Bound and Determined

by Regina Jennings

  “Just relax. Let me take care of you,” he said as he swabbed the rest of her arm.

  “I was worried about your smelling like a camel,” she said, “but now I smell like I climbed out of a pickle vat.”

  “I love pickles,” he said.

  “And I’m growing fond of camels.”

  “Is that right?” He grinned slowly. “Only the camels?”

  She didn’t have to wonder how she’d fallen under his spell. Of course he’d captured her heart. The real question was what he saw in her. Or was she just part of the job? Someone to humor while he completed his mission?

  She looked nothing like the spotless, fresh miss he’d met at the farm earlier that week. Her flawless skin showed the effects of the harsh wind and sun. Her hair, although smooth every morning, had been teased out of her braid and now framed her face with dark tendrils. Her clothes were battered and stained. She might not think it was an improvement, but he was impressed. Now she was real. And she made his blood sing.

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said.” She held out her other arm for him to swab. “You said a man needs someone to look after, and I’ve got to ask . . . who are you looking after?”

  On the face of it, it was a ridiculous question. He was a part of the US Cavalry, a brotherhood that meant something. Krebs, Morris, Chandler—heck, even Major Adams—were who he was looking after. But she was right. Someday they would all go their own ways. He wasn’t planning the rest of his life around them.

  But Ambrosia Herald was someone he could possibly find room for.

  “Until this trip, I never knew that I wanted the responsibility of caring for someone else.” The tight feeling in his chest reminded him of the quicksand. He brushed back her tangled hair and anchored it behind her ear. “You don’t need me, but I wish you did.”

  “How do you know what I need?”

  Could she be telling the truth? Was there room in her life for a rascal like him? He took her hand and pressed it against his lips. If he’d misunderstood, she’d better set him straight fast.

  “You know I’m helping your father.” Bradley turned her hand over and watched the thin, blue veins pulse beneath her pale skin. “No matter how sweet you act, you can’t persuade me otherwise.”

  “Mmmm . . .” she purred as he planted his lips on her wrist. “I was wrong. I think the camels are good for him. Mother’s garden might get destroyed, but—” She stopped talking when he pressed another kiss higher on her arm.

  “I hope that doesn’t hurt,” he said.

  “It doesn’t hurt.”

  “A kiss to make it better, right?”

  She dropped her gaze to his mouth. “My lips are sunburned, too,” she said.

  The wind had died to a breeze, but Bradley felt like the earth had stopped completely. He leaned forward and, just before his lips touched hers, said, “At least they don’t taste like pickles.”

  And then he kissed her good and solid, just to show her that he meant business. To show her she couldn’t tease him like that and not mean it. But, have mercy, she did mean it. Her lips softened, willing and inviting. It was easy to kiss her, easy to go forward, but Bradley knew there was no going back. This would change who he was and what he wanted out of life.

  But for that moment, what he wanted out of life was pretty simple. More of Ambrosia.

  “Private Willis!”

  Bradley smiled, which threw off his kissing. He could just imagine Major Adams’s shock that he’d fallen in love on this crazy mission.

  “Private Willis!”

  But that wasn’t Major Adams. It was Captain Herald.

  Bradley rocked away from Ambrosia and jumped to attention. His elbow bounced into her shoulder and nearly knocked her over. It was a messy affair. He was a mess. He was in a mess.

  Captain Herald glared at both of them. “I don’t know who I should discipline first.”

  “It’s my fault, sir. I instigated the kissing. Ambrosia had nothing to do with it.”

  “What?” She stood. “I had everything to do with it.”

  “As the gentleman, I was in the wrong,” Bradley insisted.

  “As the lady, so was I. You finally kiss me, and now you want to act like I’m too immature to know what was going on?”

  Her father held up his hand. “Fine, Ambrosia, you’re just as much to blame. Does that make you happy?”

  She beamed at Bradley, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Best kiss of my life. I can’t let you take all the credit,” she whispered.

  Stars above. What had he gotten himself into?

