“That will help?” Amalie questioned. “How?”
“Knowing that you’re my wife will hopefully be enough to stop them, but any man who thinks he can come after you will know that I will find him and there is no place for him to hide. If nothing else, it may buy us some time. Only a fool would consider going after the bounty, and the foolish seldom know what they’re doing. Please, don’t worry,” Deke said.
“I’ll try,” Amalie said.
“Good. Now, I want you to get some sleep, and we’ll head for home tomorrow. I had the hotel give me the room next to yours. One scream and I’ll be in your room before you can scream a second time,” Deke assured Amalie.
Deke held out his hand, Amalie took it, and he walked her to her room. She said good night at her door, and threw her arms around him and whispered, “Thank you for caring enough to come after me and keep me safe.”
~ * ~
Before Deke had the chance to respond, Amalie slipped into her room and closed the door. He stood there for several moments staring at the door. She had thanked him for caring. Of course, he cared. He’d have done the same for anyone—did she think that he wouldn’t do the decent thing and treat her differently?
He remembered the fear that had coursed through him when he’d found Amalie’s note, saying she was leaving and that she was sorry she’d caused him trouble.
Trouble? How could she ever think she was any trouble? She’d brought more sunshine into his life than he’d known over the past five years.
Did he care? Yes, he did, but he questioned how deeply.
~ * ~
The stagecoach ride home seemed faster than when Amalie had left, but she assumed it was because she and Deke spoke most of the way. He told her of his future plans for the ranch and asked her opinion on various topics. He didn’t mention their marriage or an annulment, but he also didn’t drop any clues to say he wanted her to remain as his wife.
She said a prayer that she might be in his future since she had already lost her heart to her handsome husband.
Nate met them at the stagecoach stop with the wagon, happy to see Amalie back safe and smiling.
As Deke helped her into the wagon, Amalie saw Laura from across the street, her arms across her chest, her foot tapping rapidly. When she mentioned it to Deke, and he turned to look at Laura, the young woman stamped her foot, turned, and marched away.
Deke shook his head and said, “I’m going to ask the pastor to speak to Laura. Maybe he can help her understand what she’s done. I also plan to speak to her father the next time I go into town. I’d do it now, but I want to get you home.”
Amalie nodded her appreciation and scooted closer to Nate on the seat to make room for Deke.
Nate and Deke kept a lively conversation going on the ride home, discussing a new stallion that Nate had seen and thought would make a fine addition to their stock.
When the wagon stopped in the ranch yard, Deke helped Amalie off the wagon, and she lifted her skirts and ran for the corral, where Honey waited patiently. The mare neighed and bobbed her head as Amalie came closer and nuzzled her, and Amalie stroked her head and told Honey how much she’d missed her.
“Wait here one moment,” Amalie said to Honey, and she took off at a run for the barn. When she returned, she had a carrot in her hand and fed it to her loving horse.
~ * ~
Nate laughed at his sister-in-law’s antics and said to Deke, “I hope you told her that Honey is her horse to keep, and if she ever leaves again, she has to take Honey with her. I didn’t know a horse could mope around, but that horse certainly has been ever since Clint brought her home. She even looked in the windows of the house, searching for Amalie.”
“She’s never leaving,” Deke stated. Nate raised his eyebrows. “I mean,” Deke tried to explain, “she knows she safe here and has a home.”
“Sure, I understand,” Nate answered, and he grinned at his brother.
Amalie turned and called out to the two brothers: “I’m never leaving Honey alone again. I’m going to ride her every day as long as she lets me. You said I was safe here, at home, and Honey and I can go back to enjoying the creek.” She turned back to Honey and stroked the mare’s neck.
Nate clapped Deke on the back and said, “You’re right—she’s never leaving. At least, not without Honey, though I think she’s staying more on account of the horse than you.”
Deke scowled at the idea, but he knew that Nate was right. It didn’t matter why Amalie stayed as long as she stayed. Deke couldn’t imagine life on the ranch without her.
