Ty was shocked to hear him speak, but appreciated his concern. “We’ll find her, Joshua. We’re not givin’ up until we do, so I’m beholdin’ for your help.”
Joshua’s mouth formed a crooked smile, and for the split second before he turned to join his brother, already mounted and waiting, Ty swore Joshua wanted to say more.
As he watched them ride away, Ty wondered if he was right. Were there unspoken words in that gaze? He couldn’t put his finger on what chewed on him, but there was something. The look on Joshua’s face turned from worry to real caring in an instant. Unlike his conniving mirror-imaged brother, Joshua’s eyes reflected a good soul.
“Ah, maybe I’m grabbin’ at straws,” Ty muttered, throwing the piece of wood into the street. Still, a nagging fear about the duo made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. There was no ignoring it.
He ducked his head inside the Sheriff’s office. “Hey, Andrew, I’m gonna follow a hunch. Send the rest of the men up the trail and have ‘em search some of those old caverns back in the trees. I’ll join ‘em as quick as I can.”
Before Andrew had a chance to question him, Ty jumped astride Shadow and rode off in the same direction as the twins.
* * * * *
The bright sunshine warmed the icy air, turning the snow to slush. The only sound in the otherwise quiet countryside was the slurping of hooves, pulling themselves free from the grasp of the melting mess. Jeb turned to his brother. “We should run through the plan one last time. At the fork, I’ll take the supplies up to Ellie, while you ride on home and fetch Pa. I’ll meet you both back at the bank.”
Joshua cast a puzzled look at his brother. “What am I supposed to tell him if he keeps asking why Ben changed his mind?”
“Don’t you dare say a word about me holdin’ Ellie. Pa don’t need to know nothin’ about that. Just assure him that ol’ man Fountain is ready to sell.”
Joshua heaved a sigh. “Jeb, you know Pa ain’t gonna buy that without pressin’ for more information. I expected him to ask a lot more questions last night, but it was late and he was half asleep. He knows full well up till now Ben’s rejected any offers made to him, and even you killin’ his cows and takin’ a pot shot at Ellie didn’t make a difference. Pa ain’t dumb.”
“Hmm, maybe you’re right.” Jeb swiped at his brow and thought for a moment. “I got it! Tell him Ben is in poor health, and runnin’ a ranch has become too much for him to handle. Yeah, that should work. I recall folks in town talkin’ ‘bout Ben’s recent ailment? Just have Pa get the money and be ready to ride. Ben’s gonna go along with anything I say.” Jeb snapped his fingers. “You know, to make this legal, we ought to take along someone to witness the deal. The bank clerk…somebody…”
“What about Ellie?” Joshua blurted. “This whole thing is gonna blow up in your face like a stick of dynamite.” He dropped his voice to an almost inaudible whisper. “And as usual, I’ve been dumb enough to keep my mouth shut for the shake of keepin’ peace with you.”
“You just continue to keep your mouth shut and let me take care of business, and don’t worry. I have everything handled.”
“Coulda fooled me. Sounds more like you’re makin’ it up as you go along.”
“Well, at least I’m doin’ something. We both know you ain’t got the guts. If I left everything to you, we wouldn’t be on the verge of owning the best piece of property in Tennessee. As soon as Pa has the deed in his pocket, you and I are gonna join the search for Ellie, showin’ what carin’ folk we are.”
Jeb’s echoing laughter sent a rabbit scurrying across the trail.
At the fork in the road, Jeb split from his brother. He couldn’t help but notice Joshua casting him one last disapproving look.
Chapter Nineteen
Beyond town, the muddied street turned to an almost pristine trail that made tracking the brothers a cinch. Ty stayed his distance from the two, at times barely hearing their muffled voices in the distance. It appeared the twins were headed home, but he planned to make sure.
He reined in his horse where the road forked toward the Bryant spread and studied the imprints in the snow. Clearly, the two riders had parted company. His hunch was that Joshua would head home while Jeb would lead the way to Ellie.