  The captain marched between them. “What else have I missed? Do we need to form a firing squad out here?”

  “Nothing else, sir,” Bradley said. “That was the first time I kissed her.”

  But it wouldn’t be the last.

  Chapter

  9

  The next morning, Ambrosia worried that the trip was passing too quickly. In a matter of days, they would be home, and what then? Bradley was a trooper. He had no control over where he was stationed or how long he stayed. She knew that, and she’d decided to love him anyway.

  They hadn’t been riding very long when Bradley pointed out a Cheyenne settlement with its white tepees. The camel ensemble steered clear of them and Bradley kept an alert eye, but after half the day, they could no longer see the village and assumed they’d passed by undetected.

  Ambrosia breathed a sigh of relief, but then she saw horsemen following them. At first she didn’t trust her eyes. Something was back there, but it was too far away to see clearly. But as the figures grew bigger and bigger, she didn’t think they were Indians, after all.

  Bradley had wisely kept his distance from her, even though her father wasn’t nearly as mad as she’d expected. When he turned to scan the horizon, he spotted the horsemen for himself.

  “Don’t worry.” Ambrosia scratched at her sunburnt arm. “I’ve been watching them, and I don’t think they’re Cheyenne.”

  “How long have they been following us?” He didn’t act as relieved as he should.

  “A half hour or so. They seem wary. If they’re afraid of us, then we’re safe, aren’t we?”

  “Captain Herald!” Bradley shouted. He dug in his knapsack for a pair of field glasses while her father turned Omar and joined him.

  “What is it?”

  Bradley held the glasses to his face. Their small meal of canned beans felt heavy in Ambrosia’s stomach as she watched his mouth tighten and his lips go white.

  “It’s the Gunther gang,” he said. “That’s Pete’s paint horse. They’ve been following us since the lodge, if not before.”

  “How do you know?” her father asked.

  “Because of this.” Bradley held up his canteen. “That dent is from the gunfight we had. The night we heard someone messing around our corral, I found this pulled from my stuff and sitting on a fence post. They know it’s me.”

  The horsemen had stopped on a ridge. There were five of them, all men, just looking down at them from a distance.

  Regret showed plainly on Bradley’s face. “You have nothing of value for them. They want me. I can keep them busy for a while.” He slapped his thigh. “What I wouldn’t give for a horse right now.”

  “You can’t go,” Ambrosia said. “They tried to kill you before.”

  “Fort Reno is southwest of here. Maybe you’ll come across some troopers if you head that way.”

  Bradley’s throat jogged as he looked at her. Was he really going? Would this be the last time she saw him? No. Not like this. Not this sudden. It wasn’t fair.

  “You’ve made a tactical error,” her father said.

  “Bringing you here, or not coming with more men?” Bradley asked.

  “Not trusting my camels. How far is it to the fort?”

  Bradley squinted. “Forty miles or so.”

  Her father stared at the western horizon. “They have an angle on us, but we’ll give them a race they won�
��t forget. Unload the pack animals and set them free to follow. We’ll all lighten our loads and get there early morning.”

  “Not Ambrosia,” Bradley said. “You stay and protect her—”

  “Private Willis. We are not every man for himself, neither are we offering up sacrificial lambs. Sometimes bravery involves staying at your post and guarding those who are supposed to be guarded, instead of hightailing it out at the first sign of danger.”

  “Pardon me, sir, but I am not running from a fight. I’m running toward it.”

  “And leaving your comrades unprotected. We will stay together. Between the three of us and our superior mounts, we should be able to outmaneuver the enemy.”

  Ambrosia looked at Melda and Omar, drowsily blinking in the hot sun. She wasn’t ready to risk her future with Bradley on the backs of these dromedaries, but it didn’t look like they had a choice.

  It didn’t matter how noble Captain Herald tried to make it sound, what he was asking of Bradley amounted to cowardice. Just because the captain didn’t want to rush into the open guns of the Gunther gang didn’t mean that Bradley wasn’t willing.