Chapter Thirteen
Silas Blackburn sat just inside the tree line, watching the Double S ranch house the way he had the previous week. He watched Deke leave as he did every morning to check on his cattle and horses. A few minutes later, Silas watched Nate limp out of the house and head for the barn.
Silas bided his time, knowing that it would be just a few hours until Deke’s wife took her afternoon ride. He smiled when he saw Amalie leave the house and head for the barn. A few minutes later, he saw her emerge on the mare’s back and proceed to ride in his direction.
If Sperling’s wife continued with her daily routine, and Silas saw no reason why she shouldn't, she would crest the small hill and ride down to the creek. When she allowed her horse water and took a seat on the large rock along the creek's bed, she'd be close enough for him to complete his plan. He'd be able to grab her, drag her back into the trees, and take her to the cabin that he’d found abandoned well north of the property.
Time was on Silas's side because he had waited for nearly three years to locate Deke Sperling and enact his revenge against the man he felt was responsible for his brother’s arrest, trial, and subsequent hanging. On the day his younger brother died, Silas swore he would take revenge on the sheriff, the judge, and the bounty hunter who had brought his brother in for trial. He had nearly completed his mission after arranging the demise of the sheriff and the judge. Now, he anticipated the end of his journey with the death of Deke Sperling.
When he had located Deke, he knew he wouldn't be able to kill him outright—the bounty hunter was a much better shot than Silas was or ever would be—but the bounty hunter had a wife, and that gave Silas an edge. He was sure that once Deke came looking for his wife, he'd be more concerned about her safety than his own, and Silas could enjoy his revenge while ending Deke Sperling’s life.
Silas smiled as he watched Amalie cross the small hill and ride down to the creek. His excitement grew as he watched her dismount the horse and take her spot on the large, flat boulder.
~ * ~
Amalie paid little attention to her surroundings as she watched the angry, dark clouds form in the west, hoping they might bring rain to her vegetable garden rather than skirt around the ranch the way the last storm had. She was sitting there tossing small pebbles into the creek and humming a tune when she felt hands clamp tightly over her mouth.
Amalie fought with all her strength, but it wasn't enough to push the man off. She soon found herself gagged with her hands tied, staring into the face of a man that brought terror to her heart. Had Rex and Caldwell sent him to bring her back to St. Louis?
The man grinned and said, “Don't you worry, little lady, I'm not gonna hurt ya. It's your husband I want, and when he comes looking for you, I'm gonna get him. The name’s Silas, and if ya don’t give me no trouble, you’ll be goin’ home soon.”
Amalie didn't understand what was going on, nor could she understand why this man wanted to harm Deke. Perhaps he might tell her if she could only speak and ask. She said a silent prayer for her safety and Deke’s and that once they arrived at the destination, the surly man seemed to have in mind, she might get some answers from him.
Silas and Amalie rode for what seemed like an hour—but may have been longer—until they reached a small, ramshackle cabin in a meadow filled with wildflowers, surrounded by trees. Amalie had never been that far from the ranch house, and she knew if she escaped, she’d never
find her way back. Her only hope—once she found a way to free herself—was that her sweet mare, Honey, would know the way home.
The man reined up his horse in front of the small cabin and said, “All right, missy—this is where we’re gonna be staying until your husband comes to find us. I got some food so we’ll be all right. Don’t you fret none. I ain’t gonna hurt you. Just need to get your husband.” He reached over and pulled the gag from her mouth.
Amalie bit back the angry words she wanted to shout at the man and slowly dismounted, gripping the saddle horn with her bound hands to keep from falling.
Silas motioned for her to go up the steps into the cabin, and Amalie asked, “What are we going to do—just sit here and wait for Deke to come so you can kill him?”
He laughed and replied, “That’s exactly what we’re gonna do. I’ve been waiting a long time to take my revenge on Deke Sperling. I don’t think it’s gonna be long now.”
