Stuck Together

by Mary Connealy

  Seeing as how Wilcox had been drinking, and knowing the fool would be a poor one to reason with, when Wilcox went to take another drink from the bottle, Vince rushed him.

  Vince made contact with Wilcox’s head with the butt of his gun. The man went down like a felled ox. It was a good day’s work. They’d be home in time for dinner.

  Vince looked out and realized the rock Wilcox hid behind concealed all that had just happened. He’d need to signal Luke and the others. He was moving to snatch up Wilcox’s rifle when a gun cocked right behind him.

  “Leave the rifle there and drop your own gun, Yates.” It was a voice Vince recognized. Tug Andrews, and he spoke without a bit of a drunken slur.

  In his awkward position, bending, facing away, Vince knew he couldn’t hope to beat an already aimed pistol.

  Slowly he straightened away from the rifle. The Regulators still didn’t know if Vince had gotten to the top of the canyon yet.

  “The pistol, Sheriff,” Tug Andrews said. The man who ran the general store spoke in a hard, mocking tone that Vince had never heard from him before. “Don’t start turning around before that gun hits the ground or I’ll shoot.”

  Vince let it go, his teeth gritted. The gun struck the stony ground with a dull thud. As he turned, it came to Vince clear as day that Tug Andrews was another man in Broken Wheel who shipped things in, a man besides Duffy.

  The twisting path they’d ridden to this canyon had led them close to Broken Wheel. Vince figured he even knew which bluff this was. From town it stood high and looked to be nothing but another hill. But if Tug had found a way into the canyon from the north, the side without an obvious opening, it’d make a likely hiding place for cases of whiskey. In this broken land there was every chance to be a cave that threaded all the way into the center of the canyon, or a rugged but passable trail that wound up and down the sides. Vince had just climbed it, which proved it could be done.

  “I knew someone in town had to be supplying Wilcox with liquor,” Vince said. He hoped the old man would start talking and forget to keep his gun quite so level.

  With a humorless laugh, Andrews said, “Duffy and Griss told me you accused them of it. I stirred ’em up good, was real offended for ’em. Good, honest, hardworkin’ folks like the Schusters gettin’ questioned by a lawman who works at a job that pays no money. It’s a shame is what it is.”

  “What do you want from me?” Vince knew his Regulator friends; they were close by and on edge. Unfortunately Vince had told them to hang back and give him time. They’d be coming, but none too soon. Andrews couldn’t see them, not from where he was standing. So in a few minutes, hopefully, this was going to become four men against one. Andrews would’ve been better off to run, but he didn’t know that, and Vince wasn’t about to warn him.

  “If you’d’ve arrested Wilcox, he’d’ve sobered up and told you I sold him his whiskey. Then you’d’ve known I’m selling it to the Kiowa and Comanche, too. I’m leaving the territory, but I’ve got money and furs, all kinda things hidden in a cave down yonder. I’m not riding out without it.” Jerking his head, Tug took a step backward and pointed with his gun. “Head on down the trail. I just need you to stay quiet long enough for me to load up a couple of packhorses and get away. I won’t hurt anyone if I don’t have to.”

  The cold way the old-timer spoke and the steady look in his eyes made Vince move mighty careful.

  Picking his way down the steep trail, he heard Tug close behind him, but not too close. Before long they reached the bottom of the canyon. Vince kept an eye out for his friends, but he didn’t see any sign of them.

  A gaping cave mouth was right near the trail’s base. “Go on inside,” Tug said. “I’ve got a big old surprise for you in there.”

  A surprise? Vince wondered what he meant by that. He hoped it wasn’t a bullet in the back.

  The cave opening seemed to swallow him up. The wind was cut off, and yet Vince felt colder than he had outside.

  “Hold up!” Tug said. If the varmint really intended to tie Vince up, load up his cached wealth and take off, Vince should probably let him do it. Luke was the best of trackers. He’d find this place soon enough and set Vince free. But Tug would have to quit the country and do it fast. The question was, did the old-timer know he couldn’t move fast enough? Did he know that to leave Vince alive meant almost certain capture?

