise it from the table. “I can’t lose them,” she said again.
“You won’t.”
“A bunch of cattle aren’t worth their lives. We should just let it go.”
Leo frowned. “Since when do you not want to fight?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“Maybe I’m tired of fighting, Leo. I’m just…tired. Of everything. And if I lose them, then what was the point?”
He leaned forward, brushed a lock of hair back from her face. “You won’t lose them. I will do everything in my power to keep all of you safe.”
Cilla’s brow furrowed. “Why? Why are you helping us? It can’t just be because we promised to look for Jake, because we were doing that anyway. Why are you still here?”
Leo didn’t answer right away. He wasn’t sure he wanted to examine his feelings too closely. Not yet, anyway. He asked his own questions instead.
“Why do you do it? Fight against Frank? Risk your lives for the townsfolk? Why not just pack up and leave?”
Cilla shook her head and sat up. “What would happen to the people we help? We can’t leave them to Frank’s mercy.”
“They aren’t your responsibility.”
“If we don’t help them, who will?”
Leo smiled. “Exactly.”
Cilla frowned again and Leo reached out and trailed his thumb across her furrowed forehead, traced the scar. “If I don’t help you, who will?”
Cilla took his hand from her face, held it in her own.
“Do we need the cattle?” he asked. He knew they did. The animals brought in revenue, both for the sisters and the townspeople they helped. But Cilla needed reminding of that, a reminder of what was at stake. And even in the short time he’d known her, he knew she’d be more amenable to the situation if she came to her own conclusions.
She sighed. “Yes. We do.”
“Then let’s go steal us some cattle.”
Cilla gave him a faint smile, but didn’t release his hand. “Brynne and Lucy…”
“They will be fine, Cilla,” he said, squeezing her hand. “We’ll be the ones in danger. They just have to distract a few dumb men into away.”
Cilla snorted. “We’ll be dealing with a few dumb beasts of our own.”
Leo laughed and stood, pulling Cilla with him. “Let’s get to it.” He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.
Brynne came back into the room. Her eyes flicked to Cilla and Leo’s still joined hands, and Cilla quickly let go. A smile tugged at Brynne’s lips, but she didn’t say anything.
“Everything settled?” she asked.
Cilla and Leo nodded.
“All right.” Brynne tossed Cilla her hat. “Let’s go get our cattle.”
…
Cilla, Leo, and Miguel sat in the dark, just inside a copse of trees nearest the pen where the Richardson cattle were corralled. Carmen had been delegated to stay behind and keep an eye on the ranch. Cilla wanted someone at the house in case Brynne or Lucy needed help when they returned. Or God forbid, needed medical attention. She sent up a quick prayer that all would go according to plan.
Maynard pranced nervously. She tried to calm him, but the horse was echoing her own tension. Only four men were guarding the cattle. Cilla wasn’t sure if she should be offended by that or not. On the one hand, Frank felt sufficiently threatened that he put guards on cattle. On the other hand, he only had four men keeping watch, and they didn’t look like the sharpest tools in the shed.
The plan was simple enough. As soon as Brynne and Lucy created a distraction, Leo and Cilla would release the cattle from their pen and herd them up into the northern pasture, which was a nice spot tucked up the mountain, close enough to keep an eye on but far enough away that it would be a nuisance for Frank to come after them again.
Not that he’d have the opportunity. Cilla doubted the theft of the cattle had been the reason behind the fire at the ranch. Rather, Frank had seen another way to make their lives miserable and had decided to jump on it. She couldn’t imagine even he’d be dumb enough to purposely go after their livestock. No one would stand for such brazen rustling, no matter how powerful he was.
Still, Cilla would be glad when this was over. She didn’t like Brynne and Lucy being out there. If they were caught…Cilla shuddered, refusing to think of it.
“There,” Leo whispered. He gestured.
Cilla looked to where he pointed at a spark of fire arcing in the sky, quickly followed by another.
“Get ready,” Cilla whispered back.
The flaming arrows landed in one of the corn cribs and ignited. Two more arrows flew through the air, striking the hay shed on the other side of the slaughterhouse. Within minutes, twin fires were blazing and men were scattering, splitting to battle the flames.
The men guarding the cattle ran back and forth, not sure if they should help with the blazing infernos or if they should stay with the cattle they were charged with guarding. Finally, two of them ran off, leaving two behind. Cilla glanced at Leo and nodded at the thug on the right. Leo kicked his horse into action. Cilla rode out in the opposite direction while Miguel headed straight for the pen’s gates.
The men didn’t know what hit them. By the time they’d registered that horses were barreling toward them in the dark, they were on the ground, lumps forming on their heads.
Cilla began swatting at the rumps of the cattle in the back while Leo and Miguel led those already free of their pen. Within moments, the herd was on the move. Unfortunately, their cattle had been mixed in with some of Frank’s herd, though by the size of the crowd, it didn’t seem to be many. They had a contingency plan in place for that, though. They wouldn’t give Frank the satisfaction of branding them as cattle thieves. All it would take would be one animal with his brand to be found in their pastures and he’d have them. So they’d make sure only their own animals made it home.