Amalie wanted to scream at the man and do her best to flee, but with her hands tied, she knew she wouldn’t get far. The best idea she could think of was to keep talking to him. Perhaps she might get him to change his mind.
“You’re blaming my husband for bringing your brother in for trial, yet you’re willing to kill him. He was doing his job. Wouldn’t it be better to remember your brother by doing something good in his name?”
Silas laughed harder. “And what do you expect I could do that’s good enough for people to remember me or my brother?”
Amalie only shrugged. “Get an honest job, work hard, marry, raise good children, and donate some money to a good cause, maybe a local church or orphanage.”
“I don’t go to church, and I don’t know no orphanages,” Silas replied.
“There are a lot of orphanages. I grew up in one, and I know how important it is for the children to have even small advantages. Even something like a bushel of fresh fruit was enough to make our day. You could do that for them.”
Silas slowly shook his head and said, “I feel bad for you growing up in an orphanage. I grew up with my brother on our family’s ranch until my ma and pa died, and we lost the ranch. We’d have been all right if my brother hadn’t started hanging out with the wrong people, but that’s still no reason for your husband to hunt him down like a wild dog and drag him into town so he could be hanged.”
Amalie lowered her head and said quietly, “I’m sorry you lost your brother. I never had any brothers or sisters, so I don’t understand what you’re going through, but I do know that hating someone else only makes your life more difficult.”
Silas threw up his hands and said, “You sound like a nice lady, but please don’t start lecturing me or preaching to me because I don’t want to hear it. Your husband’s going to pay for what he did to my brother just like the sheriff and the judge paid.”
Amalie had begun to understand that she’d never change his mind, and she sat down on one of the rickety chairs in the cabin.
She dropped her head again and prayed that the man would not kill Deke and that her husband would rescue her before Silas decided she was too much trouble and killed her, too.
Silas pulled up the other rickety chair and sat across the small, wooden table from Amalie, saying, “You saw the rough terrain we traveled through to get here. Trying to run won’t get you very far. I’ll catch you. If you understand that and say you won’t run, I’ll untie your hands. You can make us somethin’ to eat. Nothin’ cooked because we ain’t starting a fire until the sun sets to hide the smoke. I got cans of beans and peaches and some jerky and bread. While you put that on some plates, I’m gonna go out and unsaddle the horses.”
Amalie nodded. “I won’t run.” She knew it was a lie because, given a chance, she’d run as far and fast as she could.
Amalie found one loaf of bread, a small sack of jerky, three cans of beans, and two cans of peaches, and she wondered how long Silas had planned to stay there; it wouldn’t be long before they ran out of food.
Amalie pulled two old tin plates from a wood crate on the floor, opened a can of beans, and was pouring the beans on the plates when Silas returned from unsaddling the horses.
“You don’t have much food here—what happens when we run out?” Amalie asked.
“Not to worry. I figure your husband will be here tomorrow, next day at the latest. By supper, he’s gonna know you're gone, and tomorrow, he’ll be out tracking us. Might take him a day or two, but he’ll be here. We ain’t gonna starve in two days.”
Amalie knew that Deke would come after her when she hadn’t returned from her ride, but she wasn’t sure how quickly he’d come. Yes, she was his wife, but she didn’t have his heart. Would he understand that she’d been taken, or would he think she’d ridden off to get away from him and their marriage? Her heart ached. She wished he loved her the way she was starting to love him. Love had always eluded her. Maybe it would happen. Someday.
Chapter Fourteen
Deke heard a horse galloping toward him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Nate, riding his horse and waving his hat as if he were trying to outrun a blazing fire. Deke reined his horse around and galloped to meet his brother. It was the first time he’d seen Nate run a horse with his bad leg since he’d returned to Wyoming. Deke’s gut told him something was amiss, and his gut was seldom wrong.
He pulled up alongside Nate and said, “What’s your hurry, little brother?”
