Rocky Mountain Oasis

by Lynnette Bonner

  As the pain coursed through her once more, Brooke, exhausted from her effort at escape, lost the fight against the incoming blackness. Her body slumped into the dead weight of unconsciousness.

  Percival smiled and moved slowly up the hill with his burden, being sure to leave clearly evident tracks as he went. He didn’t want Sky to somehow miss the trail and ruin all his carefully laid plans. It was time to get this whole messy business over with and move on with his life. And in order for that to happen, Jordan needed to follow him.

  Jason rode hard. Driven by his newly reclaimed peace with God, he wanted to be able to clear his conscience of one last thing. He wanted to tell Chang, the man who had caused his mother’s death, that he forgave him. And make sure Chang understood he was able to do so only with Christ’s help.

  Rounding a corner in the trail he suddenly pulled rein. His horse skidded to a stop on its haunches. Jason turned unbelieving eyes to the scene before him. The five prisoners hung from a pole suspended between two trees, their lifeless bodies swaying in the early morning breeze.

  Hadn’t Carle said they’d only left fifteen minutes before he did? How could this have happened so quickly? Where were the guards who were supposed to be protecting these men? Were they the ones who had done this?

  A sadness overwhelmed him as he studied the face of Lee Chang. He had spent a good portion of the last several years hating this man, but now in his death Jason could only feel sorry for him. He had gone to meet his Maker, and Jason could only hope he’d taken time to make his peace with God before he died.

  The thought that it could have been him who did this to these men made Jason sick inside. Even to think that he had contemplated such an act shamed him, and he now thanked God once more for protecting him from himself.

  Sorrow gripping his heart, Jason moved toward Chang. “I came out here to tell you that I forgive you for all the pain you caused my mother and our family back when I was a kid,” he said to the lifeless form. Emotion clogged his throat. Blinking, he looked away. “I only wish I had gotten here a few minutes ago. Maybe I would have been able to save your life.”

  Then, realizing he was wasting precious minutes, Jason turned his horse back toward town, leaving the bodies as they were. “I forgive you, Chang,” he said quietly.

  He was not really speaking to the dead man, for he knew he could not hear him. Jason needed to hear the words for himself, to seal them in his heart.

  Sky stopped and bent down. “Dear God,” he muttered. Reaching down, he touched the thick carpet of pine needles and raised his hand to examine the tips of his fingers. They were red. Brooke was bleeding again! From the evidence he could see, she had lain here for quite some time and then had attempted to rise, but had fallen. The fall must have started her wound bleeding again.

  He glanced around. She had been here not too long ago. And she had headed downhill.

  Frustrated by the fact that she had gone down the opposite side of the hill he had just climbed, he moved after her, following the footprints.

  Brooke suppressed a groan when she again awoke. She felt lightheaded and feverish. Red-hot coals of pain pulsed outward from her forehead, and her right eye was so swollen she couldn’t see out of it. She lay on her side once again on the bitter-cold ground. A hard lump pressed painfully into her hip.

  Rolling onto her back, she stared at the rocky ceiling above her, her one good eye taking a moment to adjust to the dim light. She lay in a cave of some sort, perhaps a tunnel. Light emanated from somewhere in the direction of her feet and she could smell the musty fragrance of freshly turned dirt.

  With a heavy heart she realized how much she missed Sky. Had it been only two days ago that he had come home and she had told him of her salvation? Lord, help Sky to find me before it’s too late. How she wished she had simply told him the truth in the first place.

  She knew now that Percival had planned to come for her all along. He hadn’t planned on letting her live, no matter what. Maybe if she had told Sky, things would have turned out differently somehow. Well, it won’t do me any good to dwell on that now. She forced herself to think on something else.

  Feeling to see what the lump she had been laying on might have been, she was puzzled to find nothing on the ground under her. Her hand moved slowly to the skirt of her dress, and she felt something there. Memory flooded in like brilliant light. The gun! Percival hadn’t found it! She reached into her pocket to pull it out but heard movement and stilled.

