Scott frowned. He stared at Amber as she faced those three clowns, seemingly unafraid. The way she stood – with her hands on her hips and her over-confident attitude – gave away that she was scared to death underneath her tough outer façade.
Despite everything, Scott’s lips twitched in a smile. Amber definitely had a backbone. She was the kind of girl who wouldn’t be afraid to try something wild and crazy like mountaineering, white-water river rafting, or even backpacking the John Muir Trail. Then why did she seem so glum about life in general?
Toward the end of their relationship, Chris had said she was trouble. He wasn’t the kind of guy to give up easily on someone or think harshly about people, so something drastic must have happened for him to feel that way about her.
Scott drew in a long breath. His relationship with Cheryl had been similar. Except in his case, he’d been the one to cause all the trouble. He couldn’t blame his ex for walking away, even though he didn’t share her point of view.
One of the men grabbed Amber’s arm again, and she squirmed, fighting as he dragged her to the wagon. Scott tensed. He glanced around for anything that might help him get her out of that situation unharmed. He’d met many different kinds of people during his wanderings, and could usually talk himself out of most sticky situations.
The potential threat of getting shot by some trigger-happy cowboy was very real in this case, though, simply because people from a different century had vastly different mindsets from his modern take on things. Saying and doing the appropriate things might become his greatest challenge.
A short distance behind him, the horse he’d mindlessly jumped on in town snorted and stomped its feet. Scott cursed under his breath. He should have left the animal tied up further away, but he hadn’t realized exactly where these men had stopped.
One of the other horses whinnied, and Scott’s horse returned the call. Instantly, the three men pulled their guns and wheeled around in the direction of his hiding place. The one named Jeb grabbed Amber and pushed her out in front of him like a shield.
Coward
Scott moved out from behind the bush. No sense staying concealed any longer. Someone was liable to start shooting unless he revealed himself. He held his hands slightly up and out to the sides to show he wasn’t armed, and plastered a smile on his face. He’d simply have to wing his way through this rescue.
“Scott.” Amber’s eyes widened in surprise. She squirmed against the man holding her, then stomped on his foot. The outlaw let out a yowl and a curse, but her maneuver worked, and he let her go. She didn’t waste a second and scrambled out of his grasp, then came running. She threw her arms around Scott’s neck. The impact made him stumble backward several steps.
“You’re alive. I thought you’d been shot,” she sobbed against his neck.
Scott’s arms took on a will of their own, and wrapped around her, lifting her slightly off the ground. Surprise at her behavior as well as his own slowed his reflexes momentarily.
“If I had been shot, you’d have been rid of me like you were hoping for.” He grinned when she pulled away from him. Her eyes glared daggers at him.
“Do you always have to make such sarcastic remarks? Can’t you be serious for one moment in your life?”
There was no opportunity to respond. Scott tensed at the sound of a gun clicking close to his head.
“Let go of the lady, Injun,” someone growled in a warning tone.
Scott eased his arms from around Amber and set her on her feet. She stepped away from him and darted a glance at the two men who stood on either side of him, their guns drawn.
“Don’t shoot.” Amber’s eyes went wide. “He’s my friend. I thought he’d been killed when I heard gunshots in town.” Looking at Scott, she offered a reserved smile and blinked rapidly. “I thought you died. This is all my fault. You might not have come to the past if it wasn’t for me.”
Scott frowned. Now was not exactly the best time for a reunion and explanations.
“This Injun’s with you?” Jeb stared at her. He rubbed at his chin while he still held the gun to Scott’s head. His eyes darted back and forth. “Now I know you’re loco. What decent woman wants to be in the company of an Injun?”
Amber glared at the man. “Why don’t you just let us go, and you can get drunk or do whatever it is you plan to do with all that booze.”
“He’s a horse thief.”
Everyone turned their heads at the words called out by the guy with the mustache. He was coming toward them, leading the horse Scott had taken from the hitching post back in town.
“That’s Vin’s horse,” Jeb said. His glare renewed, and he shoved the pistol against Scott’s temple.
