Miriam raised a brow, then sauntered to the cook stove to fill a tray with coffee mugs. "I'm not interfering, just giving them a minute to get to know each other."
When the mugs steamed with dark liquid and she had biscuits laid out on a plate with ham, she couldn't think of any other reasons to dawdle. Alex picked up the tray and followed her from the room.
"You really know Jim Bridger and Jedidiah Smith?" Mrs. Malmgren's voice didn't shake like usual.
"Sure do. Still run into ol' Jim at the Fort ever so often. Most of the ol' trappers have moved on, though. Can't make a livin' at it like we used to."
They looked up as Miriam and Alex approached. "How're you likin' the Territr'y, Doc?"
Alex shot a glance at Miriam as he eased into a chair. "Couldn't ask for a better place to call home."
After several minutes of comfortable conversation, the door opened and a lanky man with a shock of orange hair stepped in. He wore a layer of dark grime on his face and coat, and clutched a rag over his left hand. "Need the doc."
Jumping to his feet, Alex motioned for the man to follow him down the hall. Miriam stood, too, giving an apologetic smile to their guests. "I'll see if I can help. Please stay as long as you'd like."
Ol' Mose rose to his feet. "I'm overdue at the mercantile as it is. Miriam, I'd be obliged if you'd tell the doc I'll set his crates in the corner there."
Darting a glance at Mrs. Malmgren, she turned a smile at her old friend. "Won't you at least join us at Aunt Pearl's for dinner? Mrs. Malmgren, you'll come too, won't you?"
The older woman hesitated. Waiting for Ol' Mose to answer first?
He obliged. "I reckon' I wouldn't miss it. Miss Annie, your compn'y'd be an extra special honor."
Miss Annie? Miriam fought hard to keep the grin off her face. "Perfect. We'll meet you both at the café at six. Ol' Mose, perhaps you'd be kind enough to see Mrs. Malmgren home now?"
Warmth spread through her, as Ol' Mose helped the blind woman to her feet and tucked her gnarled hand under his arm. "I'd be pleased to introduce you to my travelin' companions, ma'am. It's not often Zeke and Zeb get to meet a fine lady like yerself."
~~~
A smile spread across Miriam's face as she thought about Ol' Mose and Mrs. Malmgren. She rubbed the wet cloth over the plate's crusty surface under the dishwater. Who would have thought her old friend would find love at his age? Of course, it may be too soon for love, but there were certainly sparks flying between them.
Alex stepped into the room. "I found two new editions of the British Medical Journal in one of the crates Ol' Mose brought." His voice was eager, like she'd just offered him warm cinnamon sweet rolls. Hmm… Not a bad idea. She'd need to add cinnamon to the list for the dry goods store.
"Any interesting articles?" She set the last plate on the stack with the others, then ran her open hand through the now-dirty dishwater. Her fingers didn't find any hidden utensils. Good.
"Every one of them." He dropped into a chair and opened the first page.
She nibbled her lip against a smile. Even grown men had a bit of the boy in them. Picking up the pot of used water, she limped toward the back door. The wooden hinge complained as she pushed it open with her hip. Her knee still had trouble holding its share of her weight, so maneuvering the single step took concentration. A couple steps off the path, she dumped the water, shifting her feet back to keep the drops from splashing her skirt. The next garment she made should be an apron.
Straightening, Miriam glanced toward the outhouse they shared with the business on the street behind the clinic.
A motion flashed at the corner of her eye. Miriam turned just as a powerful blow slammed into the side of her head.
"Ooph!" Her hands hit the ground, her world a flash of black and white sparks.
Damp mud pressed her face. Rough hands jerked her up and through the air. Hot breath swarmed her cheek.
A growl snarled in her ear. "Your lover boy's gonna pay."
Another force slammed into the same spot on Miriam's head, jerking her neck to the side.
And then the blackness closed in.
~~~
Alex's eyes scanned the opening paragraphs of the "Address in Public Medicine" section of the magazine. Strides were being made in sanitary work. Excellent.