  “You’ve come around again, I see. I really should just kill you and be done with this whole mess, but I can’t trust to the fact that you didn’t mention anythin’ to your dear husband. Of course, I could kill you and then go to his place and finish him off, but he has visitors out there, doesn’t he?”

  He stared at the rock ceiling overhead. “No. If I went out there, I wouldn’t be able to trust to the fact that they had not seen me. Then I would have even more people to kill, and this business of killin’ people is gettin’ a little bothersome.”

  He dusted his jacket and straightened his sleeves, talking on as though he were merely discussing everyday politics. “The best way to deal with you two is to get you out here alone. You’re the bait for my trap, see? First I’ll shoot him and then—” he rubbed his hand slowly across the uninjured side of her face, his voice turning lecherous—“you and I are goin’ to spend a little time together. But I’m afraid I will have to finish you off soon, my dear. Too bad. I really found you quite enchantin’ that day we first met. Such a pity I can’t keep you around.”

  Brooke, revolted by his touch, jerked her head away. She sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes as searing shards of fire coursed through her at the abrupt movement.

  “Now dear, it’s no use tryin’ to get away from me. You are in no condition to be movin’ about.” Starting toward the entrance to their hiding place he said, “You just lie here awhile. I have to go watch for your Mr. Jordan. But—” he looked down, an evil glint in his eyes—“don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

  Brooke knew she must act now. Her hand was still on the pistol in her pocket, and this might be the only chance she would have to use it. She didn’t know where she found the strength, but she eased the .22 from her pocket and pulled back the hammer.

  Percival spun, wide-eyed, at the click of the gun.

  Brooke jerked the gun toward the general vicinity of his legs and squeezed the trigger. She hoped only to maim him and give herself a chance at escape.

  Percival frantically dove to one side.

  The bullet flew harmlessly out the opening of the cave. “Why, you dirty little—!” He lunged toward her.

  23

  Following Brooke’s trail down the hill, Sky came to a place where she had slipped and fallen. Her tumble down the hill had left a wide path of broken vegetation. Dread tightening his chest, he trotted down the hill, eyes fixed on a dark splotch of blood that showed where she had come to a stop. He glanced down at the ground, back up the hill, then turned forward to see where the trail led next and froze.

  “Dear God, no,” he muttered. The five Chinamen’s bodies dangled before him in a grim row.

  Futility and grief washed over him. Lifting his hat from his head, he raked his fingers back through his hair in despair. He had risked his life to save theirs—and all for naught.

  Who had done this? He scanned the area. The large splotch of blood at his feet caught his eye. The answer to that question would have to come later. He could do nothing for these men now, and immediate danger threatened Brooke’s life.

  He shoved his hat back onto his head, bent, and examined the footprints more closely. He grimaced. Percival had, once again, picked Brooke up and carried her off. He’d been hoping she had escaped him. Sky continued on, following in the direction Brooke had been taken.

  Coming to a clearing he stopped and eyed the open hillside before him.

  Up until this point Percival’s tracks had been very obvious—almost as though he wanted Sky to
be able to follow them with ease—but suddenly the trail seemed to vanish.

  A long bare slope rose before him, its surface covered only with low, sparse foliage. If he stepped out he would be clearly exposed to anyone who wanted to take a shot at him from above.

  Keeping well back into the covering shadows of the trees, he searched the hillside for any sign of movement but saw nothing. Still he did not step out. Something didn’t feel right about this, and he wasn’t about to move out into the open until he knew what he was facing.

  Leaning his shoulder into the trunk of a tree, he methodically began a sweeping search of the slope. And then he saw it. Three quarters of the way up the hill a dark spot indicated there must be a small cave or tunnel of some sort there. Piled around the entrance were numerous mounds of rock and shale that at first glance had appeared to be no different from the other small rocks and boulders that littered the hillside.

