“We could see it in his eyes, Joe,” Red Wolf added. “He is very much afraid of you. He was glad to hear you were dead. He said he did not want to take Emma away and worry about you being behind him.”
“Well, I will be behind him!” River seethed. “He’s going to get one hell of a surprise when he finds out River Joe is still alive!”
Ramona grinned. “I wish I could see his face when that one sees you again. It would be a fine sight.”
River shuddered with the horror of it. “Bring me my children. I want to see them. I want to see that they are all right.”
Grace hurried off, and River covered his face with his hand, ashamed of the tears that came but unable to stop them. He was weak and in pain, and now he had learned that his precious Emma had been taken away, by the worst person who could have taken her.
Old Ramona bent close, grasping his wrist. “You go ahead and weep, white man. Any man would weep over such a thing, whether white or Cherokee. There is no shame in it. You weep for your woman. But when you are stronger there will be no tears. There will be only revenge!” She almost hissed the word revenge, and she squeezed his wrist harder.
He moved his hand to take her own, breathing deeply for control. “Do what you can, adawehi, to make me well quickly. I will do whatever you say.”
She nodded. “That is wise. I will heal you, Unega, and you will get the revenge that has been denied our own men. They weep, too. For them it is worse. They are strong and healthy, and yet they cannot defend their women because of the white man’s laws. If they rise up against the white men who abuse their women and their property, the white man will come and kill many and make the rest of us move to a land we despise. The white man lives by strange rules, River Joe. But you know their world. You go and break those rules. You break them, and get your woman back!”
Chapter Twenty-One
The trip took over two weeks, and Emma would never forget it. Still, at least some of it was spent in blessed semiconsciousness from loss of blood. Most of her traveling had been on a travois behind Tommy’s horse, but there were few other comforts. She dreaded meeting Sam Gates, already hated him. And yet for the moment she had to be glad it was Sam Gates to whom Tommy was taking her, for Tommy apparently feared the man and knew he would get no money if he brought Sam Gates a dead or battered woman.
That was all that kept Tommy from beating her and killing her, and the miscarriage kept him from raping her. It had surprised and offended him. Tommy Decker knew only one aspect of women, and that was that they were something to be used sexually. He had never thought about or encountered all the other facets of the female sex. A bleeding woman left him confused and repulsed, and that was just fine with Emma.
Deek Malone and the other men seemed to have similar feelings. “This whole trip has been a waste,” she heard Deek complain the day they were to arrive in Knoxville. “All we got is a pitiful bit of woman who’s half-dead from loss of blood. It’s been over two weeks, and she still can’t hardly get up off that travois. Sam Gates ain’t gonna want somethin’ like that.”
“Quit your gripin’,” Tommy answered. “He asked for Emma Simms, and that’s what I’m bringin’ to him. Soon as she’s well, he’ll see how pretty she is and he’ll put her to work. And I aim to be one of her first customers. She thinks she’s got no more worries about gettin’ laid by Tommy Decker, but I’ll be around when Sam Gates tells her she better cooperate or suffer the consequences.”
“You think he’d beat her?”
“I ain’t sure what he’d do. All I know is I can read a man’s eyes, and behind them fancy clothes and that fake smile of his is a man who knows how to get what he wants out of people and who don’t like to be crossed.”
“Well, I’m for gettin’ my money and headin’ back up home. I ain’t seen my pa in a long time, and this whole thing don’t stick in my craw right, Tommy. Why don’t you come home with me?”
“You kiddin’? Sam pays me good. And, like I say, soon as Emma is well, I’m gonna do every last lovin’ thing there is to do to a woman and gladly pay for it just to watch the look on her face.”
Emma cringed as she heard the words, wondering when the trip would be over and the constant bouncing would stop. How long would it take River to come? Was he well now, or had he died?
“There she is!” someone shouted. “It’s about time!”
“Hallelujah!” someone else yelled. “Good ol’ Knoxville!”