  A scratching noise sounded, and light popped up behind Vince. Tug had lit a match. Vince glanced back to see him touching a match to the wick of a lantern. Tug did it all without letting go of his gun. And he was well out of grabbing range.

  “Thinkin’ of goin’ for my gun, Yates? Like I said, I don’t wanna shoot you, but I will if you don’t give me a choice.” Tug lifted the lantern off a peg driven into the rock wall. “Move on down the tunnel and say hello.”

  The sneer on Tug’s face sent a chill up Vince’s spine. There was definitely something more coming. He moved faster, driven now to see what lay ahead. The tunnel was lit only by the lantern, though they hadn’t gone far when he saw more light ahead. The tunnel widened into a cave with its own lantern burning.

  Mother, Missy, and Tina sat side by side on the cave floor, bound and gagged. They all stared right at Vince, their eyes wide with fear. He noticed that Mother’s gag was soaked, drenched by tears.

  Tug Andrews had made Vince’s mother cry. Vince could feel his anger and frustration building by the second.

  A soft whine drew Vince’s eyes to Livvy. The little hound lay between Mother and a stone about the size of Vince’s chest. Livvy’s mouth was muzzled by a strip of leather, and a rope around her neck was tied to the base of the stone. The dog lifted her head and strained against the rope when Vince came in. The high-pitched whine grew louder as the dog lunged over and over, each time followed by a muted yelp.

  His stomach twisting, Vince glanced back at his weeping mother and his frightened sister, and then he looked in Tina’s eyes, hating to face her terror or her tears.

  She was furious. She looked like she wanted to chew her way through that gag and start scolding Tug.

  Vince rushed forward just as something slammed into the back of his head. He went down hard, to his knees, then collapsed face-first as the world faded away. The blow seemed to paralyze him. He felt his hands yanked behind his back, yet he was too dazed to fight back.

  The man was good. He moved like someone who’d spent time as a cowhand. In mere seconds Tug had Vince tied up like a calf ready for branding.

  Old Tug stood away from Vince, breathing hard. Even that much exertion wore him out. But who was lying here all trussed up and who was walking around free? Tug was a harder man than Vince had ever considered. He’d had enough strength to best all four of them and Livvy, too. Now here they all were, with Vince as helpless as his womenfolk. All of them were firmly in Tug’s clutches. And instead of rescuing them, he, Invincible Vince, lay here bound, his vision dark, his thoughts scrambled by that hard blow.

  With his boot Tug rolled Vince onto his back. Vince kept his eyes closed, hoping Tug thought he’d been knocked insensible. When Tug nudged him with the same hard boot, Vince didn’t react.

  The old man said, “I been tyin’ knots since I was a boy shanghaied onto a ship. Then later I spent time riding the grub line and learned how to hog-tie a thousand-pound steer. None’a you will be gettin’ loose, so don’t waste time trying. I’ll leave a note in town where someone will find it, to tell ’em you’re in here.”

  Vince, even in his groggy state, didn’t like the tone of Tug’s voice. Would he really leave a note? No matter, for Vince figured Luke would track them into this hole in the ground even if Tug didn’t tell anyone.

  Tug laughed. “I got two packhorses stashed. I knew the minute word came in about Wilcox shootin’ that Indian, it was time for me to move on. I was most of the way to packed when you women stumbled onto my cave.”

  An annoyed snort came from Tina. Vince wanted to break loose and beat the tar out of Andrews, but for n
ow it suited him to lay still and let the man think he was safe. As soon as Tug left, Vince would go to work getting the knife out of his boot.

  He couldn’t even test the ropes to see if he was able to reach his boot, but if he couldn’t, he’d roll over beside Tina and let her get it.

  Tug was quiet for a long stretch, and Vince figured the varmint was staring at him, wondering if he was out cold or not. Finally, Tug stomped out of the cave.

  Vince sat up and wheeled around to look at the women. Tina’s gaze locked on his, and the determination in her eyes helped clear the last of the fog out of his head.

  Tina made an urgent sound from behind her gag.

