Frontier Secrets

by Anna Zogg

  The thought troubled her. “Do you have enough food to eat?”

  His fingertip traced her cheek. “Being with you is food enough.”

  “I can find a way to get some to you. I’ll borrow a horse and—”

  “No. Bartow, or one of his men, would follow you. It would be too dangerous.”

  The implication seemed clear—dangerous for them both.

  “I’ll find a way.” Ellie considered leaving a food parcel in one of Will’s burned-out buildings. As she stared into Rhett’s face, she again grew aware that his features became more visible in the growing light. Her selfishness in delaying his departure endangered him. “You’d better go.”

  He nodded. Cupping her jaw, he kissed her one last time. Then he leaped over the railing onto the ground.

  “Wait.” Her breathless call stopped him. When he turned, she dared to whisper, “I love you.”

  The tense look on his face instantly gave way to a smile. It didn’t last long. Something must’ve caught his attention because without answering, he disappeared into the brush. A moment later, she heard it too. The sounds of horses stirring in the distance. Was someone up already?

  Ellie knew she must not linger on the porch. With the speed borne of anxiety, she slipped into the house.

  Not until she was inside her bedroom, fingers shaking as she locked the door, did she exhale in relief. As she leaned against the panel, she prayed, “Please, God, please keep Rhett safe.”

  She crawled into bed, drawing up her chilly feet. As she burrowed under the quilt, she shivered from the dual emotions of excitement and fear. While she relived the joy of his arms about her and his lips against hers, she also worried. Had he gotten safely away from the ranch?

  Not until she heard the men enter the house in search of breakfast could she relax. No tension rang in their voices as they joked with each other. Benches scraped the floor and dishes clattered. No one referenced Rhett or a mysterious intruder. Her mind settled. Despite the noise, Ellie succumbed to sleep.

  Rhett filled her dreams.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ellie rose late, much later than she had intended. However, she couldn’t help but linger over her toilette as she basked in sweet memories. Rhett loved her. Although he had not spoken the words, she had no doubts. Every kiss, every soft caress shouted that truth. After all, hadn’t he risked his life to meet with her?

  With extra care, she washed her face, styled her hair and chose her most flattering gown. Because she hoped to see him later? She smiled at herself in the handheld mirror. Her pink cheeks and sparkling brown eyes gave her away.

  “I love him,” she whispered to her reflection. “So very much.”

  She was about to open her bedroom door when approaching voices caused her to hesitate. Two men, speaking loudly, sounded as though they were arguing. One was Will.

  Pressing her ear to her door, she tried to discern the words.

  “...not possible...long gone.” The rest of Will’s words were lost.

  “And I’m telling you, Whitey saw him. Just this morning. Sneaking off into the woods.”

  Ellie’s heart stopped. Were they talking about Rhett?

  Will spoke. “How early was this?”

  “Before dawn. No mistaking it was him.”

  Several moments passed while she waited. Ellie heard nothing more. Had they left?

  She opened her door to look.

  Will’s frame filled the doorway. Guy stood just beyond him. Both turned. Two sets of eyes met hers.

  No use hiding since they’d already seen her. Besides, she wanted to know if her suspicions were true.

  Will turned back to his foreman. “All right. We’ll do it. Tomorrow. We’ve work today.”

  “Do what?” Ellie strode toward them. If Will’s orders had anything to do with Rhett, then she needed to find out.

  “Whitey saw Callaway. On my land.” Will’s jaw jutted. “I gave him a chance to leave. And he didn’t. First thing tomorrow, Guy’s going for the sheriff to get together a posse.”

  “To hunt him down?”

  Will held up a hand. “Ellie, I take the law seriously. If he’s stolen his last cattle, he needs to be brought to justice. He’s crossed me for the last time.”

  Stricken, she could only stare at the man who called himself her uncle.

  “You know why he was here?” Guy stepped forward. “Looks like you got somethin’ to say.”