“Put that gun away before someone gets hurt.” Amber sounded like Scott’s mother when he was a child, whenever he or one of his siblings ignored one of her requests.
“Stealing horses is a hanging offense, Injun,” Jeb sneered, ignoring Amber. There was a sudden gleam in his eyes. “That’s our friend’s horse. Now I know why he didn’t catch up to us. Because you stole his horse, he probably got shot in town.”
“I wasn’t stealing a horse,” Scott said lamely. “I was borrowing it. When I saw that wagon take off out of town, I had to go after it because I knew Amber was in it. I took the closest horse I could find.”
Ignoring the reference to his Native American genes was probably best at the moment. There was no denying what Jeb said. Obviously, it was a big deal in this time, and not in a good way.
“Get a rope, Will. We’re gonna string him up.” Jeb thrust the revolver against Scott’s head. “Tie him up, Seth.” The other man hesitated, then rushed to his horse, presumably to grab a rope.
These guys weren’t fooling around anymore. Jeb was clearly looking for any excuse to cause more trouble than he’d already done. The other two didn’t seem quite so eager. Now was his only chance to take that gun away from him. Scott tensed, intent on surprising the guy by ducking quickly and then ramming him to knock the gun from his hand.
At that precise moment, Amber jumped forward, putting herself between him and Jeb.
“Are you out of your mind? You’re telling me I’m crazy, but you’re threatening to shoot someone and hang him for no reason? If you want to shoot someone, shoot me. Leave Scott alone.”
Jeb’s jaw opened slightly. He’d clearly never encountered a woman like Amber.
“Move aside, lady, or I might reconsider shooting a woman.”
“Yes, step aside, Amber, before you get hurt.” Scott clenched his jaw and glared at the back of her head. She’d ruined his chance to disarm the outlaw. Her head swung wildly from him to Jeb, her wide eyes filled with annoyance at both of them. She didn’t budge.
“I find it rather ironic that a bunch of outlaws, thieves stealing whiskey, want to hang someone else for borrowing a horse. Don’t you see how stupid this is?” Her voice rose with each word she uttered. Scott’s annoyance faded. She made a good point.
“What do you want me to do, Jeb?” Seth returned at that moment with some rope. The other guy, Will, strode up as well, glancing at Jeb with questioning eyes.
“I ain’t so sure about this, Jeb.” Will shifted weight from one foot to the other. He glanced at Seth, who nodded.
“Can’t we just leave them here and get goin’? We was only supposed to steal some whiskey.”
Jeb reached for Amber, his face clouded with anger and indecision. He’d clearly not thought any of this through and was acting on impulse, which made him dangerous. He grabbed Amber and shoved her out of the way. Scott took a step forward, but the gun pointed at his forehead stopped him from doing anything else.
“Don’t move, Injun,” Jeb hissed. “Tie him up, Seth, and the woman, too. She’s been a burr in my craw long enough.”
“If you hurt her in any way, you’ll answer to me.” Scott’s muscles tightened when Seth wrapped the rope around his wrists and tied his hands behind his back. The man stepped away from him as soon as he was fin
ished.
“You ain’t in a position to tell me what to do, Injun. You made a big mistake when you followed us. We might have let the girl go, but now I ain’t so sure.” He shot a look of disdain at Amber. “Any woman who takes on with an Injun oughta be ashamed of herself.” Looking directly at her, he asked, “Is that the reason you came to Heartsbridge? To kill yourself? Because you’re too ashamed of what you’ve done?”
Amber glared at Jeb. It was the same look she’d given Scott in the car when he’d taunted her about feeling sorry for herself.
“I’ve done a lot of things that I’m ashamed of, you cowardly little bug, but being in Scott Kincaid’s company isn’t one of them. He might be annoying, but he’s one of the good guys, whereas you couldn’t hold a candle to him.” Amber’s voice had lowered to an almost venomous hiss.