  “Just let me get my blade out first, and then I’ll cut you loose,” Vince whispered. He glanced at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him and said some muffled words he couldn’t understand. He figured if she could talk, she’d start in with scolding him about something.

  She was going to have to wait, though it was good to see that being imprisoned didn’t break her spirit. He reached for his boot, twisting his hands tied behind his back. The knots were tight. Vince got his fingers close to his right boot, but he couldn’t quite get his fingers to the knife.

  A deep growl sounded from Tina, but he didn’t even look up. Just another inch . . . He stretched his fingers against the bonds, trying to get just that little bit . . .

  Tina landed in his lap.

  Vince lifted his eyes to find she’d rolled toward him and tossed herself onto him. She then rolled away and waved her tightly bound hands so that he could see—the little woman had a knife in her hands.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” he said.

  Tina gave him a furious look, and he flashed a smile at her, then dumped her unceremoniously onto the cave floor. He turned his back to her and took the knife.

  He had his ropes slashed in seconds, made quick work of getting his feet free, and cut the ties on Tina’s hands loose just as footsteps tromped toward the cave.

  Vince jumped up as Tina worked on freeing herself. He knew she was right where Tug could see her when he stepped into the cave, so he dragged her back to the wall even as she got her feet untied.

  Vince rushed to the cave entrance, looked around and found the exact thing he needed: a nice-sized rock. He saw Tina working on Missy’s hands, and Vince hissed at her and waved for her to sit still. Tug Andrews wouldn’t notice that her ankle ropes were gone, not for a few seconds, coming from the light into the dark. And since Vince had been knocked down out of the direct line of sight from the entrance, he was hoping Tug would just come right on in. Vince only needed a couple of steps.

  Tug came in whistling. The old fool was a happy man. Well, Vince was about to make him mighty unhappy. Tug took two steps, looked to his left where Vince was supposed to be, which exposed the back of his head to Vince. And that was enough.

  Vince brought the rock down on Tug’s head, returning the favor of Tug’s blow.

  Tug crumpled to the ground, hitting the unforgiving rock hard. Vince disarmed Tug a lot more thoroughly than Tug had disarmed him—or Tina, come to that. It felt good to regain possession of his own pistol.

  A scrape from the far tunnel brought Vince’s head up. He aimed as Luke poked his head in. With a sigh of relief, Vince holstered the gun. “Tie him up, will you?”

  “Sure . . . Tug Andrews?”

  Vince nodded. “Yep, he boasted of selling liquor to Wilcox, the Kiowa and the Comanche.” He was about to check on the women just as Tina jerked her gag free. Missy was loose, so Tina turned her attention to Mother. Missy gently helped Livvy out of the muzzle and cut the rope around her neck. The dog went wild barking as if all that noise had been backing up this whole time.

  Tina helped Mother to her feet, and Vince went to assist. Tina said, “He told us he’d been using this cave to stash furs and other things he traded whiskey for.”

  Vince kept Mother close at his side while Luke finished securing Tug, leaving his feet unbound.

  Tina went on, “Tug said that as soon as he heard what Wilcox had done to Red Wolf, he knew it was time to hit the trail. He’s got two packhorses outside, all loaded and ready to go.”

  Seconds later, Dare stepped in with Wilcox, who was barely able to walk. Jonas brought up the rear.

  Dare gave Vince an incredulous look. “Never thought of Tug being involved in all this.”

  “Me neither,” Vince said. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a lawman.”

  Vince wondered how long they had before Red Wolf came in with his band of warriors. Everyone else seemed to be here, why not them? “Are the Kiowa gonna trust us to punish these coyotes?”

  Dare gave a nod. “He saw us pull Wilcox down off that bluff, and it seemed to satisfy him that we put shackles on him—especially since it was mighty clear he’d been whacked on the head. I told Red Wolf we’d make sure he paid for his crimes. He wasn’t real happy, but he rode off with his men.”

  Vince felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

  Mother turned to Vince, her eyes wide and childlike. “Vincent, what are we doing out here in this cave?”

  Everyone in the cave gasped . . . well, except Tug and Wilcox. Tug was unconscious or he might’ve gasped, too. Wilcox didn’t come to town that often.