  Feeling her cheeks warm, she pressed her lips together.

  Guy’s mouth flattened. “Whitey thought he came from the direction of the house. Is that ’cause he was here?”

  No mistaking his vile insinuation.

  “How dare you.” Ellie glared at him.

  He pushed past Will. “I asked you a question.”

  “And I have no obligation to answer.” She spoke through clenched teeth.

  “Why, you little traitor.”

  “Guy. Enough.” Will’s arm came up like a barricade between Ellie and his foreman. It seemed to take several minutes for Guy to back down. Will went on. “Let me know when you finish branding.”

  “Yessir.” The foreman hissed the words with a sneer. After shooting a look of hate in Ellie’s direction, he stomped away.

  She stared after him, aghast at his rudeness. Why hadn’t Will said anything? Why let his foreman insult her?

  “Well?” Will crossed his arms. “Any truth to what he said?”

  She took her time answering. “Any truth to what exactly?”

  “Was Callaway inside my house?”

  Lifting her chin, she spoke with as much coldness as she could muster. “No.”

  “Girl, you lying to me?”

  She drew herself up. Her voice shook as she spoke. “From the moment I arrived, you’ve treated me little better than a stranger. No, worse. Time and again, you’ve dismissed me, my opinions, my feelings. Now you act like an outraged father—not to protect your daughter, but because you need to save face with your foreman.”

  Will went white. “Daughter?”

  Suddenly realizing what she’d admitted, Ellie decided to tell all. “I love Rhett. He’s been more of a gentleman than...than your foreman ever could be. But I warn you—harm Rhett and you’ll destroy every tender feeling I have for you.”

  Will staggered back as if she had gut-shot him.

  Without waiting for his response, Ellie stalked back into her room and slammed the door. She locked it with one savage jerk. Then she paced across the room, fury and frustration driving her steps. Finally, she ended up at her small desk, fists pressed to the surface.

  She had nowhere to go. The bitter truth crushed her. She couldn’t ride into the fields to clear her head. She couldn’t escape into town and visit friends or seek pastoral counseling. She couldn’t even go to a relative’s home where she could ask for haven. She was not only isolated but trapped.

  As her breathing slowed, she realized there was only one man she wished to see. One person in whom she could confide and find comfort. And he was a dead man walking.

  Knees shaking, she tottered to the window and leaned against the sill.

  Don’t let him come here tonight, Lord. Please, please keep him away. For his sake.

  A distant thought struck her of one other time she had prayed in desperation—for her mother on her deathbed. The devastating memory came back in full force. She had prayed, but Mama had died. She wanted to have faith, wanted to believe...but God hadn’t listened then. Why did she think He would listen now?

  Ellie slipped to her knees.

  For many minutes, she remained immobile. Clasping her hands, she bowed her head as she wrestled in her soul. She felt like she had come to a crossroads—adhere to the God with whom she was raised, the faraway God who was only to be feared and served.

  Or cling to Rhett’s God�
��the Father who would never leave her or forsake her. The One who promised to walk beside her in difficult circumstances, through the valley of the shadow of death. The One who would always love her.

  “I choose You, Father.” She raised her eyes heavenward. “I choose You.”

  Her anxiety slowly ebbed. An inexplicable peace settled over her. Her perception of the world seemed to expand, as though the blinders fell away.

  She didn’t know what the future held, but the God she called upon did. For the first time since her mother died, Ellie did not feel alone.

  * * *

  Something has changed.

  Crouching at his usual post, Rhett stayed well away from ranch property. After watching almost an hour, he noted that the yard remained empty. Where were the men? Peering at the sun’s position, he ascertained it was a little after noon.

  Though he tried to concentrate, his mind drifted to Ellie and the tender moments they’d shared. Had it been a dream? Impossible. With vivid clarity, he recalled her lips, the way she whispered his name, her softness as she leaned into him, the heady lavender fragrance.

  She loves me.