  The spot was a good three hundred yards from where he now stood, but he had seen enough diggings to know a mine entrance when he saw it.

  Hunter must think that Brooke told me all about him being in town that night. Without a doubt, Sky knew Percival had Brooke in the mine. And this was a trap, set to lure him out into the open where he would be an easy target.

  As he considered all his options, he recognized that the trap was well laid.

  The mine was situated in such a way that in order to get to it he would have to be out in the open for quite a ways. Anyone sitting in the shadows of the cave would be able to clearly see him. However, he wouldn’t be able to see anything but the black opening and he couldn’t fire randomly into the entrance for fear of hitting Brooke. He scanned the top of the hill. Even if he eased around and approached from the top he would have to move out into the open for at least ten yards before he could get to the entrance of the mine.

  Squatting down, he pressed a fist to his mouth as he weighed his options.

  He glanced over at his horse, ground-hitched a ways back in the trees. Ears pricked in the direction of the hill, Geyser stood still, listening, then raised his head to the breeze, nostrils flaring, but his eyes intent on the slope. If Sky had had any doubts about Percival and Brooke being in the mine, they vanished. The horse’s manner confirmed his notion.

  Suddenly Sky knew what he would do. Experience had shown Sky that a man grew overconfident when he thought he knew his opponent’s only options. The best way to capture such a man was to catch him off guard.

  There was usually more than one way to skin a coon, no matter how outlandish it might be. Sky remembered his father’s motto, “‘Expect the unexpected and act accordingly.’ Don’t ever do what they are expecting you to do,” he had told his boys on a number of occasions. “You have to put yourselves in that other man’s shoes and learn to think like he does. Don’t make your move until you know exactly what he thinks you’re going to do. Then do something totally different.” The element of surprise worked almost every time, and Sky prayed that it would work this time.

  He stopped to think about Hunter. And as he eyed the terrain around the entrance to the mine, he began to see what the man expected.

  Percival had convinced himself that Sky would walk out of the trees at the bottom of this hill scouting the ground for the trail he had suddenly lost and not notice anything further up the hill. He thought Sky would come traipsing right up into the sights of his gun.

  But as Sky scrutinized the hillside above the entrance to the mine, he saw another option. Moving around the base of the hill, being careful to stay hidden in the shadows of the trees, Sky came to a ridge that would take him up the hill, but keep him out of sight from the mine entrance. Skirting around, he came out above the tunnel so that he now looked down on it.

  From this angle he could not see the entrance, but he was within thirty feet of it and could hear voices, although he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  He would have to move carefully here. Any misplaced pebble that rolled down the hill would alert Percival that someone stood above them, and would ruin his advantage of surprise.

  The fact that Hunter did not expect him to come in from above would work to his advantage, but only for a moment. Sky hoped he would only need a moment.

  He had one other trick up his sleeve that he prayed would buy him some time.

  Removing his buckskin shirt he silently placed it over a forked branch he had selected. He added his black hat at the neck, jamming it down onto the branches so that it would stay in place. Lashing the crude dummy to the saddle he stepped back, eyeing his creation. It didn’t look anything like a person, but he hoped it would serve to make Hunter take a second look and buy him a few more precious seconds.

  Sky wrapped Geyser’s hooves with some strips of cloth he kept in his saddle bags for just such a purpose, so they would make no noise as he moved across the rocky surface. Many times Sky had been alerted to the approach of someone by the soft click of a horse’s hooves on a small stone and he didn’t want to give Percival that same advantage. Leading the horse so that he stood just above and to the right of the mine entrance, Sky left him there, reins wrapped around the pommel, praying he would make no sound until he himself could get into place.

  Pulling his pistol from the holster he checked the rounds, then crept stealthily toward the other side of the entry.

  When he was in place, he picked up a good size stone and weighed it in his hand, judging the distance between himself and Geyser. Glancing again at the path he would have to travel to get to the entrance of the mine, he memorized every twist, turn, and rock on the way.