Scott stared at her. Something inside him came alive at her defense of him. Not twenty-four hours ago, she’d acted as if she couldn’t stand him, and now she stood boldly in front of three men holding guns, defending him. It didn’t quite feel right, like he should be the one doing a better job of defending her, but at the moment, he was helpless.
“What did you say his name was?” Will asked, stepping forward. He looked with uncertainty from Jeb to Seth. Both of them had a look of disbelief on their faces, and stared at him with renewed interest.
“Scott Kincaid.” Scott stared right back at the three. Someone in town had yelled out his name, too, as if he’d known who he was. There hadn’t been any time to ponder the reason, but these three clearly seemed perplexed about something.
Jeb was the first to laugh. “Well, ain’t that interesting. An Injun with the name Kincaid. Old Jack’s blood ain’t as pure as he’d like everyone to think.”
Scott’s eyes went from the guy to Amber, whose brows rose in puzzlement. The sound of hoof beats made everyone’s eyes turn.
“Looks like someone found you.” Amber smiled with a hopeful look in her eyes. The same thought had gone through Scott’s mind as well. The three outlaws tensed, their eyes fearful all of a sudden. They froze like three deer caught in headlights. Not a second later, they all relaxed again when a rider emerged into the clearing.
“Vin, we thought ya got shot.” Seth beamed a smile and rushed up to the man riding calmly toward them.
Scott cursed under his breath. Looked like he and Amber were even more outnumbered now. The man named Vin dismounted. He didn’t look to be a day older than Scott. He wore a long leather duster, and his hair hung well past his shoulders. A five o’clock shadow darkened his face even further. Wordlessly, he handed the reins of his horse to Will, then glanced at Jeb before his eyes rested on Amber.
“I thought you were stealing whiskey. I don’t recall that the plan included kidnapping and killing.”
Seth and Will both nodded. Their shoulders seemed to relax as they glanced from Jeb to Vin.
“That female was already in the back of the freight wagon, and this Injun come ridin’ after her. He stole your horse, Vin, and the best part is, he claims his last name is Kincaid.”
The man named Vin directed all his attention on Scott. Scott glared back. This thief shared his last name? What were the chances that he was facing a distant ancestor? Although his family history could be traced to Texas in the eighteen-hundreds, his folks or grandparents had never mentioned an outlaw on the Kincaid tree.
Jeb started laughing. “Your good old Uncle Jack might be interested in this. Looks like his impeccable bloodline is tainted after all, and he never told anyone. Maybe that’s why he’s picking up stakes and is moving his business to Montana. It would sure put a thorn in his side. First you, and now an Injun.”
Vin lunged at the man and knocked the gun from Jeb’s hand. He grabbed him by the shirt collar. “I told you, don’t mention Jack’s name in front of me again.”
Jeb held his hands out to the side. He smiled, but his eyes were wide with sudden apprehension. “Sure, Vin, whatever you say. Thought you might find it amusing.” His eyes darted to Scott.
Vin let go of the other man’s shirt, then stepped aside and came up to Scott. “Who are you?”
“Scott Kincaid. I doubt we’re related. It’s not such an uncommon last name.”
Vin studied him for what seemed like a long time, no doubt trying to figure out how and if they might be related. Scott’s mind raced with the same possibilities. No one in his family had ever mentioned a Vin Kincaid in the family tree. Jack Kincaid sounded familiar, but he’d better not bring it up, after Vin’s angry outburst at Jeb.
“And the woman?”
Vin’s eyes darted to Amber with mild interest. Despite being tied, Scott took a step forward to put himself between the outlaw and her.
“She’s with me,” Scott said before Amber could open her mouth. “Look, we were both in the wrong place at the wrong time last night. We want to mind our own business and not get tangled up in whatever it is you all are doing.” After a quick pause, he added, “At least let the girl go.”
“No, if anyone should stay with these guys, it’s me. It’s my fault we were in Heartsbridge last night. If you want to kill someone, kill me, but let Scott go.”
Scott groaned at Amber’s outburst. For once, she needed to keep her mouth shut.