A noise broke his attention, and he raised his head to listen. Silence. No, there it was again. A scuffling sound. "Everything okay?"
Silence.
"Miriam?" Had she fallen?
The soft bump of wood on wood sounded, and the light in the hallway grew dimmer. Alex leapt to his feet. Something wasn't right. She may have gone on to the outhouse, but he needed to make sure she hadn't fallen in the yard.
With his focus on the door leading to the back alley, Alex almost missed the slip of white paper on the hallway floor.
Picking it up, he held the page close in the dim light so he could read the words scrawled in thick charcoal.
Time to pay for what you done to my brother.
His pulse lurched. What did that mean? Who'd leave the note here in the hallway? With a lurch, his senses came alive.
Miriam.
Alex punched open the door and scanned the yard. A figure disappeared around a building at the end of the street, close to the edge of town. The distance made it hard to tell, but the outline looked like a man carrying a large bundle almost as wide as he was tall. A woman?
Sprinting that direction, he focused on the corner where the man disappeared. God, don't let me be too late. Alex slowed beside the building where he last saw them. No one in sight now. Where were all the people? At this time in the early afternoon, at least a few townspeople should be milling about the street. The hair on the back of his neck rose.
He stepped forward, scanning the street to his right, then the pine trees behind the buildings across from him. Had the man ducked into a store? Or disappeared into the woods. God, what do I do?
The sharp click of a gun cocking grabbed Alex's attention. He spun around…and his blood ran cold.
A man held a revolver against Miriam's lifeless form.
He suspended her by clutching the back of her dress in one hand. Miriam's head lolled to the side, her arms dangling limp. The shiny metal gun barrel disappeared into Miriam's honey curls.
Alex's breath stopped. Was Miriam dead? God, no! Every muscle in his body tensed as he examined her chest. Yes. It rose and fell. Maybe.
It took every bit of his control not to lunge forward and grab her. Knock this man aside, and run with her.
He shifted his focus to the man. The enemy. A flash of recognition struck him. Langley? He searched his mind for the man's given name. Tad Langley.
The whole picture crashed down on Alex with blinding clarity. Mick Langley's death from the lung fever. Tad, the younger brother, confronting them at the clinic. The note. Time to pay for what you done to my brother.
His gaze drifted to Miriam, but he jerked it back to Langley. He couldn't do this if he thought too much about her. "Your business is with me, Tad. Leave the lady out of it."
A slow smirk spread across the man's unshaven face. "You're right. My business is with you. An' I plan to show you just how hard it is ta watch someone you love die—slow an' miserable-like."
That had to mean Miriam was still alive. His chest thumped faster and rivulets of sweat ran down Alex's back. He had to get her away. But how?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Langley's eyes darted around the street, then landed on Alex again. "Here."
Alex barely had time to prepare as the man thrust Miriam at him. He lunged forward to catch her, scrambling so he didn't stumble and knock them both into a heap. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting and cradling her like a child. A steady pulse ticked through the fabric of her dress. He let out a breath.
What had Langley done that she was still unconscious? Dread washed through him, shortening his breath. If only he could measure the pulse in her neck, and raise her eyelids to see if the pupils wer
e dilated. Had Langley used some kind of drug to knock her out? That might be the best scenario to hope for. If he hadn't overdosed her.
"Spin around an' start walkin'."
Alex's thoughts froze as he met the gaze of the man holding the wooden handle of the Colt. Hatred glittered there. Evil.
He turned, moving slow to keep the man from fingering the trigger. What did Langley have planned for them?
"One wrong move, and I'll shoot you first, then her." Something hard and round jammed into Alex's back. "March toward those trees."
With a deep breath, Alex obeyed. Langley kept the gun in his back, and with Miriam unconscious in his arms, it'd be hard to get a jump on the man. He'd find a chance though.
As they crossed the street, Alex kept his head straight forward, but his eyes roamed the boardwalk, the empty road. Where were all the people?
When they reached the woods, Langley motioned toward a footpath to their right. Alex followed the direction without speaking. This must be one of the trails the miners used as a shortcut from the quarries to town. Which mine was he taking them to? Surely any of them would have people around to help.