Nate replied, “It’s Amalie. She hasn’t returned from her afternoon ride. She’s always back before it’s time to prepare supper, and she’s well over an hour late. She likes to stop at the little creek, and I rode down to see if she was all right, but she was nowhere to be found. It looks as if there might have been a struggle, but you read sign better than I do, so I came to find you.”
A dark shadow crossed Deke’s face that Nate had never seen before, and the tone of Deke’s voice concerned Nate.
Deke said, “I want you to go back to the house and wait for her in case she comes back. I’m going to ride to the creek and see if I can pick up her trail. It’s nearing sunset, and if I’m not back by dark, don’t worry. I’m going to keep looking until I find her one way or the other.” He spurred his horse and took off in the direction of the creek without waiting for an answer.
Nate rode off toward home, knowing if anyone could find Amalie, it was Deke.
When Deke arrived at the creek, he could tell right away there had been some kind of struggle. He saw Amalie’s small footprints and some much larger boot prints. He also saw where the man wearing the large boots had walked back to the trees, most likely leading Amalie’s horse.
Deke followed the dry horse tracks to the tree line, grateful the storm had drifted south. He noticed that whoever had led Amalie away had not done a very good job at hiding their path. Deke followed the broken branches and crushed leaves until he came to where another horse had been tethered. He then followed the two sets of horse tracks as he headed north, away from the ranch.
When he was young, Deke had ridden every square inch of his ranch and the surrounding areas. If they continued to travel in a northerly direction, Deke had a hunch they might be heading for an old abandoned cabin just past the edge of his property.
He doubted whoever had taken Amalie would expect anyone to follow them immediately, but that was his first mistake. Deke would follow wherever the trail led until he had his wife back again. No one takes anything from Deke Sperling without paying the price.
Deke had been correct in his first assumption, that the trail was leading to the old cabin. There wasn’t anything else in that direction. The sun had already set, and Deke knew he’d have to go the rest of the way on foot to avoid possibly injuring his horse. He slipped off his boots and pulled on a pair of moccasins to muffle his steps. Deke slid his rifle from its scabbard and took off in the direction of the cabin.
His mind raced with the possible culprits he’d encountered over the past five years. While he considered that one of them might have abducted Amal
ie to get to him, and he also considered that it might be someone from Amalie’s past. Regardless, he would make sure she was safe from her past once he’d brought her home again.
~ * ~
As Deke made his way to the cabin, Silas allowed Amalie to rest on an old cot, but he kept her hands tied. “If you try to sneak out of the cabin, I’ll hear ya. Don’t try it or I’ll hog-tie ya and leave ya that way on the cold floor. Understand?” Silas ordered.
Amalie nodded and laid down on the cot. It smelled musty, and the wool blanket had holes in it, but it was better than being hog-tied and tossed in a corner.
~ * ~
Deke spotted the cabin through the trees. Fortunately, the moonlight allowed him to see the two horses—one of them Honey—tied in front of the cabin. He gave a sigh of relief that he’d found Amalie. He didn’t recognize the second horse, but that didn’t matter. One horse meant one man, and that man would meet Deke sooner than he expected.
From Deke’s vantage point in the tree line, he couldn’t tell if there was a lamp lit in the cabin. What should have been a window on the side of the cabin facing him had been boarded up. He crept slowly to the back of the cabin, hoping to find a window. There was one small, cracked, smudged window at the back of the cabin that might offer him a chance to see inside.
A small amount of moonlight drifted in the front window, helping Deke see shadows and shapes through it. Deke could make out a large form, lying on the floor near the front door. It was too big to be Amalie, so he assumed it was her captor.
He did his best to see inside the cabin and saw someone lying on a small cot. It had to be Amalie, but he couldn’t tell if she were alive or not. Just as he was about to step back, Amalie moved on the cot, and Deke released the breath he had been holding. With her abductor lying near the door, Deke couldn’t kick it in to rescue her.
He’d have to wait until morning and subdue the man when he came out of the cabin. Deke crept away silently and sat on the ground behind a tree where he still had a good view of the cabin’s door, and he waited for sunrise.
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