But they’d have to get the animals away from the ranch before they could separate them. It was too risky to do it on site.
A shout rang out across the yard and sent a bolt of fear straight into Cilla’s heart. Two men peeled off from the darkness and headed straight toward Miguel and Leo.
Cilla tried to make her way to them without getting trampled by the spooked cattle that swarmed around her. Her warning cry was cut short as a third man she hadn’t seen came out of nowhere. A big, meaty fist slammed into her jaw and nearly knocked her from her mount. She managed to hang on, but just barely.
She touched the gun at her waist, but didn’t pull it. The last thing she wanted to do was fire a weapon in the midst of the already startled cattle. If it didn’t cause a stampede, it would certainly alert the men battling the fire that something was going on.
Instead, she grasped her riding crop and when the man came at her again, she swung that stick like a mama bear swatting at a beehive. Cilla wasn’t sure where it struck, but it hit hard enough to make her arm numb clear to the shoulder. The man howled and toppled from his horse.
Cilla could vaguely make out the outlines of the other men on their horses across the herd. She needed to get the animals under control before they hurt themselves, or the riders being swept along with them. It took a few minutes, but she managed to start herding the cattle in the right direction. She kept an eye out for m
ore of Frank’s men and when a shadowed rider barreled up to her, she swung her riding crop again, figuring it was better to strike first than be sorry later.
“Whoa, there!” Leo said, catching her arm before she could bring the crop down on his head.
“Sorry!”
“You okay?”
“Yes. Miguel?”
“He’s fine. Let’s get these animals moved out before the rest of them find out what we are up to.”
Cilla couldn’t agree more. They split up and drove the herd away from Frank’s burning outbuildings as fast as they could get the lumbering beasts to move.
An hour later, they had reached their rendezvous point. Miguel lit the torch that they had in wait while Leo and Cilla began to drive the cattle one at a time through the narrow gap they’d made in the fence. They checked the brand on each animal, singling out the ones with Frank’s mark. As she suspected, he’d mixed a few of his own animals in with their herd. A dozen, when all was said and done. They left Frank’s cattle to wander. They’d either find their way back to their barn or Frank’s men would round them up. Either way, Cilla couldn’t be accused of stealing them.
Cilla nudged Maynard through the gap in the fence, Miguel close behind.
They led the cattle slowly through the countryside. It was dangerous taking them at night, but they had to get them far enough away that anyone pursuing them wouldn’t immediately find them. Easier said than done when leading a group of slow-moving, stubborn animals.
They stopped after several hours and took turns keeping watch. Cilla took care to stay as far from Leo as she could. She volunteered for the first shift and ended up staying awake through the second as well, deciding to keep Miguel company rather than sleep near the fire…and Leo. She only lay down to rest when it was Leo’s turn to keep watch over the herd.
After a miserable night, Cilla, Miguel, and Leo returned home, cattle in tow. Once there, Cilla ignored Brynne’s concern and Lucy’s questions. She went straight to her bed and slept clear through the next day.
For once, her sleep was deep and dreamless.
Chapter Thirteen
Frank had been uncharacteristically quiet. And it was making Cilla anxious. Waiting for him to make his move was making everyone irritable. Like they needed any more reason to be tiptoeing around each other.
Cilla went out of her way to make sure she and Leo were never alone, which was proving quite the feat since Brynne and Lucy seemed equally determined to toss them together whenever possible. If they came up with one more task that the two of them just had to perform together, Cilla was going to scream.
They hadn’t spoken again of what had happened that night in the field. They’d spent a few tense days avoiding each other’s gazes, but by the time the bruise on Leo’s jaw had turned a lovely shade of yellow, he was back to trying to get Cilla to spill every private thought she’d ever had. The man was like a locust, absolutely determined to devour her whole if she let him. And she was equally determined he’d never get that close to her again.
Unfortunately, her own mind and body were just as traitorous as her sisters. Cilla found her thoughts focused on Leo to an uncomfortable degree, her gaze following him wherever he went. Whenever one of them entered a room, their eyes inevitably searched for one another until they locked with an intensity that made her knees weak.
Cilla didn’t know how much more she could take. Something was building between them and she very much feared another explosion was on the horizon, one she might not be able to contain. And then they’d be fixed, for sure.
Luckily, there was plenty of good hard labor that needed doing around the ranch. Her only salvation came from working herself into a state of exhaustion so complete she collapsed into her bed every night, too tuckered out to even dream.
The sight of horses riding into the courtyard pulled her from her thoughts.
Frank! What was that bastard doing here?
Cilla dropped her rake and sprinted for the courtyard, reaching it just as Brynne came out on the porch, wiping her hands on the apron spread across her enormous belly.
Lucy and Leo came out of the barn where they’d been repairing a stall door that Maynard had kicked through. Cilla sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Leo was there as he took up a protective stance next to Brynne. Cilla flanked Brynne’s other side, while Miguel and Carmen hovered near Lucy.