Emma felt her heart tighten, and she wished she felt better, stronger. She could barely stand up and walk. Perhaps she would be stronger if Tommy had fed and cared for her properly, but she had been handled like a sick dog. How could she face up to this Sam Gates when she felt so weak and sick?
“Let’s keep goin’, boys,” Tommy said then. “We can be there by nightfall.”
They continued to descend. Their journey had been a long one, taking most of the summer. But now the search was over. They had found their prey, pitiful and frail as she was.
Emma could think of nothing but River and the babies. They were so far away now! Even if she could escape, how would she go about finding them, or even survive the journey all alone? It was almost as though that beautiful life had all been a dream. Now she was headed for a new life, at least until River came for her…if he was still alive.
“I can make it now,” River said to Ramona. He paced back and forth, stretching out his arms, raising them up over his head, flexing his hands. “I am a little weak, but I will eat well all the way to Knoxville, and I will make sure I get plenty of sleep at night.”
He stepped close to the old woman and she looked him over. He wore only his loincloth, and she reached up and felt around his shoulder and neck. Pink scars lingered on his chest and arms, and his right arm remained bandaged. But the infection had not returned, and there was a scabbed indentation near his neck, where Ramona had held the hot iron.
“Hmmm,” she muttered. “Maybe you are right. You are thinner, Joe, but your wounds look good, and your determination to save your woman will give you the added strength you need to replace what you have lost through sickness.”
River smiled, an almost wicked smile of revenge. “You are exactly right. You understand such things well, old woman.”
“I have been around a long time.” She patted his chest. “I have no use for white men, and especially not for white women. But you are different, Joe. You are white, but you have a Cherokee heart, and so does your woman, even though she has not been with us long.”
“She was never the spoiled, pampered white woman you think they all are. Emma led a hard life before I found her,” he answered. He pulled on a pair of buckskin pants and laced them halfway, then turned to face her. “What will I do if she is dead, Ramona?” His eyes teared.
“You will go on—for your children,” she said firmly. “You have a son and a daughter, Joe, gifts from Emma. She loved them dearly. She would want you to go on, to take care of her babies.” She walked closer, patting his arm. “Mary and Grace will continue to take care of the small ones until you return. And you will return, with your Emma.” She nodded. “Esaugetuh Emissee will help you. There will be many prayers among all of us. His power will be with you, Joe.”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “You saved my life, not just from the wound, but the day you helped convince those men that I was dead. I am in your debt, old woman.”
She shook her head. “I do what the Maker of Breath would have me do. An old woman like me enjoys helping the young, strong ones.” She took a deep breath and assumed her usual air of unconcern. “Get dressed and go now! Grace has packed food and supplies for you. Peter has got your horse ready. I am convinced you are strong enough.” She shook a finger at him. “But do what I said. Eat well and get your rest. Better to go slower and arrive alive and well than to get sick on the trail and not be able to get to Emma. Do not let your anxiousness and your desire for revenge make you foolish!”
He nodded. “I understand. I will be c
areful, Ramona.” He finished dressing and turned to stare at the bed, its handmade mattress covered with a handsewn quilt, both products of Emma’s loving care and patience. How many sweet, passionate moments they had shared on that bed!
His whole body ached for her, longed to get her back and prove to her and to the world that she belonged to him. What had Tommy Decker and the others done to her by now? What would Sam Gates do to her? The thoughts made him want to scream, want to destroy everything in sight. Men were going to pay dearly for this! He had the advantage. They thought he was dead.
He would go first to the Tennessee Belle saloon, where Emma would most likely be by the time he reached Knoxville. His plans from there were not firm yet, but he would improvise to fit the situation. He would like to charge in and kill everyone in sight and carry her off, but he knew he would have to be more clever than that, more careful. It was best that everyone continue to think him dead. He had to find a way to get Emma out of there without anyone knowing how it happened.
“Maybe I should take you with me, old woman,” he teased. “You are pretty clever.”
