A Randall Hero

by Judy Christenberry

  Cecil looked angrier now. “I know that. But I found out you took in my wife. I want her back.”

  “You’re mistaken.”

  “We’ll find out. If she doesn’t come out, I’ll just shoot you.”

  Behind Lucy at the window Camille drew a deep breath. Then she turned to run to Griff’s office.

  Lucy heard Cecil cock his gun. She couldn’t wait for Camille’s return. She stepped out of the house.

  “Here I am, Cecil,” Lucy said.

  Cecil swung around.

  “I was right. There you are. Come on. I’m ready to go.”

  Lucy stood her ground. “I don’t want to go with you, Cecil.”

  “You’re my wife. You don’t have a choice.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  She could see Cecil’s face harden—a look she remembered all too well. “Okay, here’s your choice. You come with me, or he dies.” He pointed the gun at John.

  “No! That’s not fair. He’s got nothing to do with this.”

  “Too bad. You’ve got until I count to three. One, two—”

  “All right, I’m coming.” She started toward him, willing to sacrifice herself for John. And for Emma. She’d never let him know the baby existed.

  John’s voice didn’t stop her. “I don’t think you should go with him.”

  “I’m not risking your life.” Lucy hated Cecil, but this time she wasn’t going to stay with him. One way or another, she would get away. Or die trying.

  She only hoped John would protect Emma.

  “Get in the car,” Cecil said, keeping his gun on John.

  After she got in, Cecil looked at her. “Maybe I should shoot him anyway. Why not?” He seemed to chuckle with evil glee.

  “Because I’ll kill you in return, Cecil.”

  His smug mirth died instantly. “What did you say?” Cecil asked, turning to look at her.

  “I said if you take his life, your life will end shortly. I promise you that.”

  “Well, well, well. What happened to meek little Lucy? Did she go away?”

  “Yes, she did.” She raised her chin and looked at him defiantly. “Are you sure you want me back?”

  “I’m sure. Okay, I won’t shoot your friend.” He opened the door on the driver’s side and got in the car.

  When he backed out of the long driveway, John came after him, but he didn’t have a chance of catching them.

  Lucy was only grateful that Cecil didn’t hurt John.

  She sat quietly beside Cecil as he started back toward Kansas City, a long drive back to hell.

  Before they’d gone far, he asked, “What happened? Did you lose the baby?”

  She went along with him. “Didn’t you make sure of that?”

  “I thought it was the best choice. Aren’t you glad you don’t have a crying kid around?”

  “No, I’m not. I’ll always hate you for what you did.”

  “And what about that cowboy?”

  “What about him?”

  “You like him?”

  “More than I like you. But then that includes almost anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “You want me to pull over and give you a beating for your smart mouth?”

  “I don’t care, Cecil,” she said, managing to control the shaking she’d shown in the past.

  An hour down the road, Cecil stopped at a filling station to get gas. When he got out of the vehicle, Lucy opened her door and got out, too.

  “What are you doing? Get back in the car!”

  “No, I won’t.”

  “Hell, yes, you will,” Cecil said, raising his hand, as if she’d cower in fear.

  But Lucy knew this was her opportunity. She stared at him and didn’t even duck when his hand struck her across the face.

  “Hey! You can’t just hit her like that!” a man near them called out. “I’m calling the police.” He pulled out a cell phone.

  “She’s my wife. I can hit her if I want.”

  “That’s not true,” a woman chimed in. “Go ahead and call the police. He can’t get away with that!”

  Cecil tried to grab Lucy and force her back into the car, but she fought him as hard as she could. She was stronger now than she used to be, she discovered. Or he was weaker.

  When several men rushed toward them Cecil panicked and got in his car and drove away.

  Lucy couldn’t have been happier.

  She didn’t have any money to make a phone call. So she thanked the people who helped her and then started walking back toward Rawhide.

  She didn’t know how long it would take her to make up the hour’s drive back to the Randall ranch. She just hoped Cecil didn’t turn around and try to force her into his car. On alert she walked toward the ranch. Once she got there she would take Emma and disappear.

