by Ana Leigh
“And I have to admit that being in that hayloft with you sounds considerably more exciting than the church pew and children. But, Colt, since you came to Arena Roja we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. Is making love the only way you see me? Surely by now your view of me goes beyond merely having sex.”
“Doesn’t making love, by its own definition, go far beyond having sex? Men, prostitutes, animals have sex. It’s an act of nature. Making love combines that natural act with an emotional one. So yes, when I first saw you, I wanted to have sex with you, and now—”
Dammit! He had backed himself into a corner. She was one beautiful woman, but he’d been around women enough to know it took more than that to fall in love. He liked being with her, he liked teasing her, he liked her sense of humor, her loyalty to others. He loved the sound of her laughter, her smile. He admired her courage and fortitude. He thought about her constantly. But that was because he wanted to go to bed with her—so that wasn’t love.
“And now?” she asked expectantly. Despite the softness of her tone, the question echoed like the boom of thunder.
“And now I think of nothing but making love to you.”
She felt an incredible joy, along with equal disbelief. “Are you saying you’ve fallen in love with me?”
“I’ve never been in love before, so I’m not certain what I’m feeling.”
“Except that you’re certain that you want to make love to me.” Smiling, Cassie closed her eyes, the sound of his voice as soothing as a lullaby.
Well, he’d done enough damage for one day—and made a fool of himself doing so. Colt finished his coffee and rose to his feet. “I guess I better get going.”
When she didn’t move, he realized she had drifted into sleep.
He bent down and carefully lifted her into his arms, carried her into the bedroom, and gently lowered her to the bed.
For a few seconds, Colt stared down hungrily at the seductive picture she made, with her mass of auburn hair a spectacular contrast against the pillowcase. Unable to resist the temptation, he leaned over and pressed a light kiss to her lips. He remained bent above her sleeping figure, studying the serenity in the face that had filled his days and nights from the first moment they’d met.
“I looked, Cassie, but I didn’t touch,” he whispered tenderly, and pulled up the blanket and covered her with loving care.
He couldn’t leave her alone here with the doors and windows unlatched, so he grabbed a pillow off the bed and returned to the living room. Then he latched the door, lay down on the rug, tucked the pillow under his head, and fell asleep—with visions of a hayloft dancing in his mind.
Chapter 20
Cassie slowly awoke, yawned, and drowsily swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She stopped short when she discovered she was still clothed in the same skirt and blouse she’d worn last night. Come to think of it, she couldn’t even remember going to bed. She pinched her arm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming and tried to recall what had happened. She remembered Colt being there and admitting he wanted to make love to her…“Good Lord!” she cried as she bolted to her feet and rushed out of the room.
The living room was empty, but there was a bed pillow on the floor in front of the fireplace. Then she smelled the unmistakable fragrance of freshly brewed coffee. A pot was sitting on the stove.
Apparently Colt must have spent the night on the floor in front of the fireplace and brewed the coffee before he’d left this morning.
The man was very thoughtful, but she wished he’d wakened her. She would have ridden back with him.
Cassie poured herself a cup and leaned back against the counter, thinking about their conversation last night.
There was no sense in trying to fool herself any longer how she felt about him—she was in love with him. But she knew it would be a bittersweet romance, because the ending was inevitable. Apparently she was doomed to a life of watching the man she loved ride away. She should have had enough sense not to let herself get in this position.
Desolate, she strolled outside. It looked like another day of bright blue sky wih patches of white clouds. At least the earth hadn’t turned topsy-turvy just because her world had.
“Good morning.”
Startled, she spun around. Colt had just crested the hill, and he held up two trout. “Hate to say this, Miz Braden, but you make a pretty poor hostess. Not only do you fall asleep in the middle of a guest’s sentence, but then you expect him to get up the next morning and catch his own breakfast.”
“Thank you, Colt. Here, let me. That’s woman’s work,” she said, when he started to scale the fish on a nearby stump of a tree.
“Really? And here you had me convinced that there’s no division of labor between a man and woman on a ranch.”
“I admit there are a couple.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t hunt b’ar and I don’t chew tobaccy.”
Laughing, he relinquished the fish to her.
And Cassie’s world had just gotten a lot brighter.
Upon returning to Arena Roja, Cassie went directly to her house, and Colt took the horses to the livery.
“I see you met up with Cassie,” Jeff said as he began to unsaddle Midnight. “Figured she and the kids would stay at the ranch for a couple days.” He chuckled. “Or at least until Miss Rose Lee left town.”
“The kids?” Colt asked.
“Yeah. Sam and the James brothers.”
“They weren’t with Cassie. What’s wrong?” Colt asked at Jeff’s troubled look.
“You’re pulling my leg, right?”
“No, Jeff, I’m not. What’s this all about?”
“Dan James was just here to see if Cassie and the kids were back yet. Sam left them a note yesterday saying they were worried about Cassie and were going out to the Lazy B to cheer her up. When Cassie and them didn’t come back last night, nobody thought nothing of it. We figured they decided to spend the night.”
Colt felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He shook his head. “They weren’t at the ranch. How long have they been gone?”