Frank dismounted and strode to the trio on the porch.
“Frank,” Brynne said, positioning her body so it effectively barred the doorway. “What do you want?”
The sneer spreading across his face filled Cilla with revulsion, but she kept her mouth closed. For the moment.
“I need the three of you to come down to my office.”
“Why on earth would we do that?” Cilla asked, her tenuous hold on her good behavior slipping.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll arrest you for obstructing my investigation.”
“Into what?” Leo demanded, stepping slightly in front of Brynne.
“The murder of the Hudner family from the Ridge.”
Lucy gasped and darted forward. “What do you mean, murder? They’re dead? All of them?”
“Yes,” Frank said, his gaze roaming over each of the sisters. His lips pulled into a grin as if he were delivering good news rather than relaying the horrific details that spilled from his mouth. “Their throats were slit. All of them, even the baby’s.”
“That’s a tragedy, to be sure,” Leo said. His voice was thick with emotion, though his face showed no sign of it. “But what does that have to do with my wife and her sisters?”
“We have good reason to believe that these heinous murders were committed by the notorious Blood Blade. And since my ill-advised sisters are rumored to be known associates of his…”
Lucy moved to lunge at Frank, but Cilla grabbed her arm just in time. “Blood Blade would never do such a thing!”
“And you have no proof that your sisters are associates of his, Frank. You said yourself they are only rumored to be. Even if they were, they had nothing to do with this.”
“It would be nice if I could just take your word, wouldn’t it? But it wouldn’t be fair to those poor souls who were robbed of their lives if I turned a blind eye to the evidence just because you are my sisters.”
“What evidence?” Leo and Cilla demanded in unison.
“We’ll discuss it at my office. Now let’s go.”
“No,” Leo said, stepping in front of Brynne and grasping Cilla’s arm to pull her behind him as well. Cilla yanked herself from his grip but didn’t do anything rash. They hadn’t been back to the Ridge since the night they’d delivered the money pouch. What could Frank possibly have on them?
Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.
“All right, Frank,” she said, stepping out from behind Leo. “I’ll go into town with you. There isn’t any need for Lucy or Brynne to come along. Brynne is in no condition to be traveling anywhere and Lucy is too young to be involved in anything.”
Frank thought it over for a moment, his beady eyes darting between the sisters. Finally, he nodded. “All right. You’ll do for now.”
“No!” Leo grabbed her arm again, preventing her from following Frank off the porch.
“There’s no harm in letting him ask me a few questions. I have nothing to hide.” Cilla tried to pull her arm from Leo’s grasp, but he held tight.
“If you are going, then I’m coming with you,” he insisted.
Cilla was going to argue but before she could say a word, Brynne piped in. “Thank you, Leo. I’ll feel much better if you accompany her.”
Frank didn’t look pleased, but he had no good reason to argue. The fact that Leo’s presence disgruntled Frank dried up any further arguments Cilla had been about to make. Anything that busted Frank’s britches was fine by her.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Frank waited until Cilla and Leo were mounted before giving Brynne and Lucy a mocking tip of
his hat and mounting his own horse to follow his party out of the courtyard.
A grueling two hours later, Leo and Cilla left the sheriff’s office and remounted their horses to head back to the ranch. Frank had nothing on them, or Blood Blade, rather. Nothing concrete, in any case. He did have a witness who had seen someone riding away from the cabin. And the flowers that had been left at the well, though, of course Frank made no mention of the money. But even Frank knew he didn’t have a case.
But it seemed as if he didn’t need to. As Cilla walked out of the sheriff’s office, she felt the eyes of the townspeople on her, boring into her. Confused, some accusing, some wary. Frank had sown the seeds. False or not, his accusations had done their damage.
The townspeople watched them as they left. They were subdued, but for the most part, not overtly unfriendly. Perhaps Frank’s plan would come to nothing. After all, Blood Blade had never been violent and had helped the majority of those whose eyes followed them on their way out of town. But no one spoke out to support them as they had when Bobby had been found.
Still, no one was calling for their blood just yet. Their eyes were afraid, full of sorrow and anger, though Cilla didn’t think it was directed at them. Yet. Hopefully, the townspeople were still on Blood Blade’s side. For now.
But how long would that last if more people died, if more murders were placed at Blood Blade’s door? That poor family. The thought of the horror that had happened to them destroyed a piece of her. The fact that Frank was trying to pin it on Blood Blade was terrifying.
“He did it, didn’t he?” Cilla asked Leo, her voice so quiet and restrained she almost didn’t recognize it. “In order to frame Blood Blade, he killed those poor people. Even the children.”
Leo didn’t answer for a moment, and when he did, his voice was even more muted than her own. “Yes, I think he probably did.”
“Then it’s my fault.”
“No!” Leo reached over and grabbed her reins, pulling both their horses to a halt. “Frank is a murderous, greedy, insane son of a bitch. And his actions have nothing to do with you.”
Blood Blade Sisters Series (Entangled Scandalous) Page 13