  For several sweet minutes, he basked in the knowledge, aware that his future had irrevocably changed.

  Several quail exploded from the brush nearby, startling him. The thunder of hoofbeats snapped his attention back to the here and now. A band of men rode up the hill, in the general direction of town. When they paused below his position, he hunkered down. The leader pointed to the east, then to the west. Three men went one way and the remainder traveled the other.

  Obvious what they were doing.

  Looking for me.

  In seconds, Rhett scrabbled backward toward his temporary camp. He piled stones over his cold fire, then shoved his bedroll under some rocks. He grabbed Wash’s bridle and, rather than riding him, led him off the rugged terrain, to keep the sound of the horse’s hooves from alerting Marshall’s men to his location. Rhett vacillated between heading for the grassy plains or doubling back to the small cave where he had hidden his saddle and some other gear. Both he and Wash could fit inside, where they could hide out until the evening.

  In seconds, he chose the cave. Being a target as he made a run to the plains didn’t appeal to him. Besides, he wanted to stay close. Tonight, he planned to see Ellie again.

  He moved along his prechosen paths, familiar terrain after the last week and a half. When he reached the bottom of a ravine, he traveled by horseback, keeping Wash to a walk. Footprints in the soft dirt might give him away, but Rhett couldn’t take the time to cover his tracks. The sound of shots being fired drew him up short. No doubt they came from a rifle.

  However, the gunfire was nowhere near him. Who or what were they firing at? He dismounted, quieting his gelding as he listened.

  The unmistakable sound of a man yelling reached his ears. Was he speaking a foreign language? Rhett concentrated, but from this distance, it sounded like gibberish.

  Dropping Wash’s reins, Rhett moved along the ravine bed toward the speaker. When he found a spot he could climb, he ascended with care. He had just reached a ledge when he heard Marshall’s men. The jingle of bridles and the chuffs of horses indicated the group of three. From the sounds they made, they were close. Rhett could hear them arguing among themselves.

  Finally, one man ended the discussion. “We’re done here.”

  A horse squealed and then came the clatter of hooves. The sound of riders receded.

  Clinging to the rock face, he continued his way up. Long before he reached the summit, he knew he was being watched. But he had no fear of the watcher.

  Rhett rounded one corner, then peered up and met a familiar, green-eyed gaze. “Pete!”

  His friend was dressed in dark clothing with a heavy coat for the cool nights. His beard and mustache were blackened, likely to hide his identity, but more importantly, he carried a rifle in one hand. Was that why the men had left?

  “You pretending to be a cougar?” Rhett asked. “Sitting up there on the rocks?”

  “If I were, I would have pounced on you long before now and eaten your liver.” Then Pete’s eyes narrowed. He stroked his own bearded chin, then pointed at Rhett. “And are you pretending to be a bear? You look a bit shaggy.”

  He accepted the hand that pulled him up to safety. “I have few luxuries out here.”

  Pete broke into a grin.

  Rhett dusted off his hands, then clothes. “I didn’t know you were going to come back.”

  “I wasn’t. Not until yesterday. Overheard a discussion that told me I needed to.”

  “And that was?”

  “One of Bartow’s cronies, all cozy with Tesley.” Pete made a face. “Sounds like they are very interested in you being dead.”

  Growing solemn, Rhett held out his hand. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  His friend clasped it. “I haven’t. Yet. I just acted like a crazy man. Told ’em this was my mountain. Then I began reciting a children’s tale. In Irish.”

  With a tilt of his head, Rhett indicated the rifle, still in his friend’s hands. “That didn’t hurt either.”

  Pete nodded. His grin slowly faded. “They may not give up so easily next time. You gonna be ready for ’em?”

  As the memory of Ellie filled his mind, he shrugged. Darkness shrouded what lay ahead. Now that he knew she loved him, could he leave her?

  Pete drew closer. “I don’t know what’s going on with Marshall, but it has something to do with Tesley.”