  The rest of them knew Mother would probably go back to calling Vince Julius just as soon as she was feeling better, which was just the worst kind of dirty shame. But for now it was nice to hear his name on her lips.

  “You’re right, Mother,” Vince said, offering her his arm. “This is a cold, dirty place. Let’s get you back home this instant.”

  Mother took Vince’s arm and smiled. He looked around the cave, took stock, and found Luke and Jonas hoisting Tug to his feet and unbinding his hands. Tug’s arm was slung over Jonas’s shoulder.

  “I’m going back for the horses,” Luke said. “I’ll bring ’em to town tomorrow when I come in for church.” He turned for the tunnel that led to the canyon.

  Jonas slapped himself on the forehead. “I forgot what day it is.” He gave Missy a private sort of smile. “I need to write a sermon.”

  “You’ve been distracted,” Tina said.

  Jonas nodded. “But I know what I’m going to preach about.”

  Vince thought he knew, too. “What’s that?” he asked anyway.

  “Trusting God with your future.” Jonas smiled, then half dragged, half carried Tug out of the cave entrance that led toward Broken Wheel.

  “Tomorrow’s plenty soon enough for the horses. If we need one, I reckon we can use Tug’s. He ain’t riding anywhere anytime soon.” Dare shoved Wilcox along, following after Jonas.

  Missy went next, then Tina. Vince walked out with Mother on his arm. When they all got outside, he saw Missy hurrying to catch up to Jonas. Tina had lingered and, with a very smooth move—or so Vince thought—he snagged her hand. She looked sideways at him, smiled and didn’t pull away.

  With Mother on one side and Tina on the other, they walked toward town. Livvy trotted faithfully along at Mother’s side.

  “So, you carry a knife with you all the time?” Vince asked his little spitfire.

  Grinning, Jonas looked over his shoulder. Then his eyes went to Vince’s hand, joined with Tina’s, and his grin quickly faded. He arched a brow at Vince, demanding his intentions without uttering a word. Vince had thought he was being discreet with Tina, but Jonas had said something earlier that told Vince his preacher friend knew something was going on. And now they were holding hands.

  “Why, yes, of course I carry a knife.” Tina started to pull her hand away, but Vince hung on tight and she didn’t really fight him. “You should have known that.”

  “How could I have known if you didn’t tell me?”

  Tina quit trying to get loose and smiled that shining smile that made Vince ache to marry the woman and have her all to himself. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a dozen times, a woman needs to know how to take care of herself.”

  Tha
t surprised a laugh out of Vince.

  “Amen,” Missy called over her shoulder.

  Jonas laughed, then Missy joined in, and Tina added her pretty ringing laughter. Vince realized he hadn’t heard Tina laugh nearly enough. He right then and there vowed to change that. And he’d tell her so, along with a few other things, just as soon as he could get her alone. It better be soon, because he intended to marry her right after he asked the question.

  Mother reached across Vince and patted Tina on the hand. “You’re going to make a wonderful addition to the family.”

  Tina, caught in mid-laugh, started choking.

  Chapter 25

  Tina sensed something different about Vince. The way he held her hand, for one, right in front of Jonas and everyone. Jonas had noticed for sure.

  Mother Yates had noticed too, and she wasn’t exactly famous for that.

  Vince leaned down and whispered, “I need to talk to you, but I want to stay with Mother until she forgets me again.”

  That made Tina smile. She thought Vince was finally getting used to the idea that his ma wasn’t going to be thinking straight a good chunk of the time. They needed to watch out for her and enjoy her company as she was.

  While Tina completely understood and sympathized with Vince’s priorities, she itched to know why he wanted to talk to her alone.

  They were a while locking the prisoners away and getting Virginia Belle cleaned up. Vince ignored the jail and stayed with his mother, talking quietly with her. There was no time to be alone until they sat down to dinner.

  When Tina was finally done cooking—for all of them again—she hung up her apron and walked out of the diner kitchen to join the others. Vince took Tina’s hand and nodded toward the kitchen. If he wanted her to cook some more, the man was in for a big disappointment.