  Then suddenly he heard the report of a small pistol from inside the mine! Spinning, he threw the rock in his hand at the haunch of the black with great force, letting out a piercing whistle.

  The stone hit the exact spot he had aimed for and the horse, surprised by the loud noises and the stinging pain, lunged forward, heading down the hill at a gallop.

  Sky launched into motion at the same moment, heading on swift silent feet toward the mine, praying that Brooke was alive.

  Jason went first to Chang’s Mercantile and entered the front door. The bell overhead clanged as the door hit it.

  Jenny came out of the back room carrying an empty box, her face red and swollen from crying.

  Jason cleared his throat. For the first time in years he wished that he had stopped to wash up before paying a call. It didn’t seem right, somehow, that he stood here, looking like he did in his dirty clothes and shaggy hair, about to inform a woman that her husband had been murdered.

  Quickly removing his hat, he ran a hand back through his hair and then stepped forward. “Ma’am, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  Jenny set the box down on the counter in front of her. Jason could see the light of knowledge in her eyes but no fresh tears came.

  “I’ve just come from the trail leading out of town. I’m sorry to have to tell you, but your husband and all the prisoners with him have been killed.”

  “How?” she questioned, flatly.

  He cleared his throat. “They were hung, ma’am.”

  “You do it, Mistah Jordan?”

  Jason blinked. He deserved that. Everyone in town knew he hated Lee Chang. Sorrowful conviction engulfed his heart. His past actions and hatred would bring the suspicion of many down on his head for this crime. “Ma’am, I have treated your husband very poorly in the past. I’ve held a grudge against him for something that happened to my mother many years ago, and it was wrong. I came to see that a short time ago and, although I don’t expect you to believe this, I rode after him to tell him that I’ve forgiven him for the part he had in my mother’s death. I did not…” He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence as his throat clogged with emotion. “No.” He answered her question directly.

  “I sorry, Mistah Jordan.” She shook her head. “I should not ask like that. I know it not you.”

  He twisted his hat around by the rim. “Thank you, ma’am. I’m sorry for the way I felt
about your husband. I want you to know that. I only wish I had gotten the chance to tell him.”

  She nodded. Her face crumpled as tears began to run down her cheeks. Jason stepped toward her, guiding her by the elbow to a chair. “I really need to go inform the others so we can try to figure out what happened. Will you be all right here alone?” She nodded again.

  “All right. We’ll let you know the minute we find out anything.” He pushed his hat back onto his head and stepped outside, heading toward the jail to break the news.

  The reverberation of the pistol shot still echoed off the walls of the cavern when Brooke heard the piercing whistle from outside.

  Percival, who had lunged toward her, cursed and suddenly changed course. He snatched up his shotgun and lurched out the mine entrance into the bright sunlight. Turning to the right, he raised the scatter gun and fired. “Got him!” he yelled with glee.

  Heart constricting, Brooke scrabbled for the .22 with shaking hands. She sat up, leaning back against the wall of the cave. So thirsty! She licked her dry lips. Closing her eyes for a second as a wave of exhaustion washed over her, she leaned her head back. It had to be Sky. He’d been coming to rescue her. Percival had just killed Sky. She blinked, tears coursing down her cheeks, and stretched the gun out at arm’s length in the direction of the light. Waiting for Percival to come back in, she prayed that God would forgive her for what she was about to do. This time she would not be aiming for his legs!

  The gun wavered and the images in her line of vision doubled. She blinked again, trying to focus, knowing she didn’t have enough strength to hold on for long.

  She saw Percival lower the gun and heard him exclaim, “What the—!?” as he stared off down the hill.

  Suddenly he spun and threw up an arm as someone leaped upon him. Brooke’s vision blurred. Who was out there?

  Shoving the end of the shotgun aside, the newcomer slammed a large fist into Percival’s face, knocking the smaller man onto his back. Percival did not move. Yanking the shotgun from his grasp, Percival’s assailant carried it with him into the cave.