  “He and Bartow are business partners. Cattle rustlers.” Rhett then went on to explain what he’d seen. But as he talked, his gut told him Bartow had something more planned for the ranch than just stealing cattle.

  “We should go to the sheriff. Right now.”

  “I have no proof beyond my say-so.” Rhett shook his head. “Bartow can claim anything he wants since he’s Marshall’s foreman. Besides, my word isn’t worth spit.”

  His friend crossed his arms, considering.

  “One other thing.” Rhett took a deep breath. “Somehow or another, Marshall got a hold of an old wanted poster.”

  Pete’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t think you were on any.”

  “I’m not. It was one of my father’s.” He ran a hand over his rough cheek and chin. “All Marshall has to do is show it to a few people and I could very well swing from a rope. Or get shot in the back.”

  “Then come away. Leave this place.” His friend laid a hand on his shoulder.

  Rhett stared into the vast open sky, then in the direction of the ranch. “I can’t. Not without Ellie.”

  With a jerk, Pete straightened, his hand falling away. “Is she worth dying for? They catch you, they’ll kill ya f’sure.”

  The words cut through Rhett’s murky future. He had a decision to make—leave or stay? If he stayed, he might end up dead like Pete warned. But to go without Ellie? Rhett shook his head at the thought of life without her. Impossible.

  His friend pursed his lips. “Ah, I see the lay of the land.” He exhaled noisily. “Okay. Count me in.”

  “What? You’ll help?”

  “Do ye na’ ken,” Pete said, laying on a thick brogue, “the Irish are romantic at heart.”

  Chuckling, Rhett slapped his friend’s back. He soon grew subdued as he considered his course of action.

  Tonight he must convince Ellie to run away with him. But would she consent to be the wife of a wanted man?

  * * *

  Ellie inspected her bedroom, making certain nothing was out of place. Her small, packed valise was under the bed. She put in only the most basic supplies, along with money, the photo of her mother and her Bible. She rearranged the surface of her dresser where the frame used to be. It was imperative that she not give away her intentions.

  Her mind was made up. Nothing would divert her plans now.<
br />
  On her desk sat a candle, ready to be lighted when she was certain the coast was clear. As soon as Rhett came, she would slip away with him. Someday in the future, she might send for the rest of her belongings. Someday.

  Would he want her as his wife?

  If not, she would travel with him to a big city where they could part ways. There, at least, she would know he was safe. She would write to Will, and then...

  Ellie shook the speculations from herself. Right now, she could see no future without Rhett. But she had to make certain he would not be hunted down like an animal and shot. Or hanged as a thief.

  The sounds of the men gathering for supper reached her ears. She must eat with them as per her habit, pretending nothing unusual was about to happen.

  After smoothing her hair and gown, she opened the door. Seated at the table, the ranch hands threw her barely a glance as they helped themselves to food. She noted that Will and Guy were missing. Not uncommon as they finished up chores and planned for the morrow.

  Mrs. Johnson carried in a large platter of meat. As Ellie’s gaze met hers, the woman threw her a meaningful look. What did that signify?

  It was then Ellie noticed how empty the room was. She did a quick headcount. Seven men, excluding Will and Guy, were missing. Only five had assembled for their supper.

  The housekeeper brought in a bowl filled with boiled potatoes.

  Where? Ellie mouthed, but the woman shook her head. Did that mean she couldn’t speak or didn’t want to?

  Nodding her head in greeting to the men, Ellie sauntered to the front door and looked out. The yard appeared empty. By the back corral stood Guy and two of his friends. Where was Will?

  She followed Mrs. Johnson to the kitchen, staying out of the way while the woman bustled to and fro serving the men.

  “Your uncle’s feeling poorly this evening.” The housekeeper ladled thick gravy into a bowl as she spoke. “Cookie took a meal to his cabin earlier.”

  The news undermined her carefully laid plans. Before she retired for the night, she needed to bid Will goodbye. To leave him a note seemed too cold. Especially since he might be her father.