  JOHN BARELY WAITED for Mike’s pickup to stop before he jumped in the passenger seat and directed him down the road Cecil had taken. He’d wanted to chase the maniac himself but his father had made him wait for the sheriff, who was only minutes away.

  “What happened?” Mike asked.

  John told him of the events that had preceded his arrival.

  “Sounds like a coward if there ever was one. Do you think he stuck to this road?”

  “I think so. It’s the most direct route to Kansas City. That’s where he lives.”

  “Okay, we’ll catch up with them soon.”

  Half an hour later, John yelled for Mike to stop.

  Mike pulled off the road. “What is it?”

  “It’s Lucy! Back up!”

  Mike did, almost hitting Lucy as she struggled alongside the road.

  John swung his door open. “Lucy! What happened? Why are you out here walking?”

  “I’m trying to get back to the ranch so I can take care of Emma.”

  “Why did you go with him in the first place?” John demanded, almost yelling.

  “Because I couldn’t protect Emma and allow him to shoot you. How terrible would I be to allow such a thing to happen?”

  “He wasn’t going to shoot me! He was threatening to do so, but he’s too much of a coward to kill me.”

  “You don’t know that! He cocked his gun. I couldn’t stand there and take that chance. No! Never!”

  Mike stepped between them. “Okay, you two. How about we get in the truck and head back to Rawhide. You can yell at each other once we get Lucy back home.”

  John escorted Lucy back to Mike’s truck and held the door for her. Then he got in beside her, staring straight ahead.

  “GRIFF, WHAT ARE WE going to do?” Camille asked her husband as she held Emma in her arms. “Will he hurt her?”

  “He’ll probably try. But Lucy is stronger now. I think she’ll stand up to him.”

  “I hope so, but will she be able to get away? And where will she be? Will they catch them?”

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. We’ll keep her in our prayers. And we’ll take care of Emma. We know she loves Emma and will come back to her if she can.”

  “Yes, she loves Emma. And Emma loves her, right, Emma? Mommy will come back to you if she can. I promise.”

  “Will you be willing to let Emma go?”

  “Go? Go where? Will Lucy have a safe place to take her?”

  “I don’t know. But will she want to stay here when Cecil knows where she can be found?”

  “We can protect her, can’t we?”

  “We can try, but I don’t know if we can do that without risking being hurt.”

  “When you went with your cousins into the mountains to find Jim and Patience and see if they needed your help, did you risk being hurt?”

  “Yes, I did. And I’ll risk myself again for Lucy and Emma. But will Lucy let us?”

  “Is that her choice?”

  “It is, but she put herself in harm’s way to save John’s life. I’m grateful to her for that sacrifice.”

  “Of course we are. But I want a happy ending for Lucy. She’s such a good person. It seems to me that she’s grown up a l
ot the past month.”

  “I think so, too. But I’m not sure about a happy ending—not as long as Cecil is alive.”

  “Someone just pulled into the drive,” Camille said, jumping to her feet, Emma clutched in her arms.

  “Stay here. I’ll go see who it is.” Griff hurried from the room.

  It didn’t take long for him to return. “It’s John and Mike with Lucy!”

  Camille met Lucy at the door and hugged her even as she handed over Emma. “She’s fine, Lucy. I fed her.”

  “Thank you, Camille. I knew I could count on you and Griff keeping her safe.”

  “How did you get away from him? And where did you meet Mike and John?” Camille asked in a rush.

  “I’ll tell you later. Let me put Emma in bed first.” Lucy took her baby and left the room.

  “Well? Are you going to tell us, John? Where did you find her?”

  “Walking down the road. She was planning to walk all the way back here.”

  “That poor dear. She must be starved to death! How about you, Mike?”

  “I’m hungry, Camille, I can confess to that.”

  “I’ll have dinner on the table in ten minutes.” She rushed to the kitchen.