Ty nervously chewed his bottom lip and prayed his hunch about Jeb’s involvement proved accurate. He nudged Shadow up the trail, away from Dude’s ranch. God, he hoped Ellie was all right. If Jeb had hurt her in any way, he was going to pay for it, and painfully.
Ty followed the only set of prints in the slush. A blind man could. The fact that the rider wasn’t taking any precautions attested to his arrogance, further evidence he tracked Jeb. But why would he ride off in this direction? He must have a good reason to be headed into such a desolate area, and Ty bet it was Ellie.
His heart quickened at the thought of finding her. Sure, he’d been attracted to her before this whole ordeal, but now he knew how much he cared for her. Really cared for her. The deep down, forever type that made people do and say stupid things. He meant to tell her, too.
If she’d let him.
He’d ridden forever, or so it felt. He arched his aching back and glanced at the sky, but according to the sun’s position, it was barely midday. His stomach rumbled in confirmation. Funny, he hadn’t even thought about food until now. His only hunger had been the need to find Ellie safe and sound.
In a wide spot, he halted his horse and listened. He heard nothing but stillness disturbed by the occasional plop of melting snow falling from the trees. Wait. There was something. A voice, distinct and not too far away. He led Shadow further into the thicket and secured him to a branch. Patting the animal’s rump, he whispered. “You stay here, boy, and keep quiet.”
Ty huddled close to the tree line and continued up the trail. His every step sunk deep into the slushy drifts, dribbling melting snow into his boots and making him labor for each breath.
Cold, tired and angry, he stopped to rest for a moment, adding wet feet to the list of things for which to curse Jeb. Ty’s socks were drenched, and his toes felt like the icicles hanging from the shadowed hillsides. He’d have to grin and bear it, but slogging along at this pace was taking forever. Ty scanned ahead. Barely visible beyond where he hunkered, he spied a structure of some sort, an old barn, a shed?
He listened for a minute, and hearing nothing, he moved from the drifts out onto the trail, planting his sodden boots in the prints left by Jeb’s mount.
Ty kept his eyes trained forward. With his hand resting on the butt of his weapon, he neared what was clearly a rundown shack. Jeb’s horse stood tethered in front to a weathered post that supported what remained of a small porch, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Despite the closed shutters, Ty edged off the trail, back into the foliage and deeper snow. He couldn’t risk discovery now, besides his feet couldn’t get any wetter or colder.
He inched his way through the knee-high drifts, moving closer to the side of the cabin. Every few feet, he stopped and listened. At one point, he felt certain he heard a woman’s voice. When he finally reached the building, he rested against its side, his ear pressed against the thin wall. His heart thudded like a hammer on an anvil. It was Ellie!
“Why don’t you let me go, Jeb? This is never going to work. Even if you get my Pa to take your money.” Ellie’s voice held no hint of begging.
A smile tugged at Ty’s lips. Even under the worst of circumstances, she still had spunk. Now, all he had to do was get her away from Bryant without bullets flying. Ty waited and listened to the exchange of conversation.
“Quit yer yammerin’ and be thankful yer Pa agreed to sell. He thinks once he signs the ranch over, I’m gonna be stupid enough to let you go. He’s wrong! I aim to keep you around for security. No one even suspects me, and with this perfect hidin’ place I can visit on a regular basis and make sure all your needs are tended to.”
Ty’s jaw tensed at Jeb’s suggestive tone. If he so much as laid a finger on
Ellie... Ty fought the urge to bust his way inside, but common sense told him to wait for the right moment. Putting Ellie in further danger wasn’t the answer.
“You can’t keep me here forever.” Her voice rose.
“I don’t have to let you go. No one heard the discussion between Ben and me. It’ll be my word against his, and with no proof, he’ll just be a doddering old man who has lost his mind, along with his land.” Jeb’s evil cackle sifted through the wall’s worn planks.
“You might think you have everything figured out, but–”
“If all else fails, there’s plenty of old mine shafts around here to hide a body in, so don’t press your luck.” Jeb snickered. “Right now, I have to get back to Sparta and meet Pa and Joshua at the bank.”
The hair on the back of Ty’s neck stood on end. Why didn’t the jackass shut up and leave? Jeb Bryant was scum, but he’d get his comeuppance. Ty would make sure of that.