Langley's gun pressed harder in his back, and Alex lengthened his stride. A couple of times the path split, and their kidnapper directed which fork to take. They traveled up and down small hills, through rocky and sometimes overgrown terrain. Alex's arms ached, but he tightened his hold on Miriam and trudged forward.
After several minutes, she stirred in his arms. A groan crept from her, sending a wash of relief through him. Whatever the man had done to knock her out was wearing off.
Miriam moaned again, louder this time, and her eyes squinted as they cracked open.
"Sshh," he whispered. Whatever Langley intended, she was probably better off without him knowing she'd regained consciousness.
Her eyes opened wider and she clutched his shirt, fear and confusion flashing across her face.
He tightened his grip and shook his head just enough for her to catch the movement. But he couldn't hold her gaze long. The trail they traveled was not so obvious now, overgrown by branches and small shoots of trees clogging the path. He slowed to step over a fallen trunk. Where were they headed?
At last, they stepped into a clearing. The winter-brown grass rose to his knees, almost hiding the rocks that cluttered the ground. On one side, a hill rose up, a mixture of rock and scraggly pine trees covering its surface.
Langley's gun barrel pushed Alex toward the side of the steep slope. His stomach sank as if he'd swallowed one of the stones he stepped around. A mine? As they neared the stone wall, Alex's fear developed into reality. A hole in the rock face yawned before them.
"Get in," the man barked.
Another jab from the metal poking his back ended Alex's hesitation. He had no other choice. Darkness smothered the instant he stepped through the opening. Alex slowed, trying to feel in front of him with his fingers. The last thing Miriam needed was for him to ram her into a stone wall.
"Stop there."
Alex froze, then strained to see anything in the blackness. His eyes were starting to adjust to the dim light that filtered in from the opening behind them.
Langley fumbled with something, a scraping noise accompanying his efforts. Then a flash of light as a match flamed to life. It illuminated a dirty lantern, which the man lit, then tossed the match to the floor.
"Move on."
The hard metal jammed into Alex's back again, and he stumbled forward. Regaining his balance, he took a tentative step. The lantern light only illuminated a few inches in front of him, and the wood timbers that lined the shaft quickly closed in as the walkway narrowed. He lost track of how long he walked. With Miriam cradled in his arms, he traipsed blindly through the underground passage. He had to shift almost sideways as the tunnel contracted, so he didn't bump Miriam's head and feet against the wooden braces.
Openings split off to the side in both directions. At one of these, Langley motioned for him to take a path to the right. "Turn here."
Dread settled into Alex's chest as he obeyed. How much deeper would they go?
After several more minutes, his foot struck something solid, knocking Alex off balance. He fell to his knees with a cry, gripping Miriam tight and twisting his body so she didn't bear the brunt of their fall. She screamed, clutching his shirt.
Pain coursed through him, as his knees hit hard stone and something sharp pressed into his left shin. Alex knelt there, sucking in air. His arms rested on the stone floor, still cradling Miriam. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." The word came out in a whisper, but he could hear the fear in her voice.
Alex withdrew one hand and felt for the item poking into his left leg.
Langley shuffled closer, bringing the circle of light with him. Alex craned his head to see what lay under his limb. A wooden timber. That must have been what tripped him, too. More timbers lay to his left against the wall. His eyes followed the edge of light up and around. The shaft was bigger here. Wider, and maybe taller.
"Get her over by the wall." Langley motioned toward an empty spot beside the stack of wood.
Alex's gaze came back to Miriam. She stared up at him with wide, fear-filled eyes. Protection surged through him. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but his tight lips wouldn't obey. He had to find a way out of this mess. Once he had Miriam settled, maybe he could overpower their captor.
Alex's arms ached as he helped Miriam stand on shaky legs. He kept both hands around her as she shuffled over to the spot Langley pointed out.
"Make her sit."