  Griff looked at the two men. “How did she get away?”

  Mike filled him in on the details as Lucy had explained.

  “She’s gotten tougher since she got here,” Griff said with a grin. “I don’t think she would’ve lasted so long if that had happened a month ago.”

  John silently agreed with his father. But a niggling fear lingered in his mind. Cecil knew where to find Lucy. And he doubted the maniac would stop till he had her.

  Chapter Nine

  Lucy gave thanks for her return to her baby. And the Randalls. She’d wondered if she’d seen the last of them when she’d had to leave with Cecil. He was a dangerous man. Also a stupid man, she’d finally realized.

  Now she needed to make plans for the morning. She could allow herself one night here. Then she and Emma would disappear. She’d had five weeks in paradise. She mustn’t be greedy.

  After reaching out to pat her daughter’s back, Lucy turned to leave the baby’s room. She paused at the doorjamb to look back. It was such a pretty room. Too bad Emma wouldn’t remember her first surroundings when she was older.

  When Lucy got to the den, only the men were there.

  “Where’s Camille?” she asked.

  “She’s putting dinner on the table. I’m sure you’re hungry, Lucy. You’ve had a hard day.”

  “Thank you, but I’ll go help—”

  “Dinner’s ready,” Camille announced. “Come on in and sit down.”

  Lucy hugged Camille before she went to sit down. “You put in a lot of extra work, Camille.”

  “Well deserved, Lucy. I knew you’d need a good meal.”

  After several minutes, Camille said, “What are we going to do? Do you think he’ll come back?”

  Mike put down his fork. “Yeah, Camille, I think he’ll come back. Men who find a woman they can beat on don’t easily give up on their victim.”

  “I’m not a victim anymore,” Lucy said.

  “He doesn’t know that yet, Lucy,” John said roughly. “You’ll need to beat him at his own game to convince him of that.”

  “I’ll take Emma and disappear,” Lucy said, keeping her voice firm.

  John put down his fork. “You promised you wouldn’t run away.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t sneak away in the middle of the night. I can tell you all goodbye and not be sneaking away.”

  “I don’t think that’s our best option,” Mike said, interrupting John’s angry response.

  “What do you think is the best option?” Camille asked.

  “To station deputies on the road into Rawhide from either direction. They’ll give us enough time to set up outside. I’d like John to be one of my deputies. He’s the best sharpshooter in the group.”

  “Sure, Mike, I’ll help out.”

  “Why would you need a sharpshooter?” Lucy asked.

  “If Cecil uses a gun again and gets control of you, shooting him may be the only way to save you,” Mike said solemnly. “You do realize that, don’t you?”

  “Surely if you pointed a gun at him, he’d surrender.”

  “Not necessarily,” Mike said. “He might refuse to give up. I need someone to line up the shot, to make sure that you don’t get hit.”

  “I don’t think this will work, Mike.” Lucy looked at the three Randalls, along with Mike. “I don’t want any of you to get hurt. I don’t think I could live with that happening.”

  “We’re not going to get hurt, Lucy,” Mike promised.

  “Wouldn’t it be better for me to find somewhere else to live?”

  “You know Harry won’t like that solution,” John said.

  “No, I don’t know that. I haven’t seen my brother since he came to Rawhide. We’re not close. I came here because I needed some support, but he’s not here. You’ve taken his place. You’re the ones I have to worry about.”

  “I told you I was representing Harry,” John said. “He’s not only my brother-in-law. He’s also my best friend.”

  “I don’t want any of you hurt,” Lucy protested again.

  “Don’t worry,” Mike replied. “We’ll make careful plans. You’ll be fine and so will we. I promise.”

  She nodded. “Just keep that promise.”

  THE FIRST THING MIKE DID was make some calls to get deputies on the roads that led into Rawhide. While he suspected Cecil might come in from the south, the road that led to Kansas City, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  His next call was to his wife, Caroline, to let her know he wouldn’t be home the rest of the night, or most of the next day, either.