“Sometime yesterday afternoon. They must have walked, because they didn’t come here for transportation. The ranch is only five miles from town and they know the way blindfolded. Even Petey.”
“Is it possible somebody might have given them a ride?”
“I don’t know. You don’t think anyone would hurt those kids, do you, Colt?”
“No human, at least. I better talk to Dan.”
“I’m coming with you,” Jeff said.
Dan James was behind the desk when Colt and Jeff entered the lobby.
“Morning,” Dan said.
“Dan, Jeff tells me that Sam and your boys took off for the Lazy B yesterday.”
“Yes, and those boys are going to get a good tongue lashing when they get back. Their mother is worried sick since we read the note. Sam’s poor mother’s in the same state of mind.”
“Have they done this before?”
“No. They’ve always told us where they were going—even if it was just down to the creek to go swimming.” Dan gave Colt a wary look. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to one of them?”
“Dan, they didn’t show up at the ranch.”
The man kept his composure, but his eyes revealed his rising fear. “Sam wouldn’t lie about where they were going.”
“Do you have any idea of the actual time they left?”
Colt had ridden out there about an hour after Cassie had left. If the children had left before him, he would have passed them on the road.
“What difference does the time make?” Dan asked, his anxiousness mounting. “It doesn’t take all night to walk five miles. I better go and tell Nina and Sarah.”
“Tell Nina and Sarah what?” Nina James asked, joining them. “Good morning,” she greeted with her usual friendly smile in spite of her worried state. “You boys come for breakfast?”
“No, Nina,” Dan said.
At he
r husband’s worried look, her smile faded. “It’s about the children, isn’t it? One of them’s had an accident. Who? What happened?”
Dan put an arm around her shoulders and led her over to one of the chairs in the lobby. “Sit down, honey.”
“Tell me what happened! Which one of them is hurt?” The three men exchanged meaningful glances. “Tell me,” she cried.
“The children never reached the Lazy B,” Dan said.
“Never…oh, dear God!” Her knees buckled, and she sank down on the chair. “I thought they went with Cassie.”
“No, they went alone, Nina,” Colt said. “We’re riding out to look for them now. They might have just gotten confused and wandered off in the wrong direction.”
“There are wild animals out there. Indians.”
“Nina, the Apaches moved west a month ago.”
“There’s always a few strays, and if they came upon the children they might have—Oh, God! Oh, dear God!” She broke down and started weeping. “My babies. My babies.”
“We better get started,” Colt said. “Will you tell Sarah?”
Dan nodded. “Yes, but I’m going with you. Don’t leave without me.”
“Perhaps it would be better if you remain here with Nina and Sarah, Dan.”
“My boys are out there somewhere,” he said. “I’m going with you.”
“I’ll go get my sisters to stay with them,” Jeff said, and ran out of the hotel.
Colt went into the kitchen with the Jameses to find Sarah Starr. The woman had buried her husband and five children, and now he had to be the one to tell her that her remaining child was missing.
Upon hearing the news Sarah sank down on a chair and sat in silence, staring into space.
It seemed an eternity, but it was actually only a minute before Cassie and Cathy showed up. They rushed over to embrace the distraught mothers.
Feeling there was nothing more he could do for them at this time, Colt prepared to leave. Cassie grabbed him by the arm when he started to go.
“Colt, I want to go along.”
“It’s better you stay here with these women.”
“Colt, I know every rise and hollow of these woods.”
“Honey, I don’t doubt that, but Cathy’s going to need your help with Nina and Sarah.”
Her hand slipped from his arm. “I suppose you’re right.” She looked up at him, and for the first time he realized the personal anguish she was suffering, too. She adored those children and had to be heartbroken.
“Go with God, Colt,” she said softly and returned to grasp Sarah’s hand between her own.
Word of the missing children spread rapidly through town. There were a dozen and a half mounted riders waiting when Colt got to the livery. He was just about to lay out his intentions when Kit Carson and twelve of his Navajo entourage joined them.
“As you’ve all heard,” Colt said, “Sam Starr and Bowie and Petey James are missing. They left town yesterday to go to the Lazy B Ranch. We have no idea if someone offered them a ride, or if they went on foot. We know for certain they didn’t leave in anything from the livery.
“I think the best approach is for us to split into two groups. General Carson, you can take one group and spread out on the right side of the road. I’ll take the other group and do the same on the left. Don’t spread too far apart; stay close enough to each other so that you don’t miss anything. We’ll cover every inch between here and the Lazy B. General Carson, your experience far exceeds mine; if you have a better idea, I’m glad to hear it.”
“Your plan is sound and practical,” Carson said. “I suggest, though, that we send out a couple of my Navajo scouts in the event there are hostiles in the area.”
“As you wish, General. I rode down this same road this morning and encountered no problem. And I’m told that the Apaches have moved to higher ground for the summer.”
“How about the gang that shot my dad?” Jeff said. “They could still be in these parts. Or even have come back to hit the bank again.”
If the kids had stumbled upon them, the malicious murderer wouldn’t hesitate to kill the children. Then Colt thought of a ray of hope. “Or the children might have seen them and are hiding.”