Vin’s gaze volleyed between them. His eyes were calculating and intelligent, unlike those other guys. A grin formed on his face. He reached out and held Amber’s chin between his fingers, tilting her head up to look into her eyes. Scott’s muscles tightened. He strained against the rope that tied his hands behind his back and left him unable to protect Amber.
Abruptly, Vin dropped his hand and turned away from them. He strode to his horse.
“Let’s get moving, or else the sheriff might catch up with us.”
“What about these two?” Jeb asked.
“Bring them along. I know just what to do with them.”
Chapter 7
“What are we going to do, Scott?”
Amber whispered, leaning her head as close as she could get toward Scott’s shoulder. For an entire day, the four outlaws had been on the move, stopping only occasionally to give the horses a rest and to eat a quick bite. Scott had been forced onto one of the horses, and Jeb had coaxed Amber back into the back of the wagon at gunpoint. She’d settled between the barrels again, bracing herself for another painful ride.
There had been no chance for her to communicate with Scott while they’d been on the move. To make matters worse, the guy named Vin had ordered one of the others to tie blindfolds around her and Scott’s eyes. Only during rest stops were the coverings removed. By the time evening had rolled around, Amber had been completely disoriented.
Her stomach grumbled. They hadn’t been given much in the way of food, only some biscuits that were stale and hard as rocks. Some warm water from a canteen that tasted more like pond scum had been barely enough to wash the dry food down her throat.
“Eat it, Amber,” Scott had warned when she’d opened her mouth to protest the first time they’d stopped. “You don’t know when you’ll get another chance at food.”
With Jeb hovering over her and Scott while they ate, she couldn’t talk to him about what they were going to do to try and get away from these crazy men. Will and Seth seemed reasonable enough, but Jeb looked like a guy ready to snap. Vin remained quiet most of the time and stayed off by himself, although he’d seemed like the leader of this bunch earlier.
Thankfully, they’d let her go behind a bush to do her business in private whenever she’d complained that she couldn’t hold her bladder any longer. Jeb didn’t have a choice but to untie her hands during those times. The thought to run off had occurred to her each time, but they were out in the middle of nowhere, and she was not going to abandon Scott.
The sun had already set behind the mountains in the distance when Will unhitched the horses from the wagon. The others had busied themselves with unsaddling their horses and building a campfire. Jeb had shoved her roughly to the ground
under a tree and removed her blindfold.
Scott was already sitting there. He offered a grin like the one she’d wanted to smack off his face at the diner in Heartsbridge. Now, it looked reassuring rather than annoying. Clearly, he was trying to set her mind at ease. Not that it mattered if she survived this ordeal or not, but guilt nagged her that Scott was in this predicament with her. This was not how her plan was supposed to work.
“How are we going to get away from them, and what do you think they’re going to do to us?” Amber whispered.
She scooted closer to Scott until their thighs touched, and she could lean against his arm. A feeling of comfort and security rushed through her at the contact. His body was warm and solid, and being near him brought a sense of hope that everything would be all right.
“I’m still working on the answer to your first question.” Scott leaned toward her and kept his voice down. “As to the second, I have no clue. It doesn’t seem like this bunch is too bright. Being in the outlaw business seems to be new to them.”
“How far do you think we’ve come? We’re out in the middle of nowhere. No one is going to find us here.”
“We’ll worry about it when the time comes, Amber. Right now, let’s stay calm and focused.”
She nodded. That’s all they could do right now – wait and see what these guys planned to do with them. The way Vin had looked at her earlier, and then had said he knew what to do with her and Scott, had sent a shiver of dread down her spine. This was supposed to happen on her terms, not someone else making the decision how and when she died.
“I’m sorry that you’re in this mess because of me,” she mumbled.
She stared straight ahead, mesmerized by the flames of the campfire as they flickered in the dark like some magical dragons dancing toward the dark sky. Seth and Will rested on the ground near the fire, their upper bodies propped up against their saddles. Jeb was somewhere outside the firelight, and Vin was nowhere to be seen or heard.
Timeless Bond (Timeless Hearts Book 8) Page 5