  Then he looked at John. “Are you sure you want to be the sharpshooter here? It might upset Lucy if you have to kill Cecil.”

  “I wouldn’t want anyone else to be the sharpshooter. I need to do that job.”

  Just then, Griff and Camille came into the living room.

  “Have you got things set up?” Camille asked.

  “Yes, we do. John and I are going to sleep here, so we’ll be ready if my cell phone rings.”

  “You think he’ll be back this soon?” Griff asked.

  “I would, if I was him,” Mike said simply.

  “What can I do?” Griff said.

  “Stay inside with Camille and Lucy. Keep them safe.”

  “Okay, I will, but you two be careful.”

  “Hey, we’ve already promised both ladies. We will.”

  “Okay, good night,” Griff said as he and Camille left to go to bed.

  THE CELL PHONE RINGING awakened Mike. He sat up, shaking his head, reaching for John’s shoulder as he answered the phone.

  “Yeah? Okay, thanks.”

  John stared at his companion in the shadowy room. “It’s him?”

  “Yeah. They just saw him drive by. He should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay.” John stood up.

  “Be sure to get your coat, John. It’s cold out there in the early morning. The sun won’t be up for at least another half hour.”

  “I didn’t figure Cecil for an early riser,” John said, yawning.

  “Me, neither, but we want to be prepared.”

  The two men put on their coats and got their weapons. Then they slipped outside and took their positions.

  John’s finger was steady on the trigger.

  The best shot, he knew, was a head shot. And if it came to that, he didn’t plan to miss.

  CECIL HATED being up so early. But he wasn’t going to let Lucy go that easily. He had a job to do. After a few hours’ sleep at the first motel he’d come to, he went to a store to buy chloroform, then gathered some cloths to put it in. Now he was prepared. He was going to sneak in that house before anyone else was up and drag Lucy out.

  She wasn’t getting away again.

  That cowboy who thought he was s
o tough would be asleep the whole time. Cecil chuckled. He wouldn’t even be awake to rescue her.

  Not much amused Cecil, but that thought did. When the cowboy woke up, Lucy would be gone. He could imagine her pitiful cries because she knew he would make her pay for running away.

  He believed in making her pay. That’s why he’d hit her the second time. She’d gotten pregnant. He didn’t want to be pestered by any children. And he didn’t want his wife occupied by a child. He wanted her attention on him.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said aloud.

  He didn’t pull into the drive of the Randall ranch. Instead he sat there, on a darkened road, biding his time till the moment was right.

  LUCY WAS DEEP IN SLEEP when something woke her. She could just see the hint of light through the window. Was that what had awakened her? She looked around her bedroom.

  She had just decided everything was fine, when she noticed a shadow in her room. In her sleep-dazed mind, she couldn’t quite imagine what it was. Then it dawned on her. Cecil was in her bedroom. Before she could scream for help, he placed a cloth over her nose.

  Her last thought was that she was glad she’d closed Emma’s door.

  THE CHLOROFORM knocked her out, just as he’d planned.

  Cecil slung Lucy over his shoulder. Then he stumbled. She’d put on weight, he thought. He struggled through the house to the back door where he’d broken in just before sunrise.

  His plan was great, except getting Lucy back to the car. Now he wished he hadn’t left his car out on the road. And because he’d thrown her on his shoulder, he couldn’t keep the cloth over her nostrils. As he got to the back door, she began fighting him, in a sluggish manner.

  Pulling out a gun, he placed it to her head. “I’ll shoot you if you don’t stop. I’ve got a gun pointed at your head.”

  She slumped, showing she understood, but she became a dead weight, dragging him down. Cecil grabbed her arms and tried to sling her over his shoulder again.

  Her head hit the edge of the door as he got her outside the house. He was breathing heavily, but maybe she’d stay knocked out. He didn’t have far to go.

  “Halt, Cecil!”

  He came to a stop and peered through the slowly brightening air. The sheriff stood twenty yards away.