  Anything to keep them away from Ambrosia.

  And if it didn’t work, well, Bradley would rather go down fighting tooth and nail and give her a chance than be at her side facing a bleak end. His shoulders felt heavier than the crates he was tossing off the pack animals. He could face his own death, but not hers.

  He quickly untethered the camels from each other. Captain Herald was unburdening Melda, Ruby, and Omar of excess weight while Ambrosia filled their canteens one last time before leaving the barrels of water behind.

  The Gunthers were still hours from catching them, but they weren’t dissuaded. Bradley could only imagine what they thought of the camels. They probably thought the three travelers were sitting ducks without horses. Maybe they were.

  “Better get going.” Bradley went to give Ambrosia a hand up onto her camel. She looked scared but determined.

  “Just remember,” she said, “I came back for you when you were stuck in that quicksand. I didn’t leave you to face it alone.”

  “That’s right, Ambrosia. And we’ll make it through this together, too.” He tried to smile.

  She settled in as he ran to Melda. Captain Herald gave the order for them to rise. Ruby shook her shoulders, appreciating her lighter load, and Omar let out a bellow as if he’d sensed their urgency.

  “Just hold on,” Captain Herald said, “and give them full rein to go at their own pace.”

  He urged Omar into motion, and before they could settle into their walk, he dug his heels in and pushed him faster. Omar stepped it up again and was soon loping in long, swaying strides. Without any prompting, Melda and Ruby joined in, with the younger camels kicking up their heels as they followed.

  It was smoother than a trot, and when Bradley looked down, he couldn’t believe how quickly the ground was passing beneath them. He looked to the north. They’d still be within firing range before sunset if the Gunthers didn’t give up. Their only hope was to encounter some troopers. What he wouldn’t give to see Lieutenant Hennessey about now. Or even Major Adams.

  Pete Gunther knew Bradley was cavalry and knew where they’d be headed. The gang would probably try to cut them off. If the outlaws got in front of them, it’d be gun against gun. Bradley desperately thought through the terrain between them and the fort. Although he’d never favored building a defense, he’d rather have some time to prepare than meet the Gunthers in the open. Where could they make a stand? Nearby were the Canadian River and a few creeks. At least there were trees there, but nothing that could be considered much cover.

  Better to stay in the saddle and try to outrun them.

  As time passed, Bradley grew more confident. The camels, although huffing, didn’t seem to be in any distress, while the horses had to be pushing with all their strength. Finally, the horses began to lag, even though the camels continued their trot. Captain Herald had been right. There was no way the horses could keep up this pace cross-country. The sun had disappeared, and the riders were getting harder to see in the fading light. Finally, they disappeared altogether into a dip on the plain.

  “Where’d they go?” Ambrosia asked.

  Bradley scanned the lay of the land. “There’s a creek out there.”

  “Their horses have to stop for water,” Herald said. “That’s another advantage we have.”

  “How are you doing?” Bradley asked Ambrosia.

  She held up her hands. With an effort, she unclenched her fingers. They were shaking. “I’ve been better,” she said.

  “They’ve been running at full capacity,” Captain Herald said. “We still have reserves. By morning light, we’ll have them beat easily. Let’s eat quickly, rest lightly, then set out at dawn.”

  Bradley looked over the prairie. They were still too far away from the fort, but so was the Gunther gang. After riding that hard all day, their mounts wouldn’t have the stamina to confront them now. Bunking down for the night went against his instincts, but logic told him it would be safe.

  Find a low place and get something at their backs. That was Bradley’s number one most dreaded position in which to meet a foe, but he was doing the right thing.

  That was what he had to tell himself, at least.

  Chapter

  10

  She hadn’t slept well since they’d left Texas. Why did she imagine that this night would be any different? She heard a gurgle from Omar and rolled over, feeling each one of the hard, red lumps of clay against her back and wishing for her nice mattress that they’d left behind.