“Be a good girl while I’m gone, Ellie,” Jeb teased.
Ty clenched his teeth to keep from calling out to her. He could only imagine what was going through her mind.
The opening of the door shivered the aged cabin wall. He edged around the corner, to the backside of the building, pulling snow over his boot prints. The tracks couldn’t be totally erased, but at best it looked as though an animal had passed by. He stood, holding his breath, and pressed his body against the rear wall until he no longer heard the sound of hoof beats, then hurried around to the front.
There was no way to open the heavy lock Jeb had used to secure the door. Ty knocked and yelled, “Ellie, it’s me. I’m gonna get you out.”
“Ty?” Her voice choked with emotion. “Oh, thank goodness. Please hurry.”
He inspected the shutters, all firmly nailed. “God, Ellie.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Bryant spent more money on hardware to keep you inside than was used to put this rickety place together. Stand back.”
Ty raised his booted foot and slammed it against the weathered wood. The lock stayed secure but the facing started to crumble under the force. He kicked again, sending the door crashing to the floor.
Ellie stood with mouth agape, gazing first at the huge piece of lumber at her feet and then at Ty. She flung herself into his arms. “I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life.”
He reveled in the moment, locking his arms around her waist and holding her close. Her hair smelled of honeysuckle, and the caress of her warm breath against his neck lit a fire deep within him and brought his body to life—at least parts of his body. He muttered an oath, quickly holding her at arm’s length. “Are you all right? He didn’t-didn’t touch you?” If Ellie glanced down she would surely notice the profound affect she had on his manhood. Luckily her gaze locked with his.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “You got here in the nick of time. How in the world did you find me?”
“I followed a lucky hunch, and Jeb. He appeared in an awful big hurry to get to the mercantile before joining in to search for you. I couldn’t imagine what could be so gol-darned important that it couldn’t wait, so I watched through the window. It was the blanket he bought that made me even more suspicious of him.” Ty eyed the item, folded at the bottom of the bed, and smiled.
“I thank my lucky stars for whatever brought you here.” She embraced him again, and then stood back, her face turning somber. “I shudder to think what he had in mind for me.”
“I don’t blame you. I overheard. As you can see, these walls aren’t all that thick.”
Ellie’s laughter was music to his ears. Thank God, she was safe. Ty took her by the hand. “I have a lot I want to say to you, but right now we have to hurry if we aim to get to Fountainhead before the Bryants. I can’t wait to see the look on Jeb’s face when he walks in on the big surprise that’ll be waiting for him.”
* * * * *
Dude’s speckled Appaloosa was hitched next to Joshua’s roan in front of the bank. Jeb’s smile broadened when the two men walked outside to meet him.
“Howdy,” he said, reining in his mount. “Did you get the money, Pa?” His heart pounded in his chest.
“Yeah, I got it,” Dude waved an envelope in the air, “but I still don’t understand what changed Ben Fountain’s mind about selling. Your brother here doesn’t tell a very convincing story.” The elder Bryant’s eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his hat.
Joshua shrugged. “I told him just like you said, Jeb. You know, about Ben being in poor health and all?”
“That’s right, Pa. I guess ol’ man Fountain’s been ailin’ for a spell and decided the ranch is too much to handle.”
“And just when did Ben tell you this?” Dude asked, folding his arms.
“I—I ran into his foreman in town, and he said Ben wanted to see me. I took a ride over and we discussed it.” Jeb fidgeted in his saddle, hoping his lie sounded convincing.
“Sounds a might far-fetched. Ben’s always said he’d die before he sold Fountainhead to the likes of me. Are you sure this is on the up and up?”
“Honest, Pa.” Jeb did a subtle scan of the sky, hoping lightning didn’t strike him dead on the spot. He wasn’t used to lying to his father.
Dude’s eyes beaded. “You best be telling me the truth or I’ll have your hide.” He stepped down from the walkway and struggled to mount his horse. “Dang rheumatism,” he muttered, trying to heft an obviously stiff leg.
Joshua followed, stopping to help to lift the offending limb. “There you go, Pa.”