Old Ramona laughed, shuffling toward the door. “Only in medicine and in the ways of the people,” she replied. “This deed is something that calls for a strong, cunning man who knows the ways of the white man. That is where you have an advantage, Joe.” She reached the door and turned to look at him. “You get her, Joe. And you kill that Tommy Decker.” She pointed her finger. “Be careful, and be smart. But do not leave that white man’s town without killing that redheaded bastard!”
She sniffed and went out the door. River stared after her, feeling strengthened by the old woman’s words. “You can be sure I will kill him,” he muttered. He sat down in a chair to pull on his knee-high moccasins. It was early. He could make a lot of miles today.
Sam Gates held up a lantern and pulled the blanket off Emma as she lay on the travois. She wore the same gown she had been wearing when Tommy had stolen her away. It was torn and dirty. He hair had not been washed, and it lay in a tousled mess around her pale face. She had lost a considerable amount of weight, and loss of blood had left her weak. Dark circles showed under her normally pretty blue eyes.
She looked up into the eyes of a very handsome older man, well dressed, his dark eyes studying her intently. She felt naked, exposed and vulnerable under his stare, and in spite of his good looks she sensed a certain danger that made her curl up defensively. This had to be Sam Gates.
“This is what I’m supposed to pay you good money for?” the man asked Tommy.
“There was a problem, Mr. Gates. When I found her, she was pregnant. I didn’t know it. Some damned Indian buck had took her in and slept with her after River Joe died. Then she went and lost the baby after I took her—”
“Hold up there!” Gates snapped. “I don’t like one damned thing I’m hearing, and you’re throwing it all at me too fast.”
They stood outside the back of the Tennessee Belle. Tommy had brought Emma in after dark so no one would see. The others with him went their way, agreeing to meet with Gates the next morning to get their pay, and agreeing to keep their mouths shut. They were all men Gates trusted, men on his payroll who had worked for him before. Only Deek and Tommy were present now.
“She’s a goddamned mess,” Gates complained. “You could have used a little soap and water on her, for Christ’s sake! Carry her inside my office and lay her on the sofa, and tell me again what the hell happened!”
“Yes, sir.”
Emma was lifted, and a moment later her eyes took in a lighted room that had walls lined with books. It smelled of leather and tobacco. Tommy and Deek laid her on a cool, leather sofa. Sam Gates stood over her then, the dark eyes again moving over her. He bent closer, pushing some of the hair back from her face.
“Don’t touch me,” she said in as strong a voice as she could.
His eyebrows arched and he straightened. “I’ll touch whatever I want, Miss Simms. You are my property.”
“I’m nobody’s property.”
He knelt closer, grasping her arm painfully. “I beg to differ. I paid good money for you, woman, on the information that you were a virgin and a most beautiful young lady. But a certain white Indian stole you from me and spoiled the virgin part of it.” He squinted, pulling her gown partly off her shoulder, grinning when she jerked away from him. “But I have a feeling that with a little healing time and a little work, the beautiful part might be saved.”
She pulled her gown back up over her shoulder, scrunching up against the back of the sofa defensively. “You don’t want me now, Mr. Gates. I know why you asked Hank Toole to bring me to you.” She put a shaking hand to her hair, wishing she were stronger, wishing she could speak more firmly. “But I’m not the same dumb girl you expected to get. I’ve been a wife, and a mother. I’ve got two babies up there in the mountains.” Her eyes teared then. She hadn’t wanted to cry, but her condition had left her depressed and vulnerable. “Why don’t you just let me go back,” she whimpered. “I want my babies. I don’t want to be here. I’m no good to you now.”
He sighed and shook his head. “You owe me, Miss Simms.” The man rose, turning to face Tommy and Deek. “It’s true then? She’s had a couple of kids?”
Tommy folded his arms. “Yeah, it’s true.”