Why did he still speak to Alex, since Miriam was awake? Trying to keep a mental distance from her? Maybe the man thought that would make it easier to kill her when the time came. If that was the case, maybe they could use that weakness against him. As much as Alex wanted to protect Miriam from having to interact with the man, maybe forcing the issue would weaken Langley's defenses.
Thoughts whirled through Alex's mind as he helped Miriam settle on the stone floor. "Are you all right?" he whispered again, catching her gaze.
"Shut up!" Langley roared.
Alex clamped his mouth shut, but studied Miriam for an unspoken response. She nibbled her lip and nodded once, but Alex could see pain clouding her eyes. Desire to help her coursed through every part of him. As he studied her eyes, one pupil looked larger than the other. A trick of the light? Or was it a head injury that had kept her unconscious?
Alex spun toward their captor, clenching his fists. The urge in his blood toward this man had nothing to do with healing.
"Get that rope." Langley stood about six feet away with both feet planted, pistol pointed straight at Alex's chest.
Alex didn't move. Locking eyes with the man, he forced himself to breathe, drawing in dank air. Could he lunge forward and tackle Langley before he got off a shot?
"The first bullet goes in yer heart, Doc. The second one in hers." Langley's voice dropped in the silence like boulders in a creek, sinking into Alex and leaving a metallic taste in his mouth.
After one more moment, he turned in the direction Langley had pointed. A coil of rope he hadn't seen before was tucked next to the stack of timbers.
"Take a piece an' tie her hands tight."
Bile rose up in Alex's chest as he knelt beside Miriam with the braided leather rope.
Her eyes shimmered with…forgiveness, courage? A whole host of emotions he couldn't stop to examine. She held up her wrists, palms facing.
"Behind her." Langley growled the words.
Miriam scooted around and crossed her wrists behind her. They were so delicate and creamy, even in the dim light of this tunnel. Except for the outline of red mottled skin on her right wrist where new flesh grew to replace burned skin. Alex couldn't bring himself to wrap the cord tight. But if he left it too loose, Langley would likely jerk the knots much tighter. He tied them as loose as he dared, then slipped his hand into Miriam's and gave it a quick squeeze.
"Now her feet."
>
Alex cringed at the gruff command, and his stomach churned at the thought of what he was being forced to do. Would Langley tie him next? Alex had to get control of that gun. Maybe he could use one of the wood timbers as a weapon. A quick glance dashed his hopes. They were as tall as he was, and looked much too heavy for him to move quickly. Maybe the lantern then? He could swing it like a club. If he could get Langley to set it down.
"Hurry up."
Alex tightened his jaw as he nudged Miriam's skirt up enough to reveal her leather boots. He took as long as possible with the knots, and Langley scuffed the rock floor as he finished.
When Alex looked up at his captor, the man waved toward an open area beside Miriam. "Lay on yer belly. Hands behind ya."
This was it. Alex would be at a severe disadvantage with his hands and feet bound. Couldn't let that happen. So maybe he'd have the chance to tackle the man when Langley came close to tie him. Alex laid on the floor as instructed and crossed his wrists behind him.
With his head facing the man, he watched Langley set down the lantern and approach. The burly oaf eyed him, holding the Colt well in front and aimed directly at Alex. Did it shake a little? Maybe that was the dance of the flame through the lantern's glass. Langley gripped a piece of rope and tucked the pistol between his knees as he bent over Alex. His grip was like a vice as he seized Alex's wrists and jerked them up to wrap the braided cord.
Alex twisted to the side in a quick motion, drawing his legs forward and kicking hard at Langley's knees.
But the man was too fast. He grabbed the handgun and leaped back in a lightning-fast movement. A mighty boom rent the air. An explosion of sound ricocheting off the stone walls and vibrating the ground beneath them.
~~~
Miriam screamed before she could stop herself. Her hands strained at the rope in an instinctive ache to cover her ears. Was that a nitroglycerin explosion? Would the mine cave in around them? She craned her neck to watch for falling timbers. Clouds of dust wafted through the air, but no part of the tunnel seemed to be moving.
Mountain Dreams Series: Books 1 - 3: Mountain Dreams Box Set 1 Page 41