  Omar was babbling again. Was he talking in his sleep? Usually he only talked to her father. Someone must be over there. Ambrosia sat up and looked around. Supper had been some of her apples and jerky that Bradley had traded for at the Lighthorse lodge, so she was already hungry again. She reached for her knapsack, hoping there was something left, but by the moonlight she noticed that her father was gone. Afraid of what she’d find, she sped toward the camels.

  “You should be resting,” her father said. With his knees pulled up to his chest, he was leaning against Omar and watching the sleeping prairie.

  She sat next to him. All year she’d feared that he wouldn’t be with them much longer. Now he was healthy again and in more danger than ever.

  “I’m sorry I fought you over the camels,” she said. “I didn’t realize how much they meant to you.”

  He wrapped his arm around her. “It was foolish of me. In my mind, Omar, Ruby, and Esmeralda were still wandering in that desert with Beale, Echols, and Hartz, and needed me to save them. I have the camels now, but that doesn’t bring those men back. We don’t always get a second chance.”

  She snuggled up against him. “But in a way, you do have a second chance. Mother and I thought you’d given up on life this summer, but this trip has revived you. If you come home ready to get back in the saddle, then saving these camels did bring back a person we love. You.”

  “Do you think your mother will learn to love the camels, too?”

  “I wouldn’t count on it. Especially if you pen them in her garden.”

  He sighed. “Then I’ll have to find someplace else. Or even sell them. As long as we find someone who understands them and keeps them out of the cold, I’m satisfied.” He grunted. “Here I’m worrying over these animals, when I still have to bring you home safely.”

  “We can ask God for His help, too.”

  “I am, honey. Believe me, I am.”

  A rustling made them both turn around. It was Bradley. Seeing it was just them, he let out a long breath. “You had me concerned.”

  Her father got to his feet. “If we’re all up, we might as well hit the trail.”

  Omar shared his opinion in the form of an extended belch.

  What would this day bring? The safety of Fort Reno, or death at the hands of outlaws? Ambrosia had been looking for adventure. After this, she’d never be satisfied swinging a sword
around a library again.

  Bradley took her hand and accompanied her to Ruby. “Ambrosia, before we go, I just have to say that meeting you on this trip made it all worth it, no matter how it ends.”

  Her hand tightened in his. “I didn’t find you just to lose you this easily. We’re going to fight for this.” It was hard to be romantic with Ruby pulling at her skirt with those rubbery, clownish lips.

  “It’s worth fighting for,” he said. Then, with a sweet kiss on her cheek—he had promised her father, after all—he handed her up into the saddle.

  The camels made striking silhouettes in the dim light, but it wouldn’t be dark for long. The scissortails had begun swooping around, and the moon was far in the west.

  But by the time the sky lit, a row of horsemen had appeared on a ridge, standing between them and Fort Reno.

  “I don’t understand.” Ambrosia pulled Ruby to a stop. Her throat went tight. “How did they get in front of us?”

  “It’s impossible.” Bradley looked murderously angry. No longer worried or fearful, just angry.

  Her father was, as well. He hated being wrong, especially about his camels.

  One of the men raised his pistol above his head. A gunshot echoed across the prairie. To Ambrosia’s surprise, the camels didn’t flinch. They nosed each other, still saying good morning just like they did every day.

  “Private Willis,” one of the horsemen called from afar, now that he had their attention. “You’re outnumbered and practically afoot. Give up now.”

  Bradley turned to her father. “I could. I would, but I don’t trust them to keep their word and let you and your daughter go. Still, if you want me to—”

  “They aren’t going to let two witnesses go when they kill a trooper. We’re all in danger.” Her father tightened the reins in his hands. “Yesterday these camels trotted along as they felt comfortable. Today we’re going to push them. We’re going full speed, and we’re bringing it right to those men.” His eyes narrowed as he judged the distance between them and the row of outlaws. “Amber, keep your head low. All you need to do is hang on, because you’ll be moving faster than you’ve ever moved before in your life.”