Carson spoke in Navajo to his men, and two of the Indians rode away.
Progress was slow, and even though Colt tried to maintain a positive attitude, it was obvious that the general opinion was that they wouldn’t find the children alive.
After thirty minutes of plodding, they hadn’t even covered a quarter-mile when the two Navajo scouts came riding back at a full gallop. Colt’s spirits plummeted. He could tell by their serious miens as they conversed with Carson that the scouts had discovered something. He glanced at Dan James and knew the worried man was of the same opinion.
The general frowned grimly and turned to them. “The scouts said there’s a large group of Apaches headed this way. They’re sure they saw three white children among them. One was a girl with red hair they remembered seeing in town.”
“That’s got to be Sam,” Dan said excitedly. “Were the other two children boys?”
After a short exchange with the scouts, Carson nodded. “One with dark hair and a yellow-haired younger one.”
“That’s them. Bowie and Petey. Thank God, thank God,” Dan cried joyously.
“I wouldn’t celebrate too soon, gentlemen,” Carson warned as the men cheered and offered back slaps to Dan.
“What do you mean?” Colt said. “It would appear the Apaches are bringing them to town.”
“The Apaches are Arizona Chiricahuas, my friend,” Carson said. “They were a peaceful tribe until ’62, when a half-assed government official ordered the hanging of several of their tribesmen. The Indians had been innocent of the crime they’d been executed for, and the Chiricahuas went on the warpath. They’ve been raiding and killing soldiers and settlers ever since. The people of Arizona are terrorized because the army hasn’t been able to stop them for the past four years.”
“So what are they doing in New Mexico?” Colt asked.
“That’s what surprises me,” Carson said. “Their chief, Cochise, has vowed his people will not be driven from their hunting grounds.”
Carson’s words started a scramble, as the group turned to ride back to town to protect their women and children.
For many years, Indian attacks had not been uncommon to the residents of Arena Roja. As soon as the group arrived back in town, the church bell rang out the alarm, and people dropped whatever they were doing and hastened into action.
The merchants closed their shutters to protect their glass windows. The banker shoved all the cash into the safe and locked it up. Mothers grabbed their children and headed for the church; women without children grabbed rifles and took positions among the men. Colt saw that Jethro had abandoned his sickbed and had taken a position at the jail. His son and two daughters were at his side, rifles in hand.
“Jeff, get your sisters and dad out of here. The Apaches are coming in from this direction, and this is the first place they’ll hit when they ride in. General Carson wants everyone up at the other end, because we don’t have enough firepower to spread out the whole length of the town.”
At that moment, Bob and Glen Callum rode up in a gallop. “They’re about a half-mile behind us. At least a hundred, heading straight for town.”
“Glen, ride up and warn the others. Take Cathy with you.” Colt lifted her behind the man, and Glen galloped away. “Bob, give your horse to Jethro; he’s still a little shaky on his feet. Cassie, you crawl up behind him.”
They helped Jethro mount, and Cassie swung up behind her father. Colt, Jeff, and Bob ran behind on foot, rousting any stragglers who were too far from the others.
At the other end of the town, some of the men and women had taken positions on rooftops and the balcony of the hotel near the church. Others were opposite the hotel on the other side of the street. General Carson ordered armed residents to take their positions behind a barr
icade of wagons and sandbags, which he and his Navajos had erected in front of the church as the final line of defense.
In passing the livery, Colt saw that the stagecoach had been on the verge of pulling out. Gus was trying to unhitch the team and get the horses into the stable as Rose Lee Beckenridge yanked at his arm, screaming at him for the stage to leave before the Indians arrived.
The minute Rose Lee saw Colt, she threw herself into his arms and clung to him. “Oh, Colt, help me! You’ve got to save me! Ah don’t want to die!”
“Rose Lee, get to the church with the other women.”
“I’m too petrified to move. Ya’ll have to carry me.”
“Too bad she ain’t too petrified to stop that squealing,” Gus grumbled. “Keep that she-cat off my back so’s I can get these horses off the street.”
With rifle in hand, Sarah Starr came over to them, her shoulders squared, her back ramrod straight.
“Lady, get moving to that church right now, or I’ll kick your worthless ass all the way there myself.”
Stunned, Rose Lee gaped at her. “Ah do declare, no lady ah know would ever use such language—”
“Rose Lee,” Colt warned, “the lady means what she said.”
Sobbing and threatening collapse, Miss Rose Lee Beckenridge stumbled toward the church.
Nary a sound could be heard among the defenders as they watched the Indians ride up slowly. This unexpected approach surprised them all. Whenever the Indians raided, they always rode in yelping, a bone-chilling, petrifying sound.
“Hold your fire,” Carson ordered when the Indians halted near the town limits. “They aren’t wearing paint, so maybe they’ve come in peace.”
The stagecoach driver snorted. “Cochise come in peace!” He spat a stream of tobacco juice into the dirt.
The Indian leader rode forward on a magnificent chestnut stallion. Two others rode behind him, one on the right, the other on the left.
“I am Cochise, chief of the Chiricahua Apaches. Cochise has been told that Kit Carson, the famous scout of the white man, is among you.”