Gates shook his head and walked behind his desk. “You haven’t brought me anything that’s near worth what I’d pay. I know that man who first saw her said she was running with a baby in her arms, but I was hoping somehow it wasn’t hers, let alone the fact that she’s had another. You know a woman who has had two babies isn’t the best material for my business.” He cast her a disgusted look. “Look at her! She’s thin and dirty, and now that she’s been a wife and a mother, she’ll be hard to work with.” His face darkened with anger. “Take a look at her, Decker! This is what I’ve let you run all over the mountains to find? This is what I’m supposed to pay you for bringing to me?”
Tommy dropped his arms, turning his hands out pleadingly. “Look, Mr. Gates, I guarantee you’ll be pleased once she’s cleaned up and has on one of them pretty dresses and has a fancy hairdo. Honest to God, she’s the prettiest girl in all the mountain settlements. She’s just…she’s been travelin’ like this for over two weeks—sick. She lost a baby and bled real bad. That’s why she’s such a mess right now. But that can all be fixed. Let one of your girls clean her up. Give her a few days to rest up, and you’ll be surprised.”
“If she turns out as beautiful as you say, I most certainly will be surprised! But what if word gets out she’s got babies? That turns men off, Tommy. Nobody wants to go upstairs and lie with a woman who’s pining away for the babies she’s been stolen away from. Mind you, it wouldn’t bother me one damned bit, but most men don’t feel right about something like that. She’s a damned mother!” He let out a disgusted hiss, turning away for a moment. “And what’s this about River Joe being dead?”
Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair, while Deek had maneuvered his way into a chair in the comer, trying to remain inconspicuous. He didn’t like or trust Sam Gates.
“When we finally found the village where she was livin’, she was with a Cherokee man who had took her and her kids in after River Joe was killed by a bear. River Joe is dead, so we don’t have to worry about his comin’ for her or anything like that.”
Emma forced herself to stay awake, to remember everything that was said. She told herself to stick to the story awhile longer. River! Surely he would come soon and take her away from here!
Sam Gates was snickering. He turned to face Tommy. “You are something else, Decker. I should have known better than to put my faith and money into an ignorant mountain jackass!”
Tommy frowned. Those were fighting words for a young man like Tommy Decker, but Sam Gates was one man his instincts told him never to hit or threaten. He stiffened at the insult, struggling against an urge to clobber Sam Gates. His face reddened slightly at the realization that Emma lay ther
e hearing everything. “Why did you call me that, Mr. Gates? I brought her, didn’t I? That was the agreement. I said I could find her, and I did.”
“And you really believe that story about River Joe?”
Tommy blinked. “Sure. He wasn’t around anyplace. I know him, Sam. If he was alive, he would have fought for Emma. He would have showed himself.”
Gates was grinning with a hint of disgust. “I have had this River Joe described to me several times, Tommy.” He reached for a cigar. “Why is it I have trouble picturing a bear getting the better of a man like that? He’s a man of the mountains, good with a knife, a hunter and apparently a fighter. And I don’t believe for one minute that he’s dead.”
Emma’s heart tightened, and Tommy paled with a fear he did not want to admit. “But…they all said he was, Sam. He wasn’t around anywhere…and he—”
Gates waved him off. “What if he really was attacked by a bear?” the man interrupted. “And what if he was only wounded?”
“I…I don’t know what you mean…”
Gates put his hands on his desk and leaned closer. “I mean, Tommy, that you should have done some searching. The Cherokee raised that man, you idiot! He’s like a son to them! That woman lying over there loved the man—more than likely enough to protect him. If he was wounded and too weak to fight, you would have killed him on the spot, right?”
Tommy swallowed again. “Well, sure I would. Wasn’t no sense bringin’ him back here. We done hung Jim Jackson for killin’ Hank.”
Emma’s eyes widened. Jim Jackson! He had been accused of killing Hank! Why? Tommy had made her think everyone was convinced that River had killed the man. He had said if River was alive, he would have been brought back to be hanged; and he had said that even she could be hanged, for running off with River.
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