“Let go,” Dude snapped. “I ain’t a cripple yet.”
Joshua frowned, and rounding to his own horse, climbed up in the saddle then looked to Jeb. “The notary clerk has gone to fetch his horse. He’ll meet us down by the livery.”
“Well, let’s go buy ourselves a new piece of property,” Jeb said, his voice booming with excitement. He spurred his horse toward the stable, leaving the other two men to catch up.
* * * * *
Cold air seeped through the open door. Ty grabbed the new blanket, shook it out and wrapped it around Ellie’s shoulders. He paused, realizing how close her lips were, imagining his mouth on hers, and mentally savoring the sweet taste of her kiss. It would be so easy since she made no attempt to move away, but abruptly, he stepped back, feeling a sudden heat creep into his cheeks. He put his lust aside for the sake of getting her home.
“You wait here while I fetch Shadow. Ain’t no use in both of us gettin’ frostbite.” He let out a long breath and stepped over the fallen door on his way out.
He slogged back through the snow to where his horse was tethered. With his thoughts on Ellie, he gave little notice to his wet feet and icy toes. The cold slush was no match for the warmth of her smile and the affect it had on him. This had to be love.
He reached the thicket where he had hidden Shadow, and after he snatched his reins from the branch, he led the stallion back to the line shack.
Ellie stood in the doorway, her green eyes sparkling like morning dew in the sunlight. He reached for her hand. “We’ll have to double up on Shadow, but I know a shortcut that’ll save us some time.”
“Wait.” Ellie turned and ran back inside. She reappeared, clutching her dress to her chest. “I know it’s silly, but I don’t want to leave this behind. I’d like another chance to wear it…with you.”
The sun glowed in the curls framing her face and spilled down around her shoulders, a marked improvement from the dusty old hat usually on her head. And who could deny that adorable crooked grin that tugged at his heartstrings? He took the green garment from her, carefully wrapped it into a roll, and tucked into his saddlebag. “See, lots of room for more chances.”
He effortlessly hoisted her up onto the saddle, blanket and all, and mounted behind her. When he reached for the reins, his forearm brushed across her breast, creating a bolt of pleasure that corded the muscles in his bicep, even through his coat. When she didn’t stiffen or complain, he swallowed his meaningless apology and nudged Shadow down the trail.
With all that was going on, why did his mind keep straying to lusty thoughts about Ellie? He tried counting the snow-covered shrubs decorating the hillsides.
A blast of cold air swept through an opening in the trees, making matters worse. Ellie snuggled closer against him, pulling the blanket tighter around her. Her subtle movement made him even more aware of their closeness, uncomfortably so. This time, instead of an accidental rub, he wanted to reach out and cup her breast, feel the nipple harden in his hand…to taste her mouth, too.
Suddenly, the crotch of his denims felt downright constricting, his coat way too heavy. He loosened his collar and began counting anew. One, two, three…
Where did these strange urges come from? Ellie wasn’t a whore. She was a wholesome homegrown gal. Ty furrowed his brow, realizing his thoughts were no less lusty than the suggestive words he heard come from Jeb Bryant’s mouth. Ellie deserved respect and Ty intended to see she got it, starting with him. He turned his concentration to his job—getting Ben’s daughter home safely.
Not wanting to push Shadow beyond his limits of endurance, Ty kept the pace slow and steady. The virgin snow on the trail showed no one else had previously passed this way, so he was secure in his plan to get to Fountainhead before Jeb and the others. With his arms around Ellie, the sun shining in a crystal blue sky, and Mother Nature’s white blanket spreading for as far as the eye could see, Ty couldn’t imagine anything better. With his body relaxed, he moved in sync with Shadow, watching a pair of deer in the distance.
“Ty…” Ellie’s voice pulled him from his reverie.
“Um hmm?”
“You said you wanted to talk to me.” Her words hung in the frosty air.
He did want to have a serious conversation, but there was so much to say, and he wanted to do it right, for once. He grappled for words. “I—I owe you an apology. I’m so sorry about what happened at the dance. I was a danged fool.”
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